Sometimes I review each story in an anthology and other times I review it as a whole. Seeing I would use a lot of the same words to describe each short story of the twelve included in Welcome to the Splatter Club, I will be doing it as a whole.
The gruesome cover and descriptive title make it easy to know what’s inside this splatterpunk horror anthology. Plenty of blood and guts, some delicious snacks, a has been Las Vegas comedienne, bullies, trophies, outer space, the penguin, and so much more had me cringing, feeling like I want to cover my eyes.
If you are looking for something that is spook worthy, Welcome to the Splatter Club has all you could ask for. The short stories can fill in those moments when you are waiting in line at the drug store, sitting in the doctor’s office, or any time you have a couple of spare minutes.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Welcome to the Splatter Club.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Splatter (adj.) – characterized by extreme or excessive gore or violence
Punk (adj.) –
often referring to a musical genre of short, fast-paced songs with
hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation,
and often containing subversive lyrics and social and political
commentary.
Welcome to the Splatter Club is thirteen stories of hyperintensive horror with no limits!
Editor K. Trap Jones guides this initiation into our favorite genre of dark fiction: Splatterpunk
The
ceremony includes black magick curses, encounters of the fourth kind,
and bizarre office politics. Story settings range from a dystopic United
Kingdom down to the a convenience store stocking a very malicious
product.
I was really excited about Midnight Blue Over Mexico by D S Land because it seemed to be a bit different than the usual technothriller, you know, greed, conspiracy, technology…used for good and evil… characters that kept me reading, caring, hating…and I have to ask, could you do without your cell phone…for a minute, an hour, a day, to save your life and those of others?
I had added Midnight Blue Over Mexico by D S Land to my TBR on 10.9.12 and The Timekeeper by Jordana Baker on 10.12.12
I saw the cover…and the title…and thought The Timekeeper by Jordana Barber would be filled with awesome characters…IT WAS…a lot of danger and action…THERE WAS…some hot romance…CAN’T DO WITHOUT THAT.. a satisfying ending…GOT THAT…and a desire to read more…I DO.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review The Darkest Evening by Anne Cleeves. Everything about the book spoke to me….starting with that gorgeous cover.
Don’t ya just love a book that starts out: On the first snowy night of winter….
Vera left work, regardless of the snow coming down, thinking it would be okay. After all, she’s a cop. What can happen? An abandoned car. Except for the child left alone in the backseat. Okay, I am rubbing my hands together, ready to get down to business.
I love complicated family dynamics and Vera’s family is definitely that. People’s lives will be changed and the change is not all bad. I feel Holly stole the show and I want you to meet her for yourself to see why.
The action was not slow, but methodical, like a police procedural. The pacing, danger and suspense picked up near the end and with so many suspects, I was unable to figure it out until Vera filled me in.
For some reason, British thrillers don’t usually quite get there for me. I don’t know if it is a stiffness that comes through in the writing or if it’s me, myself, and I. That doesn’t stop me from reading and enjoying them, and this is not my first Ann Cleeve novel, so that proves my point.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Darkest Evening by Anne Cleeves.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—comes the stunning new Vera Stanhope novel, The Darkest Evening. Ann Cleeves is one of my favorite mystery writers.–Louise Penny
As
a huge fan of both the Shetland and Vera series of books, I had high
expectations for Cleeves’ latest. . . . A stunning debut for Cleeves’
latest crimefighter.–David Baldacci on The Long Call
On
the first snowy night of winter, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope sets
off for her home in the hills. Though the road is familiar, she misses a
turning and soon becomes lost and disorientated. A car has skidded off
the narrow road in front of her, its door left open, and she stops to
help. There is no driver to be seen, so Vera assumes that the owner has
gone to find help. But a cry calls her back: a toddler is strapped in
the back seat.
Vera takes the child and, driving on, she arrives
at a place she knows well. Brockburn is a large, grand house in the
wilds of Northumberland, now a little shabby and run down. It’s also
where her father, Hector, grew up. Inside, there’s a party in full
swing: music, Christmas lights and laughter. Outside, unbeknownst to the
revelers, a woman lies dead in the snow.
As the blizzard traps
the group deep in the freezing Northumberland countryside, Brockburn
begins to give up its secrets, and as Vera digs deeper into her
investigation, she also begins to uncover her family’s complicated past.
ABOUT ANN CLEEVES
Ann is the author of the books behind ITV’s VERA, now in it’s third series, and the BBC’s SHETLAND, which will be aired in December 2012. Ann’s DI Vera Stanhope series of books is set in Northumberland and features the well loved detective along with her partner Joe Ashworth. Ann’s Shetland series bring us DI Jimmy Perez, investigating in the mysterious, dark, and beautiful Shetland Islands…
Ann grew up in the country, first in Herefordshire, then in North Devon. Her father was a village school teacher. After dropping out of university she took a number of temporary jobs – child care officer, women’s refuge leader, bird observatory cook, auxiliary coastguard – before going back to college and training to be a probation officer.
While she was cooking in the Bird Observatory on Fair Isle, she met her husband Tim, a visiting ornithologist. She was attracted less by the ornithology than the bottle of malt whisky she saw in his rucksack when she showed him his room. Soon after they married, Tim was appointed as warden of Hilbre, a tiny tidal island nature reserve in the Dee Estuary. They were the only residents, there was no mains electricity or water and access to the mainland was at low tide across the shore. If a person’s not heavily into birds – and Ann isn’t – there’s not much to do on Hilbre and that was when she started writing. Her first series of crime novels features the elderly naturalist, George Palmer-Jones. A couple of these books are seriously dreadful.
In 1987 Tim, Ann and their two daughters moved to Northumberland and the north east provides the inspiration for many of her subsequent titles. The girls have both taken up with Geordie lads. In the autumn of 2006, Ann and Tim finally achieved their ambition of moving back to the North East.
For the National Year of Reading, Ann was made reader-in-residence for three library authorities. It came as a revelation that it was possible to get paid for talking to readers about books! She went on to set up reading groups in prisons as part of the Inside Books project, became Cheltenham Literature Festival’s first reader-in-residence and still enjoys working with libraries. Ann Cleeves on stage at the Duncan Lawrie Dagger awards ceremony
Ann’s short film for Border TV, Catching Birds, won a Royal Television Society Award. She has twice been short listed for a CWA Dagger Award – once for her short story The Plater, and the following year for the Dagger in the Library award.
In 2006 Ann Cleeves was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers’ Association for Raven Black, the first volume of her Shetland Quartet. The Duncan Lawrie Dagger replaces the CWA’s Gold Dagger award, and the winner receives £20,000, making it the world’s largest award for crime fiction.
Ann’s success was announced at the 2006 Dagger Awards ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton, in London’s Aldwych, on Thursday 29 June 2006. She said: “I have never won anything before in my life, so it was a complete shock – but lovely of course.. The evening was relatively relaxing because I’d lost my voice and knew that even if the unexpected happened there was physically no way I could utter a word. So I wouldn’t have to give a speech. My editor was deputed to do it!”
The judging panel consisted of Geoff Bradley (non-voting Chair), Lyn Brown MP (a committee member on the London Libraries service), Frances Gray (an academic who writes about and teaches courses on modern crime fiction), Heather O’Donoghue (academic, linguist, crime fiction reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement, and keen reader of all crime fiction) and Barry Forshaw (reviewer and editor of Crime Time magazine).
Ann’s books have been translated into sixteen languages. She’s a bestseller in Scandinavia and Germany. Her novels sell widely and to critical acclaim in the United States. Raven Black was shortlisted for the Martin Beck award for best translated crime novel in Sweden in 200
I am so happy to be back in the RV with Walt and Betty and this time we will be hiking the trails and solving a mystery in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains in Arizona.
I love the play on their name Rollin…pronounced as if saying rolling down the road.
Betty is the Jessica Fletcher of the RV world.
Their son had died and Betty could not let it go. She needed to know why. Had to have answers, but there were none. They sold everything, bought an RV and began to travel. Maybe that is why she is persistent in her need to know what’s going on right under her nose, like the dead man and two missing people.
I do like that the characters talk about their surroundings, the weather, and the people they meet. They love to people watch, trying to guess what was going on in their lives. They talk about RVs and what it means to be a permanent traveler. It lends an air of authenticity and reality making it easy to put myself in their shoes. She even throws some history in the mix.
The Superstition Mountains were given their name because the Pima and Apache Tribes were superstitious about the mountains and the settlers gave them their name. It is also the home of the Lost Dutchman’s mine.
Could there be a hidden gold mine with riches waiting to be discovered? Does that explain the brief flashes of light Betty has seen?
If you are looking for an easy reading cozy mystery with some travel and local history of the locations the characters visit, meeting some interesting people and solving crime, this is a series for you. Each book stands alone and takes place in a different state in the US.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Superstition Victim by Ellen Behrens.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A rustic campground in the shadows of Arizona’s Superstition Mountains is anything but peaceful for Walt and Betty Rollin, full-time RVers hoping for tranquil hiking and a good deal on a new RV. What they find instead are secrets buried deeper than the Lost Dutchman’s legendary treasure… secrets so valuable someone is willing to kill to keep them. Local law enforcement seems unable to help, leaving Walt and Betty to do all they can–no matter what it takes.
This is the third installment in the Rollin RV Mystery series which RVers and non-RVers alike have called “page-turning,” “engrossing,” and their favorite way to stay up past bedtime.
ABOUT ELLEN BEHRENS
Ellen
Behrens’ short stories, articles, essays, and reviews have been widely
published. Her published books include the novels “Pea Body,” “None But
the Dead and Dying” and the short story collection “Road Tales: Short
Stories About Full-Time RVing.” She is former fiction editor of
Mid-American Review and the recipient of an Ohio Arts Council Individual
Artist Fellowship. She and her husband have been living the
“full-timer” RV lifestyle since 2009.
Quarrelsome Quartz by Mildred Abbott is the last book of the stack for these cozy Corgi mysteries and I have enjoyed my time with Fred and Watson. Soooo…let’s get started.
Quarrelsome Quartz by Mildred Abbot is the last book in my stack of cozy Corgi mysteries. I have enjoyed my time solving mysteries with Fred and Watson.
The Cozy Corgi Bookshop and Bakery is doing great and Fred’s twin sisters just opened the New Age shop right beside them. A big to do is planned for the opening, but…it’s Estes Park and things rarely goes as planned.
The shop fits into the small town of Estes Park, Colorado perfectly. We have an eclectic group of people that keep life interesting.
What’s that? Watson smells a….dead body…and they are on the case.
Hunky Sheriff Branson is still pining after Fred, though she has made it clear they are only friends. Fred doesn’t know what she wants when it comes to romance.
Sue, one of the cops, and Fred have an antagonistic relationship, but Chief Briggs, who she’d only had one other encounter with, fills her with fear. Could it stem from her father’s murder?
I love Watson and all his Corgi cuteness and it sure was nice to visit with him and Fred, and the rest of her family, for lots of chuckles and a light mystery. Being fairly new to Estes Park, each book brings Fred closer to her family.
AND, we have a lovely quiche to prepare and you may enjoy while reading.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Quarrelsome Quartz by Mildred Abbott.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A New Age conference comes to Estes Park, Colorado, bringing a cacophony of tie-dye, crystals, and murder… As summer draws to a close, the Spirit, Health, and Heart Conference arrives, just in time for Winifred’s sisters to open their store next to the Cozy Corgi Bookshop. To Fred’s surprise, Chakras turns out to be a beautiful addition to the delightful mountain town. The shop even has a room so pleasing in its crystal tranquility that Fred’s corgi, Watson, approves—and hardly anything impresses him. But not everyone is charmed by the crystals, tarot readings, and messages of personal enlightenment. When a famous spiritualist is found dead, Chakras and the entire town is plunged into a conflict that touches the lives of those closest to Fred. Although she is hesitant to become involved, it is simply not in the cards for Fred to sit out the investigation. As she and Watson embark on a journey that forces them to take a look into the darker shadows of Estes Park, Fred soon finds herself digging into the secrets of those she loves…
(This culinary cozy mystery includes a recipe for delectable quiches.)
ABOUT MILDRED ABBOTT
Reading the Cozy Corgi series is pretty much all you need to know
about Mildred. In real life, she’s obsessed with everything she writes
about: Corgis, Books, Cozy Mountain Towns, and Baked Goods. She’s not
obsessed with murder, however. At least not at her own hands (nor paid
for… no contract killing here). But since childhood, starting with
Nancy Drew, trying to figure out who-dun-it has played a formative role
in her personality. Having Fred and Watson stroll into her mind was a
touch of kismet.
I received a copy of Stranger in Town by Cherly Bradshaw from her assistant on 10.5.16 and added it to my Goodreads TBR on 12.15.17. Don’t ask me why I waited so long to add it to my shelf or to read it, because I can’t tell you. 🙂
The sweet cover does not foreshadow the ugly story inside.
Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw is the fourth book in the Sloane Monroe Mystery series. It falls between a cozy and the dark, hardcore suspense that I love so much. I did enjoy meeting Sloan and love that she is a PI instead of a cop. She’s a PI because, “I don’t like people.” She doesn’t play well with others.
Stranger in Town deals with a difficult subject, child trafficking. Though Cheryl Bradshaw doesn’t delve into specific details that occur all too often with those taken, it is not any less frightening.
Olivia knew something wasn’t right….but she was frozen in fear.
Imagine your child at your side, doing your normal grocery shopping. An innocent errand turns horrific when you notice she is no longer at your side, no longer in the store… I can’t imagine anything more terrifying.
Sloane has her own backstory, which is what drives her to commit everything she has to finding the young girls. There are now two missing, a four year old, Savannah, and a six year old, Olivia. What could someone possibly want with them? Did they want them for their own? Did they want them to sell them?
Sloane wants to make everything whole again. She is methodical, thinking things through before acting, but something is different this time. She’s different. She will do whatever needs doing to get justice. I can relate to her desire to run when she is cornered. It’s all about perspective. Sometimes stepping away opens your eyes to what is in front of you.
Uh oh. At 55% I smelled a rat!
When Sloane talked to Sierra, Savannah’s little friend, it was heartbreakingly sweet.
In Stranger in Town, Cheryl Bradshaw covers more of Sloane’s search for the missing girls than the subject of human trafficking. There was more than one instance when I thought a character was suspicious, but it wasn’t for the reason I expected. We do have a twist, and that will happen when the villain feels he was betrayed, or put at risk of being exposed.
I would love to read more of Cheryl’s work and meeting Sloane was well worth the time.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stranger in Town by Cheryl Bradshaw.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cheryl Bradshaw
He only needed her to look away for a few seconds…
Six-year-old
Olivia Hathaway tiptoes down the center aisle of Maybelle’s Market,
stopping once to glance over her shoulder and make sure her mother isn’t
watching. But Mrs. Hathaway is too preoccupied to notice her daughter
has slipped away. Moments later, a frantic Mrs. Hathaway runs up and
down the aisles, desperately searching for her missing daughter. But
little Olivia is already in the arms of a stranger. Will PI Sloane
Monroe find Olivia before it’s too late?
ABOUT CHERYL BRADSHAW
Cheryl Bradshaw is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author writing in the genres of mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal suspense, and women’s contemporary fiction. Stranger in Town (Sloane Monroe mystery series book 4) was a Shamus Award finalist, and I Have a Secret (Sloane Monroe mystery series #3) won best thriller of the year from eFestival of Words.
Cheryl Bradshaw’s Novels:
Sloane Monroe Series:
Black Diamond Death (#1) Murder in Mind (#2) I Have a Secret (#3) Stranger in Town (#4) Bed of Bones (#5) Flirting with Danger (#5.5) Hush Now Baby (#6) Dead of Night (#6.5)
For information and updates about Cheryl Bradshaw, visit her at www.cherylbradshaw.com, find her on Facebook on her Cheryl Bradshaw Author Page and follow her on Twitter @cherylbradshaw.
Today I have two of Amanda Siegrist’s novels to share, Dangerous Memories and Stolen Memories. I, especially fell for the Seth and Pepper characters. Pepper spoke to me and I listened. Each book spotlights a romantic couple, while keeping us updated on the rest of the gang.
In Book I of the Lucky Town novel series, Escaping Memories by Amanda Siegrist, we met Logan and Aubrey. Now, I am excited to meet Danny and Kat.
I have loved spending time with this tight knit, yet dysfunctional group of friends and family. But, what is normal? I think we all have our own definition. They have been through some traumatic events and struggle to overcome the lingering fears and nightmares.
Danny’s sister, Aubrey, had been kidnapped. Even though they got her back, that doesn’t mean danger doesn’t seek them out. This time, his love interest, Kat, is the target.
Amanda Siegrist puts her characters through some perilous times, but she loves a happy ending. She just makes them take a twisted path to get there.
I love romantic suspense. The danger and love make my heart beat a little faster. I love seeing characters put through hell, but come out the other side, happy and, somewhat, healthy. What is life without someone special?
I immediately began reading Book 3, Stolen Memories, and if you are looking for love, I highly recommend Amanda Siegrist’s work.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dangerous Memories by Amanda Siegrist.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From USA Today
bestselling author Amanda Siegrist comes an intense romantic suspense
that will make you swoon and hold you on the edge-of-your-seat until the
very end.
Has a new evil arrived, or an old terror returned?
Agent
Danny O’Rourke only wants one thing. His sister, Aubrey, to come home.
He couldn’t save her from being taken, but the least he can do is help
her through her turmoil. Except one thing is standing in his way—the
Caldwell family. He wants to hate Kat Caldwell the most, but no matter
how hard he tries, he doesn’t hate her. He wants her. So badly. When he
starts connecting the dots in his latest murder case, all pointing to
Kat as the next victim, he’ll do everything in his power to keep her
safe. He won’t fail her like he failed his sister. The closer he gets to
the truth, the more he realizes he might be all wrong in his
assumptions. He already lost his heart to her, but he won’t lose her to a
killer.
The entire Lucky Town Novel series: (Each book can be read as a standalone.) Escaping Memories (Book 1): Logan & Aubrey Dangerous Memories (Book 2): Danny & Kat
Stolen Memories is Book 3 of the Lucky Town series by Amanda Siegrist. I really wanted to learn Seth’s story and be along for the ride as he finds his way to love…and it is not an easy journey.
Seth never got over his sister’s kidnapping. He felt he should have been there to save her. He feels betrayed by his best friend, Evan. He feels he is keeping secrets and turns his back on him. Will he find out what he is hiding? Can they repair their friendship? I understand Seth’s position, but I really hope they can work it out. His life is work, sleep, repeat and people need more than that.
Pepper came to town to fill the vacancy at the police station, since Derek left, which causes problems of its own. She comes across as a cold, uncaring person, but that is because she refuses to let anyone into her life. She has a secret and I can hardly wait to find out what it is.
When Seth went to her house the first time, he was so sweet and funny and cute.
Pepper and Seth make for a fantastic story. I fell for her character. I found it easy to relate to her and as the romance heated up, so did the danger.
I kept feeling something was coming, but Amanda made me wait, and wait, and when it came, it was so not what I was expecting. WOW, Amanda. I love that, even though I know romantic suspense is filled with angst and danger, you still managed to surprise me in a fabulous way.
I can definitely recommend this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stolen Memories by Amanda Siegrist.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From USA Today
bestselling author Amanda Siegrist comes an intense romantic suspense
that will make you swoon and hold you on the edge-of-your-seat until the
very end.
You can run, but you can’t hide…from your problems.
As
the baby of the family, Seth’s got the Youngest Child Syndrome down
pat. Except, he doesn’t want to act like a spoiled brat and cause
problems everywhere he goes. He needs to start by talking out his issues
with his best friend, Evan—until he can’t. Evan’s gone missing, his
boss murdered. Evan might be a liar—something Seth hasn’t forgiven him
for—but he’s not a murderer. Life’s about to get messier when his
brother asks him to find Evan with help from the new deputy. Pepper’s
got a feisty attitude, a don’t-mess-with-me persona, and the beauty of a
goddess. If he’s not careful, he might fall in love. But Seth suspects
Pepper’s lying about something, too. And lying is an unforgivable
offense.
The entire Lucky Town Novel series: (Each book can be read as a standalone.) Escaping Memories (Book 1): Logan & Aubrey Dangerous Memories (Book 2): Danny & Kat Stolen Memories (Book 3): Seth & Pepper
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*
Reggie and Margo are seismologists that happened to appear at the
same place as Frank, a park ranger, Adam, a local constable that are
determined to get on THAT train. The one no one knows about or talks
about. BUT, the train won’t be leaving due to….
In order to board, they had to give up their cell phones, laptops,
anything that could connect to the outside world. Do you see where this
is going? I think I do.
So far, things are pretty predictable, but I am hopeful we will have some twists.
In times of trouble, people’s true colors come to the surface. There
is no shame in fear. I would be terrified. This is one of those stories
that has me asking myself, what would I do? I hope I would act as well
as Margo and Reggie, Denton, and some of the others, especially when
they find out they are up against so much more than a derailed train and
the snowy weather.
I knew right off that Frank was an ass, and he kept on proving it.
Nora, I don’t know what the hell she’s thinking. I’d love for her to be eaten first.
Government secrets, danger, survival, White Anvil is a safe lab and holding facility for things that go bump in the night and we all know it can’t be good when they break free, so buckle your seatbelts, because we are in for a bumpy ride.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of White Anvil by Matt Betts.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
As if the cold wasn’t enough…
Fleeing an approaching blizzard, a military train carrying prisoners and a handful of citizens derails in the mountains. The survivors fight to stay alive and regroup as the terrible storm buries them in snow. Only then do they discover the train also carried another cargo—two cars loaded with biological experiments—genetically-altered sasquatches conditioned to annihilate anything they find.
Can the few remaining soldiers team with a pair of sisters and a police constable to fight the relentless beasts, icy temperatures, and escaped prisoners long enough for help to arrive?
ABOUT MATT BETTS
I’ve been writing for a number of years and had some good fortune in getting my work in print and online venues. I’ve also contributed as a staff member to a few magazines. I’m a big fan of pop culture. I love old movies; good ones, bad ones, doesn’t matter. Actually, I sometimes prefer the bad ones.
My first book, Odd Men Out, was launched in the summer of 2013 from Dog Star Books. It has some steampunk, some alternate history, some horror and a giant lizard. That’s plenty for the first book, right?
My second book, Indelible Ink, is an urban fantasy crime story that’s sort of my homage to the late Elmore Leonard by way of the Dresden Files. I had so much fun writing this and I think it shows in the book.
Two of my novels were released in 2018: The adventure/kaiju/scifi book The Shadow Beneath the Waves, and the dark fantasy/comedy Indelible Ink.
I’ve also written two books of speculative poetry – See No Evil, Say No Evil and Underwater Fistfight.
I’m working on a sequel to Odd Men Out and a stand-alone monster book.
I love attending cons – I’ve been a panelist, moderator, invited guest, and presenter. It’s always a joy to interact with readers, other writers, and creators.
The Kelping by Jan Stinchcomb is a novella, a quick read at 67 pages.
Just looking at the cover made me want it. Who doesn’t love a mermaid and The Kelping reads like a B movie.
Craig Bo wanted to be Sea King, got to be Sea King….and so much more.
The Kelping is a different kind of mermaid story. Not really a romance, not really humorous, not really suspenseful…hard to describe but a mermaid memoir of a wife, husband, two kids and the life in the beach town of Beachside.
I always enjoy a good mermaid story and finding a new to me author. Good job, Jan.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Kelping by Jan Stinchcomb.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Doctor Craig Bo has
everything: a perfect wife and children, a thriving dermatology
practice, and a house in a lovely coastal town. Nobody is surprised when
he is chosen to be the Sea King of Beachside in his hometown’s annual
festival.
But after the festival Craig’s world turns upside down.
Something starts growing on his skin. His son tells him a story about a
sinister mermaid who lives in the attic of the local history museum.
And his beautiful wife, Penelope, can no longer hide her dark connection
to the sea.
As Craig grapples with his own secrets and misdeeds, he finally understands the woman he married and the plans she has for him.
Book 9 in the Rewind-or-Die
series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s,
and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those
movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty
rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the
blood.
ABOUT JAN STINCHCOMB
Jan Stinchcomb was born in San Francisco. She has a doctorate in Comparative Literature and has taught at the University of Oregon, Austin Community College and the University of Texas Extension Program. Currently living in Santa Monica, she is a story editor for Paper Darts. She has appeared in The Best Small Fictions 2018 and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, the Best of the Net and the Wigleaf Top 50 Longlist. THE KELPING, a horror novella, can be preordered from Unnerving. THE BLOOD TRAIL, a chapbook of dark fairy tales, is out now from Red Bird Chapbooks. Her novella, FIND THE GIRL, is available through Main Street Rag Publishing.
Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard is the oldest book on my want to read shelf of Goodreads. I added it on 5.13.12, the same month I joined Goodreads and began blogging. That’s a long time to wait…
I feel Lethal Circuit by Lars Guignard reads like a Clive Cussler novel or an Indiana Jones movie and I do love a grand adventure.
Michael flies to China to investigate his father’s so called accidental death. The shit hits the fan as soon as he lands…and thank goodness Kate was there. Was it by coincidence?
Well, there are plenty of twists, turns, and betrayal that kept me reading until the last page was turned. I do love book surprises, and Lethal Circuit has its fair share.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A Chinese satellite is on crash course with Earth. It contains enough plutonium to irradiate a large city. And that’s the good news…
In the tradition of Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and Robert Ludlum, comes a new hero.
Michael Chase is a twenty-six year old backpacker, a recent college grad, an amateur. He flew to Hong Kong to find his missing father. Four hours later, he’s running for his life. The Chinese Secret Police want him dead. The Conspiracy wants him dead. And the one person who he thinks is on his side, may want him dead too. If Michael is going to live, he’ll need to find a hidden piece of Nazi technology lost since World War II. And he’ll have to do it before anyone else. Because if he doesn’t, a little plutonium is going to be the least of his problems.
ABOUT LARS GUIGNARD
Lars Guignard is the author of the bestselling Zoe & Zak Adventure series and the Circuit series of novels.
Ever since attending high school in the Indian Himalayas, Lars has been an avid backpacker and traveler. After a stint spent circling the globe, he settled down long enough to attend the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He then went on to work as screenwriter in the film and television industry.
After way too much California sunshine, Lars moved to the Pacific Northwest where he now devotes his time to getting rained on and writing books.
Lars can be contacted at his website (www.larsguignard.com) He would love to hear from you.
I saw the cover…and the title…and thought The Timekeeper by Jordana Barber would be filled with awesome characters…IT WAS…a lot of danger and action…THERE WAS…some hot romance…CAN’T DO WITHOUT THAT.. a satisfying ending…GOT THAT…and a desire to read more…I DO.
