Good Morning…In the last weeks, Mr Wonderful was on vacation, then Hurricane Sally dropped in for a prolonged visit, so he was off another week. It was a good thing, because we were without power for five days and there was a ton of clean up. Thanks goodness the damage was only outside and an insurance adjuster will be around today to assess the damage. I will be sharing a Hurricane Sally post as soon as I can get my act together. I hope everyone on the Gulf Coast made it out unscathed.
Sometimes I wonder if the end is near…Covid, fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, protests, uncontrolled police force…I fear, here in the US, it is going to get much worse, before it gets better, considering the nasty political climate and the upcoming election.
Oh, to be an ostrich, burying my head in the sand…or wherever I can find a place to hide.
That being said, I hope you had the best week possible and wish you another good week.
Baptism of Fire by Virginia Crow…what can I say. The amazing eye catching cover caught my eye and even though the title turned me off, it now seems appropriate.
I think you may immediately fall in love with 9 year old Kevin, to want to wrap your arms around this sweet child to protect him and to let him know that he is worthy of love. He feels he is cursed, followed by fires and death from one foster home to another.
I love that Virginia Crow gave nothing away in the blurb for Baptism of Fire. The title is interesting, but the wonderfully creative cover is what drew me in and I am so happy to be here. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was not what I got. I got so much more. I thought horror, yeah we have some humankind horror. We have lost and damaged characters that have so much to give, if only…
Baptism of Fire by Virginia Crow is a mystery, but the real story is about Kevin and Reverend Alistair Roberts. About how this wonderful group of damaged people come together. About the healing power of love.
I would have loved an epilogue, but that’s okay. The mystery is solved and all are safe.
I voluntarily reviewed and ARC of Baptism of Fire by Virginia Crow.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Kevin gripped Jilly’s coat and his voice became little more than a whisper. “I’m cursed, Jilly. Everyone who looks after me dies in a fire, or someone they love does. I don’t know how to stop it.”
When Rev. Alastair Roberts adopts Kevin Alderman, he dismisses any reference to the boy’s curse. But, as the pair spend more time in each other’s company, it becomes apparent that Kevin is not the only one with a bitter past.
As the past continues to haunt them, can they hope to change their future?
EXCERPT
“Where’s Kevin?” He looked around the room, panic seeping
into him, but he forced himself to keep smiling. “Tuck in,” he continued. “I’ll
just go find him.”
He squeezed past the gathered people, but Trish stopped him
at the door.
“Are you alright, Vicar?” she asked, her voice clipped but
her tone caring.
“I’m just going to find Kevin,” he explained.
“Did he do it?”
“Do what?” Alastair asked, confusion on his face.
“That,” she said, pointing at the dresser.
“No,” Alastair whispered, staring at the array of crossed
out photographs. He didn’t know whether the word was in answer to Trish’s
question or a statement of disbelief. Perhaps it was both. He took the door
handle and put all his weight onto it.
“Do you want me to go find him?” she asked. “He’ll just be
outside.”
“No, I’ll go. But would you do something for me?” he asked,
looking over his shoulder at the other people.
“Yes. What is it?”
“Don’t make a fuss, just take them down.”
Trish placed her hand on his arm and nodded across at him.
Alastair stepped out of the room and back over to the French windows, then out
into the garden. The sudden change from clear electric lights into the darkness
took his eyes a moment to adjust, and he stood still for a time, waiting for
them to focus.
“Kevin?” he called softly. There were one or two people
still standing by the bonfire, smokers mainly, but Kevin wasn’t with them.
ABOUT VIRGINIA CROW
Virginia grew up in Orkney, using the breath-taking scenery to fuel her imagination and the writing fire within her. Her favourite genres to write are fantasy and historical fiction, sometimes mixing the two together such as her newly-published book “Caledon”. She enjoys swashbuckling stories such as the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas and is still waiting for a screen adaption that lives up to the book!
When she’s not writing, Virginia is usually to be found teaching music, and obtained her MLitt in “History of the Highlands and Islands” last year. She believes wholeheartedly in the power of music, especially as a tool of inspiration. She also helps out with the John o’ Groats Book Festival which is celebrating its 3rd year this April.
She now lives in the far flung corner of Scotland, soaking in inspiration from the rugged cliffs and miles of sandy beaches.
She loves cheese, music and films, but hates mushrooms.
I was offered a review copy of Christopher Opyr’s novella, Calling Mr Nelson Pugh. Seeing it was a quick read and I do love psychological thriller’s I grabbed it.
WOW. Calling Mr nelson Pugh is an intense psychological thriller novella that has an underlying threat in the beginning that turns into an all out assault to the senses as he is taken down a torturous road to hell.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Calling Mr Nelson Pugh by Christopher Opyr.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Mr. Nelson Pugh suffers from crippling anxiety, which is only exacerbated when he travels. So when on his latest business trip he receives an unusual series of calls from his wife, Eleanor, his anxiety gets the best of him. At first, giving in to his own self-doubt, he attempts to cast aside his growing fears as another episode of paranoid delusion. As the calls continue, however, Nelson can no longer be sure.
Is he suffering from a panic attack or is his family in terrible danger? And if the danger is real, will anyone believe him when he can barely trust himself?
Hundreds of miles away and with no hope of reaching his family, Mr. Nelson Pugh must uncover the truth before the mystery reveals itself with potentially horrific consequences.
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER OPYR
Christopher Opyr is the pen name of Christopher Hutton. He is a former story producer and voice-over writer for television, although Calling Mr. Nelson Pugh is his first prose publication. Christopher was raised in Richlands and Jacksonville, North Carolina, although he has fond memories of holidays in Moberly and Macon, Missouri, and lived for 13 years in Los Angeles, California before returning to his home state. He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife, daughter, and a menagerie of animals: four cats, a dog, and multiple guinea pigs.
Good Morning…I hope you had a good week. Mr Wonderful has been on vacation this week, so my blogging was at a minimum. I missed stopping by and seeing what you have been up to, so Monday, it’s back to ‘normal’, whatever that is.
P R Garcia is an amazing writer and I am soooo happy to have a copy of her latest book, The Bounty Hunter. If you like science fiction, you will love this. If you don’t, I would still highly recommend it. It just might change your mind.
WOW! INTENSE! A MUST READ if you are into science fiction…and if you’re not, this may change your mind. So much more than I expected, this wild rollercoaster ride had all my emotions roiled up. I was happy, sad, devastated, and satisfied. I felt like I had been run over by a truck by the time I was done. I loved the start and was immediately hooked on Biijun and Li-ara’s story. I don’t feel my review can convey my feelings, but I tried.
Biijun is a Huntsman, a Bounty Hunter. He is all man, a warrior whose life is devoted to his work. Li-ara lives alone, after the death of her husband, with her faithful companions Kii and Beta, two canines. I would love to have them for my friends and protectors. They are highly intelligent and will lay down their lives for those they love. They play a huge part in the story. Unforeseen circumstances bring them together to face the fight of their lives.
The romance is so sweet, naive and innocent on both their parts, but he cannot stay with her. His life is devoted to being a Hunter, never showing his face to outsiders. Will he sacrifice the Helmet for love?
P R Garcia writes some powerful novels. Her characters make me worry for them, hope for them, want to call out to them as I’m reading, telling them to not go out the door. She makes me want to race through the pages to find out what will happen next, yet I slow down and enjoy the journey.
I teared up as…the children…and I do love that P R Garcia adds a touch of realism, the fact that no matter how hard we try, sometimes circumstances are beyond our control.
The danger is intense, brutal, savage, lurking in the dark, right around the corner, waiting… We have plenty of sadness, but the bravery and hopefulness lessens the pain. The world P R Garcia created is full of battles, lives lost, but love, family, friendship, sacrifice, loyalty and respect are in abundance. She has become a must read author for me.
WARNING: For Part III, find a quiet, solitary place where you will not be disturbed, have some tissues handy, and be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster. AND I loved every minute of it. I kept putting the book down, savoring the moment, not wanting it to end. I was so choked up at the last pages my throat hurt. It took a while to get through because I couldn’t see through the tears in my eyes. Even though it was so emotional and filled with sadness, I also felt relief when I was done. Mr Wonderful was sitting beside me, laughing at me.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Bounty Hunter by P R Garcia.
5 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
When he lands on a planet, he’s there to kill. But when his heart is caught off-guard, this world could claim his last breath…
Notoriously
known as “The Hunter,” BiiJun D’Kolor must hide his empathy on the job.
Armor-clad and virtually invincible, the skilled bounty hunter sets his
feet on a desolate asteroid to end the life of a rapist. But when an
alluring figure distracts him long enough for a vicious fanged bear to
attack, the assassin discovers what it means to be the prey.
Rescued
by the mysterious woman, his bloody trail attracts a pack of wild dogs
hellbent on making him their next meal. And now thrown together to make a
stand against a ruthless enemy, the wounded man feels the spark of
something he has never known: affection and love.
Will the Huntsman’s near-fatal brush with fate open a destiny he has rejected for decades?
The Bounty Hunter
is a whirlwind science fiction romance. If you like deeply drawn
characters, savage settings, and conflicts between duty and dreams, then
you’ll love P.R. Garcia’s compelling tale.
ABOUT P R GARCIA
P.R. Garcia grew up in rural Michigan and is the youngest of three. She became a lover of Science Fiction at an early age when her parents took her to the movies. She was hooked the moment she heard Patricia Neal tell the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still “Klaatu barada nikto”. Inspired by what was possible, she and her dog spent many days in the fields behind her home fighting aliens and investigating unexplored planets. Her love continued to grow, and while in high school, the series Star Trek hit television, boosting her fascination with what might be out there. Her friends still comment on how she skipped the football games to stay home and watch each episode. When in her thirties, she became an award-winning basket weaver and continued in this craft for three decades. Upon retiring from her job of thirty years, she moved to San Diego, California. She volunteered for five years as a guide on the Whale Watching Boats, teaching people from around the world about the Pacific Ocean’s aquatic life.
At sixty-two, Ms. Garcia began to write her Europa Saga, a tantalizing, ten-part sci-fi series of intrigue, suspense, and mystery. Her saga is a fresh retelling of the story of Atlantis and its inhabitants. The books span six thousand years and four generations. Her story launched her into the world of a best-selling author.
Global warming, deforestation, pollution of our air and water, species loss, and the devastation of Earth itself are all subjects dear to Ms. Garcia’s heart. She has incorporated those themes into her later books, including books seven through nine of the Europa Saga and Extinction 2038. Her upcoming book Guardians of Earth and the sequel Guardians of Earth II, which should be released in early 2021, also deals with these subjects. If you’d like information on ways you can help stop global warming and other green topics, sign up for her newsletter.
Ms. Garcia also writes children’s books. A Cat for William is based on an authentic story about how a stray cat helps a man cope with a disabling disease. She is working on two more children’s books: The Story of Sudan: The Last Northern White Male Rhino and The Christmas Crayons, a story about a homeless boy who finds happiness in a box of crayons on Christmas Day. For more information, go to her web page: http://www.prgarcia1.com.
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Hey you. I am always happy to share what’s been going on here at fundinmental, but I am sitting here watching College Game Day (as the talking heads are coming to us from their Covid bubble), knowing it is Labor Day weekend and the tourists are heading my way, thinking WTF! Has everyone lost their freaking minds?
I have a passion for football, college and pro alike. I would spend every Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday glued to my TV when games were being played. Every Saturday started out with College Game Day. Though I will miss watching, I think they will end up canceling the sports season until 2021, and I feel it never should have been attempted to begin with.
And the protests about social injustice….I don’t even have any words to tell you how disgusted I am. All our country’s flaws are being revealed for everyone to see, and that is a good thing. Just like an apocalypse, all the good and bad come out, and for those who are standing up, I applaud you and thank you.
I am sure, here in Florida, the beaches will be packed and…I don’t even know what to say any more. I remember SARS and Ebola and they never got to be this bad. What was done different? Leadership!!!
PLEASE everyone in the US! Make sure you are registered to vote…and vote in every election, from local to national, and let your voice be heard.
Isolation is getting to me. Even though I am retired and not a lot in my life has changed for me personally, I still feel…lost. I have tears in my eyes as I type this. If I have offended anyone, that was not my intent. I just feel by staying silent, I am part of the problem.
All that being said, I hope you are safe and having the best week possible.
LAST WEEK ON fundinmental
Also, jump on over to Tackling The TBR and see what’s happening on my reading shelf.
From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes BRUTUS, a Paranormal Romantic Comedy that will surely cause evil vampires to kidnap the author.
MY REVIEW
As soon as I saw the warning: hot immortal warrior, invisible unicorn, unruly deities, Mayan priests, ghosts…and having read Colel, the previous book in the series…I had to have this. Each book can stand alone, but if you are anything like me, once you read one book of a series that you love, you want them all.
We have lots of laughs, fun, some danger and hot sex. What more can you want in a paranormal, fantasy romance.
I love how Brutus started out. Brutus is tied to a tree and after the 9th Amazonian warrior demanded he put up, he said, “Hurry. Get it over with then.” He is a demigod and has an unlimited potential to get it up. 🙂 I love a god that knits. And, he has a dog he knits for. LOL
He thought he could escape at any time, but he needed their help.
Zac has been tricked into mating Minky, the invisible unicorn, and is paying a hefty price for it, losing his love, Tula, his true mate. How will he be able to get rid of the pesky, vindictive unicorn and get his human back by his side?
Plague, zoom meetings, all the supernatural and paranormal characters, lots of laughs amidst the danger, makes Brutus an exciting, nonstop adventure into the world of the Immortal Matchmakers series.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Brutus by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
Can the World’s Toughest Immortal Warrior Win the Heart of the World’s Toughest Immortal Woman?
Brutus is not your average immortal warrior. He leads the gods’ army, he’s tough as nails, and his mind is so powerful, he no longer speaks to communicate with his men. Some call him telepathic; he just calls it being a badass.
But despite the many bloody battles and hard-won victories, this is one mission he’s not so sure about. There is a plague sweeping the immortal world. Gods, vampires, incubi—no one is safe, except for those with mates, and sadly, there just aren’t enough women to go around.
To keep the gods’ army intact, ready to protect the human world, Brutus must convince a group of ancient female warriors, located deep in the Amazon jungle, to return home with him, and…well…go on dates with his men.
But when the toughest, meanest, man-hating, sexiest woman of the group catches his eye, all he can think about is conquering her heart.
WARNING: This book
contains a smokin’ hot immortal warrior looking for his forever love, a randy
invisible unicorn, and bad, bad, such bad language. Okay, and some
sex. Fine, yes! Lots of sex! And a kitten, a bit of violence, a man who loves
knitting, mannibalism, unruly deities, Mayan priests who babysit
animals, a naked goddess who wears a bee bikini, leather pants (for men), a
very randy ghost who’s desperate for her HEA, anecdotes about evil mermen, a
BIG plot twist even the author didn’t see coming, and a ton of romancy kind of
stuff.
MIMI JEAN PAMFILOFF is a New York Times bestselling author who’s sold over one million books around the world. Although she obtained her MBA and worked for more than fifteen years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance closet and follow your dreams.
Mimi lives with her Latin lover hubby, two
pirates-in-training (their boys), and their three spunky dragons (really, just
very tiny dogs with big attitudes) Snowy, Mini, and Mack, in the
vampire-unfriendly state of Arizona.
She hopes to make you laugh when you need it most and
continues to pray daily that leather pants will make a big comeback for men.
Sign up for Mimi’s mailing list for giveaways and new
release news!
Alexa’s A Spy and Other Things To Be Ticked Off About: Humorous essays on the Hassles of our Time. When I saw this, I signed up for a tour and was supposed to review it, but I never got a copy and it slipped my mind to check on it until it was too late. I did finally find the copy the author had sent and I am so happy. It looks wonderful on my shelf.
I am in the mood for some fun and laughter, so I jumped on the chance to read Alexa’s A Spy by Dorothy Rosby, and I was not disappointed. Right away I felt an affinity towards her. I think we can be friends. She had me nodding my head, saying, “Yup. Yup. Been There Done That.” I smiled and laughed my way through some of my biggest pet peeves in this humorously written, fun, entertaining, collection of easy to read essays.
Maybe next time, I’ll think twice about flipping that driver off, exccept I already do. LOL
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Alexa’s A Spy by Dorothy Rosby.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Alexa’s a Spy and Other Things to Be Ticked off About, Humorous Essays on the Hassles of Our Time is part comical call to arms and part tongue-in-cheek tirade. It’s a good-natured rant about what brings us down during the day and keeps us up through the night, a collection of humorous essays that laugh at the nuisances of modern life: spammers and scammers, clutter and litter, bad manners and uncivil discourse. Too much stuff, too much noise, too much technology. Not enough patience, not enough kindness, not enough…chocolate?
ABOUT DOROTHY ROSBY
Dorothy Rosby is a syndicated humor columnist and author of two other books of humorous essays “I Used to Think I Was Not That Bad and Then I Got to Know Me Better” and “I Didn’t Know You Could Make Birthday Cake from Scratch, Parenting Blunders from Cradle to Empty Nest.” She’s working on her fourth and hoping to give it a shorter title—something like “Wow” or “Best Seller.” She lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota, 20 miles from Mount Rushmore, something she’s very proud of even though she’s not on it. Yet.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review The Darkest Evening by Anne Cleeves. Everything about the book spoke to me….starting with that gorgeous cover.
Don’t ya just love a book that starts out: On the first snowy night of winter….
Vera left work, regardless of the snow coming down, thinking it would be okay. After all, she’s a cop. What can happen? An abandoned car. Except for the child left alone in the backseat. Okay, I am rubbing my hands together, ready to get down to business.
I love complicated family dynamics and Vera’s family is definitely that. People’s lives will be changed and the change is not all bad. I feel Holly stole the show and I want you to meet her for yourself to see why.
The action was not slow, but methodical, like a police procedural. The pacing, danger and suspense picked up near the end and with so many suspects, I was unable to figure it out until Vera filled me in.
For some reason, British thrillers don’t usually quite get there for me. I don’t know if it is a stiffness that comes through in the writing or if it’s me, myself, and I. That doesn’t stop me from reading and enjoying them, and this is not my first Ann Cleeve novel, so that proves my point.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Darkest Evening by Anne Cleeves.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—comes the stunning new Vera Stanhope novel, The Darkest Evening. Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers.–Louise Penny
As
a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high
expectations for Cleeves’ latest. . . . A stunning debut for Cleeves’
latest crimefighter.–David Baldacci on The Long Call
On
the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets
off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a
turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off
the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to
help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has
gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is strapped in
the back seat.
Vera takes the child and, driving on, she arrives
at a place she knows well. Brockburn is a large, grand house in the
wilds of Northumberland, now a little shabby and run down. It’s also
where her father, Hector, grew up. Inside, there’s a party in full
swing: music, Christmas lights and laughter. Outside, unbeknownst to the
revelers, a woman lies dead in the snow.
As the blizzard traps
the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Brockburn
begins to give up its secrets, and as Vera digs deeper into her
investigation, she also begins to uncover her family’s complicated past.
ABOUT ANN CLEEVES
Ann is the author of the books behind ITV’s VERA, now in it’s third series, and the BBC’s SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann’s DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann’s Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands…
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs – child care officer, women’s refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard – before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person’s not heavily into birds – and Ann isn’t – there’s not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival’s first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries. Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann’s short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award – once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers’ Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA’s Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world’s largest award for crime fiction.
Ann’s success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London’s Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: “I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock – but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I’d lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn’t have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!”
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O’Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann’s books have been translated into sixteen languages. She’s a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
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Hello Everybody. Hope you had a good week and all is well in your world. It has been cloudy, a bit rainy with periods of sunshine. Well, Friday I went out into the big bad world and I did not like it. It was a big waste of time. I checked the doctor’s office hours, because I did a televisit with my doctor, but am required to physically pick up the prescription. I got there just after twelve and no one was there. SO, Mr Wonderful and I went to the bank, slowly, and came back, slowly, trying to use up time. Oh, and guess what, the doctor’s office closes at noon!!!!!!
I hope you all have a good week and please stay safe, wear a mask.
LAST WEEK ON fundinmental
Also, jump on over to Tackling The TBR and see what’s happening on my reading shelf.
