Giveaway & Review – The Root of Murder by Lauren Carr @TheMysteryLadie @iReadBookTours

Posted on September 24, 2019 by fundinmental

MY REVIEW

Even though I have only read Book III, Killer in the Band, in the Lovers in Crime Mystery Series, I had no trouble reading Book IV, The Root of Murder. Lauren Carr’s books read as stand alones that have recurring characters.

The title and cover were aptly chosen, as the bases of the murder goes back to the beginning, or the root of the secret and all that comes after.

Of course, Lauren Carr has some fabulous characters, people, villains and fur babies, that crack me up with their antics.

Poppy. I am so happy to read her story. She’s a good person, dealt a bad hand, but nothing stops her from moving on. She will be a great addition to the Thornton family.

Poppy’s faith and belief in things working out the way they are meant to be makes for a heartwarming, uplifting romance.

Gulliver, Ollie & Charley are unique characters with big personalities, bringing plenty of smiles and chuckles to the story. Once you meet them, I don’t think you’ll forget them.

Irving and Admiral are great manipulators and good for some chuckles at their antics.

Two murders with a spin that increases the suspect pool. And, of course, all the things that need to be dealt with in the normal world.

Animals and people alike are great and I love visiting them all as their lives grow fuller, richer.

Well, another happy ever after filled with romance, murder and intrigue, friendship and family, suspense and mystery, and characterless that will filled my heart with uplifting moments and humor.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copyof The Root of Murder by Lauren Carr.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

BOOK DETAILS

Book Title: The Root of Murder (A Lovers in Crime Mystery #4) by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 332 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: March 20, 2019
Format available for review: print, Audible download, mobi, epub, PDF
Will send print books out: USA & Canada
Tour dates: September 9 to October 25, 2019
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!

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Homicide Detective Cameron Gates learned long ago that there is no such thing as a typical murder case. Each mystery is special in its own right—especially for the family of the victim.The homicide of a successful executive, husband, and father seems open and shut when the murder weapon is found in his estranged son-in-law’s possession. The circumstantial evidence is so damning that when her step-son, J.J. Thornton, agrees to act as the defendant’s public defender, he assumes his first murder case will be a loss. Only the report of a missing husband proves that this case is not as open and shut as it seems. Strap on your seat belts for a wild ride in this mystery rooted in decades of deception that sprouts into murder. Fall in Love with These Other Lovers in Crime Mysteries:

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

Dead on Ice is the first installment of Lauren Carr’s new series (Lovers in Crime) featuring Hancock County Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton and Pennsylvania State Police homicide detective Cameron Gates.

Spunky Cameron Gates is tasked with solving the murder of Cherry Pickens, a legendary star of pornographic films, whose body turns up in an abandoned freezer. The case has a personal connection to her lover, Joshua Thornton, because the freezer was located in his cousin’s basement. It doesn’t take long for their investigation to reveal that the risqué star’s roots were buried in their rural Ohio Valley community, something that Cherry had kept off her show business bio. She should have kept her hometown off her road map, too—because when this starlet came running home from the mob, it proved to be a fatal homecoming.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

When Homicide Detective Cameron Gates befriends Dolly, the little old lady who lives across the street, she is warned not to get lured into helping the elderly woman by investigating the unsolved murder of one of her girls. “She’s senile,” Cameron is warned. “It’s not a real murder.”
Such is not the case. After Dolly is brutally murdered, Cameron discovers that the sweet blue-haired lady’s “girl” was a call girl, who had been killed in a mysterious double homicide.

Meanwhile, Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Thornton is looking for answers to the murder of a childhood friend, a sheriff deputy whose cruiser is found at the bottom of a lake. The deputy had disappeared almost twenty years ago while privately investigating the murder of a local prostitute.

It doesn’t take long for the Lovers in Crime to put their cases together to reveal a long-kept secret that some believe is worth killing to keep undercover.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

You can see my REVIEW HERE

GOODREADS BLURB

Summer has arrived! The Thorntons expect it to be a summer of change and change it does, but not in the way Joshua had expected.

Joshua’s eldest son, Joshua Thornton Jr. (J.J.) has graduated at the top of his class from law school and is returning home to spend the summer studying for the bar exam. However, to Joshua’s and Cameron’s shock and dismay, J.J. decides to move into the main house at Russell Ridge Farm, the largest dairy farm in the Ohio Valley, in order to rekindle a romance with Suellen Russell, the lovely widow twice his age.

The May/December romance, bonded by a love for music, between the symphony conductor and young musical prodigy had bloomed many years earlier.

The move brings long buried tensions between the father and son to the surface–not the least of which being J.J.’s inexplicable dislike for his stepmother Cameron. But when a brutal killer strikes, the Lovers in Crime must set all differences with Joshua’s son aside to solve the crime before J.J. ends up in the cross-hairs of a murderer. Meet the author: With over forty years of writing and publishing experience, international best-selling author Lauren Carr has played an active role in the revolution of independent authors.

While studying for her college degree in English and journalism, Lauren worked as an editor and layout design artist with the federal government in Washington, DC. It was there that Lauren learned the foundations necessary for book publishing.

Lauren’s debut mystery, A Small Case of Murder was a finalist for the Independent Publisher Book Awards. On the heels of that success, she accepted an offer from a traditional publisher for A Reunion to Die For.

When it came time to publish her third book, Lauren rejected offers from two traditional publishers, choosing instead to independently publish It’s Murder, My Son, which made it to #1 in sales on Amazon in cozy mysteries. She has never regretted her decision to become an independent author.

Realizing that she could use her experiences to help other writers achieve their dreams to become published authors, Lauren established Acorn Book Services, offering professional services to independent authors.

The international best-selling author of over twenty-five murder mysteries, Lauren has gone on dozens of virtual blog tours (most with iRead Book Tours!) and has seen first-hand that how an author publishes is irrelevant to success. The key is exposure to potential readers. Virtual blog tours are an excellent avenue for book promotion. Book spotlights, reviews, author guest posts and interviews are forever, unlike in-person book events, which become a memory as soon as they have finished.

With her vast experience, it seemed only natural for Lauren Carr to jump at the opportunity to join the iReads Book Tours team. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in West Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

You can usually find Lauren plotting her next murder mystery in her writer’s studio on her mountaintop. Visit Lauren’s website https://mysterylady.net/ to learn more about her murder mysteries, Acorn Book Services, and now iReads Book Tours!

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

Sept 9 –  Rockin Book Reviews – review of The Root of Murder / guest post /
  Lovers in Crime series spotlight / giveaway
Sept 9 – Working Mommy Journal – review The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 9 – Amy’s Booket List – review The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 10 – The Quirky Romantic – review of The Root of Murder / author interview / giveaway
Sept 10 – Hall Ways Blog – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 10 – Life as Leels – review of Dead on Ice
Sept 11 – Literary Flits – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 11 – My Reading Journeys – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Sept 12 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – book spotlight / giveaway
Sept 12 –  A Fountain of Books – review of Dead on Ice
Sept 12 – Bound 4 Escape – review of Killer in the Band (audible) / giveaway
Sept 13 – Words and Peace – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Sept 16 – Svetlana’s Reads and Views – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Sept 16 – Working Mommy Journal – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 16 – Amy’s Booket List – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Sept 17 – Hall Ways Blog – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 17 –  Laura’s Interests – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Sept 18 – Literary Flits – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Sept 18 – Read and Review – book spotlight / guest post
Sept 18 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – review of The Root of Murder / series spotlight
Sept 19 – #Redhead.with.Book – Lovers in Crime Series book spotlight / giveaway
Sept 19 – Life as Leels – review of Real Murder
Sept 20 – Locks, Hooks, and Books – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Sept 20 – Nighttime Reading Center – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 23 – Amy’s Booket List – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 23 – Christa Reads and Writes – review of The Root of Murder / series spotlight / giveaway
Sept 24 – Fundinmental – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 24  A Fountain of Books – review of The Real Murder
Sept 25 – Library of Clean Reads – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 25  Laura’s Interests – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 26 – FUONLYKNEW – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Sept 26 – Mystery Suspense Reviews – review of The Root of Murder / guest post
Sept 27 – Locks, Hooks, and Books – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 30 – Amy’s Booket List – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Sept 30 – Svetlana’s Reads and Views – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Sept 30 – Life as Leels – review of The Root of Murder
Sept 30 – Older & Smarter? – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 1 – Bound 4 Escape – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Oct 1 – Dab of Darkness – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Oct 2 – Literary Flits – review of Real Murder
Oct 3 – Books for Books – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Oct 3 –  My Reading Journeys – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Oct 4 – Locks, Hooks, and Books – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Oct 7 – Bound 4 Escape – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Oct 8 –  A Fountain of Books – review of Killer in the Band
Oct 9 – I’m All About Books – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Oct 9 – Kristin’s Novel Cafe – review of The Root of Murder
Oct 10 – Books for Books – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Oct 10 – Svetlana’s Reads and Views – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Oct 10 – Locks, Hooks, and Books – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 11 – Pause for Tales – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 14 – Celtic Lady’s Reviews – Lovers in Crime series spotlight / giveaway
Oct 14 –  My Reading Journeys – review of The Root of Murder / guest post / giveaway
Oct 15 – Dab of Darkness – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Oct 15 – Bound 4 Escape – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 16 – A Fountain of Books – review of The Root of Murder / author interview
Oct 17 – Books for Books – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Oct 18 – B for Bookreview – Lovers in Crime series book spotlight / author interview
Oct 21- Nighttime Reading Center – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 21 – Laura’s Interests – review of The Root of Murder / guest post / giveaway
Oct 22 – Dab of Darkness – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 22 – Books Are Love – review of Dead on Ice / giveaway
Oct 23 – Books Are Love – review of Real Murder / giveaway
Oct 23 – Books for Books – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 24 – JBronder Book Reviews – review of The Root of Murder / series spotlight / giveaway
Oct 24 – Books Are Love – review of Killer in the Band / giveaway
Oct 25 – Jypsylynn – review of The Root of Murder
Oct 25 – Adventurous Jessy – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 25 – Books Are Love – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway
Oct 25 – Svetlana’s Reads and Views – review of The Root of Murder / giveaway

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MY LAUREN CARR REVIEWS

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Monday Mini – A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney @KerryDenney

Posted on September 23, 2019 by fundinmental

A Might Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney is another one of those books that slipped through the crack. I finished reading it on 11.14.16 and loved it. Soooo…here we go.

Love the fabulous cover by Nicolle Brown Designs.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney starts out so nice…but it quickly turns into a run for her life for Livy…enter Conor, a guy with no memory…

At 17% it hit me…I have had those same thoughts. What would I do? How far would I be willing to go if the shit hit the fan? Lawlessness, fear, hunger, need desire…The Rapture…the people are gone, just vanished.

Could you imagine talking to your dog, yeah, I know you already do, but what if he really understood you…and talked back?

Victor, oh yeah, he’s the villain and he wants to rule the world and would do anything to make it happen. Power, he wants it.

Free will. Do you choose to share joy or sorrow? Hope or despair? Love or damnation?

I enjoy a desolate world with a cast of characters that must band together to survive. Throw in some magic (?), and I am in heaven. Too bad these guys weren’t, but it sure did make for a great story because of it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney.

GOODREADS BLURB

The end of the world is just the beginning of the terror…

Spring, 2024: Two spirit hordes break through from another dimension, and make half the world’s population vanish. The spirits possess the survivors, dividing them into two groups: those who fight to retain their humanity, and marauders who destroy everything in their paths.

Artist Livi DeSilva is fleeing from possessed killers when she meets Conor McLain, a man suffering from amnesia. Outnumbered and outgunned, Livi and Conor team up and fight off homicidal lunatics and ruthless gangs, only to end up cornered by their deadliest foe: billionaire Victor van Danz, a psychopath who commands the new world’s dark forces. Victor craves immortality, and kidnaps Livi. He believes that when he kills Livi in front of her collection of canvases and absorbs her life energy, he will transform into a god.

With only Conor, two amazing dogs, and a band of plucky children to aid her, Livi must harness the power of the spirits inside her and use it to defeat Victor — or die in the clutches of a madman.

Stalk Kerry Alan Danney at the links below:

MY KERRY ALAN DENNEY REVIEWS

Marionettes

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Giveaway & Review – Eye For An Eye by J K Franko @jk_franko @partnersincr1me

Posted on September 20, 2019 by fundinmental

Eye for Eye

by JK Franko

on Tour July 22 – September 20, 2019

MY REVIEW

Talion: ex talionis – the law of talion – punishment of an injury by inflicting a similar injury on the offender, an injury similar in kind and degree.

Love the cover for Eye for Eye by J K Franko. Sure does foreshadow what’s inside!

It started thirty years ago, with the death of Joan, an eleven year old girl that only wanted to have fun at summer camp.

Now…we come to a spoiled rotten kid The scenario is one that always ticks me off royally. Can do the crime, but will do anything not to do the time. And so would his father, the Senator. I think we all know where that’s going. But… a ‘chance’ meeting and a plan is born.

Someone has to pay!

Want to commit a murder? Let’s start with PH1, the guidebook.

As the characters play their roles, I think I see where we’re going. HAH! Was I in for an awakening. The suspense came early and I was eager ‘to turn every page’. But police procedurals and psychological thrillers usually don’t make me have an intense feeling of danger,and urgency like dark, action packed, suspense thrillers. Maybe I’ m more of an adrenaline junky, even though I prefer to get my thrills through osmosis.

Everyone has secrets and as they are revealed are marvel at J K Franko’s imagination. He too Stranger on a Train and blew it away.

Manipulation, betrayal, distrust, anger, vengeance, love, devotion…

A stupendous surprise ending and I loved every minute of it. It put a smile on my face and that may expose a piece of my personality. LOL

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Eye for Eye by J K Franko.

ABOUT THE BOOK

“NEW TWIST ON STRANGERS ON A TRAIN”
~ THE SUNDAY TIMES

Book Details:

Genre: Crime & Mystery
Published by: Talion Publishing
Publication Date: June 22nd 2019
Number of Pages: 400
ISBN: 1999318803 (ISBN13: 9781999318802)
Series: Talion #1
Purchase Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

When I try to piece together how this whole mess began, a part of me thinks it may have started over thirty years ago. At least the seeds were planted that far back, in the early 1980s. What happened then, at that summer camp in Texas, set the stage for everything that was to come.

Odd, how something so remote in time and geography continues to impact me here, today.

Sometimes I try to imagine her, how she felt—that eleven year-old girl—as she ran, stumbling and tripping through the woods that night. I try to put myself in her shoes. When I do, I wonder if she was frightened.

Did she understand the consequences of what she’d gotten herself into? I imagine it felt otherworldly to her, like a dream. But not a good dream. No, one of the bad ones—the ones that make your heart machine-gun as you try to outrun some dark thing that’s chasing you. But the faster you try to run, the slower you go, your legs feeling leaden, clumsy, useless.

Panic sets in. Tears of frustration form. Fear takes hold and won’t let go. You open your mouth to scream but realize, to your horror, that you’re paralyzed. It’s not that you can’t scream; you can’t even breathe. Not a dream—a nightmare.

Then again, all that may simply be my imagination. It could just be me projecting what I might have felt onto Joan. Maybe she wasn’t scared at all.

True, it was dark out. The night smelled of rain, but there was no lightning, only the far-off rumble of thunder hinting at a distant storm. There were no trail lights, no visibility but for the moon peeking out intermittently from behind a patchwork of clouds. But, Joan had been down this trail before. She was running toward the main cabin.

She had been at Camp Willow for almost two full weeks. She had been up and down that trail at least ten times a day, every day. Of course, that was during the day, and always with her buddy, or a camp counselor (the children called them troop leaders). Joan had never been on the trail at night. And never alone.

Maybe I imagine Joan was scared because, as an adult, I believe that she should have been. I would have been terrified.

***

Author Bio:

J.K. FRANKO was born and raised in Texas. His Cuban-American parents agreed there were only three acceptable options for a male child: doctor, lawyer, and architect. After a disastrous first year of college pre-Med, he ended up getting a BA in philosophy (not acceptable), then he went to law school (salvaging the family name) and spent many years climbing the big law firm ladder. After ten years, he decided that law and family life weren’t compatible. He went back to school where he got an MBA and pursued a Ph.D. He left law for corporate America, with long stints in Europe and Asia.

His passion was always to be a writer. After publishing a number of non-fiction works, thousands of hours writing, and seven or eight abandoned fictional works over the course of eighteen years, EYE FOR EYE became his first published novel.

J.K. Franko now lives with his wife and children in Florida.

Catch Up With JK Franko On:
jkfranko.com, Goodreads, Twitter, & Facebook!

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

Enter The Giveaway!!!:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for JK Franko. There will be 6 winners. Two (2) winners will each win (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. Two (2) winners will each win a signed copy of EYE FOR EYE by JK Franko (Open to U.S. addresses only) and Two (2) winners will each win a Knife set (Open to U.S. addresses only). The giveaway begins on July 22, 2019 and runs through September 22, 2019. Void where prohibited.

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Giveaway & Review – Never Ever by Willow Rose @MadamWillowRose @SDSXXTours

Posted on September 17, 2019 by fundinmental

Never Ever

Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 3

by Willow Rose

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

MY REVIEW

Willow Rose is a fabulous thriller author and when I saw this gorgeous cover, there was no doubt I had to have it. Human traffickers, terrorists and a cult abound and it’s hard to decipher who is doing what to who.

Someone took her daughter, Olivia, and Eva will stop at nothing to get her back. Her famous sister, Sydney is be her side as they hunt down the Iron Fist, a human trafficker. She walked away from her family and her lover, Matt, a cop who is trying his best to save her from Carter, a cop that will do anything to catch her and make a name for himself.

Time is precious and its running out for Olivia.

Has Eva crossed the line? Because of her treatment of the first trafficker Eva came across, there is a warrant out for her arrest and it’s all downhill from there. Eva’s friends will stick by her….no matter what. What has she done to earn their loyalty, admiration you will have to find out for yourself.

I think I see where Willow Rose is going with her dual storyline, both of which are horrendous and frightening and all too true in our current times. Truth is stranger than fiction and real life plays out on the pages as trafficking, gas attacks and the cult stories play out.

By the time I get to the halfway mark, the pace picks up and I begin to read faster.

Olivia..oh Olivia…my heart bleeds for you, yet I admire your courage, bravery, and determination to find your way home.

Matt, OMG, I cannot imagine the agony he goes through as he tries to save Eva from a ruthless cop, Carter, who is out to make a name for himself. Carter has tunnel vision and his sights are set on Eva. I think I see how she may survive and I am eager to find out if I am right.

Emma…what a fabulous surprise. Willow Rose does surprises well. The first surprise is quickly followed by a second. A villain is exposed and the surprises keep on coming. The twists and turns make my head spin.

Never Ever is the rawest writing I have read of Willow Rose’s and the first half didn’t ratchet up the suspense like the second half. For that reason I rated it a 4, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the rating went higher after the final edits.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Never Ever by Willow Rose.

Former FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas returns in Willow Rose’s most hair-raising thriller yet.

Ex-agent Eva Rae Thomas is on the run. The past month she has done things she never knew she was capable of while hunting for her kidnapped daughter.

Eva Rae has risked everything,

-her career,

-her newfound love,

-her freedom.

She’s looking for the man they call the Iron Fist.

The trail has led her to Miami.

Meanwhile, Miami is under attack. Hundreds of passengers in the Metrorail are exposed to a deathly nerve gas on a peaceful Monday morning. When Eva Rae Thomas sees her daughter on the surveillance footage from the attack, she knows it is no coincidence. But by the time she uncovers the chilling truth of how it is all connected, it might be too late.

NEVER EVER is the third book in the Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Series and can be read as a standalone.

**Only 99cents 8/28 – 9/3!!**

Goodreads * Amazon

The Queen of Scream aka Willow Rose is a #1 Amazon Best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 60 novels.

She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy.

Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t see coming. Several of her books have reached the Kindle top 10 of ALL books in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than three million books.

Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

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MY REVIEWS FOR WILLOW ROSE

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Codename: Chimera by J K Persy #JKPersy

Posted on September 10, 2019 by fundinmental

Very pretty cover for Codename: Chimera by J K Persy. I got this book back in February of 2014, but didn’t read it until 1.15.15. I loved it and I don’t have any excuse for waiting so long to share it with you. The cover does not make me think of the cozy mystery that it is.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

During their investigation, they learned about a project called Chimera and now the mystery deepens. Is it a conspiracy? Will they kill anyone to keep a secret?

A convoluted mystery centered around a medallion. Who does it belong to?

Codename: Chimera lacked a sense of urgency, but a lot of cozies do. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy them and I loved this one. I was super curious about the outcome and the deaths that follow the medallion.

I loved the trio and was happy to be along for their adventure. Codename: Chimera by J K Persy is not what I expected from looking at the cover, but it all made sense in the end.

The brain teasers are a bonus. I stopped and spent a lot of time trying to solve them. I wonder if you will too.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Codename: Chimera by J K Persy.

GOODREADS BLURB

Adventures. Twists & Turns. Unexpected Final.

Dear reader!

If you like Indiana Jones, Kingsman, James Bond, Sam Spade, Sherlock Holmes by Guy Ritchie, try “Codename: Chimera”.

This is a fast-paced action/adventure/whodunit mystery with elements of mystical mythology. It does not involve much character development, but instead has interesting plot with twists, turns, and puzzles.

The corpse of a millionaire collecting antiques is found in New York on the eve of a major auction. The last thing he saw in the darkness seconds before his death was a certain Man-With-No-Face. Is it a man or a ghost? Is he capable of causing paralyzing fear and death by his appearance? Is he the embodiment of Chimera, the ancient Greek monster?

Following in the tracks of the Man-With-No-Face the detective finds out about the stolen precious locket and a secret project under the codename “Chimera”. How are these connected? Does the locket have a mystical curse or is it a fiction?

Together with the private detective Kevin Kris, you are being waited for by amazing adventures, interesting puzzles and unexpected twists.

ABOUT J K PERSY

Our names are Jake and Kate Persy and we’re young, self-publishing writers. We’re a happy couple and our motto is ‘The best moment to be happy is right now’. We have a healthy, active lifestyle.

We love having fun and that’s why we’ve written Codename: Chimera. It’s been an exciting experience. We wanted to write an interesting mystery that you can sit back and enjoy and we hope that’s what we’ve done.

Official Facebook Page –https://www.facebook.com/JKPersy/

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3 Bodies and a Missile – Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne @AshleyFontainne

Posted on August 30, 2019 by fundinmental

Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is an apocalyptic/dystopian novel where zombies run AMOK and aren’t the only bodies that will be falling. The series does need to be read in order.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne is the third book in the Rememdium series and I do recommend reading them in order. That being said, how do I write this review without giving any of the good stuff away?

Ashley Fontainne included a cast of characters in the beginning of the book and it picks up where Book II, Tainted Reality left off.

Tainted Future starts out with three bloody, gory deaths and a flaming missile that obliterates the town. They are on the run. Where do they go?

And it only gets worse. A bullet to the head. Brains splatter.

My emotions ran hot. I was filled with fear, smiles and hope, watching the characters face their personal demons and rise above them was inspiring. I only wish I would do the same in a dire situation.

People will be exposed for who they really are. Some will change for the good, others… Some characters are filled with great courage and sacrifice, at least those that are not out to rule the world. I hate that Ashley Fontainne has the need to kill so many of them off, but hey, I’m not surprised at all. Be careful of who becomes your favorite, because they might not make it.

One of the greatest scenes was in the Humvee, racing over the terrain and anything else that gets in the way. Bodies were thrown side to side, as they bounced their way into the next hair raising end of the world scenario.

We don’t end up with a cliffhanger, but we do need to read Book IV, Tainted World to find out what happens next. Will it be the final chapter? I am already bummed at some of the characters that had to bite the dust and I am afraid to find out who will be next…but, I have the book on my Kindle and will begin reading…NOW.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tainted Future by Ashley Fontainne

GOODREADS BLURB

Everything they know is gone. The old world obliterated in less than forty-eight hours. They soon discover they aren’t alone, and other dangers besides the undead lurk in the forests. The new law of the land: kill or be killed.

Dr. Everett Berning and his team seek refuge in the underground lab in the Ozark Mountains. The first week after the collapse of civilization, those who made it out alive struggle against the odds to survive.

Only a handful escaped the devastation in their hometown of Malvern, Arkansas, and they grapple with the new reality. Tired, frightened, and mourning the loss of loved ones, they attempt to regroup and cope with the life-altering changes.

When one suffers a debilitating injury, they are thrust into a tenuous relationship with Dr. Berning’s group. Other survivors battle the odds as they flee treacherous cities destroyed by the government and crawling with reanimated corpses.

Unfortunately, they all are about to discover the roaming dead aren’t the only threat they face. As the world plummets into darkness, things will never be the same. Ever.

ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.

Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.

Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.

Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.

Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.

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MY ASHLEY FONTAINNE REVIEWS

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Drowning In You by Jane Blythe and Amanda Siegrist @jblytheauthor @amanda_siegrist

Posted on August 29, 2019 by fundinmental

Jane Blythe and Amanda Siegrist are two amazing authors that I have had the fortune of finding through blogging. They write of love, loss, danger and death, not necessarily in that order. I am excited to have the opportunity to read their first collaboration, Drowning in You, a part of Sweetest Obsessions Boxed Set, which was released on August 20, 2019.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Imagine…locked up in the dark…you make an escape…before you can get out the door, you are yanked back into an even worse horror than you had been in, before trying to get away. Will he kill you now?

Carter and Jade, homicide partners…a lake, a dead body and for Carter, painful memories.

Rose and Evelyn had been chosen by the same foster family and quickly became best friends. They are complete opposites. Rose is quiet, and rather spend a night at a home than go out. Evelyn is outgoing, ready for a party.

When Carter and Rose meet, there is an immediate attraction. Carter wanted to take away her sorrow and pain, to protect her. Rose felt safe when she was near him.

The beginning of their relationship, the feeling out period, is so sweet. They are like a couple of teenagers and the writing brought the innocence to life. They had both suffered devastating losses, so trusting in love is very difficult for them. They protect themselves and their secrets. I loved watching them learn to share, to communicate.

The serial killer is so much more than just a serial killer. Killing people is not his motivation, but he has no qualms about getting rid of anyone that gives him a problem. Are serial killers capable of love, or is it some twisted interpretation?

I am in a state of suspense. What is he going to do next? I know it won’t be anything good.

I didn’t see it before, but at 66% something triggered my monster meter and I know who he is. Maybe I could have picked up on him sooner, if I was trying harder. Jane and Amanda’s writing has a way of taking me along for the ride and I am enjoy the journey so much that I forget to decipher the clues. I knew the one guy was too big of a scumbag, ya know, too obvious. I wasn’t falling for that red herring. But I really hope he gets his before the story ends.

80%…I know what’s coming and I’m racing through the pages. I can’t stop myself. I need to see how this plays out…NOW.

Want a HEA? Come on in!

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Drowning in You by Jane Blythe and Amanda Siegrist.

GOODREADS BLURB

He has a choice to make. Face his fear … or watch her die.

For Rose Gowan the death of her best friend means she no longer has a confidante—someone to keep her secrets, someone who knew all her insecurities—and she’s not sure she’s brave enough to let anyone else in. Until she meets the detective working her friend’s case. He gives her hope for a future she had thought she’d never have, but he can be possessive, and she promised her best friend that she would never let anyone control her again.

Death is a part of life. It’s not something Detective Carter Dixson likes to dwell on, but working in the homicide division, he has no choice. He does his job, and he does it well. When his latest case brings Rose into his life, he finally has something other than his pain from his past to focus on. She makes him smile, his heart beat faster, and actually feel happy for the first time since his brother died. He’s not afraid of falling in love too fast. But he is afraid of one thing—losing Rose the same way he lost his brother.

This novel is included in the Sweetest Obsessions Boxed Set, which will release on August 20, 2019.

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

Jane has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series, Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.

When she’s not writing Jane loves to read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies. She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears. She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!

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MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

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*

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MY AMANDA SIEGRIST REVIEWS

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The History Tree in Tangled Threat by Heather Graham @heathergraham @Celtic_Woman

Posted on August 27, 2019 by fundinmental

Heather Graham…what can I said. She is a go to author for me because I know she will have all the things I love to read about…love and danger.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Harlequin for the chance to read and review Tangled Threat by Heather Graham.

The cover shows me what’s inside before I even open the cover.

Release date: September 1, 2019.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

FBI agent Brock McGovern is going back to a place that holds bad memories. He had been arrested for murder and his young love had been swept away.

Three women are missing and it is his job to find out why. Is there a curse waiting to deal him a dose of justice….or a murderer waiting to be caught?

The History Tree…I love trees. I don’t know why, but anything about them makes me curious and a tree with a cursed history…well, I gotta know.

This is a convoluted mystery that spans decades. All the players are together again and I am crossing them off my bad list, one by one.

Heather doesn’t make it easy as she sends me off on one false trail after another…and I am happy to go down those trails…all the way to the end.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Tangled Threat by Heather Graham.

GOODREADS BLURB

A body hanging from the infamous History Tree unraveled their teenage love. Now Maura Antrim is again tangled up with Brock McGovern. Twelve years later, they’re back where that murder occurred—where Brock had been arrested and then released, where Maura had run, too scared to stand by his side. But with two women missing, and Brock now an FBI agent, Maura is determined to help. Together, they’ll have to confront a threat that never died and see if their passion has withstood the test of time.

ABOUT HEATHER GRAHAM

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube

MY HEATHER GRAHAM REVIEWS

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Giveaway, Book Trailer & Review – April In The Back Of Beyond @pmterrell @GoddessFish

Posted on August 26, 2019 by fundinmental

P M Terrell writes some fabulous stories and just looking at the cover makes me want to enter those dilapidated gates and find out if Hayley will be the next victim or not.

Amazon / Goodreads

April in the Back of Beyond by p.m.terrell

GENRE: Romantic Suspense/Ghost Story

MY REVIEW

P M Terrell writes some amazing stories and her historical fiction makes me feel as if I can see the ruins, hear the cattle, smell the crisp air, and feel the fear of Hayley as she tries to figure out what the ghost wants from her. I love to anticipate the adventure, a ghost or two, and a bit of an education.

Hayley had been researching her lineage online for a historical novel, and now it was time to make the journey to discover it for herself.

Ireland has a complex history and I have always been confused by it. P M Terrell explains things in a way that I can begin to understand. Religion is a touchy subject no matter where you live, pitting brother against brother.

P M Terrell has a marvelous ability to bring to life the characters surroundings with vivid descriptions. I can see the stone fences and the patchwork quilt of the countryside. I felt like I was walking the meadows and the ruins. Desolate, burnt to the ground, making me want to know what happened to the people that lived there.

Hauntings seem to fit right in with a rainy, misty, foggy Ireland that is steeped in a confusing, at times brutal history. Violence continues to this day.

At the end, wrapped in a pretty bow for a sometimes ugly story, Fergal put a tear in my eye and a smile on my face.

P M Terrell has history in Ireland and weaves fact and fiction seamlessly. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will want to check out her work. I love the personal touches she adds to her stories. It May have you questioning what’s real and who are the restless spirits.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of April in the Back of Beyond by P M Terrell.

BLURB

Writer Hayley Hunter has arrived in Ireland to complete a book on Irish history. When she discovers the old carriage house she is renting is haunted, she is determined to uncover the truth behind the burned ruins of a nearby manor house and the abandoned British barracks it overlooks. With the assistance of Shay Macgregor, an Irish historian, her quest will take her to 1919 and the Irish War for Independence, exposing the murders of two young men and why their mother, April Crutchley, refuses to leave the back of beyond even in death. With a budding romance and the opportunity to begin life anew, Hayley finds her own life is now in jeopardy as she gets closer to a truth the villagers have long sought to bury.

EXCERPTS

When I heard the soft sobs, I realized I had drifted off once more and in my half-awakened state, I thought the cries were connected to my discordant dreams. I lay there with a groan on my lips not quite ready to spill out and wishing I could simply sleep peacefully before it was too late and I would be forced to arise for the long day ahead. I felt the bedcovers slip away from my bare shoulders and I fought to open my eyes.

When they finally did open, I discovered that I was completely uncovered. The bedcovers had been pulled to the foot of the bed and were shivering inches from my feet as they lay heaped into an unkempt triangle about three feet in height. I blinked once and then twice, my mind not grasping what my eyes were witnessing, for surely it must be a trick of the eyes to think the covers were still moving.

It was then that I realized the soft sobs had continued even after I had fully awakened and they were not part and parcel of my overactive dream state but they were real and they were coming from the direction of the blanket.

“You don’t understand,” came the sound of a woman’s voice, wracked with anguished sobs. “They are still here.”

“No, sweet darling,” returned a weary man’s voice that sounded so close I nearly jumped out of my skin. “They are with God now.”

“I’m telling you they are not,” the woman answered, her weeping growing more tormented. “They’ve never left. They’re still here.”

Within the space of a single heartbeat, I saw myself just a few nights ago, convinced the voices came from outside my window. Then I was pulled into the present to fight the horrifying realization that I was sharing my bed with two apparitions.

I slid my feet away from the covers in excruciatingly slow progress, afraid at any moment my movements would alert the phantoms of my presence. I tucked my feet and knees close to my torso as I came to an uneasy seated position, almost fetal in an attempt to occupy as little space as possible.

The room had become an icebox despite the radiators and I found myself shivering almost in tandem with the blanket. I had no idea how long I sat there, curled against the headboard and pillows, watching the foot of the bed and listening to the disembodied voices that filled the air. But then something seemed to snap inside me, fully awakening me to the present time and despite my fear, despite my trepidation, I grew impatient with myself. I reached a trembling hand toward the bedcovers, intent on pulling them over me to fight the chill as well as reassure me that they were not wet.

But at the precise moment I felt the dampness under my fingers, the sobbing stopped, replaced by a gasp that was not my own. I yanked the covers to the side, determined to discover what mechanical device lay beneath. The material jerked away from me as though I was engaged in a tug-of-war and the gasp was replaced with a woman’s blood-curdling scream and a man’s shouts.

ABOUT P M TERRELL

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 23 books in multiple genres, including contemporary suspense, historical suspense, computer instructional, non-fiction and children’s books.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area: McClelland Enterprises, Inc. and Continental Software Development Corporation. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in the detection of white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence.

A full-time author since 2002, Black Swamp Mysteries was her first series, inspired by the success of Exit 22, released in 2008. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. Her second series, Ryan O’Clery Suspense, is also award-winning. The Tempest Murders (Book 1) was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category. Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee. Songbirds are Free is her bestselling book to date; it is inspired by the true story of Mary Neely, who was captured in 1780 by Shawnee warriors near Fort Nashborough (now Nashville, TN).

She was the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She was the founder of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in the town of Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime and served as its chairperson and organizer for its first four years. She also served on the boards of the Friends of the Robeson County (NC) Public Library, the Robeson County (NC) Arts Council, Virginia Crime Stoppers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

For more information, book trailers, excerpts and more, visit the author’s website at www.pmterrell.com.

Website: https://pmterrell.com/
Twitter: @pmterrell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pmterrell.author/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/pmterrell/

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MY REVIEWS FOR P M TERRELL

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Football Pitfalls – Til the End by Joseph Patrick & Dennis Lowery @DennisLowery

Posted on August 23, 2019 by fundinmental

Til The End by Joseph Patrick and Dennis Lowery is one of those books that I read in 2016, but never got around to reviewing. It’s not because the book was lacking anything.I think it has a powerful message to send to teens and young adults…maybe all of us.

Check it out for yourself and I would love to know what you think.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

If you are a football fan, like I am, Til The End by Joseph Patrick & Dennis Lowery is one of those stories of privilege, coverups, drugs…all the negatives you hear about. One fatal mistake, doesn’t matter why, and the actions they take will come back to haunt them.

The repercussions are like the butterfly affect…a stone in the water and the ripples spread.

I started reading this and thought, this is a story for teens, it’s not doing it for me, BUT by the time I was done, I felt so sad for the young men. The story brought tears to my eyes as….well, I started to share waaaaaay too much.

I think all young sports players should take a look at Til The End. Maybe it should be required reading for school. Maybe we could all learn a lesson.

GOODREADS BLURB

Ryan, Tyler, Avery and Jacob are high school football stars. Everyone looks up to them. They’re living the life that young boys and men dream of and are right at the point of having it all: a state championship, college paid for, a chance for big money and even more glory in the NFL.