When I saw Eruption, it’s gorgeous cover and Michael Crichton’s and James Patterson names, I virtually hopped over to the library and grabbed me a copy. Michael Crichton had passed away before he could finish the novel, and James Patterson picked up the torch.
A once in a century volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. If that isn’t enough, there is a military secret that could cause a worldwide catastrophic event.
Did Eruption live up to its hype? Well, the pacing kept me ‘flipping pages’ wondering how they were going to get out of the mess they are in. Maybe it also contains a warning to us mortals. Sometimes the things we do come back and bite us on the ass. This could have been one of those moments, but through the valor and bravery of many, the worse case scenario was avoided. Just goes to show what can happen when everyone works together.
All in all, it was worth the wait, a month or so, to get a copy from my library.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A history-making once-in-a-century volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a decades-old military secret could turn the volcano into something even more terrifying… Now it’s up to a handful of brave individuals to save the island – and the entire world.
Two of the bestselling storytellers of all time have created an unforgettable thriller. The master of the techno-blockbuster joins forces with the master of the modern thriller to create the most anticipated mega bestseller in years. Michael Crichton, creator of Jurassic Park, ER, Twister, and Westworld, had a passion project he’d been pursuing for years, ahead of his untimely passing in 2008. Knowing how special it was, his wife, Sherri Crichton, held back his notes and the partial manuscript until she found the right author to complete it: James Patterson, the world’s most popular storyteller. Eruption brings the pace of Patterson to the concept of Crichton: the most anticipated mega-thriller in years.
After The Fall by Gerry Gainford is an apocalyptic, dystopian, science fiction novel that kept engrossed in the story of a Washington State that lies in ruins. Nuclear bombs, computer viruses and plagues run rampant. I love that Haley tools around on a motorcycle that she manages to keep running because of her engineering knowledge.
All hell breaks loose when she makes a run for it, after her friend, Jimmy, is murdered.
Haley had left her girlfriend in Dublin and is trying to get back to her. Made me think of Darryl in Walking Dead and I’m curious to see how she is going to cross the ocean to get home. It’s bad enough that she has to dodge those who want her dead, radiation sickness, and plagues. I love a strong, female protagonist that manages to keep her humanity, yet does what is necessary to protect herself, including killing those who would kill her first if she didn’t defend herself.
The world building created a desolate landscape and the pacing made it as hard for me to stop as it did for Haley. The characters run the gamut, but many have lost their humanity. They take what they want, with no regard for their actions. Much of the collusion was hidden from me and I love how Gerry Gainford was able to keep me in the dark. It made it all the more dangerous, not knowing who to trust (NO ONE).
I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Haley left Dublin for a six-week internship in Seattle.
Four years later and she’s living in the ruins of Washington State after the world fell in a cascade of nuclear bombs, computer viruses and human plagues.
When she is accused of her friend’s murder, she flees into the night, with one destination in mind. Home to Marley, the love she left behind.
To escape her pursuers, skip around the swathes of chemical and radioactive waste, avoid the Kings, a roaming gang of marauders, she will need to use every bit of engineering knowledge she has.
Can she make it across the continent and an uncrossable ocean to finally get home?
Does home still exist, or did it perish in the Fall?
Gerry Gainford is a nerd who spends the workday talking about computer security.
The rest of the time he lives in Los Angeles, with a wife and kids where he likes to go camping, ride motorcycles, do woodwork badly, tell bad jokes, drink good beer and write.
He’s originally from Ireland and hopes some day to know what he wants to be when he grows up.
Justice can be elusive. Family secrets can be deadly.
The stakes are high, and the clock is ticking in a volatile criminal case filled with unanswered questions. And Carrington Reed is running short on time to piece together clues that will solve the puzzle.
Hostage negotiator Carrington Reed is called to the scene when reports come in that fifteen hostages are being held by the Kendrix brothers in an abandoned house in south Texas. When she arrives on site, Carrington quickly learns that the brothers are armed and refuse to release their victims, a group of undocumented immigrants, until the local police identify their father’s murderer.
Working closely with Levi Ehrlich, a handsome investigative reporter who has covered some of Carrington’s negotiations in the past, she finds herself being undeniably drawn to him. Carrington digs deeper into the death of the Kendrixes’ father and begins to notice that some details surrounding his death aren’t adding up.
As Carrington investigates the brothers’ claims and tries to piece together their motive for taking innocent people captive, it soon becomes clear that they are trying to hide something and that revenge for their father’s death may not be what they’re really bargaining for after all. To protect the hostages and ensure the brothers don’t carry out the rest of their sinister plot, Carrington must get to the bottom of one family’s secret and the truth they’re trying so hard to hide before time runs out.
Award winning author DiAnn Mills delivers pulse-pounding romantic suspense about secrets, betrayal, and finding a path to forgiveness.
Praise for Lethal Standoff:
“DiAnn Mills delivers another pulse-pounding thriller you’re going to love. Lethal Standoff combines gripping tension with a captivating mystery, skillfully woven by DiAnn’s signature storytelling. She navigates the high-stakes world of hostage rescue, proving once again why she’s a master of the genre.” ~ Jerry B. Jenkins, author of the Left Behind series and The Chosen novels
“In Lethal Standoff, DiAnn Mills works magic―weaving suspense and intrigue into a heart-pounding hostage thriller. Hostage negotiator Carrington Reed is a hero with heart who refuses to quit even when it means risking her own life for strangers. Don’t miss this high-stakes gambit set in south Texas that will keep you flipping pages to the very end.” ~ Andrews & Wilson, bestselling authors of Dark Intercept
“Warning: do not start this book if you intend to put it down any time soon. This is a roller-coaster ride. A bullet-biter. A heart-thumper. This is DiAnn Mills at her best.” ~ Eva Marie Everson, bestselling author and CEO of Word Weavers International
“Lethal Standoff has everything I look for in a great novel! Alongside a heartwarming romance, the plot and themes of this page-turner are pulled from current events and offer a hopeful, triumphant message for readers. Highly recommended.” ~ Deborah Raney, author of Breath of Heaven in the Camfield Legacy series
My role as a hostage negotiator often plunged me into the evil designs of the human mind. I embraced the responsibility and possible danger because it’s my identity— a one-woman battlefront determined to free others from victimization.
The challenge excited me, but fear of failure stalked me, and respect for human life was my constant companion. Too often innocent lives depended on my ability to negotiate their safe release without anyone getting hurt. The demands, rewards, and sometimes the defeats with tragic outcomes kept me awake at night. How could I have done things differently? My apprenticeship began when I was eight years old, but thinking about those days didn’t change the past. Right now, lives were in jeopardy. . . .
I’d driven ten minutes out from a critical situation on a Wednesday afternoon when my cell phone rang. My contact, a detective from the Houston Police Department, had spent several hours talking to an angry man who held his wife and son hostage.
“Carrington, we have the information you requested,” Detective Aaron Peters said. “The man inside the home is the owner, Nick Henderson. Age thirty-five. Married to Christine. He’s holding his wife and eight- year- old son at gunpoint. Yesterday, he was served divorce papers, and we believe this is in retaliation.”
Hurt. Rejected. Probably a lit stick of dynamite. “You talked to him from the outside?”
“We’ve routed his calls through our mobile command center. I tried talking to him. Got nowhere. He hung up on me.” Aaron blew out his frustration.
Domestic calls were the most dangerous, often violent, causing me to appreciate my Kevlar vest. I had a handgun in my purse, but I could count on one hand the times I’d pulled it. Never used it. “All right. I’m nearly there. SWAT in place?”
“Yes, two have clear shots. Not an action I want to take unless necessary.”
“Me either. What are Henderson’s demands?”
“Just to leave him alone or he’ll pull the trigger on his family.”
Cool, calm focus settled on me. My ability to mediate critical discussions depended on my wearing emotional blinders to the outside world. “When did the problem start?”
“The wife phoned 911 at 8:00 a.m. today. I don’t know how long he was there before she reached out to us. We’ve been called here twice in the past month for domestic abuse.”
I glanced at my watch, and it neared 4:00 p.m. “Have HPD negotiators been talking to him?”
“Yes. Henderson hung up on them too. He’s drinking. Slurring his words. Seems to have trouble concentrating.”
Alcohol could make him more volatile. Flashing lights appeared on the residential street ahead. “I’m parking now. Give me five minutes.”
“I’m standing beside my car in front of the house.”
“Aaron, do you have Henderson’s work history?”
“Fired three months ago from Home Depot, where he held a management role. They walked him out of the store in front of his employees.”
The man definitely had nothing to lose.
Phone in hand, I hurried from my parked truck and raced to where police cars barricaded the entrance to the street where Henderson held his family. A reporter blocked my way between vehicles. She rammed a mic in front of my face.
“Carrington Reed, do you think this standoff will have a peaceful resolution?”
My blood boiled. The last time I had verbally unleashed on her aggressive means to get the best story, she lied in her article about my concern for those in danger. I paused long enough to give her eye contact. “My goal is always a peaceful solution. Excuse me, I need to talk to HPD.”
“Are the police advocating a violent takedown?”
“No.” I sidestepped around her and ignored her shouts.
Aaron stood in front of the home and waved. He had the appearance of average—average height, weight, gray eyes, brown hair, and shoulder span— but nothing about his physical appearance showed his intense scrutiny of a crime scene. His rating as one of HPD’s finest hit my respect button.
“Good to see you. I’d like the man’s cell number,” I said. “I assume my cell phone is routed through the command center too?”
“Sure thing.” He gave me the information. “The wife’s name is Christine, and the son’s name is Rand.”
I nodded my thanks and pressed in the digits. A man answered on the second ring.
“Nick, this is Carrington. I’m standing beside a police car outside your house, and I’d like to help you.”
“I . . . leave me alone.” He spoke fast and loudly. “I’m busy.”
“What do you need?”
“You can get rid of all those cops. I can’t breathe.”
I expected a more belligerent response. “Nick, I can’t do that. These officers are here to protect you in case someone tries to break into your home and hurt you.”
“I’d kill my wife and kid first.”
“Tell me why you feel that way.”
“They deserve it for the way they’ve treated me.” He stumbled over his words. “I’m a good husband and dad.”
“I’m sure you’re great at both. Tell me what’s hurting you.”
***
Excerpt from LETHAL STANDOFF by DiAnn Mills. Copyright 2024 by DiAnn Mills. Reproduced with permission from DiAnn Mills. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels with threads of romance. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, Selah, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
Savage Lust Candi Scott Publication date: September 26th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Romance
At the end of my rope and out of options, I’m on my way to Dry Valley, Nevada. To attend the funeral of a father I’ve never met and into a world I could have never imagined.
A world where I’d do anything to survive.
I’d expected the outlaw bikers, the drugs, and even the violence. What I’d hadn’t expected was the six feet of leather clad bad boy, Cam Savage, pinning me to a mattress.
The action is fast paced right out of the gate and the race to St Louis is on. All Aboard.
The first book of the E Apyocrypha series, Lost & Found, spotlights Yun Mi. The second book, As & When, spotlights Aileen, and the third book, Hells & High Water, spotlights Kat. I love the eye catching covers.
Kat is an Islander without an island, but she is also a warrior and will do what is necessary to save her people. She didn’t ask to be a leader and her people don’t seem to want her as one either.
I love when Kat meets Yun Mi and negotiates a reprieve from a death sentence for the Islanders. As they negotiate a truce, we begin to see them grow into more complex characters. I love them both and would love for them to become fast friends. They would make a great team. Even the peripheral characters are able to break my heart and piss me off.
I love apocalyptic/dystopian novels, whether they have zombies or all technology is wiped out in one fell swoop, leaving them raiding, taking from others, struggling to stay alive. The more creative the author, the more invested I get in their world. And Alex Andre has created a world to get lost in. I have a love/hate relationship with an author that kills off one of my favorite characters, even when it adds to the story line, and Alex Andre is not afraid to put me to the test.
Hells & High Water is a novel filled with good and bad, sorrow and happiness (more than once, I cried and laughed), adventure and sacrifice. Each book got progressively better and Hells & High Water was unputdownable. I was familiar with the characters’ worlds and I had to know what was going to happen to who, at times leaving me breathless..
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Technology is power, especially in the world where both are sparse. Would those possessing the knowledge be persuaded to share?
Drawn by a vague rumor of an industrialized state out west, Golden Dragon Shang, a visionary hierarch obsessed with all things tech, departs on an irrational journey beyond the edge of the known map, dragging three reluctant sidekicks along.
A fierce raider disowned for insubordination needs all her fighting skills to survive, but even they can’t carve the path to her true self. A young smuggler is forced by betrayal to turn his criminal mind to the legit side, for the people who despise him. A soldier struggling with his homeland’s troubling past must quash his personal demons to forge alliances with those he detests, or none on the expedition have a chance.
Unsure of their destination and facing dangers known and unknown, they travel through desolated wilderness half a continent away from home. Their armored train is formidable yet not invincible, and not every enemy is foreign. Survival demands smarts, grudging collaboration, and sacrifice—but will that prove enough?
Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction
442 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 28, 2024
Series: The E Apocrypha, Book III
ABOUT ALEX ANDREA (from Amazon)
Alex has lived on three continents, is fluent in three languages, suffers an unhealthy interest in linguistics, and never has enough time to get to all the books on his ever-growing To Read list.
He has always appreciated (and envied) select authors’ ability to string words into elegant sentences and tie those sentences into intricate plots.
The time has come for him to try his own hand in the craft.
Tallowed Ground: A Magic Candle Shop Mystery Paranormal Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series Setting – Georgia Publisher : Muddle House Publishing (September 10, 2024) Digital Print length : 269 pages ASIN : B0D9HLPS2W
When a killer props his third and latest victim against the double tombstone of Tabby and Sage Winslow’s grandparents’ grave in Savannah, Georgia, the psychic twins are stunned. Even worse, the victim is the very man they filed a restraining order against a few months ago for trashing their book and candle shop. Coincidence…or a connection? Then a clue about the murders points to Tabby’s career as a candlemaker. Now, she is the number one suspect in the killing spree.
The twins investigate all three victims, finding little that might tie the cases together besides where the bodies were found—in or near Bonaventure Cemetery, a beautiful 100-acre historic graveyard with a storied past. Then Tabby’s Medical Examiner boyfriend is mysteriously pulled from the case, with his dream job in jeopardy. The situation reaches a flashpoint when new evidence points to Tabby. With her freedom and the family business in jeopardy, Tabby and Sage match their wits and psychic abilities against the wily killer.
That is, until Tabby’s spirited inquiry lands her in the worst kind of trouble. Can Tabby clear her name before the fiend snuffs her flame…for good?
About Valona Jones
Valona Jones, aka Maggie Toussaint, writes paranormal cozies set in coastal Georgia, Her latest release,
TALLOWED GROUND, book 3 in the A Magic Candle Shop Mysteries, came out September 10, 2024. Under the name of Maggie Toussaint, she also publishes cozy mysteries and romantic suspense. Her pen name for a three-book science fiction ecothriller is Rigel Carson. In total, she has published more than 27 works of fiction and won multiple awards. She lives in coastal Georgia, where time and tide wait for no one. Visit her sites: https://valonajones.com and https://maggietoussaint.com
OMG. Vampires and yatchies. I love it. I watch Below Deck on TV and when D V Sullivan asked if I was interested in reading a copy of Lair, I dove right in. I can see why he thought of yatchs as a setting, seeing he has been a yatchie himself. What an original idea.
Aurora runs from an abusive boyfriend, running right into the arms of a billionaire vampire. I have never read about vampires on yatchs and I love what D V Sullivan has done with them. Of course, he has a steady supply of blood, seeing his employees are handy and easily disposed of. Can a vampire fall if love with a human? Can Aurora fall in love with Adrian?
Aurora coaxes Adrian into trying to cure his curse and I sure didn’t see the outcome. I am really curious about the future books in the series.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
An abusive ex. A quick getaway to start over. A rich and debonaire vampire who could be her chance at romance or a one-way ticket to a bad end.
Aurora needs out. She lives in terror of her abusive boyfriend, who controls her entire life. She vows to escape, and when she gets hired aboard a superyacht cruising the Mediterranean, it seems all her dreams have come true.
Especially when she finds herself drawn to the Lair’s reclusive and dazzlingly handsome owner, Adrian Voper. The only problem: the pale-skinned billionaire is as controlling as her ex, and when his female guests keep disappearing under mysterious circumstances, Aurora realizes he is concealing a nature far more monstrous than her former abuser’s.
Shaken and terrified, Aurora must now confront the reality of life with a vampire. The damaged parts of herself drawn to such abuse. And what, if anything, can free Adrian from his curse.
D.V. Sullivan has been a deckhand in the Mediterranean, a bartender in New York and an English teacher in China. Now that he’s no longer hosing salt off yachts during high-wind gales, he writes from his lair in the Pacific Northwest.
Ashes on the Wind: The Love Story Behind The Crime of the Century by Brandy Purdy
About Ashes on the Wind
Ashes on the Wind: The Love Story Behind The Crime of the Century Genre: Historical Fiction, True-Crime Inspired Setting – Chicago, Illinois 1920 Publisher : Independently published (April 15, 2024) Paperback : 573 pages ISBN-13 : 979-8322116318 Digital ASIN : B0CYY43M3H
Nathan “Babe” Leopold was a socially awkward genius who used arrogance as a shield. He cultivated a philosophy of absolute selfishness cherry-picked from his reading of Nietzsche and indulged himself with vivid sexual fantasies about kings and slaves.
Richard “Dickie” Loeb was the brightest of the bright young things, a social butterfly as fragile as glass inside, hiding his insecurities behind a dazzling smile and a mouthful of lies. He found escape in thrilling tales and fantasies of crime.
They were two brilliant and privileged boys, each harboring secrets it would have been social suicide to reveal in their 1920s world.
When Babe met Dickie, it was like his favorite fantasy had stepped out of his dreams into real life.
When Dickie met Babe, he thought he had found the accomplice who would help make his criminal dreams come true.
Dickie was willing to give Babe what he wanted, if Babe would give him what he wanted. Quid pro quo. Until Dickie wanted something more, leaving Babe desperate and willing to do anything to hold onto his dream. Even if it led down a dark path to the Crime of the Century and infamy as the thrill killers Leopold and Loeb.
About Brandy Purdy
Brandy Purdy is the author of several historical novels including The Ripper’s Wife, The Secrets of Lizzie Borden, The Boleyn Wife, and The Tudor Throne.
I received Cora Kent’s newsletter with an invitation to grab an ARC from BookSprout. I am so glad I did. Ruthless Sinner is a dark, very dark, romance, and I do love walking on the dark side. There are many triggers, so check it out thoroughly before grabbing a copy for yourself.
We meet Adalina Martinelli in the bar, where she runs into Dante and their dance has begun. What doesn’t kill her will definitely make her stronger.
The level of cruelty and brutality heaped on her knows no bounds. Everywhere she turns, someone is torturing her. I want to reach through my reader and take them out myself, especially her father. I hope he gets what he deserves. Dante brings out the worst in her through his dark and twisted version of love. Steamy scenes, they are sizzling hot and I surprise myself with how much I am loving the book.
I want more of The Terlizzis world.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Dark romance author Cora Kent brings you a mafia captive heroine romance. I was born to inherit the family business. Father braided darkness into my soul before I spoke my first word. Adalina Martinelli is collateral. At first, I take her because her father is in debt to mine. But after one night together, she becomes my prisoner. Locked in a gilded cage, I set forth to transform her. Father wants me to marry, and I’ve found the perfect wife. She may be younger than me. . . She may be the daughter of our enemies. . . She may need stern convincing. . . But I will bend and break her until she agrees to my twisted guarantee of a life sentence as my wife and prisoner. Note: Ruthless Sinner is Dante and Adalina’s story. This novel features dark themes, steamy scenes, and mature content. Please read the first chapter for a full list of TWs.
Genre: Dark Romance, Mafia, Fiction, Romance
Kindle Edition
Expected publication August 27, 2024
Series: The Terlizzis, Book I
ABOUT CORA KENT
Cora Kent’s first love was Scar and she was devastated when he didn’t get a happily ever after. That’s why all her books feature villains, dark romance, and a hint of the forbidden.
Ever since she was a kid, Cora has rooted for the bad guy. If the Big Bad Wolf ate out Little Red Riding Hood, it would have made for a better story–which is why all her books have a happily ever after for the morally grey anti-hero who will move heaven and earth for his woman.
When Cora isn’t living out her fantasies through writing, she’s hanging out with her cat, drinking margaritas, and reminding her husband that the trash goes out on Sunday nights.
Dangerous Allure: A Dark Romance Anthology Cole Denton, Dani René, Eden Bradley, Sara Fields Published by: GTB Publishing LLC Publication date: September 10th 2024 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Two’s company. Three’s a dangerously good time.
This deliciously dark collection of stories is flying all the red flags – these men will hunt, stalk, and conquer their prey
And leave them begging for more.
Whether working together to claim their prize, or fighting to be the last man standing, it’s only when you find yourself trapped between them that you realize: there’s no way out.
