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Hi Everyone. May the luck of the Irish be with ya.
It’s been a laid back week. Lots of reading and I made myself catch up on reviews. I am pretty good at keeping up with them now, though I probably have some overdue ones buried in my email. I will be working on those, but concentrate mostly on keeping current.
We went out to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and met some ex coworkers of Mr Wonderful’s. The food and company was great, seeing I still spend the majority of my time at home. I love it though. I am a bit of a loner and can easily entertain myself.
I plan on being in the pool in the next week or two. I know it will be a wake up call, but I think my body needs a shock, a wake up call, if you will.
I got the idea and the motivation to start doing Tackling The TBR from All The Book Blog Names Are Taken. I love showcasing the books on Goodreads, my ereader and my bookshelves.
COME ON….JOIN IN.
Previous Total: 2010
Currently Reading
Rituals & Runes was a limited edition anthology that is no longer available. I didn’t get to it in time to promote the anthology, but am loving meeting new authors to add to my reading list.
Castelon Alyssa Roat (The Wraithwood Trilogy, #3) Publication date: March 15th 2023 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Fifteen hundred years of Arthurian legend come to a head in the final installment of The Wraithwood Trilogy.
The sword of legend, ancient magic, and a dead man’s secrets-together they could save Brinnie’s world or end it forever.
Brinnie barely escaped Mordizan with her life. Battered and broken in body and soul, she knows she’s running out of time. And though she has discovered the identity of Mordred’s bane, no one knows where to find the legendary weapon.
To discover the truth, she and Marcus must journey to Castelon and seek the aid of the Council. However, their actions at Mordizan brand them as enemies and war criminals. Between Mordred’s armies engaged in full-scale war and the political machinations of the Council, Brinnie struggles to balance the battlefield and the courtroom while estates fall before Mordred’s wrath.
As magic ravages her own body, threatening her survival, the allure of ancient, forbidden power grows brighter. And only one man holds the knowledge of the weapon that could destroy Mordred once and for all-a man they buried in the gardens of Wraithwood.
“A portal. Anything. I’ll take a bicycle at this point.”
Dad frowned, leaning on his hands on the oval table, and barely looked up from the maps. “You’re not ready.”
She clenched her fists and resisted the urge to lean against the opposite side of the table. That would just prove his point.
A few wizards circled the work surface along with Dad, moving pieces, making notes. Most likely advisors or military leaders—probably not people she should be questioning his judgment in front of, but what choice did she have?
“I’m walking, I’m standing—”
“You’re hobbling and wobbling.” He straightened and waved a hand at a young man standing at attention along the wall of the office-like space. “Take her back to her room, please.” He gave her a stern look, accentuating the dark circles under his eyes, no doubt caused by the weight of bad news no one would tell her. “I’ll come see you in an hour. Where’s Marcus?”
“I don’t know.” Her tongue took over with more impertinence than she’d ever leveled at him before. “I imagine he has better things to do in the middle of this war than make sure I don’t leave my room.”
A few of the wizards shot each other uncomfortable looks. Dad sighed. “One hour, Brin. You can survive that long.”
She followed the stiff young man back to her room, trying not to pant too much from the simple exertion of walking through the halls.
Two days of consciousness had made for two days of monotonous pain heightened by the urgency stirring in her gut. She had to get back to Wraithwood. She had to find Excalibur. She had to stop this war, this slaughter, the destruction she had caused.
When Marcus wasn’t hovering over her like an anxious mother hen, he’d been spending every moment in Dirklon’s—admittedly limited—library. Finding nothing. But Dad banned her from accompanying Marcus even there.
“You go book crazy,” Dad had said. “I’ll find you climbing some shelf or forgetting to eat for a whole day in a research frenzy.”
She wanted to protest that she didn’t do that. Except that she definitely did, and had, done that. More than once.
So instead of book crazy, she went stir crazy, with nothing to think about but pain.
Sometimes the magic in her veins ran hot, sometimes cold. Sometimes it seemed to push against her skin, threatening to explode. She dared not explore the deep, roiling mass within her like an acidic sea.
“Here you are, my lady.” The young man gave a jerky bow.
She focused, only now realizing they had stopped. “Thank you.” She pushed open the wooden door and shut it behind her, slumping against the surface, her scant muscles feeling like gelatin.
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t wander.”
She scowled at Marcus where he leaned against the bedpost, arms crossed.
He pushed to his feet and scanned her face. Unlike Dad’s, his expression was soft. “Brinnie. Please. There’s nothing we can do right now.”
“So much for agreeing to a road trip.” She winced at her own sharp tone.
“I’m still on board.” His tone remained even, unaffected by hers. “After you take time to rest and heal.”
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She blinked them away. “I need to do something. Something to keep my mind—” She didn’t finish. To keep my mind out of that dark place. To keep it from returning to the dungeon, the battlefields, the screams…
He placed gentle hands on her shoulders. “I know.”
She took a shuddering breath. His unexplained voice in her mind, another mystery, should have concerned her, but it soothed her thoughts. She sighed and leaned against him for support.
“Should I tell her?”
Her head snapped up, almost knocking him in the chin. “Tell me what?”
“Whoa.” He steadied her, expression sheepish. “You weren’t supposed to hear that. How about you sit down first?”
She eased herself into the bedside chair. If she sat on the bed, she would be sucked into sleep. And she didn’t have time for that. “What do you know?”
He sighed. “Things aren’t…great at Wraithwood.”
Author Bio:
Alyssa Roat has worked in a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry as an agent, editor, writer, and publicist. She is the managing editor at Mountain Brook Fire. She has held positions as the publicity manager for publisher Mountain Brook Ink, an associate literary agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, an editor with Sherpa Editing Services, and a freelance writer with hundreds of bylines in local, national, and international publications. She holds a B.S. in Professional Writing from Taylor University. She would love to connect on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as well @alyssawrote.
Archenemy Christina Bauer (Angelbound Xavier Trilogy, #1) Publication date: March 9th 2023 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Ancient Egyptians. Powerful gods. Lost loves. And one badass warrior with wings.
Welcome to the beautiful land of ancient Egypt… only it may not stay so lovely for long. The chaos god, Set, plans to destroy the human world. Fortunately, the angel Xavier has the perfect plan to imprison Set and fast. Even better, Xavier can enact his scheme alone… which is just the way he likes it. No partners. No complications. No problems.
Suddenly, a gorgeous woman materializes. Calling herself Camilla, she declares she’s from the future. All of which is strange enough, but things soon go from bad to weird when Camilla announces that she and Xavier must work together—it’s the only way to defeat Set.
Wow, does Xavier ever hate thatidea.
The warrior angel decides on a strategic retreat. In other words, Xavier works to avoid Camilla at all costs. Turns out, that isn’t so easy. This mystery woman has set Xavier’s blood on fire in a way he’s never felt before. No matter how hard he tries, Xavier simply can’t desert her.
But is Camilla another element of Set’s destructive chaos magic… or is she Xavier’s only chance to save both himself and humanity?
I slap on my best smile. “How about you put the knives down? We can talk.”
“I’ve got the weapons,” says Camilla. “I’m leading the conversation. You’re here because you want to join Horus’ party.”
“What makes you say that?”
“We have records in the future, Xav. Horus only held the same party every night for a few thousand years. Visiting him is a waste of time.”
“What makes you say that?”
Camilla shoots me a deadpan stare. “Seriously? You’re going to make me say it?”
“Say what?” I shouldn’t be enjoying this banter so much, but I do.
“Horus is a pompous, drunken brat. His mommy taught him the spell to imprison Set. Horus did nothing but repeat the incantation.”
“Meaning?”
“If we want to reinforce the Red Pyramid, then the person we need to see is Isis herself.”
“I made a promise. I’m seeing Horus first.”
“Well, I’m on a tighter timeline.”
“Then, visit Isis yourself.”
“She doesn’t know me. You’re coming along.”
I purse my lips. “I don’t see any reason why we must—” At that moment, the ground rumbles beneath our feet. I raise my pointer finger. “That’s a regular earthquake.”
“False. This part of the world does get earthquakes. That is Set getting loose and making my point that we must work together and fast.”
“Says the woman with the poisoned blades.” I sigh. “Much as I’ve enjoyed seeing you again, I’m off to visit Horus now.” I shoot her another smile. “Are you going to stab me?”
Camilla bobs her head as she considers. “No.” She flicks her wrists, making the blades retract into holsters that must on her forearms. “But I’m not giving up, either. I call for ceremonial combat again.” She pins me with a hungry look.
Now, I could just cast my spell and head off to see Horus. But that really was an amazing kiss. So, I ask the obvious question.
“What kind of combat are we talking about?”
Camilla strolls toward me, pausing when our mouths are a breath apart. I cup her face in my palms and pull her in for another kiss. This one is a slow tasting. Heat pours through my core.
Camilla slides her hands up my shoulders. Everywhere she touches me, there’s a trail of fire on my skin. She soon moves her fingertips onto the very spot where my wings meet my back. The sensation is beyond erotic.
Suddenly, a sharp pain zings across my shoulders. Camilla is pinching a particular spot on my wings. I’d felt a slight scratch when Camilla touched my neck before, but nothing like this. My legs turn watery beneath me.
“What magic is this?”
“Nerve pinch. It only works on lower-level angels.”
“What? How?”
“I don’t know how it functions, I only know that it works. You came up with this move during the great Hellscape Rebellion of 1632.”
And with those strange words rattling around my head, the world around me starts to fade. My body goes limp.
I lose consciousness.
Author Bio:
Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
Book Title: Fool Her Once (A Novel) by Joanna Elm Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 416 pages Genre: Thriller Publisher: CamCat Books Release date: Feb, 2023 Content Rating: PG-13 + M. There’s adultery, language, some sexual content, and violent crime, but no explicit descriptions of the crimes.
MY REVIEW
I love the great cover for Fool Her Once and it fits the story. The dark and eerie cover fits the description of the characters inside. It seems they all have secrets they want kept.
Jenna Sinclair’s life is a convoluted mess. Jenna bounces between two men. She does have a knack for tracking people down and now that her past seems to be knocking at her door, she will have to find the answers for herself.
When Ryan is attacked outside her building, she believes that Denny Dennison’s son has come to make her pay for outing him and ruining his life. But, Jenna and Ryan had recently done an expose on restaurants, so the list of suspects is long. I do believe Joanna Elm threw a red herring my way, diverting me from a line of questioning that may have revealed the true villain before she gave me the answer.
She had outed a serial killer’s son, and now she thinks he has come back for revenge. Can killer genes be inherited, making someone evil? Can the children of serial killers become serial killers themselves? Bad genes, bad seeds?
She is married to Zack and has a daughter by him. Dollie sides with her father, but with an absentee mother, always at work in the city, that makes sense.
My thoughts were right and wrong at the same time. How wonderful for the story. What a great twist. I know the truth, but Jenna does not and does her own research, leaving no stone unturned. As the truth unfolds, I can’t help but smile. I love when I don’t have all the answers for myself and need some assistance from the author.
As I am nearing the end, my feelings for Jenna change. I am thinking she is an idiot. I can’t explain more, but I felt I gave her too much credit, believing she was clever, would find the answers and make the right choice.
Then, Jenna and Joanna Elm redeemed themselves in a big way. I guess we humans see what we want to see, trying to make the best of a bad situation. I wonder what you would think?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm.
4 Stars
Book Description: Some killers are born. Others are made.
As a rookie tabloid reporter, Jenna Sinclair made a tragic mistake when she outed Denny Dennison, the illegitimate son of an executed serial killer. So she hid behind her marriage and motherhood. Now, decades later, betrayed by her husband and resented by her teenage daughter, Jenna decides to resurrect her career—and returns to the city she loves.
When her former lover is brutally assaulted outside Jenna’s NYC apartment building, Jenna suspects that Denny has inherited his father’s psychopath gene and is out for revenge. She knows she must track him down before he can harm his next target, her daughter.
Meanwhile, her estranged husband, Zack, fears that her investigative reporting skills will unearth his own devastating secret he’d kept buried in the past.
From New York City to the remote North Fork of Long Island and the murky waters surrounding it, Jenna rushes to uncover the terrible truth about a psychopath and realizes her own investigation may save or destroy her family.
Joanna Elm is an author, journalist, blogger, and attorney. Before the publication of her first two suspense novels (Scandal, Tor/Forge 1996); (Delusion, Tor/Forge/1997), she was an investigative journalist on the London Evening News on Fleet Street in the U.K. She also wrote for British magazines like Woman’s Own.
Then, she moved to New York where she worked as a writer/producer for television news and tabloid TV programs like “A Current Affair.” She was also the researcher/writer for WNEW-TV’s Emmy-award-winning documentary “Irish Eyes.” In 1980, she joined the Star as a reporter, eventually becoming the magazine’s news editor and managing editor before moving to Philadelphia as editor of the news/features section of TV Guide.
After completing her first two novels while living in South Florida, (Nelson DeMille described Scandal as “fresh, original and unpredictable”) Joanna returned to New York, enrolled in law school, graduated summa cum laude, passed the NY Bar exam, and worked as a principal law clerk for an appellate division justice in the prestigious First Department. She has been married to her husband Joe for 35 years and has one son.
An awareness, a sense something was amiss trickled through Tori Winters.
First off, I love the cover. It surely hints at the story inside Murder’s Legacy. The clock is ticking on Tori Winter’s plan to convert the mansion she inherited after her grandmother’s murder to a B&B. There are those who wish to stop the renovation and condemn the property. The reason? Secrets are about to be exposed.
A mystery is afoot and it will take Tori and all of her friends to solve it. I have come to love this group of women who have come together, not only as friends, but as business partners. Each has something special to offer, and Tori is constantly amazed at how they have become a cohesive unit, the ladies going above and beyond anything she could have anticipated. They are fun, determined, and I am so happy to be with them again.
The danger is insidious, the villain, or villains, not immediately apparent. Power corrupts, twisted to serve those who have ulterior motives. The villains did not anticipate all those who would come to her aid. Those who will protect her and expose them.
Red Door Inn is officially a business. Tori is the owner, Mia the General Manager, Heidi is Director of Operations, Cammis is the Culinary Director and Tina is the Advertising Director. Tori is the wealthy owner, but believes in sharing her wealth. They will become partners.
Do I see romance on the horizon?
Anita Dickason’s bio helps show why she is able to make it look so easy to write a fabulous mystery. She is able to develop complex characters who come to life through the written word. I like to try and place myself into character’s situations and wonder what I would do.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Secrets that defy time!
An inconceivable disaster strikes, bringing Tori Winters’ plans to turn her historic house into a bed and breakfast inn to a traumatic standstill. A section of the escape tunnel built by her great-grandfather, a notorious Dallas gangster, collapses. Within the rubble, there is a gruesome discovery. A skeleton with a bullet hole in the skull.
The shocking cave-in sparks more than a police response. Accusations that the tunnel is dangerous triggers an ominous scheme to condemn her property.
Tori soon discovers more than the destruction of her beloved house is on the line. It seems she can’t escape the past. It keeps clawing its way into her life with deadly consequences.
Someone wants to permanently shut her down.
ABOUT ANITA DICKASON
Code Name: Trackers: The elite of the elite. FBI agents, each with a secret, an extra edge, that defies reason and logic.
Characters with unexpected skills—that extra edge for overcoming danger and adversity—have always intrigued Anita. Adding an infatuation with ancient myths and legends of Native American Indians, and Scottish and Irish folklore creates the backdrop for her characters.
Anita is a retired Dallas Police Officer. During—what she refers to as an extraordinary career—Anita served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics officer, advanced accident investigator, and SWAT entry/sniper.
Upon retirement, she became involved in a research project that dealt with the death of a witness to the Kennedy assassination. The research led to her first book, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy, that details the results of her reconstruction of a 1966 motor vehicle accident that killed Lee Bowers, Jr., a key witness to the assassination.
Once the Bowers book was written, Anita reached the same point many authors ultimately face: I’ve written it, now what do I do? Answering that question has become another career, one she has wholeheartedly embraced. The publishing field is in a constant state of flux, offering unlimited possibilities for an author, but also endless landmines.
Anita started a new company, Mystic Circle Books & Designs LLC, offering cover design and manuscript services. In addition to her works as an author, she enjoys helping other authors see their dream become a reality.
The Rebirth V.P. Evans Publication date: March 16th 2023 Genres: Adult, Suspense, Thriller
A traumatized father seeks justice for his son’s death.
A fallen man seeks atonement for his mistakes.
A cryptic path hides all the answers.
And so much more …
For the past decade, Mark has been living like an alcoholic druggy, loathing himself for not having the power to protect his son from the hands of these goddamn monsters.
For the past decade, Jason has been living a reclusive life, doomed by his enemies to spend the rest of his bland days in isolation till the illness seizes his last breath.
For the past decade, Mark and Jason haven’t seen each other.
But everything is about to change …
A murder brings them together tonight, trapped among the streets of Chicago in the search for redemption by following a mystical path that could unlock the darkest scandal in history. As the path unrolls secrets buried in works like these of Nietzsche, Plato, and Aristotle, the shadiest aspects of the human soul come to the surface, and soon both men realize that those who are hunting them, closing by with each passing minute, are equally dangerous with the ghosts of the past …
His time was up. He knew it. The bullet to his stomach had already soaked his pants with blood, and he could feel the warmth of it running into his shoes.
He staggered among the tall trees, pressing a hand over the hole, but that only pushed the blood out faster between his fingers. He managed a few more steps, as though his body still believed it could survive—but he collapsed. His cheek scraped against the wet grass. Damp leaves froze his face. A bug jumped out of the ground, tickling his nostrils.
His gaze climbed up the thick, naked tree branches. Far to the north, along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, vibrant lights fought to master the night sky, and eminent towers of steel and glass waved from the Loop.
Thrusting with his legs, he lugged his body toward the lake’s edge. Less than ten feet away.
Wet muck soaked his white shirt. His arms shoveled the ground, spoiling the blanket of green with deep, muddled brown lines. His hands sank into the soil, molding balls of dirt and grass in each fist.
A muffled chuckle echoed from behind. The man who’d shot him stepped closer.
Dermot Walsh always knew it would end like this—a lifetime of countless crimes had inscribed his name on a great number of bullets, but each had missed him.
Till now.
Maybe this disturbing feeling wasn’t exactly fear, but a sick curiosity about the person who’d end his days.
He tried to roll his body over. The bullet burned, twisting in his gut. But the pain couldn’t hold him back. He had to see his executioner. He pushed his body up and finally turned.
Pitch darkness consumed Burnham Park. Scattered pale lamps barely lit the hulking hitman who was approaching slowly, gun raking in his left hand. His chest suffocated in the tightly fitted suit—the buttons ready to hurl and his buff arms almost tearing the fabric apart.
“Who are you?” Walsh tried to ask. The blood had filled his throat, and he coughed some of it over his chin.
The hitman kneeled over him. His face lacked color, and hair including eyebrows or a beard. He was just a soulless, fey, creepy figure shrouded in the shadows.
“Mr. Walsh.” The ghost’s voice was clear, steady. “We gave you everything, but you wanted more. For years we’ve waited to repay your vanity.”
What? Those words … how could they be true? In his thoughts, a single name popped up—Jason.
Something happened. The hitman raised his head, then scurried off, somewhere into the park.
Walsh’s bleary vision offered nothing more than faint images: his BMW parked nearby. Through the half-opened, smashed rear door, the last member of his personal security detail was hanging, attempting to grab the gun in front of him. The other two were already corpses.
Who was he? Walsh wondered. Harry? Jorge? It was impossible to recognize the man under the mask of dripping blood.
“Ha, ha, naughty little piggy,” the bald hitman snickered, marching over to the bloody-faced man.
Confused about what he’d just heard, Walsh thrust a hand into his jacket pocket, searching for his cell phone.
He grasped it. He tried to—ugh, he didn’t have the strength. Unable to pull it completely from his pocket, he struggled to type the message. The screen was barely visible. His eyes were burning. All he could see was a white fog.
He touched the screen with his fingers, but he couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t even say if he was typing or if this whole attempt was just an illusion of his frigging mind.
He strived to focus, but with each passing second, his senses surrendered to the cold hug of death.
He had to make it. This was his only shot at naming his murderers.
The mouth of the hitman’s gun made a dull sound as he pulled the trigger, taking the life of the bloody-faced man.
Walsh didn’t have any more time. He hoped he’d keyed and sent the drafted message, though he feared he hadn’t.
Steps gouged the ground as the hitman was pacing toward him.
Walsh directed his eyes toward the lake. Its special beauty had always been a comfort to him, and now its peaceful waters were calling him with their serene song of silence. Gritting his teeth, he funneled every scintilla of his remaining strength into moving his damn hand. He couldn’t flex it, so he stretched it all the way to the right till it touched the cold water. He felt the need to groan, but air refused to enter his lungs. He plunged his hand into the water and opened his palm wide, praying that the cell phone had actually reached the lake, carrying the faith that the night wouldn’t end with his death. Instead, his death would be the beginning … Jason.
The hitman stood before him, winking and aiming his gun mockingly.
Then a thick cloud enveloped Walsh’s body.
Author Bio:
Wandering around small towns and cozy villages in faraway lands, V.P. Evans tastes the manifold flavors of this planet and, somewhere down the road, finds himself charmed by the few who live passionately or disappointed as darkness surrounds societies and people. He then sits down and starts to write.
I have read a couple of Nancy Cohen’s Bad Hair Day mysteries and really enjoyed them. They are fun and educational. I love the location is set in Florida and we are visiting Pioneer Village, a living history village. There will be a reenactment of a Seminole battle (a massacre really). Nancy Cohen has me surfing the web, checking out all the historical tidbits and locales she shares.
Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen takes place over the Fourth of July weekend. The celebration will be marred by the death of the town marshal with a tomahawk to his head. It’s too obvious for it to be the shaman of the village, but he still has to be checked out.
Marla Vail has a hair salon and day spa…but still manages to be an amateur sleuth, though Star Tangled Murder is her eighteenth mystery to be solved. Be careful when you venture out with her. You never know what might happen. There may even be a treasure involved.
We learn some Indian history, how to make a fire, we learn a little about dolls and hats, how buttons came into being…want to know why men and women button their clothing from opposite sides? I went from reading to surfing the web, back to reading. I was so curious, I couldn’t help myself. Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen deserves a star for that alone.
You never know when inspiration may strike, and Nancy Cohen found her inspiration for Pioneer Village (which is a real place in Florida) from Yesteryear Village. She shares some wonderful recipes at the end of the book, so you may want to whip something up before you start the mystery, because it will keep you reading until you solve the mystery.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Star Tangled Murder by Nancy Cohen.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Hairstylist Marla Vail and her husband get tangled up in murder when their Fourth of July visit to a living history village ends with a bang—and a body.
Salon owner Marla Vail and her detective husband Dalton are having a blast visiting a Florida living history village over Fourth of July weekend. But when a Seminole battle reenactment turns up a real dead body, it sets off fireworks among the villagers. One of the cast members has gone off script to murder the town marshal with a tomahawk in his head.
As Dalton gets involved in the investigation, Marla determines to help him solve the case. Her flare for uncovering secrets reveals that everyone in the village is a suspect. Instead of celebrating the holiday with red, white, and barbecues, she discovers secrets, lies, and false avenues. Did the marshal’s murder have anything to do with a lost Confederate payroll, or did his plans to renovate the park light a fuse that he couldn’t snuff out?
In a place where history comes alive, the dead bodies are piling up. Marla would rather be chilling and grilling, but somebody’s mind is on killing. If she’s not careful, her sleuthing might blow up in her face like a faulty firecracker and she’ll become the next victim. Recipes Included!
“Another delightful installment … Star Tangled Murder finds Marla facing more changes in her life as she investigates a murder that connects to history while she balances motherhood, the salon, and sleuthing.” Readers’ Favorite
Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers’ Favorite gold medal, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy’s instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won a gold medal at the President’s Book Awards from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys cooking, fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping.
Faking It With the Grump Kate O’Keeffe (Second Chance Café, #1) Publication date: March 14th 2023 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
He’s grumpy, boring, and thinks it’s okay to wear a suit and tie to a smalltown bar full of lumberjacks. But when I kiss him? Let’s just say I wasn’t expecting THAT.
Harper Cole
It’s one thing to be dumped by the huge Hollywood star you thought you were going to marry. It’s quite another to move back to the small town you’re both from.
As a booby prize for being shown the door by Dex Ryan, everyone is trying to set me up with their son, their nephew, or their long-lost cousin’s gardener. Either that or they’re throwing me pitying looks that say, “You’re a big loser.”
I’m not going to put up with their patronizing sympathy anymore.
So, when I spot new-guy-in-town Christopher Young, I set out to make him mine. Or you know, pretend to make him mine. I’m still in a horrible funk over Dex, and Christopher is an uptight grump. Not exactly my type.
The fact that despite appearances, he’s gorgeous and doing weird things to my blood pressure doesn’t mean a thing.
Really.
Not. A. Thing.
Christopher Young
Hunter’s Creek, population next to nothing, is the reason I work all the time. I’m solely focused on buying the town’s lumber mill so I can go back to NYC and get my big promotion. This small town is a means to an end. Nothing more.
That is until the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen superglues her lips to mine in an unexpected and very public way. She’s not the kind of woman I usually go for with her boho dress and ankle boots, but that kiss…
I’m disappointed when she comes up for air and tells me it’s all for show. But if Harper Cole wants me to be her fake boyfriend while I’m here in town, who am I to turn her down? Being attached to a local might ingratiate me to the townsfolk and make my job that much the easier.
After all, dating Harper can only be make believe. Nothing more. Not when my entire future is at stake.
Faking It With The Grump is a grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, fake relationship romance set in the small town of Hunter’s Creek, Washington. It’s the first book in the new Second Chance Café series. Each book follows a different sister’s love story and can be read as a standalone novel or as part of a series.
She looks suddenly nervous. “Okay, here’s the thing. I kind of told some people today that you and I are…well, that we’re…”
When she doesn’t complete her sentence, I lean in and ask, “You and I are what?”
She glances around nervously before she says, “Dating.”
I straighten, shocked.
As my brain tries to comprehend what she just said, I blink at her a few times.
I need clarification. In my experience, beautiful women don’t usually go around telling people they’re dating you without your knowledge.
Well, not sane, beautiful women, anyway.
“Did you say you’ve told people you and I are dating?” I ask.
She nibbles on her lip, reminding me of a rabbit. It only adds to her appeal. Despite my concern, she’s confirmed she’s not exactly sane. “I did warn you it was weird.”
“That’s true, you did. But that doesn’t explain why, exactly.”
She clasps her hands together, clearly uncomfortable.
I’m overcome with the strangest sensation, wanting to reach out and place my hand over hers to reassure her it’s okay.
I don’t.
She takes a breath. “I know this makes me sound crazy. And I’m not crazy. Really, I’m not.”
Said no crazy person ever.
“I don’t know if you recognize me or know what happened, but even if you don’t, I really, really need you to pretend to date me because—”
Wait. Pretend?
Her eyes dart to something behind me, and before I fully realize what’s happening, she’s pushed the bar stool to one side, closed the distance between us, a decidedly wild look in her eyes.
“Everything all right?” I ask her tentatively.
“Okay if I kiss you?” she murmurs out of the corner of her mouth.
I blink at her. “Now you want to…kiss me?”
She nods, her eyes darting behind me and then back to my face. “That okay with you?”
This gorgeous woman who smells like a meadow, the double threat, the woman who only just told me she wants to pretend to date me, now wants to kiss me.
As confusing as this situation may be, I’d be an idiot not to leap at this.
“Sure,” I tell her, the thought of having her soft lips pressed against mine making my belly clench.
It would appear she’s not a woman to be told twice.
Immediately, she pulls herself up onto her toes, places her hands at the back of my head, and before I can utter another word—like “why?”—she leans in toward me and kisses me.
I don’t move for fear this is some kind of mirage. Not that I think mirages are all that common in Washington, what with it not being a desert. But seriously, this sort of thing doesn’t happen to me a whole lot. Or, you know, ever.
And I’ll be honest, as far as kisses go, it’s easily the most surprising of my life, hands down. One second, she’s explaining to me why she wants me to fake date her, and the next she’s kissing me, like it’s no big deal at all.
The problem is, for me to kiss someone like Harper Cole, it should be a big deal.
Author Bio:
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kate O’Keeffe writes exactly what she loves to read: laugh-out-loud romantic comedies with swoon-worthy heroes and gorgeous feel-good happily ever afters. She lives and loves in beautiful Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand with her family and two scruffy dogs. When she’s not penning her latest story, Kate can be found hiking up hills (slowly), traveling to different countries, and eating chocolate. A lot of it.
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Because of the information at the end of the book, after this story is finished, I felt a need to share William Blake’s “The Tyger.” Blake is having a discussion with Evil in the form of the tiger.
Blake, William. “The Tyger.” Songs of Experience. Facsimile reproduction of the 1794 illuminated manuscript, published by The William Blake Trust and the Tate Gallery, 2009, in William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books.
The title Red Queen made me curious, but it was not what I expected. The author is unfamiliar to me, but the cover made me curious, with #1 International bestseller. Then, I read the blurb, and thought this could be a winner for me. And boy was it. Antonia Scott was so much more than I expected and I love that her ‘partner’ is a disgraced police officer. I love when a characters can find redemption, and I feel he will.
Antonia Scott allows herself to think of suicide no more than three minutes a day.
Does that intrigue you? It sure did me. Why did she think of suicide at all? Isn’t she a gifted forensic investigator? A personal tragedy leaves her with a heavy sense of guilt that she cannot escape. I am not going to tell you why. You will have to discover that for yourself.
Inspector Jon Gutierrez is a disgraced police officer, suspended from work. He has always been harassed because of being gay in a male driven society. He loves to cook. He is not fat, just rock solid. I think a lot of cooks love to eat. For others, like me, it is more like fuel. He has been tasked with bringing Antonia out of her self imposed isolation and has no idea what he is coming his way.
“My brain…isn’t normal. I can do things others find impossible.”
When I found the reason for that, I had ambivalent feelings. I guess, if it was what she wanted, who am I to judge.
Red Queen started out slow for me, but I think that is Juan Gomez Jurado’s way of preparing me for what is to come. The only problem I had was when he went back and forth between Jon and Inspector Gutierrez. It was early in the book and took me a little while to go with it and quit questioning whether he was talking about two people instead of one.
‘You sacrifice a pawn for the sake of continuing the game. Because the only thing that matters is to keep on playing.’
As we delve into the mystery, the suspense slowly rises. The story deepens. The sacrifices are costly, the players out for themselves
When Jon brings a rubber plant to her place, trying to make the barren room feel like a home, I cracked up. And…well, I can’t say. I will say this, though, the story kept getting better, the characters more real, foibles and all.The last quarter or more of the book was unputdownable. My desire to know them better, to work another case with them, intrigued me.
After the story is over, Juan Gomez Jurado shared some information that had me going to the internet to find out more for myself. Now…that is the sign of a great writer.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Introducing Antonia Scott – the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander – in the international bestselling thriller that has taken the world by storm.
Red Queen is the first book in a trilogy that has sold over 2 million copies in Spain, sold to seventeen countries, and is the basis of an Amazon streaming series to debut in 2023.
Antonia Scott—the daughter of a British diplomat and a Spanish mother—has a gifted forensic mind, whose ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. But after a personal trauma, she’s refused to continue her work or even leave her apartment.
Jon Gutierrez, a police officer in Bilbao—disgraced, suspended, and about to face criminal charges—is offered a chance to salvage his career by a secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature. All he has to do is succeed where many others have failed: Convince a recalcitrant Antonia to come out of her self-imposed retirement, protecting her and helping her investigate a new, terrifying case.
The case is a macabre, ritualistic murder—a teen-aged boy from a wealthy family whose body was found without a drop of blood left in it. But the murder is just the start. A high-ranking executive and daughter of one of the richest men in Spain is kidnapped, a crime which is tied to the previous murder. Behind them both is a hidden mastermind with even more sinister plans. And the only person with a chance to see the connections, solve the crimes and successfully match wits with the killer before tragedy strikes again…is Antonia Scott.
ABOUT JUAN GOMEZ JURADO
Juan Gómez-Jurado (December 1977 Madrid, Spain) is an award winning journalist and bestselling author. He is one of the three most successful contemporary Spanish authors along with New York Times bestselling authors Javier Sierra and Carlos Ruiz Zafón. In 2016, Juan celebrated the mark of 6 million readers worldwide.
Juan is the author of nine international bestselling novels: GOD’S SPY, THE MOSES EXPEDITION, THE TRAITOR’S EMBLEM, THE LEGEND OF THE THIEF, SCAR, RED QUEEN, BLACK WOLF and WHITE KING. They have been translated into more than 40 languages. He is also the author of the young adult science-fiction series, ALEX COLT SPACE CADET.
Juan is an avid reader and traveller. He lives in Spain with Sam, his bad behaviored dog.
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