Monday Mini – Not So Sweet – Strawberries by Casey Bartsch @ecclectic22

Posted on November 13, 2017 by fundinmental

I love the fabulous cover of Strawberries by Casey Bartsch, that was done by Jennifer Chang. Great job. So simple, yet it says so much. Made me want it. Then I read…serial killers. Oh yeah!

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

Strawberry is a serial killer that loves coming up with new and creative ways to murder someone. He is a psycho, even doing himself harm, while murdering at random. His signature mark…a strawberry.

He dodges capture, leaving a trail of bodies in a zig zag path he travels, striking when the moment hits him.

The characters are…unusual. At times I felt sorry for them, other times I couldn’t help but smile.

Forces draw them together in a frenzied ending, bodies dropping, blood flowing and some people I like…well, you’ll need to read about it for yourself. I like authors who do the unexpected, regardless of how I might feel about it.

I had made a comment on fuonlyknew’s blog about how much I wanted to read this, and, voila, Casey Bartsch sent me a copy. Thanks so much, Casey.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Strawberries is the name he has been given.

When they let him out, they had no way of knowing what he was. A psychopath. A killer. The body count is at twenty already, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.

Agent Harry Bland can’t see one anyway. He doesn’t have a single clue to go on. It doesn’t help that his mind won’t focus. His heart just isn’t in it anymore. Half way across the country, Sylvia is in a different state of mind. When she isn’t selling sex to the rich, she is doing her best to disappear. She lives a life of assumed names, one night stands, and a constant stream of narcotics. Sylvia has heard of Strawberries. Of course she has. So has everyone who has turned on the television or surfed the net. Yet, she has no way of knowing just how much his life will affect hers.

Seedy hotels, cross country truckers looking for the meaning of life, homemade pie, a reporter with her own secret agenda, obscenely expensive champagne, and plenty of spilled blood await our cast. But make sure to read fast…..Strawberries has killed number 21

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Friday 56 #144 – Kill and Run by Lauren Carr @TheMysteryLadie

Posted on November 10, 2017 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

I have been a huge fan of Lauren Carr for a long time. I love her fun writing style.

You can see my 4 star review Here.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY 56

Murphy was skeptical. “That’s what they always say when an attractive man gets onn the fast track anywhere.”

“I don’t think General Graham is all the attractive, do you?”

“Buttercup, I don’t think any man is attractive.”

Pressing her long, elegant index finger against his chest, she narrowed her eyes until there were violet slits framed in lush long eyelashes. “You were the one who called him attractive, Honey Buns.”

(Pages 56 in paperback published in 2015)

GOODREADS BLURB

Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.

Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.

Before long, the case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.

In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?

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Giveaway – Three Rivers Run Deep by Piper Stone @Piperstone01

Posted on November 9, 2017 by fundinmental

Welcome to my stop for Three Rivers Run Deep by Piper Stone.

Beware…may be to hot to handle. 😀

Goodreads / Amazon

Three Rivers Run Deep – Fire Devil Book One

by Piper Stone

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GENRE: Romantic suspense/action/adventure

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

BLURB

Danger. It’s all I’ve ever known. All I’ve ever wanted.

Fighting fires soothes the raging beast that war created.

Allowing me to live

The rest? Maybe she can understand my hunger. For her. Dominating her. Owning her.

Maybe…

Danger. Domination. Destruction.

The Jackals

An elite team of smokejumpers nestled in the heart of Missoula, Montana.

By day they indulge in their penchant for danger.

By night they exude passion.

Are you ready for their brand of domination?

Prevent. Protect. Preserve. This is their motto.

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

EXCERPT

“Absolutely. This city, these mountains have my heart. This place will always be my home. I never want to leave. I’ve seen the ugly part of the world. I just want peace.”

The words were haunting, almost damning. She listened to the lull of the water as her life rolled past in nasty visions. She’d been doing nothing but living a lie. “You know, I thought I was in love with a member from my band. He was everything to me for years. Enough so, I didn’t see what was happening around me. I was so blinded by ambition that I lost myself, falling into the political world of music. Play this. Dress this way. Lose twenty pounds. Die your hair. Christ. I was drowning in a sea of bullshit.”

“But you’re a famous rocker.”

“No. I’m not certain I ever was.”

He gave her a wry smile. “I think so anyway. I finally looked you up.”

“You did?”

Laughing, he nodded. “Not my kind of music, but you’re damn good and pretty sexy too on those covers of yours. You had a couple number one records. Listen to me. I’m dating myself.”

“I still call them records. Gold records on your wall are much more impressive than a small CD,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “I think I’ve finally figured out I’m more of a country girl. And no laughing.”

“Oh yeah?” He winked as he gave her a surprised look. “I won’t say a thing, city slicker.”

“Hey, I’m on a horse, aren’t I? I have you to blame for my new-found love of the outdoors.” Jessica realized her words were true. “I could see living here.”

“Then you couldn’t regain your career.” His words were terse, challenged.

“I’m not certain what I want any longer in my life or my career. That’s why this time has been so important, precious in a way I didn’t understand when I came here.” She exhaled. “Maybe I’m fooling myself.” What could she possibly do here? Sing at Ziggy’s for the rest of her life? Maybe record a country song or two, that is if anyone was willing to take a chance on her ever again? Maybe she could be a housewife. The thoughts shoved fear into her heart.

They remained quiet for several minutes.

“You had a nightmare last night. You were talking in your sleep.”

The moment he spoke, she clenched her fists tightly around the reins. “Had them for years.”

“Who were you running from?” he asked as he turned his head in her direction.

Jessica closed her eyes and remained quiet. No daddy, you’re not going to ruin the rest of my life. “My father. He was a true monster. He beat me and my mother for years. I was so little when the violence started that I couldn’t protect her. When I was older, I had my needed revenge.” When she didn’t hear anything, she glanced in his direction. “I threw him out of the house at knifepoint. He tried to return twice, but I was very clear. My mother deserved to have a life and she did. She had friends and pretty clothes. I made certain of that. She even went on tour with me once. Just once before she got sick, but she said she was proud… of… me.” Choking back tears, she blinked several times as she tried to concentrate on the mountains. She’d never told Cody the entire story, had never believed he’d care.

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

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Best Selling author, Piper Stone writes in several genres including romantic suspense, thrillers, erotic romance, dark erotic, Domestic Discipline, spanking, Domination and submission and traditional romance. She has a love of the non-traditional, preferring to create worlds that defy the imagination. Wine and sous vide cooking are only second to her love of golden retrievers and you might find all three nestled in the pages of a book or two.

She has several releases from Blushing Books including Truth or Dare, His Demands – Dirty Little Secrets, Submissive For Hire, His Hidden Girl – Dirty Little Secrets, Becoming – Power Exchange and upcoming books Rescue Me – Maverick and the series Fire Devil.

She will also have several releases with Bethany’s Woodshed in the upcoming months.

Find her at: Facebook / Blog / Twitter / Bookbub / piperstonecreations@gmail.com
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Badass Female Vigilante Serial Killer – Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff @AlexSokoloff

Posted on November 8, 2017 by fundinmental

Alexandra Sokoloff has reeled me in, hook, line and sinker, with her Huntress/FBI Thriller Series. Huntress Moon (see my review here) blew me away and she has kept it up in Blood Moon, Book II.

The covers scream out to me…and I do not hesitate to answer…I’m coming.

Cover: Brandi Doane

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I am so excited to be back with Special Agent Matthew Roarke, kicking down doors and taking down the bad guys, as his hunt for Cara continues. I love action from the opening page, getting me fully invested in the story and Blood Moon has it in spades.

This book picks up where Huntress Moon, Book I, left off. It does fill in some blanks from the first book, but I will tell you now, I am so happy I started at the beginning. I don’t want to miss a thing and I don’t think you will either.

Cara is a female serial killer, but she is so much more than that. She is a vigilante that Roarke has been chasing since Huntress Moon, Book I of the series. Cara was not born this was, she was created…by The Reaper. She touched me deeply. Right or wrong? Who are we to judge? She is exorcising her demons the only way she knows how, saving innocent lives along the way.

Life is not black and white, but many shades of gray. Blood Moon makes many questions come to mind as man’s inhumanity to those unable to protect themselves is shoved in your face. Is evil alive? Does it have a physical presence?

How far should they, the FBI, go to draw her out? Roarke has conflicting feelings, but comes up with the plan. Cara was Roarke’s incentive to become an FBI agent, since he learned about the tragedy surrounding her at when he was nine years old.

Alexandra Sokoloff has written a story that pushes and pulls me in so many directions making me question myself. My morals and ethics. Who is right? Who is wrong?

She skillullly weaves the past and the present, sharing the storyline from Cara and Roarke’s perspective. The investigation takes them to surprising places, the clues and evidence leading them in unexpected ways. This is not your typical police procedural. Reading all the evidence takes a meticulous and detailed mind, thinking outside the box. I think it takes a special kind of person, whether you are deciphering the clues as a reader or creating them as a writer.

Alexandra Sokoloff is able to ramp up the intrigue, my curiosity, the suspense, and my anticipation to a horrifying, frantic level, making me wonder how this can possibly end.

Would you care if the traffickers, rapists, and pimps were offed? Would you go out of your way to find the vigilante who protects children who are unable to protect themselves and others have cast aside?

The characters come to life in a way I never anticipated. I loved them, I hated them, I worried about them, I raged at them, I fretted with fear and terror, and I wished they would go down in flames, and I mean that literally.

I love/hate the ending, BUT don’t think for a minute that the story is done, because Alexandra Sokoloff has so much more coming in Cold Moon, Book III, and I do not want to miss one second of Roarke’s and Cara’s story. I didn’t wait…I immediately began to read it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Book II in the Thriller Award-nominated Huntress/FBI series

Twenty-five years have passed since a savage killer terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace.

The haunted child who was the only surviving victim of his rampage is now wanted by the FBI for brutal crimes of her own, and Special Agent Matthew Roarke is on an interstate manhunt for her, despite his conflicted sympathies for her history and motives.

But when his search for her unearths evidence of new family slayings, the dangerous woman Roarke seeks – and wants – may be his only hope of preventing another bloodbath.

It is highly recommended that you read Book 1 of the series, Huntress Moon, first.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF

I’m the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of the Amazon bestselling crime and supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, Book of Shadows, The Unseen, The Space Between, and the new Thriller Award- nominated Huntress/FBI thriller series: Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon. Bitter Moon, Hunger Moon. The New York Times Book Review has called me “a daughter of Mary Shelley” and my novels “some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.”

I’m a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where I majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. After college I moved to Los Angeles, where I’ve made an interesting living doing novel adaptations and selling original thriller scripts to various Hollywood studios.

In my stories I like to cross the possibility of the supernatural with very real life explanations for any strangeness going on, and base the action squarely in fact. THE UNSEEN is based on real paranormal research conducted at the Duke University parapsychology lab, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a Boston homicide detective and a practicing Salem witch in a race to solve what may be a Satanic killing. THE SPACE BETWEEN, is an edgy supernatural YA about a troubled high school girl who is having dreams of a terrible massacre at her school, and becomes convinced that she can prevent the shooting if she can unravel the dream.

I also have written paranormal romance (THE SHIFTERS, KEEPER OF THE SHADOWS) and the non-fiction workbooks SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on my internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (http://screenwritingtricks.com)

I live in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson.

When I’m not writing I dance: jazz, ballet, salsa, Lindy, swing – I do it all, every chance I get.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest

MY REVIEW FOR HUNTRESS MOON, BOOK I

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Giveaway – Protecting Her Secret Son by Regan Black @ReganBlack @GoddessFish

Posted on November 8, 2017 by fundinmental

Protecting Her Secret Son by Regan Black

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GENRE: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

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BLURB

Shannon Nolan thought she’d escaped a nightmare world of ruthless crime – until her son is kidnapped! With nowhere else to run and no one else to trust, she puts her life in the hands of her boss, firefighter Daniel Jennings.

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

EXCERPT

In her back pocket, her cell phone buzzed, belting out the old-school ringtone she used for unknown calls and text messages. She set aside the paint cup and pulled out her phone, swiping the screen to view the text.

No words, only a picture of her son. He was strapped into a car seat, his shirt rumpled, his pale blond hair windblown, and his cheeks and eyes were red. His lashes were spiked with tears and his lower lip thrust forward in a pout.

What had happened? Then she realized what she was looking at and her heart thudded in her chest. Staggered, terrified by her worst fears, she dropped the phone as she doubled over, clutching her stomach as if she’d taken a punch.

Daniel caught the phone and steadied her with a hand at her elbow. “Shannon? What’s wrong?”

“I—I’m not sure.”

The ringtone sounded as another text came in and she grabbed the phone from Daniel.

If you want to see your son again, tell his father to cooperate.

Her stomach clenched and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Whoever was behind this had chosen the wrong leverage. She’d never had any influence over Aiden’s father. Naturally, the sender’s number was blocked, but she hit the icon to call back anyway. It rang and rang, and no one answered.

“I have to go,” she said.

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

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Regan Black, a USA Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed romantic suspense and paranormal romance novels featuring daring heroines and sexy heroes. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound and two arrogant cats, reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.

Website / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook

Pinterest / Amazon / B&N / iBooks

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FREE Suspense Thriller – Natalie’s Revenge by Susan Fleet #SusanFleet

Posted on November 7, 2017 by fundinmental

Natalie’s Revenge Best Mystery – Thriller, 2014 Feathered Quill Book Awards

NATALIE’S REVENGE 169 reviews 4.4 rating

Book 3 in the stand alone Frank Renzi series, a New Orleans crime thriller

FREE November 7 – 11, 2017

Dragon Lady Step Aside For Natalie (my 5 star review)

You can get it on Amazon here.

Two murders, twenty years apart.

Someone murdered Natalie’s mother and Natalie wants revenge!

But NOPD Detective Frank Renzi is hot on her trail.

Feathered Quill Book Awards named Natalie’s Revenge Best Mystery of 2014.

Universal link: myBook.to/NataliesRevenge

You can stalk Susan at the links below:

Susan has some great book trailers. You can see them on her YouTube page.

Website / Goodreads / You Tube / Amazon Author Page

MY REVIEWS FOR SUSAN FLEET

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Teaser Tuesday #97 – The Last Deception by D V Berkom @dvberkom

Posted on November 7, 2017 by fundinmental

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

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I have read a lot of DV Berkom’s novels and enjoyed everyone tremendously. If you are looking for an author to follow, I recommend her. She has strong female characters that manage to get into some thrilling situations.

The Last Deception is D V Berkom’s sixth novel in the Leine Basso series. They can all stand alone, but I have loved each and every one, so I recommend starting at the beginning.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY TEASE

“How would they know it their patient was my son? This letter states he was on a clandestine operation.If true, he would not have carried identification.If he had, then the bombing would have wiped out any credentials.”

(page 69 in paperback published in 2017)

GOODREADS BLURB

Lies. Deception. A nation on the brink of war…

Just when former assassin Leine Basso thinks she’s free from the business of murder and deception, a desperate call from a friend drags her back into the dark world of espionage and arms dealers.

Leine uncovers information that implicates a well-known Russian businessman in a horrendous deception that affects national security and could have global repercussions. It’s up to the former assassin to persuade the powers that be to ignore the obvious and trust her, or disregard the information and bring the world to the brink of a devastating war. Can she make it in time to warn them before The Last Deception?

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Welcome to the Body Farm – Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass #JeffersonBass

Posted on November 2, 2017 by fundinmental

I love reading forensic novels and Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass is a great one.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

The body farm is easy to imagine because I watch Bones, the TV show.

I love Jessamine Carter, the ME for Chattanooga, currently filling in for Knoxville as well. She drives a red Carrera, that fits her personality and allows her to cut travel time off her commute.

“Do men really believe that’s what six inches looks like? Try three and a half.”

Humor and death do go hand in hand, don’t they?

Dr. Brockton, is a forensic anthropologist and professor at the University of Tennessee and stages bodies at the body farm for research. I found myself chuckling at the writing even though the scenes were gruesome.

Jess and the doc are an item. She takes charge of that too. The banter between them is is humorous, snarky and fun, the teasing laced with sexual innuendo. They are complex characters and Jefferson Bass does a great job of bringing them to life. I must warn you though, he isn’t afraid to kill off his characters, so be careful who you become attached to.

Oops…didn’t see that coming. Now the real investigation begins. The details of deciphering clues, step by step, are stories I love to read about.

The writing is not as heavy and dark as some of the thrillers I have read, but it does raise a serious question for me. Why do we feel that by refusing to talk to the police, without a lawyer present, automatically makes us guilty. Just because you’re innocent, doesn’t mean the justice system will find that. Sometimes, instead of using clues to find the answer, they assume the answer and look for clues to make the pieces fit. I watch enough True Crime, and the crime TV shows to know this. That makes it easy for me to relate to what is coming down and it truly pisses me off.

Tragedy, love, sacrifice, revenge, anger and rage. Complex and fully developed characters allow me to sympathize and empathize with them, hoping they will find the answers they are looking for.

I didn’t see the ending happening the way it did, but I loved the dramatic flourish. Full of all the details for a great murder mystery with some thrills and suspense thrown in, along with characters to die for.

Talk about being close to your work, be sure and check out the bio of this fantastic writing duo.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton founded Tennessee’s world-famous Body Farm—a small piece of land where corpses are left to decay in order to gain important forensic information. Now, in the wake of a shocking crime in nearby Chattanooga, he’s called upon by Jess Carter — the rising star of the state’s medical examiners — to help her unravel a murderous puzzle. But after re-creating the death scene at the Body Farm, Brockton discovers his career, reputation, and life are in dire jeopardy when a second, unexplained corpse appears in the grisly setting.

Accused of a horrific crime — transformed overnight from a respected professor to a hated and feared pariah — Bill Brockton will need every ounce of his formidable forensic skills to escape the ingeniously woven net that’s tightening around him… and to prove the seemingly impossible: his own innocence.

ABOUT JEFFERSON BASS

Jefferson Bass is the pen name of Jon Jefferson, writer, and Dr. Bill Bass, renowned forensic anthropologist. Jefferson and Bass have collaborated on 2 nonfiction books and 6 crime novels; their 7th novel, The Inquisitor’s Key, will be published in May 2012. Dr. Bass, founder of the University of Tennessee’s “Body Farm,” is an author on more than 200 scientific publications. Jefferson is a veteran journalist and documentary filmmaker; his two National Geographic documentaries on the Body Farm were seen around the world.

Website

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HE is a Stalker and he is Waiting for Wren by Cate Beauman @CateBeauman

Posted on November 1, 2017 by fundinmental

Oh yeah, I am back for more Cate Beauman in Waiting for Wren. I am so loving these ladies that come to Ethan Security for protection and eagerly anticipate each new story I receive. A million thanks to you, Cate Beauman.

Each book will stand alone, and if you are into Romantic Suspense, this is a series you will want on your reading list.

I love the covers for the series. The subject matter pertains to the stories and the colors are so bright and vivid, I know I would never be able to pass by them on a bookshelf.

Cover: Streetlight Graphics

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

As soon as Tucker heard the rustles in the woods, I knew what was coming and I am so POed. The mystery has begun and I wonder where Ethan Security comes in.

Right from the getgo, we have plenty of danger, sexual tension, and verbal foreplay. My anticipation is at a foot tapping, sitting on the edge of my seat level.

Wren is independent. No wonder, her parents might as well have been nonexistent for the attention they paid her. She wasn’t used to being afraid, having a babysitter, and she could do a lot worse than Tucker.

Wren only has one suspect, but I have several. I think I’ve figured it out and if I have, he is truly evil, watching and reveling in her suffering. I wonder if he steps away and laughs. At least Tucker and Ethan, her brother, have not ruled out anyone, but I don’t think they see him…or do they?

Lots of stuff going on and it is torture as I wait for HIM to make his move on her and Wren to let Tucker in.

HE is jealous, determined, on the attack. I hope she doesn’t do the usual and go off without Tucker. She does get the hell out of Dodge, but it is with Tucker, as he takes her to the only safe place he can think of, Park City and the bad memories from his past.

“At some point during the drive from Salt Lake City, Rico Suave vanished and, Broody Bummer Man appeared. She wanted Rico back.”

It’s Cate Beauman’s writing that keeps me coming back for more. I love some humor with my suspense…and romance. We all know it’s coming, but…so far…it’s hands off for both of them, though the dance has begun. How long can she hold out, because one move from her and he’ll be putty in her hands. She can deny the pull as much as she wants, but I know it will win out.

Tucker has his own problems…I love multiple plots and wonder…are they related? Will they come together in the end? Will the mystery that’s haunted Tucker finally be solved and Wren set free at the same time? When’s it coming? I’m waiting…

I love that Cate Beauman makes me wait…Dragging out the suspense on every page. I think doom is coming. This ominous feeling hangs on every word, on every page and I am at 50%, on pins and needles…I can only imagine what evil Cate is bringing my way.

I loved when Wren finally ‘manned up’ and told Laura off. I could picture Wren stomping around the room, cussing her out in Italian…Is she a spitfire or a fireball?

It’s too soon to make life changing plans. Wren needs to stay in Limbo, for now, and I didn’t like this part at 52%.

HE’s getting more and more angry. Stalking is no longer enough. It is time to up the ante.

I do hate, that at 77%, Wren is still running from Tucker, but that is the nature of the romantic suspense beast. Gotta keep that sense of anticipation and fear for the characters at a high level, and Cate Beauman does that in a superb fashion.

I wonder what she has on the table for me next. *rubbing my hands together in eager anticipation* 😈

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Waiting For Wren by Cate Beauman.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

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

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

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

ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards series.

For information on Cate’s new releases, monthly giveaways, and upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter at: http://www.catebeauman.com/author/home.html#!newsletter-sign-up/c9td

Contact Cate: Amazon Author Page / BookBub

Social links: Twitter / Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram

MY REVIEWS FOR CATE BEAUMAN

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One Sentence Review – Dead by Dawn by Bret Wellman #BretWellman

Posted on October 21, 2017 by fundinmental

Bret Wellman and I have some Halloween Horror coming your way in this fabulous vampire apocalypse, Dead by Dawn.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

You’ll want some fire, some wood, some silver, some holy water and a cross to deal with these old time vampires since Bret Wellman has done a fantastic job of coming up with some new, gut wrenching ways to die in an apocalypse, and I fear for all the characters, especially the one that holds my name, Sherry…Hits a little too close to home in what has turned out to be one of my favorite vampire stories.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

At first it appeared to be a normal sickness, but when the bodies began to drop, the nightmare rose.

When a video goes viral of a man’s dead son walking around, people begin to speculate. These speculations only continue to grow as a new virus sweeps its way across the east coast, killing thousands. It soon appears that someone is trying to contain this disease, snatching almost every infected body during the night. As the government steps in, the people become aware that they are under attack from something much worse than a virus. Now they must ban together and fight for their lives against the creatures of the night.

Filled with suspense, fright, and action, Dead by Dawn is sure to be one of the best vampire fiction novels of the year. One of the greatest vampire plagues that you’re not going to want to miss!