Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Ivy Daniels is a high school junior still learning who she is. After an accident, Ivy finds herself with an ability she doesn’t want, an ability to uncover secrets which quickly begins to redefine what she thinks about the people around her as well as herself. Because of this ability, Ivy becomes the one thing that stands between an angry teen and the death of every student on campus. The only problem is she doesn’t know who wants everyone dead. Will she figure out who has this dark secret, or will she fail to find him in time?
Through her search to do the right thing, Ivy discovers that knowing the thoughts and secrets of those around her may just tear her apart.
I’m sure I picked this up because of the cover and title, thinking, ah, something to do with water…and we have secrets. I love books where secrets are exposed. Do you have any secrets?Anything you would like to share? 🙂
Now available from Linkville Press: Lydia’s faith in God is
strong—at least on paper. But what happens when that faith is tested? Turned
into a vampire by the worst—Vlad Drakul—she feels that God has abandoned her.
But the opposite is true. God rescues her from a fate worse than death, and
brings her into the plan He has for global redemption. With the help He sends,
she feels like nothing can stop her. But when Vlad torments her again, and then
her family, the temptation to run and hide is almost too strong to resist. Her
answer to God’s call is the deciding factor in the battle that pits the angelic
powers of God against the demonic powers of Hell.
What happened in the moments after Judas hanged himself?
Where did Cain go after the death of Abel?
Myths abound, and some of them have similar endings.
Cain murders his brother out of jealousy. Judas betrays Jesus to those who want
to see Him dead. Vlad the Impaler destroys without mercy, and is legendary as
Count Dracula. Three souls, collected and bound together in the same body by
Lilith, Satan’s mate and favorite slave.
Cain, Judas, and Vlad Tepes all fall into the same trap: weakened by pride but
too stubborn to turn back, they become cursed to walk the world through all of
time. Pursued by Hunters, a group first established by Cain’s tribe when he was
abducted by Lilith and the Serpent, they must keep one step ahead of their
enemies from century to century.
The tale starts in Genesis, moves to the time before and after the Crucifixion,
then makes the journey into what will become known as the Carpathian Mountains.
We are dropped briefly into the 15th century, pass through time in Romania and
Scotland, then conclude in 19th-century New Orleans. This is where the story,
and the three-souled Beast, must await another day and another century.
Two years after the horrific events of “That Night”, Lydia
and her family and friends have settled back into their lives. All seems
peaceful, but for the haunting memories of the war that took place over their
heads. A battle that everyone else has put aside as “mass hysteria.”
Now, with the unearthing of an old house in New Orleans and the appearance of a
mysterious woman named Delilah, events are transpiring that have the Bronsons
and their friends worried.
Delilah is a mystery. She takes on a partnership with a world-famous loser, and
insists on rebuilding the crumbling buildings on the hill overlooking Lydia’s
home town. The very same buildings that housed the evil that plagued them all
two years before.
Pat and Trudy, the Bronson siblings, learn that their time to act is upon them.
Demons and dark shadows are appearing in their lives, and in the lives of those
they love. The one seemingly most threatened is their own father, Steve, who
can’t seem to spend enough time in Delilah’s company. Then there are Martha,
Sean, and Ryan, whose sinister experiences make them re-think their stance on
the “mass-hysteria event.”
Not to mention Toby, almost three years old, who has powers beyond any mortal,
but is definitely nothing more than a toddler.
Once again, the Bronsons must take on responsibilities much more than they
think they can handle. However, God sends more helpers: an odd old man by the
name of Nick, who lives in the park; and Miriam, a young lady who steals Pat’s
heart.
Side by side, these young people show that their generation can be just as
strong as the previous one. For they will need all the strength they can muster
to fight the foe among them.
K.R. Morrison has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over twenty years. She uses her maiden name to show honor to her Scottish roots, and as a tribute to her dad. She and her husband have two young-adult children.
“Be Not Afraid” is her first book, a darling little creature spawned from an all-too real nightmare. Her second book, “Unholy Trinity”, was published in 2016.
“Resurgence: The Rise of Judas”, is the third book in the “Pride’s Downfall” series, and the fourth book, “Enoch’s Return”, will be available by September of 2020.
Amanda Mackey was born in New Zealand and moved to Australia when she was 12 years old with her family, where she has lived ever since. She has loved books since an early age and is an avid reader. This has helped lay the foundation for her writing. She’s published 7 novels to date with plenty more on the way. An author with Limitless Publishing, she loves to spend time with family when she’s not writing or reading. Amanda hopes to make writing her full time career and travel in the near future.
I found Kathryn Meyer Griffith through blogging and once I started reading her work, I never looked back. Be sure and check out all my reviews below and don’t forget to read this one. It’s another fun trip to Spookie town.
Oh man, it’s good to be back with Abigail, Frank, Myrtle and the gang in Spookie Town. Not only do we have a murder mystery, but we have a little bit of the supernatural going on. Is it good or bad? I’ll leave that for you to find out for yourself.
Myrtle is an eccentric (?) who sees ghosts and I love how she pops in and out of Abigail and Frank’s life. Abigail and Frank are a couple, but they have yet to make that final decision, to live together. Abigail has two children that she took in when they were orphaned. You can find the details out in All Things Slip Away and it is a wonderful story.
Abigail got up in the morning and as soon as she stepped outside felt something…was in the air…and it didn’t feel good. Myrtle comes to Abigail with a request. Will she help her neighbor, who is being haunted by a ghost? Bumps in the night doesn’t begin to describe what she is going through.
They are not ghost whisperers, ghost busters, or ghost hunters, but they will get to the bottom of the mystery of the burglaries, hauntings, missing people, and dead bodies. Just because they are older and quickly dismissed by the small town police, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening and someone must step in before something else happens.
Are the police just inept, lazy and useless, or are they part of the problem? That is one of the things I love about small towns, the unique, fun, and interesting characters that add as much to the story as the mystery we are here to solve.
BUT, also in a small town:
“You’re one of us. Remember I told you, we take care of our own in Spookie. That’s what we do.”
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Ghosts Beneath Us by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Someone is terrorizing the elderly in a certain neighborhood in Spookie and vandalizing their homes. As usual, Abigail Sutton, a freelance artist, and her boyfriend Frank Lester, a retired homicide detective, are called in to help find out who’s doing these awful acts. The two seem to have an uncanny knack for unraveling mysteries and getting to the bottom of such strange happenings. Some of the old people think it’s ghosts in their basements, in their homes, doing these destructive deeds but Frank doesn’t believe in ghosts; while Abigail isn’t so sure. Then the old folks begin to disappear one by one or to die suspiciously and Frank thinks there’s a sinister plan behind the crimes and is determined to uncover who or what is responsible. In the end, they, with a little help from their friend eccentric old Myrtle, must solve the mystery or more of the old ones in town might end up dead. Sequel to Scraps of Paper (Spookie Town Murder Mystery #1) and All Things Slip Away (Spookie Town Murder Mystery #2)
ABOUT KATHRYN MEYER GRIFFITH
Kathryn Meyer Griffith has been a writer
for over forty-nine years now and has had twenty-nine novels and thirteen short
stories published since 1984. She began her writing career as a paperback
horror author in 1984 with Leisure and Zebra Publishing, but has since moved on
to write paranormal horror, romantic historical time-travel, suspense, romance,
thrillers, and murder mysteries. Her horror novel The Last Vampire, and her
thriller Dinosaur Lake (now a best-selling five book series), were both Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in 2012 and 2014. Kathryn Meyer Griffith rdgriff@htc.net
NOVELS: Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart
of the Rose, Blood Forged, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 Epic
eBook Awards Finalists in their Horror category), Witches, Witches II:
Apocalypse, Witches plus Witches II: Apocalypse, The Nameless One erotic
horror short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (1st Spookie Town
Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (2nd Spookie Town Murder Mystery),
Ghosts Beneath Us (3rd Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Witches Among Us
(4th Spookie Town Murder Mystery), What Lies Beneath the Graves (5th
Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Those Who Came Before (6th Spookie
Town Murder Mystery); soon, a 7th, When the Fireflies
Retuned, out in December 2020, Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice
Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, A Time of Demons and Angels, The Woman
in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection,
Forever and Always Romantic Novella, Night Carnival Short Story,
Dinosaur Lake (2014 Epic eBook Awards Finalists in their
Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising,
Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation and Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars,
Dinosaur Lake V: Survivors, Memories of My Childhood, and a biographical
short story Christmas Magic 1959.
I have been reading Azaaa Davis’ Nadira Holden series and loving it. To see this gorgeous cover for her new Never Marry a Shifter series only makes me want to read the book more.
Jilted is the first of two books in the Never Marry A Shifter duology.
The Never Marry A Shifter (NMAS) duology is a thrilling blend of romance and horror, landing in the paranormal romance genre.
Jilted – Book Description:
Administrative assistant by day and boss lady on social media by night, Theresa enjoys sharing her charmed life with half-million followers. The only thing she loves more is being engaged to the hottest doctor at the clinic where they both work. Cementing her fame by reaching one million followers would be the icing on her wedding cake.
Life stops running smoothly when her husband vanishes on their wedding night and a leaked photo of a barely-dressed Theresa yelling at the police sparks a viral sensation. With everything at stake—love, reputation, followers, and job—she embarks on a reluctant voyage of discovery. Follow Theresa as she stumbles over her new husband’s secrets and develops her own inner strength.
A thrilling blend of romance and horror, Jilted is a novella exclusive to the Soul’s Day Boxset for a limited time and releases October 2020.
***
Soul’s Day Boxset – Book Description:
Old Hallows Eve, when things go bump in the night,
Children come to play, and the witches provide the fright.
For 20 authors, USA Today and international bestselling,
The Halloween tales become more than this foretelling.
In the Soul’s Day Boxset, a mansion feeds on souls,
A gargoyle captures them, and a demon dungeon master makes the calls,
Campers gets picked off one by one,
The Karnaval’s corn dogs are less than fun,
Ghosts lurking around every bend,
‘I do’ at the wedding is certainly the end.
A boxset of chills and thrills to keep you up at night,
One-click pre-order to snap your copy filled with fright.
On old Hallow’s eve when creatures come to play,
With this spine chilling pages, it’s where you’ll want to stay.
Azaaa Davis is an American author of urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels.
She fell in love with reading as a high school freshman and continues to read, write, and draw today. Her background in social work helps her portray realistic characters in otherworldly–and sometimes terrifying–situations. A New York native, Azaaa currently lives in New Hampshire (USA) with her husband and daughters.
She debuted with This Time (book one in the Nadira Holden, Demon Hunter series) in 2018. A novel about demon hunters, family ties and the magic of love.
I was soooo excited when I won a fabulous signed hardcover for Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton and a paperback copy with a pile of goodies for Colel by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff.
Kira Jane Buxton has definitely delivered on this original, unique glimpse into her zombie world where animals are the saviors and humans are the ones in need of saving. They can’t do it as individuals, it takes a murder to save a village. Hollow Kingdom is filled with every emotion I can think of, terror and fear, sadness and happiness, lost and found, tears and smiles, despair and hope.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
One pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.
S.T.,
a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with
his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle’s wild crows (those
idiots), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®.
Then
Big Jim’s eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like
something isn’t quite right. His most tried-and-true remedies–from
beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim’s loyal but
dim-witted dog, Dennis–fail to cure Big Jim’s debilitating malady. S.T.
is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into
a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he
discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local
wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming
Seattle. Humanity’s extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one
determined to save it is a foul-mouthed crow whose knowledge of the
world around him comes from his TV-watching education.
Hollow Kingdom
is a humorous, big-hearted, and boundlessly beautiful romp through the
apocalypse and the world that comes after, where even a cowardly crow
can become a hero.
As soon as I opened the cover I began laughing and never quit. Colel is naive in the romance department, and when she meets the one…what to do… Especially seeing she is the Mistress of the Bees…and they aren’t liking him at all, and…he’s allergic. Delightfully sexy romp with evil gods and goddesses, vampires, mermaids, humans….and so much more.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From New York Times Bestseller Mimi Jean Pamfiloff comes a Standalone, Romantic Comedy a la Paranormal…
COLEL(Book #5, The Immortal Matchmakers, Inc. Series).
WARNING: This
book contains foul language, gratuitous sex against a truck,
outrageously rude immortal warriors in leather pants, snow, pigheaded
gods, a sexually frustrated goddess, a very hot and hunky florist guy
with a bad attitude and a big secret, Brutus bubble baths, a sneaky
invisible unicorn, unrequited love, bees, bees, and more bees, and
chocolates.
SOMETIMES LOVE BITES AND SOMETIMES IT STINGS.
Colel,
the Goddess of Bees, has been looking for Mr. Right for over seventy
thousand years. So when she meets the hunky owner of a small-town flower
shop and explodes with flutters and tingles, she’s almost certain that
he’s the one.
Only two problems: her tiny black-and-yellow army
suddenly won’t let her anywhere near him, and…is that a freaking
epinephrine pen in the fridge? “Dear gods! He’s allergic to bees? Say it
isn’t so.”
If simply dating the guy will kill him, how will she ever know for sure if he’s really the one?
Colel has a solution, but it’s drastic. Even for her. And what if he says no?
What if you could help those who’ve passed on get a second chance—but at the risk of your own life?
Book Details:
Genre: Supernatural Thriller Published by: Vesuvian Books Publication Date: July 14, 2020 Number of Pages: 326 ISBN: 1944109080 (ISBN13: 9781944109080) Purchase Links:AmazonGoodreads
Read an excerpt:
Though the wide mirror made the tiny room feel big, it had the opposite effect on Tal. She splashed water on her face. Her reflection seemed to shrink in the big glass, making her feel like a single speck of humanity on a vast planet in an endless universe. A lone Vessel housing the infinity of Spirit.
She splashed more water and blinked. A more present and focused woman blinked back—one who wasn’t much different than the woman who had been uprooted from her old life in Pittsburgh. But she had accepted an insane job as a ghost host and had been branded with her very first tattoo. Her badge and gun were gone, and the concept of “protect and serve” now meant something else entirely.
Tal grabbed one of the soft white towels and dried her face. The cloth smelled fresh and clean, like air-dried linen—it was homey, comforting
She caught her own gaze in the mirror one more time. That frightened, hopeless woman from the pawnshop window two weeks ago was gone. A more confident person replaced her—equally uncertain but willing and ready to face a new and unpredictable future. Perhaps her change was more like the grown-up happy child after all, and less like the dried up pool full of leaves and dirt.
A sudden pain stabbed her left ankle, and the skin around her new tattoo seemed to—move. Tal sat on the bed, yanked up her pant leg and crossed her left foot over her right knee.
While most of the iridescent vines shimmered normally, a small cluster at the center of her inside leg were twisting together into a small circular mark at her ankle. They pulled in the hidden SObY letters, elongating and absorbing them to form a kind of Celtic or Romanesque knot made of iridescent vines.
Her flesh burned slightly as the center of the twisting knot opened and a tiny image took shape. The figure was more primitive and cryptic, like a totem carving or cave painting, but it definitely had wings. One last vine connected and the twisting stopped. So did the pain.
Tal inhaled sharply. She held her breath, steeled her nerve, and touched the mark. Though the texture looked different, and though the mark was round against the straight, interconnected tendrils of the tattoo that circled her leg, the skin felt the same on both. Tal exhaled and closed her eyes, unable to discern where one ended and the other began. When she opened her eyes again, she caught the symbol’s shrouded image for a fleeting moment before it finished. What she’d thought was a primitive knot or ancient medallion of vines turned out to be—a nest. At its center, the angel figure had become an enigmatic, nearly invisible dove clutching a vine in its beak like an olive branch. The mark twisted closed, hiding the nest and bird inside. Goosebumps tore up and down Tal’s skin.
She shifted to the nearby desk and fired up her computer. Her trembling fingers flew over the keyboard as she researched images of doves, dove symbolism, the “Serve Others” expression, and any other ideas the tattoo inspired. Her search turned up a host of disparate sites—from the dove above Jesus at his baptism, to white birds being released at weddings and funerals, to recipes on preparing tasty squab. Nothing reflected this tattoo or its particular elements.
“This is crazy,” she mumbled, working her shoulders to unstick the tension. “That many Vessels in the world, spanning decades, and not a single image or hit?”
***
Excerpt from The Vessels by Anna M. Elias. Copyright 2020 by Anna M. Elias. Reproduced with permission from Vesuvian Books. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Anna Elias is a screenwriter who began her career as Don Johnson’s assistant on Miami Vice. She’s worked on feature films such as Nell, The Rainmaker, The Client, 12 Monkeys, A Time to Kill, and Practical Magic. She has written and co-written spec films, TV scripts, and award-winning shorts. Anna’s passion for justice translates to her work. This was especially true on the set of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. Canton, Mississippi had just suffered great racial hardship and division in a Mayoral race. With Anna’s encouragement, the movie crew made extra efforts to befriend, buy from, and work with the townspeople, and it served to break down walls of inequality and injustice that had divided the town for decades. The impact was so positive that Dan Rather traveled there to tape a 2-part special for 48 Hours.
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
Enter To Win!!:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Anna M. Elias and Vesuvian Books. There will be 2 winners. One winner will receive an Amazon.com Gift Card and One winner will win THE VESSELS by Anna M. Elias (print). The giveaway begins on July 1, 2020 and runs through September 2, 2020. Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.
Such a great cover and tagline for Laying Ghosts, The Secrets of Selkie Moon #0.5 by Virginia King, I couldn’t resist grabbing it. It’s a quick read at 48 ebook pages.
Selkie’s home along, after declining an invite to spend time at a beachside resort with her honey, Andrew, who has to attend a conference. She has no use for beaches, other than to fear them and stay as far away from them as she can BUT…
She ends up at the beach anyway, when she receives a text:
Help me at Crystal Cottage. Rina.
She had lost touch with Marina, when she left with Frank and his band to go to London. Something doesn’t feel right and she has very bad memories of Crystal Cottage, but that won’t stop her.
Most of the characters leave a lot to be desired, even the possessive Andrew, who monitors her every move.
Wow, that was every which way of weird and surprising. I was tossed here and there, never knowing where I was going until I got there. I want more of Selkie…a lot more.
Love it!
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Ghosts used to moan. Now they … pho-o-ne.
A strange message, a deserted beach house, a shocking incident from the past … Selkie Moon’s life with change forever.
When
a text message from a long lost friend lures Selkie Moon to Crystal
Cottage, the chilling events from a house-party four years earlier wrap
her in ghostly fingers and turn her life upside-down.
A prequel to the Selkie Moon Mystery Series plus your bonus first chapter of The First Lie.
Read Laying Ghosts for a standalone 60-minute adrenaline rush or as a taste of the Selkie Moon Mystery Series: The First Lie, The Second Path, The Third Note and The Fourth Door
ABOUT VIRGINIA KING
When a voice wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you to write a mystery series, what’s a writer to do? That’s how I came to create Selkie Moon, after a massage from a strange woman with gifted hands was followed by this nocturnal message. I sat down at the keyboard until Selkie Moon turned up — a modern woman with a mythical name. Soon I was hooked, exploring far-flung places full of secrets where Selkie delves into psychological clues tangled up in the local mythology.
Before Selkie Moon invaded my life, I’d been a teacher, an unemployed ex-teacher, the author of over 50 children’s books, an audio-book producer, a workshop presenter and a prize-winning publisher. These days I live in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with my husband, where I disappear each day into Selkie Moon’s latest mystery. Bliss.
I have had my eye on the Lizzie Borden: Zombie Hunter series for some time now and was sooooo happy when she asked me if I wanted to review the books. YAY!
Are you ready? Let’s start by checking out this fabulous cover by Jaun Villar Pardon.
I have been following C A Verstraete for a little while now, and was ecstatic when she asked if I wanted to review Lizzie Borden: Zombie Hunter and my reply was a resounding…YES.
Want to know what really happened in the Borden household on that fateful night? It’s not what you’re thinking and I love what the author has done with this familiar story of murder and betrayal. Sooooo, be prepared for a savage tale of survival.
Lizzie Borden: Zombie Hunter by C A Verstraete was a lot of what I expected, but the author has treated me to some twists and turns, suspense and savage do or die fighting that makes this an action packed story that kept me flipping the pages.
I loved watching Lizzie grow and change throughout the story, becoming the zombie hunter she knew she could be. The battles to survive are savage, brutal, with blood and heads flying along with the bullets.
I wondered how Christine would twist the story, and a conspiracy fits very nicely.
I love the ending and want to see what happens in the next sword slashing, gun blazing zombie killer story.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Lizzie Borden: Zombie Hunter by C A Verstraete.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Every family has its secrets…
One hot August morning in 1892, Lizzie Borden picked up an axe and murdered her father and stepmother. Newspapers claim she did it for the oldest of reasons: family conflicts, jealousy and greed. But what if her parents were already dead? What if Lizzie slaughtered them because they’d become zombies?
Thrust into a horrific world where the walking dead are part of a shocking conspiracy to infect not only Fall River, Massachusetts, but also the world beyond, Lizzie battles to protect her sister, Emma, and her hometown from nightmarish ghouls and the evil forces controlling them.
ABOUT C A VERSTRAETE
Christine (C.A.) Verstraete is an award-winning author and journalist from Wisconsin who loves writing odd little stories with a touch of the macabre!
* New stories in 100 Word Bigger Zombie Bites! New stories in anthologies – 100 Word Horrors 3 and 100 Word Zombie Bites.
Now out! LIZZIE BORDEN, ZOMBIE HUNTER 2: The Axe Will Fall!!! – Lizzie is back, swinging her axe again! Sequel to LIZZIE BORDEN, ZOMBIE HUNTER!
* COMPANION NOVELLA: * Was Lizzie Borden’s doctor haunted by what he saw that day – and by Fall River? THE HAUNTING OF DR. BOWEN, A Mystery in Lizzie Borden’s Fall River
* My story, “Thirteen Horses” is in the anthology, Descent Into Darkness. (#1 Bestseller!)
** Check my website for news, https://www.cverstraete.com and my blog, http://girlzombieauthors.blogspot.com. Or see my minis blog: http://candidcanine.blogspot.com.
When she’s not writing (when is that?), Christine also enjoys creating in miniature. She is author of DOLLHOUSE DECOR & MORE, Vol. 1 with Joanna Campbell Slan and IN MINIATURE STYLE II. (MSII will be re-published and updated later.)
