Tag Archives: 4 star review

New Release Review – So Close by Sylvia Day @SylDay @SmithPublicity

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I have a paperback with this cover and I love it. The one below is the Amazon US paperback.
This cover is gorgeous and definitely pertains to the story, seeing Lily is front and center.

SO CLOSE by Sylvia Day

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR RELEASES

A LUSHLY GOTHIC NOVEL OF DOMESTIC SUSPENSE

MY REVIEW

First off, doesn’t that cover stop you in your tracks. It sure did me. Then add in all the other goodies, a fabulous story and an award winning author, how could I go wrong. We all know things can happen, our expectations can be dashe, but Sylvia Day caught me from the beginning and kept me til the end. Well done, Sylvia.

His grief knows no bounds. A love he cannot let go. He is obsessed with his wife. Madly in love with his wife. Married to his wife…even in death. He has a charisma that draws women to him like a moth to a flame…and they will get burned.

Witte…so much more than he appears to be. He met with Kane Black, planning on turning down his job offer. He couldn’t resist him either. They have been together for six years. Together, Kane found a reason to go on, to prosper. Witte taught him how to dress for success, protected him, allowed him to pull himself together when he was lost in the pits of despair.

A glimpse. A look of terror. Lily…She is like a Phoenix, risen from the dead. Is she going to burn down the world? What’s the story?

A family more treacherous than any outside enemy.

Things that crawl around in the shadows can never be trusted.

At times I thought it was familiar, but it didn’t take long for Sylvia Day to have me meandering down a convoluted path of betrayal and danger, intrigue and surprise. I love a story I cannot figure out and she kept me guessing.

Told from multiple points of view, the characters are fascinating, good and bad alike. Family means nothing to…most of…them. They have ulterior motives and desires, willing to sacrifice anything to fulfill them. As their true faces are revealed, I am disgusted and delighted.

Some of my favorite characters are Amy, who is a raging alcoholic driven to insanity? Aliyah is someone who would step over a dead body to get to the money. Witte, well, a total surprise and I love him. Can I have one of my own? Kane. We cannot reveal too much or there will be a spoiler alert. The same applies to Lily…and a few other characters who were hidden in the shadows but rose to the surface as we neared the end. They were a pleasant surprise and I cannot wait to read more about them…in a future story. 🙂

I tripped and stumbled over the I and you writing style, so it did affect the pacing of the story. Also, I had no idea this would be a series. That is a good and bad thing, because the story isn’t finished…and by the time I reached the end I was happy it wasn’t, Because I want more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of So Close by Sylvia Day.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

ABOUT SO CLOSE BY SYLVIA DAY

From the #1 USA Today bestselling author of the CrossfireĂ’ saga comes the beginning of a twisty tale of obsession and rage. In SO CLOSE [RĹŤnin House, March 28, 2023], author Sylvia Day takes her fans on a darker and more suspenseful journey than ever before. 

Widower Kane Black is still ruinously married to his late wife, Lily. Grief has hollowed him—until he sees a woman with his wife’s inimitable beauty in Manhattan. Kane takes her home to his towering penthouse, where reminders of Lily are everywhere. Aliyah, Kane’s mother, and Amy, his sister-in-law, are suspicious and distrustful of the new “Lily,” who wields dangerous control over Kane. As Aliyah fights viciously to stay on her family’s throne and Amy spirals deeper into the rage of a woman betrayed too many times, the formidable women in Kane’s life attempt to uncover each other’s secrets. But Kane is happier than he’s ever been and will do anything to stay that way.

The first novel in the thrilling Blacklist Duology, So Close is the propulsive and compelling story that Day’s die-hard fanbase has been waiting for. In this steamy psychosexual thriller, readers will experience Day’s trademark themes of survival and vulnerability on a never-before-seen level of emotional intensity and intrigue. Day’s prose are vividly descriptive and entirely unforgettable – readers of So Close will want to return to the book again and again to re-experience its brilliantly intricate mysteries and scorching love story.

Maxine Hitchcock, Publishing Director of Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House UK), says, “Sylvia Day is an author who has captivated legions of fans across the world. So Close marks a triumphant return of a storyteller at the very height of her powers. In Lily, Aliyah and Amy, Sylvia has created an unholy trinity of women, linked by buried secrets, who circle a man who unquestionably accepts the return of his beloved long-lost wife. She takes us on a thrilling, atmospheric and emotionally intense journey which had me thirsting for the next installment. This is the start of an exciting new chapter for an author with an already glittering career.”

So Close is perfect for fans of Jessica Knoll’s Luckiest Girl Alive and Caroline Kepnes’s You series. This story is domestic suspense with gothic elements in the vein of Rebecca with a cast of strong female trauma survivors who are dangerously committed to never being vulnerable again.

ABOUT THE SYLVIA DAY

Her work has been covered in Time, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, People, the Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, the Associated Press, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly, among others. Her bestselling novel Afterburn / Aftershock was developed into a motion picture by Passionflix and released in November 2017. The documentary following her 2016 world tour, Beyond Words: Sylvia Day, was released in October 2018.

Bestselling titles in Sylvia’s canon include Bared to You, Reflected in You, Entwined with You, Captivated by You, One with You, Wish List, A Touch of Crimson, Eve of Darkness, Seven Years to Sin, and more. The sequel to So Close and the final chapter of the Blacklist Duology will be entitled Too Far.

Connect with Sylvia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, or at www.sylviaday.com

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Review – The Scorned by David Putnam @daveputnam @oceanviewpub

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The Scorned
The Scorned
The Scorned
The Scorned

I first saw The Scorned by David Putnam in a tour. His name was familiar, but when I saw this cover, I was determined to do everything I could to win the giveaway. Karma was on my side, and I won the fabulous package below.

I know I am starting this out of order, but The Scorned by David Putnam is his latest release, so I am going to share that one first. As you can tell, I don’t have all of the other nine, but the main thing is….I have The Disposables, Book I, that I will be reading next.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

First off, The Scorned by David Putnam is Book 10 and I have not read the previous books. The more I read of The Scorned, the more hooked I became and I will be going back to the beginning, The Disposables.

In the opening pages, David Putnam describes something that I find true, living in a tropical climate:

The humidity so thick words hung suspended a moment longer before dissipating.

I love the whole ex-cop, ex-con concept. Books that deal with trafficking in women and children hit home for me. I want to know the villains will get their comeuppance, at least in fiction. All too often, in reality, that does not happen. It does cause all my emotions to come into play.

Bruno Johnson and his bud, Karl Drago will face the villains…head on, raining hell down on them. I felt I knew Bruno, but Karl…it was a pleasure watching him grow and develop into a more complete individual. I would definitely want him on my side…and his crusty dog too.

The characters, even the good ones, do not walk the straight and narrow. Sometimes, to make things right, stepping outside the law is the only answer. Other times, we don’t always have the full story, so rushing to judgment can have you eating crow.

Most of the time, this action packed thriller was full of horrendous happenings, drugged and trafficked women, stolen babies, and meth heads. Other times, the good guys confront them, holding them accountable for their actions, showing no mercy and occasionally, even having some light hearted moments.

The more I read of The Scorned, the more it drew me in, feeling anger and fear, wondering how it will all end and if all my ‘friends’ will remain standing. I missed learning how the characters came to be in the situations we find them in…on the run, evading the law, forced to leave the United States and relocate to Costa Rica, though David Putnam did address it, filling in some of the blanks.

The children…the amazing actions taken to save any and all….

In the beginning, the story had an old time feel to it, the writing style making we wonder if the Bruno Johnson series was really for me. I kept at it and lost myself. I can hardly wait to go back to the beginning, The Disposables, and find out how it all started.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Scorned by David Putnam.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Ex-cop, ex-con Bruno Johnson stumbles into a criminal organization that exploits women and children—he must fight his way out and home

Bruno Johnson is hiding out from the U.S. law in Costa Rica with his pregnant wife, Marie, and the ten kids they rescued from toxic homes in South Central Los Angeles. When Marie encounters a difficult labor and delivery, their good friend Dr. Vargas rescues both her and Bruno’s infant son. So Bruno feels indebted when asked to escort his daughter Layla, a college student in Los Angeles, back home to Costa Rica.

When Bruno arrives in Los Angeles, he finds the problem with Layla is complicated and dire. Layla has fallen in with Johnny, the leader of a vast and notorious criminal empire that exploits women and children. She says she’s had his child and that he has taken the baby.

Bruno enlists the help of his old friend Karl Drago—and his dog, Waldo—to aid in his search for Layla’s baby—a baby her parents disavow. Bruno soon discovers things aren’t as they appear, but he will stop at nothing to save the innocent baby and return to his family and newborn son in Costa Rica—providing he can evade capture while on U.S. soil.

Perfect for fans of Michael Connelly and David Baldacci

While all of the novels in the Bruno Johnson Crime Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

The Disposables
The Replacements
The Squandered
The Vanquished
The Innocents
The Reckless
The Heartless
The Ruthless
The Sinister
The Scorned
The Diabolical (coming 2024)

  • Thriller, Mystery, Internations, Suspense

352 pages, Hardcover

Published February 7, 2023

ABOUT DAVID PUTNAM

Best-selling author David Putnam comes from a family of law enforcement. During his career, he did it all: worked in narcotics, served on FBI-sponsored violent crimes teams, and was cross-sworn as a US Marshall, pursuing murder suspects and bank robbers in Arizona, Nevada, and California. Putnam did two tours on the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s SWAT team. He also has experience in criminal intelligence and internal affairs and has supervised corrections, patrol, and a detective bureau. In Hawaii, Putnam was a member of the real-life Hawaii Five O, serving as Special Agent for the Attorney General investigating smuggling and white-collar crimes.

Putnam lives in Southern California with his wife, Mary.

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Review – Sunshine And Shadow: Exodus, or The Second Transit by Benjamin X Wretlind @bxwretlind #sciencefiction #fantasy

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people on a journey

It doesn’t get easier.

They were promised a new world and got it. Now they’re in a fight for their lives. No one said colonization would be easy.

Sunshine and Shadow

My Journey to the planet Tishbe began with winning The First Transit by Benjamin X Wretlind. Then I was lucky enough to win The Second Transit and a tour for The Third Transit came up, so I got the third book…of this nine book series.

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It all started when Elijah jumped off a cliff to his death, but the gods felt his work wasn’t done. They gave him abilities that led him to take his followers from Earth to paradise….

The ‘happy life’ on Tishbe began to deteriorate when Candice, an eleven year old girl, disobeyed her parents warning…Don’t go in the holes.

The three main characters are Miriam Michaels, Micah and Joel. They had never know Earth, having grown up on Tishbe. As the danger around them rises, so do questions. Why had no one investigated the forests, the mountains, the rest of the planet. Secrets were kept, and we all know that sooner or later, those that kept them would be called out.

The creatures and the planet are vividly described, as a small group venture forth, looking for a new place to live. Not only will they learn about Tishbe, but they will learn about each other. Some will not survive.

The Transit series by Benjamin X Wretlind is a nine book series. Each book I’ve read has been over five hundred pages long. I happily spent hours with the characters, ‘watching’ the story unravel, dodging creatures that want to eat me…I mean them…avoiding dangers as they discover a new place to live, wondering why it was deserted and where the aliens went. The more I read, the more curious I become.

Paradise? Utopia? Sure!

On to All We Leave Behind: Transit Three by Benjamin X Wretlind.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Where do you go when the storms come and your paradise rebels?

On a cold and rainy September afternoon, Father Elijah Jonas convinced his followers to abandon the purgatory that was Earth and travel on faith to a new world. Now, forty years after the most important event in human history no one left on Earth witnessed, the descendants of those who followed Elijah have built a remarkable life. From farms to stables to the mundane of the day, life has been fruitful. But, like many things in life and society, what lies under the surface threatens the future.

As natural disasters and wild dangers claim the human residents on the planet Tishbe, relationships strain, families are torn apart and allegiances are tested. For Miriam Michaels, granddaughter of the eldest elder and man responsible for the societal mores and traditions the community follows, the future is found in the unknown. For young Micah, a scribe-in-training, the present is a confusing array of love and hate with few answers to the myriad of questions which emerge daily. And for Miriam’s cousin, Joel, an engineer determined to follow in the footsteps of his mentors, it is the past which holds answers.

For all of them, the journey from their normal life into the unknown will test the strength and resolve of the community and strain relationships, threatening to destroy the grand vision Father Elijah and his followers had for the future of mankind. In sunshine they were born and in shadow they will pass, but not until they can build the life each of them imagine on a planet far from paradise.

It doesn’t get easier.

ABOUT BENJAMIN X WRETLIND (from Amazon)

Benjamin, a multi-genre author, ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time.

He is the author of the dystopian novel Beneath Gehenna, the psychological horror Castles, Sketches from the Spanish Mustang (literary fiction), Sunset on Maior Pales (a sci-fi western) and other novels and novellas.

Benjamin lives with his wife Jesse in Colorado.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Etsy

MY BENJAMIN X WRETLIND REVIEWS

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Review & Giveaway – Chris Crossed Murder by Lauren Carr @iReadBookTours @TheMysteryLadie

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Book Details:

Book Title:  Chris Crossed Murder (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #4) by Lauren Carr
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +) 
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Acorn Book Services
Release date:   Feb 22, 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13 (Lauren Carr’s books are murder mysteries, so there are murders involved. Occasionally, a murder will happen on stage. There is sexual content, but always behind closed doors. Some mild swearing (a hell or a damn few and far between). No F-bombs!

MY REVIEW

I have been loving the Chris Matheson Cold Case series by Lauren Carr for four books now. I think it would make a fabulous TV series, along the lines of Bones, Castle, or Rizzoli and Iles. I do love humor with my murder, add some unique critters with huge personalities that are a source of amusement, and I feel you can’t go wrong. I think my favorite may be Sterling. He sure does shine in many ways. Also, Thor. What a cutie pie.

Tis the season and there is a mystery to be solved. Will they get it done in time to enjoy the holiday season? I like to think so.

“What would have happened if someone had killed you?”

You Mom and the Geezer Squad would have hunted the bad guy to the ends of the earth and brought the full force of hell down on him.”

That’s an example of Lauren Carr’s writing style that hooks me and keeps me coming back for more in this cold case series. The characters shine and pool their investigative skills under the guise of a book club. The Geezer Squad is on the case, so the villains better beware.

Chris Matheson may be a retired FBI agent, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any dead bodies in his future. The interaction between the characters, human and animal alike, are mixed with murder and danger, with a sprinkle of romance scattered throughout. I laughed, I worried, I got down right angry, but it all worked out in the end…except for the bad guys.

I love cold cases. They tend to creep up on the characters, leading them left, right, up and down and all around. Revenge and greed may be the death of someone, but I’m not telling who. The ending…I loved it. I had some things figured out, but I didn’t know THAT was coming until I got there. What a fabulous surprise and I was left with a feeling of satisfaction for a job well done, Lauren.

There were several bumps in the road, otherwise this would have been a 5 star review.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Chris Crossed Murder by Lauren Carr.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars
“Carr is a master at creating unique, complex plots and colorful characters, both evident in her latest cold case mystery featuring  Chris Matheson and the geezer squad. The plot is twisted, the mystery unique and the ending a surprise. A must-read!” – Review of CHRIS CROSSED MURDER (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery, Book Four) by Marilyn R. Wilson, Author, Speaker, Book Reviewer

“Lauren Carr is among my favorite mystery writers. She knows how to write a fun tale while keeping readers engaged. …I would give Chris Crossed Murder one hundred stars if I could. I believe readers who enjoy reading well-written and clean cozy mysteries will most definitely want to read it. I have no doubt they will enjoy it as much as I did. The fifth installment from A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery series is on my radar for when it releases.” – Review of CHRIS CROSSED MURDER (A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery, Book Four) by Amy Campbell, Locks Hooks and Books
Book Description:
It proves to be a Christmas to remember when the Matheson family receives the horrendous news that Chris Matheson’s body has been found in the woods near an international airport.

Everyone is stunned—especially Chris Matheson.

The mystery deepens when they discover the victim has Chris’s federal agent badge and appears to have been investigating one of his old cases.

The Geezer Squad’s latest case is not only a whodunit but who-got-dun. Is this a case of mistaken identity? Was Chris the intended victim? If not, then they must identify the murder victim to find his killer.

With Christmas days away, join the Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad as they race to piece together the clues to their most puzzling case yet.
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Review – House Of Jaguar by Mike Bond #mikebond #houseofjaguar

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Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“We’re back in Guatemala.” “When we get out this time, I’m going to bag it too.”

But they waited one trip too long and Murphy’s life as a pilot flying marijuana from Guatemala to the States is over.

I’m not going into everything that is in the blurb, but I do remember hearing a lot about the CIA, the cartels, corrupt politicians…on both sides…those with their own agendas. To me, everything about the ‘drug wars’ and the way our government handles it is all wrong. A book like House Of Jaguar gets my emotions roiled. The tragic circumstances of the poor and those who get in the way, makes my heart break for them.

“For two years I do not see a track. Then since you came this one’s been near. He’s very rare, a black one…Tonight after the ceremony I go and call him. Then we’ll have money for more seeds – black skins are the most valuable.”

In tragic, dangerous circumstances, there are those who open their hearts, putting their own lives on the line to help others. Dona is one of those characters and Murphy has the misfortune (?) to fall in love with her. How can it be a happy ever after?

He knows too much and tries to tell the world what is being done to the Guatemalans. It is unfortunate that no one seems to care enough to do anything about it, other than hunt him down and shut him up. He is naive to think the things he does won’t end in a bad way. Lives will be lost, but he cannot help himself. He wants her. He wants to make a difference. He wants to be a good guy. He wants to make a difference.

They kill their own. Psycopaths are turned loose on the innocent. Men turn into animals. The savage violence turns my stomach, pisses me off to no end. Why? What makes them think they are more valuable to the world than the next person? Sometimes I think, do unto others should be done unto them. You reap what you sow. You take a life, you have to give one…yours!

Violence, tragedy, intensity, emotions…The author has lived them and it shows in the story he tells. I don’t read books like House Of Jaguar too often any more. They make me soooo angry, frustrated and disturbed because it seems like we, as a people, never learn and history does repeat itself…over and over again.

The ending….

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of House Of Jaguar by Mike Bond.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Shot down over the jungle with a planeload of marijuana, Vietnam War hero Joe Murphy gets caught up in the brutal Guatemalan Civil War when he witnesses an attack on a Mayan village by the Guatemalan Army and its CIA “advisors”. Badly injured, he escapes on a nightmare trek through the jungle, hunted by the Army, the CIA, and death squads.

Healed by guerrilla doctor Dona Villalobos, he falls in love with her and tries to save her from the War’s widening horror of insanity, tragedy, and death. Caught in the crucible of violence and love, he learns the peaks and depths the human heart can reach, and what humans will do for, and to,each other.

Based on the author’s own experiences as one of the last foreign correspondents left alive in Guatemala after over 100 journalists had been killed by Army death squads.

This interview with Mike Bond lasts for 30+ minutes.

ABOUT MIKE BOND

MIKE BOND has been called the “master of the existential thriller” by the BBC and “one of the 21st century’s most exciting authors” by the Washington Times. He is a bestselling novelist, environmental activist, international energy expert, war and human rights correspondent and award-winning poet who has lived and worked in many remote and dangerous parts of the world. His critically acclaimed novels depict the innate hunger of the human heart for what is good, the intense joys of love, the terror and fury of battle, the sinister vagaries of international politics and multinational corporations, and the beauty of the vanishing natural world.

Website

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Giveaway & Review – Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm @ireadbooktours @authorjoannaelm

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 Book Details:


Book Title:  Fool Her Once (A Novel) by Joanna Elm
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 416 pages 
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  CamCat Books
Release date:   Feb, 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. There’s adultery, language, some sexual content, and violent crime, but no explicit descriptions of the crimes.

MY REVIEW

I love the great cover for Fool Her Once and it fits the story. The dark and eerie cover fits the description of the characters inside. It seems they all have secrets they want kept.

Jenna Sinclair’s life is a convoluted mess. Jenna bounces between two men. She does have a knack for tracking people down and now that her past seems to be knocking at her door, she will have to find the answers for herself.

When Ryan is attacked outside her building, she believes that Denny Dennison’s son has come to make her pay for outing him and ruining his life. But, Jenna and Ryan had recently done an expose on restaurants, so the list of suspects is long. I do believe Joanna Elm threw a red herring my way, diverting me from a line of questioning that may have revealed the true villain before she gave me the answer.

She had outed a serial killer’s son, and now she thinks he has come back for revenge. Can killer genes be inherited, making someone evil? Can the children of serial killers become serial killers themselves? Bad genes, bad seeds?

She is married to Zack and has a daughter by him. Dollie sides with her father, but with an absentee mother, always at work in the city, that makes sense.

My thoughts were right and wrong at the same time. How wonderful for the story. What a great twist. I know the truth, but Jenna does not and does her own research, leaving no stone unturned. As the truth unfolds, I can’t help but smile. I love when I don’t have all the answers for myself and need some assistance from the author.

As I am nearing the end, my feelings for Jenna change. I am thinking she is an idiot. I can’t explain more, but I felt I gave her too much credit, believing she was clever, would find the answers and make the right choice.

Then, Jenna and Joanna Elm redeemed themselves in a big way. I guess we humans see what we want to see, trying to make the best of a bad situation. I wonder what you would think?

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

Book Description:

Some killers are born. Others are made.

As a rookie tabloid reporter, Jenna Sinclair made a tragic mistake when she outed Denny Dennison, the illegitimate son of an executed serial killer. So she hid behind her marriage and motherhood. Now, decades later, betrayed by her husband and resented by her teenage daughter, Jenna decides to resurrect her career—and returns to the city she loves.

When her former lover is brutally assaulted outside Jenna’s NYC apartment building, Jenna suspects that Denny has inherited his father’s psychopath gene and is out for revenge. She knows she must track him down before he can harm his next target, her daughter.

Meanwhile, her estranged husband, Zack, fears that her investigative reporting skills will unearth his own devastating secret he’d kept buried in the past.

From New York City to the remote North Fork of Long Island and the murky waters surrounding it, Jenna rushes to uncover the terrible truth about a psychopath and realizes her own investigation may save or destroy her family.
Buy the Book:
CamCat Books
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add to goodreads

Meet the Author:

Joanna Elm is an author, journalist, blogger, and attorney. Before the publication of her first two suspense novels (Scandal, Tor/Forge 1996); (Delusion, Tor/Forge/1997), she was an investigative journalist on the London Evening News on Fleet Street in the U.K. She also wrote for British magazines like Woman’s Own.

Then, she moved to New York where she worked as a writer/producer for television news and tabloid TV programs like “A Current Affair.” She was also the researcher/writer for WNEW-TV’s Emmy-award-winning documentary “Irish Eyes.” In 1980, she joined the Star as a reporter, eventually becoming the magazine’s news editor and managing editor before moving to Philadelphia as editor of the news/features section of TV Guide.

After completing her first two novels while living in South Florida, (Nelson DeMille described Scandal as “fresh, original and unpredictable”) Joanna returned to New York, enrolled in law school, graduated summa cum laude, passed the NY Bar exam, and worked as a principal law clerk for an appellate division justice in the prestigious First Department. She has been married to her husband Joe for 35 years and has one son.

connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ twitter ~ bookbub ~ goodreads
FOOL HER ONCE Book Tour Giveaway



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Review – Murder’s Legacy by Anita Dickason @anita_dickason #historicalfiction #cozymystery

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I am soooo excited to get my hands on a copy of Murder’s Legacy by Anita Dickason.

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

An awareness, a sense something was amiss trickled through Tori Winters.

First off, I love the cover. It surely hints at the story inside Murder’s Legacy. The clock is ticking on Tori Winter’s plan to convert the mansion she inherited after her grandmother’s murder to a B&B. There are those who wish to stop the renovation and condemn the property. The reason? Secrets are about to be exposed.

A mystery is afoot and it will take Tori and all of her friends to solve it. I have come to love this group of women who have come together, not only as friends, but as business partners. Each has something special to offer, and Tori is constantly amazed at how they have become a cohesive unit, the ladies going above and beyond anything she could have anticipated. They are fun, determined, and I am so happy to be with them again.

The danger is insidious, the villain, or villains, not immediately apparent. Power corrupts, twisted to serve those who have ulterior motives. The villains did not anticipate all those who would come to her aid. Those who will protect her and expose them.

Red Door Inn is officially a business. Tori is the owner, Mia the General Manager, Heidi is Director of Operations, Cammis is the Culinary Director and Tina is the Advertising Director. Tori is the wealthy owner, but believes in sharing her wealth. They will become partners.

Do I see romance on the horizon?

Anita Dickason’s bio helps show why she is able to make it look so easy to write a fabulous mystery. She is able to develop complex characters who come to life through the written word. I like to try and place myself into character’s situations and wonder what I would do.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Secrets that defy time!

An inconceivable disaster strikes, bringing Tori Winters’ plans to turn her historic house into a bed and breakfast inn to a traumatic standstill. A section of the escape tunnel built by her great-grandfather, a notorious Dallas gangster, collapses. Within the rubble, there is a gruesome discovery. A skeleton with a bullet hole in the skull.

The shocking cave-in sparks more than a police response. Accusations that the tunnel is dangerous triggers an ominous scheme to condemn her property.

Tori soon discovers more than the destruction of her beloved house is on the line. It seems she can’t escape the past. It keeps clawing its way into her life with deadly consequences.

Someone wants to permanently shut her down.

ABOUT ANITA DICKASON

Anita Dickason

Code Name: Trackers: The elite of the elite. FBI agents, each with a secret, an extra edge, that defies reason and logic.

Characters with unexpected skills—that extra edge for overcoming danger and adversity—have always intrigued Anita. Adding an infatuation with ancient myths and legends of Native American Indians, and Scottish and Irish folklore creates the backdrop for her characters.

Anita is a retired Dallas Police Officer. During—what she refers to as an extraordinary career—Anita served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics officer, advanced accident investigator, and SWAT entry/sniper.

Upon retirement, she became involved in a research project that dealt with the death of a witness to the Kennedy assassination. The research led to her first book, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy, that details the results of her reconstruction of a 1966 motor vehicle accident that killed Lee Bowers, Jr., a key witness to the assassination.

Once the Bowers book was written, Anita reached the same point many authors ultimately face: I’ve written it, now what do I do? Answering that question has become another career, one she has wholeheartedly embraced. The publishing field is in a constant state of flux, offering unlimited possibilities for an author, but also endless landmines.

Anita started a new company, Mystic Circle Books & Designs LLC, offering cover design and manuscript services. In addition to her works as an author, she enjoys helping other authors see their dream become a reality.

Website / Twitter

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Review & Giveaway – Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen @nancyjcohen #cozymystery #StarTangledMurder #NetGalley @dollycas

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Star Tangled Murder (Bad Hair Day Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
18th in Series
Setting – Florida
Orange Grove Press (March 14, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 284 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1952886252
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1952886256
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BQS68WS7

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have read a couple of Nancy Cohen’s Bad Hair Day mysteries and really enjoyed them. They are fun and educational. I love the location is set in Florida and we are visiting Pioneer Village, a living history village. There will be a reenactment of a Seminole battle (a massacre really). Nancy Cohen has me surfing the web, checking out all the historical tidbits and locales she shares.

Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen takes place over the Fourth of July weekend. The celebration will be marred by the death of the town marshal with a tomahawk to his head. It’s too obvious for it to be the shaman of the village, but he still has to be checked out.

Marla Vail has a hair salon and day spa…but still manages to be an amateur sleuth, though Star Tangled Murder is her eighteenth mystery to be solved. Be careful when you venture out with her. You never know what might happen. There may even be a treasure involved.

We learn some Indian history, how to make a fire, we learn a little about dolls and hats, how buttons came into being…want to know why men and women button their clothing from opposite sides? I went from reading to surfing the web, back to reading. I was so curious, I couldn’t help myself. Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen deserves a star for that alone.

You never know when inspiration may strike, and Nancy Cohen found her inspiration for Pioneer Village (which is a real place in Florida) from Yesteryear Village. She shares some wonderful recipes at the end of the book, so you may want to whip something up before you start the mystery, because it will keep you reading until you solve the mystery.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Hairstylist Marla Vail and her husband get tangled up in murder when their Fourth of July visit to a living history village ends with a bang—and a body.

Salon owner Marla Vail and her detective husband Dalton are having a blast visiting a Florida living history village over Fourth of July weekend. But when a Seminole battle reenactment turns up a real dead body, it sets off fireworks among the villagers. One of the cast members has gone off script to murder the town marshal with a tomahawk in his head.

As Dalton gets involved in the investigation, Marla determines to help him solve the case. Her flare for uncovering secrets reveals that everyone in the village is a suspect. Instead of celebrating the holiday with red, white, and barbecues, she discovers secrets, lies, and false avenues. Did the marshal’s murder have anything to do with a lost Confederate payroll, or did his plans to renovate the park light a fuse that he couldn’t snuff out?

In a place where history comes alive, the dead bodies are piling up. Marla would rather be chilling and grilling, but somebody’s mind is on killing. If she’s not careful, her sleuthing might blow up in her face like a faulty firecracker and she’ll become the next victim. Recipes Included!

“Another delightful installment … Star Tangled Murder finds Marla facing more changes in her life as she investigates a murder that connects to history while she balances motherhood, the salon, and sleuthing.” Readers’ Favorite

BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle   Amazon Print   Apple Books    BN Nook    BN Print    Google Play    Kobo    Books2Read    IndieBound   Smashwords   Goodreads  BookBub 

ABOUT NANCY J COHEN

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers’ Favorite gold medal, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy’s instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won a gold medal at the President’s Book Awards from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys cooking, fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping.

Author Links:

MY NANCY J COHEN REVIEWS

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New Release Review – Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado #netgalley @JuanGomezJurado

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Because of the information at the end of the book, after this story is finished, I felt a need to share William Blake’s “The Tyger.” Blake is having a discussion with Evil in the form of the tiger.

The Tyger

By William Blake

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, 

In the forests of the night; 

What immortal hand or eye, 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies. 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat.

What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp.

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears 

And water’d heaven with their tears:

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

In the forests of the night:

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Blake, William. “The Tyger.” â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹Songs of Experience. â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹Facsimile reproduction of the 1794 illuminated manuscript, published by The William Blake Trust and the Tate Gallery, 2009, in â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The title Red Queen made me curious, but it was not what I expected. The author is unfamiliar to me, but the cover made me curious, with #1 International bestseller. Then, I read the blurb, and thought this could be a winner for me. And boy was it. Antonia Scott was so much more than I expected and I love that her ‘partner’ is a disgraced police officer. I love when a characters can find redemption, and I feel he will.

Antonia Scott allows herself to think of suicide no more than three minutes a day.

Does that intrigue you? It sure did me. Why did she think of suicide at all? Isn’t she a gifted forensic investigator? A personal tragedy leaves her with a heavy sense of guilt that she cannot escape. I am not going to tell you why. You will have to discover that for yourself.

Inspector Jon Gutierrez is a disgraced police officer, suspended from work. He has always been harassed because of being gay in a male driven society. He loves to cook. He is not fat, just rock solid. I think a lot of cooks love to eat. For others, like me, it is more like fuel. He has been tasked with bringing Antonia out of her self imposed isolation and has no idea what he is coming his way.

“My brain…isn’t normal. I can do things others find impossible.”

When I found the reason for that, I had ambivalent feelings. I guess, if it was what she wanted, who am I to judge.

Red Queen started out slow for me, but I think that is Juan Gomez Jurado’s way of preparing me for what is to come. The only problem I had was when he went back and forth between Jon and Inspector Gutierrez. It was early in the book and took me a little while to go with it and quit questioning whether he was talking about two people instead of one.

‘You sacrifice a pawn for the sake of continuing the game. Because the only thing that matters is to keep on playing.’

As we delve into the mystery, the suspense slowly rises. The story deepens. The sacrifices are costly, the players out for themselves

When Jon brings a rubber plant to her place, trying to make the barren room feel like a home, I cracked up. And…well, I can’t say. I will say this, though, the story kept getting better, the characters more real, foibles and all.The last quarter or more of the book was unputdownable. My desire to know them better, to work another case with them, intrigued me.

After the story is over, Juan Gomez Jurado shared some information that had me going to the internet to find out more for myself. Now…that is the sign of a great writer.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Introducing Antonia Scott – the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander – in the international bestselling thriller that has taken the world by storm.

Red Queen is the first book in a trilogy that has sold over 2 million copies in Spain, sold to seventeen countries, and is the basis of an Amazon streaming series to debut in 2023.

Antonia Scott—the daughter of a British diplomat and a Spanish mother—has a gifted forensic mind, whose ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. But after a personal trauma, she’s refused to continue her work or even leave her apartment.

Jon Gutierrez, a police officer in Bilbao—disgraced, suspended, and about to face criminal charges—is offered a chance to salvage his career by a secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature. All he has to do is succeed where many others have failed: Convince a recalcitrant Antonia to come out of her self-imposed retirement, protecting her and helping her investigate a new, terrifying case.

The case is a macabre, ritualistic murder—a teen-aged boy from a wealthy family whose body was found without a drop of blood left in it. But the murder is just the start. A high-ranking executive and daughter of one of the richest men in Spain is kidnapped, a crime which is tied to the previous murder. Behind them both is a hidden mastermind with even more sinister plans. And the only person with a chance to see the connections, solve the crimes and successfully match wits with the killer before tragedy strikes again…is Antonia Scott.

ABOUT JUAN GOMEZ JURADO

Juan GĂłmez-Jurado (December 1977 Madrid, Spain) is an award winning journalist and bestselling author. He is one of the three most successful contemporary Spanish authors along with New York Times bestselling authors Javier Sierra and Carlos Ruiz ZafĂłn. In 2016, Juan celebrated the mark of 6 million readers worldwide.

Juan is the author of nine international bestselling novels: GOD’S SPY, THE MOSES EXPEDITION, THE TRAITOR’S EMBLEM, THE LEGEND OF THE THIEF, SCAR, RED QUEEN, BLACK WOLF and WHITE KING. They have been translated into more than 40 languages. He is also the author of the young adult science-fiction series, ALEX COLT SPACE CADET.

Juan is an avid reader and traveller. He lives in Spain with Sam, his bad behaviored dog.

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Review – Forgotten Memories by Amanda Siegrist @amanda_siegrist

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It is wonderful to be back in Lucky Town, visiting familiar characters and meeting new ones.

Sometimes our perceptions of ourselves and others is skewed by our past. That is the case for Cherry And Bolt. They both carry baggage, some true, some not. Everyone makes mistakes and deserves second chances. One character that stood out and I hope will find redemption is Evan. He’s only a peripheral character, but he hangs around the edges of the story.

Small town life means everyone knows what everyone else is doing and has done. Lucky Town is still recovering from the devastation the drug trade had heaped on them. Pepper is still reeling from the evil her twin sister, Lillian, spread through town, almost killing her. Is that why the town still keeps her at a distance?

Now, another sister, Cherry, is in town and wanting to meet. It’s ‘funny’ that the town seems to accept her so easily, with her ability to draw people to her like a butterfly to a flower. Pepper is rough around the edges and Cherry is smooth as silk.

Their meet cute was inst….attraction, though they fight it. They don’t immediately fall into bed together, but, I think we all know it is going to happen. The when and how is what’s in question. Cherry had never planned on moving to Lucky Town, just passing through after meeting her sister, and starting a new life somewhere else. Where? She hadn’t figured that out yet. BUT…there is always a but in romantic suspense. Her past has followed her to Lucky Town, but it wasn’t what I thought. I love when I don’t get it right.

A war has been waged on the town and I have become invested in the characters, so any loss will be tragic.

Every time I think Amanda Siegrist and Lucky Town can’t surprise me, Amanda takes it up a notch. I love that she can keep me on my toes, get me totally involved in the story and leave me wanting more. I wonder what my next visit to Lucky Town will bring, who I will meet, and what danger they will bring with them.

The Lucky Town stories can stand alone, but I recommend beginning at the beginning. 🙂

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Forgotten Memories by Amanda Siegrist.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
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.

She isn’t looking for trouble…

Despite being a city girl, Cherry Chapman could get used to the small-town life. Not that she’s welcome in Lucky. She only wants to meet her half-sister, Pepper, and get to know her, not stir up a hornet’s nest. So far, the only person welcoming her is Deputy Bolten, and at times, she feels even he doesn’t trust her. The way things are going, she’s going to need more than just his kindness. She’s going to need his help. But if he doesn’t trust her, how can she trust him with the problems that followed her to town?

While the past year has been a rough one, Bolt is trying to move forward. When Cherry comes crashing into their town with her sweet and innocent nature, he can’t help but be wary—and attracted to her. The more he gets to know her, the more he wants to help her. He knows something is going on, but no matter how hard he tries, she won’t confide in him. He’s failed before—getting shot is proof of that—but he vows not to fail again. He’ll protect Cherry at all costs, even if that means being on the opposite side of his friends.

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
Deadly Memories (Book 4): Deke & Charlotte
Forgotten Memories (Book 5): Bolt & Cherry

ABOUT AMANDA SIEGRIST

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*

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