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Bloss Loss by Ashley Fontainne has one of those covers that makes me realize…I must go into the forest. I love covers with trees, forests, and woods, so this makes me want to enter another of Ashley’s fantastic stories, jumping and skipping down the trail. I must follow that path, no matter that I am alone and there is danger.
Ashley has been writing this series with her mother Lillian Hansen. It is the second Magnolia novel and it is based on a true story. You can see my review for the first story by following the Blood Ties link at the end of the post.
Cover and Interior book design by One of a Kind Covers
Goodreads / Amazon
MY REVIEW
I am so happy to be back with some familiar friends and am looking for another mystery to solve. Blood Loss by Ashley Fontainne and her mother, Lillian Hansen, is the second Magnolia story, based on a true one, and I don’t want to miss a thing.
We pick up where Blood Ties ended, but I believe you can read this as a stand alone. If this is your first foray into the Magnolia series, I do recommend starting at the beginning.
The Magnolia has become Karina’s home. She and her mother inherited the home for the elderly and it seems like mysteries and danger arise from the house itself.
Karina’s nightmare awakens her, but it’s nice having her hunkie boyfriend at her side. Bo tells her the nightmares will pass.
“They’re all dead thanks to you, so that makes you the predator, not the prey.”
Karina is a strong, determined ex cop, as is her mother. They have put that behind them, but it’s a good thing they have those skills to draw on.
She’s tough, snarky and has a potty mouth. Pull a gun on her and she’ll blow your head off, but she has a big heart and guards it well.
Death by dick wouldn’t fly anyway, though it would be a memorable obituary for sure, going viral in hours. (Karina’s thoughts about Bo’s insatiable libido).
I laughed out loud when I read her version of the song You Don’t Own Me.
Karina has me cracking up throughout the pages and I love being inside her head.
It is that kind of writing that gives Ashley’s stories a fun and humorous bent and keeps me coming back for more. I think humor goes hand in hand with romance and mystery.
My first big surprise I never saw coming. No warning, but at least it’s all good.
“Like the Good Book says, the love of money is the root of all evil. And it’s a thick root that runs deep into bloodstained dirt.”
Government conspiracies? Never underestimate the power of greed. Some will stop at nothing.
A home for old folks…not surprising there are skeletons in the closet and secrets hidden. In 1957 two women vanished without a trace and the game is afoot.
Karina misses the rush of the hunt, so when the mystery appears, she jumps on it, regardless of being warned off. It’s just not in her nature. She cannot resist the mystery and I know she will find danger.
I’m onto you Ashley. The second surprise is about Karina. I didn’t see this one either and I love when the author can surprise me. Ashley Fontainne has that ability, and so much more. She draws me into the story quickly and easily. The characters become my friends. I worry about them, want the best for them, and if I could climb into the pages of the book, I would help them. As it is, all I can do is read…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blood Loss by Ashley Fontainne.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Karina and LiAnn worked hard to put the awful memories behind them of the nightmare they walked into at The Magnolia and all the death and destruction caused by the former owners. As they settled into their new roles as managers of the upscale independent living facility, LiAnn reconnects with her true love and Karina continues to explore the new relationship with a sexy cowboy named Bo.
Each are haunted by the atrocities committed at The Magnolia and how close Karina came to dying at the hands of mafia monsters. With the help of her mother, beloved grandparents, new job, an enormous dog, and a hunky, younger man to keep her mind occupied, Karina lets her guard down, naively assuming the worst is over for her family.
Unfortunately, she’s wrong.
When one of the elderly residents of The Magnolia reveals the truth about a shady past, the entire Tuck family find themselves embroiled in one of Arkansas’s most notorious mysteries from 1957. The disappearance of a beloved attorney and her young charge was never solved, bodies never found, and even after over 60 years, Karina and LiAnn discover there are still those who intend to keep it that way.
ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)
Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.
Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
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Ashley Fontainne’s writing is so spectacular, I am always anticipating the next book I will read of hers. Here are my reviews…so far:
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