Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
Alexander Graham Ptuiac, the son of an inventor, wants to play for the school’s football team. During tryouts, and under the watchful eye of the team’s coach, he suddenly manifests mysterious superhuman powers. Alexander makes the team, but not before the some ill-intended adults take notice, putting his life in danger.
Alex struggles to suppress and control his strange new abilities, worried about exposing his secret and being kicked off the football team. Then he befriends Dex, a diminutive classmate who can somehow jump as high as ten feet in the air. Seems Alex isn’t the only one at school with a secret.
As the school year unfolds, Alex will find himself the target of bullies, holding hands with his first crush and discovering the shocking truth about himself and his parents.
Strange Country Day by Charles Curtis
Publication Date: August 2015
Publisher: Tantrum Books/Month9Books
Charles Curtis is a writer and journalist based in New York City. He has reported and written for publications including NJ.com (where he is currently the site’s sports buzz reporter), The Daily, ESPN.com, ESPN the Magazine, Bleacher Report, TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly. Charles has covered the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, golf, tennis and NASCAR. He has also written about television, film and pop culture.
In addition, Curtis has also written, produced and was featured in videos for ESPN.com and The Daily. He has made radio appearances on stations including 92.9 The Ticket in Bangor, Maine, WLIE 540 AM in Long Island and on morning shows across Canada via the CBC.
He can be reached on Twitter: @charlescurtis82.
International, super-model Sadie Stewart meets her Dutch lover, Sebastian Wilde, in Venice to celebrate their six month anniversary. But having lived a double life as a CIA operative for ten years, her life is never simple.
During a costume ball in an ancient Venetian palace, an assassin tries to kill her. As a result Sebastian gets ridiculously, over-protective, which drives her crazy. Her old boss offers to help her, but wants something in return.
Bakari al-Sharif, an arms-dealer with an insatiable thirst for power, is planning to steal King Tutankhamen’s scarab from Highclere castle near London. Sadie is the only person who has ever gotten close to al-Sharif and lived. The CIA wants her to stop him.
Or at least that’s what they say. When it comes to the world of espionage, the true motivation of the players is never clear.
Can Sadie return to the life of a spook and maintain a relationship with Sebastian? Can she nail the arms-dealer? And why did the masked man try to kill her?
Life is complicated for Sadie Stewart.
A cross between Indiana Jones and Covert Affairs
Sadie is a model by day and a spy by night. Today she’s talking about modeling.
The top five things about my modelling career? I get to:
Travel all over the world.
Wear great clothes.
Meet interesting people.
Make some good money, which I’ve mostly spent, but that’s another story.
All of these things make a great cover for a spy.
But being a model isn’t easy. My Top 5 Pet Peeves are:
1. Stilettoes
…kill my feet. I know, they look sexy, and give me a special kind of control over men, but I’ll be honest standing for hours in them while I pout gives me blisters and an aching back. Having to run in them is pure hell. I’d like to see James Bond try an escape in a four inch heel.
2. People think I’m stupid
Okay folks. Let’s get this straight. Having a symmetrical face does not mean I’ve had a lobotomy. Sheesh. Some people think my IQ is in the range of my shoe size. Of course that does come in handy…
3. I feel like I’m never “enough”
In the modelling business I’m never young enough, skinny enough, stylish enough… You get the idea. I hear the whispers and feel, I’m not enough. Many models self-medicate to deal with the negative side of the beauty industry. I say to hell with that, and carry a gun.
4. It’s a ruthless profession
One day you’re in the top five, the next morning you wake up and no one knows your name. Modelling is a highly competitive, short-term gig. You need to have a strong sense of self to survive. And a good lover helps.
5. It takes me away from Sebastian
He is the love of my life and I don’t like to be away from him.
Interview with Casanova, Sadie’s Labradoodle
1. What’s it like living with a model/spy?
Weird man. Sadie comes and goes at all hours of the day and night and she’s often hyper-excited. She really needs to chill. I try to let her know that. I lick her face whenever I get the chance. She’s a hard lady to slow down.
I wish she would take me on her adventures. When she flies out of town, she leaves me with her neighbour or her best friend. But that’s not all bad. Beatrice, the neighbour, feeds me cat food on crackers, and lets me sleep in her bed. Mitch, her guy friend, throws sticks for me and lets me sleep on his couch which is really comfy and has the smells of hundreds of people.
But I miss Sadie. There is no one in the world like Sadie.
2. What do you think of Sebastian?
Competition. Major competition. When he’s around I get less… But he loves Sadie, so I let him stay in the apartment. Sooner or later they’ll notice I’m here too.
3. If you could talk to Sadie what would you say?
What do you mean talk? I talk to her, dog talk you know. I give her meaningful looks. My tail wags. I let her know how I feel every minute of every day. But I sorta get what you’re asking. If I could use words I would say: “Let someone else save the world, baby. Hang with me.”
Introduction to the heroine:
Stifling the desire to scream, Sadie stood on top of the fourteenth-century Venetian palazzo looking out over the lagoon and its islands. No point risking the lives of others. She took a deep breath of the salty air blowing in off the Adriatic Sea. The red-tiled rooftops, round domes and cathedral spires of the ancient city spread to the west. For hundreds of years noblemen had used this perch to watch the arrival of merchant ships from the Orient with their exotic wares. Now it had become her trap.
Below, an opera singer in the bow of a gondola serenaded young lovers nestled inside, while the gondolier at the stern in his blue and white striped shirt navigated the still night waters. Venice, a city steeped in history and secrets, a place where anything could happen in a heartbeat and did; a sanctuary for people like her who wanted to disappear…
* * * * * * * * * *
Introduction to the two bad guys:Bakari assessed people with speed and precision. In his business an accurate understanding of people was a matter of life and death. Khalid had a Frankenstein look about him, like a man not fully grown into himself, a man who could be dangerous, a shell waiting for its heart. Daring, possibly unstable, but surely not as dangerous as Djeserit had claimed.
Suspicion played across the light in the young man’s eyes and he leaned his lanky body back in his chair. “My name is Khalid Badru. Do I know you?”
The words hit Bakari like a thousand grenades, unleashing a toxic mixture of regret and anger within. “Not yet.”
Maybe he should have just had him killed, as his brother had suggested. No. That wouldn’t be right. If anyone killed this man, it would have to be him. But the man was barely more than a boy. A boy with his blood. Bakari wanted to give him a chance.
Book 1 :Covert Danger
Book 2: Born of Magic
Jo-Ann Carson has lived most of her life on islands off the west coast of Canada, surrounded by snow covered mountains, lush rain forests and pristine beaches.
Growing up, she dreamed of traveling the world like James Bond, finding archeological treasures like Indiana Jones, and finding true love. In her Mata Hari Series she combines elements of adventure, danger and steamy romance.
This Harlequin Bestseller Author Collection is the re-release of Suspicious by Heather Graham and The Sheriff of Shelter Valley by Tara Taylor Quinn, two best-selling romantic suspense books.
Several years ago my editor suggested that I might want to write a series of books set in the same town. I could pick any town, big or small, real or fictional. I pondered for a day or two. Took the question with me as I went about my life. And the one thing that kept coming back to me, not from a sales standpoint, or even a larger than life one, was that I had to set my town in Arizona. Because if this series was a success, I was going to be spending a lot of mental and emotional time in this town. I was going to have to want to be there. I was going to have to love it. So that my readers would want to be there – and love it – too.
Hot off the press from Harlequin Books: Toronto, New York (May 21, 2015)—Harlequin and HarperCollins Publishers today announced the launch of Harlequin Audio, a new imprint that will produce audio versions of Harlequin titles. The imprint will release its first titles on June 30, 2015. . .
In its first year, Harlequin Audio plans to release 200 titles. . . . All titles will be available in the retail and library space.
AND…ttq is among them!!! SOOOO excited! Along with Heather Graham’s Suspicious, The Sheriff of Shelter Valley, read by the great Cris Dukehart, is out July 7th!!!!! Yep, right up there in the first wave of releases!! Whew, there, I finally got to spill my beans. I’ve been sitting on this news for over a month!
I’m delighted that Suspicious, a popular early (or earlier!) book of mine is being reissued, together with Tara’s The Sheriff of Shelter Valley. Written ten years ago, Suspicious is set in South Florida. . .
In Suspicious, we’re looking mostly at a tract of land that stretches across the lower end of the state. There are really two roads that cross it–Alligator Alley, recently incorporated into I-75. You can pop out of the Weston area of Broward County and visit Big Cypress and a wonderful Seminole museum.
Or you can take the Tamiami Trail.
Go back and read the rest. . .
Suspicious & The Sheriff of Shelter Valley
(Bestselling Author Collection)
Adult Romantic Suspense
Paperback, ebook, & audiobook 544 pages
May 26th 2015 by Harlequin
Suspicious by Heather Graham
Cold-blooded predators lurk in the Everglades—and not all of them are gators
When Jesse Crane returned to his roots to serve on the Miccosukee police force, he’d hoped to leave behind the violence of the city and the memories of his murdered wife. But bodies start to pile up in Jesse’s corner of the sultry Florida swampland…
As he probes these crimes, Jesse is drawn to the beautiful Lorena Fortier, a new hire at the local gator farm and research facility. Lorena is a little too interested in Jesse’s investigation, but before he can uncover her true motives, they’re both pulled into a dangerous web of greed, ambition and animal cunning. To survive, they’ll have to decide whether they can trust each other…before the hunters become the hunted.
The Sheriff of Shelter Valley by Tara Taylor Quinn
Six months ago, Beth woke up with no memory of her past, a bruised face and a little boy who called her “Mama.” Until her memory returns, the most dangerous thing she can do is to fall for the sheriff—the one man who can uncover the truth and destroy the person she’s become.
New York Times and USA Today best selling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult and Christmas family fare.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty-five languages. She has written over 200 novels and has 60 million books in print. She has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work, and she is also proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers. (And award for charitable endeavors.) Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight and local television.
Heather loves travel and anything that has to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. She also loves ballroom dancing. Each year she hosts the Vampire Ball and Dinner theater at the RT convention raising money for the Pediatric Aids Society and in 2006 she hosted the first Writers for New Orleans Workshop to benefit the stricken Gulf Region. She is also the founder of “The Slush Pile Players,” presenting something that’s “almost like entertainment” for various conferences and benefits. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. She is known for delivering deeply emotional and psychologically astute novels of suspense and romance. Tara is a recipient of the Reader’s Choice Award, a five time finalist for the RWA Rita Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the Bookseller’s Best Award and appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists. Tara is the past-president of Romance Writers of America and served eight years on that board of directors. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning and is a frequent guest speaker. In her spare time Tara likes to travel, climb Arizona mountains, and inline skate.
Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.
Click on the banner to take you to Tara’s landing page for all her tour events.
As part of Spend the Summer with Tara Taylor Quinn, Tara is holding a contest for those who share on social media about how they love life during the summer! Each day you can share an image, picture, or quote, linking to her events’ landing page (http://www.tarataylorquinn.com/Summer%20With%20ttq.html😉 to enter to win ONE BIG SUMMER BASKET!!!
Beach-themed basket will include: shell wind chime, shell choker and matching bracelet, beach/flip flop note cards, picture frame, 4×6 picture album, plus some surprise print copies of Tara’s books (including Once Upon a Friendship).
Share must be public to be eligible, one each day. US only. Giveaway ends July 16th.
GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY (All to one winner – US only.) $10 VISA Gift Card Copies of all five books on Tara’s Summer Tour Spend the Summer with TTQ T-Shirt
Ends July 16th
SUSPICIOUS GIVEAWAY $10 VISA Gift Card (INT) Print copy of Suspicious/The Sheriff of Shelter Valley (US only) 2 ebooks of Suspicious/The Sheriff of Shelter Valley (INT) Spend the Summer with TTQ T-shirt (US only) Ends June 6th
Can he unleash her inner vixen without losing his heart?
Geeky mathematician, Cassandra Nelson, proposes to her father’s sworn enemy to protect her family’s shipbuilding corporation from a takeover. Regatta racing tycoon, Marco Delgado, knows their union is a quick ticket into the society that shunned him after a devastating boating crash. He agrees, but expects a permanent commitment; one with sizzling side benefits. And, after a Vegas wedding, he unleashes Cassandra’s inner vixen during a steaming hot honeymoon in Argentina while aboard his yacht.
Cassandra never calculated falling in love into their equation, but there’s more than desire and passion flaring between them. Soon she believes they can have so much more than a sexy bargain on paper. But when Cassandra’s secrets are revealed, during a reception held in their honor, Marco must learn the power of forgiveness and love before they can have the future they deserve.
Mentally, she checked off her reasons for forging ahead with her plan. First, Marco had said she excited him. Second, she had ample exposure to the level of his physical excitement. Third, she might be inexperienced, but she had done her share of reading romance novels and given his days of self-denial she figured he’d reached a breaking point. Heck, seducing Marco couldn’t be harder than calculating algebraic equations.
He walked her closer to the edge of his bed until they tumbled onto the duvet, arms and legs tangling in a mad race to connect again. Then they synchronized their movements, born out of a knowing that had grown between them. Body-to-body, skin-to-skin, breath-to- whispered-breath they rediscovered each other.
Christine Glover loves writing sensual, sizzling, emotional contemporary romances where two lost souls find each other and discover home. She resides in Alabama with her husband, two insane cats and her wonderful daughter. She enjoys finding the silly in the serious, making wine out of sour grapes, and giving people giggle fits along with heartfelt hugs. When she’s not writing, you can find her traveling the world, cooking gourmet food, and desperately seeking a corkscrew.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of adailyrhythm.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following: 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!
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I have been absent for a while, but…I’m back!
Summer is my favorite time of year and I find it hard to keep myself at home. There is so much so see and do. Photo ops abound and my desire to have an adventure increases, making me want to get in the car and drive.
Enjoy these photos from my latest little jaunt.
Juan Sebastian Elcono at night in Pensacola Florida by Sherry Fundin
Today, I would like to share Memory House by Bette Lee Crosby
She is an amazing author, filling her novels with Southern Charm.
They are not all happy and smiles, but they do leave me feeling as if I have gained a little something from reading her work. I hope you will give her a shot and find her as awesome as I do.
Even though this includes bits from her other novels, they stand alone, but I would highly recommend reading them all!
Ophelia never makes me feel like I’ve said something wrong. When I told her about how much I was missing Michael, instead of saying that’s flat out dumb pining after a man who walked out on you, she explained how a man can fill the hole in your life or be the whole of your life. That makes a lot of sense. I used to think Michael was the whole of my life, but now I’m beginning to wonder.
A magical tale that trips lightly through the hallowed ground of Spare Change and several other reader favorites…from a USA Bestseller and Multi-Award-Winning Author. Is it possible for a memory to outlive its owner? Ophelia Browne knows the answer is yes. She knows because she’s been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for forgotten memories. But now she’s nearing ninety, and Browne women seldom live beyond such an age. Before time runs out Ophelia must find her successor…someone who can carry forth the gift and keep the memories from fading. When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. As the two women sip dandelion tea and share stories, Annie begins to uncover new memories. Ugly ones. Ones buried deep enough to hide the scars. Excitement turns to fear when a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia knows they have gone too far.
You can check out other her other novels and my reviews by clicking on the links below:
Time and time again, Bette Lee Crosby captures me with her writing.
In her latest novel, Memory House, the southern charm oozes from the pages, the characters read as if they are my friends and family and the storyline captivates me.
The beautiful cover makes we want to walk up to the door, expecting Ophelia to be there, opening it before I have the opportunity to knock.
Check out the links at the end of the post for more novels by Bette Lee Crosby and my reviews of her books. Happy reading!
Bette Lee Crosby is a master storyteller and her latest novel, Memory House follows the path of all the rest of her novels I have read – excellence. Her captivating characters had me eating out of their hands.
Bette’s writing takes us back and forth, between the past and present of Ophelia’s life, since she entered Memory House in Richmond, Virginia. She is such a wonderful person, alone, yet so giving of herself to others. She runs a small apothecary shop that may supply someone with items for beauty, a common cure, or a love potion that a weary traveler may need. Ophelia has many memories, not all of them her own. It is time for the passing of the sword. Could Annie be the one she has been looking for?
Annie will find herself on Ophelia’s doorstep, after a failed relationship.
Michael, her boyfriend is a super jerk, taking advantage of her desire for a relationship and her easy nature. He trots through life as if he is her gift from God and his desires are her desires. Boy is he in for a surprise as she realizes she doesn’t have to have him in her life. Will she leave him? Will such an arrogant personality allow it? He was so sure he could leave and come back whenever he wanted and she would be there waiting for him.
I felt a sense of danger in the writing and the thought that maybe Michael, her ex, would come after her, but Bette Lee Crosby’s dangers are more subtle.
Funny how smells can bring forth powerful memories and here at the Memory House Bed & Breakfast, they were good memories, healing memories, for Annie. Will the magic of Memory House enter her life and soothe her soul, giving her a purpose?
Ophelia and Annie quickly develop a comfortable relationship, as if it is meant to be.
Bette Lee Crosby has a way of giving you comfort when bad things happen. Sometimes I need to be reminded of the simple pleasures in life and her writing does that for me.
As per Bette Lee Crosby’s books I have read in the past, the story ends with tears of happiness swelling in my eyes. Another wonderful heart warming story of love, life, pain and sorrow, and the path her characters must walk through in life.
I received Memory House in return for an honest review.
5 Stars
SYNOPSIS
Ophelia Browne knows the answer is yes. She knows because she’s been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for those forgotten memories. But now she’s nearing ninety, and Browne women seldom live beyond ninety.
Before time runs out Ophelia must find a successor. Someone who can take hold of the gifts and keep the memories from fading.
When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. The two women forge a bond of friendship as they sip magical dandelion tea and share stories. When Annie starts to sense the memories Ophelia is delighted, but then a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia fears things have gone too far.
ABOUT BETTE LEE CROSBY
Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby shares the storytelling charm of her Southern Mama in tales that are both heartrending and heartwarming. She is best known for her creation of characters that readers find unforgettable.
Passing through Perfect is Crosby’s tenth novel and the third book in the Wyattsville Series that began with the USA Today Bestseller Spare Change. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since then, she has gone on to win another twenty literary awards, including the Royal Palm Literary Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal and the 2014 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal.
Ashley Fontainne is an amazing award winning and bestselling author that you will want to check out. Her novels are so good, they are being optioned for film.
Ashley Fontainne has teamed up with her mother, Lillian Hansen, in her new release, Blood Ties.
I am so excited to share all the goodies below, so please, grab a beverage, put your feet up and enjoy.
Ashley Fontainne and Lillian Hansen’s Blood Ties has a level of creepiness and reality that will linger long after you have finished reading the novel. The mother and daughter writing team continues into the characters of the story with Karina and her mother, LiAnn.
Karina, a private investigator for We’ve Got Ya, and LiAnn, a cop, had become sickened after their last case, that dealt with the abuse of senior citizens in assisted living facilities and quit their jobs. Now, it was off to Grandma and Grandpa’s farm in Arkansas.
Karina does not have female friends, except for her mother, who is her best friend. I love Karina’s badassery and the snarky dialogue between and her mother. My mother is my best friend and I spend more time around men than women. Who has time for cat fights, jealousy and shopping? Not me. I am not afraid to tell my mother anything, like Karina, sometimes in very “colorful” words. I do love Karina’s foul mouth and her “take out my gun and shoot you” attitude. I love fast cars and beer, too, Karina. She has a black Charger, with dark tinted windows and racing tires. She named it Dragula, after a Rob Zombie song based on the Munsters. Makes me think of driving the country roads when I first moved south with my Monte Carlo SS and doberman. Karina has a big dog, a 100lb black lab. I sure see the similarities and feel right at home with Karina and her family.
Of course, we need a love interest and her encounter with one of the twin Greek Gods had me grinning at the descriptive writing, which drew me further and further into Blood Ties.
Karina’s biggest Achilles heel is the mistreatment of senior citizens. She will not stand by and watch them be neglected or abused…by anyone.
The Magnolia is an assisted living facility that houses some of her grandparents friends. As Karina and LiAnn become aware of some funky goings on, they begin to investigate on their own.
Caesar is a mobster, a ruthless criminal and ex assassin that has taken many lives. When his wife dies, I find it impossible to feel empathy for him. What about the families he ruined? He has his sights set on The Magnolia, but…money isn’t the only thing he will be taking from the seniors.
Nick runs The Magnolia and sold his soul to the devil – Caesar – in return for money. He stuck his head in Caesar’s noose and would never get it out. Terror stalks him, day and night.
The Magnolia is understaffed with poorly trained workers, residents are neglected and abused – lawsuits and government investigations abound. How relevant is that today? Will you be in an assisted living facility? Blood Ties is a very thought-provoking novel that will haunt me into my golden years.
What can I say? I LOVE Blood Ties. Ashley Fontainne and Lillian Hansen’s ability to grab me from the beginning and keep me turning page after page, unable to put the book down, is proof of their awesome writing. The emotion I felt while reading ranged from happy and playful to rage and the need for justice. But is there any justice for crimes so despicable that I cannot find the words to describe them?
Blood Ties by Ashley Fontainne and Lillian Hansen is the first in a three-part murder mystery/suspense series and I can hardly wait to see what they come up with next!
I received the ARC of Blood Ties in return for an honest review.
5 Stars
BLURB
LiAnn Tuck and her daughter, Karina Summers, are settling into their new life, enjoying the small farming community of Sheridan, Arkansas. The slower pace, compared to the craziness of Los Angeles, is a welcome distraction for them both. Taking care of her aging parents and their small farm is just what LiAnn needs to forget her twenty-five-year career as a detective. And Karina’s new love interest brings back the smile she lost from years of undercover work and her cheating ex-boyfriend.
The Bonds
Their idyllic lifestyle changes the minute a family friend, Cecil Pickard, pays a visit. He lives at The Magnolia, an independent living facility in Hot Springs, and believes someone is stealing from him. LiAnn and Karina offer to investigate and suddenly find themselves inside a living nightmare.
Are Permanent
Theft isn’t the only criminal activity taking place inside the historic, stately walls of The Magnolia. Organized crime has infiltrated Hot Springs, and what they’re after is not only money, but life itself. As LiAnn and Karina dig deeper, they might just be digging their own graves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film.
The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released September 29, 2014. Ashley then delves into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, scheduled for release in the Spring of 2015. Plus, she will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her Mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
The winged knights—magically altered humans—are the only ones defending the portal from Av’lor to Earth. With defeat imminent, they find an unlikely source of hope in software engineer, Kathryn.
Kathryn doubts her life could get any worse after the death of her mother and daughter. She realizes her mistake after she arrives on Av’lor with only part of her house and hungry creatures looking for their next meal. Once the knights bring her under their protection, she discovers their angry commander is far from welcoming.
Sir Lanclor, Commander of the Knighthood, lives with the curse of betrayal. While the treachery occurred lifetimes before, few see past his guarded shell to the grim man beneath. Barely holding the Knighthood together, his grip tightens when Kathryn joins their ranks. Her stubbornness and surprising strength not only energizes the knights, but also makes Sir Lanclor question his self-imposed isolation.
With the approach of an invading army, Kathryn and Sir Lanclor must find a way to end centuries of war and save two worlds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
“That reminds me. The Ball of Remembrance is coming up in a few weeks. We should go together.”
“A ball? You mean with dancing and stuff?” Kathryn remembered some of the best times in her life on a dance floor.
“Yes. Don’t sound so surprised. In the middle of a war, this is one of the few times we can relieve stress. You have to go. There’ll be dancing, singing, drinking and a ton of food. Everyone tends to relax their guard a little, maybe get a little…friendly, if you know what I mean?” Elena’s smile was infectious.
“Wait. They’re not going to be having sex on the dance floor, are they?”
“Kate, men of Av’lor aren’t like that. They’ll at least take us someplace private.” Elena’s laugh made Kathryn smile and eventually join in.
“I think it would be a little awkward. I don’t know what any of the other knights look like beneath their armor. What if I hooked up with someone I work with every day? That would make things a little strained during drill the next day.” An officer would be even more awkward. Sir Garrent or Sir Lanclor. Even worse, what if it was Jakara? Knife training would have a whole new meaning.
“Oh, rank is suspended for the one day and it’s pretty anonymous. Everyone’s wings will be the same color. License to party.” Elena laughed and started thrusting her hips towards the bathtub with a sponge in one hand and a bottle of cleaner in the other.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Sam Rook lives in Vermont with her husband and two children. Her passion for fantasy novels began in high school with her desire to write following shortly thereafter. Software engineer by day, fantasy author by night, she strives to give her readers a chance to enjoy worlds that transport them away from the stress of everyday life.
Witch of Death by Chrys Fey is an awesome short of suspense, thrills, magic, witches and romance, wrapped up in a wonderful package.
Liberty Sawyer is called in by the police, when a magical murder occurs – a floating corpse and a spell cast by an evil, dark magic sorcerer bring her and Reid together.
She is a psychic, a witch to be exact. She takes no guff about whether you believe in her or not. She is a witch that hunts witches to be burned alive and has a gaze that can freeze a man in his tracks. Reid learns that first hand.
Detective Reid Sanders is a skeptic. Does he fight believing in her so much because he is in lust after Libby?
Chry’s Fey’s writing is sooooo good, that I will be reading anything she puts out!
Witch of Death is a short, but powerful read. Libby had me eating out of her hand from the first pages. The characters are well developed and got me so involved, I hated for the story to end. I want more, please.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
5 Stars
GUEST POST
Welcome Chrys. I am so happy to have you here today!
Thank you for the great review and for letting me borrow your blog to talk about Witch of Death, Sherry! 🙂
Music is my constant muse when I’m writing. I have a list of songs I go to when I need to write romantic scenes and action scenes. There are also my go-to artists such as 30 Seconds to Mars, Sia, Evanescence, Imagine Dragons, and more.
Witch of Death originally had chapter titles that were deleted during the galley phases, and those chapter titles were actually names of songs that inspired those chapters. For fun, I’ll share the soundtrack for Witch of Death, so if you read the story, you can maybe look up the songs, too.
Witch of Death Soundtrack:
Murder by Within Temptation
The Bleeding by Five Finger Death Punch
Crystal Ball by P!nk
Faceless by Red
Pieces by It’s Alive
Enemy by Papa Roach
Eyes by Kaskade, Mindy Gledhill
Thank you all for visiting and hopefully commenting. 😉
Thanks, Chrys. I love learning what inspires an author. I look forward to having you visit again in the near future. 🙂
BLURB
Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the
supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of
nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical
murder involves working with a witch.
Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil
witch, so it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch and she
becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more
people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.
Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30 Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.
When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later
rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next hurricane to come her way.
You can connect with her on Facebook and her blog, Write
with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!
Strange Country Day by Charles Curtis
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5 Stars
