I have been reading Jane Blythe’s Count To Ten series since Book I, One, which is currently free. If you are a serial killer, suspense/thriller lover like me, this is one you will want to grab…ASAP!
It’s not enough that they survived one life threatening situation, an angry husband wants the wife and daughter that Sofia is harboring in the center for abused women and children. She will put her life on the line for her charges.
Jane Blythe has the ability to keep me on pins and needles, totally enthralled with a story that refuses to let me go…AND leaves me craving more. Her characters are to die for and they take me on a roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs and twists and turns, at times leaving me breathless with anticipation.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Eight by Jane Blythe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
They survived a hostage situation now someone is killing them off.
Sofia Xander runs a center for abused women and children, some of whom have fled for their lives, their abusers still out there. One of those violent husbands tracks his family down and holds eight people hostage in a bid to get his wife and daughter back. With no choice but to kill him to protect herself and the others, Sofia is unprepared for the impact it will have on herself and her life.
Detective Ryan Xander is proud of his wife for doing what she had to in order to save lives, but he knows taking a life will affect her. He just didn’t know those effects would be her pushing him away. Then someone starts killing off the surviving hostages. Now he could lose his wife to a killer or she could walk out on him.
** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
Dead Eye by Alyssa Day is a paranormal romance mystery. I love the location, Florida. I keep my eyes open for shapeshifters and dead bodies, but, so far, none have come my way. How about you?
I love the cover. It makes me feel like this will be a ton of fun. I am 50% through on Kindle and lovin’ every minute of it.
For Jack Shepherd,
tiger shape-shifter and former soldier, life is heading for a dead end.
Dead End, Florida, to be exact. When he learns that he inherited a
combination pawn shop/private investigation agency from his favorite
uncle, Jack’s first job is to solve his uncle’s murder. Because
sometimes it takes a tiger’s eye to see the truth.
This novel is a paranormal mystery with magic, shape shifters, humor, vampires, a taxidermied alligator, witches, gunshots, bad singing, Crazy Hormonal Town, terrible parking, the FBI, swamp commandos, tigers, special agents, flirting, belly laughs, comedy, humor, and a pawn shop.
What would you do if the mystery to your mother’s death lay with your
employer?
After years of unanswered questions, Mishka Vald sets out to uncover the
skhodka’s involvement in her past. What she doesn’t expect is to
join forces with men who push her to become a double-agent and
confirm her future. While hunting down leads, the ruthless assassin
realizes a life in the shadows is the only way for her to protect
those she loves.
For Mishka, forbidden love is worth the pain when it comes to Eddie
Harper, a military man turned cop. Her affection waivers when duty
comes first and she joins forces with an elite Russian soldier,
Alexei Petrovich. With a blackmailer threatening her school love, she
seeks refuge with a fellow assassin, Nickolas Volkov. And when pushed
too far, she’s ushered to a secure location…and straight into the
arms of mysterious handyman, Dylan Kain. As the pieces fall into
place, their mangled order reveals each man’s true intention. Whose
deceit can she accept and whose will obliterate her?
All roads lead back to the woman she thought dead—her mother. Now, as
weddings are crashed and alliances tested, Mishka uncovers a deadly
game and the players involved. Her heart, once unable to budge, is
thrust into action, but which man can keep her soul intact?
The skhodka isn’t done with their best assassin yet.
Too bad for them, as a rivaling mob – the vory – holds Mishka Vald
captive. The real kicker? She’s trapped in her mother’s clutches
with the two men she loves, with no escape from the devious scheme
Alena Vald cooked up to destroy the skhodka.
After spiriting across the globe with one man in tow, Mishka comes face to
face with her past. Piecing together the distorted memories would be
easy if someone hadn’t tampered with them.
Can Mishka slip through the grips of warring Russian mobs for a chance at
a normal life? Find out in Catalyst at Night., the sequel to Assassin
by Day.
Tessa Robertson has been landlocked in the heart of Iowa, USA for the
better portion of her life. She grew up on sci-fi and action movies,
but isn’t nearly a ninja…yet. Since childhood, writing stories and
reading have been a constant. Moonlighting in a law firm, she takes
on her favorite cases: criminal. Her stories push the limits of
standard characters and explore the thriller facets of romance and action.
In her spare time, Tessa attempts to teach her Australian Shepherd and
Golden Retriever new tricks; spends copious time with family; catches
up on her favorite shows; and listens to country music.
This is not my first taste of Liesel K Hill’s work and it won’t be my last. If you are into dystopian worlds, serial killers and murder, Street Games may be for you.
I am excited to be back in Kyra’s dystopian world in Damaged Hope, Street Games #3, by Liesel K Hill. Kyra is the strong female character I love to read about.In is cheap.this desp0perate, dystopian world, life
Kyra’s not herself. She’s in BIG trouble. Some want her dead, some want to use her, and one wants to love her. She is stubborn, obstinate, confident in her ability to survive the Mire. Every time she turns around, she’s getting her ass kicked, covered in cuts and bruises. She can’t quit…she searches…
Gabe is a cop that has become enamored with Kyra.
Missing and dead children, prostitutes, one killer or two, a slow burning relationship, and fantastic world building.
Tense, dangerous, teeth gritting moments.
Nothing is smooth sailing. The characters will put it all on the line for each other. Not all will survive and not all questions will be answered. The pacing keeps the thrills coming, one after another some high, some low, and I want more. I must know the end of Kyra’s story.
“It’s all a game. Brothers and killers. Rivals and customers. The Mire and mobsters. Alleys and streets. All games. Games we must conquer, or else disappear into the gaping maw of this city.”
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Damaged Hope by Liesel K Hill.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
“Kyra [is] smart, resourceful, and gritty. She’s got steel in her spine. This is the woman I think we need to see more of in fiction.”-Rebecca A., The Missing Lynx
After surviving the horror of the Carmichael District, Kyra continues to look for her brother, but she can’t seem to avoid crossing paths with the Mire’s psychotic serial killer. Avoiding him and surviving the darkness of the Mire grows ever more difficult. And now he may be targeting her.
For Gabe, the mystery surrounding his brother’s disappearance twenty-five years ago deepens as the suspect in custody is questioned, but speaks in riddles. If Gabe can decipher Hammond’s strange clues, perhaps he can finally bring his brother’s body home and obtain some closure. That is, if he can stay one step ahead of the murders in the Mire.
Kyra and Gabe face new, darker challenges in their search for missing brothers. Every victory brings setbacks and complications. They have little to push them forward now except determination and hope. Even if it is a Damaged Hope.
If you love you some crime, murder mystery and suspense with detectives and serial killers thrown in, don’t miss the action-packed third installment of Street Games!
L.K.
Hill is a novelist who writes across three genres. Her crime and
historical fiction are written under her initials, L.K., while her
scifi/fantasy and dystopian are written under her full name, Liesel K.
Hill. She lives in northern Utah and comes from a large, tight-knit
family. She plans to keep writing until they nail her coffin shut. Or
the Second Coming happens. You know, whichever happens first. ;D
Sue Coletta writes some fabulous thrillers that blow me away and I am so happy to have a copy of Blessed Mayhem. This serial killer reminds me of Hannibal Lector, but without the penchant for eating his victims.
The cat burglar and the serial killer collided in a most unexpected way. HE took it as a challenge…and with Shawnee, it certainly will be. He is looking forward to breaking her will, but Shawnee bends for no one.. Sparks fly whenever she is around and I love the snarky dialogue. She is a risk taker. She’s not a cop, but she works for them, running their cyber crime unit. If you get on her bad side, she would just as soon kick your ass as look at you.
Sue Coletta has taken a different route with Mr Mayhem and Shawnee Daniels. I love it! I find it very refreshing and challenging, and exciting, because I don’t know where she’s going to take me.
And…What’s up with the crows? That is a whole ‘nother issue.
Shawnee walks through a nightmare, at times the past and present merging together, making it hard for her to pull herself back from the brink of insanity. She guards her secrets closely, but sooner or later she is going to have to explain Maggie…and Jessup.
She tries more than Levaughn’s patience with her antics. He works as a detective for the police department. He knows about her burglaring, but thought she had given it up. I think she is hooked on the adrenaline high, and a safe, normal life won’t work for her.
She’s like an M&M, hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Her love for Berkley, her sleeping pill is his purr. Her motto, she’d face Lucifer himself to save a child. And she can’t say no to Levaughn, needing him to hold her, love her, when life becomes unbearable.
I can see Mr Mayhem’s resemblance to Hannibal Lector. I can see Shawnee’s resemblance to Clarice. I love that Sue Coletta took Blessed Mayhem so far out there, I had to reign myself in after the last page was read.
I don’t know if it is just me, but I wanted to be ‘shown’ more. Shawnee is so hard on the outside, I wanted to be ‘shown’ more of her love for Levaughn, her best friend and lover. I also wanted to be ‘shown’ more of the badass side and the evil that befalls her in her battle with Mr Mayhem. I wanted to get lost inside their heads. Maybe I just wasn’t ready for the story to end. If I did half stars, I would rate this 4.5, but seeing I don’t, I round up…5 Stars it is.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blessed Mayhem by Sue Coletta.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
2017 Winner of Readers’ Choice Award in Mystery/Thriller, hosted by Rosie’s Book Reviews!!
A chance encounter …a deadly predicament …a lethal decision.
The
infamous Mr. Mayhem is not your average serial killer. Reminiscent of
the beloved Hannibal Lecter, minus his thirst for flesh—because eating
humans is just plain rude—Mr. Mayhem storms on the scene with style,
grace, elegance, and a zest for life unlike any other. Impeccable
manners also help. He may commit murder, but there’s no reason to be
impolite about it.
Accompanied by his loyal crow companions,
Poe, Allan, and Edgar, his crimes strike fear in the hearts and minds of
folks across Massachusetts’ North Shore. When Shawnee Daniels—cat
burglar extraordinaire and forensic hacker for the police—meets Mayhem
in the dark, she piques his curiosity. Sadly for her, she leaves behind
an item best left undiscovered. Or is it serendipity by design?
Color
him curious, but he yearns to examine the psychology behind her life
choices, tough girl routine, witty banter, and unique double-life. In a
different time and place they may even become friends. But
unfortunately, their predicament defines the risk.
The stakes are too high to stop now.
For reasons authorities cannot fathom, these seemingly unrelated murders will go down in history as the most impressive killing regime of all time. His coup de grace, if you will. Even if it means permanently erasing Ms. Daniels from the equation. All the pieces are there if the authorities look hard enough. The question is, will they? The only new wrinkle is Shawnee Daniels, and she may be his toughest opponent yet …if she’s clever enough to play the game.
ABOUT SUE COLETTA
ABOUT SUE COLETTA Member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Sue Coletta is an award-winning, multi-published author in numerous anthologies and her forensics articles have appeared in InSinC Quarterly. In addition to her popular crime resource blog, Sue co-hosts the radio show “Partners In Crime” on Writestream Radio Network every third Tuesday of the month from 1 – 3 p.m. EDT/EST (see details at www.suecoletta.com). She’s also the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project and Forensic Science, and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter. She runs a popular crime website and blog, where she shares crime tips, police jargon, the mind of serial killers, and anything and everything in between. If you search her achieves, you’ll find posts from guests that work in law enforcement, forensics, coroner, undercover operatives, firearm experts…crime, crime, and more crime. For readers, she has the Crime Lover’s Lounge, where subscribers will be the first to know about free giveaways, contests, and have inside access to deleted scenes. As an added bonus, members get to play in the lounge. Your secret code will unlock the virtual door. Inside, like-minded folks discuss their favorite crime novels, solve mindbender and mystery puzzles, and/or relax and chat. Most importantly, everyone has a lot of fun. Sue lives in northern New Hampshire with her husband, where her house is surrounded by wildlife…bear, moose, deer, even mountain lions have been spotted. Course, Sue would love to snuggle with them, but her husband frowns on the idea.
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 got a copy of A Map of the Dark by Karen Ellis from Net Galley, thought I have been trying hard to stay away from it until I have read and reviewed all the books I am behind. Needless to say, when I saw Karen’s Searcher series, I couldn’t resist. Let’s take a look at the first in the series A Map of the Dark.
She likes the feel of the ground underfoot and so so she toes off her sneakers and carries them, swinging loosely from her fingertips. But after a couple of minutes she steps on something sharp and changes her mind. She drops her book bag i a pool of shifting shadows. Sits on it. Ties her left sneaker, then plants that foot on the ground and cantilevers over a bent knee to tie the other one. She feels tired. tired from all the things on her agenda this week. All the shoolwork piling up. Yawning, she stands and continues walking slowly, vaguely, in the direction of her high school.
MY 56
She was on her way to school. She missed the bus. She was walking. And then. And then.
(56% on Kindle)
GOODREADS BLURB
A girl, missing A woman, searching A killer, planning…
FBI Agent Elsa Myers finds missing people. She knows how it feels to be lost…
Though
her father lies dying in a hospital north of New York City, Elsa cannot
refuse a call for help. A teenage girl has gone missing from Forest
Hills, Queens, and during the critical first hours of the case, a series
of false leads hides the fact that she did not go willingly.
With
each passing hour, as the hunt for Ruby deepens into a search for a man
who may have been killing for years, the case starts to get underneath
Elsa’s skin. Everything she has buried – her fraught relationship with
her sister and niece, her self-destructive past, her mother’s death –
threatens to resurface, with devastating consequences.
In order to save the missing girl, she may have to lose herself…and return to the darkness she’s been hiding from for years.
Beach Blanket Homicide
(Whispering Bay Mystery)
by Maria Geraci
About the Book
Beach Blanket Homicide (Whispering Bay Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Independently Published (November 27, 2018) Paperback: 268 pages ISBN-10: 1790435722 ISBN-13: 978-1790435722 Digital ASIN: B07K6WXBG8
The first book in a fun, quirky chick-lit mystery series featuring Lucy McGuffin, world’s best muffin maker and amateur sleuth.
Everyone agrees that Lucy McGuffin bakes
the best muffins in Whispering Bay, but she’s got another talent, one
that she’s tried her whole life to hide. Lucy can always tell when a
person is lying or telling the truth. Being a human lie detector isn’t
all it’s cracked up to be. Especially when you don’t really want the
answer to the universal question: Does this dress make my butt look too
big?
When Lucy is hired to cater the grand
opening celebration of the city’s new community center, she stumbles
across the dead body of Abby Delgado, a prominent member of the Sunshine
Ghost Society. Lucy’s brother, Father Sebastian, a local priest, is the
last person to have seen Abby alive. Convinced he’ll be breaking a
confidence, Sebastian refuses to cooperate with the police, forcing Lucy
to put her skills to the test to save her brother’s good name.
Enter the town’s new hotshot deputy,
Travis Fontaine. Travis doesn’t want an amateur like Lucy snooping
around his turf, so he offers her a deal. He’ll stay out of her kitchen
if she’ll stay away from his crime scene. But Lucy isn’t about to let
her brother’s fate rest in the hands of an arrogant cop. Good thing she
has her best friend Will and her new little rescue dog, Paco, to back
her up, because its up to Lucy to figure out what everyone in the quaint
little beachside town is hiding.
About the Author
Author Maria Geraci. (Photo by Chris Kridler/ChrisKridler.com)
Maria Geraci writes quirky, fun, romantic women’s
fiction and cozy mysteries. She’s a two time RITA® Finalist, as well as a
finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards and Romantic Times’
American Title Contest. She lives in central Florida and is always on
the lookout for the perfect key lime pie recipe (but not the kind they
served on Dexter).
Their brief heated meeting one fateful night had singed itself into their
minds. Not knowing of the other’s identity, but unable to forget, had
sealed their fate. The fire smoldered quietly in each of them as they
tried to move on with their lives.
Eric Stiles was in the middle of chaos, searching for a killer.
Hunted by an obsessed psychopath, Rebecca Gailen was trying to be
strong.
The world stopped for a moment as they looked up and saw the other
standing just feet away.
His heart lurched, her armor shattered and the world started again as
Eric’s brother, Charlie, appeared to take her hand.
Family loyalty isn’t a choice. When Rebecca’s stalker rages out of control,
Eric’s decision haunts him and he struggles to stay away. Can he
remain loyal to his brother, even if it means abandoning Rebecca when
she may need him the most?
She had become his prey. His plaything. The one he desired the most, but
someone wanted her more.
Her resilience fading, Rebecca fights to remain strong against the man
trying to destroy her mind and her life. Without the solace of Eric’s
arms, Rebecca’s will to recover from the relentless blows wanes as
she begins to break.
Eric, forced to face his own choices, races to end the nightmare before the
woman he loves is completely torn apart.
Just when they think the worst is over, the game and the stakes change.
Eric Stiles has everything to lose and no matter how hard he fights he can
feel his life slipping away.
Rebecca Gailen thinks that the love of her life is dead and only the vigor of
revenge keeps her fighting to survive.
When a secret reveals more than anyone expected, it changes Eric and
Rebecca’s lives forever. The devastating truth puts the couple at
odds. Can they overcome their clashing conclusions and learn to trust
each other again? Or will they let it rip them apart?
Amy Romine has always wanted to be one of the good guys. From playing
Charlie’s Angels in the backyard of her Macungie, PA home as a child
to the pages of her unending projects, Amy has always dreamed of
adventure and romance. Her need to make the characters truly deserve
their happiness takes us on many a twisted journey. From serial
killers to demons, Amy holds nothing back in the name of true
enduring love.
A mother of three, Amy has spent the past
sixteen years working in Operations for Ricoh America’s Corporation.
She is an avid movie fan and enjoys books, television, theater, her
dog Pip and all things romance.
Britney King loves to deliver a twisted, psychological thriller that makes it almost impossible to put down. Her is another fantastic addition to my reading list and I can hardly wait for more.
The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. Joe Klaus
With an opening like that, I grit my teeth and clench my hands tightly around my ereader, anticipating another fabulous psychological thriller from Britney King…and I was not disappointed.
When I read the Prologue, I thought, “I wonder what she is setting me up for.”
Britney King is very creative when it comes to her villains. Many times she has me rooting for them, making me love them and wanting things to work out for them.
Be careful thinking the grass is greener on the other side. It may be infested with evil.
Sadie…she is finding out that once you are in, you are never out. Now, how can I turn my back on her. I am bopping along, at a steady pace, watching her be manipulated, twisted, and perverted into keeping some nefarious secrets.
Secrets, betrayal…how can she live like that?
Britney King has a way of taking a normal neighborhood and with her casual air creates a location of danger and death. Somehow her imagination comes up with way of surprising me, jerking me out of an I know this attitude.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Her by Britney King.
4 Star
GOODREADS BLURB
“After four, I quit counting. What’s the point if you know it isn’t going to stop?”
Sadie is jealous. Why wouldn’t she be? Her life is falling apart. Meanwhile, her new neighbor is everything she is not.
Ann
is perfect—the kind of woman everyone loves to hate—and a best friend
to die for. She hosts over-the-top dinner parties, takes parenting to an
entirely different level, and makes ambition look sexy as hell.
Sadie
learns quick: the best way to cure jealousy is to befriend it. She also
learns there’s more to her new friend than meets the eye. She’s
patient, she’s kind, and possibly a serial killer.
It isn’t
until Ann’s proclivities hit a little too close to home that Sadie has
to ask herself how much she’s willing to overlook in the name of getting
what she wants.
Exquisitely paced, Her is an unnerving and electrifying psychological thriller about jealousy, passion, and the dangerous places desire can take you. Full of enough tension and twists to make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat, it keeps you guessing until the very last page.
ABOUT BRITNEY KING
Britney
King writes psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in
suburbia. She is currently writing three series and several standalone
novels.
The Bedrock series (psychological/domestic/romantic thriller)
features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out,
she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous,
forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on
revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White
Female, and Basic Instinct.
The Water Trilogy (psychological/domestic/romantic thriller) follows
the shady love story of an unconventional married couple– he’s an
assassin–she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier version of
Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, the hit series Dexter.
Around The Bend, is a heart-pounding standalone (romantic
suspense/domestic/psychological thriller), which traces the journey of a
well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to
the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted
to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she
wasn’t.
The With You series (romantic suspense/contemporary romance) is a
coming of age, friends to lovers, second chance (plus a few) love story
about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves,
together and apart. It has been compared to Love, Rosie.
Britney lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
She enjoys hearing from readers and would love it if you would
connect with her at britneyking.com or the plethora of social media
accounts she posses.
To receive an email whenever the author releases a new title, sign up for the VIP newsletter at britneyking.com/subscribe-to-new-rele… copy and paste into your browser).
To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb into your browser.
Her characters may be hard to pin down, but she’s not. She loves talking to readers, so feel free to email her at britney@britneyking.com—she does her best to respond to everyone.
Tim and Adelaide Smithfield are haunted by memories of loss too raw to
forget, and too painful to remember. Their 11-year-old daughter,
Michaela, has her own set of sensory processing challenges, not to
mention an overwhelming sense of guilt that she might be at the root
of her parents’ problems.
The sprawling ranch house on the outskirts of the quaint West Texas town
of Big Spring promises a fresh start for a young family on the verge
of collapse.
But the house is haunted by memories of its own… and a guilt that West
Texas’ famed thunderstorms can’t wash away.
Sara is a mother of four, animal lover and advocate, and conservationist.
Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and Lonesome
Dove are among her favorite shows/movies and books. Sara holds her
B.A. in History and is the author of the historical romance series,
An Everlasting Heart, from 5 Prince Publishing and recently debuted
into the children’s book realm with Chunky Sugars (5 Prince Kids),
written for her own chunky baby.
