Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Ivy Daniels is a high school junior still learning who she is. After an accident, Ivy finds herself with an ability she doesn’t want, an ability to uncover secrets which quickly begins to redefine what she thinks about the people around her as well as herself. Because of this ability, Ivy becomes the one thing that stands between an angry teen and the death of every student on campus. The only problem is she doesn’t know who wants everyone dead. Will she figure out who has this dark secret, or will she fail to find him in time?
Through her search to do the right thing, Ivy discovers that knowing the thoughts and secrets of those around her may just tear her apart.
I’m sure I picked this up because of the cover and title, thinking, ah, something to do with water…and we have secrets. I love books where secrets are exposed. Do you have any secrets?Anything you would like to share? 🙂
Book Title: Legacy of Secrets by Helen Starbuck Category: Adult Fiction, 243 pages Genre: Romantic Suspense Publisher: Routt Street Press Release date: March 2020 Content Rating: R for two explicit sex scenes, bad language, mild violence. Book Description:
Other families pass down their stories, Kate Earnshaw’s family’s secrets disappear from one generation to the next. Kate Earnshaw’s father’s suicide has left many unanswered questions. In handling his estate she wonders if she ever really knew him. He never explained why he let his childhood home in Eastern Colorado fall into ruin or why he’d kept the property a secret. And he never told Kate about his close friendship with Evan Hastings, the handsome and somewhat puzzling man who lives on the property near the abandoned house. Evan seems to have as many secrets as her father and knows more about him than Kate did. But there’s something about Evan that calls her back to her father’s home. Something that threatens to unearth more than the past. Legacy of Secrets explores family secrets, a daughter’s grief and her search for answers, and a chance for love. Buy the Book: Amazon.com ~ Audible Add to Goodreads
Meet the Author:
Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and
award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novel Legacy of
Secrets, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series. She loves mysteries,
suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan
of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman
says, “…stories where women save themselves.”
I am a huge fan of Michael F Stewart and was excited when I got my
hands on Heart Sister, an amazing story that is a perfect example of The
Butterfly Effect in Chaos Theory.
The wonderful cover for Heart Sister definitely fits the story inside.
I love the cover and it definitely relates to the book and means so
much more after reading Heart Sister by Michael F Stewart. Michael speaks from the heart in this fabulous story of a young boy that searches for the people that received his sister’s organs.
The characters are fully developed, richly detailed and I love how
Michael F Stewart shows them growing and changing. Emmitt steals the
show. It’s not awful enough that he lost his sister, but he lost his
twin sister.
The movie that Emmitt is making was a different take on the story
than I expected, but a wonderful way to tell the tale. Anything more,
you will want to learn for yourself.
My heart goes out to him. I love him. He is doing everything for his
mother, to pull her out of her paralyzing depression, but so much
happens and many lives are changed. His sister gave them life, he helps
them live it.
The butterfly effect is an idea that is more
commonly used in chaos theory. it shows that a small change can make
much bigger changes happen; that one small incident can have a big
impact in the future. The ripple in the pond….
I cannot say enough about this novel, which is inspired by Micheal F Stewart’s own life.
Heart Sister has it all…fun and games, grief and misery, laughs and
tears..and the way Michael presented it was heartbreakingly and
heartwarmingly wonderful.
Even though Heart Sister is aimed at middle grade, to me, Michael F
Stewart’s novels are excellent for all ages. He sends a subtle message
that I hear loud and clear.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Heart Sister by Michael F Stewart.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
After Emmitt’s twin sister, Minnie, dies in an accident, his world
goes sideways. He’s lost his best friend and it feels like his family
is falling apart without her. But Minnie was an organ donor and Emmitt
soon receives an anonymous thank you letter from one of the transplant
recipients. Inspiration strikes, and he decides to try and put his
sister back together, in spirit. He’s going to track down each organ
recipient and film them to show his parents Minnie’s selfless act and
help them move on. But when each recipient falls short of his
expectations and the star of his film, the girl who received his
sister’s heart, refuses to meet him, Emmitt has to turn to extreme
measures to find her. What he doesn’t know is that his “heart sister”
is hiding an agonizing secret, one that could push Emmitt to the
breaking point.
ABOUT MICHEL F STEWART
Michael F. Stewart is winner of both the
2015 Claymore Award and the 2014 inaugural Creation of Stories Award
for best YA novel at the Toronto International Book Fair.
He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered
interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia, and New
Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. In addition to his
award winning Assured Destruction series, he has authored four graphic
novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s Boldprint series.
Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights
are published by Scholastic and early readers are out with Pearson
Education.
For adults, Michael has written THE SAND
DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar
sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the
MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban
fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS–a covert
government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them
in the next.
Herder of four daughters, Michael lives
to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s first Writer
in Residence. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit
his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter
@MichaelFStewart.
Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let’s share
some songs we’ve been enjoying lately! If you would like to play, and I
really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below HERE
Just feel like tapping my toes, bopping my head and singing along. Their YouTube videos get millions of hits and I can see why.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
LATEST HAPPENINGS
Hello everyone. Here it is, another week gone by and its been the same as the week before. I have been doing some work in the yard, but the heat that I love so much has become my enemy in my ‘golden years’. I seem to overheat easily…and it’s only 90 outside. LOL Do you remember those days, when you could hang on the beach, drink all day, and continue the party inside? Well, I do and it amazes me in hindsight. I still love the heat, I just need to be floating in the pool to appreciate it as much as I used to. 🙂
Hope you had a good week and another comes your way. Take care and stay safe.
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 I also started doing a post for Books From The Backlog, from Carole’s Random Life in Books, 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 TBR Total: 2488
Currently Reading
Books Read
Books Added to TBR
Fear of Falling by Roz Marshall was free at time of posting. Check for the “0”
Now available from Linkville Press: Lydia’s faith in God is
strong—at least on paper. But what happens when that faith is tested? Turned
into a vampire by the worst—Vlad Drakul—she feels that God has abandoned her.
But the opposite is true. God rescues her from a fate worse than death, and
brings her into the plan He has for global redemption. With the help He sends,
she feels like nothing can stop her. But when Vlad torments her again, and then
her family, the temptation to run and hide is almost too strong to resist. Her
answer to God’s call is the deciding factor in the battle that pits the angelic
powers of God against the demonic powers of Hell.
What happened in the moments after Judas hanged himself?
Where did Cain go after the death of Abel?
Myths abound, and some of them have similar endings.
Cain murders his brother out of jealousy. Judas betrays Jesus to those who want
to see Him dead. Vlad the Impaler destroys without mercy, and is legendary as
Count Dracula. Three souls, collected and bound together in the same body by
Lilith, Satan’s mate and favorite slave.
Cain, Judas, and Vlad Tepes all fall into the same trap: weakened by pride but
too stubborn to turn back, they become cursed to walk the world through all of
time. Pursued by Hunters, a group first established by Cain’s tribe when he was
abducted by Lilith and the Serpent, they must keep one step ahead of their
enemies from century to century.
The tale starts in Genesis, moves to the time before and after the Crucifixion,
then makes the journey into what will become known as the Carpathian Mountains.
We are dropped briefly into the 15th century, pass through time in Romania and
Scotland, then conclude in 19th-century New Orleans. This is where the story,
and the three-souled Beast, must await another day and another century.
Two years after the horrific events of “That Night”, Lydia
and her family and friends have settled back into their lives. All seems
peaceful, but for the haunting memories of the war that took place over their
heads. A battle that everyone else has put aside as “mass hysteria.”
Now, with the unearthing of an old house in New Orleans and the appearance of a
mysterious woman named Delilah, events are transpiring that have the Bronsons
and their friends worried.
Delilah is a mystery. She takes on a partnership with a world-famous loser, and
insists on rebuilding the crumbling buildings on the hill overlooking Lydia’s
home town. The very same buildings that housed the evil that plagued them all
two years before.
Pat and Trudy, the Bronson siblings, learn that their time to act is upon them.
Demons and dark shadows are appearing in their lives, and in the lives of those
they love. The one seemingly most threatened is their own father, Steve, who
can’t seem to spend enough time in Delilah’s company. Then there are Martha,
Sean, and Ryan, whose sinister experiences make them re-think their stance on
the “mass-hysteria event.”
Not to mention Toby, almost three years old, who has powers beyond any mortal,
but is definitely nothing more than a toddler.
Once again, the Bronsons must take on responsibilities much more than they
think they can handle. However, God sends more helpers: an odd old man by the
name of Nick, who lives in the park; and Miriam, a young lady who steals Pat’s
heart.
Side by side, these young people show that their generation can be just as
strong as the previous one. For they will need all the strength they can muster
to fight the foe among them.
K.R. Morrison has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years. She uses her maiden name to show honor to her Scottish roots, and as a tribute to her dad. She and her husband have two young-adult children.
“Be Not Afraid” is her first book, a darling little creature spawned from an all-too real nightmare. Her second book, “Unholy Trinity”, was published in 2016.
“Resurgence: The Rise of Judas”, is the third book in the “Pride’s Downfall” series, and the fourth book, “Enoch’s Return”, will be available by September of 2020.
Tortured With Love by J T Hunter is my fourth true crime novel by him. That being said, the Lonely Hearts Killers is rated the fourth top ten crime duos in US history, according to Time Magazine. Whether it still holds that distinction in 2020, I do not know.
What turns a nurse supervisor at the Crippled Children”s Home into a killer? Tortured With Love strikes very close to home, seeing Martha Beck is from Pensacola, Florida.
Ray had a hard life. Family and friends felt like an accident he had changed his personality. It’ hard to care, seeing he embraced his new self and reveled in his hunt for women.
Evil can be found anywhere, including dating clubs. I don’t know about you, but it sure doesn’t surprise me. It seems like perverts have found a gold mine.
Tortured With Love is a perfect example of how someone can change so much, throwing their life away in the name of love. I have no sympathy or compassion for either one.
The Lonely Hearts Killers took place in the 1940s, so comparing them, and all that has come to pass since then, may make them seem tame.
Many records were lost or unavailable to J T Hunter, but he put together a story that is easy to read and I think leaves a lot to our imagination. They told so many stories, who knows where the truth lies.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tortured With Love by J T Hunter.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
What is the price of passion? What is the power of love?
Meet Martha Beck, a young nurse dedicated to healing others, until her own hurting heart lured her down a darker path. Loneliness led her to Raymond Fernandez, but love led her all the way to the electric chair.
This is the tragic story of the Lonely Heart Killers.
ABOUT J T HUNTER
J.T. Hunter is an attorney with over fourteen years of experience
practicing law, including criminal law and appeals, and he has
significant training in criminal investigation techniques. He is also a
college professor in Florida where his teaching interests focus on the
intersection of criminal psychology, law, and literature.
Finding Lyla by Cate Beauman is the tenth book in the series and I am lovin’ every minute I spend with them. Each book can stand alone, but past characters make visits into current and future novels, so I recommend you begin at the beginning so you don’t miss anything.
Finding Lyla by Cate Beauman is the tenth book in the LA Bodyguard series and I have been lovin’ each and every one. It’s good to be back with the gang and watch as two characters find each other, adding to the Bodyguard family.
The men may be strong, but so are the women, each with their individual personalities that makes for a new storyline and romance that slowly develops, filled with difficulty. If it isn’t their own need to protect themselves, it is a bad guy trying to make their life hell.
Lyla struggled to enter the world, being delivered by Caesarean. When Cate Beauman described the delivery, her being tied down, I had flashbacks. My child was born in the ’70s and the times sure were different than they are now. I too was tied down, then gassed. Does not make for fond memories.
Her mother, Mina was the a prima ballerina in Russia, so when Lyla was born she was labeled as the Princess of Russia, expected to follow in her mother’s footsteps, which she did. She made a name for herself with her amazing talent and was now dancing for the Manhattan Ballet. Trouble arises when she returns to Russia during a turbulent and dangerous political climate. Her father is the US Ambassador to Russia, so she feels she has no choice.
Collin is a bodyguard with Ethan Cooke Security. When he is tasked with being Lyla’s bodyguard, he jumps at the chance. Just coming out of a bad relationship and a previous job, he doesn’t look forward to returning to an empty apartment.
I found myself laughing at their dialogue from the moment they met.
I immediately fell in love with the characters. They are beautiful, inside and out. I think you may find yourself enamored with them too.
WOW. The danger, intensity of the suspense, and sexual tension is off the charts. The political intrigue kept me on my toes and I’m glad Collin is well versed in survival. They will need it.
Lyla is naive in the ways of the world. She has devoted her life to ballet. She does have some wonderful friends, very little romantic experience, but ballet is her be all, end all.
Nail biting, edge of the seat, nonstop action that threatens lives across international lines. Brutal moments are tempered with sweet ones. Every time I think I am reaching the happy ever after, Cate Beauman delivers another blow.
Finding Lyla, even though I expected a LOT, delivered more than anticipated. That is why Cate Beauman is a master of her craft.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Finding Lyla by Cate Beauman
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Principal Dancer Lyla Markovik-Avery is always on the go. Grueling practices and endless performances rule her busy days—and things are about to get more hectic. Russia is rolling out the red carpet for their beloved star, despite the string of violent terrorist attacks that have rocked the nation.
Bodyguard Collin Michaels’ life is falling apart. His long-time relationship recently ended. He’s trying to start over, but that’s easier said than done. Luckily, Collin has a new assignment on the horizon: keeping a beautiful ballerina safe for the next three weeks.
Collin finds comfort in Lyla’s easy friendship, but that all changes after a night out on the town. Simple feelings become complicated—something Collin can’t afford, especially when tragedy strikes and Collin realizes Lyla’s caught in the middle of a dangerous plot for revenge.
Collin and Lyla are forced to flee. They need to reach the border before it’s too late, but the odds are stacked against them in a country that wants them dead. With time running out, Collin formulates a risky plan that might be their only chance of making it out alive.
ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN
International
bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length,
action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County.
Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance
Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award,
Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star
books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite
International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the
Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown
Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the
silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.
Cate makes her home in North Carolina
with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack.
Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her
popular Bodyguards series.
I thought long and HARD (lol) about whether to share Radley’s Home for Horny Monsters, let alone read it, but I was curious. A long lost relative dies and Mike inherits everything! He is the caretaker of a historical house and the monsters that live there. It didn’t take me long and I found myself saying NO, UH UH, NO WAY. Explicit sex and a LOT of it, but I read on. I found myself laughing, at times, and worrying for Mike and his friends, at other times.
There are those who want the house…at all costs…and will do anything to get it.
Erotic/erotica stories are not a normal read for me. I do love that it does have that shock factor. SEX, SEX, AND MORE SEX, with mythological monsters, no less, and I did enjoy my visit to Radley House.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Radley’s Home for Horny Monsters by Annabelle Hawthorne.
4 Stars
Radley’s Home for Horny Monsters
Horny Monsters Book 1
by Annabelle Hawthorne
Genre: Erotic Modern Fantasy
Read the story that won both Best Erotic
Fantasy and Best Erotic Story by a New Author in the 2018 Clitoride
Awards!
“If you like sexy fantasy, and I do, this is one great
read.” -Piers Anthony, author of the Xanth series
When Mike Radley inherited a mysterious old house from a
long-lost relative, he wasn’t sure what to expect.
He didn’t expect a sexual encounter with the nymph in his
bathtub.
He really didn’t expect to discover a house full of
affectionate monsters.
And he definitely didn’t expect a pair of witches bent on
stealing the home’s magic from him.
Welcome to the Radley House. Expect the unexpected.
Disclaimer: This erotic fantasy contains graphic sex scenes with mythological beings.
** Coming Soon! **
Radley’s Labyrinth for Horny Monsters: Horny Monsters Book 2
Annabelle Hawthorne lives somewhere deep in the Rocky Mountains and spends her days working hard to write you some of the best erotic literature money can buy.
When not writing, she spends time with her family and can always be found within spitting distance of some form of coffee.
Today I am delighted to share the cover of Laralyn Doran’s debut novel and the first novel in the Driven Women Series. This steamy contemporary features a feisty female NASCAR driver and sexy former Indy driver. This “enemies to lovers” romance will have your motor revving.
A Fast Woman
CJ Lomax
People called me a fast woman—not because I slept around—because I broke men’s hearts on the racetrack when I beat them. While climbing up stock car’s highest level of racing, I learned three truths: Adrenaline was my drug of choice, wearing a pair of heels was a form of torture, and I didn’t have time for distractions—especially from men.
I had one goal—a Cup Series contract—and it was within my reach.
Until Grady McBane cut me off—sending me, and my dreams, into a tailspin.
His damn smile, his charm, his talent… his touch. Damn hormones overrode my focus.
Grady McBane
The moment the beautiful, spitfire CJ Lomax tripped into my arms, it felt right.
Then Karma stepped in and laughed—Redeeming my reputation meant ruining her dream.
Even though I needed the contract to salvage my career, I found myself chasing her instead of racing her.
Her focus, her sass, her grit…her passion. I wanted it—I want her.
How could we cross the finish line without wrecking each other’s hearts?
Laralyn Doran is a multi-award winning writer of fun, contemporary romance and dark, urban fantasy romance. Her latest manuscript, “A Fast Woman” is an “enemies-to-lovers” racing romance, set to release in the fall of 2020 and will be the first in the “Driven Women” series. In 2019, “A Fast Woman” was awarded The Writer Award, given by the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors (LERA). Laralyn is a proud special needs mom, and an autism and dyslexia awareness advocate. She lives in Maryland and is a member of Romance Writers of America, Central Pennsylvania Romance Writers, Washington Romance Writers, and other affiliate chapters, where she met some amazing and supportive authors who have had the patience of saints and given her more than one kick in the backside.
