It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s… Sharcano by Jose Prendes Review

Posted on October 10, 2015 by fundinmental

Flying flaming sharks star in this funfilled apocalyptic thriller, Sharcano by Jose Prendes

I love this cover. Talk about ACTION! I see a lot of it.

MY REVIEW

OMG! As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I had to have Sharcano by Jose Prendes, so I bought my very own copy. This has been the first book I bought this year.

I read Jose Prendes’ bio and it reads as if it is a short story and great for some laughs.

It all started with the amazing find of an 83′ megalodon beached, mauled and burnt.

I can see it all now. Coming soon to a theater near you…It’s lava sharks!

As soon as Mick Cathcart hears of it, he dumps his daughter at his exes and it’s off on the adventure of a lifetime. He thinks he is God’s gift to women, arrogant and self absorbed.

When Father MacKenzie hung himself in desolation, Father Cox stepped in, determined to change the outcome Father MacKenzie had foreseen.

Reading about Bao and his terrifying and sad, yet uplifting, trial by water was so detailed and realistic, my emotions ran AMOK, highs and lows and back again. He is such a kind hearted and loving child who is put to the test, his losses and sorrow mount. I kept thinking, please Jose, don’t leave him out there alone. His sacrifices deserve a reward.

We have Buck and Trigg, just a couple of good old boys out looking for Sasquatch. They are quite the characters and seem to pop up at just the right time. I can’t help but laugh at them, even though things don’t look so good to me, they don’t seem to understand how up a tree they are.

Volcanoes are popping up from the sea floor, spewing lava worldwide and it is alive.

I can see them, forming in the lava, jumping, flying, determined to find…US!

A plague, the Hell Virus, begins to spread. Humans are facing extinction.

The action is easy to visualize after watching all those Sharnadoes.

Funny, witty, sad, hopeful, uplifting.

The characters don’t all make it to the end, sometimes sacrificing themselves to save others. They grabbed at me, pulling me for and against them. I didn’t always like them, but they all had their contribution to make.

There is a twist that sets it apart from the B movies I love so much…spirituality.

I was hem hawing and telling myself, yeah I know that, then WTF, then, yeah I know that, then WTF.

Jose Prendes did a great job pushing my buttons at the end of Sharcano. I loved this novel and am looking forward to the next one.

5 Stars

ABOUT JOSE PRENDES (From Goodreads)

Jose Prendes, international man of mystery, was found swaddled in a basket among the reeds at the mouth of the Amazon. Raised by local shamans, Jose learned the magic of language and decided to dedicate his skills to the betterment of all mankind. He trekked to America at the age of 12, on foot no less, and made his home in Florida for a few years. After discovering a cure for the common cold, and losing it among his comic book collection, Prendes decided to abandon Florida for sunny Los Angeles.

Upon arriving in the city of angels, he was made the leader of a small group of cinephiles who believed he was the second coming of Shakespeare. Wielding immense power, and a ridiculously awesome dvd collection, Prendes continues his struggle to save the world from the coming peanut butter and jelly apocalypse.

Stalk him: Goodreads / Twitter

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Lou Malloy is on a rampage in Dead Money Run by J Frank James #Giveaway

Posted on September 19, 2015 by fundinmental

Add me to your reading list now.

Dead Money Run is the first book in The Lou Malloy Crime Series by J. Frank James.

Genres: Crime / Fiction / Mystery / Thriller

Amazon

MY REVIEW

I started Lou Malloy’s story in the novella, The Run Begins. It is an introduction into Lou’s character and not necessary to read before Dead Money Run by J Frank James.

Lou has a quick temper and a chip on his shoulder. He is rough and tough, but principled, in his own twisted way. On an impulse, he left the small town he grew up in and that is how he began his Dead Money Run.

Dead Money is money that is gotten illegally and has been laundered, whether from drugs, prostitution…

Lou was being released from prison for stealing 15 million dollars from a casino that is owned by the mob. He has no family left since the murder of his sister and he wants her killer. The mystery leads him in a direction he didn’t see coming.

There are layers of criminals and mysteries. Lou is a bad guy and nothing can change that. Have you ever read a book where there really is no good guy, just different levels of bad, brutal, crossing and double crossing villains? When Lou teams up with Hilary, I find myself rooting for this Bonnie & Clyde couple.

Dead Money Run is a convoluted and tangled web. When the pieces are put together, the puzzle was not what I thought it would be and I am delighted. I like when the answers are not obvious and I want more of this tough, just as soon shoot you as look at you lead character and his moll.

If blood and guts noir mysteries are on your reading list, this is one you will want to add.

I received a copy of Dead Money Run by J Frank James in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 3 Stars

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1

The warden was a small man, but dressed neatly. Everything about him was neat-from his hair to his shoes. He was almost too neat.

“So what are your plans, Lou?”

When I walked into the room, the warden turned over a little hour-glass full of sand. We both watched it for a few seconds and then looked at each other. This was the first time I ever met the man. What did he care about me now? Since he never cared before, I figured the man was just looking for information. Perhaps he wanted to give me a warning. I didn’t say anything.

“Do you ever think about time, Lou?”

“After fifteen years, what do you think?” I said.

He smiled and said, “Most valuable thing we have and no one seems to mourn its passing until it’s too late.”

I had nothing to say to that. Conversations with a prison warden came with a lot of maybes. While in prison I trained myself to watch a man’s hands. If he rubbed his hands in a washing motion, he was lying. If he messed with his fingernails, he wasn’t interested in the conversation. The warden was rubbing his hands as if he had touched something distasteful.

“I haven’t given it a lot of thought, Warden Edwards.”

“Call me John, Lou. We’re friends now,” Edwards said while rubbing his hands in a determined kind of way.

So now we were friends. I wanted to tell him he was a liar, but my better judgment stopped me. Probably a good way to delay my release-things get lost, papers go unsigned. Things happen.

“Okay, John,” I said.

“You know, we never found the fifteen million,” he said.

“I didn’t know you were looking for it.”

I watched his eyes flicker briefly. I seemed to hit a sweet spot.

“No, Lou. You misunderstand,” he said as he caught himself. “There is a reward for the recovery of the money. Did you know that?”

Edwards said it more as a statement than a question. I said nothing and waited. Edwards shifted in his chair and started to rub his hands again.

“It would be in your best interest to tell them what you know.”

“Who’s the ‘them’ John?” I asked.

“They’re the people looking for the money.”

I thought about that for a few moments. The statement covered a lot of ground.

“Since I didn’t take the money in the first place, I don’t have anything to tell them. They need to ask the people that took it,” I said.

Edwards was smiling now and he stopped rubbing his hands.

“There are some people that think you do.”

“I can’t help what people think.”

“Ten percent,” he said.

“Ten percent of what,” I said.

“The money, Lou. Ten percent of fifteen million is a lot of money.”

“I hadn’t heard about that,” I said.

“Yeah, it seems the Indian casino had insurance. The insurance company that paid off on the claim put up a ten percent reward for the return of the money. A million five is a lot of money.”

“I hope they find it,” I said.

Edwards blinked his eyes signaling he was moving on to something else.

“Sorry to hear about your sister,” he said. “I understand they are doing all they can to find her killer.”

Edwards was a real card and running out of things to say. On any other day, in any other place, he would be dead or wishing he was.

“Thanks, John. Your words are real comforting,” I said and returned my gaze to the little hourglass and the sand as it accumulated on the bottom.

I had nothing else to say except make him happy. Make them all happy. Just one big happy group sitting around smiling at each other; happy, happy, now let’s just get the money and spread it all around and we can go on being happy. In the meantime my sister lies in a hole feeding worms. I had money on the worms being real happy. No word on how my sister felt.

Edwards looked disappointed when I didn’t add to our conversation.

“Lou, it might be a good idea for you to help them find the money. It could be a big windfall.”

Now we were getting somewhere. Just like all the rest of the treasure hunters, the miserable bastard was just in it for the money.

“Windfall for who, John? Me or you?”

As if tasting a lemon, Edwards twisted his face and, at the same time, waived his hands at an imaginary fly.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Lou. I’m just trying to give you a head start. If it was my decision, you would still be with us. Fifteen million dollars is a lot of money to lose.”

“It still is,” I said.

I sat and watched Edwards shift in his chair some more. We had nothing left to talk about. I could feel him working out in his mind how he was going to present his failure to get a lead out of me on the money.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Edwards said.

Finally, I had enough.

“Leave. Isn’t that what we all do?”

His smile vanished. He knew he was wasting his time on someone who had maxed out. He also knew he couldn’t hold me. There would be no parole violation with the threat to re-incarcerate me. No work release effort to rehabilitate me. Just a new suit made in the prison cut and sew area and a hundred bucks was the sum total of it. That probably hadn’t changed since the 30s. I wondered if Al Capone wore the suit they gave him when he got out.

We were both looking at the little hourglass of sand now. The sand had drained from the top of the glass to the bottom. Suddenly, as if being shot out of a cannon, we both stood up. Edwards stuck out his hand. I turned and left the room. I didn’t shake his hand. I didn’t want to touch him.

SYNOPSIS

Lou Malloy learns of his sister’s death right before he is released from prison, having served 15 years for the theft of $15 million from an Indian casino. He wants two things: to keep the $15 million, which no one has been able to find, and to track down and punish whoever killed his sister.

Lou Malloy teams up with Hilary Kelly, a private investigator. In no time, Lou has found the hidden $15 million, recovered guns and ammunition hidden with the money, and murdered two low-level mobsters and fed them to the crocodiles.

As the body count rises, the story grows more complex and his sister’s death becomes more mysterious.

Praise for Dead Money Run:

“Dead Money Run is a hard-boiled thriller. It is a book of short chapters and almost unrelenting excitement as Lou and Hillary Kelly avoid cops, kill mobsters, and try to unravel the mystery of who killed Lou’s sister and why.” – Reviewed by Wally Wood at BookPleasures.com

“Fans of James Ellroy and Elmore Leonard are going to love James’ ingenious capers, devious characters and wry humor. The entire book goes down like a strong yet smooth shot of bourbon.” – Reviewed by BestThrillers.com

“Dead Money Run by J. Frank James is a pure adrenalin rush from the very beginning. Yes, it is very violent with some strong language, but filled with excitement that keeps the reader wanting to know what comes next.” – Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers’ Favorite

“J. Frank James did a very nice job constructing a fast moving plot for Dead Money Run. It is intriguing and thrilling. However, the reader should be prepared for a bit of gruesome violence. Yet, the violence doesn’t override the mystery and suspense within the story. Hold on to whatever it is that you’re sitting on as you read this story, because James is about to take you on a wild ride.” – Reviewed by Red City Review

J. Frank James ABOUT J FRANK JAMES

Frank James has a passion for writing, and he certainly has the knowledge and experience to write realistic crime thrillers, thanks to his extensive background in law. Jim attended law school, where he was a member of the law review. He even went on to pass the state bar and started his own law practice that specialized in complex litigation. Jim’s experience in law helps lend credibility to his crime fiction books. He has also traveled extensively and gains inspiration for his crime thrillers from his travels. From observing other cultures and gaining new experiences, Jim is able to infuse new life into his books and develop believable characters that readers can identify with.

Frank James writes crime thriller novels that are gripping and suspenseful. He is the author of the Lou Malloy Crime Series and the Indigo Marsh Detective Series.

Frank James is also an artist and he creates all of his own book covers.

To learn more, go to http://www.jfrankjamesbooks.com/

Connect with J. Frank James on Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.

GIVEAWAY

J Frank James is offering 1 copy of the kindle version of Dead Money Run.

Leave a comment telling J Frank James what you liked most about the post or just say hello. 🙂

Ends 9/30/15.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Giveaway – THE EXTRAORDINARY DAYS SERIES by Polly Becks

Posted on September 10, 2015 by fundinmental

SBB_TourBanner_ExtraordinaryDays copy

Check out Polly Becks on Goodreads now.

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THURSDAY’S CHILD: FAR TO GO by Polly Becks

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GENRE: Romance/Mystery/Thriller

NOTE: A percentage of the sales of this book will be donated to Children’s International, a not-for-profit organization very close to the author’s family’s heart. Past books in the series have benefited The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, Tuesday’s Children [a 9/11 charity], and The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

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BLURB

A mystery is introduced in No Ordinary Day, the first book in the Extraordinary Days series that is carried through all eight volumes and solved in the last book, Sunday’s Child: Born on the Sabbath Day, due out in January of 2017.

In the late spring of 1991, a flood and fire of historic proportions tore through the pretty resort town of Obergrande, New York, in the central region of the Adirondack mountains.

The twin disasters destroyed a large part of the east side of the town that bordered the Hudson River and Lake Obergrande.

In the aftermath, a new dam was built, and that damaged part of the town “drowned,” covered by the new, larger lake.

During that terrible flood, five kindergarten girls were trapped in their drowning school, huddled together as the water rose higher, rescued just in the nick of time. The nightmare bonded them, and three others like them, to each other for life.

These are their stories.

International attorney and human rights advocate Elisa Santiago believes she has life under control—an impressive career, a solid group of friends in Obergrande, and a handsome law partner for hot “car action” when she needs release. Little does she know that her entire world is about to burn down when she discovers that nothing she believes she knows about herself and her past is true. Can the gorgeous former CIA operative, acting as her guide and guard as she returns to Colombia, the land of her birth, looking for answers, set her world on fire in a good way?

THURSDAY’S CHILD: Far to Go is the fifth book in the eight-book series The Extraordinary Days by breakthrough novelist Polly Becks. The first book, No Ordinary Day, tells the tale of an epic tragedy that changes life forever in a small town in the wild, mystic Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, and the mystery surrounding that tragedy.

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EXCERPT

Present day, Sunday, September 8th, 2:11 PM

Le Mille Neuf, 1009 Rue de Bleury, penthouse, Montreal

The young man at the front desk in the luxury apartment building looked up in surprise at the quartet of women making their way across the lobby, carrying what looked like a variety of flowers, sweets, and boxes, chatting happily amongst themselves as every male head in the lobby turned in their direction.

An older man in the uniform of a professional driver or chauffeur was following them, his arms piled high with packages, puffing slightly.

The women, who were carrying on an intense four-way conversation between them, did not notice the attention they were garnering like magnets. They ranged in height from just over five feet to just under six, with a variety of body types, hair and skin colors ranging from alabaster to ebony, and clothing styles, all of which had some sort of bright artistry to them.

They stopped in front of the desk.

The tallest of the group, a fair-skinned beauty with gray eyes and shoulder-length brown hair atop a tall, willowy figure, smiled down at him.

“Penthouse deux, s’il vous plait,” she said politely in a perfect French accent.

The young man slid his swivel chair quickly under the desk to shield his lap from view.

“Qui appelle?” he asked in a French-Canadian accent. “Er—whom shall I say is calling?” He picked up the phone.

“The—uhm—Fivesome,” Briony Windsor, known as Sarah to her friends, said.

The young man waited for an answer, requested permission for entry and, receiving it, directed the four women to the penthouse elevator, only to discover they had started across the back lobby while he was hanging up.

They already knew where they were going.

“Has anyone heard from Sloane’s father recently?” Dr. Corinne Byrnes, a veterinarian and the second-tallest member of the group asked the others as they entered the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor.

“I spoke to him last night,” said Reverend Grace Fuller, the Associate Pastor of the Obergrande Community Church back in New York State. “He says she seems to be doing better, as long as she rests. Apparently he hasn’t been entirely successful at keeping her in bed.”

“Shocker,” mused Elisa Santiago, esq., a practicing attorney and civil rights advocate who divided her time between law on the international stage and a quiet practice back in Obergrande, the pretty Adirondack hometown of the four young women and the friend they had come to visit. At five-foot-three, she was petite, like Grace, and extraordinarily well put-together, every detail of her wardrobe perfect, just as every detail of her business and personal life seemed to be.

“Well, between us we have plenty of things to keep her amused in bed,” said Briony. “Although that’s like selling ice to penguins; Sloane has made of art of being kept amused in bed most of her life.”

“Truth,” mused Corinne as the elevator doors opened, providing a stunning view of downtown Montreal and its exquisite spires.

The four women hurried down the sunlit hallway of windows to the door where the number 2 was elegantly displayed.

Elisa pushed the doorbell.

A tall, strapping, dark-haired man with a finely-featured, neatly-bearded face opened the door a moment later.

All four women blinked in surprise.

“Dr. Marlowe?” Elisa’s voice broke the silence.

The man’s dark blue eyes blinked as well.

“Come in, ladies,” he said quickly.

The women looked at each other, then followed him into the penthouse.

“What’s he doing here?” Grace whispered to Briony. “Sloane told me they couldn’t stand each other.” Briony shrugged.

“Perhaps they’re working on the Quadricentennial?” Elisa suggested as they passed through the elegant central foyer into the open living area, a high-ceilinged room ringed with floor-to-ceiling windows.

She turned to Corinne, the only one not to have met Nathan Marlowe. “He’s a world-class history professor here at McGill and in New York at NYU, a specialist in the Adirondack Park area and particularly in Obergrande. Sloane’s mother hired him to do the authentication and other research for the town’s four-hundredth anniversary next May.”

“Well, if her mother likes him, I can see why Sloane can’t stand him,” said Corinne. “Those two can’t agree on whether the sun is up or not.”

Dr. Marlowe was standing at the far left edge of the open sitting area, next to the door that led to Sloane’s bedroom suite.

The women and their driver, still lugging their packages, followed him.

A glorious spicy smell filled the air near the kitchen.

On their way past a recessed alcove in which a towering animal cage stood, Corinne paused and clicked softly at the sweet, melon-sized animal inside it.

“Hiya, Pfeffernusse,” she said. “You’re lookin’ good, gurrl.”

Ed Hillenbrandt, the driver, waited until she was following the other girls again, then paused in front of the cage himself.

“I still say you would make a nice hat,” he whispered.

Pfeffernusse just stared at him with her big black chinchilla eyes. Then she flicked her large ears and spun around, her white belly disappearing from view as she turned her gray-blue back to him.

“You’re not by any means the first female to give me the cold shoulder, ma’am,” Ed said as he went to join the women.

ABOUT POLLY BECKS

MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_ThursdaysChild Polly Becks has been making her living writing for more than twenty years, as well as working as an editor, curriculum developer, and teaching secondary-school Spanish. She has more than 350 books to her credit, mostly educational materials, as well as professionally published fiction in both the adult and YA market in a variety of genres, plus more than 30 Children’s books. She is excited about exploring the digital literature frontier and is honored to be the launch series for GMLTJoseph, LLC. – See more at: http://www.pollybecks.com/author/#sthash.pEZ6f3xO.dpuf

Website / Facebook / Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

Polly is awarding one randomly chosen winner via Rafflecopter one 3-foot long stem rose in a glass vase from TheUltimateRose.com or similar florist; US only

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found HERE.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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OMG! They’re back and more dangerous than ever. Dinosaur Lake III by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Posted on September 7, 2015 by fundinmental

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Welcome to my Tag Team Tag Team Events & Giveaways Page!

This is where myself (Sherry at fundinmental) and Laura at fuonlyknew tag team authors and their books.

We share our reviews and giveaways, giving you two views and two chances to win!

**all covers linked to Amazon, I am an affiliate**

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The Dinosaur Lake series by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is fabulous. Book III, Infestation takes the danger to a whole new level.

If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the cover. How would you like to meet that face to face?

We do have all sizes, color and types. Which one would you like to take home?

Be sure and scroll to the bottom to enter my giveaway and find a way to have a second chance to win.

Add me to Goodreads now.

Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Cover art: Dawne Dominque

MY REVIEW

I just recently watched the Jurassaic Park movies, over and over again, in preparation for the recent release of Jurassic Park III. It made me think of Kathryn Meyer Griffiths series of Dinosaur Lake books and I realized I had not reviewed Book III: Infestation.

So, let’s party with the dinosaurs. Kathryn writes this series in a way that reminds me of Jurassic Park. Even while in terror, there is a sense of enjoyment, humor and fun.

Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore is back. He has been mulling over the past six years, first a monster dinosaur in Crater Lake, then dinosaurs flying over Crater Lake. What comes next? Will it be a water, air or land animal?

Let’s ask boat captain Willie Sander.

Poor Henry. Not again. How many times will he have to go through this? Maybe he needs to approach it in a different way? How will we learn to live WITH them?

Our old friends are back. Ranger Kiley Stanton and Ranger Elle Stanton seemed to have hooked up and are the better for it.

Ann is free of cancer, but she had made up her mind that she would do what made her happy, spending time with her family and Sasha, her new kitten. They were even thinking of retirement.

I’m so excited to find out what we will be playing with in this book, but I hope my favorite characters don’t get bumped off during the adventure. Kathryn is not afraid to kill off her characters.

I knew when he didn’t close the door all the way what would happen. No, No, Sasha. Come back. Will she or won’t she make it? I’m not telling. Even little kitties are on the dino’s snack list.

Justin, Henry’s son in law has been doing investigating of his own. Could this be happening in other locations? Oh man, it just keeps getting better and better.

They’re here. They’re big. They’re hungry…and they aren’t going anywhere. A dino apocalypse.

Nice twist, Kathryn adding Steven, a musician, dinosaur lover and ebook writer.

Denial of the problem could mean you would be served as lunch.

After watching Jurassic Park, it is easy to visualize the herds of dinorsaurs, their attacks, their eating snacks, which included pet squirrels and innocent people.

Kathryn’s writing makes me know that no on is safe. I may lose some friends. The big question is…who?

Dinosaur Lake is Jurassic Park without genetic manipulations, on steroids. Kathryn takes it so much further. The dinosaurs are mutating, they have sharp teeth and claws, are quick on their feet, attack in groups and herds, are vicious and smart, plotting attacks and setting traps the the unsuspecting humans. They are communicating with each other. They hit and pounce, like a cat playing with a mouse.

I have had a feeling from the opening ages that something really bad will happen and I am not going to like it. That is what makes Kathryn’s Dinosaur Lake novels so good. She pulls no punches, yanks the run out from under your feet as soon as you feel you are on solid ground and demands that you pay attention at every turn. Ignore the warnings at your own peril. I am left with a lot of questions and wonder…do I have to draw my own conclusions, or will there be more to come? How about it Kathryn?

I received Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation from Kathryn Meyer Griffith in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore has dealt with and fought real live dinosaurs at his beloved Crater Lake National Park for over six years. With the help of his rangers, a few brave FBI friends and army soldiers he’d been victorious over a prehistoric lake creature and years later some particularly fiendish, and clever, specimens of the flying variety. He and his newspaper publisher wife, Ann, thought their park was finally rid of the monsters and they could reclaim their tranquil life in a place they cherished. Not so. For suddenly across the park new and even more malevolent mutant species of dinosaur begin to appear and create havoc, attacking the park’s visitors and threatening its peace. And this time the primeval scourge isn’t confined to just their park. The creatures have moved into the nearby towns, across the western United States and up into Canada. They are so much more aggressive, smarter and hungrier than any that have come before and the infestation is spreading further and faster than Henry and Ann can even imagine. This time there’s no easy way to defeat the dinosaurs. There’s too many of them and they’re too devious. This time it’s full out war and the victor will someday claim Earth.

ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH

I’ve been writing for over 41 years now…published for 30 of those years since 1984; have EIGHTEEN novels, 2 novellas and 12 short stories to my name…and more coming. Aug. 30, 2012: I (first time ever!) SELF-PUBLISHED MY 16TH NOVEL *DINOSAUR LAKE* TO AMAZON KINDLE DIRECT! January 2013 I SELF-PUBLISHED MY 17TH NOVEL *HUMAN NO LONGER*, my fourth vampire novel. Also in January 2013 I self-published my rereleased murder mystery (originally a 2003 Avalon Books hardcover) SCRAPS OF PAPER-Revised Author’s Edition and FOUR SPOOKY SHORT STORIES, a collection of 4 horror/romantic horror short stories.

I write traditional supernatural horror, SF horror, romantic time-travel, murder mysteries and paranormal romance. I’ve been writing about ghosts, ancient Egyptian spirits, haunted places and evil vampires WAY LONG BEFORE Stephanie Meyer (no relation to me even though my maiden name is Meyer) and the rest of the vampire author crowd, ha, ha. And now ALL 15 of my older Zebra, Leisure paperbacks, Avalon Books murder mysteries and my Wild Rose Press books have been revised, reprinted and rereleased for the first time in many years (and in e-books for the first time ever) from DAMNATION BOOKS www.damnationbooks.com and ETERNAL PRESS www.eternalpress.biz and AMAZON KINDLE DIRECT. Yippie! So look for them.

I’m a wife of almost 35 years (husband, Russell), mother (one son, James) and grandmother (two grandchildren, Caitlyn and Joshua). I was a graphic designer in the corporate world for 23 years; and have published with Dorchester, Kensington, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Kindle Direct, Damnation Books and Eternal Press, and Amazon Publishing. Six years ago I crossed over into e-books as well as paperbacks and now ALL my old/new books are in ebooks…and soon to be in AUDIO BOOKS from ACX. I love cats and nature, classic rock and country music (my brother, JS Meyer www.jsmeyermusic.com, is a singer/songwriter and does the songs for all my self-made book trailers that are on my websites). VISIT me at www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith or www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG or www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith to see all my book covers and trailers.

My published books: (ALL OF THESE OUT AGAIN…PLEASE LOOK FOR THEM!) Human No Longer (2013),Dinosaur Lake (SF horror), Scraps of paper-Revised Author’s Edition, Evil Stalks the Night (supernatural horror), Leisure 1984; The Heart of the Rose (historical romance) Leisure 1985; Blood Forge (supernatural horror), Leisure 1989; Vampire Blood (romantic supernatural horror), Zebra 1991; The Last Vampire (supernatural horror), Zebra 1992; Witches (romantic horror), Zebra 1993 & Pinnacle 2000; a novella called The Nameless One in Dark Seductions, an erotic horror anthology, Kensington, 1993; The Calling (supernatural horror), Zebra 1994. The Nameless One, a short erotic novella in the 1994 Zebra Anthology Dark Seductions. And Scraps of Paper (hardcover mystery) Avalon Books, 2003; All Things Slip Away, the second mystery in the series came out also from Avalon Books in February 2006 and now both are out again from Amazon and both in ebooks for the first time ever. And my three novels and two short stories from The Wild Rose Press are out again from ETERNAL PRESS: Egyptian Heart(ancient Egyptian time travel romance); Winter’s Journey(a romantic suspense novel); The Ice Bridge, (a contemporary romance e-novel with a dose of murder mystery) and two ghostly short stories, Don’t Look Back, Agnes and In This House. BEFORE THE END: A Time of Demons, an apocalyptic saga from Damnation Books, June 2010. THE WOMAN IN CRIMSON, a vampire eternal love story, is out now from ETERNAL PRESS http://www.eternalpress.biz. The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Fiction: Volume 1 (I did the Introduction) 2011 and Telling Tales of Horror 2012(I did the chapter on Putting the Occult into your Fiction)***

Goodreads / Authors Den / Website

Dinosaur Lake I is an 2014 Epics Award Finalist in the Suspense/Thriller category. Check out

My review: Creature Dines on Crater Lake Smorgasboard

My review: They’re Here – Dinosaur Lake II by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

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Kathryn Meyer Griffith is offering for the giveaway three (3) ebooks of Dinosaur Lake III. International. Entry is easy peasy. Just leave a comment along with your email address.

Answer Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s question…What do you do when they are smarter than you?

For a second chance to win and another review, visit fuonlyknew.

Giveaway ends 9/21/15.

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Weather Update: There is a Tropical Depression by Jeff Lindsay Giveaway & Review

Posted on August 25, 2015 by fundinmental

Tropical Depression

by Jeff Lindsay

August 25 Book Blast

I am so excited to share Jeff Lindsay’s newest novel, Tropical Depression. I used to watch Dexter on TV and fell in love with the jaded character. I can hardly wait to read Tropical Depression.

What a beautiful cover and I wonder what evilness is inside.

MY REVIEW

I saw the title for Tropical Depression, then the cover, then the blurb and I was sold. I love exotic locations and thrills and I am always ready for some more. AND Jeffrey P Lindsay is the author of the Dexter Series. Have you read them? I have read the books and am a huge fan of the TV series.

We start out in the Florida Keys on a fishing charter. Sounds fantastic to me. The man who chartered the boat is from Rochester, New York and talked incessantly about the Buffalo Bills football team. I lived in Rochester and went to more than one of the Bills games. It’s like this book is talking to me. 🙂

Jeffrey P Lindsay has a way with words and his descriptions of the characters make them come alive, almost as if they are standing in front of me.

I missed the first obvious twist that has Billy Knight leaving the Florida Keys and returning to Los Angeles, the last place he ever thought he would be. The aftermath of the LA riots, during the Rodney King troubles, was still going strong and deadly.

It is amazing that in the flick of your wrist or the snap of your finger, your life can change forever. And Billy’s had. Now, so had Roscoe’s, an LAPD paper pusher seeking Billy’s help.

Jeffrey does a great job describing our hot and humid weather. I can feel the sweat dripping down my face, off the ends of my hair and running down my back, making me feel like I’m in a sauna. I love that he mentioned going in and out of air conditioned buildings and the affect that has on the human body.

I enjoyed the writing, fun, snarky and witty, so descriptive I can smell the salt water and hear the cursing of the unhappy fisherman. Thank goodness I don’t smell the jail cell and feel the guys huge fists punching me in the face. lol

I didn’t see the change in direction of the story. I think because I was enjoying Jeffrey’s colorful tale of the unhappy fisherman. I went from laughter to WTF!

Murder, conspiracy, white power, race riots, corruption, conspiracies…do you believe in conspiracies and secret agendas? I do. Why not? Is it so far fetched, with the arrogance and the “all mine and I can do what I want” attitude in today’s elite? Or has it always been there?

Could this give him a reason, a cause, a second chance to live, instead of just exist?

A lot about Tropical Depression was familiar, some conspiracy with murder, driven by hatred, and Jeffrey P Lindsay kept me involved as I tried to figure out who was the driving force behind it.

A bit of a surprise at the end and the last 7% cranked up the suspense level and held it until the end of Tropical Depression. I wavered between a 3 or a 4, but the locale, all the things I was familiar with and brought back memories, the thrills, and the icing on the cake, the ending, made the difference. A 4 it is.

I received Tropical Depression by Jeffrey Lindsay in return for an honest and unbiased review.

4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jeff Lindsay mastered suspense with his wildly addictive DEXTER series. Before that, however, there was former cop and current burnout Billy Knight. When a hostage situation turns deadly, Billy loses everything—his wife, his daughter, and his career. Devastated, he heads to Key West to put down his gun and pick up a rod and reel as a fishing boat captain. But former co-worker Roscoe McAuley isn’t ready to let Billy rest.

When Roscoe tells Billy that someone murdered his son, Billy sends him away. When Roscoe himself turns up dead a few weeks later, however, Billy can’t keep from getting sucked back into Los Angeles, and the streets that took so much from him.

Billy’s investigations into the death of a former cop, and his son, will take him up to the highest echelons of the LAPD, finding corruption at every level. It puts him on a collision course with the law, with his past, with his former fellow officers, and with the dark aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. Jeff Lindsay’s considerable storytelling gifts are on full display, drawing the reader in with a mesmerizing style and a case with more dangerous blind curves than Mulholland Drive.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Police Procedural

Published by: Diversion Books

Publication Date: August 25, 2015 (Re-Release)

Number of Pages: 256

ISBN: 2940151536677

Series: Billy Knight Thrillers, Book 1

Purchase Links:

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EXCERPT

Somebody once said Los Angeles isn’t really a city but a hundred suburbs looking for a city. Every suburb has a different flavor to it, and every Angeleno thinks he knows all about you when he knows which one you live in. But that’s mostly important because of the freeways.

Life in L.A. is centered on the freeway system. Which freeway you live nearest is crucial to your whole life. It determines where you can work, eat, shop, what dentist you go to, and who you can be seen with.

I needed a freeway that could take me between the two murder sites, get me downtown fast, or up to the Hollywood substation to see Ed Beasley.

I’d been thinking about the Hollywood Freeway. It went everywhere I needed to go, and it was centrally located, which meant it connected to a lot of other freeways. Besides, I knew a hotel just a block off the freeway that was cheap and within walking distance of the World News, where Roscoe had been cut down. I wanted to look at the spot where it happened. I was pretty sure I wouldn’t learn anything, but it was a starting place.

And sometimes just looking at the place where a murder happened can give you ideas about it; cops are probably a little more levelheaded than average, but most of them will agree there’s something around a murder scene that, if they weren’t cops, they would call vibes.

So Hollywood it was. I flagged down one of the vans that take you to the rental car offices.

By the time I got fitted out with a brand new matchbox—no, thank you, I did not want a special this-week-only deal on a Cadillac convertible; that’s right, cash, I didn’t like credit cards; no, thank you, I did not want an upgrade of any kind for only a few dollars more; no, thank you, I didn’t want the extra insurance—it was dark and I was tired. I drove north on the San Diego Freeway slowly, slowly enough to have at least one maniac per mile yell obscenities at me. Imagine the nerve of me, going only sixty in a fifty-five zone.

The traffic was light. Pretty soon I made my turn east on the Santa Monica. I was getting used to being in L.A. again, getting back into the rhythm of the freeways. I felt a twinge of dread as I passed the exit for Sepulveda Boulevard, but I left it behind with the lights of Westwood.

The city always looks like quiet countryside from the Santa Monica Freeway. Once you are beyond Santa Monica and Westwood, you hit a stretch that is isolated from the areas it passes through. You could be driving through inner-city neighborhoods or country-club suburbs, but you’ll never know from the freeway.

That all changes as you approach downtown. Suddenly there is a skyline of tall buildings, and if you time it just right, there are two moons in the sky. The second one is only a round and brightly lit corporate logo on a skyscraper, but if it’s your first time through you can pass some anxious moments before you figure that out. After all, if any city in the world had two moons, wouldn’t it be L.A.?

And suddenly you are in one of the greatest driving nightmares of all recorded history. As you arc down a slow curve through the buildings and join the Harbor Freeway you are flung into the legendary Four-Level. The name is misleading, a slight understatement. It really seems like a lot more than four levels.

The closest thing to driving the Four-Level is flying a balloon through a vicious dogfight with the Red Baron’s Flying Circus. The bad guys—and they are all bad guys in the Four-Level—the bad guys come at you from all possible angles, always at speeds just slightly faster than the traffic is moving, and if you do not have every move planned out hours in advance you’ll be stuck in the wrong lane looking for a sign you’ve already missed and before you know it you will find yourself in Altadena, wondering what happened.

I got over into the right lane in plenty of time and made the swoop under several hundred tons of concrete overpass, and I was on the Hollywood Freeway. Traffic started to pick up after two or three exits, and in ten minutes I was coming off the Gower Street ramp and onto Franklin.

There’s a large hotel right there on Franklin at Gower. I’ve never figured out how they break even. They’re always at least two-thirds empty. They don’t even ask if you have a reservation. They are so stunned that you’ve found their hotel they are even polite for the first few days. There’s also a really lousy coffee shop right on the premises, which is convenient if you keep a cop’s schedule. I guessed I was probably going to do that this trip.

A young Chinese guy named Allan showed me up to my room. It was on the fifth floor and looked down into the city, onto Hollywood Boulevard just two blocks away. I left the curtain open. The room was a little bit bigger than a gas station rest room, but the decor wasn’t quite as nice.

It was way past my bedtime back home, but I couldn’t sleep. I left my bag untouched on top of the bed and went out.

The neighborhood at Franklin and Gower is schizophrenic. Two blocks up the hill, towards the famous Hollywood sign, the real estate gets pretty close to seven figures. Two blocks down the hill and it’s overpriced at three.

I walked straight down Gower, past a big brick church, and turned west. I waved hello to Manny, Moe, and Jack on the corner: it had been a while. There was still a crowd moving along the street. Most of them were dressed like they were auditioning for the role of something your mother warned you against.

Some people have this picture of Hollywood Boulevard. They think it’s glamorous. They think if they can just get off the pig farm and leave Iowa for the big city, all they have to do is get to Hollywood Boulevard and magic will happen. They’ll be discovered.

The funny thing is, they’re right. The guys that do the discovering are almost always waiting in the Greyhound station. If you’re young and alone, they’ll discover you. The magic they make happen might not be what you had in mind, but you won’t care about that for more than a week. After that you’ll be so eager to please you’ll gladly do things you’d never even had a name for until you got discovered. And a few years later when you die of disease or overdose or failure to please the magic-makers, your own mother won’t recognize you. And that’s the real magic of Hollywood. They take innocence and turn it into money and broken lives.

I stopped for a hot dog, hoping my sour mood would pass. It didn’t. I got mustard on my shirt. I watched a transvestite hooker working on a young Marine. The jarhead was drunk enough not to know better. He couldn’t believe his luck. I guess the hooker felt the same way.

The hot dog started to taste like old regrets. I threw the remaining half into the trash and walked the last two blocks to Cahuenga.

The World News is open twenty-four hours a day, and there’s always a handful of people browsing. In a town like this there’s a lot of people who can’t sleep. I don’t figure it’s their conscience bothering them.

I stood on the sidewalk in front of the place. There were racks of specialty magazines for people interested in unlikely things. There were several rows of out-of-town newspapers. Down at the far end of the newsstand was an alley. Maybe three steps this side of it there was a faint rusty brown stain spread across the sidewalk and over the curb into the gutter. I stepped over it and walked into the alley.

The alley was dark, but that was no surprise. The only surprise was that I started to feel the old cop adrenaline starting up again, just walking down a dark alley late at night. Suddenly I really wanted this guy. I wanted to find whoever had killed Roscoe and put him in a small cell with a couple of very friendly body-builders.

The night air started to feel charged. It felt good to be doing cop work again, and that made me a little mad, but I nosed around for a minute anyway. I wasn’t expecting to find anything, and I didn’t. By getting down on one knee and squinting I did find the spot where the rusty stains started. There was a large splat, and then a trickle leading back out of the alley to the stain on the sidewalk.

I followed the trickle back to the big stain and stood over it, looking down.

Blood is hard to wash out. But sooner or later the rain, the sun, and the passing feet wear away the stains. This stain was just about all that was left of Roscoe McAuley and when it was gone there would be nothing left of him at all except a piece of rock with his name on it and a couple of loose memories. What he was, what he did, what he thought and cared about—that was already gone. All that was hosed away a lot easier than blood stains—a lot quicker, too.

“I’m sorry, Roscoe,” I said to the stain. It didn’t answer. I walked back up the hill and climbed into a bed that was too soft and smelled of mothballs and cigarettes.

ABOUT JEFF LINDSAY

Jeff Lindsay is the award-winning author of the seven New York Times bestselling Dexter novels upon which the international hit TV show Dexter is based. His books appear in more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies around the world. Jeff is a graduate of Middlebury College, Celebration Mime Clown School, and has a double MFA from Carnegie Mellon. Although a full-time writer now, he has worked as an actor, comic, director, MC, DJ, singer, songwriter, composer, musician, story analyst, script doctor, and screenwriter.

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Chilling Must Read Thriller – Perfectly Twisted by Kristine Mason

Posted on August 11, 2015 by fundinmental

Perfectly Twisted (Book 1 C.O.R.E. Above the Law) (C.O.R.E. Series) by Kristine Mason

I am a super huge fan of thrillers and Kristine Mason is at the top of her game in Perfectly Twisted, her latest chapter of the stand alone CORE series. I have read all of her books and find myself on pins and needles waiting for the next one, but first…

Check out this Perfectly Twisted cover!

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

Are you curious about the snake on the cover? You should be! I LOVE it.

With each novel Kristine Mason writes, her creativity and imagination shines brighter. Perfectly Twisted is a perfect title for this romantic suspense thriller. I don’t know how Kristine produces such brilliantly written novels that should be at the top of any thriller list, but I am glad to have found her and be able to share her with you. The story is not for the faint of heart and I would highly recommend it to adult readers.

The Reverend uses his position for his own wickedly evil purposes, him and his son laugh at the gullibility of the congregation they serve. The things they do are so horrendous they defy description by me, a lowly reader. I wonder how Kristine comes up with her storylines and makes them so believable.

The Above The Law CORE group operates on the edge, keeping a low profile and dealing with situations that may cross the line. Lola, Ryan, Harrison, Vlad, Mel and Barney walk a fine line but believe in doing the right thing. It’s just sometimes the right thing requires more than the law allows. Each member is chosen for their particular expertise and function as a fine tuned instrument. They are as close as any family could be.

I love Kristine’s ability to make her characters come alive on the pages. I fall in love with her powerful, yet loving male characters. Her male protagonists are to die for and they would gladly do it for their brave and courageous women partners. Her female characters I want for my best friends.

Perfectly Twisted’s romantic couple being spotlighted are Shane and Beth. I feel for Shane who paid for a crime that never would have happened if he wasn’t in the wrong place at the wrong time. Deputy Beth Price risks her job to be with him. Little does she realize his dalliance with the law is just the tip of the iceberg.

Kristine Mason’s characters are complex. You will find that you either love them or hate them, root for them or root against them, and sometimes pray at the end some of them no longer walk the earth.

After reading Perfectly Twisted, I can’t help but wonder how many perverted and depraved sickos run around at any give time? The question in Perfectly Twisted is how many sickos are operating in the same place at the same time. Is there more than one? Is there a copycat?

The game of cat and mouse is afoot. Who will be left standing?

The sweet and sexy banter has a humorous flavor even during the horror. I never used to be much of a romance fan, but Kristine Mason is one of the amazing authors I have found that I cannot help but let the love, romance and passion wash over me while I swoon and drown in it. The sexual situations read as romance and passion more than just the physical act.

You may have played strip poker, but have you ever played strip scrabble. It is writing like this that elevates Perfectly Twisted to such a high level for me. I love a little humor with my horror.

When I finally found out who the necrophiliac was it made sense, but I am still shocked. I didn’t see it coming. Kristine goes that extra mile of creepiness! We can label this as a horror/suspense/thriller.

Mel has become one of my favorite characters. She carries a knife and knows how to use it. Need a body disposed of? A car or a boat? Just give Mel a call. When I saw Mel’s story is next I was ecstatic. I can hardly wait. Her whole persona spoke to me – she’s a real badass and I want to know her better. I wonder…

If you are a romantic suspense fan of the dark kind, Kristine Mason is an author that MUST be on your reading list and Perfectly Twisted is one of those novels that stuck with me long after reading it. I love novels with serial killers and her writing is so thought provoking that at times I forget it’s not real. I am so engrossed, that I feel a real sense of loss when the last page is read.

I received Perfectly Twisted by Kristine Mason in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5 Stars

SYNOPSIS

What do you get when you mix a snake-handling reverend, a necrophiliac, a cop, and an ex-con? Something perfectly twisted…

Sounds like the start of a bad joke? Not to Shane Monahan. The ex-con and newest recruit to the underground criminal investigation group, A.T.L. or Above the Law, has it bad for Collier County Deputy Beth Price. But ex-cons and cops don’t mix, especially when this particular ex-con is looking at going back to prison for his involvement with A.T.L.

All Beth wants is a fun distraction from the stress of her job and law school. She thinks she’s found that when she meets Shane during an airboat tour through the Florida Everglades. But Shane’s a felon, a man who could destroy her career as a deputy, and jeopardize her future as an attorney. She doesn’t know what to do—until dead bodies start showing up around the county.

When three abused corpses are found with snake remains inside them, the discovery brings a murderer out of retirement. The Reverend, as he calls himself, doesn’t like his kills being mimicked, especially by a man who abuses the dead—after all, the Reverend does have a reputation to uphold and a congregation to scam. Now it’s time to teach his copycat a deadly lesson…

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I didn’t pick up my first romance novel until I was in my late twenties. Immediately hooked, I read a bazillion books before deciding to write one of my own. After the birth of my first son I needed something to keep my mind from turning to mush, and Sesame Street wasn’t cutting it. While that first book will never see the light of day, something good came from writing it. I realized my passion and found a career I love.

When I’m not writing contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense novels (or reading them!) I’m chasing after my four kids and two neurotic dogs.

Website / Email: authorkristinemason@gmail.com / Facebook / Twitter

MY REVIEWS FOR KRISTINE MASON’S NOVELS

Shadow of Danger / Shadow of Perception / Shadow of Vengeance

Ultimate Kill / Ultimate Fear / Ultimate Prey (review coming soon)

All covers link to Amazon.

The Celeste Files of the Psychic CORE series are paranormal and supernatural novels that star Celeste, from the very first book in the CORE Shadow Trilogy, Shadow of Danger. I love the mix of psychics and ghosts, with murder and thrills. Check them out below.

Perfectly twisted is the beginning of another series, CORE Above the Law, that takes the characters even further than I thought they would go. I am LOVING it!!!

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If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

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Will they find her before it is too late? – Bad Traffick by DV Berkom

Posted on July 28, 2015 by fundinmental

FREEBIE ALERT: Serial Date has just become free at the following links. Hopefully, Amazon will follow suit soon. Flag this and I will let you know.

iBooks / KOBO / Smashwords / B&N

*Mobi readers can pick it up at Smashwords

BAD TRAFFICK named a 2012 Top 5 Indie Pick by BloodWrites and a Top Pick by Night Owl Reviews! Also recently named a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review Best Books of 2013!

Although Bad Traffick is part of a series, it is a standalone novel and can be read by itself.

I am a huge fan of Leine Basso, a strong female protagonist, and DV Berkom. Her thrillers will leave you eagerly anticipating the next one. And I am ready, so bring it on.

Add me to Goodreads now.

MY REVIEW

Judging by the cover of Bad Traffick, I think DV Berkom will be having me gritting my teeth and hanging on the edge of my seat, hoping and praying that Leine Basso will find the girl before the traffickers. And I am not wrong.

Bad Traffick grabs my attention from the opening page and never lets me go. DV Berkom has the ability to put me in a state of suspense from cover to cover, rooting for the good guys…and maybe one not so good gal, while wishing the worst on the criminals and evil that spread their cancer to the young and innocent.

Leine Basso is an ex assassin and is now working security for an actor, Miles Fournier. His long lost sister comes to him for help to find her twelve year old daughter, Mara, who has been kidnapped by traffickers.

Leine is a strong female protagonist who is a suspect in three cold murder cases. She and Jensen, a detective for the LAPD Robbery Homicide Division, have the hots for each other, but with her being a murder suspect, they have to communicate on the down low. Will Jensen risk everything to be with the babe magnet?

Leine has a special relationship with her twenty one year old daughter, April. They have much more in common than your average mother and daughter. They had both been abducted. Now, April wants to learn “the business.” Hmm, could that be a story for another book? I guess we will have to wait and see. In the meantime…

There is much more going on than trafficking and I am very suspicious. Who can you trust? I found myself holding my breath, leaning forward in my seat with my hands tightly clenching the book as over and over again someone tried to kill her. Is it the same person or group? Is there more than one? I know it can’t happen, but I find myself yelling and talking to her, because even I do not know who she can trust.

Bad Trafffick is the second book in The Leine Basso Series, Serial Date being the first. They stand alone, so no cliffhangers or waiting to find out the ending. Still, I can hardly wait to begin the third book in the series, The Body Market, that sits patiently on my side table saying, “Read me.” DV has also just released the fourth book in the series, Cargo.

I received a copy of Bad Traffick from DV Berkom in return for an honest and unbiased review.

5 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Dangerous obsessions take center stage when a former assassin and a homicide detective race against the clock to find a missing girl before she’s lost forever.

Identified as a person of interest in three cold case murders she didn’t commit, ex-assassin Leine Basso accepts a temporary position as a bodyguard for A-list actor Miles Fournier as a favor to Detective Santiago Jensen.

Soon, a woman contacts Miles claiming to be his long-lost sister and confides that her daughter has been abducted by traffickers. Leine must confront her own demons as she races to rescue the girl before it’s too late.

Serial Date is FREE: iBooks / KOBO / Smashwords / B&N

*Mobi readers can pick it up at Smashwords

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two popular thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she received her BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Many, many cross-country moves (and several years) later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, an ex-chef-turned contractor, and writes every chance she gets.

For more information, please visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

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Author Pages

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I am reading my way through DV Berkom’s The Leine Basso Thrillers:

5 Star Review – Serial Date by DV Berkom

I am also reading my way through DV Berkom’s Kate Jones Thrillers:

5 Star Review – Yucatan Dead by DV Berkom

5 Star Review – A One Way Ticket To Dead by DV Berkom

The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1 box set (includes the 1st four novellas in the series).

(The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 2 includes Cruising for Death (#5), YD, and AOWTTD, all for $8.99 (bought separately they would be 12.99)

***all covers link to amazon, I am an affiliate***

Check out all these beautiful covers for the Kate Jones thrillers by DV Berkom.

GIVEAWAY

DV Berkom is offering an ebook from her backlist to one individual commenter. International. All you need to do is answer the following question and leave your email:

“I am a *cover girl*. What is your favorite thing about the cover for Bad Traffick by DV Berkom?”

Giveaway runs 7/28/15 – 8/11/15.

Serial Date is FREE: iBooks / KOBO / Smashwords / B&N

*Mobi readers can pick it up at Smashwords

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8 Novellas, 8 Authors for the Lei Crime Series

Posted on June 25, 2015 by fundinmental

Welcome to my stop for the Lei Crime Series and this awesome group of authors!

BBT_TourBanner_LeiCrimeSeries

Lei Crime Series

by Eden Baylee, Craig Hansen, Corinne O’Flynn, M.L. Doyle, Julie C. Gilbert, J.L. Oakley, Christine Nolfi and Emily Kimelman

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BLURB

The Lei Crime Series: Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water—but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop, but often the cases she works activate wounds and complications from her tangled family history. Lei is affected deeply by her cases even as she solves them with persistence, obsession, and intuition. She falls in love with Michael Stevens, the charismatic detective she works with, and they make a life solving crime in contemporary Hawaii with all its beauty and deadliness.

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Both books are Crime/Mystery/Suspense

Add me to Goodreads now.

Half Moon Girls by Corinne O’Flynn

Even paradise has a dark side…

When Detective Leilani Texeira begins investigating a murder on Kaua`i, she’s struck by one thing: the victim looks like her. As Lei battles dark memories stirred up by the likeness, a friend calls, worried that her daughter didn’t come home last night. Lei soon discovers that the dead girl and the missing girl were friends and last seen together the previous day.

Can she conquer her demons and capture a killer in time to rescue the captive?

Add me to Goodreads now.

A Snake in Paradise by Eden Baylee

Lainey Lee has always dreamed of going to Hawaii. It should have been her honeymoon trip, only it never happened. Now, in a poetic twist of fate, she is making the journey twenty-seven years later—following a messy divorce.

Once on the Big Island, Lainey discovers paradise, but white sand beaches and blue skies are not all Hawaii has to offer. She soon meets Julian, a mysterious stranger ten years her junior. They share an instant connection.

Lainey is eager to shed the fears that trapped her in a loveless marriage, but is Julian a tempting distraction, a new beginning, or a snake in paradise?

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Author Bio – Corinne O’Flynn

AuthorPic1 Corinne O’Flynn is a native New Yorker who now lives in Colorado and wouldn’t trade life in the Rockies for anything. She loves writing flash and experimenting with short fiction. She is a scone aficionado, has an entire section of her kitchen devoted to tea, and is always on the lookout for the elusive Peanut Chews candy.

When she isn’t writing, Corinne works as the executive director of a nonprofit. She is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You can find her online at her website, Facebook, or Twitter @CorinneOFlynn. She blogs about her adventures at http://www.corinneoflynn.com.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon

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Author Bio – Eden Baylee

AuthorPic2 Eden Baylee left a twenty-year banking career to become a full-time writer. She incorporates many of her favorite things into her writing such as: travel; humor; music; poetry; art; and much more. She writes in multiple genres and has written three collections of erotic novellas and flash fiction—Spring into Summer, Fall into Winter, and Hot Flash, along with contributing to the anthologies: Allegories of the Tarot, Indie Authors Naked, and Triptychs.

In 2014, she released her mystery-suspense novel Stranger at Sunset, the first of a trilogy with psychiatrist, Dr. Kate Hampton. Look for the second book entitled A Fragile Truce in 2015.

Eden loves hearing from readers, so connect to her via her website at www.edenbayleebooks.com.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Amazon

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GIVEAWAY

The authors will be awarding a $30 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER HERE

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

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Review ~ Ghost of Death by Chrys Fey

Posted on May 21, 2015 by fundinmental

Welcome and I hope you are having a wonderful day!

I am so happy to be able to share my review of this fantastic story by Chrys Fey.

Are you a ghost lover? Well, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Add to Goodreads

Title: Ghost of Death

Author: Chrys Fey

Genre: Supernatural/Suspense

Format: eBook Only

Page Count: 41 (short story)

Cover: Debbie Taylor

MY REVIEW

I love the etheral cover for Ghost of Death by Chrys Fey. The ghostly effect made me eager to read this wonderful and sometimes humorous novella about a murdered woman, who is now a ghost, and the investigation into her death.

Jolie figured, if she had to be a ghost, she would be the best ghost she could be.

She could walk through walls, but not tweet. I thought that was very funny and the writing set the tone for the rest of the story.

Jolie doesn’t know how she died, but she watched as the police examined her crime scene. She had been going to college to be a journalist and noted everything in detail. Imagine watching the police document the scene, taking your body to the coroner’s office, watching the care and the feelings the workers put into their work.

Imagine watching as your family identify your remains, wanting to reach out to them in their time of need, feeling their anguish and wanting to alleviate their pain.

Jolie was watching the officer in charge of her case, Avrianna, pacing in her office. She shouted out in anger at her. Avrianna whipped around and shouted, “You know what? You need to stop shouting in my ear…” I busted out laughing. Didn’t see that coming at all.

Avrianna is Jolie’s Ghost Whisperer. I loved that Chrys mentioned the TV show, Ghost Whisperer, with Jennifer Love-Hewitt. I used to watch the show every week and have been watching some reruns on ION TV.

Jolie would find out first hand why earthbound spirits stay.

This novella had it all for me: mystery, ghosts, a great storyline and characters that I loved. The humor sprinkled throughout the story helped to make up for the times when I wanted to cry for those left behind.

I would highly recommend reading this fun story of Jolie and the detective that is determined to solve her case, if a murder mystery can be fun. 😈

The author supplied me with a copy of Ghost of Death in return for an honest review. I can hardly wait to begin reading Witch of Death.

5 Stars

GUEST POST

Welcome to fundinmental, Chrys.

I am so happy to have you here to share some of your thoughts with us.

I love chapter titles as a reader and a writer. I think chapter titles are a special dose of creativity that writers add to their books for readers to enjoy, whether readers look at those titles of not. For Ghost of Death, my seven-chapter short story, I created chapter titles for a bit of humor. My publisher doesn’t use chapter titles for shorter works though, so they were stripped from my story during the galley phases. I wanted to share those titles with you now.

Chapter One – I Can’t Be Dead

Chapter Two – Ghost of Death

Chapter Three – Tea for One

Chapter Four – The League of the Dead

Chapter Five – What Happened

Chapter Six – Evidence

Chapter Seven – Pesky College Ghost

QUESTION: What do you think of my deleted chapter titles?

Thank you for having my on your blog, Sherry. You rock!

You are most welcome, Chrys. It is definitely my pleasure and I look forward to doing it again!

SYNOPSIS

Jolie Montgomery, a twenty-one-year-old woman, wakes up in an alley next to her corpse. She has no memories of her murder or the night she died. She didn’t even see the killer’s face before he or she took her life. Wanting justice, Jolie seeks answers in the only way a ghost can…by stalking the lead detective on the case.

Avrianna Heavenborn is determined to find the person responsible for a young woman’s death. She gets closer to the killer’s identity with every clue she uncovers, and Jolie is with her every step of the way.

But if they don’t solve her murder soon, Jolie will be an earth-bound spirit forever.

BOOK LINKS

Amazon US / Amazon UK / The Wild Rose Press / NOOK / KOBO

Add to Goodreads

Also available: WITCH OF DEATH

SYNOPSIS

Detective Reid Sanders doesn’t believe in the supernatural, but when he’s faced with a crime scene that defies the laws of nature, he has no other choice but to start believing. And solving a magical murder involves working with a witch.

Liberty Sawyer embodies the look of your classic evil witch, so, it’s no surprise when she uncovers the murderer is a witch that she becomes Reid’s number one suspect. If she can’t convince him otherwise, more people could lose their lives to dark magic, including her.

BOOK LINKS

Amazon US / Amazon UK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes and 30 Seconds. She is currently working on the sequel to Hurricane Crimes that’ll serve as book two in the Disaster Crimes series.

When Fey was six years old, she realized her dream of being a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen. Fey lives in Florida where she is waiting for the next hurricane to come her way.

You can connect with her on Facebook and her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!

Author Links:

Facebook / Blog / Website / Goodreads

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

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#Giveaway & Excerpt ~ Repossessed by Sandy Parks @SParksauthor

Posted on May 19, 2015 by fundinmental

Repossessed

by Sandy Parks

Series: Hawker Incorporated, #1

Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense, Romantic Elements

Release Date: December 18, 2014

Repossessed is the Winner of the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Award and the 2013 Maggie Award for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements written by Sandy Parks.

A reclusive boss.

An unemployed pilot.

One devil in default.

When Brazilian gem dealer Maximilian Furst stops making payments on his fifty million dollar business jet, “Hawker” Dunlop, reclusive owner of a high-end recovery company, sends a resourceful team to Rio to repossess the aircraft.

Dunlop’s newest hire, ex-military pilot Amelia “Jet” Walczynski, has the perfect skills for infiltrating Furst’s inner circle and flying away the targeted plane. The assignment appears straightforward until Jet discovers Furst is a sociopath and knows she is after his aircraft. Her promised support team, a Greek lawyer avenging his brother’s death, a con man who sidelines as their scout, and a mechanic who paints her nails to match the country of operation, appear a hindrance rather than help. Jet finds it hard to play nice with her teammates when their private agendas put her life at risk. Yet, the closer she gets to Furst and the plane, the more she and her team will have to rely on each other to complete the repossession.

Santos Dumont Airport

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Gnawing apprehension spread through Jet as Maximilian Furst climbed up from the dark night onto his business plane and cast her a triumphant look. Behind him the door closed and the steward flipped the locking handle, securing the aircraft and effectively cutting off rescue if her true purpose were to be discovered.

The cushy leather seat beneath her offered little comfort. Minutes before coming onboard, she’d learned Furst had left a disloyal employee floating face down in a local lake. She drew a calming breath through a fake smile. Had she overestimated her ability to manipulate a powerful man—one who was proving far more dangerous and unpredictable than her boss portrayed?

Looking back, getting onto the Gulfstream 550 had been easy—maybe a bit too easy. Whatever the case, she had to keep a step ahead of Furst if she hoped to find the aircraft’s landing site.

He leaned over her leather chair, using his rock-solid body as unspoken intimidation. Without a word, he picked up the ends to her seat belt and buckled her in. Her heartbeat didn’t slow until the plane had taken off from the domestic airport and risen out of the haze into a clear night.

Jet controlled her fear by focusing on the sleek cabin. She related more to machines, particularly those with wings, than men.

“You have an impressive aircraft,” she said, with the proper amount of awe to feed Furst’s overblown ego. She could recite checklists and emergency boldface items for the fifty-million-dollar beauty that surrounded her, but she had to be careful not to reveal her flying expertise. “Will I be as impressed with your home?” Or wherever the plane might land and “magically” disappear.

Maximilian shifted in his seat to face her and tented his long, dark fingers. “After the excess of my party, you will like the peaceful place we are going.”

“Peaceful? I see you more as the type who never rests.” She pointed at a well-developed bicep on his arm, making sure not to touch or even hint at coming close enough to doing so. “Those don’t come from lounging around.”

“Senhorita, you flatter me. What is a strong body without a fit mind? My sanctuary awaits. It cleanses the body and soul of troubles.”

“I find it hard to believe you have many troubles.”

“A man without them has never been tested. Take this plane, for instance. The company and I have a financial disagreement to resolve. My legal sources have informed me impatient Americans have arrived to take it back. They are supposedly in Rio at this very moment.”

Perceptive sources. She held back the gulp striving to launch down her throat.

Maximilian, his spicy cologne still potent after the long night, leaned forward and encouraged her to do the same. She worked out of her seat belt and rather reluctantly moved closer.

With her head near, he softly added, “You, Senhorita de verão, are an American. I believe you have come to steal my plane.”

Print: Amazon

Sandy loves building worlds with memorable characters caught up in ever changing circumstances. She writes in several genres including action adventure thrillers with touches of mystery and romance, science fiction, romantic suspense, and historical romance, some under the name Sandy Moffett. She has won several national writing awards including the Daphne du Maurier Mainstream Award for Mystery & Suspense, Maggie Award for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, and The Lories for Best New Author Paranormal. Before the days of writing, Sandy was trained as a hydrogeologic scientist, taught at a university, and worked for a civil engineering firm and on an Air Force flight test computer project. Her adventurous background comes from being a private pilot, traveling the world, hiking, scuba diving, and taking over fifteen years of Kenpo karate.