Alien Alligators are in the Aquifer by Gary A Barnes #GaryABarnes

Posted on January 19, 2018 by fundinmental

I love the cover for Aquifer by Gary A Barnes. That alone would have had me grabbing this, but add alien alligators…I love a good creature feature and we have one here.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I was looking for a Q for my reading challenge and this popped up. An alien alligator? Oh yeah.

In the Ozark Mountains, in the 1950s, in the hillbilly town of Ellington, Doc was enjoying the slow pace, after life in the busy city. Life is just what you would think, live off the land, uneducated people, no money, but they lived their life to the fullest.

Dr. Thomas Clayton came from there and was back as a herpetologist to do an ecological study. What are the ramifications of pollution on the frog population?

Amidst the croaks of the frogs and the song of the cicadas, a blinding flash, a sonic boom, and…we’re off.

Tina’s home life is comfy cozy, with all the characters sharing, eating, playing. I remember catching fireflies and putting them in a jar with holes punched in the top. Do you? It’s always fun to read a book that brings back pleasant memories. Makes the book seem real…sorta. If you believe in aliens and mutant creatures.

I love how two collegiate city slickers meet the Ozark hillbillies and learn they have more in common that they could have possibly believed.

I was freaking when tina and Larry were sitting n the rock at the lagoon.

The slow building suspense allowed me to get to know and love the characters. To get the feel of the terror that is coming, feel IT coming now…NOW? I do wonder how many of them will survive.

Of course, we gotta have one lizard lover. Don’t hurt ’em. Let’s coexist. Well, maybe they don’t want to. Maybe we are their breakfast, lunch and dinner. MMM…hungry.

I love these B type creature features.

Plenty of time was spent in world building and character development. It was great to watch them grow and change, as they spend more time together, learning from each other.

I knew the ending and loved it anyway. If you are looking for a great alien, creature feature, look no further. We have all the requirements here. All the gory, grisly deaths, mixed with loss, love and romance.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Dr. Thomas Clayton was born to an unwed teenage daughter of an Ozark share-cropper. He was adopted at birth without ever knowing the identity of his biological mother or of his backwoods roots. He now unwittingly arrives in the Ozark community of Eminence as part of an environmental research team studying the pollution affects of the logging industry. Clayton has nothing but contempt for the hillbillies of the area, while they in turn suspect that he is part of a Federal conspiracy to take over their land.

Shot down by the military, an alien spaceship crashes into the Ozark Mountains. The alien crew is killed, but the destruction of the spacecraft allows an aggressive alligator-sized amphibian to escape into the continental aquifer which extends from Canada to Mexico. The amphibians quickly multiply and begin devouring the livestock and ultimately the citizens of Eminence. A military unit from Ft. Leonard Wood attempts to eradicate the aliens only to be destroyed themselves by the aggressive creatures.

With the destruction of the military and the impending destruction of the citizenry, Clayton and the town folk join together to obliterate the creatures using only the resources available to a backwoods farming community. Failure would doom the entire nation as the amphibians could travel through the aquifer to wreck havoc throughout the country.

With the annihilation of humanity in the balance, Clayton discovers the key to destroying the aliens. But using it would require him to intentionally spread the pollution he has sworn to prevent. In an explosive pyrotechnic battle with the creatures, Clayton wrestles with the morality of blatantly destroying a new species or somehow capturing it for preservation before it destroys mankind. Does he prevent the spread of pollution or proliferate its spread to save the world? In the process, Clayton makes a stunning discovery that brings him full-circle to his Ozark roots and the family he never knew.

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Homicide Hunter Tells All in I Will Find You by Joe Kenda #JoeKenda

Posted on January 17, 2018 by fundinmental

I have been watching Joe Kenda on Homicide Hunter, a TV show that appears on ID. I binge watch him for hours and hours. I fell in love with the guy, so when I saw he just came out with a new novel, I HAD TO HAVE IT. I find him very hypnotic and I have only seen him laugh a few times. He is a bulldog and determined to get his man…just like the title states. I buy very few books any more, but I am very excited to read I Will Find You and had to have a copy of my very own.

My favorite Joe Kenda quote:

“I don’t understand people, but they interest me.” Joe Kenda

To some, my fascination with murder, murderers, homicide and serial killers may be morbid. Mr Wonderful humors my binge watching and reruns of many of the TV shows, such as ID TV, Forensic Files, Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS, etc. To say I am fascinated is to put it mildly. I, too, will never understand the people that commit these crimes, but cannot help but want to know more about them.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I don’t buy many books any more, but I Will Find You by Joe Kenda is one of those that I just had to have on my bookshelf.

If you think dealing with the scum of the earth can lead you down a dark road, just ask Joe Kenda. He looks all cool, calm and collected, but beware, he is a badass.

I love the first chapter, where he doles out a little justice to a guy trying to kill a fellow police officer. What a way to start a career. His fellow officers called him a shit magnet and kept their distance. It seemed he was always getting attacked or shot at.

Back in the seventies, police officers were not as sophisticated and trained as they are now. We have come a long way, but I feel it takes a special kind of person to be able to put all the puzzle pieces together and find the killer. He has solved 93% of his 387 homicides.

I love when he talks about the right to lifers…will you take care of all the children who need someone to love and care for them? Where are you when they need a loving home instead of raising themselves and growing up on the street, with a gang as their family? Where are you when the mother doesn’t want them or is at the end of her rope?

I also think a lot of lives could be saved if getting DNA results didn’t take so long. Law enforcement needs more money and all the latest greatest equipment and technology to aid them in doing their job.

Some people complained about a couple of shows ID TV ran. Give me a break. This is real life…it’s murder and it’s messy, as Joe says. If you think the TV show is bad, his glimpses of murder in the book is so much more grotesque, horrifying and heartbreaking.

When do you know enough is enough? How many sleepless nights and hauntings from the dead are enough? Each individual must pick their moment when it is time to pass the torch to the next generation of police officers.

Joe Kenda’s personality shines through in this fabulous glimpse into his life as the Angel of Death. I think it is a very appropriate title for a man that is determined to take the despicable off the street and, sometimes, help them leave this world.

My. My. My. I give this non fiction book a solid four stars and the show…five stars. I look forward to Wednesday’s, when I can binge watch Joe Kenda, and God forbid anyone who gets in my way. LOL

You did a great job Joe!!!!

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Detective Lt. Joe Kenda, star of Homicide Hunter, shares his deepest, darkest, and never before revealed case files from his 19 years as a homicide detective. Are you horrified yet fascinated by abhorrent murders? Do you crave to know the gory details of these crimes, and do you seek comfort in the solving of the most gruesome? In I WILL FIND YOU, the star of Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda shares his deepest, darkest, and never-before-revealed case files from his two decades as a homicide detective and reminds us that crimes like these are very real and can happen even in our own backyards. Gruesome, macabre, and complex cases. Joe Kenda investigated 387 murder cases during his 23 years with the Colorado Springs Police Department and solved almost all of them. And he is ready to detail the cases that are too gruesome to air on television, cases that still haunt him, and the few cases where the killer got away. These cases are horrifyingly real, and the detail is so mesmerizing you won’t be able to look away. The tales in I WILL FIND YOU will shock you like the best horror stories-divulging insights into the actions, motivations, and proclivities of nature’s most dangerous species. Don’t mind the blood.

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It’s a Fishy Business – Secrets of a Dangerous Woman by P M Terrell @pmterrell

Posted on January 16, 2018 by fundinmental

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I am happy to be back with Vicki and Dylan in another exciting and dangerous adventure. I look forward to playing with the fishes and dodging bullets.

Due to Laurel’s death, the house and fish business…and the cover up…have become Vicki’s responsibility, but first, she needs to get through the wake.

The fish business is her cover. She’s really a remote viewer working for the CIA. Her job in this adventure, locate Brenda Carnegie, who is involved in an oil scam and some members of Congress are too. As she runs, they chase.

My question right now…where is Dylan? He broke Vicki’s heart. Will he return? Oh, come on, we all know he’s on his way back right now. LOL I am not going to tell you why he is absent, you will need to read the story to find out for yourself.

Since he’s been gone, she has asked her boss and pseudo father, Sam, to help her locate her lost siblings. I can see this coming together and I foresee many issues that will have to be explained.

It does make me wonder if we have a rogue element in the CIA and if there is more danger than I initially thought. I feel the clock is ticking and Vicki isn’t the only one running out of time. And romance…it is hot and heavy, but I have a feeling there will be a bump in the road that might turn into a crater she will fall into.

The plot is becoming more and more complicated, the pace is picking up as my need to know how this will end reaches an almost frantic level, gotta know, reading faster and faster, and I do so want a happy ever after ending…but how can that happen?

Lies, betrayal, corruption and greed. Action ratcheting up to a nail biting level as they fight for their lives. And then…

Assignment over…On to the next one.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Secrets of a Dangerous Woman by P M Terrell.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Dylan Maguire is back in his first assignment with the CIA: to interrogate recently captured Brenda Carnegie. When she escapes again, it’s obvious she had help from within the CIA’s own ranks. With Vicki Boyd’s help, she’s back in his custody and now he’s on a mission to find out why some in the highest levels of government want her killed while others will risk everything to help her. And when he finds out her true identity, his mission has just become very personal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 21 books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical adventure/suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her contemporary suspense.

She has been a full-time author since 2002. 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. The Tempest Murders 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.

She is also 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 is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org. She is also the founder of The Novel Business, mentoring authors in the business end and selling of books.

She sits on the board of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library. She has also served on the boards of Robeson County Arts Council, Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.

MY REVIEWS FOR P M TERRELL

The following books are lined up in order, first to last. I will be reviewing them all.

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Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set @_TerriBruce

Posted on January 12, 2018 by fundinmental

Myths and Magic has16 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels by 16 New York Times, USA Today, and Award-winning and Break Out Authors!

With there being 16 stories by 16 authors, it will take me some time to work my way through them all, so I wanted to give you a taste of what is in store for you.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW FOR IRENE BY TERRI BRUCE

Irene and the Witch – Afterlife Book 3.5

Irene is dead, stuck in Purgatory, trying to return to Earth as a guardian angel.

Her traveling companion, Andras, is a 12th century Spanish knight, dead since 1911. Most of the time he is invisible. It takes tremendous effort for him to appear in ghostly form. Makes me think of when Bobby was a ghost in the Supernatural TV show.

They have a psychic link.

Are there things worse than death? You betcha.

Ya want to know what it’s like being in a crystal ball? Ask Irene. Even dead, her impatient recklessness has her in trouble.

Can a ghost burn, feel pain, be tortured, die again?

Irene worked through her fear, knowing they would all die if she didn’t persevere, push through, overcome.

I have been loving this series ever since I read Hereafter. I knew it would be a different kind of ghost story and Terri Bruce’s imagination and creativity have taken me into a world both wondrous and frightening, and I am so happy I am only here as a visitor.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Irene, which is included in the Myths and Magic: An Epic Fantasy and Speculative Fiction Boxed Set. I will be reviewing more of the books, so keep in touch and we’ll talk more.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

16 Science Fiction and Fantasy Novels by 16 New York Times, USA Today, and Award-winning and Break Out Authors!

There is adventure out there … if you’re brave enough to risk it.

Explore worlds of darkness, danger, and magic in sixteen exclusive fantasy and science fiction novels, available for a limited time. There are tough choices to be made and dastardly villains to outwit in this breath-taking collection that will have you at the edge of your seat.

Plucky heroes and devastating anti-heroes face off against demons, spirits, shifters, witches, and more in this limited-edition arrangement that features a satisfying combination of epic fantasy, science fiction, romance, urban fantasy, sword and sorcery, and more!

This killer deal won’t last forever, so grab your copy today!

ABOUT TERRI BRUCE

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats. Her second novel, Thereafter (Afterlife #2), will be released May 1, 2014.

Website/Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

MY REVIEWS FOR TERRI BRUCE

Hereafter

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I Am Happily Surprised with Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery @susanmallery

Posted on January 10, 2018 by fundinmental

Daughters of the Bride by Susan Mallery is one of those books that makes me glad I cross all genres when reading. I never know where that hidden gem will come from.

And this was definitely a gem.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I am always amazed when I love a “romance” so much, but great writing is great writing, no matter the subject or the genre.

Three sisters, each with their own distinct personality, each harboring their own secret.

The writing is fabulous and their world was so easy to visualize. I loved so much of the verbal banter between Courtney and Quinn. I laughed out loud when Rachel was ‘cramping’ in the kitchen. Come on Sienna. Listen to your instincts. They are speaking loud and clear.

Even with a predictable story, Susan Mallery can weave a story with some heat and bite, that had me laughing, smiling, oohing and aahing.

She wasn’t sure what was more eye catching – the convertible with the top down, the handsome man driving it, or the blonde poodle sitting next to him in the passenger seat.

Basically, he was catnip and she just wanted to purr and rub all over him.

I had seen Daughter of the Bridge by Susan Mallery on another blog and mentioned that I don’t think I had read any of her work before. Then, surprise, surprise, I get the beautiful signed hardcover with a gorgeous bookmark arriving at my door. No review asked for, but I try to review all the physical books I receive, so no request necessary.

At the end of the book are discussion questions, perfect for your book club, and some “sweet” recipes in honor of the Drunken Red Nosed Honeybee.

This is one of those books I feel could be on everyone’s reading list

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

With Joy, Love and a Little Trepidation, Courtney, Sienna and Rachel Invite You to the Most Emotional Wedding of the Year… Their Mother’s

Courtney

~ The Misfit ~

As the awkward one, Courtney Watson may not be as together as her sisters, but she excels at one thing—keeping secrets, including her white-hot affair with a sexy music producer. Planning Mom’s wedding exposes her startling hidden life, changing her family’s view of her—and how she views herself—forever.

Sienna

~ The Free Spirit ~

When Sienna’s boyfriend proposes—in front of her mom and sisters, for crying out loud—he takes her by surprise. She already has two broken engagements under her belt. Should she say “I do” even if she’s not sure she does?

Rachel

~ The Cynic ~

Rachel thought love would last forever…right up until her divorce. As Mom’s wedding day draws near and her ex begs for a second chance, she’s forced to acknowledge some uncomfortable truths about why her marriage failed, and decide if she’ll let pride stand in the way of her own happily-ever-after.

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sus

Magical Realism – Blood and Ashes by Marilyn Peake @marilynpeake

Posted on January 9, 2018 by fundinmental

Marilyn Peake’s latest release, Blood and Ashes, is a fabulous paranormal/supernatural, fantasy novel with a touch of realism, except for the magical part…

I love the colorful color and the red makes it pop off the pages. Very pretty and spills some of the secrets inside.

Cover by Phatpuppy.com

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Miracles and magic are happening from the opening pages, and Kaelin’s acting like it’s an every day occurrence in these desperate times.

The financial situation the characters find themselves in, makes me think of current events, with businesses closing, people being deported, people losing everything, and those with hope struggling to survive.

When Kaelin found the baby, I really woke up, became hooked and knew I would have trouble putting the book down, even long enough for a bathroom break.

Her mother has a heart so big, so open and giving, I wish more for her. No one deserves a break more than she does. Some characters…and people…amaze me with their ability to give, and the depths of love that is freely given.

First an abandoned baby, then a kitty with itty bitty legs, Kaelin takes them home and makes them her own.

And Devin, the new guy across the hall. What’s up with him? Why doesn’t she question his sudden appearances? Almost as if he knows something. I know he’s going to be special.

Kaelin has friends, people looking out for her and her family, like Mrs Santiago, who owns the grocery store and Gwendolyn Griffin, a healer who offers to work with her to develop her healing abilities. If you ever want candy, be sure and visit Mrs Santiago’s store.

Kaelin is very resourceful, and even though she dumpster dives for additional food for the family, you would never know it by her attitude. She knows where to find apples and blueberries, ripe for the picking. She has a green thumb, and her touch can be like Miracle Gro.

She does everything she can to make it to college, wanting a better life for them all. But, even though she is accepted, due to cutbacks of the governmental kind, there is no money available to help her. She chooses an alternative, Gwendolyn Griffin’s traditional healing of the witchy kind.

I can see the kids with bags of Halloween costumes, as they are tossed willy nilly, while they each choose the perfect costume. Kaelin goes to the thrift store and creates a mish mash costume that makes her beauty bloom.

The book is divided into three parts.

Part I is Kaelin’s story that takes place in the human world.

Part II is Liliana’s Story that takes place in the fairie world. Liliana is a fairy that crosses into the human world. A romance goes wrong. But the world is not what it appears to be.

Part III brings them all together, exposing secrets and Kaelin’s true calling.

Human, Seelie, Unseelie, good fairies, bad fairies…Magic, danger, romance, love and loss.

Blood and Ashes is written for the young at heart, with easy reading and a quick pace. I love the imaginative world and characters Marilyn Peake has created. Such a great story. I found myself smiling at the simplest things. Her ability to spin a tale keeps her high on my reading list…no matter what genre she writes in.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

With blood and magic, civilization rises from the ash.

Worlds are falling apart in two realms: human and faerie. After the factories close and her father dies of alcoholism, Kaelin helps her family survive by foraging for food. Her world is thrown into chaos as she comes to realize she has incredible power as both blood and hedge witch. When a handsome stranger enters her life, it’s clear that he’s not from her neck of the woods. Although he and his family appear perfect in so many ways, they desperately need her help.

Blood and Ashes is a Paranormal Romance novel with some adult content.

ABOUT MARILYN PEAKE

From Goodreads:

Marilyn Peake is the author of both novels and short stories. Her publications have received excellent reviews. Marilyn’s one of the contributing authors in BOOK: THE SEQUEL, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at THE DAILY BEAST. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor of a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in seven anthologies and on the literary blog, GLASS CASES.

Awards: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, and eight Top Ten Finisher Awards in the Preditors and Editors Readers Poll.

Stalk Marilyn Peake: Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR MARILYN PEAKE

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Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins @pameloth

Posted on January 3, 2018 by fundinmental

I am a cover girl and when I saw the cover for Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins, I had to have it. I love anything to do with water and this one is a beauty. What do you think?

Cover by Heidi Dorey

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I love the cover and the location, the Virgin Islands, for Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ Saving Grace. It was all I hoped it would be.

I was relating to Katie quickly, wrapping her napkin neatly around her beer, playing pool and winning, but that’s where the similarities ended. I don’t drink and text and neither should she. I find it terrible that a lawyer would act like she did, especially in a room with all her coworkers. She acts like an obsessively love struck teenager.

The beginning is abrupt and I was thrown right into the story and I don’t much like Katie right now. But, let’s see if there is a reason for her being so out of control and sophomoric.

The name dropping got a bit annoying…Dennis the Menace, Bon Jovi, Direct TV, iPhone, Ihop, Hooters, Vaio, Dell, Blackberry…you get the drift.

An intervention sent her to St Marcos in her quest to solve the mystery of her parents death and get her act together. Enter Ava, who in her way introduced Katie to Annalise, Hebrew for Grace, an abandoned mansion that spoke to Katie. Now Pamela has my attention! Who…or what… is really doing the talking?

Katie loved walking on the beach and it cleared her mind. Now, we’re getting together.

Oh man, guess it had to happen, but I’m disappointed how her trip ended. I have a feeling that will change. It was just getting good for me, but I feel there is a lot more to come.

When the news came over the phone after one of the worst days of her life, I got super excited too. My heart beat faster, a smile came to my face, and I began racing through the pages. Oh yeah, now we’re cooking with Caribbean heat.

She got a pick up with a lift kit and cruised off to her new life. I want to be there!! I love to bury my feet in the sand and I have enjoyed a PainKiller or two.

I’m afraid for her and her friends. In the islands anything can happen. The suspense is mounting, the tension building. I can feel it. I see it coming. Does she?

I didn’t like Katie’s whining and sniveling for the longest time, but her growth and development, her willingness to see herself as she really was and make changes, made me like her more and more.

Now…after thinking I wasn’t going to like this so much…I find myself hating for it to end and wanting more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Saving Grace by Pamela Fagan Hutchins.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

2010 Winner of the Writers League of Texas’s Romance Manuscript contest
2012 Winner of the Houston Writers Guild’s Ghost Story contest

Katie Connell is a high-strung attorney whose sloppy drinking habits and stunted love life collide hilariously in a doomed celebrity case in Dallas. When she flees Texas for the Caribbean, Katie escapes professional humiliation, a broken heart, and a wicked Bloody Mary habit, but she trades one set of problems for another when she begins to investigate the suspicious deaths of her parents on the island of St. Marcos. She’s bewitched by the voodoo spirit of an abandoned house in the rainforest and discovers that she’s as much a danger to herself as the island’s bad guys are. As the worst of her worlds collide, Katie drags herself back to the courthouse to defend her new friend Ava, an island local accused of stabbing the senator she’s been sleeping with.

Pamela Fagan Hutchins, a former attorney and native Texan, lived in the U.S. Virgin Islands for nearly ten years. She refuses to admit to taking notes for this novel during that time.

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Underground Tombs – A Perfect Obsession by Heather Graham @heathergraham

Posted on December 28, 2017 by fundinmental

Uh oh. I don’t like tight spaces, but it looks like I will have to get over it in order to read A Perfect Obsession by Heather Graham…and I will.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

There is never any doubt, when it comes to Heather Graham, that I will grab her book without hesitation. Even a bad book by Heather Graham is a good book and I would definitely recommend A Perfect Obsession.

Kieran Finnegan, a psychologist, also works at the family pub and shares a bed with her FBI guy, Craig Frasier. He knows to keep tabs on her because trouble seems to find her…or does she find it?

A model/actress was murdered just around the corner from Finnegan’s, but nobody thought it was connected to the family…until her brother, Kevin, told her his secret.

Someone wanted her found.

“Living art.”

It’s easy to figure out that Kieran is Irish. She has three brothers. They are quick to defend and protect her, since she’s prone to finding trouble to get into.

We have a headstrong woman, a hunky cop, mystery and dead bodies on display in mausoleums that haven’t seen the light of day in decades, but…

I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m just not getting into this like I do most of her work. Am I having an off day? Or is it because it’s an ARC and will be tidied up before publishing. I think it will get better. You’ll need to check out A Perfect Obsession to figure it out for yourself.

I feel on edge. I keep thinking…waiting…for “the moment”…when the monster reaches out from under the bed and grabs me.

Heather has created a sense of menace from the serial killer. I can’t put my finger on the villain. Have I met him?

Uh Oh. I think I know who it is and we have a big problem.

I started out having a hard time getting into the story. I don’t know why. It has all the elements I require for a thrilling read. I rarely give up on a book, and I sure wasn’t going to give up on a Heather Graham book. And it is worth sticking with. As usual, she leaves me wanting more and I can hardly wait to pick up another one of her stories.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of A Perfect Obsession by Heather Graham.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Someone is murdering beautiful young women in the New York area and displaying them in mausoleums and underground tombs. The FBI is handling the case, with Special Agent Craig Frasier as lead.

Kieran Finnegan, forensic psychologist and part owner of Finnegan’s, her family’s pub, is consulting on the case. Craig and Kieran are a couple who’ve worked together on more than one occasion. On this occasion, though, Craig fears for the safety of the woman he loves. Because the killer is too close. The body of a young model is found in a catacomb under a two-hundred-year-old church, now deconsecrated and turned into a nightclub. A church directly behind Finnegan’s in lower Manhattan.

As more women are murdered, their bodies discovered in underground locations in New York, it’s clear that the police and the FBI are dealing with a serial killer. Craig and Kieran are desperate to track down the murderer, a man obsessed with female perfection. Obsessed enough to want to “preserve” that beauty by destroying the women who embody it”.

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.

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MY HEATHER GRAHAM REVIEWS

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Do You Believe – Karma by Donna Augustine @donnaugustine

Posted on December 27, 2017 by fundinmental

Just looking at the cover for Karma by Donna Augustine made me want it.

When I wrote the review, the book was free, but be sure and check for the “0”.

Also, the series is available in a boxset for $5.99.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Just looking at the wickedly cool cover for Karma by Donna Augustine, I knew I wanted to read it. I was hooked from the very beginning.

She fights Fate tooth and nail. She is a transfer and a problem for him. I love her and her feisty attitude. I don’t blame her for being ticked off, being forced to do a job she didn’t sign up for.

“Don’t break her.” I laughed out loud when I read it.

The fabulous, quirky characters have supernatural agendas, working to keep the world running in the natural order of things. So, come on in and meet, Karma, Lady Luck, Fate, Murphy’s Law, The Jinxes…

In this wildly funny story, the star is a feisty, hard headed girl who thinks she chooses her own path, but does she? Is our destiny already written or do we have free will?

I couldn’t put it down and read it start to finish in one sitting.

Oh no. There isn’t a cliffhanger, but there is no end. I hate that, but I loved the book.

I picked this up as an Amazon freebie.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

People say karma’s a…well, you know. Personally, I don’t think I’m that bad. It’s not like I wanted this job. I wasn’t even in my right mind when I accepted the position.

Now, I’m surrounded by crazy coworkers like Lady Luck, who’s a bit of a tramp, and Murphy’s Law, who’s a bumbling oaf. But the worst is Fate. He’s got a problem with transfers like myself, and I have to see him constantly. It’s unavoidable. We’re hunting the same man—my murderer.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Danger Surrounds Her – Hyacinth by Abigail Owen @AOwenBooks

Posted on December 26, 2017 by fundinmental

Abigail Owen has some fantastic stories and I am happy to be able to share Book 2 of the Savutra Series, Hyacinth.

The covers of the series are done by Debbie Taylor. Fabulous job, Debbie.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I love Abigail Owens novels. We have strong female characters with, powers and abilities that I wish I possessed. Danger and intrigue are around every corner and I aim to find the villain…with a little help from my Svatura friends.

Selene is Vyusher, a beautiful and deadly white wolf. She has no desire to hurt anyone, but her nightmares tell a different story. She can visit others in their dreams whenever she wants, but this is not her dream. She does not want to be here. Who…or what is doing this?

Only one person knew of her ability, and she could never have him. Her situation is unsettling and she felt keeping distance from the pack was best for them all….for now. So, it’s off to college in Colorado. She’s never made her own decisions before and she’s looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time.

Griffin and his family live in Colorado and he dreamed of her long before he sees her. They have a history and it isn’t a good one. Can they get past it for the battle to come? We shall see…won’t we. 🙂

Ts’sorthene – fated souls bonded by heart and spirit

Selene and her brother, Gideon, are twins of parents with multiple powers, as is Griffin. After all Selena has been through, how can she be such a sweet person? But, make no mistake, she can be deadly.

Music soothes the savage beast and I love when Griffin does a little dirty dancing, Patrick Swayze style, with his baby.

There is a conspiracy among the Vyusher and Selena’s life is in danger. Will her new family stand by her?

I love the moments of levity with Nate that had me grinning ear to ear. He has a sense of humor that shines through, even in the most dire of circumstances. I hope he has his own story because I sure want to know more about him.

As one battle is fought, another rises on the horizon and I am eager to read on to see who’s story will be told. The more I hang with the characters, the more I get to know and love them, their powers and abilities, the more I want of them. I love strong females, and we have our share in the Svatura Series.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Hyacinth by Abigail Owen.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Book #2 of the Svatura Series

Selene sacrificed everything when she took her brother’s place as ruler of the Vyusher, including her secret love for her one-time adversary Griffin Aubrey. When nightmares that are just a little too real start, Selene fears she’s turned into a cold-blooded killer…the monster that Griffin thinks she is.

Griffin and Ellie Aubrey are finally safe for the first time in over a hundred years. But when an unknown menace drives Selene to leave her family and ask for help, Griffin must decide. Can he move past his hatred of everything she is? Or will the bond that could bring them both the greatest joy now be the source of their deepest despair?

ABOUT ABIGAIL OWEN

Award-winning paranormal and contemporary romance author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.