Tag Archives: mystery

Friday 56 #136 – A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell @rebeccacantrell

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.
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.

 

A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell

A Game of Lies (Hannah Vogel, #3)

Amazon  /  Goodreads

My 56

I had made a mistake.

I pivoted back toward the door, but he slammed it shut and stood in front, arms crossed.

( page 56, in hardcover,1st edition, published in 2011)

Book Beginnings

The crowd pushed the three of us between the Marathon Towers toward the Berlin Olympics Stadium. The left tower displayed a simple clock On the right, both politically and geographically, hung a twisted iron cross – the swastika. I understood the message: It was 1936, and the time of the Nazis had come.

GOODREADS BLURB:  Journalist Hannah Vogel returns in A Game of Lies by award-winning author Rebecca Cantrell.

In preparation for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the Nazis have rid the streets of anti-Semitic material and other propaganda, and present a peace-seeking face to the world. Journalist and part-time spy for the British, Hannah Vogel, shudders to think of what lies under the temporary coat of gloss.

Posing as travel reporter Adelheid Zinsli and lover of SS officer Lars Lang, Hannah has been collecting Nazi secrets from Lang and smuggling them back to Switzerland. Wanted by the SS, her travel in and out of Germany has always been fraught with danger, but this trip is especially treacherous.

Surrounded by former colleagues who could identify her, Hannah tries to keep a low profile while reporting on the Games as Adelheid. Her relationship with Lang gets more complicated as he sinks into alcoholism; the whispers she hears about his work in the SS give her chills. Whose side is he on?

Hannah agrees to meet her mentor, Peter Weill, at the Stadium, but before he can reveal information that will expose the Nazis, he dies in front of her. Hannah suspects poison.

Hannah must discover who killed Weill and get his secret package out of the country before the Olympics end and the Nazis tighten their noose and before her true identity is revealed. And her partner may be the very one about to expose her.

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Review – Shade and the Skinwalkers by Marilyn Peake @marilynpeake

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Shade and The Skinwalkers by Marilyn Peake is filled with so much goodness and I fell in love with the ghost whisperer, Shade.

Check out this gorgeous cover by Deranged Doctor Design.

Shade And The Skinwalkers (The Shade Series #2)Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love Marilyn Peake’s stories, so when I went to the mailbox and found Shade and The Skinwalkers, I could hardly wait to begin reading. I love young adult paranormal and supernatural stories and Marilyn never lets me down.

Shade’s first night in her new home in a trailer park in New Mexico, she meets Kai, who will become her new best friend. They both have special abilities and they will need them.

Shade is very familiar with ghosts…so what comes next?

Her other best friend Misty is still missing (from the first book, Shade) and she can’t let it go. Now, she has a new one mystery to solve, a serial killer who must be stopped.

Shapeshifters good. Skinwalkers bad. We have kidnapping, human trafficking, sex slavery, murder, ghosts, Native American culture, mysticism…so much going on that I was never left wanting for something else to happen, some new threat to raise its evil and ugly head.

We hop from fantasy to reality and back again.

I love flawed characters, struggling through life, trying to do the right thing. It is so much fun watching them grow into the people they are meant to be.

Shade has an awesome group of friends and a new bestie. I can hardly wait to see how that plays out, as they head off to college. The characters are amazing and lovable, and Shade’s mom…well don’t want to spoil anything…So I will be looking for more adventure in the next book of the series.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

As if being a ghost whisperer in a trailer park isn’t weird enough, skinwalkers take things to a whole new level of strange.

Running away from her demons rather than facing them, Shade’s mother moves them once again to a new place—this time a trailer park on the outskirts of Roswell, New Mexico. Hiding in plain sight among UFO festivals and rumors of alien abductions, paranormal creatures live there by their own rules.

Shade accepts her destiny as a ghost whisperer with the help of her new best friend, Kai Zahnii. An empath and healer with the potential to become a Navajo shaman, Kai must break free of her dysfunctional family. This dysfunction goes far beyond anything Shade has ever known. Kai is all too familiar with skinwalkers, shapeshifter witches who violate taboos in order to practice pure evil. In the Wild West atmosphere of her new town, Shade is thrown into a world inhabited not only by ghosts, but also by witches, faeries and shapeshifters. She must find the courage to fight the skinwalkers alongside her new best friend and creatures she never knew existed.

ABOUT MARILYN PEAKE

Marilyn PeakeFrom 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
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Early Review – The Future Is Now – Fracture Point by Jeff Altabef @JeffAltabef @novelpublicity

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Fracture Point by Jeff Altabef is not my first foray into his worlds and I can say for a fact that it will not be my last.

Fracture Point made me feel as if our future was held between the pages…and it is frightening.

The release date is set for June 26, 2017.

Cover by D Robert Pease

Fracture Point

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

 Let me start by saying, make sure you have no plans…nowhere to go, nothing to do…because once you start reading, Fracture Point will take you down a path that will not let you go until the last word is read.

Is this what the future holds for us?

Warren Scott, well, he got my attention from the opening chapter and I felt nothing good was going to come from knowing him. He has a secret and he won’t share…yet. There is nothing he won’t do to win and revels in the evil he doles out to anyone who crosses him…or sometimes just because it feels good. Psychopath is too nice a word for him.

Jack is working a banquet for the richy rich and was hooking up with one of their wives. He was after info, but got more than he bargained for when he found a flash drive.

Once their paths cross, others become involved in the race to save Jack’s life and their own, running at a frenetic pace, making me worry and fret, wondering who will survive.

Fracture Point is a frightening glimpse into America’s future…voters rights taken away, the poor are discounted as lesser human beings, and terrorism is used to create fear and manipulate the people. Does any of this ring a bell?

They are at a Fracture Point, the point where a spark can set their world ablaze.

Fracture Point hits all the buttons for a heart pumping, blood boiling, terrorizing suspense thriller that smacks of realism, with big business and the 1% taking everything and leaving nothing for the 99% struggling to survive.

Is this what OUR world is coming to? Will it take a Civil War to wake up the leaders? What happens when the American Dream is dead, there is no hope left and we feel backed into a corner with nothing to lose?

CAUTION – Kindle is at risk of being thrown.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Fracture Point by Jeff Altabef.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A mysterious scarlet haired jazz singer.
A rebel on a motorcycle.
And a killer with a penchant for torture.

Food is scarce, good jobs the rarity, and big brother is watching everyone. Will Jack and Tom’s family be torn apart in the mayhem, and how far will one brother go to save the other’s life?

In 2041, America is rife with ghettos and armed checkpoints, and poverty runs rampant. A bloody civil war is brewing, and everyone will be forced to take a side. Education is the only way out of a life where you’re never sure where your next meal will come from, or what you’ll have to do to get it. Tom aced his assessment tests and scored an education contract, giving him a way out of poverty. Jack isn’t so lucky.

When Jack, a spy for a rebel fraction, goes missing, only his brother Tom can unravel the mystery of his disappearance. He will risk everything to save his brother from Warren, a killer who enjoys torturing his victims and making them beg for mercy. On a mission, Tom plunges into a world filled with mystery and danger. When he also discovers that his family has been keeping secrets from him—secrets that threaten to doom them all—he doesn’t know whom to trust.

Tom must break every rule he’s lived by, and go head-to-head with a psychopath if he’s to have any chance of saving his brother—and just maybe, keep America from reaching the fracture point.

ABOUT JEFF ALTABEF

Jeff Altabef is an award-winning author who lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of “telling stories,” he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres.

In the Young Adult genre, Jeff co-authored the Chosen Trilogy with his teenaged daughter, Erynn. The Chosen Series has won multiple awards including the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for Best Coming of Age Novel, the 2015 Beverly HIlls Book Award for Best YA Fiction, and a Mom’s Choice Award.

As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those who like telling stories.

You can connect with Jeff on his website, Facebook, Twitter & Newsletter.

MY REVIEWS FOR JEFF ALTABEF

Red Death

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Giveaway – Running Blind by Lisette Kristensen @ev1250 @XpressoReads

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Running Blind
Lisette Kristensen
Publication date: May 17th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Thriller

A murder mystery that is edgy, raw, and gritty. It’s packed full of danger with wild twist and turns

Baleigh Burgess was trapped. Her world spun out of control the night her partner/lover was gunned down. Facing prison on trumped up drug charges, she was forced to go undercover to find the killer. She wasn’t prepared to face her suspects, her old motorcycle gang, she once ran with back in the day.

Faced with her morals being comprised in proving her loyalty. Concealing her identity which if discovered was certain death. Baleigh lived on the edge and only grew darker when a man, a stone cold killer entered her life. Was he there to kill her or lover her?

Running Blind takes you on a taut, dark murder mystery, where everyone is a suspect and a thin line of betrayal looms at every turn.

Goodreads / Amazon

99¢ for a limited time only!

—

EXCERPT:

Turning to leave the room, Baleigh stopped dead in her tracks. Voices. A female voice and one she recognized right away… Jodie. Fuck. She could also hear footsteps and there were more than one set. Derrick? Baleigh was stuck at the door entrance. The voices came from the back of the house and it dawned her she did not lock the door. An inward groaned rang through her, they would know right off someone had broken in.

She clutched the revolver and knew she might have to shoot her way out. What seemed like a nice little tattle tale was turning into a shoot out. Baleigh’s whole inside were racked with fear. She had no idea which way to go, cringing she poked her head out to see if she could make out where they were. Glancing down the hall towards the kitchen her eyes could not focus in the darkness.

It was pitch black, no shadows of light which was odd to her. Then with a sudden force something hard smashed to her face. Baleigh had no idea what hit her, she crumbled to the ground as the haunting silence captured her.

 

Author Bio:

Lisette grew up surrounded with stories of intrigue, crime and sordid plots. This led her to become fascinated with film noir and pulp fiction. Studying criminal justice in college she developed an interest with the lurid unsolved cases of Hollywood.

Running Blind is her first venture into the mystery genre, it based on her experiences working for the LAPD Gang Intelligence. Coming soon will be a series of books focused on those cold cases from the glory days of Hollywood.

The Dark Desire Series is four books (including a box set) that follows the path of a troubled woman into the dark depths of erotic hedonism, love and conflict. The series is explicit and with strong sexual content.

You can sign up for Sins Fatal Desire Newsletter at https://www.facebook.com/midnightdream2016/app/100265896690345/

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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An Untraditional Love Story – Stalker My Love by Zack Scott @mezackscott @BPICPromos

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Stalker, My Love
by Zack Scott
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Romance
Release Date: May 14, 2017

 

 

An untraditional love story where fantasy clashes with reality, and happily ever after seems like an elusive dream.

Welcome to Pine Bridge, a small town rife with secrets. Personal is everyone’s business and passion is high.

With the disappearance of Rosalyn Ray, tensions soar and fingers point in every direction: the boyfriend, the best friend, the mother and the stalker.

Frustrated by the search going nowhere, Rhett Calloway makes it his mission to discover the truth and find the girl. Some people in Pine Bridge say he’s obsessed. Some say he’s dangerous. Some say he’s hurt Rosalyn. All Rhett knows is he’s loved Rosalyn since they were kids and he’ll do what it takes to see her again.

 

 

 

Amazon

 

 

Zack was born and raised in Southern California. He has written several stories, including the zombie apocalypse trilogy, THEIR DEAD LIVES, the horror comedy, ONE PISSED-OFF SHARK, and the recently released STALKER, MY LOVE. He is licensed to practice law in the State of California.

 

Facebook ~ Twitter
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Website
Email:  zackscottwrites@gmail.com

 

 

 

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FREE 5 Star Read & Guest Post for A Human Element by Donna Galanti @DonnaGalanti

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I am so happy to have Donna Galanti, a fabulous author who can spin a tale that will keep you reading into the small hours of the morning, here to share her thoughts and a FREEBIE.

A Haunted Place in A Human Element By Donna Galanti

I often get asked if the characters in my paranormal suspense book A Human Element are “me”. Yes they are…in some ways.

I was a photographer in the U.S. Navy stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, as Ben Fieldstone is in A Human Element. I worked in Fleet Intelligence processing top secret film in “the building with no windows”, as Ben did.

The beauty of Oahu is amazing with its violently defined landscape, a place to find–and keep–secrets in its hidden spots. I also lived off base in Honolulu. Likini, the wife of Ben’s friend, in A Human Element is actually named after the street I lived on, Likini Street (where I got around in a Herbie-styled 1972 white VW bug).

But in A Human Element, book 1 in the Element Trilogy, you’ll find Hawaii is not all palm trees and Mai Tais. Ben finds himself in dire circumstances there as a sailor on Oahu one terrifying night.

I also know of the dangers sailors can find themselves in on the island of Oahu if they’re not careful. I was told not to go to the Pali Lookout alone, a spot far above Honolulu in the Koolau Mountains that is set on cliffs with treacherous falls awaiting those who aren’t careful.

Or those who jump off…

Or those who are tossed off…

It’s known for its moaning, howling winds. People have disappeared up there, they’d say. It’s a haunted place where the ghosts of Hawaiian ancestors are said to roam.

But back to Ben and his night of terror at the Pali Lookout. Can he be saved? More importantly, can he be saved from himself?

Ben meets the Man in Black at the Pali Lookout:

He closed his eyes and forced himself to find a dark place with peace and no pain. The two men continued to taunt him, but they echoed far away in a tunnel. He held his breath, willing himself to pass out. The wild wind of the mountaintop raged around him and shrieked in his ears.

Then two loud cracks shot out over the howling wind. The hands on him fell away. He let out a huge sigh, dizzy from holding his breath.

Ben opened his eyes and craned his head around to see what had happened. Under the bright moonlight the outline of the two big Samoans rose up from the overgrown road. They didn’t move. The wind whipped the giant leaves of the banyan and guava trees about like sails on a great clipper ship. The buzz of traffic from the new Pali road carried up to him from below. He scanned the area. What had happened? Who else hid out there? He pulled at the stakes. His hands shook as he tried to break free.

“Forget it, kid, they’re held down in cement,” a deep voice said. “These stupid locals make up these playgrounds just to mess with us haoles.”

Ben swallowed the saliva stuck in his throat and focused on his surroundings. There stood the green-eyed man, hidden in the swaying banyan trees. His black outfit blended into the dark forest. He moved toward Ben and holstered his gun, then popped open a switchblade from his back pocket.

“I am not here to hurt you,” the man said when Ben shrunk into the rock. “I’m going to cut the ropes.”

In a few swift movements he slit the ropes binding Ben, who staggered back. The man caught him and held him up, then ripped off the duct tape.

“Who are you?” Ben’s body trembled from the rush of fear and a fierce headache pounded in his temple.

The man didn’t answer. He bent over one of the dead Samoans and pulled out a wallet. He looked inside and threw it at Ben. “It’s yours.” Then the man led him by the arm down the overgrown road where he handed Ben his clothes from the brush. He tried to put them on but his hands shook so bad the man had to help him. He winced from the whip marks brushing against his jeans and shirt.

“Come on,” the man said. Ben looked back at the dead men sprawled face down. They oozed like two fat walruses sunning themselves in the moonlight. “Don’t worry about them. I’ll dump them later, somewhere they’ll never be found.”

In a daze, Ben followed his savior up the rough road, stumbling behind him in the dim moonlight. Those men had carried him unconscious down this road.

“I’ll take you back to base then you’re on your own,” the man said once they reached his car, parked off the main road. “Don’t speak of this to anyone. Understand?”

Ben nodded and climbed in the car. He looked over at the stranger in black who had saved him.  “You were at my foster mother’s funeral. Why are you following me? Why save me?”

“I’m an interested party. Leave it at that.”

“I can’t. I would have died up there for sure.”

The man didn’t respond.

“Thank you.”

The man looked at Ben. His green eyes glowed in the moonlight that filtered into the car. “Someday you might not thank me. Someday you may not survive.”

Thanks so much Donna. And now, without further ado, here is what you’ve been waiting for.

A Human Element is an amazing fantasy that will have you screaming for more.

The beautiful cover is only a prelude to the wonderful story inside.

Amazon  /  Goodreads

A Human Element by Donna Galanti

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Paranormal Suspense

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REVIEW

To see my full review, go HERE, but I will give you a taste…

I felt such tension, suspense, fear and dread for the characters, that I was talking to them. Shouting at them. Telling them to watch out. He’s coming.

I had thought A Human Element was paranormal, but it is so much more. They come from another place. A place out of this world.

I never saw the ending coming. Fantastic. I kept trying to figure it out and felt tortured and pained as I raced through the pages – I HAVE to know – now!

I am sitting here, finished, looking at nothing, in complete disbelief. Awesome! Donna Galanti’s imagination knows no bounds.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 Stars

BLURB

Evil comes in many forms…

One by one, Laura Armstrong’s friends and adoptive family members are being murdered, and despite her unique healing powers, she can do nothing to stop it. The savage killer haunts her dreams, tormenting her with the promise that she is next. Determined to find the killer, she follows her visions to the site of a crashed meteorite in her hometown. There, she meets Ben Fieldstone, who seeks answers about his parents’ death the night the meteorite struck. In a race to stop a madman, they unravel a frightening secret that binds them together. But the killer’s desire to destroy Laura face-to-face leads to a showdown that puts Laura and Ben’s emotional relationship and Laura’s pure spirit to the test. With the killer closing in, Laura discovers her destiny is linked to his, and she has two choices—redeem him or kill him.

Get A Human Element for FREE May 25-29  A HUMAN ELEMENT
Now available as an audiobook! myBook.to/AHumanElementAudio

Sign up for a free trial of Audible and get A Human Element audio book for Free

Book 2, A Hidden Element: A HIDDEN ELEMENT

Praise for A Human Element:

“An elegant and haunting first novel. Unrelenting, devious but full of heart.  Highly recommended.” –Jonathan Maberry, New York Times best-selling author

“Lyrical and creepy, A Human Element tugs on our heartstrings and plucks the gut-strings of horror. This debut thriller author is a true storyteller, highly reminiscent of Dean Koontz.” –Dakota Banks, Author of the Mortal series

ABOUT DONNA GALANTI

Donna Galanti is the author of the suspense Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and the children’s fantasy adventure Joshua and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books). Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. Visit her at www.donnagalanti.com.

Website: www.ElementTrilogy.com 
Blog: http://www.elementtrilogy.com/blog/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonnaGalanti
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor
YouTube: http://goto.yourawesomeauthorlife.com/YouTube

 

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MY DONNA GALANTI REVIEWS

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Cate Beauman & The Bodyguards of LA County Series Giveaway @CateBeauman @iReadBookTours

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Book Details:

Book Title: Deceiving Bella: Book #11 In The Bodyguards of L.A. County Series
Author: Cate Beauman
Category: Adult Fiction, 588 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Createspace
Release date: October 13, 2016
Tour dates: May 22 to June 16, 2017
Content Rating: R (Sex scenes, language, some intense moments)

Book Description:

Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.

Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.

Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

“This book captured my attention from the very beginning. The author did an excellent job of developing the characters and helping the reader feel like he was along for the story. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, but I must say Deceiving Bella is one of my favorites!”
– Amazon Customer

 
Buy the Book:


 


Deceiving Bella is the eleventh book is the Bodyguards of L.A. County Series. Check out the first ten books here!


 
 
 I found Cate Beauman and her bodyguards of LA County Series some time ago through a tour and have become a super fan of hers. I am reading my way through her series, one by one by one. If you love thrills and suspense, you will want to add this series to your reading list.
 
Book One

You can read my review here.

Morgan’s Hunter, the story of Morgan and Hunter. (4.2 Stars!)

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Morgan Taylor, D.C. socialite and wildlife biologist, leads a charmed life until everything changes with a phone call. Her research team has been found dead—slaughtered—in backcountry Montana.

As the case grows cold, Morgan is determined to unravel the mystery behind her friends’ gruesome deaths. Despite the dangers of a murderer still free, nothing will stand in her way, not even the bodyguard her father hires, L.A.’s top close protection agent, Hunter Phillips.

Sparks fly from the start when no-nonsense Hunter clashes with Morgan’s strong-willed independence. Their endless search for answers proves hopeless—until Hunter discovers the truth.

On the run and at the mercy of a madman, Morgan and Hunter must outsmart a killer to save their own lives.

“One thing I noticed right away was Hunter is smoking hot. This author captured his attractiveness well. Many romance authors have said their main character was good looking, but this was one of the very few times where I thought, “Wow. He’s hot!” And let me tell you blonde-haired blue eyed guys are not my type. The author deserves some serious props here.”
– Raven Reviewer

 

Book Two

You can see my review here.

Falling For Sarah, the story of Sarah and Ethan. (4.5 Stars / Award Winner!)

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Widow Sarah Johnson struggled to pick up the pieces after her life was ripped apart. After two years of grieving, she’s found contentment in her thriving business as photographer to Hollywood’s A-list and in raising her angel-faced daughter, Kylee…until bodyguard and long-time friend Ethan Cooke changes everything with a searing moonlight kiss.

Sarah’s world turns upside down as she struggles with her unexpected attraction to Ethan and the guilt of betraying her husband’s memory. But when blue roses and disturbing notes start appearing on her doorstep, she has no choice but to lean on Ethan as he fights to save her from a stalker that won’t stop until he has what he prizes most.

“This story, although starting sad with Jake’s death, goes zero to sixty from there. A creepy, insane , psycho thrown in with HOT manly men always make for an awesome ride.”
– Inside BJ’s Head

 

Book Three

Review coming soon.

Hailey’s Truth, the story of Hailey and Austin. (4.4 Stars!)

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Hailey Roberts has never had it easy. Despite the scars of a tragic childhood, she’s made a life for herself. As a part-time student and loving nanny, she yearns for a family of her own and reluctant Austin Casey, Ethan Cooke Security’s best close protection agent.

Hailey’s past comes back to haunt her when her long lost brother tracks her down, bringing his dangerous secrets with him. At an emotional crossroads, Hailey accepts a humanitarian opportunity that throws her together with Austin, taking her hundreds of miles from her troubles, or so she thinks.

What starts out as a dream come true quickly becomes a nightmare as violence erupts on the island of Cozumel. Young women are disappearing, community members are dying—and the carnage links back to her brother.

As Austin struggles to keep Hailey’s past from destroying her future, he’s forced to make a decision that could turn her against him, or worse cost them both their lives.

“WOW. My head is in a whirl from this one. From the high intensity of Suspense, down to the oh-so yummy Romance, by far, Hailey and Austin have the hottest freaking scenes of the three books! ~ It’s so good… or I’m so bad because–I hate to admit it–I reread the hotter than Hades scenes! I could read the entire novel again, and that’s rare for me.” 

– Hammy 
 

 

Book Four

Forever Alexa, the story of Alexa and Jackson. (4.4 Stars!)

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First grade teacher and single mother Alexa Harris is no stranger to struggle, but for once, things are looking up. The school year is over and the lazy days of summer are here. Mini-vacations and relaxing twilight barbeques are on the horizon until Alexa’s free-spirited younger sister vanishes.

Ransom calls and death threats force Alexa and her young daughter to flee their quiet home in Maryland. With nowhere else to turn, Alexa seeks the help of Jackson Matthews, Ethan Cooke Security’s Risk Assessment Specialist and the man who broke her heart.

With few leads to follow and Abby’s case going cold, Alexa must confess a shocking secret if she and Jackson have any hope of saving her sister from a hell neither could have imagined.

“FOREVER ALEXA is a book that is impossible to put down. I loved the first three books in this series, Morgan’s Hunter, Falling for Sarah and Hailey’s Truth, but FOREVER ALEXA is far and above my favorite in the series. That being said, I not only recommend but encourage readers of romantic suspense to give Ms. Beauman’s books a try…..you will not be disappointed!!!”
– NicoleMD

 

 
Book Five

Waiting For Wren, the story of Wren and Tucker. (4.6 Stars!)

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Wren Cooke has everything she’s ever wanted—a thriving career as one of LA’s top interior designers and a home she loves. Business trips, mockups, and her demanding clientele keep her busy, almost too busy to notice Ethan Cooke Security’s gorgeous Close Protection Agent, Tucker Campbell.

Jaded by love and relationships in general, Wren wants nothing to do with the hazel-eyed stunner and his heart-stopping grins, but Tucker is always in her way. When Wren suddenly finds herself bombarded by a mysterious man’s unwanted affections, she’s forced to turn to Tucker for help.

As Wren’s case turns from disturbing to deadly, Tucker whisks her away to his mountain home in Utah. Haunted by memories and long-ago tragedies, Tucker soon realizes his past and Wren’s present are colliding. With a killer on the loose and time running out, Tucker must discover a madman’s motives before Wren becomes his next victim.

“I loved the book, the chemistry between all the players, always love it when a man knows what he wants and goes about getting it. Of course I did cry some tears and my spine tingled not just the suspense but the intimate times Tucker and Wren spent together and not just between the sheets.”
– Seawitch Reviews

 
 
Book Six

Justice For Abby, the story of Abigail and Jerrod. (4.6 Stars / Award Winner!)

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Fashion designer Abigail Harris has been rescued, but her nightmare is far from over. Determined to put her harrowing ordeal behind her and move on, she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life while eluding the men who want her dead.

The Mid-Atlantic Sex Ring is in ruins after Abby’s interviews with the police. The organization is eager to exact their revenge before her testimony dismantles the multi-million dollar operation for good.

Abby’s safety rests in the hands of former US Marshal, Jerrod Quinn. Serious-minded and obsessed with protocol, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest agent finds himself dealing with more than he bargains for when he agrees to take on his beautiful, free-spirited client.

As the trial date nears, Abby’s case takes a dangerous turn. Abby and Jerrod soon discover themselves in a situation neither of them expect while Jerrod fights to stop the ring from silencing Abby once and for all.

“I really thought this would be a routine bodyguard/subject book, boy was I wrong. Cate Beauman’s characters popped! By the end of this book (which I read in one sitting) I was exhausted but replete… From paragraph to paragraph this story shifts and changes. The betrayals and surprises come at the reader at a furious pace. And while this story revolves around a very dark occurrence, there are enough moments that will make you smile, chuckle, snort and go “awwwww.”
– Sebella Blue


Book Seven

You can see my review here.

Saving Sophie, the story of Sophie and Stone. (4.7 Stars / Award Winner!)

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Jewelry designer Sophie Burke has fled Maine for the anonymity of the big city. She’s starting over with a job she tolerates and a grungy motel room she calls home on the wrong side of town, but anything is better than the nightmare she left behind.

Stone McCabe is Ethan Cooke Security’s brooding bad boy more interested in keeping to himself than anything else—until the gorgeous blond with haunted violet eyes catches his attention late one rainy night.

Stone reluctantly gives Sophie a hand only to quickly realize that the shy beauty with the soft voice and pretty smile has something to hide. Tangled up in her secrets, Stone offers Sophie a solution that has the potential to free her from her problems once and for all—or jeopardize both of their lives.

“Saving Sophie is truly a beautiful story… Cate has woven a meaningful story about a courageous woman who overcomes domestic violence to build a life for herself…The author beautifully shows the readers the struggles and fears that Sophie goes through to break free. There is pain in sorrow and beauty in the tears. The heroine is broken and whole. She survives to show us that if you have the courage and the will you can overcome all odds… Saving Sophie is about abuse, courage, romance, honor and so much more.”

– Rebecca 

 

 
Book Eight

Reagan’s Redemption, the story of Reagan and Shane. (4.5 Stars / Award Winner!)

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Doctor Reagan Rosner loves her fast-paced life of practicing medicine in New York City’s busiest trauma center. Kind and confident, she’s taking her profession by storm–until a young girl’s accidental death leaves her shaken to her core. With her life a mess and her future uncertain, Reagan accepts a position as Head Physician for The Appalachia Project, an outreach program working with some of America’s poorest citizens.

Shane Harper, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest team member, has been assigned a three-month stint deep in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, and he’s not too happy about it. Guarding a pill safe in the middle of nowhere is boring as hell, but when he gets a look at his new roommate, the gorgeous Doctor Rosner, things start looking up.

Shane and Reagan encounter more than a few mishaps as they struggle to gain the trust of a reluctant community. They’re just starting to make headway when a man’s routine checkup exposes troubling secrets the town will do anything to keep hidden–even if that means murder.

“Cate Beauman’s eagerly anticipated book Reagan’s Redemption the 8th book in her Bodyguards of La series did not disappoint! I have not found a book in a long time that I just could not put down. I literally stayed up until 2am reading. This book had it all, suspense, great hero, heroine, mystery, and romance. I believe Cate definitely knocked this one out of the part.”
– Jeannie K

 

Book Nine

Answers For Julie, the story of Julie and Chase. (4.6 Stars! / Award Winner)

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Julie Keller relishes the simple things: hot chocolate on winter nights, good friends she calls her family, and her laid-back career as a massage therapist and yoga instructor. Julie is content with her life until Chase Rider returns to Bakersfield.

Bodyguard Chase Rider isn’t thrilled to be back in the town where he spent his childhood summers. His beloved grandmother passed away, leaving him a house in need of major repairs. With a three-week timetable and a lot to do, he doesn’t have time for distractions. Then he bumps into Julie, the one woman he hoped never to see again. Chase tries to pretend Julie doesn’t exist, but ten years hasn’t diminished his attraction to the hazel-eyed stunner.

When a stranger grabs Julie’s arm at the grocery store—a woman who insists Julie’s life isn’t what it seems, Chase can’t help but get involved. Julie and Chase dig into a twenty-five-year-old mystery, unearthing more questions than answers. But the past is closer than they realize, and the consequences of the truth have the potential to be deadly.

“This series just gets better and better! I loved Answers for Julie – as with the whole series, it’s a careful balance between suspense and romance, the characters are really well developed, and the plot moved at just the right pace with a fair number of surprises thrown in!”
– LCF

 
 
Book Ten

Finding Lyla, the story of Lyla and Collin. (4.7 Stars!)

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Principal Dancer Lyla Markovik-Avery is always on the go. Grueling practices and endless performances rule her busy days–and things are about to get more hectic. Russia is rolling out the red carpet for their beloved star, despite the string of violent terrorist attacks that have rocked the nation.

Bodyguard Collin Michaels’ life is falling apart. His long-time relationship recently ended. He’s trying to start over, but that’s easier said than done. Luckily, Collin has a new assignment on the horizon: keeping a beautiful ballerina safe for the next three weeks.

Collin finds comfort in Lyla’s easy friendship, but that all changes after a night out on the town. Simple feelings become complicated–something Collin can’t afford, especially when tragedy strikes and Collin realizes Lyla’s caught in the middle of a dangerous plot for revenge.

Collin and Lyla are forced to flee. They need to reach the border before it’s too late, but the odds are stacked against them in a country that wants them dead. With time running out, Collin formulates a risky plan that might be their only chance of making it out alive.

“In reading the synopsis, I wasn’t sure how I would like this although I love all of Cate’s books. Boy, was this a surprise for me. This book is wonderfully written with so many twists and turns, it was hard to put down. Such a beautiful love story with action, suspense, drama, and a bit of sadness too. I loved Lyla and felt sad because of how she felt she had to live her life. I also loved Collin and how he recognized the journey that Lyla needed to take. Of course, being a man, he is on his own journey of self realization as well. Wonderful story that I KNOW I will be reading again.”
– Ree Ree

 

Meet the Author:
 
International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on her twelfth full length novel.
 
Connect with Cate: 


 LIMITED TIME OFFER: NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVE BOOKS 1 & 2 FOR FREE!

 

 
Follow Cate on BookBub to be notified about new books or discounts on earlier books.
 
Kindle readers! Please go to Cate’s page on Amazon and click on the yellow Follow button to be notified when new books are available!
 
Amazon Author Page (buy links for all eleven books)
Barnes and Noble (buy now links for all eleven books)
Kobo (buy now links for all eleven books)
 
Enter the Giveaway!

Win an ebook copy of one of your choice of 5 books:

  • Answers for Julie

  • Saving Sophie

  • Justice for Abby

  • Deceiving Bella

  • Falling for Sarah

One winner will also get a $20 Amazon gift card (will default to Amazon.com if unable to deliver in your country)

30 winners total / open internationally. Ends June 24

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

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Giveaway – The Sweetheart Kiss by Cheryl Ann Smith @CherylAnnAuthor @SDSXXTours

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THE SWEETHEART KISS
by Cheryl Ann Smith
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pub Date: May 9, 2017
 
Jess Lucas works hard at the all-female PI firm Brash & Brazen, and
after a brush with death, she’s determined to play hard
too—preferably with a certain detective on the Ann Arbor police
force…

Jess was stuck at a frenemy’s wedding, playing bridesmaid in a
mustard-yellow monstrosity, when chaos erupted. First the bride’s
ex tried to stop the wedding. Then someone really put a damper on the
big day by sending a bullet through a stained glass window and into
one of the groomsmen. At least her ugly dress came in handy to stop
the bleeding . . .

While the poor guy is rushed to the ER, Jess gets grilled by a gorgeous cop
who’s not thrilled to learn she’s part PI and part pit bull. But
he has to admit she’s highly observant . . . and he observes that
she’s pretty hot, too.

The thing is, Jess was walking up the same aisle as the victim, and Sam
suspects she was the real target. It’s more than professional duty
that makes him want to protect her—if he doesn’t arrest her first
for interfering in his investigation . . .
 
 
 
Cheryl Ann Smith became hooked on romance at age fourteen when she stayed up
all night to read The Flame and The Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss. Her
own writing journey happened much later, when one afternoon she ran
out of books and decided to write her own. Previously, she has
published five sexy Regency novels and one novella with Berkley in
her School for Brides series.
 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts and giveaway!
 
 
 
 
 
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
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Giveaway – Texas Fire by Gerry Bartlett @gerrybartlett @SDSXXTours

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TEXAS FIRE
by Gerry Bartlett
Pub. Date: 5/2/2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 
Her father’s dream. Her crossroads. And a man
who sees just her . . .
 
Megan Calhoun doesn’t stick with anything
long. She’s the daughter of a billionaire—why pretend to be
somebody else? Until she finds out her father’s will says she has
to. She has to last a year in the oil patch, in the dust and heat of
West Texas, working for her daddy’s company. Otherwise she’s cut
off without a cent—and no way to earn one.
 
The only upside is her new pal Rowdy Baker,
ex-football star, Calhoun engineer, and grade-A stud. If she has to
live in a trailer, his doesn’t sound so bad. Rowdy knows the
roughnecks running the rigs won’t take kindly to a smartass blonde
rookie whose last name matches their paychecks. He can’t control
his attraction to her. And with everyone from the foremen to the
stockholders spitting mad at the Calhouns, he expects trouble ahead.
 
But Megan has never been scared in her life.
And with Rowdy to help her plot, she has the chance of a lifetime: to
find her calling, to fix her company, and, if she doesn’t screw it
up—to capture a heart . . .
 
 
 
 
 
Gerry Bartlett is a native Texan who lives halfway between Houston and Galveston. Her
antique business is on the historic Strand on the island. When she’s
not treasure hunting, she loves heading to the Texas capitol of
Austin where she imagines her vampire Glory St.Clair of the Real
Vampire series has her own vintage clothing shop. She also loves
writing about the big city of Houston and the oil business in her new
contemporary series, Texas Heat.

Gerry has over a hundred cookbooks but would rather read them than cook
these days. She also has way too many purses and posts pictures of
her latest finds on Pinterest. This former elementary school teacher
is working on her twentieth published novel. Her first three were
written as Lynn McKay and can be found on Amazon for a penny. Now
she’s out of the classroom and happy to write under her real name.
 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and giveaway!
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Giveaway – Crescendo by Lana Sky @lanasky101 @XpressoReads

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Crescendo
Lana Sky
(Beautiful Monsters, #1)
Publication date: May 13th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense

You don’t become the fiancé of one of the most powerful crime lords in the city without understanding exactly how gritty and depraved the world truly is… and how to thrive in the inferno.

After five years spent under his controlling thumb, Daniela knows her position with a man like Vincent Stacatto is precarious, but as long as she plays by the rules of his “game”, she’s safe…

Until she’s taken by the devil.

Kidnapped by a rival boss, Daniela becomes a pawn between two powerful forces, and just another casualty in a bloody game of chess. But to get to the top, and stay at the top, you have to fight dirty and hold nothing back, because the most dangerous piece on the board isn’t the King.

Contains Mature subject matter not suitable for those under 18.

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Request a review copy of Crescendo here!

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EXCERPT:

Daniela

I think I hate him the most of all. The bastard with the blue eyes—he’s watching me even now.

The other men are mere dogs like Vinny. They don’t understand anything but violence and bloodshed. But he…this man is different. He’s colder. He’s calculating. He is a snake circling the carnage and swallowing down his chosen prey before the poor soul even knows what’s happening.

Though, maybe it’s the alcohol that makes me so angry. My head drifts. My thoughts are harder to grasp, and sanity is like a rudder, struggling to propel me through the darkness. The bottle is gone; I don’t know what he’s done with it, or if it was really there in the first place.

Delirium likes to play tricks on an already exhausted mind. My head is on a cloud. My right ear is miles away, and everything else feels like distant pulses. I can see my other limbs when I crane my neck down, but controlling them seems about as easy as telling smoke in which direction to float.

I can’t help feeling like this is his own selfish pittance; make the poor girl so drunk she won’t be able to feel her own rape. Hell, maybe she’ll pass out during it. Whatever helps him sleep at night.

Silly, silly bastard. Didn’t he know how impossible it was to sleep with the souls of others weighing you down? They whispered in your ear at night, right before you drifted off, and they haunted your dreams, turning them into nightmares. I haven’t slept in five years. I cease to exist at night. I go numb right until the exact moment that slumber takes me. Then, I open my eyes again, wide awake, and it’s torment.

On second thought, he doesn’t seem as tired as I am. He drank more than me, and yet his posture is stoically erect. He watches me unashamedly. He’s counting down the hours.

“Vinny.” I don’t know why I speak. My voice is a hollow whisper that slithers to the farthest reaches of the room—he can’t pretend like he doesn’t hear me. “Vinny. You want to know what would really make him angry?”

My tormentor doesn’t answer, but I know I’ve piqued his interest.

“If I willingly f-fucked another man…that would make him anggrrrryy.” My tongue fumbles with the words and then end on a sudden hiccup. “That would make him want me back.”

If only so he could kill me himself.

The man doesn’t seem impressed by what I’ve said. He’s un-amused by the unfiltered Daniela, but she suddenly feels desperate to have an audience.

“I would do it, too,” I tell him. Virginal Lynn’s deep, dark secret. I would take anyone over Vinny. The red-haired man. Any one of his thugs. The man with blue eyes.

Anyone. I’d deny him the one thing of value I had left. No matter how tonight ended, Vincent Stacatto wouldn’t claim all of me.

“I’d do it,” I say out loud, just to make it sink in. My confirmation to the universe if not to the man himself. Vinny would never have me fully. The thought makes me snicker, and the blue-eyed man pulls away from the wall, bored of me already.

I watch him head to the doorway that leads to the stairs. There he pauses, and it’s only then that I realize someone else is already in the process of descending them.

“It’s show time,” the red-haired man declares in a guttural rumble. His eyes burn with a sickening mixture of rage and excitement.

Slowly, my gaze drifts over to focus on the wall. I’m not here anymore. I see a stage…a cello. I’m playing Bach. My mind spins the invisible notes. I focus hard on crafting the melody, its soothing cadence. But I’m too dizzy. Words break through the song.

“What the fuck is wrong with her? Is she drunk?” The words dissolve into countless syllables that bounce across the room. My head throbs. A million thoughts and fears leak through the cracks these men have beaten and cut into—I can’t hide them anymore.

A hand grazes my shoulder, and I flinch. Then the entire chair is wrenched out from under me, and I land hard on the floor. My knee smarts. More pain joins the symphony of it that fights with the rising stream of voices for my attention.

“Set up the camera—”

“Where?”

“Any-fucking-where!”

I bite my lip to silence a scream and squeeze my eyes shut, blocking out the room and the men who crowd it. I’m not here. I’m floating…flying…playing. Bach’s melody fills my ears again. My bow is in my hand. I can feel the tension in the strings.

“All right…get her clothes off.”

A hand seizes the collar of my borrowed shirt and tugs. I hear ripping. There’s cool air on my back and the laughter and jeers of countless men battle with my attempts to ignore them. My cello is too heavy to lift. The bow breaks. The music dies off.

All at once, I’m lying on an ice-cold floor, clothed only in a pair of underwear, which someone attempts to drag down my legs while they croon what a “sweet ass” I’ve got into my ear.

“Wait.”

The hands stop tugging, but the calloused fingertips still graze my skin. Whoever speaks…he has a voice that makes the entire room go silent. The roar of a lion is heeded by all predators. A part of me flinches in recognition. I know that voice, but my mind is too busy spinning to place it.

 

Author Bio:

Lana Sky is a reclusive writer in the United States who spends most of her time daydreaming about complex male characters and legless cats. She writes mostly paranormal romance, in between watching reruns of Ab Fab and drinking iced tea. Only iced tea.

Drain Me is her debut novel and the first novel in the upcoming “Ellie Gray Chronicles.”

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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