Giveaway – Whisky Hernandez by J S Mason @dollycas @JSMasonAuthor

Posted on by

About Whisky Hernandez


Whisky Hernandez
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Martinique
Independently Published (November 25, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 269 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8364720542
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 269 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8360529972
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BKQBGQGF

Martinique. Memories. Murder.

A mystery is abound and the government has called in by special invitation the world’s greatest detective by study and trade, Whisky Hernandez, to help and assist the local police and solve the case fast, making use of her language proficiency in French and Creole. Full-time hygienist and part-time sleuth, this licensed private investigator, daughter of a talented New York and New Jersey former police detective, utilizes the help of her humorous photographer partner to get to the bottom of the mystery that is revealing itself on this island of flowers.

These honest and generous partners of crime-solving are experienced members in obtaining the proof they need to arrive at and protect the truth. Keeping her anxieties and panic attacks in check with the help of her service animal, Whisky is determined to dive into a variety of guilty-looking suspects, analyzing, scrutinizing, and, outsmarting all the ways the villain, the killer, is trying to get away with the clever crime.

Secret undercover work, hidden riddles, challenging puzzles, unique perilous and dangerous situations are all up against Whisky. But along with some banter and comic relief situations with her sidekick partner, our worthy and reliable hero will lead the way and do what it takes to get the job done. With twists, turns, swerves, and contorts, this resolute private investigator plunges into the depths of Martinique, coming up for air in an unforgettable ending.

About J. S. Mason

J.S. Mason is an author of four short story collections and one cozy mystery and has the distinct honor of graduating pre-school, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and law school, receiving a diploma from each of the aforementioned education establishments.

Aside from their outstanding excellence within the field of academia, J.S. Mason has quite the records in the athletics department, hitting one triple, bowling one turkey, and scoring three hole-in-ones in a single miniature golf game.

Extending to the performing arts, J.S. Mason has played a sheriff with a past, a pushy prosecuting attorney, and literally a spear carrier, only to hang up their boots/tie/spear because there was too much drama.

Other noteworthy accomplishments of J.S. Mason are that they have a first, middle, and last name.

Impressively, with a background in law enforcement and trial litigation, J.S. Mason always manages to have their shoes tied when they aren’t wearing Velcro.

J.S. Mason is most proud that they are referred to in the third person on their bio, as this is always how they refer to themselves.

J.S. Mason is happy with this.

J.S. Mason is satisfied with this.

J.S. Mason is excited to provide more high quality books to their audience and hopes they consume them with the utmost pleasure.

For clarity, in response to what some of their reviewers have said, they are correct – J.S. Mason is in fact an honorary A.I. module from M.I.T.

J.S. Mason hopes for you to have a good day and get through it because it can be hard sometimes.

J.S. Mason looks forward to giving you the experience you deserve.

Author Links

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Twin Power by Ben and Kiyanda Young @ireadbooktours

Posted on by


 

Book Details:

Book Title:  TWIN POWER by Ben and Kiyanda Young 
Category:  Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  30-38 pages
Genre:  Children’s Book
Publisher:  Twizzler Bees Entertainment
Release date:   June, 2021
Content Rating:  G. This children’s book is for everyone.
Book Description:

Sebastian and Simone are not just brother and sister. They are twins! They show little readers some cool things they can accomplish because of their Twin Power.

Join them in their adventures to see how Twin Power and working together make being twins super fun … and convenient.

The stories and adventures that the twins experience will show all children how to use teamwork to accomplish tasks. Through a series of activities included at the back of each book, little readers will practice memorization, counting, and matching while having fun coloring.

Twin Power Books are products of Twizzler Bees Entertainment LLC. Sign up for our newsletter and find more fun and educational activities at www.twinpowerbooks.com and feel free to reach out with questions or comments at info@twinpowerbooks.com.
Buy the Book
Amazon
Book Two in the Twin Power Series:

Book Details:

Book Title:  TWIN POWER: THE BEST SNOW DAY EVER by Ben and Kiyanda Young 
Category:  Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  30-38 pages
Genre:  Children’s Book
Publisher:  Twizzler Bees Entertainment
Release date:   October, 2021
Content Rating:  G. This children’s book is for everyone.
Book Description:

Sebastian and Simone are not just brother and sister. They are twins!

They show little readers some cool things they can accomplish because of their Twin Power.

Join them in their adventure, The Best Snow Day Ever as they learn to use their Twin Power to have winter fun with some neighborhood children. From a snowball battle to making a snowman, working together makes being twins super fun … and convenient.

The Best Snow Day Ever is the second in a series of Twin Power Books starring fraternal twins named Simone and Sebastian. The twins learn how to work together and teach little readers about what it means to be a twin and a best friend.

The stories and adventures that the twins experience will show all children how to use teamwork to accomplish tasks.

Through a series of activities included at the back of each book, little readers will practice memorization, counting, and writing while having fun coloring.
Buy the Book
Amazon

Meet the Authors:

Ben and Kiyanda Young are the proud parents of an amazing set of fraternal twins, Zara and Owen. As parents, they promote individuality among their children while encouraging their twins to support and rely on one another. The special bond between Zara and Owen is what inspired the Youngs to write Twin Power, the first in a series of award-winning books highlighting the unique relationship that twins share. In addition to being Zara and Owen’s parents, Ben is a gastroenterologist and Kiyanda is a surgeon, both with medical practices in Virginia.

connect with the authors: website ~ X ~ instagram 
Enter the Giveaway:

The Twin Power Series by Ben and Kiyanda Young Book Tour Giveaway




  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Falling For Mr Wright by Olivia Boothe @TheOliviaBoothe

Posted on by

Amazon / Kindle Unlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

This one is for the girls who still believe in modern fairytales and in a prince who not only spoils you rotten, but knows where to find the spot….

And I smiled. This is the opening to Falling for Mr Wright by Olivia Boothe. Does it make YOU smile?

I do not actively seek out contemporary romance novels, but when it is by a favorite author of mine, I will give it a go. Good writing is good writing and able to draw me into the book, as Olivia Boothe did with Falling For Mr Wright.

Sara works for the Rebecca Fitzgerald Dance Company. Why she isn’t a dancer herself, is a story I am not in a position to tell, but we all have baggage, don’t we? Her boss is a dragon, and I don’t mean the paranormal kind. She is mean, cruel. Everything about the workplace makes me want to tell her it’s time to move on.

When her favorite coffee shop is closed, she is forced to go the next closest one. There’s no way she can go to work without a coffee for her boss. That’s where Tom met Coffee Girl and he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

I definitely got the Pretty woman vibe. Vivian and Kit. Edward and Phillip. I loved their cat and mouse game, at times wondering who is the pursued and who is the pursuer. Their need to control their emotions had me smiling. We all know, the heart wants what the heart wants. Sure we have some baggage and guilt, and all that angst, but I believe love will win out.

Tom was so blindingly beautiful, my retinas stung.

“I’ll tell you what the problem is. Your hoo-ha has cobwebs.”

And that is what I mean by some great writing. I loved the description and dialogue.

Recommended for adults and you can get the list of warnings on her website. Also, Falling For Mr Wright was written under another title, Wicked Dance, I had never read it, so it wasn’t an issue for me. There will be two books in the series and seeing I enjoyed this one so much, I can hardly wait to get my hands on the next one. Hmmmm, I wonder what couple it will be.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Protective alpha billionaire meets shy contemporary dancer in this spicy, slow-burn, billionaire who spoils, touch her and you perish, contemporary romance.

After my high school sweetheart up and leaves me one day without a single explanation, I vow never to let myself love another man. I’ve managed to keep that promise for the last four years—that is, until I inadvertently fall into the arms of New York City’s most eligible bachelor, and now my whole world is flipped upside down. Tom Wright is everything I don’t need in my life, but stars above, he’s everything I never knew I wanted. The man is intoxicating, and I can’t seem to resist the way he looks at me or the way his touch makes me feel alive again. But one dark secret could ruin everything, and I don’t know if I’m prepared to endure that kind of pain all over again.

My life is pretty simple. I work hard and I party even harder. I own New York City’s most reputable real estate agency, catering to the filthy rich and notoriously famous. There’s no shortage of beautiful women willing to share my bed, though everyone knows I have one golden rule: No commitments. Ever. But when Sara Hart unexpectedly falls into my life, something about her timid smile and gorgeous brown eyes makes me want to throw the damn rule book out the window. Every time she’s near, my blood spikes with a raging fire I can’t contain. So, when my shadowed past resurfaces, unearthing ghosts I’d rather remain buried, I’m forced to make a decision that may cost me the only woman I’ve ever truly loved. And that’s a price I’m not ready to pay.

Intended for mature audiences 18 years+ Please check author’s website for a comprehensive list of content warnings.

Previously published as Wicked Dance, Falling For Mr. Wright is the 1st book in Olivia Boothe’s popular steamy contemporary romance duet. This new edition sports a new title, glow-up cover, fresh edits, re-imagined scenes, and additional chapters in the MMCs POV.

  • Genre: Contemporary, Literary, Romance
  • 432 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published October 4, 2023 by Three Brothers Press

ABOUT OLIVIA BOOTHE

REAL LOVE AS IT IS. MESSY, COMPLICATED & SINFULLY ADDICTIVE.

Born in Colombia and raised in New Jersey since the age of eight, Olivia always dreamed of becoming a story teller.

If you enjoy deadly-hot romance novels with deep, layered plots, she’s your gal. Because it’s not just about the first kiss and the happily ever after, it’s about everything in between.

In addition to writing contemporary and paranormal romance, Olivia is currently working on an adult contemporary fantasy.

Fun Facts: When not locked away in her writing tower at the wee hours of the night, Olivia works a government 9-5 job and manages a house full of males (a husband, three sons, and a doggo named Hunter). On occasion, she summons her tribe for a night of wine and shenanigans. Dark chocolate is her kryptonite, she hates/loves to ugly cry during movies, and is a die-hard Bon Jovi fan.

Don’t forget to subscribe to her newsletter to receive exclusive news and updates such as book releases, giveaways, sales, events, sneak peeks and bonus material for upcoming projects.

Website / Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Bookbub

MY OLIVIA BOOTHE REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Sherry’s Shelves 12.3 – 12.9.23 #weeklyupdate

Posted on by

Hi Everyone. Oops forgot to finish the post, so all I’m going to say is hi and stay tuned. 🙂

LAST WEEK ON fundinmental

COMING UP ON fundinmental

  • Sherry’s Shelves
  • Christmas Thrillers – Dashing Through The Fear by Amanda Siegrist
  • Giveaway – Trust No One by Glenn Dyer
  • Review – Moonflower by Heather Ewen Foster
  • Giveaway – Vacancy by Linda Kage
  • Detective Amanda Steele – Taken Girls by Carolyn Arnold
  • Giveaway – Prick by D L Hammons
  • Tackling The TBR
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Tackling The TBR 12.2 – 12.8.23 #tacklingthetbr

Posted on by

I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Blog Names Are Taken. I love showcasing the books on Goodreads, my ereader and my bookshelves. The more exposure for authors and their books, the better….RIGHT?

COME ON….JOIN IN.

Previous Total: 1992

Currently Reading

I have many of Jane Blythe’s books to catch up on, so I have created her own section.

Books Read

Books Added: 0

Books DNF-ed: 0

Books Deleted: 0

Duplicates Removed: 0

New TBR Total: 1992

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

The Innocence of Children – Island Santa by Owen Thomas @OTFiction

Posted on by

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Island Santa by Owen Thomas is a cute, coming of age, holiday story about a child’s wishes, dreams and the innocence of her belief, at twelve years old, that Santa is real and how will he find them on vacation in Hawaii.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The Nelson family is spending Christmas in Hawaii, a dubious proposition for Peter and his ten-year old sister, Katie.

Katie still believes in Santa Clause. Embarrassing, but true. Having finally come to grips with the tragic “extinction” of unicorns and the senseless exile of the Tooth Fairy, little Katie now clings to Santa with a tenacity so grim and so combative that her older brother and her parents can only exchange worried looks across the dinner table. Someone should talk to her about the real world.

But no one quite seems to have the courage.

Needless to say, the idea of running off to Hawaii just as Santa is loading up his sleigh is met with more than just a little resistance. After all, how is it reasonable to expect that the red-suited fat man will know to look for them in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? What will he think when he parks his reindeer atop their dark and empty home?

Peter, fourteen, has his own concerns, less about Santa than the sacrifice of holiday tradition. What about the snow and stringing the house with Christmas lights? What about the first-person-shooter zombie video games at the neighbors’ Christmas Eve party? More importantly, how can a Christmas away from home not have a devastating impact on the volume of Christmas-morning loot?

Not that the Nelson kids have any real say in the matter. The tickets have been purchased. The bags have been packed. Peter will have to console himself with the belief that his friend Cody is right: that the Islands are teeming with topless women. Katie, meanwhile, will just have to trust that Santa is capable of adapting to rapidly changing circumstances.

Neither of them is prepared to understand why their father seems to have forgotten his true age, or why their mother is calling him a sex pony, or even why he pushed for the trip to Hawaii in the first place.

In the end, everyone is going to believe what he or she wants to believe about the world.

It’s going to be an interesting Christmas.

  • Genre: Christmas, Comedy and Humor, Coming of Age, Fiction, Holiday, Novellas and Short Stories
  • Format: 69 Pages, Kindle
  • Published: November 25, 2014 by BookBaby

ABOUT OWEN THOMAS

Owen Thomas is a life-long Alaskan living on Maui because life is too short for long winters. He has written six books: “The Lion Trees” (which has garnered over sixteen international book awards, including the Amazon Kindle Book Award, the Eric Hoffer Book Award, the Book and Author Book of the Year, the Beverly Hills International Book Award and, most recently, a finalist in the Book Excellence Awards); “Mother Blues,” (a novel of music and mystery set in post-Hurricane Harvey Texas); “Message in a Bullet: A Raymond Mackey Mystery,” (the first in a series of detective novels); “The Russian Doll” (the second installment in that series); “Signs of Passing” (a book of interconnected short stories, and winner of fourteen book awards, including the Pacific Book Awards for Short Fiction, also named one of the 100 Most Notable Books of the Year by Shelf Unbound Magazine); and “This is the Dream,” (a collection of stories and novellas that explore that perplexing liminal distance between who we are and what we want). Owen maintains an active fiction and photography blog on Facebook, Tumblr and on his author website at www.owenthomasliterary.com.

For the ninth consecutive year since he has been measuring his commercial success as an author, Owen has not won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Also, to great acclaim, he has not won the Man Booker Prize. Most recently, in April of 2020, Owen was not nominated for a Pulitzer.

Owen makes his home in Alaska and Hawaii. When he is not writing, Owen can be found recreating and taking photographs in the grandeur of these wonderfully picturesque locations. Some of these photos are posted on Owen’s photo blog, 1000 Words per Frame.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Tumblr / Pinterest / LinkedIn / YouTube

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – Rome’s Last Noble Palace by Kimberly Sullivan @XpressoTours @KimberlyinRome

Posted on by

Rome’s Last Noble Palace
Kimberly Sullivan
Publication date: December 6th 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical, Paranormal, Women’s Fiction

Two women. Two different centuries. One attic room

American Isabelle Field has been shipped off to Rome to live with her aunt, Princess Elizabeth Brancaccio. Isabelle’s aunt and mother share a common goal – replicating Elizabeth’s success by marrying Isabelle off to a European nobleman.

But Rome in 1896 is on the cusp of a new century and Isabelle longs for more than a titled husband. She secretly designs costumes for Rome’s burgeoning theatre environment and dreams of opening a fashion atelier. Can she gather the courage to forge a life for herself, even if it means going against expectations?

Over a century later, doctoral candidate Sophie Nouri can’t believe her good fortune when she is selected to intern in Rome’s Near Eastern Art Museum. Even better, the position includes an attic apartment in the spectacular museum property, the Palazzo Brancaccio.

Overseeing a major exhibition is stressful, but tension alone can’t explain the disturbing nighttime presence in the deserted hallways of the grand palace – especially one no one else can sense. Almost as if a spectral being is trying to communicate with Sophie directly. Or warn her.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Rome, 2018

SUNLIGHT STREAMED THROUGH the high windows, coaxing Sophie from her dreams. She cracked one eye open, groaning at the early hour on the travel alarm clock. How had she forgotten to close the shutters last night? Blame it on the jet lag of someone no longer used to international travel.

She turned her head to observe Matt’s sleeping form. His chest rose and fell in a calm, steady rhythm. A little sunlight seeping through the windows would never wake him this early. He was made of stronger stuff.

She turned back to the window, struck again by golden Roman light she’d forgotten after so many years away. Not at all like the diffused light back home. Sparrows swooped in graceful arcs across the cloudless, cerulean sky. As the sleepiness seeped from her eyes and her gaze sharpened, the bright, white blocks began to take shape. Her heart beat faster. The familiar but long-dormant sense of fear coursed through her body. She hadn’t been expecting to feel it so deeply after all these years away.

Closing her eyes, she took a calming breath and formed images of waking in her bedroom at home. The branch of the oak tree scraping the bedroom window, the twittering of the birds, the bold squirrel that peeked in her window most mornings, the creaks and groans of the old, converted farmhouse. Gradually, her heartbeat slowed, the fear seeped away. She inhaled deeply, counted to ten and exhaled.

She could do this.

She fixed a determined gaze on the grand palazzo, glittering white in the strong Mediterranean sunlight. Some of its brown shutters were open, others closed like sleepy eyes reluctant to yield to the morning light. She remembered all those useless afternoon battles against the Roman sunlight filtering heat and blinding rays into those great rooms.

At the palazzo’s upper edge, lithe young angels kneeled in rows, their flowing curls cascading down to their shoulders. Their pointed wings punctuated the cornice above, curving vines sprouted from their bodies in a riot of intricate swirls. The young angels were separated from one another by lush greenery, unrolling in a seemingly endless, elegant row. She’d always known the carving was there, but she’d never observed the details from this angle. Everything had been different from within. Despite the warmth of the early morning sun, she shivered.

Ignoring a mounting sense of dread, Sophie pushed herself up gently, careful not to rouse Matt. Sliding bare feet into beckoning slippers, she padded softly to the door, her back decisively turned to the noble home.


Author Bio:

Kimberly grew up in the suburbs of Boston and in Saratoga Springs, New York, although she now calls the Harlem neighborhood of New York City home when she’s back in the US. She studied political science and history at Cornell University and earned her MBA, with a concentration in strategy and marketing, from Bocconi University in Milan.

Afflicted with a severe case of Wanderlust, she worked in journalism and government in the US, Czech Republic and Austria, before settling down in Rome, where she works in international development, and writes fiction any chance she gets.

She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and The Historical Novel Society and has published several short stories and three novels: Three Coins, Dark Blue Waves and In The Shadow of The Apennines.

After years spent living in Italy with her Italian husband and sons, she’s fluent in speaking with her hands, and she loves setting her stories in her beautiful, adoptive country.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Bookbub / Instagram


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review & Giveaway – If The Sun Spares Us by Brenda Marie Smith @GoddessFish @bsmithnovelist

Posted on by
https://amzn.to/49dhgtr

IF THE SUN SPARES US by Brenda Marie Smith

GENRE:  Post-apocalyptic thriller

MY REVIEW

We begin If The Sun Spares Us by Brenda Marie Smith where If The Light Escapes Us left off. The books are best read in order, letting the characters seep into your heart, the danger get your pulse pounding, and your hopes for them come to fruition.

Oh man, I never saw Bobby doing what he did. Was it the right thing to do? Who knows in the crazy world they are living in.

It’s a year later and they have settled into their new home. They still have their highs and lows and are meeting and trading with others, taking in those who want a place in their community. Perhaps there is hope for humanity yet.

Life goes on and mistakes will be made. Rebuilding the world will not be easy, but taking one step at a time and letting bygones be bygones allows them to work together to create their new world one step at a time.

Braving The Light Series by Brenda Marie Smith has been a tragic, gut wrenching adventure filled with despair and hope and love.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

BLURB

Two years ago, a solar pulse destroyed modern life. Bea Crenshaw organized her starving, suburban neighbors into a farming community. But now Bea’s gone, and her grandchildren must carry her legacy forward.

In the post-apocalyptic pressure cooker of Austin, Texas, 19-year-old Keno and his younger cousins struggle to ensure their community’s survival even as they’re forced to relocate to safer grounds. Northern Lights that don’t belong this far south grow increasingly intense, making Keno fear what harm the sun will cause next.

Even worse, a marauding militia called the Raiders is closing in, led by a deranged woman who preys on teenage boys. Despite Keno’s debilitating flashbacks from a firefight, he and his wife have a new baby to protect. Though Bea is dead, her spirit desperately searches for ways to shield her grandkids. When Raiders target two neighborhood members, the only hope lies in the community’s strength, Keno’s ingenuity, and the family’s fierce love for one another.

EXCERPT

I’m half-starved, about to drop in my tracks, and emotional pain is clawing me up inside. Living through this apocalypse, I don’t know if it’s the deprivation or the heartache that will kill me first.

I think I’ve been scouting South Central Austin for a place to move my family and neighbors for about two weeks, but I’ve lost track of time, and I’m not finding a freaking thing. We have to move; we just have to. I was hoping to find a place with walls and water, but no such luck.

It’s dusk when I come upon a row of warehouses, looking for a spot to sleep. Most warehouse doors are bent, with the jambs and locks broken. All looted inside, messes that don’t look like they have anything worth scavenging. One door has a big hasp and a bigger lock intact. Maybe I’ll break it in the morning to see if I can find some food.

A few doors down, there’s a stairwell leading to a basement door. A good place to hide where I have an escape route. I duck down into it.

“We’re so screwed,” I grumble to myself as I lean my rifle on the stairwell and slide off my backpack.

“You got that right.”

F***. Who said that? I whip my face around, my hand on the pistol behind my back.

“I wouldn’t fire that if I were you.”

A face looms above me… behind a crossbow that’s aimed at my head. I throw up my hands.

“Don’t shoot!”

AUTHOR Bio and Links

2018-10-18_Brenda Marie Smith

BRENDA MARIE SMITH is attracted to stories where everyday characters transcend their limitations to find their inner heroism. She lived off the grid for years in a farming collective where her sons were delivered by midwives. A lifelong community activist, Brenda has managed student co-op housing, produced concerts, and raised a small herd of boys. She and her husband live in Kyle, Texas. They have more grown kids and grandkids than they can count.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

  • Website: https://brendamariesmith.com
  • Blog: https://brendamariesmith.tumblr.com
  • Twitter: @bsmithnovelist
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJlLSnORIyoaygvZ1j49ZKw

Buy Links for the Braving the Light Series:

  • IF DARKNESS TAKES US (Book One): https://amzn.to/461geyL
  • For IF THE LIGHT ESCAPES (Book Two): https://amzn.to/464zPOD
  • IF THE SUN SPARES US (Book Three): https://amzn.to/3LzIpwA
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

MY BRENDA MARIE SMITH REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway – When All Is Said And Done by Christy Hayes @XpressoTours

Posted on by

When All is Said and Done
Christy Hayes
Publication date: December 5th 2023
Genres: Women’s Fiction

A heartbreaking novel about the sacrifices we make for love.

After an unstable childhood, marriage isn’t just a promise to Dustin Carver, it’s his lifeline. He and Tegan grew up together, fell in love, and planned their perfect life. When the future they imagined gets derailed by her demanding law career, their marriage slowly slides off the rails.

Tegan can’t believe her husband took her threat of a separation seriously and walked away without a backward glance. Heartbroken and embarrassed, she covers for his absence with lies. Lies she tells herself about her career. Lies she tells her family about her marriage. And lies she’s yet to confess to her husband about a secret she kept while he was away. When Dustin finally returns, she’s running on fumes and her lies are about to be exposed.

Seven weeks in Key West licking his wounds and watching his best friend fall in love is enough to convince Dustin to come home and fight for his marriage. Saving their relationship means returning to therapy and facing a bitter truth neither wants to address. What if their childhood romance doesn’t have a happy-ever-after ending?

This emotional read told with brutal honesty begs the ultimate question for marriages far and wide. At the end of the day-at the end of our lives-what is worth fighting for, and when, if ever, should we walk away?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

Dustin’s POV

He heard a noise from the kitchen, and his pulse picked up the beat. Was that the side door closing or the echoed rumble from his rebellious stomach? He stilled the strings with his palm and recognized the familiar sound of Tegan hanging her keys on the hook and shucking her shoes by the door. His heart lurched into his throat.

Dustin cursed himself for getting lost in the music and not preparing for her return. He should have been rehearsing speeches in his head or making dinner instead of mowing the lawn, adding a couple of towels to her burgeoning laundry pile, and playing around on the guitar. He propped the instrument against the couch and stood on unsteady legs.

A surging swell of love, swift and savage, swept over him as he looked at her, sent his heart thrashing against his chest. There she is—my center, my orbit—in living, breathing color. Tegan had her back turned and was flipping through the mail on the counter. Her hair was longer than normal, a dark curtain falling well past her sagging shoulders.

“Hi.”

She gasped and spun, clutching her chest with both hands, her eyes blinking furiously. Frozen in that position like a still photograph captured on film, she looked thin—too thin—and fragile as blown glass. “Dusty.”

His name from her lips, soft and scratchy, scorched his eviscerated heart. “Sorry to startle you. I … I figured you’d see my car.”

She seemed confused, shaking her head, squinting her eyes. “Your car?”

“In the garage …” He tried and failed to keep the exasperation out of his voice. He’d been gone for weeks, and she hadn’t moved a muscle in his direction. Hadn’t flashed a smile or inclined her head or opened her arms to make him feel welcome. And after everything they had to say to one another, they were talking about his car?

“I parked in the driveway,” she said.

Her guilty tone and the way she tucked her chin to her chest were another lash to his pride. How many times had he begged her to park her car in the garage? They lived in a nice neighborhood, but why invite crime by leaving her car parked out in the open and alert everyone to her patterns of coming and going?

She read the look on his face and offered a muttered, “I was tired, and the garage door has been giving me fits. I think it needs grease or something.”

Stop talking about the stupid garage! He wanted to scream at her, grab her arms and shake her, invade the personal space she protected with her arms crossed tightly against her chest. He wanted to do something, anything, to get a rise out of her and stop the inane garage discussion.

The way she looked—the way she looked at him like a racoon caught pillaging the trash—kept his voice even and his feet rooted firmly in place. Even in the muted light, she appeared ready to drop. He longed to go to her, wrap her in his arms, let her lean on him the way she always had when life kicked her in the tail. But he couldn’t. Not now. Not with everything at stake.

Author Bio:

Christy Hayes writes romance and romantic women’s fiction. She is the proud mother of two grown children and lives outside Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and rescue dogs.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway & Review – Santa’s Magical Reindeer by Michele Monaco @ireadbooktours

Posted on by

 



Book Details:

Book Title:  Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals by Michele Monaco
Category:  Children’s Fiction (ages 3 to 7), 38 pages
Genre:  Children’s Book
Publisher:  Mascot Kids
Release date:   Nov 7, 2023
Content Rating:  G.  Suitable for everyone.

MY REVIEW

Michele Monaco and illustrator, Prabir Sharkar have created an entertaining fantasy of magical reindeers visiting three young girls, wanting them to be pen pals. The illustrations for the oversized book are colorful and fun, on heavy, slick pages for the youngsters to touch. The story may encourage the young to pick up pencil and paper and write to..anyone. There are a list of questions at then end for the kiddies to ask their favorite reindeer, Santa, or any pen pal they choose. I love books that encourage children to communicate in any form and stretch their imagination. Sure to entertain the child hiding in all of us.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars
Book Description:

Right after Thanksgiving is the busiest time of year for Santa and his crew of eight famous reindeer! Every year, the Famous Eight sleigh team from the North Pole eagerly helps Santa by going on a quest to find kids who believe in Christmas magic. In Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals, Prancer, Vixen, and Dasher go on an adventure in search of eager pen pals. On their journey, they find three rambunctious girls who eagerly exchange letters with them and become lifelong friends.
Buy the Book:
Mascot Books
Amazon ~ B&N
add to Goodreads
Meet the Author:

Michele Monaco has a great love for the Christmas season. She embraces the Christmas spirit all year round by remembering to look at life through the eyes of a child. As a mother of three beautiful and exuberant daughters, she believes in the magic that the holiday brings. Michele lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and enjoys traveling, reading, running, and enjoying the outdoors.

connect with author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram 


Enter the Giveaway:

Santa’s Magical Reindeer: Becoming Pen Pals Book Tour Giveaway




  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!