YAY!. Another fabulous romantic suspense novel by Jane Blythe, Saving Ryder, Book I of the Saving Seals series did not disappoint. It starts out strong, keeping me rapidly ‘flipping pages’.
How Jane Blythe manages to come up with a different twist on an oft told tale, never ceases to amaze me.
What romance lover doesn’t love a hunkalicious Navy Seal and a damsel in distress?
Abby and Ryder already knew each other. In fact, he had broken it off with her twice. When his team of Navy Seals are sent to rescue a group of children who had been taken hostage, Ryder found Abby, who had been missing for fourteen months. It was a surprise to him, but she had never given up hope that she would be rescued.
She had suffered through months of torture and near starvation, but even she didn’t know how bad it really was. The truth comes out slowly…and, this time, Ryder will be by her side every step of the way. BUT, why was she taken?
Saving Ryder has all the goodies: a damsel in distress, some hunkalicious Navy Seals, mucho danger from a psychopath, and sweet romance.
Jane Blythe creates a fabulous story with lovable and loving characters. Every time I read a book like Saving Ryder, I have to remind myself how much her writing and creativity give me the suspense and thrills I am looking for. After all the books I have read of hers, she still manages to surprise me and leave me wanting more.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Saving Ryder by Jane Blythe.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He’s left her twice before why should she believe this time is any different?
Abigail McNamara feels like she always has to prove herself and could never live up to her family’s expectations. Her grandfather was a SEAL, her father was a SEAL, her brother is a SEAL, and, oh yeah, her brother’s ridiculously hotter than hot hunkalicious best friend is also a SEAL. She’s loved Ryder since she was twelve but he’s broken her heart twice already and she’s vowed she won’t ever trust him again.
Every guy knows the code you don’t have sex with your best friend’s little sister. If you do you don’t get caught. If you fall in love with her you don’t break her heart. And if you earn her trust back you don’t walk away. Unfortunately Ryder “Spider” Flynn did all that. When Abigail is abducted and help prisoner for fourteen months by a sadistic sociopath that changes everything. Now all bets are off but he has to keep her alive long enough to prove to her he deserves a third chance.
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
We have a new character, Evelyn, Myrtle’s grandniece. She is living in Evelyn’s home, fixing it up and collecting the homeless kitties, like Evelyn used to do. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Glinda is a psychic, and quickly makes many friends since her move to the small town of Spookie, where danger stalks the characters, like the ghosts in the fog. Is the fog your friend or is it out to get you?
Frank is a murder mystery writer since his retirement from the police department, but he needs more. He becomes a consultant for the Chicago Police Department, and it’s a good thing he did. He will need those resources when his daughter, Laura’s, safety becomes an issue.
There is so much more going on than just the mystery about the buried treasure. Kathryn Meyer Griffith manages to have multiple mysteries going on so there is never a dull moment.
What a fabulous cast of characters. I love their uniqueness and quirkiness. Their willingness to go above and beyond for those around them, whether two footed or four footed.
Myrtle still remains my favorite. I love this crusty old bird, eccentric, gruff, but, as we pull away the layers, like peeling an onion, her heart is exposed. And it is a big one!
We’ve had adventures in Spookie, with kidnappers, serial killers, missing people, ghosts, witches and now, treasure hunters. It amazes me that Kathryn Meyer Griffith is able to create so many different and wonderful scenarios. I can hardly wait to find out the next one:
All Those Who Came Before…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of What Lies Beneath by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The 5th Spookie Town Murder Mystery is finally out. Who wouldn’t want to find a chest of buried treasure, ancient gold coins and exquisitely priceless jewelry, on their land? A treasure a sailor dead for over seventy years once found in the shallow waters of a distant island and later buried, hid, the remnants of at the end of his tragic life. The townspeople of Spookie have been searching, fighting and killing each other over it, for decades and no one has ever unearthed it. Abigail, Frank, Myrtle and her psychic grandniece, Glinda, are on the hunt for the treasure…and they might just find it with Glinda’s and the dead sailor’s help. For Frank, ex-Chicago homicide detective, there’s also a new and dangerous case that brings him temporarily out of retirement and back to Chicago because it threatens his adopted daughter Laura’s safety at the art college she is attending. There are three missing college students, young women, one a close friend of Laura’s, and the Chicago police force is feverishly searching for them before their abductors kill them. Can Frank, with a little help from Glinda’s visions, and his old partner Sam Cato, locate the abducted girls in time and save their lives? All the rest of the quirky characters are also back again to share in the adventures, the mysteries, and the small town life of foggy Spookie. Come join them.
ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH
Kathryn Meyer Griffith has been a writer
for over forty-nine years now and has had twenty-nine novels and thirteen short
stories published since 1984. She began her writing career as a paperback
horror author in 1984 with Leisure and Zebra Publishing, but has since moved on
to write paranormal horror, romantic historical time-travel, suspense, romance,
thrillers, and murder mysteries. Her horror novel The Last Vampire, and her
thriller Dinosaur Lake (now a best-selling five book series), were both Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in 2012 and 2014. Kathryn Meyer Griffith rdgriff@htc.net
NOVELS: Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart
of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II:
Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic
horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (1st Spookie Town
Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (2nd Spookie Town Murder Mystery),
Ghosts Beneath Us (3rd Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us
(4th Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (5th
Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Those Who Came Before (6th Spookie
Town Murder Mystery); soon, a 7th, When the Fireflies
Retuned, out in December 2020, Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice
Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman
in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection,
Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story,
Dinosaur Lake (2014 Epic eBook Awards Finalists in their
Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising,
Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars,
Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Memories of My Childhood, and a biographical
short story Christmas Magic 1959.
Too bad Seb didn’t have the magic eight ball before he met with Ling and all hell broke loose. He took his chances in Vegas. If it wasn’t for bad luck, he’d have no luck at all and it will take his Hellcat Charger to survive.
Bloody and fleeing for his life…
I love that Jason Parent adds some humor to his horror and he is not afraid to kill off a character or two or three…His characters are quirky and his scenarios keep me wondering. The minute I think I know how the story will end, he throws in a surprise or two making me say…WTF.
WOW…Eight Cylinders was one wild ride with some of the worst characters being the best. This may be a novella, but it was filled with danger, otherwordly, nail biting, edge of the seat suspense and thrills.
Good job Jason. You had me going. The ending was worth a star itself.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Eight Cylinders by Jason Parent.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Sebastian “Seb” McAlister has run out of luck in Vegas. Cornered by a trigger-happy gang and shot through the stomach, he makes a desperate escape in his supercharged Hellcat. Fate guides Seb safely out of Sin City and into the desert, but as his wheels fade into the horizon, he fades into darkness.
He awakes among a tiny community in the middle of nowhere. A mountain range circles the hodgepodge of shacks like prison walls looming high. And the warden that resides in those mountains is big, ugly, and deadly—a creature straight out of a Lovecraftian nightmare.
If Seb hopes to escape that wayward way station, he’ll need enough cunning to outwit a force beyond comprehension… and a fast car. With a little luck and a ragtag group of would-be monster mashers racing alongside him, Seb just might have a shot of making it through the mountains alive.
ABOUT JASON PARENT
In
his head, Jason Parent lives in many places, but in the real world, he
calls New England his home. The region offers an abundance of settings
for his writing and many wonderful places in which to write them. He
currently resides in Southeastern Massachusetts with his cuddly corgi
named Calypso.
In a prior life, Jason spent most of his
time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he finally
tired of Latin phrases no one knew how to pronounce and explaining to
people that real lawsuits are not started, tried and finalized within
the 60-minute timeframe they see on TV (it’s harassing the witness; no
one throws vicious woodland creatures at them), he traded in his cheap
suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the
next day, and he’s back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that’s
another story.
When he’s not working, Jason likes to
kayak, catch a movie, travel any place that will let him enter, and play
just about any sport (except that ball tied to the pole thing where you
basically just whack the ball until it twists into a knot or takes
somebody’s head off – he misses the appeal). And read and write, of
course. He does that too sometimes.
The Warrior King Abigail Owen (Inferno Rising #3) Published by: Entangled: Amara Publication date: March 9th 2021 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
MY REVIEW
The Warrior King by Abigail Owen is Book III in the Inferno Rising series. Even though the storyline is familiar, dragon meets phoenix and….Abigail Owen always adds those little bits that make an amazing story unputdownable and the characters to die for.
The Warrior King is Meira and Samael’s story and it is a HOT one.
Being an empath and a Phoenix, Meira enjoys the solitude of working with computers. She has chosen her mate, not for love, but to get her revenge for the death of her parents.
A glance in the mirror from Samael changed their lives. Meira uses mirrors as portals, but she couldn’t understand how he was able to see her. That had never happened before. What does it mean?
She must forget she ever saw Samael, .but he is her intended mate’s friend and protector. He thinks of King Gorgon as a father figure. He would be assigned as her protector and I foresee some problems. I wondered how this would work out and Abigail Owen never fails to surprise me. She takes me to places I can’t go on my own and makes me love every minute of it.
The torment that Meira and Samael go through trying to do the right thing and not betray a good man and friend like King Gorgon is torturous and agonizing. Her Phoenix “lights” up when he is near and his dragon fights to take control, to be free to claim her.
The Phoenix’s are desired by the Rotting King Pytheios. When a dragon is unmated, his body rots and a Phoenix can save him and declare him High King. He wants all of their powers and will do anything to obtain them.
Meira and her sisters are protected by more than dragons. We have werewolves and Carrick, a gargoyle, who play a role. We have Maul, a Hellhound and Vincent Van Goat.
Do dragons have pets? Meira has rescued a kitten and I wonder if it will become a dragon snack or a clan pet.
Meira’s comment…”release the Kraken”, had me cracking up, creating some wild visions dancing in my head.
Dragons flying, slashing, clawing, fighting to the death, going down in flames.
I have read each book as it has been published and Abigail Owen includes bits and pieces to update what’s happening in each book so you can follow along. It didn’t take me long to catch up. BUT, I would have loved to binge read the entire series, fully lost in this world.
While each book tells the story of a couple, a Phoenix and a dragon falling in love and mating, each story has unique events that keep adding to the book surprises, and twists and turns, that I love so much.
With tears in my eyes, some of the good guys fall. I love that Abigail Owen is not afraid to kill off a character if it improves the story and gets my emotions all riled up.
The mating is HOT! and the future, though filled with danger, is bright, hopeful. I love that it ends on a positive note, leaving me feeling good and wanting more.
The secret they have fought to keep has been exposed. There are four Phoenix sisters and Angelique’s story will be told. She may be a Phoenix and daughter of the past king of the White Clan, but she has no power…does she?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Warrior King by Abigail Owen.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
Meira Amon is the most reserved of the phoenixes, finding computers easier to deal with than people and their messy emotions. But she wants revenge against the Rotting King Pytheios for the murder of her parents just as much as her sisters. Offering herself as a queen for their ally, dragon shifter King Gorgon of the Black Clan, only makes sense.
Just one problem…
Samael Veles worked his lowborn ass off to become the fiercest warrior of the Black Clan. He has pledged his life to protect his king at all costs. Yet somehow, in the middle of war, he took one look at a woman in a reflection and gave up his heart. When that woman turns out to be the phoenix promised to mate his king and help bring peace to their kind, he has no choice but to accept it.
Until her fire unexpectedly destroys the king after they’ve wed. Now Samael must choose between his loyalty to his clan and protecting the queen who might be his mate from his people’s wrath, one of which will unlock a destiny no one could have ever imagined…
Meira tried to get closer to Gorgon, tried to take it back, to pull her fire back into herself. Bile stung her throat, blending with the vomit-inducing stench of burning flesh. The king stared back with shocked, awful, horror-filled eyes as her flames consumed him. He fell to his knees, and she could see him fighting the flames, his own black fire flaring out like sunspots only to be devoured by the red gold of her own fire in an instant.
One kiss was all it had taken.
They hadn’t even gotten to the undressing part, let alone the sex part. She’d turned on her flames and he’d kissed her lightly, so sweet. Except then he jerked back, a silent howl of pain contorting his features.
Already his bronze skin had turned charred before cooling to gray. Other parts continued to burn, glowing bright embers, and parts of him were sifting to ash. Like her mother in that field all alone.
“No, no, no,” Meira cried, hardly aware of the words pouring from her mouth.
She fell to her knees beside him, reaching in past the flames, which didn’t hurt her, to take his hand, already ashy against hers. “I’m so sorry. I’m here. Look at me.”
His eyes, already solid gray, shifted in his face as if searching. Could he see her? “I won’t let you die alone.”
A thunderous thud rattled the door. Samael.
By this time, most of the body had turned to ash.
Another slam against the door, this one causing a crack to appear in the thick wood. “Let me in!” Samael shouted, his voice muffled.
Meira forced herself to her feet. Her hands were shaking so hard, it took three tries for her to manage to unlock the door. She jumped back in time to get out of the way as Samael slammed it open. The door hit the wall behind with such force it embedded in the rock, small fragments of wood and stone falling to the floor, the gritty sound loud in the sudden silence as the man on the floor finished disintegrating and the fire disappeared all at the same time.
Samael ran to the heap of burned flesh and knelt beside it, he ran his fingers through the dust and ash then made a fist, seeming to grasp for control.
He won’t hurt me.
Meira shouldn’t be sure of that. He was Gorgon’s captain and would believe what his eyes were telling him. That she’d killed his king, the man he was sworn to protect.
“What have you done?” Samael asked in a low voice.
Hands to her mouth, Meira could only shake her head in horror. Was he asking her? Or asking his king?
Samael turned his head to spear her with a dark gaze full of rage, his fire sparking, like looking into an abyss that was reaching out for her. “What. Have. You. Done?”
No mistaking those growled words were directed her way. “It’s—” She had to stop and swallow around a throat so dry it felt coated in dust. Coated in a nameless man’s ashes. “It’s not—”
Samael bolted to his feet, crossing the room in two long strides, backing Meira up against the rock wall of the cavern the suite was carved from. “Don’t you dare say it’s not your fault.”
She should be terrified. This man had every right to kill her here and now. She’d heard many of Ladon’s men speak in hushed tones of respect about Samael’s skills when it came to killing. A rational person would be cowering and begging for her life.
But part of her she didn’t know even existed refused to be that woman. Not in front of him.
Samael’s emotions, released from their bonds, swirled and eddied around her like a riptide—anger, grief, blame. And one other, above all others. Protectiveness.
For her? Or his clan?
Author Bio:
Multi-award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, alpha heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of sexy shifters! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, Dr. Seuss quoter, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.
Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.
Witches Among Us by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is the fourth book in the Spookie Town Murder Mystery series. I have loved all the previous books, so I open my Kindle with sweet anticipation.
Witches Among Us by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is the fourth book in the Spookie Town Murder Mystery series. I have loved the previous three, so I figure there is a great chance that I will love this one too. Each book can stand alone, but I think the characters are ones you may want to know better and find out how they came to be where they are now.
We start out with Myrtle pulling her wagon and singing a song. She is such a wonderful character and Kathryn Meyer Griffith has brought her to life through her writing. She may not be the main character, but she is so original and unique and fabulous, that she has become my favorite. She is eccentric and would have appeared wacko, but the townspeople know otherwise.
Myrtle is afraid that the past is catching up with her. Her and her sister, Estelle have been hiding in Spookie for fifty five years. Had the witches found them?
She comes to Frank and Abigail because they can fix anything.
I quickly became engrossed in this magical mystery as Myrtle’s group of friends and family come together to face the danger and solve the mystery. The more time I spend in the small town of Spookie, with its almost ever present fog, the more I enjoy it.
I love Witches Among Us and Kathryn Meyer Griffith kept me in the dark about the details of the mystery. She manages to keep me guessing: who, what, why, where, how…
Good magic, bad magic, who will prevail? Shows…you can run but you can’t hide from your past. It will catch up to you and then…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Witches Among Us by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Spookie is a quaint village often cloaked in fog and filled with mysteries. The usual eccentric characters are here for their fourth murder mystery and the case is one which really hits close to home this time for Myrtle, the town’s Perry Como singing and wagon-pulling bag lady. Her sister Evelyn, the local animal hoarder, is missing. Strange miniature figures fashioned of twigs are found hanging from one of Evelyn’s trees as warnings. Because of them Myrtle fears a coven of wanted-to-be witches she once knew, and escaped from, almost sixty years ago could be behind the kidnapping because she stole their ancient black grimoire–and they want it back. But Myrtle doesn’t want to let them have it because she believes the grimoire could be dangerously real. The book mustn’t fall into the wrong hands and the old coven’s hands are covered in blood. So Myrtle again seeks Frank and Abigail’s help in getting her sister back, alive, and in protecting the grimoire. What they don’t know is a fourth addition to their team of sleuths, a mysterious psychic and new addition to the town, will emerge and join the battle…but whose side will she be on? Is she merely a psychic or is she something more? And will they get Evelyn back alive or will the old witches find and possess the grimoire first? The fourth Spookie Town Murder Mystery. *Note: If you’d like to read more about witches, real witches, take a look at my book Witches, its sequel Witches II: Apocalypse or the bonus book with both Witch novels in it.
ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH
Kathryn Meyer Griffith has been a writer
for over forty-nine years now and has had twenty-nine novels and thirteen short
stories published since 1984. She began her writing career as a paperback
horror author in 1984 with Leisure and Zebra Publishing, but has since moved on
to write paranormal horror, romantic historical time-travel, suspense, romance,
thrillers, and murder mysteries. Her horror novel The Last Vampire, and her
thriller Dinosaur Lake (now a best-selling five book series), were both Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in 2012 and 2014. Kathryn Meyer Griffith rdgriff@htc.net
NOVELS: Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart
of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II:
Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic
horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (1st Spookie Town
Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (2nd Spookie Town Murder Mystery),
Ghosts Beneath Us (3rd Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us
(4th Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (5th
Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Those Who Came Before (6th Spookie
Town Murder Mystery); soon, a 7th, When the Fireflies
Retuned, out in December 2020, Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice
Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman
in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection,
Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story,
Dinosaur Lake (2014 Epic eBook Awards Finalists in their
Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising,
Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars,
Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Memories of My Childhood, and a biographical
short story Christmas Magic 1959.
Book Title: Dragons Don’t Dance Ballet by Jennifer Carson Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 36 pages Genre: Children’s Picture Book Publisher: Vinal Publishing Release date: December 8, 2020 Content Rating: G for everyone.
MY REVIEW
Dragons Don’t Dance by Jennifer Carson is a cute book with wonderful illustrations and a story line most of us adults can relate to, and it sends a message to the youngsters. Dream big. Even if you aren’t the chosen one, don’t ignore your passions. It takes people of all kinds to make up this world and being different is a good thing.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dragons Don’t Dance by Jennifer Carson.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Esmeralda Dragon works the spotlight at the City Ballet, but what she really wants to do is dance. Encouraged by her friend Harold to audition, Esmeralda takes a leap of faith only to discover that she doesn’t quite fit in with the other ballerinas. But Esmerelda isn’t ready to give up–and neither is Harold! A whimsical picture book that challenges body image expectations.
ABOUT JENNIFER CARSON
Jennifer Carson lives in Michigan with her husband, four sons and
many furry friends. She grew up on a steady diet of Muppet movies and
Renaissance faires and would occasionally be caught reading under the
blankets with a flashlight. Besides telling tales, Jennifer likes to
create fantasy creatures and characters and publishes her own sewing
patterns. Her artwork and patterns can be seen online at
thedragoncharmer.com.
Jennifer’s work has been featured in national magazines including:
Cloth, Paper, Scissors, Faerie Magazine, Soft Dolls and Animals, Teddy
Bear and Friends, and Dolls United.Jennifer’s work has been featured in
national magazines including: Cloth, Paper, Scissors, Faerie Magazine,
Soft Dolls and Animals, Teddy Bear and Friends, and Dolls United.
Such a pretty cover for Little Deadly Secrets by Pamela Crane. Little Deadly Secrets was originally published as One Perfect Morning in Great Britain in 2020 by Harper Collins Publishers.
Little Deadly Secrets is not my first novel to read by Pamela Crane, but it is my first one to review. I enjoyed A Second Hand Lie, so when I got the opportunity to read Little Deadly Secrets, I was more than happy to.
Three women: Lily is a born leader, Robin is an organizer and planner (I can relate to that) and MacKenzie is always there, rock solid. They met in college and became best friends. They called themselves the Spicier Girls. Lily is the Adventure Spice, Robin is the Homemaker Spice and MacKenize is the Doctor Spice. They are bonded for life…by a secret. But, we all know, secrets do not stay buried. They have a way of coming back and biting you…
“With this bracelet I do vow
To these two girls forever bound.
Through life and love, through thick and thin Until that day when death will win
When I got to Chapter 4, a light bulb went off. I think I know where this is going and I am engrossed. Betrayal, grudging discontent. So much going on. Not sure if I care for one of the adults and the jury is still out on the kids…at least one of them. I love characters that evoke emotions of any kind, even the bad kind. What a bunch of messed up people and I love it.
Pamela Crane is great at throwing in those ‘little’ things, like Nico.
To sum it up, these are some of the most damaged people I have met, but the resolution of the story can give us all hope. Even though it is so far out there, sometimes I had to keep reminding myself it was fiction. It is not a new storyline for me, but I loved it.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Little Deadly Secrets by Pamela Crane.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From USA Today bestselling author Pamela Crane comes an addictively readable domestic suspense novel…
Mackenzie, Robin, and Lily have been inseparable forever, sharing life’s ups and downs and growing even closer as the years have gone by. They know everything about each other. Or so they believe.
Nothing could come between these three best friends . . .
Except for a betrayal.
Nothing could turn them against each other . . .
Except for a terrible past mistake.
Nothing could tear them apart . . .
Except for murder.
ABOUT PAMELA CRANE
PAMELA CRANE is a USA TODAY best-selling author and professional juggler. Not one who can toss flaming torches in the air, but a juggler of four kids, a writing addiction, and a horse rescuer. She lives on the edge (her Arabian horse can tell you about their wild adventures while trying to train him) and she writes on the edge…where her sanity resides. Her thrillers unravel flawed women who aren’t always pretty. In fact, her characters are rarely pretty, which makes them interesting…and perfect for doing crazy things worth writing about. When she’s not cleaning horse stalls or changing diapers, she’s psychoanalyzing others.
I am a huge fan of Jon Land, so when I was given the chance to read his first book of Margaret Truman’s Capital Crime series, I was eager to begin. It is different from the Murder She Wrote series and Caitlin Strong series and I loved it and I do love a series where each book can stand alone.
I have been reading Jon Land’s books for decades, but have never read any of Margaret Truman’s Capital Crime series, until now. This was different from the Murder She Wrote and Caitlin Strong novels Jon writes and I loved it.
We start out with Lia and her granddaughter enjoying the beach…until the drones come and the bullets begin flying. It was a miracle they were still alive. Lia had retired from her job in the Elite Special Ops of the Israeli Army after suffering wounds that kept her at her desk. She feels she has no choice but to get back in the game.
Thousands of miles away, in Washington D C, Brixton is on the Washington Metro when his senses go on high alert. He spots a woman wearing a hijab. She brings to mind the woman responsible for his daughter’s death. The flash told him he was too late to stop her, but his actions saved many lives.
The VP has heart issues and I love the frightening stance Jon Land took with the issue. I love that his mind is able to conceive of such realistic scenarios.
Lia and Brixton carefully and quietly try to discover what is really going on and the danger mounts. If they weren’t so highly thought of and had a track record to prove it, some might have thought they were paranoid. What’s the saying…You’re not paranoid if they are out to get you. Others are drawn in and it becomes too big to keep secret.
Jon Land quickly captures my attention and it never lets up. I love reading about conspiracies. When Jon has the characters talking about the NSA having access to all the cameras, like the ones at gas stations, traffic lights, tolls, it made me think of the TV show, Person of Interest. Like all things, it can be used for good or evil.
What do a nun, an Israeli Mossad agent, and an international American Private Investigator have in common? This is power gone wild and it will take all of them to stop it.
WHOA! Murder on the Metro goes so far over the line, it frightens me. Is it possible? I believe most anything is possible in the electronic age we live it.
Talk about political machinations, Murder on the Metro seems all too real. From current events, we can see some leaders will go to any extreme to accomplish their goals. The steps they will go to to keep and have the ultimate power is an ultimate betrayal.
Jon Land wrapped up the story in spectacular fashion, leaving me hopeful for our future. I do think there are more good than bad people, though at times it’s hard to keep that in mind, and his writing is so realistic, I believe it could really happen.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Murder On The Metro by Jon Land.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In Margaret Truman’s Murder on the Metro, Jon Land’s first thrilling addition to the New York Times bestselling Capital Crimes series, Robert Brixton uncovers a sinister plot threatening millions of American lives!
Israel: A drone-based terrorist attack kills dozens on a sun-splashed beach in Caesarea.
Washington: America awakens to the shattering news that Vice President Stephanie Davenport has died of an apparent heart attack.
That
same morning, a chance encounter on the Washington Metro results in
international private investigator Robert Brixton thwarting an attempted
terrorist bombing. Brixton has no reason to suspect that the three
incidents have anything in common, until he’s contacted by Kendra
Rendine, the Secret Service agent who headed up the vice president’s
security detail. Rendine is convinced the vice president was murdered
and needs Brixton’s investigative expertise to find out why.
In
Israel, meanwhile, legendary anti-terrorist fighter Lia Ganz launches
her own crusade against the perpetrators of that attack which nearly
claimed the lives of her and granddaughter. Ganz’s trail will ultimately
take her to Washington where she joins forces with Brixton to uncover
an impossible link between the deadly attack on Caesarea and the
attempted Metro bombing, as well as the death of the vice president.
The
connection lies in the highest corridors of power in Washington where a
deadly plot with unimaginable consequences has been hatched. With the
clock ticking toward doomsday, Brixton and Ganz race against time to
save millions of American lives who will otherwise become collateral
damage to a conspiracy destined to change the United States forever.
ABOUT JON LAND
Jon
Land is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of 36 books,
including the bestselling Caitlin Strong Texas Ranger series that
includes Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break,
Strong Vengeance and, most recently, Strong Rain Falling. The Tenth
Circle marks the second return engagement of his longtime series hero
Blaine McCracken on the heels of last year’s Pandora’s Temple which was
nominated for a Thriller Award and received the 2013 International Book
Award for Best Adventure Thriller. Jon’s first nonfiction book,
Betrayal, meanwhile, was named Best True Crime Book of 2012 by Suspense
Magazine and won a 2012 International Book Award for Best True Crime
Book. He is currently working on Strong Darkness, the next entry in the
Caitlin Strong to be published in September of 2014. He graduated Phi
Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Brown University, where he continues
to maintain a strong volunteer presence, in 1979.
Unicorn Island by Donna Galanti is a beautifully written coming of age fantasy for a young girl looking for her place in the world…and she finds it in the most unlikely place. It was easy to like Sam and when she looks out at the view from her attic bedroom window in Foggy Harbor, I felt like I would enjoy living there too. I love when an author gives me more than I anticipated and leaves me with a smile on my face.
At the end of the book, Donna Galanti shares some history on unicorns, wyverns, veterinarians, the pirates of the Carolina’s and Ocracoke and Assateague Islands, where the wild horses roam free.
I loved this wonderful story and am so glad there is more to come.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Unicorn Island by Donna Galanti.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
Beyond the mist lies a magical secret waiting to be discovered. Unicorn
Island is a middle-grade illustrated novel series about a young
girl who discovers a mysterious island full of mythical beasts and darker
dangers! When Sam arrives in Foggy
Harbor, population 3,230, all she can see is a small, boring town that’s way
too far from home. And knowing that she’s stuck there all summer with her
grumpy Uncle Mitch only makes things worse. But when Sam discovers a hidden
trapdoor leading to a room full of strange artifacts, she realizes Foggy Harbor
isn’t as sleepy as it seems. With the help of a new friend, Sam discovers an
extraordinary secret beyond the fog: an island of unicorns whose fates are
intertwined with hers.
“An accessible and fast-paced magical adventure.” – Kirkus
Reviews
“An all-too-human, enchanting middle grade fantasy novel.” –
Forward Reviews
“What begins as realistic fiction turns to a fantastical
tale of magical rescue. Fans of unicorns and magic in the real world will enjoy
this adventure.” – School Library Journal
In New York
City, lights twinkled across Sam’s ceiling all night long. She had never felt
lonely there,
knowing the
city was awake with her. She could already tell Foggy Harbor was different. It
looked like
the loneliest
place ever. Why would anyone live here on purpose? she wondered.
The driver
pulled into the bus station. A neon sign that should have flashed Foggy Harbor
Parking
was missing
most of its letters. BOR . . . ING. Some sign, she thought. I’m
already bored here.
“You got someone
picking you up, Miss?” the driver asked as he pulled her suitcase from the
luggage compartment.
Her t-shirt
clung to her in the heavy, muggy air. Sam checked her phone for the address Mom
had given her: 1 Foggy Way.
“My uncle lives
a block from here,” she said, pointing at the street sign.
The driver
nodded and pulled out of the station, leaving her under the broken sign. Sam
texted Mom one word out of duty: ARRIVED. With no choice but to find her new
home, she adjusted her backpack and popped up her suitcase handle, dragging it
along. It clickety-clacked all the way down the quiet street.
Uncle Mitch’s
stone house sat at the end, alone and secluded, hugging the ocean. Its sloped
roof pierced the murky sky. One light glowed in a back window. Crickets trilled
around the house, creating an eerie buzz as waves lapped the shore.
Sam crunched
over the walking path made of shells, then thumped up the front porch steps and
rang the doorbell, eager to escape the empty night.
After a few minutes,
the door was yanked open. A tall man with curly black hair and a bushy mustache
loomed over Sam, the porch light deepening his frown. “Yes?”
Sam swallowed
hard. “Uncle Mitch?”
His eyes grew
wide and he pulled her inside, slamming the door. “Samantha? What are you doing
here?”
Cool air washed
over her from a ceiling fan that whirred above, and she shivered, shrinking
under his glare. Then she remembered what Mom had said: He’s the only family
we’ve got.
ABOUT DONNA GALANTI
Donna Galanti is the author of the bestselling paranormal suspense Element Trilogy and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine, a writing contest judge at nycmidnight.com, and regularly presents as a guest author at schools and teaches at writing conferences. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna also loves teaching writers about building author brand and platform through her free training series at yourawesomeauthorlife.com. Visit her at donnagalanti.com.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
Hi Everyone. Well, I have some great news. I got my first injection for the vaccine. I am in a bit of a hurry today…Mr Wonderful has some plans to keep me busy around the house, so I will share the photos in a couple of days. The weather is normal for January, cool to warm, cloudy to sunny, sometimes rain and sometimes not. Have a great week.
