Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read • Open to a random page • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.
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I won Kris Kringle’s Magic, a lovely first edition hardcover novel, by Diane Stringam Tolley. If you have elvely questions, she has the answers.
Kris Kringle’s Magic is a wonderfully uplifting story for all ages that answers the questions of how Kris came to live at the North Pole with the elves, how they began the tradition of gift giving, and is both sad and happy with a lesson for all ages, leaving me wanting more.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In a world where elves are only slaves, one boy is determined to make things right. With the elves’ help, Kris decides to begin with the children. But can a pile of gifts on Christmas Eve really change anything? This enchanting story is sure to captivate kids of all ages. An instant holiday classic you’ll want to read again and again!
Oh man, I don’t know what to say about Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe.
From Adam Howe, winner of Stephen King’s On Writing contest, come three original novellas of hardboiled crime, graphic horror and pitch-black gallows humor.
Adam Howe’s writing kept me laughing through the horrific twists and turns that is so ‘sick’. A weird and wacky horror story had me laughing in disgust. The mix of humor, horror and horniness shared some despicable characters and I loved to hate them. They hunt and fight their way through blackmail, kidnap and violence.
My Review for Die Dog or Eat The Hatchet
A psychopath reveling in the memories of the brutal and grotesque murders he committed. When is the death penalty appropriate. When you meet Hingle and delve into his perverted and twisted mind. The horror and savagery is impossible for me to imagine on my own, so Adam Howe brings it to life for me. Wickedly good ending.
My Review for Gator Bait
Gator Bait is available by itself and I have already reviewed it. I will share a bite and you can check it out for yourself HERE.
OMG! The ending blew me away and I couldn’t help but laugh. I never could have seen ALL that coming and I love it. The best laid plans often go awry and boy, oh boy, do they.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe.
I have been reading my way through Cate Beauman’s Bodyguard of LA County Series, and Justice For Abby is Book Six. I love romantic suspense and Cate can sure spin a tale that keeps me wrapped up in the mystery. I look forward to each and every one.
Justice for Abby by Cate Beauman is Book VI of the Bodyguards of LA County Series and I have been eating these romantic suspense novels up, like the M&Ms I love so much. This may be the best one yet.
Abby is taken from the rest area parking lot, right in front of her sister, Alexa, and her daughter, Livy. With the threat of harm to her family, Abby is forced to work for them, but her eye is always on escape.
After her rescue, she has lingering affects, flashbacks and panic attacks, and fears that she won’t be able to come back if she loses herself…again.
She is the prime witness for the prosecution in the trial for the traffickers. She is single handedly bringing down the largest sex ring they’d ever seen, so she has a bullseye on her back. They want her DEAD.
The traffickers are brutal, savage, only interested in themselves. The women are possessions, bought and sold, passed around like a commodity. Imagine the threat of death and torture hovering over your head, day after day, month after month, year after year, with no relief in sight.
Abby is a fighter with a big heart. She is making a name for herself in the high fashion world and paying it forward by creating opportunities for those less fortunate, hiring some of the women she knew from her captivity.
Her bodyguard, Jerrod lives with her, protecting her. He is all business, but will the sexy little kitten win over his heart? Me thinks so. I love the recurring characters and the danger that surrounds them as I wait…for that terrible something to happen.
Margret…my heart goes out to Margret and I know there is nothing Abby won’t do to try and save her.
Shelby, beware of a woman scorned and a shallow one at that. Can a villain be redeemed? I always have hope, but you’ll have to read the book to find out.
Cate Beauman describes the scenes in such vivid detail that I can see Abby dancing, singing, and shaking her bootie as she cooks and I can’t help but smile even as I type these words. Makes me want to get up and dance.
When the shit hits the fan, I love how Cate Beauman handled it and she sure has me terrified, wondering…
I love how Cate Beauman twisted and turned the normal romantic suspense beast, you know, that push and pull of attraction, the dance between yes and no, making my rating of Justice For Abby over the top.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Justice for Abby by Cate Beauman.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Fashion designer Abigail Harris has been rescued, but her nightmare is far from over. Determined to put her harrowing ordeal behind her and move on, she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life while eluding the men who want her dead.
The Mid-Atlantic Sex Ring is in ruins after Abby’s interviews with the police. The organization is eager to exact their revenge before her testimony dismantles the multi-million dollar operation for good.
Abby’s safety rests in the hands of former US Marshal, Jerrod Quinn. Serious-minded and obsessed with protocol, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest agent finds himself dealing with more than he bargains for when he agrees to take on his beautiful, free-spirited client.
As the trial date nears, Abby’s case takes a dangerous turn. Abby and Jerrod soon discover themselves in a situation neither of them expect while Jerrod fights to stop the ring from silencing Abby once and for all.
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.
Nibble Nibble Crunch shares a glimpse of humanity with characters you will love to hate, yet empathize with when the truth comes out, as they pay their ‘respects’ to the snowman…who will make you think twice about building one of those balls of white stacked on top of each other, with the sticks for arms (all the better to grab you with), the mouth…well, you’ll have to read it to find out what it does with that.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Warning: After reading this story you’ll never be able to look at a snowman the same way again.
In the beginning she thought it was sweet, this snowman who emerged as if from nowhere, but soon the six-year old Emma realizes that this snowman is different … very different.
NIBBLE, NIBBLE, CRUNCH is a horror novella from Willow Rose, author of the International Bestselling horror-series starring the Danish reporter Rebekka Franck. It is not for the faint at heart.
NIBBLE, NIBBLE, CRUNCH is also included in Willow Rose’s short-story collection called Horror-stories from Denmark.
This ebook also includes an excerpt from her novel One, Two … He is coming for you the first book in her Rebekka Franck-series.
A Shine That Defies The Dark Jodi Gallegos
Published by: Changing Tides Publishing
Publication date: December 5th 2017
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance
Gripping, romantic, and evocative of its time— A Shine that Defies the Dark is a spellbinding story of one woman who will stop at nothing to survive during a tumultuous time in American history.
After a six-year exile, Ophelia Breaux and her mother are overjoyed to return to the Louisiana bayou. But it seems the ghosts of the epic feud that drove them away still haunt Plaquemines Parish, and with the Great Depression sweeping the nation, the two soon find they can’t make ends meet.
Seeing no other option, Ophelia’s mother takes the drastic step of sharing her bed with the town judge in exchange for a reduced rent. The judge has had a life-long obsession with Momma, and Ophelia is desperate to end this arrangement and get her away from him.
When Remy Granger shows up, Ophelia knows it could mean more trouble—and that’s the last thing they need. Handsome and dangerous, he’s the first boy she ever kissed, and a member of the most notorious family in southern Louisiana—but he’s also got an opportunity for fast money in rumrunning. Ophelia goes all in, and it turns out she may have a knack for the business. But she’s going to have to run even faster if she wants to save Momma… dodging the cops, rival gangs, and her traitorous heart at every turn.
The air was dense with the heat and moisture of late spring in the bayou. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked nearby, and the gentle slush of water slapped against the shore.
The trail was uneven and difficult to traverse in the dark. Dixie and I grasped at each other to keep from falling. The T-strap shoes I’d worn didn’t have a terribly high heel, but my ankles threatened to roll with every step nonetheless. I was sure Dixie’s higher heels would be the end of her if we didn’t find even ground soon.
I lifted the hem of my trumpet skirt, the material thin and ragged. It wouldn’t stand many more repairs. I didn’t want to risk it being snagged by the loose twigs that swiped at us as we followed the dark trail.
The faint sounds of zydeco music drifted on the air and made its way through the trees. A happy chirping melody from an accordion and fiddle filled the night. The tension I’d been carrying floated away with the buoyant melody. My heart began to beat in time to the scratching tempo of the frottoir, and I might have begun dancing right there had my ankles not threatened to roll yet again.
Just as I was about to declare that no moonshine was worth a forced march through gator-infested swamps, the trees opened up and I saw a barn at the edge of a pond. Yellow light seeped through the open doors and between the weathered slats. There were a few cars parked along the structure, as well as in the clearing behind it, and two horses were tied to the low-hanging branches of a tree near the door.
The Granger boys hadn’t so much set up a speakeasy as they’d taken possession of an abandoned barn and opened the doors for anyone willing to take the risk along with them.
“Look, Ophelia, it’s perfect!” Dixie laughed. She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the line of people streaming toward the doors.
I stopped short and pointed to the roof of the barn. “That boy has a gun.”
Simon Carre ambled past me. “There’s two in the trees and one over there, too.” He pointed toward the field, but didn’t stop walking.
Dixie pulled on my hand. “Claude Moret’s gang beat Tully Bishop near to death for settin’ up his own business,” she said. “The Grangers ain’t about to take that chance. Besides, the danger’s what makes it fun.”
Dixie’s enthusiasm was infectious. My reluctance was serving no purpose. As cautious as I’d intended to be during our illegal escapade, apprehension melted away as soon as I passed through the open doors. For the first time in five months, I felt like I was just a girl again. Tonight there was no sadness. My only responsibility was to enjoy life back in the most vibrant place on earth.
Author Bio:
Jodi is a YA writer, black belt, registered nurse and case manager for a busy home health agency. She lives with her husband, three sons and an evolving herd of undisciplined animals in Colorado. She has a well-earned fear of bears, but tolerates the Teddy and Gummy variety. She has been obsessed with books, both reading and writing them, for most of her life and prefers the written word to having actual conversations. The most current projected completion date of her To Be Read book collection is May 17, 2176.
Welcome to day 6 of Angel of Shadow’s Cover Reveal event!
And do you know what today is?
That’s right! It’s Cover Reveal Day!!!
Check out this STUNNING cover for Angel of Shadow, book 2 of the fabulous Wormwood series. The first book was dark and brimming with tormented love, and was known for completely sucking readers into the story, only to spit them out again at 3 am. I can’t wait to see what book 2 has in store for us! Angel of Shadow is scheduled for release on January 13, 2018, and if this cover image is any indication of how good this story will be, I honestly don’t think I’ll be able to wait!!!!
D.H. Nevins loves backcountry hiking, backpacking, adventure and kickboxing, and the foundation for the character, Kali, was based on herself—particularly in the first book, Wormwood.
Did you know there are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT facts about the cover, the series, D.H. or her writing process at these blogs listed below? Today, ONE of these fun facts also contains a chance to instantly win an Angel of Shadow eARC! But which one? Let’s support our fellow book bloggers and pop in to say hello!
And don’t forget about the giveaway!!! D.H. Nevins will be giving away 2 prizes of a physical copy of Wormwood combined with an Angel of Shadow eARC (Advance Reader Copy), as well as 10 prizes of an Angel of Shadow eARC.
The contest wraps up just before midnight on Tuesday, which is the last day the host blogs have exclusive rights to show off this gorgeous cover. All winners will be contacted shortly afterwards.
Remember, Wormwood (book one in the series) is available for FREE right now. Here’s the link at Amazon.
If you need to be sure you get a copy of Angel of Shadow, you can easily pre-order at Amazon . Price will go up after release.
Thanks so much for joining us for Angel of Shadow’s Cover Reveal event! I hope you had fun. I would love to hear your thoughts about the cover and the event! Have a wonderful Saturday, everyone.
I had read A Cold Dark Place by Michael F Stewart and loved it, so when Michael offered me a copy of The River Keepers for review, I snatched it up and began to read.
I love that the adventure is in their own backyard. So…after your children read this, you may see them outside, looking…
Natasha and Teagan are sisters. Actually, they are more than that. They are twins, mirror opposites.
A freak storm. A downed tree. What’s that I see?
At eleven years old they are off on an adventure that leads them to research and learning, getting lost in the magic and growing in ways they never could have foreseen. Their adventures will not only change their lives, but their parents too.
I love how Michael slips a little science and ecology into the story in a way that is sure to intrigue everyone. I love when there is a lesson to be learned and it is wrapped up in a wonderful and entertaining tale, sending a subtle message to all who read it.
A skunk, a mouse, a frog…what would it be like to walk and hop in their footsteps?
You will never look at critters…or gnomes…the same way again.
When the skunk sprayed…I laughed out loud.
When the mouse squeaked…I cringed in fear.
Michael F Stewart has created a magically wonderful adventure that is suitable for all ages. To all you adults out there…let your inner child run wild!
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
What would you do if your sister turned into a skunk?
How about a mouse? Or a frog? Would you want to be a snake?
Have you ever wished to swim like an actual fish? Wouldn’t you worry that a snapping turtle might take a bite out of you?
In The River Keepers, two sisters must rise to meet an unexpected challenge. It’s a story infused with the magic and drama outside their backdoor — perhaps yours, too.
ABOUT MICHAEL 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.
. The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.
Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.
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I enjoyed Love Without Blood by Raz Steel and gave it a 3 star rating on Goodreads. I would enjoy reading more of her work.
“Are you learning impaired? No way. Not gonna do it,” Lara growled. This man fantasized. No way would she enter the Witness Protection Program. She wasn’t about to give up her life as a surgeon, let alone her dream to be chief of emergency medicine at Jefferson Memorial.
(Pages 56 in paperback published in 2009)
GOODREADS BLURB
In one fateful night, a brilliant and beautiful doctor is swept by a patient into a dangerous world of intrigue, vampires and the goverment agency created to exterminate them.
One Night Allie Everhart
Publication date: December 4th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance
I’m a true romantic. I believe in fairy tales, soulmates, and happily ever afters. The last way I’d ever try to find my true love is with a one night stand. But that night of the party, I wasn’t looking for my soulmate. I just wanted to do something wild and crazy. So I did.
When a hot guy with dark hair, brooding eyes, and a chiseled face made eye contact with me across a crowded room, I held his stare and waited for him to come over. Before even asking my name, he kissed me. I kissed him back. And then, without giving it a second thought, I followed him to a room and had my first ever one-night stand.
The next morning, I took off. It was only supposed to be one night. Nothing more. But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Even months later, when I was dating someone else, I was still thinking about that mysterious stranger and the night we shared. Then I found out he’s not a stranger. He’s the friend of my roommate’s boyfriend and has been looking for me all summer.
I can’t let him find me. We were never supposed to see each other again. I’ll admit it was a magical night. One I’ll never forget. There were sparks, fireworks, and this unexplained feeling that we belong together. But soulmates aren’t found with a one-night stand. They’re found with handwritten love notes. Flowers. A first kiss under the moonlight.
A one night stand is the worst love story ever. But what if it’s mine?
I lean down and kiss her, and not a short goodbye kiss, but a real kiss. Slow and drawn out and expressing what I feel for her, which is more than I should feel for a girl after knowing her for such a short time and yet I still do. My feelings for Amber are more than I’ve felt for girls I’ve dated for months. But why? Why do I feel this way? Was it the sex? Did that one night mess with my head, making me think I love this girl after knowing her for just a few hours? That can’t be it. I’ve had sex plenty of times and never felt this way.
Someone’s car alarm goes off and I slowly back away.
“You weren’t supposed to do that,” Amber says in a soft, breathy voice.
“You said I could if we’re in public.”
“But I didn’t mean—”
“No changing the rules now. If we’re in public, I can kiss you. That’s what you said.”
“Fine, but it doesn’t matter because we’re not going out like this again. We’re going back to the letters. You said you’d try it so that’s we’re going to do. No texts. No emails. Just letters. You broke the rules today by coming here but we’re going to get this back on track.”
I just smile at her, then wrap my hand around hers and lead her inside the apartment building. We go up the elevator and when we’re at her door, I say, “I didn’t break the rules.”
“What are you talking about?”
“By showing up here, I didn’t break the rules of our arrangement.”
“Yes you did. You were supposed to just write letters.”
“And do romantic gestures. That’s what you said. And today was a romantic gesture. I showed up at your apartment unannounced. I surprised you. Surprises are romantic gestures.”
“Oh.” She looks perplexed. “Well, that’s not really what I meant.”
“You can’t define romantic gestures. They’re different for everyone. And to me, surprising you like this was a romantic gesture, as was buying you your favorite muffin.”
“Did you look up the definition of gesture? Because you seem to know a lot about them.”
“Not really. I’m kind of learning as I go. This is all new to me. I’ve never had all these dating rules before.”
“I know it seems strange but I warned you I was a little crazy when it comes to romance. And given the way we met, I just feel like we need to step back and start again. I don’t want us to just be about sex. I want more.”
“So do I.” I kiss her cheek. “I have to go. I’ll call you—I mean, I look forward to your next letter.”
She smiles. “I’ll put extra time into it.”
“I hope so,” I say, walking to the elevator, “because if it’s like the last one, I’ll fall asleep before I even finish reading it.”
The stunned look on her face is the last thing I see before stepping into the elevator. It’s fun giving her shit about that letter. She knows it was crap and I could tell she was embarrassed by it. I can’t wait to see what she writes me next to make up for it.
Author Bio:
Allie Everhart writes romance and romantic suspense and is the author of the popular Jade Series, Kensington Series, Wheeler Brothers, and several standalone titles. She’s also a freelance health writer and has worked on several New York Times bestselling books. Allie’s always been a romantic, as evidenced by her early years as a wedding singer, her obsession with dating shows, and the fact that she still watches reruns of The Love Boat. When she’s not writing, she’s outside running, which is when she gets her best book ideas.
4 Stars
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.
The Friday 56 is hosted by 
so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
