Giveaway – Bruce the Spruce by A A Cristi @BruceSpruceBook @iReadBookTours

Posted on November 23, 2021 by fundinmental

Join Us for This Tour from November 22 to December 10

Book Details:

Book Title: Bruce the Spruce: A New York City Fairytale About the True Meaning of Christmas Trees by A. A. Cristi
Category: Children’s Fiction (ages 3 to 7), 56 pages
Genre:  Children’s Picture Book
Publisher:  Mascot
Release date:   November 2021
Content Rating: G. Suitable for everyone.

Book Description:

Bruce the Spruce has Christmas all wrong.

Thanks to his fancy decorations and adoring admirers, this artificial spruce tree doesn’t just wear a star at Christmas, he IS the star. But when his longtime family gets a new tree, it sends Bruce on a holiday adventure through New York City.

From a party in Brooklyn, to a run-in with rats, to a revelatory visit to Rockefeller Center, Bruce the Spruce takes an unforgettable journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas trees!

Buy the Book:
Mascot
Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble

Meet the Author:

A.A. Cristi was born and raised in the world capital of Christmas trees and musicals – New York City. By no small miracle, she has managed to make a living writing about both topics. When she is not dreaming up fantastic adventures for inanimate objects, she is covering the Broadway industry as a journalist and editor at BroadwayWorld.com. Though writing is her calling, her true passion is playing mother to a neurotic wiener dog named Jack and Aunt Rah Rah to two truly remarkable kids.

Connect with the Author: Author’s Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Tour Schedule:

Nov 22 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
Nov 22 – Laura’s Interests – book review / giveaway
Nov 23 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Nov 23 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
Nov 24 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 24 – Bigreadersite – book review / giveaway
Nov 24 – The Pen and Muse Book Reviews – book review / giveaway
Nov 26 –A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
Nov 26 – The Momma Spot – book review / giveaway
Nov 26 – Sefina Hawke’s Books – book spotlight
Nov 29 – Older & Smarter? – book review / giveaway
Nov 29 – Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway
Nov 30 – Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 30 – Westveil Publishing – book review / giveaway
Dec 1 – Kam’s Place – book review
Dec 1 – icefairy’s Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway
Dec 2 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / author interview / giveaway
Dec 2 – Lisa’s Reading – book review / giveaway
Dec 3 – @twilight_reader – book review
Dec 6 – I’m Into Books – book review / giveaway
Dec 6 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway
Dec 6 – Writer with Wanderlust – book review / guest post / giveaway
Dec 7 – The Phantom Paragrapher – book review
Dec 8 – Sandra’s Book Club – book review
Dec 8 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Dec 9 – Chit Chat with Charity – book review / author interview / giveaway
Dec 9 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
Dec 10 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway:

BRUCE THE SPRUCE Book Tour Giveaway

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Review For New Release – City of Prey by Blake Pierce #BlakePierce

Posted on September 1, 2021 by fundinmental

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have read quite a few of Blake Pierce’s first in a series novels that he offers for free. He writes some wonderful mystery, suspense, thriller fiction, and I am happy to be here to share City of Prey with you. The simplicity of the cover still manages to give me a creepy feeling, a sense of foreboding.

Blake Pierce quickly got my attention. My spidey senses were tingling as soon as HE walked in the door.

Let’s step back in time…the 1920s in New York City, to be precise. Women had their place…at home, in the kitchen. Not so for Ava Gold. At her husband’s funeral, when the captain asked if there was anything he could do for her, she blurted out, “…I’d like a job.”

Ava’s father had been a boxer, until he broke his hand. He’s a trainer…and he taught Ava, so beware. This may be the 1920s and women were thought to be helpless, but not Ava. Once she starts working, he helps her with her ten year old son. She doesn’t realize it, but he has the utmost respect for her.

I could rant and rave about how the women were treated, but I want you to feel the same frustration and disgust that I felt at the stupidity of it all. Of course, I believe so much of this still goes on today, so it should be easy to imagine.

Ava has to deal with racism and sexism and understands neither. She loves Jazz and singing. She’s not afraid of Harlem and ignores those that frown at her independence. She is a natural investigator, whether because of her husband’s insight while discussing police business with her, or her own abilities to think like the criminal she is chasing. Investigating was not as sophisticated in the 1920s, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those who stand above the rest, not willing to accept the easy way out. Piece by piece she puts the puzzle together to catch him.

I had a few issues with City of Prey, but overall they were minor. I loved the character of Ava and those who surrounded her had their place. History shows, it takes characters like these, willing to step outside the box and push the boundaries, to help us all progress.

City of Prey by Blake Pierce touches on racism, prohibition, and women’s rights.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of City of Prey by Blake Pierce.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.

But when a psychotic serial killer unleashes a rampage, murdering young women across the city, Ava will have to search the dark canals of the twisted killer’s mind if she has any hope of hunting him down. With psychological profiling still in its infancy, and mocked by most, Ava will be even more alone as she follows her instinct, and hunts him down in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

Just when it seems the stakes couldn’t be higher, Ava comes to an awful realization: she herself may be the next target.

Amidst the speakeasies, jazz clubs, mafia-run prohibition rings, horrific mental asylums and dangerous back alleys of the city, can Ava achieve what all the men cannot: enter the sick mind of a killer, and stop him before more women die?

A heart-pounding suspense thriller filled with shocking twists, the authentic and atmospheric AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES is a riveting page-turner, endearing us to a strong and brilliant character that will capture your heart and keep you reading late into the night.

Books #2 and #3 in the series—CITY OF FEAR and CITY OF BONES—are now also available.

ABOUT BLAKE PIERCE

Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising thirteen books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising two books (and counting); of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); of the new ADELE SHARP mystery series; and of the new EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series.

ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery–Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery–Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery–Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery–Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige–Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery–Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller–Book One), and IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery–Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

MY BLAKE PIERCE REVIEWS

Watching (The Making of Riley Paige)

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Giveaway – Beyond The Headlines by R G Belsky @DickBel @partnersincr1me

Posted on May 7, 2021 by fundinmental

Beyond The Headlines

by R.G. Belsky

May 1-31, 2021 Tour

Synopsis:

She was a mega-celebrity—he was a billionaire businessman—now he’s dead—she’s in jail

Laurie Bateman was living the American dream. Since her arrival as an infant in the U.S. after the fall of Saigon, the pretty Vietnamese girl had gone on to become a supermodel, a successful actress, and, finally, the wife of one of the country’s top corporate dealmakers. That dream has now turned into a nightmare when she is arrested for the murder of her wealthy husband.

New York City TV journalist Clare Carlson does an emotional jailhouse interview in which Bateman proclaims her innocence—and becomes a cause celebre for women’s rights groups around the country.

At first sympathetic, then increasingly suspicious of Laurie Bateman and her story, Clare delves into a baffling mystery which has roots extending back nearly fifty years to the height of the Vietnam War.

Soon, there are more murders, more victims, and more questions as Clare struggles against dire evil forces to break the biggest story of her life.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: May 4th 2021
Number of Pages: 336
ISBN: 160809409X (ISBN13: 9781608094097)
Series: The Clare Carlson Mystery Series, 4 (This can be read as a stand alone mystery.)
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

“Do you know who Laurie Bateman is?” my friend Janet Wood asked me.

“I do,” I said. “I also know who Lady Gaga is. And Angelina Jolie. And Ivanka Trump. I’m in the media, remember? That’s what we do in the media, we cover famous people. It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it.”

“Laurie Bateman hired me.”

“As an attorney?”

“Yes, as an attorney. That’s what I do, Clare.”

We were sitting in my office at Channel 10 News, the TV station in New York City where I work as news director. I should have known something was going on as soon as Janet showed up there. We usually met at Janet’s law office which is big, with panoramic views of midtown Manhattan, and a lot nicer than mine.

Janet never comes to see me at Channel 10 unless she has a reason.

I figured I was about to find out that reason.

It was early December and outside it was snowing, the first real storm of the winter. The snow started falling during the night, and by now it was covering the city with a powdery white blanket. Pretty soon the car exhausts and trucks would turn it into brown slush, but for now it was gorgeous. From the window next to my desk, the city had an eerie, almost unreal quality. Like something from a Norman Rockwell painting.

My outfit for the day was perfect for the snowy weather, too. I’d walked in wearing a turtleneck sweater, heavy corduroy slacks, a blue down jacket with a parka hood and white earmuffs, scarf and mittens. The ski bunny look. I felt like I should have a cup of hot chocolate in my hand.

“Why does Laurie Bateman need you as an attorney?” I asked Janet.

She hesitated for what seemed to be an inordinately long amount of time before answering.

“Are we talking off the record here?”

“Whatever you want, Janet.”

“I need your word on that.”

“C’mon, it’s me. Clare Carlson, your best friend in the world.”

She nodded.

“Laurie Bateman wants me to represent her in divorce proceedings.”

“Wow!”

“I thought you’d like that.”

“Is it too late to take back my ‘best friend in the world/ off-the-record’ promise?”

Janet smiled. Sort of.

“How much do you know about Laurie Bateman?” she asked me now.

I knew as much as the rest of the world, I suppose. Laurie Bateman seemed to have the American Dream going for her. Since coming to the U.S. as a baby with her family after the fall of Saigon in 1975, the pretty Vietnamese girl had grown up to become a top model, then a successful actress, and finally, the wife of one of the country’s top corporate deal makers. She had a fancy Manhattan townhouse, a limousine at her beck and call and her face had graced the covers of magazines like Vogue and People.

Her husband was Charles Hollister, who had become incredibly wealthy back in the ’70s as one of the pioneers of the burgeoning computer age. He was a kind of Steve Jobs of those early days, and he later expanded into all sorts of other industries—from media to pharmaceuticals to oil drilling and a lot more. He was listed as one of the ten wealthiest businessmen in America.

When Hollister married Laurie Bateman a few years ago, there were a lot of jokes about the big difference in age between the two—she was so much younger and so beautiful. Like the jokes people made about Rupert Murdoch with Wendy Deng and then Jerry Hall, his last two wives. People always assume that a younger and pretty woman like that is marrying for the money. But Laurie Bateman and Charles Hollister insisted they were in love, and they had consistently projected the public persona of a happily married couple in the media since their wedding.

Except it now appeared they weren’t so happily married.

“Is she trying to divorce him to get her hands on his money?” I asked.

“Actually, he’s trying to divorce her and stop her from getting her hands on any of his money.”

“So the bottom line here is this divorce is about money.”

“Always is.”

“Isn’t there a pre-nuptial agreement that would settle all this?”

“Yes and no.”

“Spoken like a true lawyer.”

“Yes, there is a pre-nup. But we don’t think it applies here. That’s because other factors in the marriage took place which could invalidate the terms of the pre-nup they agreed to and signed.”

“Okay.”

I waited.

“Such as?” I asked finally.

“For one thing, Charles Hollister has a mistress. A younger woman he’s been seeing.”

“Younger than Laurie Bateman?”

“Much younger. In her twenties.”

“Jeez! Hollister’s such an old man I have trouble imagining him being able to have sex with his wife, much less getting it up for a second woman on the side.”

“Her discovery that he was cheating on her, along with a lot of other reasons, have turned Laurie Bateman’s life into a nightmare—a living hell—behind the walls of the beautiful homes they live in. She’s kept quiet about it so far, protecting the happy couple image they’ve put on for the media. But now she wants to let the world know the truth. That’s where you come in, Clare.”

Aha, I thought to myself.

Now we’re getting down to it.

I was about to find out the real reason Janet was here.

“Laurie Bateman wants to go public with all this,” Janet said. “She wants to tell her story in the media. The true story of her marriage to Charles Hollister. We know Hollister is going to use his clout to try and smear her and make her look bad, so that’s why we want to get her version out quickly. What I’m talking about here is an exclusive interview with Laurie Bateman about all of this. Her talking about the divorce, the cheating—everything. And she wants you to do the interview with her.”

“Why me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why not Gayle King? Or Savannah Guthrie? Or Barbara Walters or Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer or another big media name? I’m just the news director of a local TV station here.”

“She wants you, Clare. In fact, I think that’s the reason she hired me for her lawyer. She found out you and I were friends—and she’s hoping I can deliver you to her to do this interview on air with her.”

“I still don’t know why she wouldn’t want to go with someone really famous . . .”

“You’re famous too, Clare. You know that as well as I do. And that’s why she wants you. You’re as famous as any woman on the air right now.”

Janet was right about that.

I was famous.

It could have gone either way—I could have wound up being either famous or infamous because of what I did—but in the end I’d wound up as a media superstar all over again.

Just like I’d been when I won a Pulitzer Prize nearly twenty years ago for telling the story of legendary missing child Lucy Devlin—even though I didn’t tell the whole story then.

“Laurie Bateman’s life with Charles Hollister is a big lie,” Janet said to me. “Now she wants to tell the truth on air about all those lies she’s been hiding behind. Like you did when you finally told the truth on air about you and Lucy Devlin. That’s why she wants you to be the one who interviews her.”

I still wasn’t sure how I felt about all this new found fame I’d gotten from my Lucy Devlin story, but there was no question that if it got me this Laurie Bateman story . . . well, that would be a huge exclusive for me and the station.

“When can I meet her?” I asked Janet.

***

Author Bio:

R. G. Belsky is an author of crime fiction and a journalist in New York City.

His new mystery, BEYOND THE HEADLINES, will be published in May 2021. It is the fourth in a series featuring Clare Carlson, the news director for a New York City TV station – and follows THE LAST SCOOP, published in 2020. The first Clare Carlson book, YESTERDAY’S NEWS, won the David Award at Deadly Ink for Best Mystery of 2018. The second Clare Carlson book, BELOW THE FOLD, was named Best Mystery 0f 2019 in the Foreword INDIES Awards.

He also is the author of two thrillers written under the pen name of Dana Perry – THE SILENT VICTIM (2019), THE GOLDEN GIRL (June, 2020) and HER OCEAN GRAVE (June 2021 – Bookouture).

Belsky previously wrote the Gil Malloy series – THE KENNEDY CONNECTION, SHOOTING FOR THE STARS and BLONDE ICE – about a newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News.
Belsky himself is a former managing editor at the Daily News and writes about the media from an extensive background in newspapers, magazines and TV/digital news. He has also been a top editor at the New York Post, Star magazine and NBC News.

His previous suspense/thriller novels include LOVERBOY and PLAYING DEAD. Belsky lives in New York City.

Catch Up With R.G. Belsky:
www.RGBelsky.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @dickb79983
Instagram – @dickbelsky
Twitter – @DickBel
Facebook – @RGBelsky

Tour Participants:

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

Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for R.G. Belsky. There will be two (2) winners who will each receive one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on May 1, 2021 and ends on June 1, 2021. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

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Giveaway – Forging Monsters by Annie James @charmony777 @GoddessFish

Posted on April 14, 2021 by fundinmental

FORGING MONSTERS, Part 1 by Annie James

GENRE: Literary thriller

BLURB:

A modern and beautiful Frankenstein’s Monster fights for the right to carve her own destiny in the human world of New York City.

A talented young dancer tired of witnessing violent crimes against women go unpunished and takes matters into her own hands.

A young woman tries to escape her past in the anonymity of New York but finds out that she cannot escape the scars on her soul, which drives her to shocking acts of violence.

Watch for Forging Monsters Part 2, coming soon.

EXCERPT

“This body looks as if it has been chewed on–the edges of the throat lacerations are ragged and similar to a previous body that was brought in bearing the same type of teeth marks. A computer 3D model of the wounds on the second body, in front of me, determined the wounds to be made by the teeth of a large canine. However, The DNA test of the saliva left behind has been inconclusive.”

Dr. Violetta paused the tape recorder. “I have never seen anything like it,” she said to her assistant Andrew. “Take a look at the slide I have on the microscope. You’ll see.”

Andrew studied the cells on the microscope and wrote some notes in his typical scrawl that only he could read while Dr. Violetta started recording again.

“Cells separated from a human body die in moments. These cells scraped from the saliva on this body’s wounds have continued to divide and multiply, indicating that the cells are still living. Also, the DNA strands continually rearrange their structure without any outside influence. This is why it has proved impossible to conclusively determine which type of animal caused the damage to this body.” She stopped the recorder.

“This has to be kept out of the media,” she whispered, shaking her head in horrified disbelief.

“Where did this one come from?” Andrew asked, looking up from the microscope.

“He was found in Central Park.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Annie is the author of the Tales of Origen series and several short stories. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two fun-loving cats who inspired the feline characters Dirtbag and Scumbucket. She has an adult daughter who is also a writer, and a grandson. Her influences and favorite writers include:

Frank Peretti
Mary Wollencroft Shelley
Apryl Baker
Dean Koontz
Alexandre Dumas
Linda Joyce
Mary Ramsey
Lance Sheridan poetry

She has lived in New York and Louisiana and loves Cajun cooking. She has had several people tell her that she should open a restaurant, but she loves writing too much to make time for it—running a restaurant is a TON of work. She has an associate degree in Administrative Assistance, majoring in writing, and business administration.

Social media links

Website: https://anniejamesauthor.com/home
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/charmony777
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anniejamesauthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annie.james.author/
Newsletter signup: http://anniejamesauthor.com/newsletter-sign-up-form/

Book purchase links: Smashwords / Amazon

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Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

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The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme #1) by Jeffrey Deaver @jefferydeaver

Posted on May 20, 2020 by fundinmental

I have been reading Jeffrey Deaver’s work for a long time now and when I won this special copy of The Bone Collector from Goodreads, I was ecstatic. I have read some of the Lincoln Rhyme series, but it was fun going back to the beginning.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I was ecstatic when I found out I won from Goodreads this special copy of The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver. I get, not only the first story of the Lincoln Rhyme series, but the short story, Captivated, where we meet Jeffrey Deaver’s new character Colter Shaw and an excerpt from his new Colter Shaw series, Book I, The Never Game.

I loved going back to the beginning with Lincoln Rhyme and how it all began. Even though I knew that outcome of his struggle to accept his life after becoming a quadriplegic, I felt his all the suspense and despair.

He finds a kindred spirit in Emilia Sachs. She has her own baggage she carries around, refusing to let anyone get close to her, searching for her place in life.

The serial killer, though I had a hunch he was ‘right there’, was a surprise to me. I love delving into the twisted minds of those who can do such wretched things to another person. At least he has some feelings, those it doesn’t stop him.

The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver is everything I want in a novel. I love the deep dark world he takes me into and his ability to leave me feeling good about everything when it is all said and done….until the next time.

CAPTIVATED: I love an author bonus and I got a good one with this short story. Colter Shaw is a bounty hunter and he always gets his ‘man’, picking and choosing the jobs he will take on. Colter and Jeffrey were ahead of me every step of the way, keeping me in suspense, never giving away the bad guy until they step forward and expose themselves. I quickly fell for the character and eagerly flipped the pages…

…then moving on to the excerpt for the first book in the series, The Never Game.

He’s in the water, struggling to enter the capsized boat and save the pregnant woman inside. Will he succeed? And why is she in there…alone…

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

From the bestselling and award-winning master of suspense, the first novel in a thrilling new series, introducing Colter Shaw.

“You have been abandoned.”

A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. Now he makes a living as a “reward seeker,” traveling the country to help police solve crimes and private citizens locate missing persons. But what seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America’s tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry.

“Escape if you can.”

When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past–The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?

“Or die with dignity.”

Shaw finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game, risking his own life to save the victims even as he pursues the kidnapper across both Silicon Valley and the dark ‘net. Encountering eccentric game designers, trigger-happy gamers and ruthless tech titans, he soon learns that he isn’t the only one on the hunt: someone is on his trail and closing fast.

GOODREADS BLURB

Lincoln Rhyme was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics — until an accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. But now a diabolical killer is challenging Rhyme to a terrifying and ingenious duel of wits. With police detective Amelia Sachs by his side, Rhyme must follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in New York City’s past — and reach further into the darkness of the mind of a madman who won’t stop until he has stripped life down to the bone.

ABOUT JEFFREY DEAVER

#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He’s received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.

Website

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Giveaway – Sunspots by Karen S Bell @KarenSueBell @SDSXXTours

Posted on September 1, 2019 by fundinmental

Sunspots

by Karen S. Bell

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Time Travel

Aurora Goldberg Stein is lost in grief. Her beloved husband, Jake Stein, has just died in a tragic car accident and her sorrow is overwhelming. But is this really the end? Perhaps, perhaps not. She hears his voice. She sees his ghostly presence. She travels back in time to another life with Jake. What is going on? What is the message?

Jake Stein, a dashing Texan, sweeps Aurora off her feet and changes her life. A Brooklyn born actress, she moved to NYC and does temporary work to pay her bills. On this particular assignment, she accidentally meets Jake Stein, who is her dance with destiny. Leaving everything she knows, she marries him and moves to Austin, Texas. No longer struggling to make ends meet, Aurora wiles away her time bored and lonely, and trying to recapture the excitement she once had with this man. And then suddenly, it’s all over, her life, her future is gone. Vanished are all her hopes and dreams.

But destiny comes in many forms, and when Aurora moves to a new house, she discovers that the previous owner has never left. The ghostly presence of Viola Parker looms large and becomes Aurora’s guide through time revealing to her the mistakes she’s made with Jake Stein through the centuries. This time, maybe this time, Aurora can get it right.

Goodreads * Amazon

I get so much satisfaction in the writing process. I take care to choose just the right word, to make sure each sentence has the right cadence. I appreciate other writers who respect the craft in this way, and I hope my readers do so with me. Writing is a need, a desire for expression, and springs from well within my subconscious mind. Thoughts rise up, scenes rise up and blend in with the over-arching story. These thoughts emerge whenever they want to and wherever I am and probably not when I am at the computer. The computer is for the craft, the technique. The thoughts come during walks, or while driving the car, or at the grocery store. I am the willing recipient of these thoughts and so they seek me out. It’s a mystery this business and art of writing and it keeps me enthralled.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

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You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Giveaway – Minds Eye by Skyler Dean #SkylerDean #RoanePublishing

Posted on August 31, 2017 by fundinmental

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO

MIND’S EYE!

Mind’s Eye

A Romantic Suspense Novel

By Skyler Dean

Release Date: August 28, 2017

Keywords: paranormal, psychic, New York City, Wiccan, astral projection, murder

MY REVIEW

I love suspense and thrills, then add a bit of the supernatural, and I am super excited. Skyler Dean did not let me down.

Cassandra is a character that immediately won me over. Her dream came to life on the front page of the paper and brought death front and center. But she’s in denial. How could she know?

Now, they are leaking into her waking life. Afraid to sleep, unable to stay awake. No one to help. Until…Detective Derek Ward, and he isn’t buying her story of being in the park, in the middle of the night, wearing her pajamas, looking for a lost earring and then she just happens to come across a dead girl. He knows she didn’t commit the murder, but he also knows she’s hiding something and he just can’t let it go. He’s like a dog with a bone.

There is a slow burning romance. Derek does know the meaning of no, and doesn’t get all pissy about it. Just more determined to win her over at her own pace.

He must be an amazing kisser, because “he had officially fried her brain” after laying one on her. I laughed out loud.

When she saw HIM, she never saw his face, but she knew he was the killer. Could he sense her? Did he know she was watching? I wasn’t sure one way of the other for a while.

Skyler Dean has created a feeling of danger, an ominous darkness laying in wait for Cassandra. I know something has to happen, something worse than her visions, and we know, Derek will be there to ride in on his white horse and save her.

Two of my favorite genres, the supernatural and suspense, are brought together in a smashing success. My expectations were twisted and just when I thought I knew it all, it went in another direction. I love when I don’t know it all, don’t you? Highly recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Mind’s Eye by Skyler Dean.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Newly hired NYC blogger Cassandra Hale has finally achieved her dream-living and writing in the big city. Eager to prove her skills and secure her place, Cassie pushes hard to gain respect from the new age publishing group where she’s recently snagged a position.

With her energies focused, Cassie’s work flourishes…until her reality rapidly unravels.

As a sudden witness to murders in her sleep, Cassie becomes convinced that she’s losing her mind.

All she wants is to discover a way of making these gruesome visions stop. But with no control over them, her subconscious mind begins to wreak havoc on her life.

At the edge of her sanity, Cassie decides to take matters into her own hands and tracks down the latest victim from her dreams, subsequently gaining the unwanted attention from NYPD detective Derek Ward.

Struggling to cope, not only with accepting her newfound abilities but with her perceived involvement in a crime, Cassie is forced to contend with interrogations from Ward, who’s convinced she has something to hide.

As Cassie and Derek both fight to discover the truth, as well as a growing, unwanted attraction towards each other, they are ultimately thrown together as the stakes jump even higher-Cassie’s premonitions turn to a man whose diabolical intentions are eerily close to her.

Purchase Links

~~~oOo~~~

Excerpt:

The spacious expanse of hardwood shined against the low glow cast by the growing moon. Despite the icy air, the window had been boldly left open, sending the filmy cream curtains fluttering eerily against the washed glass.She moved through the palatial home, silent as a ghost. Extravagantly decorated, overly lavish with marble gleaming and crystal dripping. Cassie could hear no sound, see no movement. But that didn’t stop the fear.As she looked across at the illuminated floor, she saw tiny drops scattered over the wood, shimmering red against the monochromatic glow of the night. She followed them into the bedroom where the trail of drops turned to puddles. Crouching down, Cassie tried to touch a finger to the wet but she couldn’t make contact, her body light as the air and just as elusive.

A gust of wind swept through the room, blasting out angry bursts of cold. Still kneeling, Cassie realized she was at the foot of a huge four poster bed. The duster and comforter pillowed out around the carved wood panels, creating voluminous puffs of shimmering trimmed satin.

She felt herself move in slow motion as she lifted her gaze up the nearest bed post. Slowly she reached forward, following the red splatters, tracing her invisible fingers alongside their path.

Rising up, over the wood and satin, the red puddles led her to the dead.

Long thin limbs lay sprawled across the bed, delicate bare feet turned under. The woman, raven haired and beautiful even in death, was stretched on her stomach with her head cocked unnaturally to one side. Her mouth slacked open and her eyes were dark and blank as a doll’s.

Cassie saw that her shoulder had been wrenched back, the bone protruding up at an odd angle. The blood that had dripped and pooled across the floor was smeared over her arm to her wrist where she had been shackled to one of the bed posts. And in the center of her back, the pool swallowed her, covering her torso in heavy crimson.

Panting now, her breath gasping out, Cassie whipped her head back and forth. She was surrounded. Surrounded by the death. Blood everywhere. She lifted her hand and saw the woman’s blood drip from her fingertips.

Desperately she tried to wipe her hands clean, for now she could feel the slimy slickness coating her skin, choking her, as she pushed away from the bed. The scream that ripped through her throat followed her out as she tumbled backward and into the black.

#####

“No, no, no! Son of a bitch!”

She woke with her heart leaping against her chest. Surging up, Cassie fought to shove aside her covers. Arms and legs shaking with terror, she nearly tripped over Luna as she began running for the door. Something made her stop, made her catch her breath and think.

Derek, she realized. She needed Derek. Not only to find the woman, but she needed him with her. To help get her through.

Snatching up her phone, Cassie barely noted the time showing nearly 2am. She wasn’t worried about that courtesy at the moment.

“Derek!” she rushed out his name as soon as his sleep roughened voice answered. “I dreamed about a woman, you have to help me! She’s in some really fancy condo or townhouse and she’s already dead.”

“Cassie,” he said when she stopped talking abruptly. “How do you-”

He halted then and after all the hesitation and doubt he’d previously grappled with, Derek allowed himself to have a little faith.

“Where is she?”

~~~oOo~~~

GIVEAWAY!

A $10 Roane Publishing Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use a RoanePublishing.com Gift Code. No purchase necessary, but you must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter, and announced on the widget. Winner well be notified by emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Roane Publishing’s marketing department.

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Fanged Mania #10 – Giveaway and Review of Charmeine: The Light-Bearer Series, Book I by Emily Guido

Posted on January 18, 2013 by fundinmental

To join in, copy and paste these rules and the above banner into your Fanged Mania post and add your link to this week’s Fanged Mania post at Elisabeth Wheatley’s Blog. Fanged Mania is a Friday meme counting down to the release of Fanged Princess and displaying all things vampire and awesome. Fanged Mania posts can be a review of a vampire book, a quote from the latest Vampire Diaries episode, a showcase of a cool vampire book’s cover, or whatever you like so long as it is vampire related. Don’t forget, participants will be entered in the drawing to win a fanged-abulous prize pack!

The prize pack I mentioned includes Vampire Diaries and Breaking Dawn posters as well as a paperback copy of Erica Steven’s Captured (my review here) and the complete collection of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter stories by Jennifer Malone Wright, in paperback, too! =D

Oh, and the contest is international. And the more Fanged Mania posts you have, the more entries you get! So what are you waiting for? Hop on the bandwagon!

As Tabbruis held Charmeine, he asked her if she thought the Prophecy would be revealed today.

Charmeine – Angel of Harmony

Tabbruis – Angel of Self Determination

Charmeine (The Light-Bearer, #1)

Add To Goodreads

Tabbruis had fed from the stag and was ready for a hot shower. He hopped in his Dodge Charger SRT8 and drove to the hotel.

After his shower, he looked in the mirror and saw her. She appeared in the steam, a vision to behold. He knew it wasn’t real, but he couldn’t forget her.

For some reason, he felt an urgent need to go to New York City. He always stayed at the Ritz Carlton, in the Penthouse Suite. He loved it there and Ferrell always took such good care of his needs and wants. He was alone, but he liked his luxuries and some of the things he required were above and beyond the normal.

Charleen was a school teacher and Shane, her best friend, called to tell her he had to cancel their Billy Joel concert date. Ferrell, his boss, had a super job for him that was too good to pass up. Charleen ended up going to the concert by herself.

In the orphanage, Charleen and Shane had become like brother and sister.They were drawn to each other, but never had the desire to take it further.

While Shane drove Tabbruis around, they listened to a Billy Joel CD.All Tab could think about was her. He listened to the CD and felt as if he was being called to the concert.

Charleen watched the concert, until a feeling of fear overcame her. She felt she was in great danger and knew she had to get away. Tabbruis had felt it too and was heading towards her. He came upon her, lying on the ground with a Blood Hunter standing over her.

Charleen saw Tabbruis was losing the fight. She reached out to him. Before he lost consciousness, he saw her face and a brilliant white light.

Tabbruis had one friend, Dimitri. They were both Blood Drinkers and Dimitri had helped him when he had lost everything. He had told him about himself and the others, the Blood Hunters and the Light Bearers. The Light-Bearers are the good of God, God’s Angels. Dimitri also told him about The Prophecy – a special Light- Bearer, along with her mate, a Blood Hunter, and her family, would bring justice and harmony to Earth.

Tabbruis was in a desperate situation. It was time to call Dimitri for help.

3 STARS – Would Recommend To Others

**********************************I am not surprised that the story started out slow, I feel it is just setting the foundation for the series. The first three books were meant to be one BIG BOOK. So don’t be discouraged, you really need to read on********************************

The cover is pretty and caught my eye. I love brilliant, saturated colors.

I love hot cars, so any time I can slip one, especially a super cool one, into my post, I do. ^_^ I felt if Tabbrius drove such a hot car, he had to be hot, too. ^_^

I had heard and seen so much about this series, I felt I had to read it for myself. I am not a huge romance fan, so I wasn’t sure if I would like the book. I really want more to the story than love and happiness. I like a lot of action and as I read along, the story began to pick up the pace. By the time I reached the end of the book, I was ready for more. A love story, but so much more. You can feel the love oozing out of the pages, the sexual tension builds until …………

Emily Guido’s writing will draw you deeper into Charmeine’s and Tabbruis’ lives as they discover their true purpose. Is it Fate? Is it Destiny? Have their lives already been written?

What would you do, if in the blink of an eye, everything you believed in was no more?

Do you believe in angels? If you believe in good, there must be bad.

As Emily described the fight, I could picture it. I love it , when the writing is so descriptive, I can picture the scenes. The story unrolls like a movie in my mind. When Emily says she pictures the characters and scenes in her mind, I can definitely relate, as the scenes played out in my head because of her deep and thorough descriptions.

Emily wants you to know that Charmeine is just the tip of the iceberg in the series….to really get to the lip-smacking gravy part, you really need to read Charmeine, Mactus and Accendo, which were one book. That is why, for the giveaway, if you already have Charmeine and Mactus (which were free on Amazon, which is how I got mine), Emily will replace your win with Accendo.

By the time I got to the end of Charmeine, I was ready for Mactus. Some people look at a big book and won’t even pick it up. It seems all the publishers want authors to make two books instead of one, but I can get into long books. So the series are good because it’s like a really long book and I can get so into the story, that when I’m done and the last page is read, it is such a let down, that I almost go into a depression from such a deep feeling of loss. It’s kind of silly really, it’s just a book, and the characters are not real, but I have always been emotionally involved in my reading. I love traveling into new worlds and meeting new people through the characters in books.

I picked up this book on a FREE day on Amazon and I am very glad I did. I see many hours of traveling through time with Charmeine and Tabbruis.

A Couple Of My Favorite Quotes

“Semper tuus ero……I am forever yours”

“You quiet me and stir my passion all at the same time.”

ALERT*****ALERT******ALERT******ALERT******ALERT******ALERT*****ALERT

Emily Guido has her first book signing coming up February 2 at the Book Expo in the Birmingham Library in Birmingham, Alabama.

Emily will also be at the County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey on March 4 in the college bookstore.

How exciting for her. If you are in the area, you too, can be a part of it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Emily Guido is a very new Young Adult, Paranormal Romance Author. She was inspired to start writing “The Light-Bearer Series” because one day she got an idea of two light and dark characters who have an epic romance. A week later, Emily had over a 100,000 words written. When she writes, she pictures the characters in her head going through vivid descriptions of each scene. She has written five novels, “Charmeine” “Mactus” “Accendo” “Seditious” and “Ransom” The sixth novel in “The Light-Bearer Series,” is entitled “Conundrum” and will be released in 2013.

Notes to Reviewers and Readers:
First, the Blood-Hunter race or Elders have been on Earth for thousands of years. Because of this, they do not use contractions like I’m, don’t or can’t. They communicate in a more refined way because of their age.

Second, there are several OLD editions out in circulation of my books. Please leave a review on the current edition. Please feel free to contact me, Emily, at guido.emily@gmail.com to check the edition you have is the recent edition.

To Find Emily, Follow The Links

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Emily Guido – Author FACEBOOK Page

To order any of the books, simply click on the cover.

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos Emily Guido is generously offering 5 ebooks (PDF, MOBI, Epub and HTML) of Charmeine for the Giveaway. If you already have Charmeine and Mactus, Emily will give you Accendo instead.

International. Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

Who is your favorite hunk or hunkess in a book, movie………?

Giveaway will run from 1/18 – 2/1/2013.

CLOSED. WINNERS are — Lacey G – emaginette – Jenny – Kylie – Pragya.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

I hope you will tweet this out and share it with your friends, family and followers.

You don’t want to miss more of my posts, so take a moment to become one of my followers. ^_^

I am going to be featuring Emily Guido’s Light-Bearer Series until the story is told, so be sure and stay tuned for more wonderful adventures of Charmeine and Tabbrius.

What do you do with your Spare Change?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by fundinmental

SPARE CHANGE by Bette Lee Crosby

Not sure what I expected, but it was so much more. Good things do come in small packages.

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In the 20’s it was unusual for a woman to be unmarried, work and live on her own. Olivia had never considered herself a spinster, she just liked her life. She didn’t want to be one of the herd or do what was expected of her. She was terrified of kids. Her father had disowned her at 26 and her mother told her that no one would want an old woman.

It was totally unexpected when she met Charles Doyle. They fell for each other at first glance. When he proposed, she choked on the chocolate truffle she was eating. She told him no and it broke her heart. He told her he didn’t want kids. And if she didn’t want to clean or cook, no problem. Those things weren’t important to him. He had a son he hadn’t seen in fifteen years and a grandson he had never met.

She was very superstitious. During the wedding ceremony, a hail storm broke out. Charlie blew it off, so she did too. She was afraid of the number eleven. On the tenth day of marriage they arrived in Miami for their honeymoon. On the eleventh day, she talked him into staying low-key, taking no chances. They went shopping, she was thinking that nothing could go wrong shopping. He snuck off and bought her a surprise. Back in the room, he told her to close her eyes and he put the necklace around her neck. When she what it was, her heart fell. Opals were bad luck. He died that night.

Susanna Doyle told her husband she had to be in New York City for her singing career. Benjamin knew he would lose her if they went anywhere near there, so he’d played a stalling game with her. He would promise her they would go, then find an excuse not to.

When she became pregnant, life got even worse. To get even, when the baby was born, she named him Ethan Allen, after the furniture store she worked at. As Ethan grew older, their fights became so vicious that he built a fort out back to get away from them.

One day at the diner, he noticed Mister Scooter, the owner, touching his mom’s butt. He asked her about it and she said if he kept quiet, she would make sure she always had enough spare change for him to go to the movies.

Susanna was very excited because Benjamin had promised they would go to New York City in September. When September rolled around, he found another excuse not to go. She had been working and saving the money, so she told Ethan they were going without him, but not to say anything so he wouldn’t find out and try to stop them. She went to the bank for her money, but Benjamin had already closed the account.

Susanna immediately went to Scooter, telling him she wanted to run away with him and Ethan to New York City. He thought about his own kid, for only a moment, and said okay.

Ethan was eleven years old and his mom had always promised him she would never run off without him. But that night, Ethan’s whole world changed.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I don’t know why I was drawn to the cover, title, then the blurb. Something tugged at me.The cover conveyed such a sense of sorrow from the boy. I loved the second reference to spare change, but you will have to read the book to find out what it is, and why the title is so very appropriate.

I am not much for a story without some murder, killing, death, blood, gore, mystery, magic; in other words, some kind of action or adventure. This was a different kind of murder story, more a story of a woman alone, and a boy with no home and no one to love him. The murder was just a small piece.

For a short book, Bette made me feel like the story covered a lifetime. I kept reading faster and faster. I was afraid for Ethan and then both him and Olivia. She put so much story into a small book. Plot was detailed and suspenseful. I kept waiting for…..

The characters were amazing. Her descriptions left me feeling like they were my neighbors. I felt like I knew them. They were realistic and reminiscent of a time when we knew our neighbors. Such a feel good book. Made me tear up and cry because of its sweetness. I know my neighbors and speak to them, but I am a solitary creature, so it really surprised me that I felt such strong emotions while reading the story.

How do you get an eleven year old boy to trust you? I felt Ethan’s fear and panic. To win him over, it took much empathy, patience and compassion. So much, packed into its 280 pages. I know I keep repeating myself, but I still can’t get over how much this book affected me.

I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Not only was the author gracious enough to send me a paperback, she also autographed it for me. I love to add another book to my collection.

Giveaway – Bette Lee Crosby is offering for the giveaway:

International – ebook of Spare Change – OR – US and Canada a signed paperback. As always the entry is easy. Leave a comment telling us what you do with your spare change and an email address.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. The Winners Are:

Kimba – won the signed paperback Alana – won the ebook

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful, warm and touching comments. I hope you will continue to follow fundinmental.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bette Lee Crosby’s work was first recognized in 2006, when she won the National League of American Pen Women Award for unpublished fiction with What Matters Most. Her novel, Cracks in the Sidewalk, received the 2009 Royal Palm Literary Award and then went on to win the 2011 FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal. In 2011 Spare Change received the Reviewer’s Choice Awards and it garnered a second Royal Palm Literary Award. Her books have earned numerous five-star ratings with readers acclaiming them as heartwarming and captivating.

Most recently, Bette completed a memoir written for Lani Deauville, a woman the Guinness Book of Records lists as The World’s Longest Living Quadriplegic.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter

To get your copy of Spare Change or any of Bette’s books, simply click on the covers below.

To see my Review of What Matters Most, go HERE.

To see my Review of Cupid’s Christmas, go HERE.

To see my Review of Cracks In The Sidewalk, go HERE.

Author Interview: Spare Change by Bette Lee Crosby (+ Giveaway) (iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com)

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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.

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

Dark Dealings Review

Posted on August 30, 2012 by fundinmental

Dark Dealings by Karen-Victoria Smith

. Dark Dealings

Micaela was driving to Bridewell to visit her Una when she saw Reece, the son of Chief Deerfield of Pokanoket, on the side of the road. He appeared bloody and beaten, maybe dead. She stopped and went back to check, but there was nothing there. Had her visions returned? Samhain was approaching and was the time of year when Spirits and people could move between worlds. Was Reece a spirit?

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Peggy, Reece’s wife was Yankee. She was at the house when Micaela arrived and told her Reece was missing. Because of her “gift” , Micalela had been treated as a pariah but now that they needed her help, they wanted her to use her “gift” to find Reece. She had buried it deep when she left Bridewell and wasn’t sure if she could pull it out at will. As she held Adam’s hands, she found her way to Reece. It was if she was really with him, not sitting on the porch with Adam. The horror was more than the mind could imagine and she told Reece to hold on, Peggy was pregnant and they were coming to save him.

Micaela returned to New York just in time for the party at the Metropolitan Museum. While she was there she met Francois Leveque, who tried to get her alone. She could tell he was afraid, but they were interrupted by Baron Vasilievich before they could talk. She arranged to meet him in a couple of days at his hotel.

She had a recurring nightmare for the past four years. She was fleeing something and ran into a clearing. Her Una and mother were there and told her they were glad she had come to take her rightful place, but there had never been a beast before.

Micaela was meeting Francois in his hotel room, but there was no answer at the door. As she knocked again, the door opened on its own. The living room was in a shambles. The bedroom was covered in blood, it was everywhere. Even though she didn’t want to, she went to the bathroom thinking he could still be alive. When she saw him in the tub, his throat and chest had been ripped out. As she fought the scream, she fumbled with her cell phone trying to dial 911.

Thank God her friend responded with the others. Nikki was a cop and her friend, there to help. She had accumulated time and said she was taking it. Micaela was determined to find out what happened and Nikki was going to help.

At first she was surprised when she looked across the room and saw Francois. They were having his wake at the Salmon Run Inn. What was he trying to tell her?

She headed back to Bridewell for some leisure time. She needed to regroup. She stopped at a diner for a quick bite. When she felt a tingle, she looked around to see why. Lately she had been having more and more psychic events and tried her best to control them. She spotted a Hummer she thought was following her. When he rammed into the back of her car, she thought of Francois. The road was abandoned and the police were too busy to respond to her call for help. When she gunned the Porsche to outrun the Hummer, two motorcycles took over the chase. She managed to lose them. The only thing watching her now was a large bird, black as night, as she headed to Bridewell and Una hoping she wasn’t bringing the bad to her.

When she arrived and was leaving the car, she saw a black feather on the dashboard and took it with her. It felt like it was humming to her and she looked up to see the Raven above her parents bedroom.

Everyone was there, Nikki, Liam, Una, Reece, the Pokanoket Ethan Lowell, Sons of Danu, Sean Murphy… What was going on? Whoever had been after Francois was now after her.

Liam and Micaela walked to the creek to talk, he told her she should come to the gathering in the Grove, that plans for Beltaine were set. She said no, she never came to the Grove but she would be at the Ceili.

She felt her gift was out of control, she had to talk to Una before she left again. Micaela told her about seeing the entire Grove when Reece was missing, seeing Francois beat up and dead, and how at the dance she was there, yet somewhere else. Una told her to remember what her father used to tell here while they were out sailing. “Don’t fight the currents or the wind, use them.” Una assured her the Grove was there to help her.

3 STARS – Would Recommend to Others

I won this in a Goodreads First Read Giveaway. Karen was gracious enough to sign my copy for me. Thank you Karen.

I liked the cover and the title. I always like a simple, clean look, with a little mystery. I like it when they make me think what the book might be about before I read the book blurb. I thought the cover and title both were relevant to the book.

Events start happening at the very beginning of the book. The suspense and mystery continue through the book, keeping you on your toes while you try to figure out what is going on. Karen doles the story out in small pieces so you can’t quite be sure of what will happen next.

Characters were interesting. Really had me wondering about Lowell and Ivan. Couldn’t quite figure out who was good or bad. Even when I thought I had them figured out, it kept twisting and turning making me unsure again.

“When she thinks the spirit world is a much a part of her childhood as the NE Patriots and the Boston Red Sox”, it made me smile. My husband is an avid Red Sox fan and his brother is a Patriots fan. It makes the story feel more real when I can relate to it in a personal way.

Other than a few editing errors, nothing that interfered with the flow of the story in any way, I thought it was well written and easy reading.

To order this book, simply click on the cover.