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Hello. Welcome to another edition of Sherry’s Shelves. Spring is in the air, but I wish it would quit raining. I don’t think I have ever seen this many days of no sun and I am sick of it. LOL I know, come August, I’ll probably to asking, “Why doesn’t it rain. Everything is so dry and I don’t want to spend the time watering.” Have you noticed any changes in the weather patterns in your neck of the woods?
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Hello. Welcome to another edition of Sherry’s Shelves. Glad the weather has been mild and I have been able to open the house up, letting in some freshly pollinated air. Tis the season of Claritin, Flonase and Musinex. LOL One day it even got in the seventies. I haven’t been up to much this week. Still messing around in the guest room, cleaning and purging. I have a lot of bookshelves in there, but I have five more in the living room. I am trying to figure out how I want to organize them. That’s the hardest part, the rest is just dusting and moving. Any who…Hope you have a great week.
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Well, I guess this is my Happy New Year Sunday Post. I don’t know about anyone else, but the flu bug hit me very hard. I was out of it for two weeks and am just beginning to feel human again. I will be getting the flu shot from here on out, even though I hear it is not helping everyone this year.
I’m really glad I had worked hard at blogging ahead, but now I have used most of my posts.
I hope all of you are healthy and happy, looking forward to the new year.
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MAIL CALL
Oh man, alien dinosaurs…I am very excited about winning about winning The Quintaglio Ascension trilogy by Robert Sawyer. I believe there are new covers, but I am very happy with these signed editions.
I won a signed copy of Cress by Marissa Meyer from a Goodreads giveaway. I had read Cinder and a couple other stories of hers on Wattpad and loved them, so I am very excited to read more.
I added more books, some freebies and some for review, but I just don’t feel up to adding them. Stay well and have a wonderful week.
**all images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
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Hello and welcome fellow bloggies. I hope you had a great week and the world of books has been good to you.
In case you missed it, I cannot get this song out of my head. You try!
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FREE BOOKS
at time of posting free, but be sure and check for the “0”
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NEW TO fundinmental
WON FOR fundinmental
I won a book up to $7.99 from Samantha at The Book Disciple.
I have been wanting to try Sarah J Maas for some time, so when I saw these three novellas and checked out the reviews, I grabbed it. I wanted to make sure by reading these novellas I wasn’t lost or spoiling something I may read in the future…and all is good.
**all images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
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Hello and welcome fellow bloggies. I was lucky to be able to play golf twice this week. Last Sunday was fabulous weather, but Thursday was cloudy, cool and a bit damp. Still…a bad day at golf is better than a good day at work. The weather warms up a bit during the day, but I am sad to see the hot days of 80 degrees are probably gone until next year. 😥 I don’t know about you, but I love feeling the sun on my skin, hearing the flop of my flips and jumping into the pool at the drop of the hat. My biggest consolation is…we rarely have any snow or ice here in Florida.
**all images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
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Hello fellow bloggers. I have spent so much time the past couple of weeks reading and doing posts for blog ahead, that my eyes are blurring and one of them keeps twitching. I had to quit for a while and am looking forward to taking it slow this weekend, doing other things. How about you? Have you ever had this happen? What are your weekend plans?
If you want to participate in blog ahead, check out the link at the bottom right.
Mr Wonderful and I spent some time in Biloxi this past week, taking pics while these awesome cars were Cruising the Coast.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity to share my favorite Florida Georgia Line song.
For those of you in the line of fire from Hurricane Matthew, stay safe. 🙂
Lauren Carr’s novel, Kill and Run is the first book in her new A Thorny Rose Mystery series. I have read numerous books by her and just reviewed Three Day To Forever. a Mac Faraday Mystery. Whenever I see her name, I grab the book.
The cozy cover of Kill and Run by Lauren Carr is not quite so cozy. Mystery and danger encompass the pages as the search for the serial rapist takes an impossible turn.
Let’s meet Lauren’s newest couple Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Farady in her newest series, The Thorny Rose Mysteries. Jessica is the daughter of multimillionaire Mac Farady, from Lauren’s Mac Farady Mystery series. We shall meet more of the characters from that series and I enjoy revisiting old friends.
Murphy and Jessica’s lively sexual banter as they learn about each other is in the honeymoon phase, but something tells me it will continue for a long, long time. Lauren makes her characters authentic with similar problems to our own.
I love the NCIS and other similar TV shows. I can relate to Kill and Run because of it. Murphy just happens to be the liaison between the military and civilian staff.
We have carnivores, vegetarians and pescatarians. Do you know what a pescatarian is? I didn’t and had to look it up. I love when I learn something new from a novel.
A serial rapist has been active and on the loose for more than 13 years and the past is coming back to bite Murphy. Politics and the military, conspiracies and cover ups, put Murphy and those close to him in danger.
Murphy and Jessica are newly married and they end up with a house full of quirky critters. They are a unique cast of characters! We have Spencer (Candi or Blue), whose name depends on the person calling him, is a Blue Sheltie. Irving is a cat that snubs most people and they are glad for it, he looks like a skunk. Irving has a big heart for a certain young girl that enters his life unexpectedly. Newman, now he is the man. He’s a couch potato, I mean REALLY a couch potato. He not only watches TV, he controls the remote. And going for a walk, that’s for those other dogs. Let’s not forget Monique, a tarantula. EEK!
Izzy becomes a temporary member of the family after her mother is murdered and Murphy promises to find out who did it and protect her in the process. Izzy has a way with the critters, a special connnection. I had immediate empathy for her. She is a strong, open hearted/open minded child/woman.
Lauren has a way with her characters, human and animal alike. They are complex and well developed, fiercely protecting each other as they struggle to find answers before they run out of time. Will they find the answers to the nightmares that keep them awake at night?
I am so pissed off at the injustice of the haves and their own set of rules, the feeling of entitlement they have. They do see evil. They do hear evil. They do speak evil. Where do they draw the line…or do they? It is bad enough there is a monster running loose, but what makes it even more terrible is the people that know about it, overlook it and pass the problem on to the next HIGHER level. The problem does not go away, it only grows bigger.
Kudos Lauren. Kill and Run looks like another mystery series that will be on my reading list for some time to come. Thanks for expanding on the family.
“You’re not a wimp Buttercup. Basically, what you need to do is learn how to press your bitch button.”
“…My bitch button?”
“Everyone has one.”
“…You have a bitch button?”
“I have a bastard button.”
This is an ARC, so the quote may be different than it appears here. From page 218.
I received the ARC of Kill and Run by Lauren Carr in return for an honest and unbiased review.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.
Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.
ABOUT LAUREN CARR
Lauren Carr is the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Three Days to Forever is the ninth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.
In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder.
Three Days to Forever introduces Lauren Carr’s latest series, detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for the first installment in this series in Spring 2015.
The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.
She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
I am excited to share Heather L Reid’s Pretty Dark series.
Just look at the beautiful cover and you can see why I couldn’t resists checking it out further. Then, I read – All it will cost is her blood – in the synopsis. Hmmm…
So let’s get to my review and the giveaway. You too can have a copy for your very own.
Title: Pretty Dark Sacrifice (Pretty Dark Nothing #2)
Publication date: July 28, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Heather L. Reid
MY REVIEW
Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L Reid is Book II in the Pretty Dark series, but I will do my best to only share my feelings and not include any spoilers.
Pretty Dark Sacrifice picks up where Pretty Dark Nothing left off.
Quinn still hasn’t mastered her powers and I am wondering if she needs a swift kick in the ass and to be told to “man” up. At least that is how I felt in the opening pages, but she quickly proved me wrong. She grew to be stronger, both physically and mentally.
Her best friend, Reese, is normally a happy go lucky girl and the kind of best friend we all wish we had, but her secrets were driving a wedge between them that she thought could not be avoided. Reese deserves a normal life and I want it for her.
Will Quinn fulfill the prophecy? Will she be the savior or the bringer of doom?
As Lilith inserts her evil presence, the story’s pace increases for me. I begin to feel a sense of danger and suspense. Just what I’ve been waiting for. I was enjoying the story, but wanted some of that extra kick. You know what I mean.
Humans, demons, sentinels, immortals and Lilith. The box, Eve and angels.
The angels make me think of the TV show, Supernatural. Just because they’re an angel, doesn’t make them good.
Can you change your destiny? Aren’t we given the power of choice?
A love story that lasts for eternity.
As the story develops the clash between good and evil threatens the humans very existence.
Quinn has grown and developed, gained confidence and fights doubts, determined to accomplish her goal – to save Aaron.
I was given a copy of Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L Reid in return for an honest and unbiased review.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since the demons forced Quinn to throw herself into the raging river, since Aaron sacrificed himself to save her, since his body disappeared without a trace.
Everyone wants Quinn to move on, but she can’t, not after a spirit appears to her at Aaron’s memorial, convincing her he’s still alive.
When a mysterious box materializes on the very spot Aaron disappeared, Quinn finds she’s at the center of an ancient prophesy of betrayal, revenge, and sacrifice that takes her to the depths of the underworld to face Lilith—Adam’s first wife.
If Quinn can stop Lilith from unleashing the demon horde Eve, trapped inside the box during the Battle of Eden millennia ago, she will save the human realm and free Aaron from an eternity in torment.
All it will cost is her blood.
ABOUT HEATHER L. REID
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.
The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it..
Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.
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I have tried to come up with a way to make things simpler for myself when it comes to choosing my next novel to share. This is what I have come up with.
I am starting with the first novel on *this* bookshelf and…
now I am on to the second novel, Meg by Steve Alten
I have been a huge fan of Steve Alten’s for some time now. I find his creatures amazing and love having them come alive on the pages as I read each new story. I am always eager to see what he will come up with next and I think he is taking this series of novels in a direction most of us fans never saw coming.
Jim shot a quick glance over his right shoulder and saw jaws wider than a school bus snap shut, catching nothing but water. As the Meg’s torso plunged headfirst and down into the wave, the surfer cut again hard to his right, accelerating n the dark, shooting past the last place he’d seen the luminescent white monster.
(56% of a hardcover)
MY BOOK BEGINNINGS
The Professor:
“Imagine a great white shark, fifty to sixty feet in length, weighing close to forty thousand pounds. Can you visualize that?” Professor Jonas Taylor looked at his audience of just over six hundred and paused for effect. “I find it hard to imagine myself sometimes, but this monster did exist. Its head alone was probably as large as a Dodge Ram pickup. Its jaws could have engulfed and swallowed four grown men whole. And I haven’t even mentioned the teeth: razor-sharp, seven to nine inches long, with th e serrated edges of a stainless-steel steak knife.”
SYNOPSIS
Revised and Expanded. On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean’s deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he’s sure he saw but still can’t prove exists – Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds. Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub. Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he’s never imagined. MEG is about to surface. When she does, nothing and no one is going to be safe, and Jonas must face his greatest fear once again.
I love covers!
Meg has a couple of covers for different editions.
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Loralie will be awarding $10 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via the rafflecopter at the end of this post.
NOTE: This book is on sale for $0.99 through August 8, 2014.
SYNOPSIS
Ronnie has the job any entry-level angel or demon would sell their soul for—she’s a retrieval analyst for the largest search engine in the world. Ubiquity is a joint initiative between heaven and hell. Because what better way to track all of humanity’s secrets, both good and bad, than direct access to their web browsing habits.
She might appreciate the position a little more if a) she could remember anything about her life before she started working at Ubiquity, b) the damn voice in her head would just shut up already, and c) her boss wasn’t a complete dickhead.
As she searches for solutions to the first two issues, and hopes the third will work itself out in performance reviews, she uncovers more petty backstabbing than an episode of Real Housewives, and a conspiracy as old as Lucifer’s descent from heaven. On top of all that, if she forgets the cover sheet on her TPS report one more time, she’s absolutely going on final written warning.
Now Ronnie’s struggling to keep her sanity and job, while stopping the voice in her head from stealing her life. She almost misses the boredom of data analysis at Ubiquity. Almost.
EXCERPT
I straightened my clothes the best I could. Maybe I shouldn’t have fallen asleep in my clubbing outfit. Then again, I wasn’t sure I cared. I wasn’t exposing myself to the world, which was a good compromise for me. My breath caught in my throat when I yanked open the door. Nope, definitely not missionaries. But Michael looked incredible in a T-shirt and shorts.
Sorry, what? Too busy drooling.
Great. I thought she hated him.
Yeah, about that.
I wasn’t in the mood for her. My smile fell out on its own. “Hey.”
“Am I interrupting something?” He nodded at my outfit.
“Nah.…” The false bravado slipped away. It felt too cliché to say, “What, this old thing?” Besides, I kind of liked being honest with Michael. “I forgot to change before I fell asleep.”
“Did I wake you, then?”
“I also forgot to change when I woke up.” Too many more nights of missed sleep and I’d be forgetting a lot more. Maybe that was how I’d lost my memory. Had I done this before? Had the voice been there before I lost my memory?
You keep asking yourself circular questions. Let me take over for a while.
Nope. Not interested. Michael still stared at me, brow furrowed. I did a quick check of myself. Skirt wasn’t riding too high. Did I have mascara smeared across my face? “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. Just waiting to see whether you’re going to try and eviscerate me or just brush me off.”
Oh, that. He really did think I was insane. Or, considering the number of ways our encounters had started and ended, maybe he was just bored with something as basic as me in a mini skirt.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Loralie Hall is a full time corporate geek and a fuller time writer. Her spouse is her muse and their cats are very much their children. When they’re not spending way too much time gaming, they’re making the world more good by vanquishing one fictional evil at a time.
Add me to Goodreads now.
4 Stars
Lauren Carr is the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Three Days to Forever is the ninth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.
Add me to Goodreads now.
Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.
The Friday 56 is hosted by 
so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.
Enter to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card