I am going to start the five one sentence reviews I will be sharing today with Refrain by Susan Griscom. I won an audible and kindle copy. I quickly got hooked, so scrolled through my Kindle and read every one of the Blood Courtesan Kindle Unlimited series stories that I had.
Oh Yeah…Vampires…I love when I see my name in a book, and even though Refrain, which is a complete story, is predictable, it is filled with enough steamy deliciousness to keep me reading more of the series and wanting more of her work.
3 Stars
Reborn (Blood Courtesans) by Michelle Fox was an Amazon freebie.
Reborn is a complete story, a novella, about the loss of innocence and I love Myra’s feistiness, the laughs, the kisses and bullets, though I did get frustrated with her casual stupidity, but my love of vampires keeps me reading most anything with them in it.
3 Stars
Wanted: Corynne by Kristen Strassel was an Amazon freebie.
One way to deal with bullies is to become a vampire…LOL…she had been bullied to the point of murder and was counting on becoming a courtesan, offering blood and sex, to find a place to belong in this action packed story that filled all my bloody needs.
Thank all that is vampire that someone wanted to pay their good fortune forward or Angelica may never have been accepted as a blood courtesan because she would would make a personal sacrifice, sell her soul for her sister, and I love her naive yet provocative personality filled with humor.
3 Stars
Ensnared: Star by Rebecca Rivard & Michelle Fox was an Amazon freebie.
She had been set up for the theft of one hundred thousand dollars and her only out was to become a courtesan…one month with Remy de la Lune, but this hunkalicious vampire has met his match and I was happy to be along for the ride.
I love suspense, thrills, crime and mystery. I have also been to Mexico numerous times, though I never saw it the way Carmen Amato has. Her book covers attracted my attention, because I am a sucker for great covers. Another thing that really caught my attention and made me curious was the author herself. She has a very interesting history, so be sure and scroll down to check her out.
I am going to review them in the order I read them. If they look good to you, click on the cover to hop over to Amazon. They may still be free, but be sure and check for the “0”.
The covers fit the series so well. I love when an author creates a brand.
Her whole world was this moment, this stinky mat, this iron beast that she had become. A fabulous description of Emilia Cruz…and she will need that iron will, that strength, in what is to come. Emilia is the first female detective in Acapulco and she had fought hard for it. I love the character and as I read the five stories in Made In Acapulco, I grew to love her more.
Machismo. Corruption. Cartels.
“Always pay it forward. It’s the only way we’ll save our future.”
BEING BRAVE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF FEAR: IT’S THE COURAGE TO PRESS ON IN SPITE OF FEAR
This introduction into Emilia Cruz only makes me want to read more.
3 Stars
I missed so many books between Made In Acapulco, my introduction to Emilia Cruz, to Narco Noir, the eight book. I have missed a lot.
I have missed all the books in the series except what I consider the introduction to Emila Cruz, Made In Acapulco. I think it probably affected my review, because I was just getting the hang of being in Mexico, but now I do have some familiarity with the characters and how the city of Acapulco operates.
I sense a romance, but what kind of future does a detective from the barrios have with an American with plenty of money? Could they make it work?
Well, that’s a twist. I didn’t see it coming and I am curious where it will go.
She is a badass. I love a strong female character that can hold her own. Even in the machismo world of Mexico, she earns her place and the respect of (at least) some of her coworkers, informants…
Every move is filled with danger and betrayal. Corruption is rampant, so it’s hard to know who to trust. She has to keep things close to the vest.
Her partner, Silvio, is the only person she calls in her time of need.
There is so much about the book I liked, but I was frustrated by some of the characters actions. I don’t want to say much to spoil it for you, because I think it’s worth finding out for yourself.
I do recommend starting at the beginning and you will need to read to the end of the series to get the complete story.
3 Stars
The Emilia Cruz series takes place in Acapulco, Mexico. In The Hidden Light Of Mexico City by Carmen Amato we step away from Acapulco.
“So you’re too afraid to save our country?….What will you leave your grandchildren? A country that’s just a playground of violence for the cartels?”
Eddo hated what he was forced to do just to be able to do the right thing. People will get hurt, but he couldn’t sit back and do nothing just because it was dangerous and may cost him his life.
Luz has sacrificed everything for her family. I feel so bad for her and I wonder when or if she will have her turn. Her family ticks me off. What gives them the right to treat her the way they do. Even her brother walks a fine line in my book. Family is family, but when is too much enough?
An indepth look at the brutality and corruption of Mexico’s’ drug trade and the war for territory.
Whoa…I was brought up short. I thought I knew what the story would be: betrayal, corruption, power hungry, brutal, savage, and those who try to do the right thing. I’ve always heard how Mexico was driven by the drug cartels, so on that front I wasn’t surprised.
The twist with the romance…
The Hidden Light Of Mexico City by Carmen Amato is a great police procedural, suspense/thriller. At times my heart was in my throat and I love the characters, good and bad.
The ending is excellent. Not too short, not too long, just right.
4 Stars
Now, we are real life moments in Mexico. Aapply your suntan lotion, put on your hiking boots, bring your swimsuit, bring your appetite, and let’s go meet some new people.
I took no notes for The Insider’s Guide To The Best Of Mexico. These snippets of introductions from the 42 contributor’s to the guide share their favorites in a page or three. I would take it with me if I were traveling to Mexico.
4 Stars
ABOUT CARMEN AMATO
Following a 30 year career with the Central Intelligence Agency, Carmen Amato writes mystery and suspense, including the Detective Emilia Cruz police series set in Acapulco. Emilia is the first female police detective in Acapulco, confronting Mexico’s cartels, corruption and social inequalities. The series recently won the Poison Cup award for Outstanding Series from Crime Masters of America and was optioned for television.
Originally from upstate New York, Carmen’s experiences in Mexico and Central America launched her fiction career. Carmen is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal.
The Water Trilogy by Britney King is still my favorite, but she writes such interesting psychological thrillers, that I will read…eagerly…any novel she pens. That being said, let’s delve into Fever Dream, a story that takes place in a Texas State Asylum.
Fever Dream is Britney King’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
I am seesawing back and forth with Grace. I am trying to figure out exactly what is going on with with her. I don’t feel she is crazy, but how much does she know? Is she complicit with Clint’s disappearance?
A frontal Leucotomy is in her near future. WTH? The doctor says they are out of options and this is the way to go. He considers her lucky…yeah, right. Is he a mad scientist? Or worse?
I was curious about Elisabeth, not sure whether she was a good or bad person, disturbed, or something else. In the end, I was Team Elisabeth. She is a fascinating character and helped create some twists and turns that I never saw coming.
The rating: Fever Dream kept me reading, but I just didn’t feel that sense of urgency I expected with Grace. Elisabeth definitely made up for it. The ending…it felt a little too rushed for me, but it wasn’t what I was expecting…and that is a huge plus.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Fever Dream by Britney King.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The bestselling
author of the “clever spine-tingler” The Secretary returns with an
unputdownable thriller following a woman in a desperate search for
answers after she’s institutionalized against her will.
The
year is 1962, and every night Grace lays her head on her pillow at the
Texas State Lunatic Hospital, she reminds herself she is not what they
say she is.
Her children and her husband are not dead. They’re searching for her.
Someone knows the truth.
Strangely, that someone is hell-bent on making sure the truth stays buried.
The question is…why?
Meanwhile, Grace has bigger fish to fry, starting with her new roommate.
Elizabeth is certifiable, and she has star status—a deadly combination, Grace realizes.
The
kind of woman who has everyone in the palm of her hand, Elizabeth gives
even the most menacing of nurses a run for their money, takes bad
intentions to a whole new level, and makes crazy look seductive as hell.
Grace
learns fast: the best way to deal with lunacy is to befriend it. It may
be her only ticket out. She also learns there’s more to her new
bunkmate than meets the eye. She’s vile, she’s cunning—and possibly
faking it.
The question is…why?
With riveting twists and a breakneck pace, Fever Dream is a propulsive thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
MEET BRITNEY KING
Hello. I’m Britney.
I live in Austin, Texas with
my husband, children, a dog named Gatsby, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge
in a pear tree.
When I’m not wrangling the
things mentioned above, I write psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers
set in suburbia.
Currently, I’m writing three
series and several standalone novels.
The Bedrock
Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns
out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous,
forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The
series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female,
and Basic Instinct.
The Water Series follows
the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she
kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and
Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.
Around The Bend is a
heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban
housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she
were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t
have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.
The With You Series at
its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world;
trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure
along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.
The Social Affair is an
intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret
admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories
told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is
traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and
Play Misty For Me. Classics. 🙂
Without a doubt, connecting
with readers is the best part of this gig. If you’d like to connect, shoot me
an email. You can also find
me on Facebook, Instagram,
and occasionally on Twitter.
I had these freebies by Maggie Shayne sitting on my Kindle. I am confused about Forgotten. I found it on Amazon under Forgotten Vows as a paperback and a cover I didn’t like as well as this. You can check it out for yourself on Amazon. I would love to know what you think because I think this one is fantastic. Though Goodreads has it as a Kindle cover, I couldn’t find a Kindle link.
MY REVIEW
A serial killer brought them together…Joey rides a Harley, packs a cannon, has two nieces that are cute as a button and Ash, who wants Suzy Homemaker make an unlikely couple, so I found the characters added to the pacing and suspense that kept me flipping the pages.
4 Stars
The Littlest Cowboy by Maggie Shayne was an Amazon freebie. How cute a cover is that? The Amazon cover is different,but I think this is sooooo darn cute. Check out Amazon and let me know which you like best.
Not a genre I read a lot of but, I couldn’t resist the cover and the manly family quickly draws me in with the humorous dialogue…smiles, giggles, sweetness…and everything happens quickly in this romance with a hint of danger…one for all and all for one.
“She isn’t a stray dog, Jessi…You can’t just decide to keep her.”
“i’ve already decided. Now all I have to do is convince her she belongs.”
The first half or so of the book had me thinking she was a moron, but she was a young naive girl in a hopeless situation with people pulling on her in many directions, and the last half of the book brought it to an action packed, enemies to friends conclusion of this part of her life…making me want to know more.
Just like the TV show, we have trials and tribulations, realistic life situations, sorrow and happiness, and a happy ever after with a touch of danger.
3 Stars
I won a paperback copy of Etched In Tears by Cheryl Hollon.
I met Deja in Book II, Trust In Love and I am excited to hear her story and watch Emmet work his magic to win her over.
Deja was waiting, wishing for her sixteenth birthday so she could get the hell out of Dodge. She was sick of the shaming from her classmates. A knock on the door…and now we find ourselves HERE…with Sophie. I love how they meet. Two lost souls team up, never judging, always steadfast in their support for each other.
Sometimes I wonder why people even have kids, when they throw them away so easily. Yeah, this is a novel, but Amanda Siegrist makes her characters and situations read true.
Her brother, Dare, reenters her life. Now she has to two men that are giving her a headache. LOL Dare and Emmet. What’s a girl to do?
The McCord family’s interaction with Dare, especially Ethan’s, had me cracking up. I totally get Dare’s confusion, but seeing I know the family, it was no surprise to me. One for all and all for one.
Even though it was love at first sight, at least for Emmet, the romance was on a very slow burn. We not only get Deja’s story, but wrap on the loose ends of Sophie’s as well.
Want a sweet romance? Maybe a dash of danger? Hunkalicious men? Strong women? Look no further. This series has it all, and though I feel each story can stand alone, I highly recommend beginning at the beginning.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Deserving You by Amanda Siegrist.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From USA Today bestselling author Amanda Siegrist comes a heartwarming series that will make you swoon…and maybe even shed a few tears.
She doesn’t think she’s worthy of his love. He’ll prove her wrong.
Emmett
McCord has wanted Deja since the moment he met her, despite how she
came into their lives. It didn’t take long for him, and the family, to
forgive her and see just what kind of woman she is. Strong. Determined.
Remorseful. Faithful to a fault. He wants to declare his feelings, but
he knows she’ll resist him. He can’t risk losing her friendship. When
her brother walks back into her life, causing her pain, he’s done
keeping his feelings to himself. He wants her, and she’ll just have to
get used to it.
The entire McCord Family Novel series: (Each book in this series can be read as a standalone.)
Protecting You (Book 1): Zane & Ava Trust in Love (Book 2): Austin & Sophie Deserving You (Book 3): Emmett & Deja Always Kind of Love (Book 4): Ethan & Penelope Finding You (Book 5): Gabe & Olivia
ABOUT AMANDA SIEGRIST
Love!
Gimme some love and heaps of romance. I have a sappy heart that just
loves two people meeting, going through the cycles of a relationship,
and ultimately, falling in love. Give me a good book like that and I’m a
happy camper:)
I write contemporary and romantic suspense, but I am partial to suspense. I just love a good mystery.
Besides writing, I love baking, crafts, and baseball…oh, and meeting new people. *smiles*
The cover for The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman makes it easy to see why someone could go missing and never be found. I’d like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Cold Vanish.
I saw the title and cover, then read the blurb, and my interest was peaked. I had to know what Jon Billman had to say in this true story of the missing across the country.
To tell the story, Jon Billman did walk in Jacob Gray’s footsteps, to a point.
The Schrödinger’s cat experiment…I had never heard the entire experiment, but the fact that it is neither, dead or alive, or both, dead and alive, until you open the box. I imagine it is the same with a missing person. I cannot imagine how the not knowing could mess with someone’s mind.
I do believe some of the problem is with those who are doing the investigating. The process has come a long way, but I think investigators can still get stuck on one person, zeroing in on them, making the suspect fit the evidence. Not only has technology aided the investigators, the investigators have become more sophisticated.
Unfortunately, there are still those who are out to make a name for themselves, to get elected to office. or just inept and unqualified for the job at hand. And the wilderness…such a large area where bodies could be easily hidden, make findng them like a needle in a haystack.
Cold Vanish…here one minute, gone the next. Aliens? Bigfoot? The Supernatural?
The book was written like a TV episode, hopping from one case to another, coming back again and again. It was confusing at times, but I do like that so many missings were shared.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Cold Vanish by Jon Billman.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
For readers of Jon
Krakauer and Douglas Preston, the critically acclaimed author and
journalist Jon Billman’s fascinating, in-depth look at people who vanish
in the wilderness without a trace and those eccentric, determined
characters who try to find them.
These are the stories that defy
conventional logic. The proverbial vanished without a trace incidences,
which happen a lot more (and a lot closer to your backyard) than almost
anyone thinks. These are the missing whose situations are the hardest on
loved ones left behind. The cases that are an embarrassment for park
superintendents, rangers and law enforcement charged with Search &
Rescue. The ones that baffle the volunteers who comb the mountains,
woods and badlands. The stories that should give you pause every time
you venture outdoors. Through Jacob Gray’s disappearance in Olympic
National Park, and his father Randy Gray who left his life to search for
him, we will learn about what happens when someone goes missing.
Braided around the core will be the stories of the characters who fill
the vacuum created by a vanished human being. We’ll meet eccentric
bloodhound-handler Duff and R.C., his flagship purebred, who began
trailing with the family dog after his brother vanished in the San
Gabriel Mountains. And there’s Michael Neiger North America’s foremost
backcountry Search & Rescue expert and self-described “bushman”
obsessed with missing persons. And top researcher of persons missing on
public wildlands Ex-San Jose, California detective David Paulides who is
also one of the world’s foremost Bigfoot researchers.
It’s a
tricky thing to write about missing persons because the story is the
absence of someone. A void. The person at the heart of the story is
thinner than a smoke ring, invisible as someone else’s memory. The bones
you dig up are most often metaphorical. While much of the book will
embrace memory and faulty memory — history — The Cold Vanish is at its core a story of now and tomorrow. Someone will vanish in the wild tomorrow. These are the people who will go looking.
ABOUT JON BILLMAN (from Grand Central Publishing)
Jon Billman is a former wildland firefighter and high school teacher. He holds an MFA in Fiction from Eastern Washington University. He’s the author of the story collection When We Were Wolves (Random House, 1999). Billman is a regular contributor to Outside and his fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Esquire, The Paris Review, and Zoetrope: All-Story. He teaches fiction and journalism at Northern Michigan University in the Upper Peninsula, where he lives with his family in a log cabin along the Chocolay River.
Join Us for This Tour: February 15 to March 7, 2022
Book Details:
Book Title: Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy by S.E. Richey Category: Children’s Fictions (ages 3-7), 38 pages Genre: Children’s Picture Book Publisher: Bright Meadow Press Release date: Feb 28, 2022 Content Rating: G -Suitable for everyone.
“A clever, humorous, and joyful tooth story” – Kirkus Review
MY REVIEW
Lulu and the MIssing Tooth Fairy by S E Richey and Jhon Ortiz (Illustrator) is a wonderfully illustrated fantasy. Add a little humor and a young girl’s determination and patience waiting…waiting…waiting for the tooth fairy to show up and your youngster will learn that hope and believing in something that can’t be seen will be rewarded. Also, Trixie will learn what it takes to become a tooth fairy. She never gives up, no matter how many mistakes she makes. Just because something doesn’t go right the first time, it doesn’t mean you won’t get it right the next time. Sure to delight your youngsters.
I love that S E Richey includes the traditions of the tooth fairy across the world.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy by S E Richey.
3 Stars
Book Description:
Lulu cannot wait for a visit from the Tooth Fairy and get a pony with her Tooth Fairy money. And Trixie cannot wait to finally become an official Tooth Fairy. Everything would be perfect, if only Trixie would show up!
Will Lulu get her pony? Will Trixie ever become an official Tooth Fairy? Find out in this humorous yet heartwarming tale that encourages us to never stop believing and that everything is possible with a little will power. And learn a thing or two about tooth traditions and tooth collectors of the world!
S. E. Richey was born in New York and moved to Puerto Rico with her family when she was four years old. She grew up in the mountains of La Cordillera Central of Puerto Rico. She spoke four-year-old English and Spanish, but soon forgot English. She loved running around her grandparents’ finca, picking wild strawberries, sucking on ripe coffee beans (so sweet!), sugar cane (so sweet!), and searching for cow pies with her siblings and
cousins (not so sweet.).
At age eighteen, S. E. Richey swore she would never live in another small town in the country where she had to drive through a canyon with lots of curvy roads just to get to the city. Oh, how dizzy and nauseous those curves made her!
She moved to the United States where she attended college in a small town in Idaho, married and lived in a small town in California (her second home) with lots and lots of curves just to get to the city (yes, she got dizzy and nauseated), and now she lives in a small-ish town in Idaho with her husband and four children. Their two dogs, Roscoe and Cali, and Conan, the fat cat, complete the family. She loves to sing WAY too loudly in the car. She loves Dulce de Leche ice cream (even if it hurts her tummy). And she loves to read and write silly stories that make her giggle and stories that tug at the heartstrings.
Jhon Ortiz is a 3D character animator and a children’s book illustrator born in
Caracas, Venezuela and based in Valencia, Spain. A plant keeper and a coffee lover, Jhon also likes the sound of vinyl records. From an early age, Jhon felt a passion for drawing and storytelling. He has worked as an animator for the films The Nutcracker and the Four, and Moomios. And he has illustrated several books, including The One Great Gnome, LillyBelle: A Damsel NOT in Distress, and Lulu and the Missing Tooth Fairy.
I like the cover, but it was the title, Conversations With Dead Serial Killers, that reeled me in. I found the blend of fact and fiction interesting. I have read my share of nonfiction books about serial killers and lots of fictional ones, so to see an author bring them together in the same story had me curious how he would handle it.
Do you believe in psychics? Derek Turner proclaims to be a psychic, manipulates people into handing over money. His life changes when Sam comes into it. She will not leave him alone, dogging his every step, wanting him to do the right thing.
The more I see Sam, the more I like her.
Clive, his brother, helps with the readings. But, he has his own agenda.
The twists are not exposed until the end, and that is always a good thing. I didn’t see the total picture. Whether Derek knew or wanted things to go down the way they did, I don’t know. I think he just wanted to make money and didn’t care too much about the cost.
I think all too often people do glamorize serial killers. I find them fascinating, but ‘regular’ people are just as interesting. I enjoy delving into people’s minds, wanting to know the why of things.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Conversations With Dead Serial Killers by Ashley Lister.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“A clown can get away with murder.” John Wayne Gacy, the killer clown.
Derek Turner makes his living as a psychic. But, when he makes his first genuine contact with the spirit world, it is an encounter that starts him on a pathway to holding conversations with dead serial killers.
Someone is recreating the most infamous crimes of the world’s sickest serial killers: including Jack the Ripper, BTK, Charles Albright and Ed Gein. Derek learns that it’s within his power to either profit from this situation or bring it to a needed conclusion and prevent further unnecessary deaths.
But profit can be a compelling argument.
Blending the reports from true crime stories with the lies from a professional psychic, Conversations with Dead Serial Killers explores the danger and obscenity that comes from glamourising murderers.
ABOUT ASHLEY LISTER (from Amazon)
Ashley Lister is a prolific writer of fiction across a broad range of genres, having written more than fifty full length titles and over a hundred short stories. He is the co-host of Blackpool’s Pub Poets and a regular participant (and occasional winner) in their monthly Haiku Death Match.
Aside from regularly blogging about writing, Ashley also teaches creative writing in the North West of England. He has recently completed a PhD in creative writing where he looked at the relationship between plot and genre in short fiction.
I have a file of short stories/novellas on my computer and have started to go through them with the thought of writing one sentence reviews. This is the first three…some great covers with some intriguing storylines.
Pulling Her Trigger by Alexa Riley is a steamy erotic novella, with a hot FBI agent and a hard as nails biker chick that stands alone in The Ghost Rider series, and I was quickly drawn into their world, where their meetings are HOT and sexy, instalove is alive and well, and they struggle (just a little because it is a novella) to come to a meeting of the minds, and I want more.
Enemies With Benefits by Annika Martin and Joanna Chambers is a Prologue for the Enemies With Benefits series, an erotic M/M novella that is smokin’ HOT and I’m glad I got it for free if for no other reason than to meet a couple of hunkalicious men, that I wouldn’t have met otherwise, that steamed up my Kindle and left me hungry for more.
Vulnerable by Patricia Loofbourrow is a short story/novellas, a prequel to the Red Dog Conspiracy which does tease, has an awesome cover, and even though it was worth finishing, being a quick read and with an interesting storyline, I would buy the book instead.
