Tag Archives: 4 star review

Military Romance Review – Buried Scars by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor #buriedscars #bearspotpublications

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Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love Jane Blythe’s writing and am always excited to return to her world of strong male and female characters that rise above the danger and pitfalls that rock their world. The characters are damaged, but that makes them love life fiercely, to hold onto and appreciate the moments of love and laughter.

Numerous characters have a back story, which Jane fills in with bits and pieces of past books, so that each book ‘can’ stand alone. Series characters make appearances in other series, because Prey Security will come to the aid of their ‘family’ whenever the need arises.

Elle is in danger and they kidnap her daughter, Ruthie, to force her compliance. She seeks the help of Prey Security, who send Rafe, Panther, Neal to the rescue. He has a young son, Andy, that stole my heart…and I think he will steal yours too.

Jane Blythe delivers blow after blow to her characters. Think you can figure out when and what the next twist will be? Good luck with that. There was a stumble or two, for me, but I get it. And, we still have to find out what happened to Beth for the eight months she had been missing. Stay tuned for Wicked Scars.

Thanks Jane, for the opportunity to review Buried Scars.

 

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

He’s her only chance at saving her daughter’s life.

Becoming a mother was the best thing to ever happen to Elle Cavey. It was her first time experiencing unconditional love and her seven-year-old daughter is the center of her world. Which makes knowing she’s responsible for her daughter’s abduction that much worse. When the cops and FBI tell her there’s nothing else to do she only has one last shot at getting her child back.

Rafe “Panther” Neal is a father, if anyone can save Elle’s daughter it’s him. At least he prays he can because each moment he spends with the strong yet fragile mother he falls a little further. But he has scars, and when they rear their ugly heads it threatens his chance at building the family he’s always longed for.

Failure means losing the woman he’s falling for, her daughter, and his own son.

  • Genre: Fiction, Military, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Thriller
  • 240 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published June 11, 2024 by Bear Spots Publications
  • Series: Prey Security: Bravo Team #5

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!

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MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

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Review – The Handyman By Britney King @britneyking_ #thehandyman #hotbananapress

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The Handyman: A Psychological Thriller by Britney King

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The excellent cover of The Handyman by Britney King sure fits the story inside. I have read a lot of Britney King’s work and she can spin a psychological tale that makes your head spin, wondering who is who and what is what. I gladly hopped onto the crazy train.

Marin makes a drastic and dark decision when she finds out her boyfriend doesn’t love her any more and has been cheating on her. She believes she can change his mind. She kidnaps him, taking him out to the country and locking him in her basement, telling everyone he is ill.

Luke, a fixer, caught me off guard. He uses his hammer for more than hitting a nail on the head.

Alternately between Marin and Luke’s points of view, the story unfolds at a rapid pace.

If you are like me, once you get lost in The Handyman by Britney King, you won’t be able to stop reading. Gripping. Riveting. Jaw dropping surprises that are sure to leave you guessing….how will the story end. Mind officially blown.

I want to thank Britney King and Hot Banana Press for the opportunity to review The Handyman.

 

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

    From bestselling author Britney King comes a hypnotic and terrifying psychological thriller about a man held hostage in a remote location by the “love of his life”—aka the woman he refuses to marry.

    She only wants one thing:
 for him to love her the way he used to.

    When her boyfriend hesitates to propose—and then cheats instead of leaving—she decides the relationship needs structure. Space. Consequences. A reset. Retreating to an isolated house in the countryside feels like the responsible choice. A place where distractions disappear and commitment can finally take root.

    He doesn’t see it that way.

    At least not at first.

    To the outside world, the man in her basement is her ill husband—too fragile for one of those homes, she explains. She’s devoted. Patient. Doing the work. No one asks too many questions.

    Enter Luke.

    Luke fixes problems.

    Not the kind you call the police about.

    The kind people quietly hope someone else will handle.

    When he takes a job renovating an isolated country house, he knows something is wrong immediately. The work requests are about privacy, sound, containment. The woman who hired him is calm, polite, and lying badly.

    He doesn’t intervene.

    As Luke works, he watches her devotion harden into something stranger—and far more interesting. When he realizes her plan is flawed, he doesn’t stop it. He improves it. Suggests a way to make her boyfriend jealous. Engaged. Afraid of losing her.

    It works.

    What begins as an experiment turns into alignment. What looks like obsession becomes efficiency. And as lines are crossed—quietly, rationally—Luke understands the truth before she does:

    Some relationships aren’t meant to be saved.

    They’re meant to be replaced.

    Darkly funny, unsettling, and compulsively readable, The Handyman is a psychological thriller about love, control, and what happens when the wrong person decides to help. Perfect for fans of You, Misery, and The Housemaid, this is a story that dares you to root for the solution—even when you know it’s wrong.

    • Genre: Fiction, Noir Crime, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller
    • 308 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Published March 19, 2026 by Hot Banana Press

    ABOUT BRITNEY KING

    Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, a dog named Gatsby, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a peach tree.

    When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

    Without a doubt, she thinks connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here:

    MY BRITNEY KING REVIEWS

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    A Cut Above by Rebekah Dodson @authorrdodson #acutabove

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    Between the cover and the title, I knew I had to grab me a copy of A Cut Above by Rebekah Dodson. It’s a fast read and an interesting plot line. Allison Chase has a condition known as Fatal Familial Insomnia, with the emphasis on FATAL. Since her failure on SuperChefs her life has fallen apart. As her grip on reality falters and chefs start dying, detective Lucas Gray becomes an ally. The more I read, the darker the story became and the more I loved it. The shifting points of view help to see the thoughts and actions of both main characters. There were a couple of bumps along the way, but I would recommed A Cut Above by Rebekah Dodson.

    My thanks go out to Rebekah Dodson for the opportunity to read A Cut Above.

     

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    Allison Chase was on the verge of her dream of winning SuperChefs. A half-million-dollar prize and culinary stardom were finally within her grasp. But when a devastating third-place loss leaves her life in ruins, she’s forced to pick up the pieces in a world that suddenly feels cold and dangerous.

    The disaster doesn’t end when the cameras stop rolling. When her former castmates fall victim to a series of tragedies, Allison realizes someone is settling a score. The only person who seems to believe her is Lucas Gray, a rugged, sharp-eyed detective with a reputation for playing by his own rules. As they team up to uncover who’s “cutting” the competition, the heat between them becomes impossible to ignore.

    In a game where the stakes are life and death, Allison must decide whether she can trust the cop who’s captured her heart or if he’s just another player in a deadly recipe.

    Fans of You by Caroline Kepnes, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, and The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides will enjoy this story of competition gone cutthroat… literally.

    • Genre: Dark Romance, Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
    • 200 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Expected publication March 20, 2026 by Thorned Heart Press

    ABOUT REBEKAH DODSON

    Rebekah Dodson is a prolific word weaver of romance, fantasy, and science fiction novels. Her works include the series Postcards from Paris, The Surrogate, The Curse of Lanval series, several stand alone novels, and her upcoming YA novel, Clock City. She has been writing her whole life, with her first published work of historical fiction with 4H Clubs of America at the age of 12, and poetry at the age of 16 with the National Poetry Society. With an extensive academic background including education, history, psychology and English, she currently works as a college professor by day and a writer by night.

    Website

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    Review – The Loura Lure by James McMahon #jamesmcmahon #thelouralure #AustinMacauleyPublishers

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    The Loura Lure by James McMahon appealed to me because of the elements included in the blurb. Dr Shamus Bergin gets work as a Staff Psychologist in the Secure Treatment Unit of a mental hospital. He is drawn to an amnesiac patient that others have written off. Dr Shamus Bergin had his doubts about whether he should even be there.

    As he investigates the patient’s background, he finds he is blocked at every turn. The patient tells him that he has time traveled from a forgotten Age of Loura looking for members of The Sacred Order Of Keepers to help him locate the last living angel. Once I read about the last living angel, I knew I had to find out more.

    Shamus decides he will take a leap of faith and do what he can to help the patient, Erladok.

    The Loura Lure by James McMahon starts out a bit slow and fills the pages with many details, laying a foundation for future books. The more I learned about Erladok, the more curious I became. I can hardly wait to see what is to come in the next book.

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    Dr. Shamus Bergin lands a coveted position of Staff Psychologist in the Secure Treatment Unit of a mental hospital right out of school. He is soon vexed by an amnesiac patient who defies clinical diagnosis and whom every other doctor has written off. Inconsistencies about the man’s origins intersect with Shamus’s own doubts that the patient even belongs in an institution.

    As his own investigation continues to be met with redacted files and evasion from governmental agencies, the doctor-patient relationship suddenly undergoes a radical shift. The patient discloses that he has time travelled from a forgotten Age of Loura to seek help from modern day members of The Sacred Order of Keepers to find the last living angel. Only the angel can turn the tide in the ultimate struggle between good and evil in this deliberately erased timeline 20,000 years in the past. With his parents tragically lost in a boating accident a decade earlier, Shamus must turn to his one true friend, Dr. John Browse, to make sense of the voices within which are calling him to action.

    With career and grip on sanity at stake, Shamus must decide whether he has succumbed to the delusions of a sick mind or whether he should take a leap of faith and help the man achieve his mission.

    • Genre: Angels, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Supernatural
    • 358 pages, Paperback
    • Published February 2, 2024 by Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

    ABOUT JAMES MCMAHON

    James is a lawyer, inventor, musician and life-long student of the Martial Arts. He and his family travel extensively and share a love for all things ancient. This first book in the series is inspired by an enduring curiosity about the lives lived, and the struggles overcome by ancient societies whose legacies continue to defy modern understanding.ames is a lawyer, inventor, musician and lifelong student of the martial arts.

    Walk amidst the dolmens and stone circles of old and hear the whispers of those who lived there. Magic was everywhere!

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    Review – Harmed And Dangerous by Jasper Bark #jasperbark #crystallakepublishing #harmedanddangerous

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    I am a sucker for a great cover, often grabbing a book for that reason alone, so take a look at Harmed And Dangerous by Jasper Bark. The girl is in shadows, walking into the light. Is that going to be a good thing? The spin Jasper put on the title, Harmed And Dangerous, made me even more curious. He even added an opening illustration. I love when an author goes the extra mile.

    Harmed And Dangerous by Jasper Park is the eighth book in the Bark Bites Horror series, but don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous books. Harmed And Dangerous is a stand alone story.

    How about a location? A remote town in Louisiana. I’m sure nothing can go wrong there.
    How about a young girl, Kyra, on her own, looking for answers to her past?
    How about a little paranormal action going on, Kyra seeing through the eyes of the serial killer that murdered her mother?

    Oh yeah. It checks a lot of boxes for me and I was quickly drawn into the world Jasper Bark created. Delilah was a wonderful surprise and an awesome character. Like Kyra, I saw through the eyes of Billy Ray, the serial killer who had been put to death by lethal injection more than ten years ago.

    Things are not always as they seem and Jasper Bark kept me on my toes, trying to see what was coming before it arrived. I don’t believe I have ever time traveled, like Kyra will. She has one foot in the past and the other in the present. It raises questions like…if you could change the past, would you?

    My thanks go out to Jasper Bark and Crystal Lake Publishing for the opportunity to read Harmed And Dangerous.

    4 Stars

    AMAZON SYNOPSIS

    A Paranormal Thriller for readers of Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due and Grady Hendrix

    Put yourself in Kyra’s place.

    You’re seventeen years old, lost and alone in a remote town in Louisiana. You’re searching for the birth parents you never knew. The heat is crippling. The river often floods, washing houses away and lifting corpses from the ground.

    The locals treat you with suspicion. You don’t belong here. They’re hiding something. All over town, in nooks and hidden alcoves, there’s evidence of a forbidden faith. They keep the old ways here, but no one will tell you what they are.

    There’s an intangible presence following you. Hiding in your peripheral vision. You can’t see, hear or touch it, but you know it’s there, waiting for its chance to claim you. Then the episodes start.

    Your vision goes and when it returns you’re seeing the world as it was fifteen years ago. Physically you’re in the present, but everything you see happened a decade and a half ago.
    Suddenly you realize…

    You’re seeing through the eyes of the serial killer who murdered your birth mother. He takes control of you, forcing you to watch as he stalks and brutally murders her.

    And there’s nothing you can do to stop him. Because he died by lethal injection more than a decade ago.

    ***

    Harmed and Dangerous is the eighth book in the Bark Bites Horror series. A stand-alone story that you can start right away!
    Bark Bites Horror is a spine-tingling series of stand-alone books that take the horror genre to a whole new level. Get ready for a Goosebumps for grown-ups and a sexed-up Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark! This is your favorite new obsession. These are the terror tales you’ve been waiting your whole life to read. The Draw You In trilogy forms books 5 to 7 of Bark Bites Horror.

    This is Horror 2.0, re-gened, re-tooled and recreated for a fearless new audience! Think you’ve seen everything in horror? Think again. Bark Bites takes you places you’ve never been and shows you sights few mortal eyes would dare behold.

    Don’t be the only weird kid on your block to miss out!

    ABOUT JASPER BARK

    Jasper Bark is infectious – and there’s no known cure. If you’re reading this then you’re already at risk of contamination. The symptoms will begin to manifest any moment now. There’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no itching or unfortunate rashes, but you’ll become obsessed with his books, from the award winning collections ‘Dead Air’ and ‘Stuck on You and Other Prime Cuts’, to cult novels like ‘The Final Cut’ and acclaimed graphic novels such as ‘Bloodfellas’ and ‘Beyond Lovecraft’.

    Soon you’ll want to tweet, post and blog about his work until thousands of others fall under its viral spell. We’re afraid there’s no way to avoid this, these words contain a power you are hopeless to resist. You’re already in their thrall and have been since you began reading this bio. Even now you find yourself itching to read the whole of his work. Don’t fight it, embrace the urge and wear your obsession with pride!

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    Review – Patient’s Privilege by Rich Morvillo #richmorvillo #patientsprivilege

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    Amazon / Goodreads

    MY REVIEW

    Well..I’m kinda in shock right now. I thought Patient’s Privilege by Rich Morvillo would be an interesting and mysterious book, and it was. BUT, when I got to the ending, my mind was blown. I fell for all the red herrings that Rich threw my way. Yeah, it could be him. Oh yeah, it could be her. Or him. Or him….

    It begins with Timothy Shea working at a psychiatric clinic in New York. He had been recommended employment by a respected psychiatrist, Abner Reese, the man who, more or less, ran the place. Abner was the only psychiatrist, the rest were psychologists. When Abner’s wife is murdered and he is attacked, the mystery begins. The deeper into the investigation we go, the more muddy the water.

    The biggest hurdle is patient privilege.

    Tim is accused of the murder. Timothy says he has information that could exonerate him, or at least make Abner the target of the investigation, but patient privilege prevents him from sharing the information with the authorities. He encourages the patients to come forward, but blackmail and threats stop them.

    The plot thickens. There’s another murder. A pedophile ring is exposed.

    Tim created a murder board. In my mind I am looking at all the suspects. Is there a conspiracy? I am collecting all the clues, whether still hidden from the police because of patient privilege, or whether Tim was able to find a work around. There is so much I want to say, but in this case, less is more.

    Richard Morvillo offered me a copy. I checked it out, thought it would be a good fit, and I told him to count me in. Want a book with moral and ethical food for thought? How about a mystery that becomes more convoluted the more you read? Sound intriguing? Patient’s Privilege may be for you.

     

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    When Timothy Shea, a clinical psychologist at an elite clinic in New York, is thrust into the middle of a criminal investigation where the circumstantial evidence against him is compelling, he sets out to prove that not only is he innocent, but also that he is being framed. A dark secret involving patients at the clinic, one that implicates well-known psychiatrist Abner Reeves, might be the path to his exoneration, but the patient’s privilege prevents him from disclosing this confidential information. As Timothy tries to work around the privilege, Reeves reveals information to the police that all but seals Timothy’s fate. What unfolds is a roller-coaster ride that pits two strong-willed professionals against one another in a battle to see whose version of the truth will prevail.

    • Genre: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Psychological
    • 296 pages, Paperback
    • Expected publication March 3, 2026 by Subplot

    ABOUT RICH MORVILLO (from Amazon)

    Rich Morvillo resides in Washington, DC with his wife, two children and two dogs. He is the co-head of the White-Collar Defense and Investigations Group at a large international law firm and is nationally recognized in his field. A graduate of Colgate University and Fordham University School of Law, he is a frequent speaker at professional programs and has published various articles on ethics and the law. He also taught a course on professional ethics at Georgetown University School of Law,

    Website

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    Review – The Cyber Sanction by Nicholas Gretener #nicholasgretener #thecybersanctuin

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    MY REVIEW

    I read Nicholas Gretener’s first book and debut novel in the LawForce series, Bending The Arc, and loved the idea of a legal team standing up for the little guy, so I was eager to see where he would take The Cyber Sanction, the second book in the series.

    Law Force is a team of elite lawyers with the full backing of the United States government.

    “They don’t take passengers; they take fighters.”

    “…I wasn’t blindsided because I was careless-I was attacked because I was a threat.”

    I think a lot of our future wars will be held in the cyber world. The world we live in is small. Taking down one country’s financial system can have a domino affect that could spread all over the world.

    We’ll travel from Zurich to Washington to Switzerland to China and back again.

    Listen to that voice in your head. Knock, knock, intuition calling.

    Nicholas Gretener writes novels that are easy to follow, though they deal with the law, banking, and other complicated institutions. Sometimes books are over my head, not so with Nicholas’ novels. He writes in a way that makes everything easy to follow. I will warn you, though, the tension, suspense and pacing can keep you flipping pages, unable to stop reading. There’s danger and betrayal. The scenario reads like a true crime novel. Could this be our future?

    My thanks go out to Nicholas Gretener and Qualitas Publishing.

    4 Stars

    GOODREADS BLURB

    “Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
    U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

    A legal thriller at the confluence of law, banking, and cybercrime.

    In a world where power no longer lies in armies or arsenals, but in algorithms and access, the next great war will be fought across digital frontiers.

    When BostonFirst Bank implodes in a mysterious cyberattack, the financial aftershocks threaten to upend the global economy. The evidence leads to Helvex Financial, a Swiss banking giant—yet deeper still to Zhonghua Capital, a covert Chinese state holding company intent on reshaping the world’s financial order.

    Enter LawForce, a task force of elite lawyers with full U.S. governmental support created to defend justice where traditional systems fail. At its helm stands Steve Shane, a lawyer driven by conscience, and Jonathan Hendrix, the U.S. Attorney General, whose vision for LawForce blurs the line between legality and warfare.

    From Zurich war rooms to Washington boardrooms, from the shadowed servers of Helvex Financial to the mountain passes of Switzerland, The Cyber Sanction hurtles toward a reckoning where truth, technology, and justice collide.

    Blending the tension of a legal thriller with the precision of a geopolitical espionage novel, The Cyber Sanction is a searing exploration of digital warfare, accountability, and the moral cost of justice in an interconnected cyber world.

    The Cyber Sanction—where justice goes global, and every byte can kill.

    • Genre: Fiction, Legal, Suspense, Thriller
    • 406 pages, Kindle Edition
    • Published December 4, 2025 by Qualitas Publishing
    • Series: A LawForce Novel #2

    ABOUT NICHOLAS GRETENER

    Nick is a retired lawyer and engineer, based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He splits his time between Calgary, Canada; Wengen, Switzerland; and Maui, USA.

    He can usually be found writing on a laptop somewhere, skiing down a piste, hiking up a mountain, or rafting down a river in canyon country.

    He is convinced that if people read more, the world would be a better place. It doesn’t always have to be heavy. Read something that will stretch your mind, then enjoy a beach read. Rinse and repeat.

    Website

    MY NICHOLAS GRETENER REVIEWS

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      Review – Willow Rose by M Kevin Hayden #mkevinhayden #willowrose

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      Amazon / Goodreads

      MY REVIEW

      “Yes, Mrs Dodd? Are you feeling better?”

      “Why, yes, I am, thanks to you! I can’t believe how constipated I was.” She waves her hand. “It just hung there…I thought I would just die! I figured, if only I could reach right up there, I could get things moving.”

      OMG. Right out of the gate, M Kevin Hayden had me laughing out loud. I didn’t see anything about humor, when I checked out Willow Rose. I did become curious about the Comet Goodwin, the bull elk that he sees standing in the middle of the road, not looking quite right, and the young girl that comes knocking on his door and a nurse that could lead to a love interest.

      We have a mashup of horror, science fiction and the paranormal. We have an ER doctor needing to get away from his hectic life to a remote cabin in Minnesota. The atmosphere is eerie, mysterious, bloody and gory. Do you believe in monsters? Of aliens or alternate dimensions?

      Willow Rose had its moments, and it did keep me flipping pages, wanting to know what was going on and how M Kevin Hayden would wrap things up.

       

      4 Stars

      GOODREADS BLURB

      For lovers of Stephen Graham Jones, Jeff VanderMeer, and Nick Cutter, Willow Rose is a compulsively readable, literary ode to the terror of the unknown that comes for all of us in the depths of night.

      A knock on the cabin door on indigenous land in the wintry woods of Minnesota.

      Tap tap tap.

      Driving down the boreal roads of rural Minnesota to his one-room cabin after a long ER shift, Dr. Alder’s eyes snap open, his old Civic screaming to a stop in front of a massive bull elk, its head tilting back unnaturally, its maw open. Comet Goodwin, the closest comet to Earth in history, lights up the sky in an otherworldly greenish tint with its long, jagged tail of fire.

      Tap tap tap.

      Alder’s world ignites in a blinding white flash. The car windows shatter inward. The elk is gone.

      If he can get the car started again and get back to his cabin, maybe he can make sense of all this…but first he must survive the frozen silence of the night and the evil that stalks within it.

      We must stay together always.

      • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Supernatural
      • 206 pages, Hardcover
      • Published October 28, 2025 by Muse of the Moon Books

      ABOUT M KEVIN HAYDEN

      M. Kevin Hayden is a novelist from the South Side of Chicago, where he grew up among storefront churches, corner stores, and the quiet echo of stories waiting to be told. His work blends emotional realism with speculative mystery, grounded in memory, place, and the uncanny moments that flicker through ordinary lives.

      His debut, An Old Soul, is a slow-burn tale of love, memory, and unraveling reality set in 1996 Chicago. His second story, Willow Rose, leaves the city for the snowbound wilderness of northern Minnesota, where a weary doctor and a mysterious child confront a cosmic, ancient terror.

      He writes for anyone who has ever felt out of step with the world, hoping his stories offer a sense of connection and wonder. He now lives somewhere quiet, surrounded by trees and the occasional flash of something just beyond the veil.

      Website

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      Review – Dead Woman Walking by Carolyn Arnold @carolynarnold #netgalley #deadwomanwalking

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      Amazon / Goodreads

      MY REVIEW

      Here we are. Back with Amanda Steele in Dead Woman Walking, Book 15, and this time it hits close to home. Amanda’s half brother is dating Christine Lane, a realtor and the murder victim. Carolyn Arnold is quit to set the hook and that is only one of the reasons I love her books so much. She is great at taking us step by step, through the investigation.

      The owner of the house where Christine Lane was found is Dominique Sharp, a lawyer who has a long line of disgruntled employees and so many secrets and a trail that leads to the killer. Could Christine’s murder be a case of mistaken identity?

      Carolyn Arnold has a way with words. The short chapters make for an easy read with the mystery set at a steady pace. She has a way of creating doubt, when it comes to flushing out the villain. She calls in help from characters that appear in other series she writes. So, brace yourself for another great read in the Amanda Steele series.

       

      4 Stars

      GOODREADS BLURB

      Preparing the empty house for another viewing, she knows she’s taking a risk showing it at night. She never told anyone she was here, but she desperately needs this sale. If she pulls it off, she can finally give her daughter the life she deserves. But as she climbs the stairs, goosebumps spread down her arms. She’s not alone…

      When the body of realtor Christine Lane is discovered in one of Woodbridge’s most affluent homes, Detective Amanda Steele is left reeling. The victim was dating Amanda’s half-brother, making him an immediate suspect. They’ve never been close but Amanda knows he’s not a killer.

      As forensics move in to process the crime scene, Amanda is ambushed by a well-dressed woman desperately trying to get inside the house. Dominique Sharp is a successful lawyer and expected her house to be sold by the time she returned from a business trip to DC. Could she have been the intended target?

      Delving into Dominique’s business, Amanda and Trent discover a long line of disgruntled employees and a dark web of secrets that lead them to a killer who will stop at nothing to get their deadly revenge on her.

      But can Amanda take the greatest risk of her career to lure the killer back into the light? And will she have to sacrifice someone close to her to ensure justice is finally served?

      A totally addictive and pulse-pounding crime thriller that will have you turning the pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of Mary Burton, Elle Gray and A. J. Rivers.

      • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural, Suspense, Thriller
      • 337 pages, Kindle Edition
      • Expected publication February 25, 2026 by Bookouture
      • Series: Detective Amanda Steele #15

      ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD

      CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from police procedurals, hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

      Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

      She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

      MY REVIEWS FOR CAROLYN ARNOLD

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      Review – Honor The Believer by Michael P Frame #michaelpframe #austinmacauleypublishers

      Posted on by

      Amazon / Goodreads

      MY REVIEW

      I love books about magic, gods and goddesses, Lucifer and demons, dragons, elves, dwarves and monsters of all kinds, and Honor The Believer has all those things and more. In millennia past, Merlin had created Phoenix Island to hide twenty three demigod children from Zeus’s genocidal purge. They will be training for the time that they will be called forth to take their revenge.

      One demigod was kept apart from the others, and was sent to the monster city of Grimm where he would attend school. Jeremiah is part Celestial god and part Celestial devil. He was adopted by a dragon. Will he be the death of them all…or their savior? Can he learn to control his magic?

      Dark magic and political alliances cause tensions to rise and war is on the horizon. As the character’s tensions rise, so do my own. How long before those that are hidden are discovered?

      I love the diversity of the characters and watching the children grow and develop, preparing themselves to fight the good fight. Good versus evil. Dark versus light. The battles are brutal, the descriptions bringing to life the action. I feel the punches delivered and worry for those who have become my favorites. I may like the dark and dangerous, but I do root for the good guys.

      I want to thank Michel P Frame and Austin Macauley Publishers for the opportunity to share Honor The Believer with you.

      4 Stars

      GOODREADS BLURB

      In humanity’s distant future, magic has returned—violently. After vanishing for millennia, it surged back alongside the Celestials, an alien race once mistaken for gods… or devils. Now, war consumes the solar high-tech armies clash with resurrected monsters, while ancient species like elves, dwarves, and giants ally with humans to hold the line against Lucifer’s dark forces. Above the chaos floats Phoenix Island, a hidden sanctuary created by the legendary wizard Merlin before his death—a place where magic never stopped thriving and where the pursuit of its advancement continues to evolve in isolation, protected by the dying dream of its creator. Jeremiah Drarocca is one of twenty-three demigod children rescued by Phoenix Island during the Celestial Zeus’s genocidal purge against their kind. While the others now live scattered across the island, training for the day they can return to the battlefield and take revenge, Jeremiah is the only one sent to the monster city of Grimm—a place of unpredictable dark magic and uneasy political alliances—to attend school. Jeremiah isn’t like the other demigods—he isn’t like anyone. Within him flows an impossible fusion of both Celestial god and Celestial devil. It’s a contradiction that should not exist, and it’s the reason he was sent to Grimm, the city of monsters, to learn control over the darkness. Adopted by a dragon, Jeremiah struggles with his identity, his staggering power, and the uncertainty of youth. As tensions rise and war looms ever closer, the path his power will carve remains unknown—but it may shape the fate of the entire war. Join Jeremiah as he steps into a school unlike any other—where monsters roam the halls, secrets whisper through enchanted corridors, and one uncertain demigod may hold the key to magic’s future. His journey to understand himself is just beginning.

      • Genre: Angels and Demons, Fantasy, Fiction, Gods and Goddesses, Magic, Teen and Young Adult
      • 985 pages, Kindle Edition
      • Published October 10, 2025 by Austin Macauley Publishers
      • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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      • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
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      • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!
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