Giveaway – Blooming Rose Blasts Off! by Lauren Piland @iReadBookTours

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Book Details:

Book Title:  BLOOMING ROSE BLASTS OFF! by Lauren Piland
Category:  Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7),  38 pages
Genre:  Children’s Picture Book
Publisher:  Mascot Books
Release date:   Jan 10, 2023
Content Rating:  G for all kids.
Book Description:

Rose loves to write, draw, and play―but what happens when she has to face a project she’s never done before?! With encouragement from her best friend, Brady, and some brainstorming with Dad, does Rose’s rocket launcher project turn out to be less than stellar or out of this world?!
Buy the Book
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Target  ~ Bookshop.org
Mascot Books
Blooming Rose Kids


Meet the Author:

As a former second grade and elementary art teacher, Lauren Piland is a Louisiana native turned Texas homesteader who knows the importance of engaging read-alouds both in class and at home. After taking a step back from the classroom to raise her second child, she realized the gap some campuses face between the undersupported emotional struggles of students and the overwhelming responsibilities of teachers. “When we can use tools such as books and relatable characters to open up those more meaningful conversations, both at home and in the classroom, it aids in that process of peeling back layers of getting to know each other better and building trust,” says Piland. “Children need to feel seen, feel heard, and feel protected. And we do that by tapping into our emotions.”

Piland also wanted to further support teachers by including ready-to-use, curriculum-based exercises to go along with each book that focus on learning objectives such as reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary building and word mechanics exercises, writing prompts, whole group projects and STEM exercises with differentiated versions for students in Pre-K all the way to fourth grade.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ pinterest ~ youtube

Enter the Giveaway:
BLOOMING ROSE BLASTS OFF Book Tour Giveaway



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Giveaway & Review – Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi #PrettyEvil #NetGalley @XpressoTours

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I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonPublishingUK for the opportunity to read and review Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi. Doesn’t this cover speak to you?

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Everything about Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi spoke to me, the fabulous cover and title, the blurb that did nothing but whet my appetite. I love villains, especially when there is a strong, female protagonist to make them pay. I love diverse characters, and Camilla qualifies.

I love the cat and mouse game between Camilla, a vigilante serial killer, and Detective Wheelan, who never gives up once he sinks his teeth into a case. I couldn’t see how Zoe Rosi would make me happy, but she did. If I was watching this as a movie or TV series, I would have been talking to Camilla, and she would probably tell me to shut up and sit down. She’s got this. LOL

I love a character that walks to the beat of her own drum. Camilla has remade herself into a fashionista, the editor of Coutoure magazine. Money can make things possible and she takes full advantage of it. She dons a mask, like the clothes she wears.

I’m not into raping rapists. Sometimes I murder them….

The feeling is strange: I feel powerful, knowing he’s at my mercy…is this why men use date rape drugs? I’d always thought it was about getting a guaranteed fuck, but now I see it’s about having a sense of complete control. It’s about being godlike.

Julian…and the roof scene…I had to do a little research to get the gist of what Camilla was going for and I love it. For me, gruesome and brutal, is good. It makes me feel satisfied in a way that real life, many times, does not. If do unto others as you would have others do unto you really applied, maybe people would rethink their actions. That is the wonderful thing about fiction, anything goes.

In Chapter 18, at 94%, I had to put my ereader down. I was reluctant to find out what comes next. I was afraid for her. How can this end in a way where I will be satisfied? Camilla…watch out…but, I should have known that Zoe Rosi was three steps ahead of me…and I LOVE IT! The story can end here, but the character is fascinating, complex, driven, so I could see more coming. Is Camilla talking to you, Zoe? I certainly hope so.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

You’ve done a bad thing. She has you in her sights. Now you’re going to pay.

Meet Camilla Black: an affluent, respected, influential fashion magazine editor, who lives it up in her beautiful Mayfair apartment. But Camilla’s glamorous life is a lie. Behind her poised exterior beats the cold dark heart of a vigilante killer, a murderer hell-bent on wreaking vengeance upon bad men.

Camilla expects to get away with murder. She’s careful. And anyway, it’s worth the risk. She’s making the world a better place with each predator she kills. But when one of her victims’ bodies is unexpectedly found, his gruesome death is splashed all over the papers.

To make matters worse, she’s now being pursued by Detective Wheelan, a new addition to the Met with laser-sharp focus and a worrying habit of solving impossible crimes…

She knows she should stop, but she can’t. Some men just deserve to die. Will Camilla’s insatiable appetite for justice be her downfall, or can she outsmart the police?

Revised edition: Previously published as Predator, this edition of Pretty Evil includes editorial revisions.

Purchase:

ABOUT ZOE ROSI (from NetGalley)

Zoe Rosi has a background in journalism and copywriting. She worked as a reporter for local and national newspapers before moving into the fashion industry as a copywriter. Zoe had four romantic comedies published before writing her debut thriller. It was while working as a fashion copywriter that Zoe had the idea for Pretty Evil, which she describes as The Devil Wears Prada meets American Psycho.

Author links:

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Review – Out Of Due Season: The First Transit by Benjamin X Wretlind @bxwretlind

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What if society could start over?
Would we make the same mistakes? For one cult, the only way to find out is to try.

I won a signed hardcover copy of Out Of Due Season: The First Transit by Benjamin X Wretlind some time ago. It looked really good, but it is a big book, 544 pages, and a series, so I put it on hold. Then, I got a chance to grab Book II, Sunshine and Shadow: Exodus, or The Second Transit…then, a tour came up for Book III, All We Leave Behind: Transits Of Three. YAY!!!!!

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

First off, I am going to start with the fact that there will be nine books in this series. It’s science fiction, but so much more than science fiction. It is a study of humanity, the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is a saga, each book 500+ pages long, so be prepared when you sit down to read.

A lake. A floating corpse. Under the water, 131 more. A mass suicide? A cult?

Zachary is twenty five years old, and the body of his missing sister, Claire, was identified as one of the three hundred and twelve bodies found in the lake. He is a part of the dive team, whose job it is to recover the decomposing bodies. This is his first dive and even those prepared for what they found, were hard put to keep it together.

Claire had told him that he is detached from the world around him, so he is quick to adapt to the what ifs that life throws at him. I have a suspicious nature, and it is confirmed when Zachary receives an email from his dead sister, DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT YOU HEAR.

Tigger’s best friend is one of the bodies found in the lake. They had been in the service together, then Darrell disappeared and Tigger got lost in a bottle. Tigger was injured in Syria, where he served as a Marine. He lives in a trailer with his drugged out girlfriend and a case of PTSD. BUT, he’s determined to get the real story about Darrell and the other COL members.

Kayla’s brother, Kenneth, was a victim of the Circle of Light, or COL. Or was he? She is black, deaf, mute, and a geointelligence specialist, spying on citizens, reading every email ever sent. She is on the run, because no one leaves the agency. I immediately thought of the deaf girl in Walking Dead, and how dangerous the world is for someone who can’t hear what’s going on around them.

Jorge an accountant finds out his father is missing. When he meets Kayla, he becomes her protector.

They are the Remainders, an unlikely group of people that come together, seeking answers. Will they be off on a wild goose chase, or hunting down a conspiracy?

I love when a book mentions the Pandemic, now that I’ve lived it first hand. I can relate to the lockdown imposed on the characters. The mounting chaos in the streets, the government clamping down, taking advantage of the situation. Riots, militia uprisings, police crackdowns, curfews, closed borders, government oppression…

…fifteen seconds to midnight

…fifteen seconds folks.

Is this our future? The clock was designed to keep people afraid, so they can be controlled. Their liberties, their freedoms can be taken away, one by one, until they are happy to be locked away in a detention center or an internment camp, or whatever the government wants to call their home these days.

Transit won! Going to Utopia, right?

The book was loaded with details, told from multiple points of view. There is so much going on, I try to put the pieces together, one page at a time, one day at a time. I am so happy that I saved this book to read at this time, because I now have two more books in the series. At 500+ pages each, I think that will keep me going for a while and maybe the wait won’t be too long for the rest of the books in the series, which will be nine…at this time. 🙂

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Out Of Due Season: Transit One by Benjamin X Wretlind.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A cult leader. A government tightening its grip. Competing global interests. A mysterious power source. What could possibly go wrong?

What if humanity had a second chance?

On a June afternoon, a body is discovered floating in a remote lake in northwestern Washington. When a recovery team attempts to retrieve it, they make a shocking discovery: 311 other bodies lie under the water, all members of a previously unknown religious cult. However, what appears to be a tragedy of immense proportions is only the beginning.

When a few relatives and friends of the victims discover inconsistencies in the stories, a small group bands together to learn the truth. As government agencies apply pressure for reasons unknown and civil unrest in the country makes communication and movement difficult, this tiny yet determined team unravels what may be the greatest event in recent—if not all—human history.

Something epic is about to happen in that remote lake, and as competing sides inch ever closer to the truth, the last pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

The First Transit is for those who follow the rules, while disaster awaits everyone else.

ABOUT BENJAMIN X WRETLIND (from Amazon)

Benjamin, a multi-genre author, ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time.

He is the author of the dystopian novel Beneath Gehenna, the psychological horror Castles, Sketches from the Spanish Mustang (literary fiction), Sunset on Maior Pales (a sci-fi western) and other novels and novellas.

Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Etsy

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Giveaway – Blackout Trail by Linda Naughton @XpressoTours @lynnnoton

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Blackout Trail
Linda Naughton
Publication date: January 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic

Doctor Anna Hastings is no stranger to disasters, having spent much of her career as an aid worker in conflict zones around the world. Yet when an electrical phenomenon known as an EMP brings down the power grid, Anna faces catastrophe on a scale she never imagined. She must learn what it means to be a doctor in a world deprived of almost all technology.

As the blackout causes planes to fall from the sky, Anna crosses paths with devoted father Mark Ryan in the chaos at the airport. Mark convinces Anna to travel with him and his seven-year-old daughter Lily to their family’s cabin in remote Maine. There Mark hopes to reunite with his wife, and find a safe refuge from a society on the brink of collapse.

Journeying across a thousand miles of backcountry trails, they will face a daily struggle against nature. Their biggest peril, though, may come from their fellow survivors. As Anna grows closer to Mark and Lily, she resolves to see them safely home. But can she hold onto her humanity in a world gone mad?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I lowered the phone and narrowed my eyes at the blank display. No indicators, no clock —nothing. How could it be dead already? I’d charged it before I left Jess’ house last night, and the damn thing was barely a month old. I scowled. “Oh, come on.”

The nearby baggage carousel ground to a shuddering halt. A collective groan from the other passengers drew my attention away from the useless brick in my hand. Snatches of disjointed conversation reached my ears.

“Can you hear me? I think we got cut off. Frank?”

“The hell? I had plenty of charge left.”

“Moooommy! My movie stopped!”

A growing sense of dread pooled in my stomach. It wasn’t just our baggage carousel that had stopped; they all had. Both the overhead lights and the computer screens showing the baggage carousel assignments had gone dark too. The only light streamed in from the floor-to- ceiling windows lining the perimeter of the baggage claim area. Why hadn’t the emergency lights kicked on?

The automatic sliding doors had also stopped, confounding a gaggle of college kids trying to leave. Beyond the doors, an ominous stillness had replaced the constant bustle of parking shuttles, cars, and taxis creeping along the pickup lane. There should’ve been engine sounds. Horns. Something. Now there were just a bunch of confused and pissed-off people getting out of their vehicles.

Grumbling from the other passengers gave way to a stunned hush. Panic bubbled just beneath the surface. You couldn’t set foot in an American airport these days without being bombarded with reminders of terrorism. Everyone looked at each other, the same question written on our faces: Was this some kind of attack? What should we do? I expected some sort of alert or explanation over the loudspeaker, telling everyone to remain calm, but none came.

A thunderous crash from the opposite end of the terminal had me ducking and covering my head. Metal screeched on metal, accompanied by the tinkle of shattered glass and an ear- splitting grinding sound. A chorus of terrified cries erupted around me. I’ll admit it—I screamed too. I caught a glimpse of a plane fuselage crashing through the airport ceiling before plowing into the ground.

The plane flattened the south end of the building as casually as a child knocking over a stack of blocks, and the resulting fireball sent flaming debris flying in all directions. At the opposite end, the shock wave knocked me off my feet. A rush of hot air stung my face and hands.

People started picking themselves up off the ground. Dozens of survivors made a mad dash for the exits. Their screams sounded distant to my ringing ears. Non-functioning doors proved to be a mild hiccup for the exodus. The lucky ones smashed through or pried the doors open before they got smashed against the glass.

Catching my breath, I rose to a crouch. The putrid smell of aviation fuel mixed with acrid smoke tickled my throat and made my eyes water. Heart hammering, I surveyed the destruction in slack-jawed horror. The rectangular terminal stretched for the length of a football field, and nothing remained of the south half but fiery rubble. Between here and there was a wide stretch where it looked like a bomb had gone off.


Author Bio:

Linda Naughton is a writer, software engineer, paramedic, and mother of two. She’s the author of several novels, gaming products, and the blog Self-Rescuing Princesses. A proud geek and gamer girl, she enjoys TV, movies, video games, and role-playing games. Visit her website at https://lindanaughton.com.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter


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Giveaway – The Warlock’s Curse by C B Oresky @cbOresky @GoddessFish

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The Warlock’s Curse by C. B. Oresky

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy

BLURB

Clara and Angelica Grace have never met ghosts. They’ve never sailed on a tall ship, ridden wild unicorns, or fought with magical weapons. Instead, the teenage twins have a wretched existence, ignored by their troubled parents in a rundown home and tormented by the town’s snobs.

Everything turns topsy-turvy all of a sudden when discovery of an ancestor’s hidden journal with an odd key to an unknown door leads them into an entirely different realm.

The girls go on a thrilling oceanic voyage to search for mysterious whales, train with a seasoned warrior, and are befriended by a wise Master. But all is not a bouquet of lovely lilies…they are hunted by a cunning warlock and must rid themselves of The Warlock’s Curse.

EXCERPT

The whales’ frenzied song grew even louder—the electrical atmosphere intensified.

 “Now what’s happening? We’re dissolving!” Clara yelled, watching her little hands disappear and then reappear again.

Angelica observed different parts of the ship, their cats, their bodies, and the monkey crew all vanishing momentarily. She drew a sharp breath. She was about to say something when the ethereal whale swimming directly before them opened its massive mouth, saltwater pouring down its yawning maw that seemed miles and miles deep.

 “This is madness!” Clara shrieked, staring down the vast gaping throat of the beast. “Even a hurricane would be much better than this.

We’re going to die, for sure!” Angelica lost her composure. “Turn the ship!” she demanded. “I don’t wanna die!”

 “Impossible!” Claudius cried. “We must go!” “I’m gonna be sick!” Clara cried, her face pasty. She clasped her sister’s scrawny hand in horror. What lay before them was far worse than that scary roller coaster Angelica had once convinced her to try at their town fair.

Catapulted forward by the hurrying tide, Claudius’s ship now sailed upon the phantasm of a massive whale. The sleek vessel hung momentarily on the edge of the watery precipice of white light, then slipped straight down the monster’s wide-open chasm…

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Fascinated by the works of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, C.B. Oresky began writing her own fantasy novel, The Warlock’s Curse, after dreaming of being whisked off to an alien realm. Besides her debut novel, she has seen four of her short stories published in a small, national literary press: Conceit Magazine. When she’s not writing, she can be found wandering through the  woods, dancing flamenco, or planting flowers in her garden. She currently lives in a small town in Connecticut with her bodybuilder husband, their exceptionally naughty Scottish terrier and Siamese cat, ten chickens, Mr. Tiggy the hedgehog, and a yard filled with majestic flowers.

Website: www.cbOresky.com

  • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cboresky/.
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  • Twitter: @cbOresky
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  • Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/c-b-oresky
  • Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22747540.C_B_Oresky
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Blew My Mind – Operation DFC by Janelle Taylor & Ashley Fontainne #AshleyFontainne

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All I’m going to say is…READ MY REVIEW..and you will want to Seek and Destroy too.

Amazon / Goodreads

Audiobook coming soon

MY REVIEW

Well, my mind is officially blown. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning two days in a row. The deeper into the book I went, the action, danger, betrayal, brutality, savagery sociopathic and psychopathic action became. At every time, they swept me off my feet, filling me with disgust, barely able to keep from gagging over the things done to John Sims.

I knew Ashley Fontainne could pen an off the chart novel, but this is my introduction to Janelle Taylor. They are both now must read authors for me.

Operation DFC – Die for Country

Operation DFC – Die for Cathy

Operation Seek and Destroy

John Sims had been a POW, so when the CIA recruited him for his first mission, to save POWs and MIAs, he never hesitated when Dave Carter asked him, “So, you’re willing to die?” His answer, “Absolutely.”

John thought the service would give him freedom from the brutality of his father, but he hadn’t anticipated the price. He knew what it was to be tortured and starved, kept prisoner for two years by the North Vietnamese, before he was rescued, the sole survivor of his unit.

I was a teenager during the Vietnam War. I remember a lot of things about it, The Draft, Agent Orange, not being allowed to win and how the service men were treated when they came home. I used to read a lot of WWII & Vietnam history and novels. I cannot imagine what it would be like, whisked from the life you have in the United States and plopped down in the jungle, in the desert.

In John’s case, he also gave up his past, his present and maybe even his future, hiding his real name, breaking all ties with family and friends. BUT, he would keep secret Cathy, his first love and the love of his life and Brad, his best friend that looks out for Cathy, Brad’s cousin, when John was away.

John has no idea what is coming, and neither did I. It was so much more than I expected, even though I knew Ashley Fontainne was capable of doing most anything to her characters. Now, I see that Janelle Taylor will too, so I will be looking for more of her work in the future.

My emotions were all over the place: angry, surprised, shocked, appalled, terrified, sad, heartbroken, horrified, furious, devastated…I could go on and on, looking up words and synonyms to describe my feelings.

I never saw half of what was coming throughout the novel. I read and read, not even thinking about when I would reach the end. I was just reading to find out what came next…UNTIL…DAMMIT…there was no more. I never even thought about it being a series. I guess you could say there is a cliffhanger, because the characters mission is not complete. Now it’s time for Lewis Roger Lee Bradford (Wolfman) from Shreveport, Louisiana to seek retribution. Black Viper, Red Dog, and Raccoon will be along for the ride and they are out for blood.

I sure do hope you Ladies are writing fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Operation DFC by Janelle Taylor & Ashley Fontainne.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

I came to rescue my imprisoned brothers, but now I’m one.

Arriving in Thailand for my first black-op, Operation DFC, as part of an elite team ready to act on recent intel that over a thousand men and/or their remains are still behind enemy lines, Bangkok is our last stopping point before slipping into Vietnam and extracting as many American prisoners as possible.

For me, this is personal. From 1971 to 1973, I was a POW; and now, ten years later, I work for the CIA under the fake identity of John Sims, Field Expert for Crop World, an international firm run by the agency.

While in my hotel room, the unthinkable happens. Bangkok may end up being my greatest challenge as my courage, patriotism, and honor are on the line, and I find myself in the toughest physical and mental battle of my life, wondering if Operation DFC will be my first, and last, covert mission.

ABOUT JANELLE TAYLOR

The legendary Janelle Taylor was born on June 28, 1944 in Athens, GA. In 1965, she married Michael Taylor with whom she had two children, Angela Taylor-MacIntyre and Alisha Taylor Thurmond. Ms. Taylor attended the Medical College of Georgia from 1977 to 1979 and Augusta State University from 1980-1981. She withdrew from the latter after she sold her first two novels. Today, she is the author of thirty-nine novels, three novellas, and many contributions to other collections. There are thirty-nine million copies of her works in print worldwide and she has made The New York Times Bestseller List eight times. Ms. Taylor’s works have also been featured ten times on the “1 million +” bestseller’s list at Publisher’s Weekly.

Some of Ms. Taylor’s most recent books include By Candlelight, Someday Soon, Lakota Dawn, and Lakota Winds (due out in paperback in May 1999). She has also made contributions to other books including The Leukemia Society Cookbook, Christmas Rendezvous, and Summer Love. In addition, readers can see her as co-host of the QVC/TV Romance Book Club Show.

Ms. Taylor’s interests include collecting spoons, coins from around the world, ship models, dolls, and old books. She loves to fish, ride horses, play chess, target-shoot, travel (especially in her motorhome and out West), hunt for Indian relics, and take long walks with her husband. Reading, in particular books set before 1900 and current Biographies, Thrillers, Horror, or Fantasy novels, is also one of Ms. Taylor’s favorite activities. She is also extremely active with charity work and was even featured on the cover of Diabetes Forecast in February of 1998.

She lives in the country on seventy-nine acres of woods and pasture with a lake and a catfish pond. She writes her novels in a Spanish cottage which overlooks a five-acre lake, a working water mill, gazebo, and covered bridge.

Website

ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE

Ashley Fontainne

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne enjoys stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters lurking within each of us. She writes in numerous genres including mystery, suspense, horror, sci-fi and sometimes poetry.

Ashley lives in Arkansas with her husband and is the proud mother of one son and grateful daughter of co-author, Lillian Hansen. To learn more about her books please visit https://ashleyfontainne.net/

Website  / Facebook  /  Pinterest

MY ASHLEY FONTAINNE REVIEWS

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Giveaway – Defy The Stars by Cathrina Constantine @XpressoTours @cathconstantine

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Defy the Stars
Cathrina Constantine
Publication date: January 13th 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Circus grunt. Charmer. Fire wrangler.
Growing up within the grind of the enchanted Circus Faire, Crew’s unique talents have blossomed. Though, he’s been warned that the King of Hawkswing is determined to eradicate a certain species, and for his own sake Crew must keep his formidable gifts under wraps.

Relations between interspecies caused an imbalance of power and now are strictly forbidden. Dolorans, like Sage and her sister, are being hunted and persecuted because of their intense powers, leaving them no choice but to run to escape the genocide of their kind.

She possesses a forceful energy for good and evil.
His untapped powers are growing stronger by the day.
Survival will demand they rely on each other.

When Crew learns a dark wizard is holding his brother captive, he enters into a deal with him in hopes of getting close enough to free those he has imprisoned. Yet, what he uncovers is far more sinister than Crew could ever imagine. Can Crew harness the strength within him to save his brother and Sage and all those in the wizard’s clutches? Or will he be trapped by the wizard’s wicked plan?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“What a shame. Polk spoke highly of you.” Aerestol snapped his fingers and the sentinels redeployed, penning Crew in. While Crew was a head taller, the goons were packing revolvers tucked into the waistbands of their pants. “In my line of work, I can’t afford to trust anyone. Rumormongers are dealt with accordingly. My advice? Don’t become one.” He hooked his thumbs into his vest, and with his head down, turned toward the grand staircase.

“Now what?” Crew said. Was he done for? Were his goons going to take him out. Kill him?

Aerestol pivoted, and as if improvising a reply, his head slanted sideways. “So far, you haven’t impressed me, boy. You should have handed over the girl. Instead, I walk away empty handed. I can’t tolerate that.” He ran his fingers beneath his chin. “Perhaps Polk was speaking with a straight tongue. He never failed me. I tell you what, for his sake alone, your obeisance is most welcome if you want into my lucrative business.” His mouth spread. “If you make it out alive…you know how to reach me, through Dyke. Ingrain this into that thick skull of yours. No snitches. One bullet.” He jutted his chin towards the one-eyed goon. “Do it.”

The sentry pulled his revolver from his waistband and targeted Crew’s chest.

“Hey!” Crew barked, anxious to get Aerestol to look at him. The doctor swerved and Crew straightaway connected with his dark eyes. Gotcha! “So this is how we’re going to end our business arrangement, aye? A bullet to the heart?” he pitched his voice. Aerestol’s pupils enlarged. “I’m the only one who can bring the girl to you. Don’t waste me and my talents.” Crew blinked, terminating his connection, and the doctor squeezed his eyes and shook his head.

“His thigh,” ordered Aerestol. “It’s unfortunate that I can’t stay to watch how this performance ends.”

The orc lowered his gun and pulled the trigger.

White light sliced through Crew. And a blinding explosion of stars as intense pain ripped through him. His knees buckled.

Author Bio:

I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.

I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I’m devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.

I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub


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Sherry’s Shelves 1.8 – 1.14.23

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Hi Everyone.

Well, I am late getting this up, but I was sitting here watching the Buffalo Bills and thought, what the heck. Get with it, Sherry. lol It’s chilly but sunny and my allergies have been playing havoc. One minute things are blooming, the next they are dying. Crazy weather, but I foresee those 70 and 80 degrees days coming very soon. We are having issues with our pool pump, so I will be getting on that right away. I haven’t run the pool in over a month and I cannot believe it isn’t green. I am sure I will have to add a lot of chemicals, but my power bill is loving it. lol

Stay safe.

LAST WEEK ON fundinmental

COMING UP ON fundinmental

I have more posts I will be adding during the week.

  • Sherry’s Shelves
  • Giveaway – Defy The Stars by Cathrina Constantine
  • Blew My Mind – Operation DFC by Ashley Fontainne & Janelle Taylor
  • Giveaway – The Warlock’s Curse by C B Oresky
  • Giveaway – Blackout Trail by Linda Naughton
  • Giveaway & Review – Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi
  • Giveaway – Blooming Rose Blasts Off! by Lauren Piland
  • 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 1.7 – 1.13.23

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I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken. It has helped me to keep track of my reading shelf as far as current events and to tidy up my shelves. I feel better about my out of control TBR and have even knocked off a couple of those old ones that had been hanging around for years.

COME ON….JOIN IN.

Previous Total: 2029

Currently Reading

Blind Spots by Thomas Mullen has a Goodreads giveaway you can enter HERE.

Red Queen by Juan Gomez Juardo has a Goodreads giveaway HERE that ends today.

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I LOVE the cover for Deep As The Sky,Red As The Sea by Rita Chang Eppig and would have grabbed it no matter what it was about. LOL

What do you think? Also, you can enter the Goodreads giveaway HERE.

There is a Goodreads cover and an Amazon cover for Truly Darkly Deeply.

I love the Amazon cover on the right. Which is your favorite?

Truly, Darkly, Deeply by [Victoria Selman]

Books Read

Books Added

Books DNF-ed: 0

Books Deleted: 0

Duplicates Removed: 0

New TBR Total: 2026

  • 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 – Stranded With Billionaire Grumpy Pants by Stacy Deanne @XpressoTours

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Stranded with Billionaire Grumpy Pants
Stacy-Deanne
Publication date: January 11th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Chanel’s about to jump off a bridge. A single mother of a teen daughter in a wheelchair, she loves her job but hates her annoying, yet fine-as-wine, billionaire boss.

Wesley Babcock is the biggest jerk on the planet: rude, disrespectful, arrogant, and he thinks the world revolves around his needs. Chanel’s sick of it!

Needing to get away and having an employee discount for a vacation to Wesley’s wilderness resort, Chanel and her daughter take off for a trip during Memorial Weekend. Chanel’s looking forward to having some fun until she sees who else has shown up.

Yep, Mr. Grumpy Money Bags Himself.

And if that’s not bad enough, Chanel signs up for a nature hike only to get lost with… yeah, you guessed it.

Chanel and Wesley cross each other’s paths constantly during the weekend, but can they stop bickering long enough to realize they’re incredibly attracted to each other?

Tropes: billionaire, age gap, office romance, romantic comedy, single-mother romance

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Mr. Babcock should be ashamed! Absolutely ashamed!” Chanel carried on at the check-in counter while the poor employees behind the desk shivered as if she were holding them at gunpoint. “I know he’s an ass, but didn’t know he was this terrible. How could this place not have a ramp? How?”

“We have ramps, Ma’am,” the pudgy redhead spoke as if she were afraid Chanel would strike her down. “One is in the back and the other by the spa.”

“Really?” Chanel scoffed, balling her fists so she wouldn’t throw anything. “So my daughter has to enter through the back like she’s a second-class citizen? Ramps should be visible in the front! Duh. That’s the idea of being accessible!” She slapped the porcelain counter. “This is unacceptable, and I’m reporting this place to the state for violations of the law. I will not let you get away with treating disabled people like an afterthought—”

“What’s going on here?” a male voice boomed throughout the waiting area.

Recognizing her boss’ icy tone, Chanel held her breath as she turned to face

him.

The debonair Wesley Babcock strutted toward the counter and everyone rushed out of his path. He always wore suits of dark-blues or blacks, so it surprised Chanel to see him without a blazer but still wearing his button-down white shirt and those diamond cufflinks with his initials engraved in them.

In this heat.

Chanel could do nothing but chuckle. It wasn’t bad enough she had to see this man everyday now he was here the one time she took a vacation.

“Ah, Miss Adeyami.” Wesley flashed a sarcastic smile that belonged on magazine covers. “What a surprise to see you here, causing a scene as always. Could you try to act like a lady, please?”

She scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“You’re my employee.” He flexed his triangular jaws. “Which means you represent me and my company at all times and I will not have you embarrassing my brand in my establishment.”

“Well, if you don’t wanna be embarrassed in your own establishment, then you should’ve had a ramp in the front of your place!” She pointed to the glass doors. “Or are people in wheelchairs not allowed here?”

He grimaced, his dashing greenish-brown eyes set in a carnal stare that reminded her of a shady salesman. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Mr. Babcock, sir.” The feminine male employee dashed from behind the

counter. “It’s really nothing to bother yourself with.”

“The hell it’s not. It’s his place.” Chanel held her waist. “How come there isn’t a

ramp at the front entrance? That’s illegal.”

“Perhaps you should brush up on California laws, Miss Adeyami, or else learn

how to comprehend them better.” Wesley straightened himself, shoulders squared. “The law is that we have ramps that fit the code and we do. We do not have to have them at all entrances or exits.”

“But that makes no sense. My daughter has to wheel herself all the way to the back of the place to get inside? Like she’s the help sneaking in or something?”

He relaxed his face, his dimples firm in his cheeks despite not smiling. “Your daughter’s in a wheelchair?”

“Yes and boss or no boss, I won’t let you get away with this.”

He shrugged. “What are you gonna do about it?”

I’m gonna report you to the authorities!”


Author Bio:

USA TODAY FEATURED AUTHOR

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) is an award-winning author of romantic suspense, contemporary romance, thrillers, and women’s fiction books featuring BWWM pairings. Her books have been bestsellers in stores worldwide including Amazon, Apple, and Barnes and Noble. Her work has been praised and reviewed in USA Today numerously. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is a 2011 and 2012 African-American Literary Award Nominee. She also is a winner of the Swirl Award (an award dedicated to authors of multicultural/interracial works).

Stacy is known for bringing versatile stories to her readers. With her, you never know what you’re gonna get, which separates Stacy’s work from the pack.

Stacy’s books are full of passion, thrills, intriguing characters and so much emotion you can’t get enough! If you want something different and unpredictable then definitely check out her work.

With Stacy every book is an adventure.

Want to receive book updates? Sign up for Stacy’s mailing list:

http://eepurl.com/dFGzTL

Website: https://www.stacy-deanne.com/

Stacy is a proud member of ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter


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  • 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!