I actually picked up Itsy Bitsy Spider by Willow Rose on an Amazon free day on 11.22.14. I didn’t read it until 6.8.19, but that’s not the books fault. LOL
I am thoroughly creeped out by spiders, so I do love this cover.
Oh Astrid. My heart is breaking and I’ve only read the Prologue. I am one of those people that love Prologues and Epilogues.
Emma Frost is new to the island due to an inheritance, a house from her grandmother. let’s see what kind of trouble will come her way, seeing I know Willow Rose from other stories of hers I have read and she tends to blow my mind.
There’s a murder next door. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”
Willow has a way of grabbing me by the throat, gaining my full attention as I struggle like the characters to survive the evil.
WTF! Sure led me down a twisted, horrifying path to the killer.
Willow Rose draws me in slowly…I know it’s hard to come up with something new..and BAM, in your face, but Willow seems able to do that many times over!
From past to present an evil secret in Emma’s family is expose.
Blew me away. Saying OMG, Omg, omg…
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Emma Frost inherits a
house on Fanoe Island when her grandmother dies. She decides to move
there with her family, much to her teenage-daughter’s regret. One
morning a wealthy old woman in her street is found murdered and soon
Emma finds herself wrapped in a mystery uncovering the island’s dark
secrets that not only runs deep within the history of the island but
also within her own family.
From the author of the International
Bestselling books, the Rebekka Franck-series comes a new Scandinavian
Mystery destined to keep you up all night. This is the first book in the
Emma Frost-series and is followed by Miss Polly had a dolly.
ABOUT WILLOW ROSE
TheQueen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author
and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror,
Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t
see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of
ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three
million books.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters.
When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and
watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
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.
Rules:
Every Monday share a few songs you’ve been enjoying lately. It
doesn’t have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites –
just something you’d like to share with others. If possible, share a
music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s),
artist(s), and/or music video(s).
If you would like to participate in Music Monday, please join the link up by sharing your post’s url HERE
I rarely watch the Grammy’s, but this year, because I only recently found Billy Eilish, I had to watch. She is so distinctive and different and I fell in love with her music. Because of the digital world, so many opportunities abound.
Lil Nas X totally blows my mind. This is sooooo much fun!
Welcome to my stop for Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald. Which fork would you take? I love book covers and often grab a book for that reason alone. Sometimes it works against me. LOL Let’s send out a big welcome to Sigrid Macdonald.
TOPIC: MY BOOK COVER
Dear Sherry:
Thank you for having me on your blog and
for asking about my book cover. It took me a long time to choose this cover
because I wanted it to represent so many things.
Tara, my protagonist, has a dilemma.
Everything is going wrong in her life, with her marriage, on the job, and with
her moody teenage son. And, to top it off, she’s about to turn 40, and the
thought terrifies her. The only thing right in her life is her best friend,
Lisa. One night the two women have a typical night out on the town watching a
flick at the foreign film theater and going for a snack at the deli afterward.
It’s status quo. They do this all the time. But this night is different. This
night Lisa tells Tara that she is pregnant, and her partner, Ryan, may not be
the father. Tara is worried because Ryan has a history of domestic violence and
was incarcerated for assaulting his first wife. Tara doesn’t think Ryan will
handle this news well. But there is no time to find out because right after
that night at the movies, Lisa goes missing. Tara has no idea what to do.
The cover illustrates Tara’s
indecisiveness. A woman is standing, looking out into an empty field. She is at
a crossroads where she could go left, or she could go right, or she could walk
straight across the grass without a path at all. But Tara has no idea what to
do. She’s never been in this situation. It’s possible that Lisa could have
broken her sobriety and gone on a drinking binge. If that’s the case, Tara
doesn’t want to embarrass her by attracting publicity. Or maybe Lisa was too
afraid to tell Ryan about a baby that might not be his. But deep down, Tara
knows that Lisa would never take off without contacting her boss, her parents,
or Tara. She might not tell Ryan where she’s going, but she would let the
others know so they wouldn’t worry. So, now Tara is worried!
Eventually, Tara will make several
decisions, for good or for bad. It’s up to the reader to decide whether Tara
does the right thing in her search for her friend, along with her own shaky
sense of self-identity. As Charles Dickens said in the first line of David Copperfield, “Whether I shall
turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by
anybody else, these pages must show.” The same can be said for Tara.
Thanks so much.
Best,
Sigrid
PS I had a midlife crisis and pretended to
be 39 for several years! It was so much easier for me to turn 60 than 40, so I
wanted to give this particular issue to my character because we live in such a
youth-oriented culture that I think this magic number of 40 affects a lot of
people, especially women who are told that they need to stay young to be
relevant.
Finding Lisa by Sigrid Macdonald
GENRE: Mystery/women’s fiction
BLURB
Finding
Lisa is a character driven story about a quirky Canadian woman named Tara who
is about to turn 40. She dreads the thought. Everything is going wrong in her
life from her stale marriage to her boring job to her hopeless crush on a
24-year-old guy. The only thing right in Tara’s life is her best friend Lisa
who has just confided that she is pregnant and the baby does not belong to her
partner Ryan, who has a history of domestic violence. Then Lisa disappears and
the search is on to find her.
EXCERPT
All the carts were taken at the supermarket on Tuesday. I
found one off to the side of the vegetable aisle. It had a defective wheel,
which resulted in me almost overturning a display of cantaloupes. The cart was
also enormous. No doubt this was a deliberate ploy on the part of the
supermarket to encourage excess shopping.
“I feel as though I’m driving a school bus,” I
announced to the frail, pale orange-haired woman to my left, who was squeezing
the small, unappetizing looking cantaloupes.
She smiled faintly and nodded. I wondered how she had the
strength to push the heavy cart through the long aisles of the grocery store at
her age.
“Mum, I’ll go with you to one of those Women against
Rape meetings if you want?” Devon
said to my astonishment, his voice rising at the end of his sentence.
“There’s only one condition. You have to watch 8 Mile with me.”
“8 Mile? Isn’t that the movie based on the book by
Stephen King?”
“Nah, you’re thinking about The Green Mile,” Devon
replied. “8 Mile is the story of a rapper in Detroit. It’s based on the
life of Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers. Eminem even stars in
it,” he said with increasing enthusiasm.
“I think it’ll give you a better idea of where he’s
coming from. You know, you’re always talking about these girls who’ve been,
like, abused and what horrible lives they’ve had. You even feel bad about boys
who were taken advantage of by priests or their hockey coaches. So why don’t
you have any sympathy for Marshall? His mother was abusive. She was mean to
him, and she did drugs! Also, she, like, gave him something called Munchkins
syndrome,” Devon added uncertainly.
“Munchausen syndrome?” I asked, trying to picture the
tough guy with the tattoos and bad attitude as a small child with a
manipulative and controlling mother.
“Yeah, that sounds right. She made him feel sick when
he was totally healthy. And, Mum, I know you would respect the way Em felt
about his little brother, Nathan. He, like, didn’t wanna leave him alone in the
house with his mother when he finally split from Detroit. He’s also really keen
about his daughter, Hailie Jade. He talks about her all the time in his songs
and on TV.”
I pushed the buttons on the radio. The Steve Miller band was
singing, “Time keeps on slipping, slipping into the future.” I had a
sense of motion. The car was moving forward, and with every traffic light I
passed, I was moving farther away from Lisa and our routine evenings at the
ByTowne Theatre. The rest of us were going ahead, and Lisa had been left
behind. I wanted to go back, not just to last Thursday night, but to my university
days, so I could live my life all over again.
I wanted to be sixteen or twenty-six again, making decisions
based on what I knew now. So many lost opportunities. How had I managed to
completely screw up my life? I’d done everything wrong except that I hadn’t
become a street prostitute or a serial murderer. Too late for the former—who
would want me? But there was still time for the latter.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Originally from New Jersey, Sigrid Macdonald lived for almost thirty years in Ottawa, Ontario, and currently resides in Weston, Florida. She has been a freelance writer for years. Her works have appeared in TheGlobe and Mail newspaper; the Women’s Freedom NetworkNewsletter; the American magazine Justice Denied; The Toastmaster; and the Anxiety DisordersAssociation of Ontario Newsletter. Her first book, Getting Hip: Recovery from a Total Hip Replacement, was published in 2004. Her second book, Be Your OwnEditor, followed in 2010. Although Finding Lisa is written in first person, Macdonald only resembles her character in the sense that she once had a neurotic fixation on her hair, and she has always been called by the wrong name; instead of being called Sigrid, people have called her Susan, Sharon, Astrid, Ingrid and, her personal favorite, Siri.
Macdonald
is a social activist who has spent decades working on the seemingly disparate
issues of women’s rights and wrongful convictions; she has worked at the
Women’s Center at Ramapo College of New Jersey and Carleton University in
Ottawa, Ontario, and was a member of AIDWYC, The Association in Defense of the
Wrongly Convicted. She owns an editing company called Book Magic. Sigrid is a
public speaker and a member of Mothers against Drunk Driving, Ottawa
Independent Writers, the American Association of University Women, and the
Editors’ Association of Canada. Visit her website at http://bookmagic.ca/ or friend her on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sigridmac.
Sigrid Macdonald will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour and comment, the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.
Zack Daniels grew up in a rundown apartment complex off the Las Vegas Strip. At an early age, he learned to protect and support his mother and sister with determination and grit. After his sister is raped by the son of a local Russian mobster and commits suicide, he joins the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police to seek justice for her and to protect the public.
When a high-profile executive is murdered in his best friend’s hotel, Zack is assigned to track down the killer. The sole witness to the murder is a beautiful high-priced escort. He must let go of his vendetta against his sister’s rapist to work the case.
Sonnet Banks goes to the wrong hotel room and witnesses a murder. She is stunned. She knows the killer. He’s someone from her past. Someone she hoped to never see again.
During her police interview, Sonnet tells Zack she doesn’t recognize the killer, but Zack is convinced she’s lying. Zack needs the lovely, evasive woman to tell him what she knows and is willing to use seduction to get it. Yet, was it still seduction when all he could do was think about her?
Zack Daniels is so hot he makes Sonnet’s knees weak. He checks every box for her. Every box. But even if he wasn’t her protector, she can’t risk getting close to him or anyone. And she can’t tell him the truth.
After a bold attempt on Sonnet’s life, Zack enlists the help of two close friends and someone completely unexpected to protect her. The countdown to an all-out war looms before them. Would they all survive? Time was running out.
Charlene is a Waynesburg, Pennsylvania native. She went to Waynesburg High School and graduated Cum Laude from Waynesburg College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. Currently lives in Sacramento, California where she spent the last 33 years working at Northrop Grumman.
Books have always been her passion. She started reading at an early age and progressed to full-length books by age nine. The first supernatural book series she read was Dark Shadows, and it sparked her interest in all things paranormal, with a spicy touch of romance mixed in for good measure. She also started writing poetry in grade school and continues to do so today.
Being an avid reader, the consummate daydreamer and an incurable romantic with a Cinderella complex, she started creating her own characters and storylines because she realized she had her own stories to tell.
She is married and has a son, a daughter, and four beautiful grandchildren.
Besides reading and writing, she also enjoys photography, travel, music, and great movies.
When 16-year old Quin’s best friend Harper fails The Beck’s assessment, will she ever see her again?
Regular appraisals are part of life in The Beck, a walled-in community constantly threatened by floodwaters. But when the shocking results of the most recent test are revealed, Quin knows her world is about to change forever.
Wrenched from Agric, where she has lived and worked for years, Quin finds herself thrown into the unfamiliar Patrol Sector. Yearning for her lost friend, struggling to adjust to her new surroundings, she begins to question the society she thought she knew.
And then she meets the mysterious Cam, who seems willing to break the rules for her. Determined to find Harper, Quin enlists his help. But when she discovers the horrifying truth, it might just destroy her.
If you devour fast-paced, addictive stories with compelling characters who inhabit intriguing futures, you’ll love The Flow Series.
It’s been three months since Quin transferred to Patrol and discovered the terrifying truth about the community she lives in. Citizens of The Beck are disposable and those in charge are capable of terrible cruelty. Vowing to protect those around her, Quin has joined the Resistance. But she knows she is risking everything.
Rebellion of any kind must be secretive and clever. Gathering enough people to fight seems like an impossible task. When those closest to her are directly threatened, Quin knows she has to act. But time is running out. Governance will stop at nothing to protect the world it has worked to build. In the end, Quin must decide how far she is prepared to go to rescue the ones she loves.
Break is the second in the Flow series, which follows Quin as she struggles to carve out a future in the harsh regime she was born into.
Quin believed that a life away from The Beck would make her happy. But when a cruel twist of fate forces her to leave sooner than planned, she struggles to come to terms with her new reality. Haunted by memories of the people she left behind, she finds herself wishing she was back in Patrol, with Cam by her side.
Cut off from The Beck, the escapees carve out a new existence on a small island. Tentative bonds are formed, but as disputes surface and rebellion is threatened, Quin quickly realises that their new home isn’t the sanctuary she had imagined. And when one of her fellow citizens is willing to go to desperate measures to save those he loves, he puts the entire community in danger.
As they hatch a daring plan to save themselves, Quin is faced with a terrible choice: protect her friends or follow her heart.
Drift is the third in the Flow series, which follows Quin as she battles to forge a new life in unfamiliar territory without the man she has come to depend on.
Having survived the deadly virus that endangered her new community, Quin is devastated to learn that the same sickness threatens The Beck. With Adams and his Shadow Patrol in charge, Cam and her friends are in mortal danger.
The rebels know they’re not strong enough to take on The Beck’s government alone. The only way to succeed is to join forces with The Ridge. But their alliance is built on tenuous threads: one wrong move could destroy their hopes forever.
As Quin steels herself for the final battle, a shocking revelation leaves her wondering what she is willing to sacrifice in the name of freedom.
Quell is the fourth and final book in the Flow series, which follows Quin and her allies into the ultimate battle to save The Beck.
Clare Littlemore is a young adult dystopian and sci-fi author who thrives on fictionally destroying the world in as many ways as she possibly can.
She was born in Durham, in the UK. Her parents were both teachers, and she grew up in a world surrounded by books. She has worked for most of her life as a teacher of English at various high schools in England, where she has shared her passion for books with hundreds of teenagers. In 2013 she began writing her own fiction, got totally hooked, and hasn’t stopped since.
Clare lives in Warrington in the North West of England with her husband and two children.
“Steps up several
levels into an exciting category all its own. It’s thriller, cold case,
mystery suspense, and police procedural, all rolled into one exciting
novel. Set amidst the political drama that comes with Washington DC and
the Pentagon, a current multiple murder becomes a search years in the
past. With a young, hot lieutenant assigned to NCIS, and his beautiful
new wife, you have all the makings of a bestseller. Nicely done, Ms.
Carr!” – Review by Merry Citarella, Mystery Suspense Reviews
The Latest Best-Selling Thorny Rose Mystery Available Now!
Get Your Copy Today!
Join us for this tour from Jan 20to Feb 28, 2020!
MY REVIEW
Is that a lycanthrope that stole that hamburger patty right out of Orville’s hands? LOL
I think I know the answer to that question. The critters in Lauren Carr’s books have distinctive personalities that have me laughing, and at times worrying about them.
Newman is a basset hound TV addict. Don’t mess with his remote. Gnarly, a German Shepherd, is a force of nature. Spencer is the sweet loving female of the group.
Archie has her own thoughts on the death of the vice president’s wife and I do love a good conspiracy. Was the president their target and Paloma just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Lauren Carr has thrown in so many twists and turns and multiple mysteries that make me wonder what they could possibly have in common.13 victims. Is there more than one murderer?
I read The Nutcracker Conspiracy in one sitting. I couldn’t believe how fast I flew through it, having to know who would be the next victim and why.
Lauren Carr has upped the game in this mystery, thriller, police procedural. There are a lot of characters, so to choose my favorites is hard for me to do. Of course, the dogs are always a hit and I look forward to what they are up to next. The love and romance is sweet and sexy without the details. Who wouldn’t love to have a husband like Murphy?
Every time Lauren Carr has a new novel, I jump at the chance to read it. She keeps me entertained, unable to put the book down until the last page is read. She keeps the mystery alive and the story filled with lots of action that is so well written it is easy to fly through the pages…having to know who did what to who and having some laughs along the way. I do love some humor with my murder. 🙂 I will be waiting…patiently (?)…for the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of The Nutcracker Conspiracy by Lauren Carr.
4 Stars
Book Details:
Book Title: The Nutcracker Conspiracy(A Thorny Rose Mystery #4) by Lauren Carr Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 388 pages Genre: Mystery Publisher: Acorn Book Services Release date: January 30, 2020 Content Rating: PG-13 (Lauren Carr’s books are murder mysteries,
so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on
stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some
mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!
Book Description:
Three years ago, the nation gasped in horror when the President of the
United States barely escaped an assassination attempt that left two
dead—the vice president’s wife and the attempted assassin. Even after
numerous investigations proved otherwise, conspiracy theorists argue
that the assassin was acting on orders from the CIA, FBI, and every
federal agency within a hundred miles of the capital.
Aspiring Author Dean Conway is the last person Lieutenant Commander
Murphy Thornton wants to spend his Saturday afternoon when they end up
at the same wedding reception table. While their wives tend to
bridesmaid duties, Murphy is trapped listening to Dean’s latest
work-in-project—completing the manuscript of an investigative journalist
who’d disappeared months earlier.
“She was number twelve,” Dean says.
“Twelve?” Murphy asks.
“Twelve witnesses connected to or investigating The Nutcracker shooting have died either in an accident or suicide.”
Two days later, Dean dies suddenly―but not before sending a text message to Murphy:
“The plot was original, fresh and fast paced in spite of the
“traditional elements” employed which can normally be found in any other
thriller of this genre. The USP of this story would be its
unpredictability. When you think you have it all guessed up, the plot
would change its course keeping you hooked. There were a lot of suspense
twists and turns that kept the momentum up. Needless to say, the
writing was simply perfect. One thing that writer needs to be lauded for
is the humor she inculcated in the book. Minus those humorous parts,
the book would have been one serious read.” – Reviewer: Book and Ink
Book Description:
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered
in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions
surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers
together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton,
USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims,
then he can find their murderer.
The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the
victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron
Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a
Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night
shift on the turnpike.
In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in
Crime join newlyweds Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to shift
through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the
Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning
killer?
“Mysteries, murder, danger, and memories that threatens their
lives keeps the action and suspense at a high level and even when the
answers are found, it left me wanting more.” – Review by Sherry Fundin of Fundinmental
Book Description:
After ten months of marital bliss, Jessica Faraday and Murphy Thornton
are still discovering and adjusting to their life together. Settled in
their new home, everything appears to be perfect … except in the middle
of the night when, in the darkest shadows of her subconscious, a deep
secret from Jessica’s past creeps to the surface to make her strike out
at Murphy.
When investigative journalist Dallas Walker tells the couple about her
latest case, known as the Pine Bridge Massacre, they realize Jessica may
have witnessed the murder of a family while visiting family at the
winery near-by, and suppressed the memory.
Determined to uncover the truth and find justice for the murder victims,
Jessica and Murphy return to the scene of the crime with Dallas Walker,
a spunky bull-headed Texan. Can this family reunion bring closure for a
community touched by tragedy or will this prickly get-together bring an
end to the Thorny Rose couple?
Murder by Perfection is a wonderful read and a perfect to
escape from the challenges of a busy day. Danger, intrigue, humor, and
love all take their turn in this tale which will keep you reading into
the wee hours.” Review by Marilyn R. Wilson, Olio by Marilyn
Book Description:
Beware: Perfection has a dark side!
Frustrated with their busy schedules, Murphy Thornton and Jessica
Faraday attempt to find togetherness by scheduling a weekly date night.
The last thing Jessica Faraday expected for her date night was to take a
couple’s gourmet cooking course at the Stepford Kitchen Studio, owned
by Chef Natalie Stepford―the model of perfection in looks, home, and
business.
When Natalie ends up dead and Murphy goes missing, the Thorny Rose
detectives must peel back the layers of Natalie Stepford’s life to
discover that the pursuit of perfection can be deadly.
Lauren Carr is the international
best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Chris Matheson
Cold Case, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty-five titles across
three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!
Book reviewers and readers alike
rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include
mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and
humor.
A popular speaker, Lauren is also
the owner of Acorn Book Service, the umbrella under which falls iRead
Book Tours. She lives with her husband and two spoiled rotten German
Shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Blood Bound: A Lowrance Vampires Novel R.J. Blain Publication date: January 28th 2020 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
After waking in a shallow grave and clawing her way to freedom, Penelope Francis hunts for the rogue who stole her life and transformed her into a vampire. Despite being corrupted into a feared preternatural, she clings to her humanity and refuses to prey on innocents, instead slaking her thirst on other miscreant vampires.
In exchange for a chance at revenge, she joins forces with the charismatic master of the Lowrance brood, a choice that may spell the salvation—or destruction—of humanity as she knows it.
Another night, another vampire, another double-dead end. If I didn’t get lucky soon, I’d run out of miscreants to drain, stake, decapitate, and decorate with holy wafers. In reality, I only needed to stake the toothy bastards, but I figured if I was going to kill every damned unclaimed vampire in New York City, I’d do so with style and get a free meal out of the deal at the same time.
In life, I’d done well for myself; I’d become my father’s perfect daughter, dedicating every waking moment to my budding career as a corporate lawyer on a mission to protect his business interests. In death, or undeath as it was, I’d become a big nothing. I couldn’t even claim I’d become a big fat nothing, as I kept losing weight instead of gaining it, no matter how many of my kind I tagged, bagged, drained, and tossed out with the trash.
Penelope Francis was dead and gone to everyone who mattered, even me.
My stomach reminded me of my neglect with a displeased gurgle. Grunting my dismay over having completely drained another vampire without slaking my hunger, I checked his pockets for cash and found nothing but lint, not even a wallet, ID, or pocket change.
If he’d had food hidden in his pockets, I might’ve been tempted to try my luck. If I ever ditched the relentless hunger, I’d never take food for granted again. I resented my maker’s decision to abandon me in a shallow grave, forcing me to fend for myself. The bastard could’ve left a damned note with a few clues, especially in the feeding department. A manual about life as a vampire would’ve been appreciated. I still wasn’t sure what I could eat. Shortly after I’d risen, I’d tried a slice of pizza once and only once. It hadn’t ended well. I dodged food, afraid I’d throw it up along with my literal guts.
Just to be sure, I rechecked my victim’s body to confirm his lack of cash, ID, or food.
Nothing. Color me not surprised.
I hated killing those as destitute as I, but I refused to harbor guilt over ridding the world of a vampire who hunted homeless teens struggling to survive New York’s harshest streets. While I hoped the kids would survive, I had my doubts.
Miscreants—unclaimed, rogues, or whatever society called the illegal vampires lurking on the streets—couldn’t afford to let their prey live to tell the tale. When found, humans and preternatural alike hunted us to ensure we never bothered anyone again.
Living on borrowed time sucked, as did homelessness. When I found the vampire who’d turned me, I’d take my time draining him. I’d enjoy every swallow. I’d turn his last moments into a masterpiece of brutality.
All I knew was that my maker had been a man, and he’d left some dark mark on me, something that tainted my soul. I could still feel his corrupting influence deep within, a pressure on my heart.
Until I breathed my last for the second time, I’d spend every night seeking him out so I could end his miserable existence. I still wasn’t sure why I’d been targeted or how I’d survived the transition from human to vampire without help. My desire for revenge confirmed one unassailable truth: I was no better than the filth I hunted.
Author Bio:
RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.
In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.
We are back with Nick Clausen and Dead Meat: Day 2. Dan is my favorite character, though Nick didn’t plan for him to play such a big part. Sometimes the characters speak and will not be denied.
There are two covers. Both are great, but I love the first one below. There is something about eyes that speak to me…silently. Look deeply. What do you see? Which do you like best?
Zombies. A missing girl, Jennie Nygaard. A bloody bite.
Selena, a young girl with big courage.
Allen, a cop who saw the truth.
Dan, my favorite character and brother of Jennie, knows what’s happening.
Nick Clausen gives us lots of gruesome violence and tons of action.
There’s a moment in time when in could have been stopped…but what’s the fun in that?
The saying about courage overcoming fear is pertinent to Dan. Does the world rest on his shoulders and his refusal to quit?
Nick Clausen does not hesitate to kill off his characters, regardless of how good they are, so be careful who you choose as your favorite.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat: Day 2 by Nick Clausen.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The dead have awakened. Driven by insatiable hunger. In eternal search of fresh meat. The infection spreads like the plague. Nothing stands between the undead and humanity.
Is it too late to save the world from disaster?
Day 2 follows the second day in the story of Dead Meat.
ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN
Born 1988 in North Jutland,
where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest
childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up
until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been
studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of
psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a
much more powerful pull on me.
I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In
fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book,
Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at
14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got
praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and
trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should
be an author.
That day I made a promise
to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and
started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a
half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the
rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could
feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The
thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the
publisher and came out a year later.
I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot
of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more
free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That
way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the
characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come
from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.
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.
When a soulless, inhuman force descends upon Professor Li Jun Wong’s Antarctic expedition, search and rescue operations discover only his mutilated crew and a cryptic journal left behind. Confronted with the malevolent force, a covert government agency discovers a sub-oceanic base long abandoned by aquatic aliens in the northwest Pacific. Someone, or something…is reactivating the alien base, threatening to collapse the earth’s magnetic field, exposing the planet to catastrophic solar effects.
Ex-Special Forces Commander, Joe Dalton, leads the interdiction force…unaware it will exhume old secrets long since buried with Professor Wong’s ill-fated expedition. Amidst the emerging threat, Dalton reassembles his former Special Operations team; finding each man imperiled among the most remote deathtraps on earth.
Joe then reunites with his former love interest, Sunjida Wong, heiress to her missing father’s International Institute of Oceanography. Aided by her scientific genius – and the secrets of an ancient alien sarcophagus in her possession – The Omega Team launches into desperate battle against parahuman forces…in a bold quest to save the human race from impending cosmic destruction.
P M Terrell writes some fabulous historical fiction. Clans and Castles: Checkmate is based on a true story that takes place in Ireland. She is wonderful with her research, drawing me in and bringing the world alive. Soooo, let’s take a step back in time.
P M Terrell surprises me every time I open one of her historical novels. I never used to read them very often, but she has completely won me over. Traveling back in time, whether it’s in the times of Indians in the United States or Clans and Castles in the countryside of Ireland. She incorporates her own personal history with fiction and I look forward to each and every adventure.
The characters leap off the pages as they struggle to survive the turbulent times. They grow and develop throughout the story.
P M Terrell takes a complicated history, unfolding it in easy to follow steps, drawing me in further and further.
Will’s curiosity earned him a place at Captain Stewart’s side. In his wildest dreams he never could have imagined what the future held in store for him…and it was the ride of a lifetime. He fit in quickly, adapting to his new role, using intuition and common sense.
P M Terrell made the political and personal machinations hard for me to figure out. I see betrayal and treachery around every corner. When you think some of the characters existed in one form or another, tweaked for fictional reading, it becomes more real to me.
Who is good and who is bad? It depends what side of the story you’re on, except for the one that pops up now and then, the narcissist in a position of power, a power that he uses and abuses causing much brutality and bloodshed.
P M Terrell brings the location alive by describing the bogs and mists with an otherworldly feel. It seems magical and mysterious.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Checkmate by P M Terrell.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A window into the ancestors of anyone of Scot-Irish descent…
In 1608, William Neely left Wigtownshire, Scotland for Ulster. He was looking for his place in the world but what he found was the adventure of a lifetime.
Surrounded by powerful clans that had ruled Ulster for more than a thousand years, he came to know some of the most mighty chieftains of the time, including the formidable Cahir O’Doherty, who launched O’Doherty’s Rebellion with the burning of Derry and the killing of Sir George Paulet of His Majesty King James’ service. It would put in motion a chain of events that would transform Ireland and it would mark Cahir O’Doherty as the Last Gaelic Irish King in Ireland.
Cahir O’Doherty became the Lord of Inishowen as a teen after the death of his father. Known as The Queen’s O’Doherty due to his loyalty to Sir Henry Docwra and the English Crown, he saved his clan lands on the Inishowen Peninsula and his people from the fate that had befallen other Irish clans.
Peace would be short-lived, however, when Henry Docwra, Governor of Derry, was replaced by the ruthless Sir George Paulet, who ushered in a new wave of hatred for the Gaelic Irish. It would all come to a head on one fateful night when O’Doherty took the commander at Culmore Fort hostage along with his wife and son. Gaining access to the weapons at Culmore Fort, he led an invasion of Derry, burning the village to the ground. It would touch off a wave of events that would unite the major clans of Ulster, leading to a bombardment of Burt Castle, a counterattack in the Inishowen Peninsula and the burning of Ulster; a major battle at Kilmacrenan and finally a siege at Tory Island.
And when O’Doherty’s Rebellion was complete, it would usher in the age of The Plantation and mass immigration of Lowland Scots, encouraged by King James I to transform all of Ulster.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
p.m.terrell
is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning,
internationally acclaimed author of more than 21 books in four genres:
contemporary suspense, historical adventure/suspense, computer how-to
and non-fiction.
Prior to writing full-time, she founded
two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among
her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret
Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her
specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer
intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her contemporary
suspense.
She has been a full-time author since
2002. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book
Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a
national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. The Tempest
Murders was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards,
cross-genre category.
Her historical suspense, River Passage,
was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so
historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville
Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.
She is also the co-founder of The Book
‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of
the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She
is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual
event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase
literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the
literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org. She is also the founder of The Novel Business, mentoring authors in the business end and selling of books.
She sits on the board of the Friends of
the Robeson County Public Library. She has also served on the boards of
Robeson County Arts Council, Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became
the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights
Crime Solvers in Virginia.
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