Giveaway & Review – Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush @partnersincr1me

Posted on October 8, 2024 by fundinmental

FROZEN LIVES

by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

October 7 – November 1, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

MY REVIEW

Everything about Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush spoke to me and I was not disappointed. A big plus, it takes place in my home state of Michigan and I felt right at home. I wasn’t able to read it in one sitting, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t try.

I was immediately swept away by the story and the characters. I love that the characters flaws and foibles were on prominent display. It makes them feel more realistic. Even the villain was worthy of empathy, but that doesn’t excuse what he does.

When Jeremiah , the eleven year old son of her best friend, is taken, Emily leaves the Windy City of Chicago and returns to Michigan.

I’m trying to come up with the words to describe the story without giving anything away. It is worth finding out what is going on for yourself. It’s worth meeting the characters and finding out who is your favorite for yourself. The book may highlight Emily, but there were other characters that had as much face time as she did.

The pacing kept me engrossed, unable to stop reading, wanting to know what was coming next and what was going to happen to who. The thrills and chills never stop coming.

There was a couple of times when I questioned their actions, or should I say non action, that kept me from giving the book five stars.

Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush has a fabulous ending and I must admit I thought it was a possibility.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

Synopsis:

A Coroner’s Daughter Mystery

Dr. Emily Hartford is back in Frozen Lives, the next thrilling mystery from Jennifer Graeser Dornbush.

Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can’t seem to let go of being “the coroner’s daughter” from Freeport.

Once again, she finds herself pulled back upstate during a wintery late March when Jeremiah, the eleven year-old son of her best friend, Jo, goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan. Emily immediately joins the search for the boy.

To everyone’s relief, Jeremiah turns up days later, alive and unharmed. But tensions remain high, and suspicions of every sort continue to grow. Jeremiah’s account of his abduction doesn’t add up and Emily worries about Jo’s unraveling marriage. Jeremiah’s recovery, it turns out, is not the end of their terrifying tale. It’s only the beginning …

For moving among them is a devious, malevolent force. Sowing panic while seeking to fulfill his own twisted needs, this wolf in sheep’s clothing leaves a trail of rack and ruin, negligent to the damages in his wake … and the bodies he leaves behind.

Emily solidifies her role as coroner’s daughter when she puzzles out this madman’s chilling machinations. Risking everything dear to her, Emily goes the icy distance to end his killing spree.

Praise for Frozen Lives:

“Fast paced, engaging, evocative.”
~ J.A. Jance

“FROZEN LIVES is what a thriller should be—dark, twisty, and oh so scary. Lock your doors and enjoy.”
~ DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series and co-creator of the Outliers Writing University

“Jennifer Dornbush scares the living hell out of me. When I want to stay up all night, I just read one of her books, and Frozen Lives doesn’t disappoint. On par with Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, Frozen Lives weaves a terrifying tale of evil, paranoia and when you go to bed at night make sure your doors are locked tight. A terrific story.”
~ Don Bruns, USA Today Best Selling Author

“Chilling! Jennifer Dornbush has crafted a thriller that haunts the mind and can keep you deep in the pages into the wee hours! A not to miss psychological mystery with twists and turns throughout.”
~ Heather Graham

Book Details:

Genre: thriller, suspense, female detective
Published by: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: October 29, 2024
Number of Pages: 350
ISBN: 9798212638364
Series: The Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries, 4
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Blackstone Publishing

Read an excerpt:

Author Bio:

The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But Jennifer Dornbush was raised in it. As the daughter of a small-town medical examiner whose office was in their home. There were body parts in the fridge. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years old. Picking up pieces of skull with her father who simply saw it as an anatomy lesson. The first of many coroner lessons she experienced over two decades.
After exploring journalism and high school teaching, Jennifer turned seriously to screenwriting where she began to connect her coroner world to her writing. She sought out a degree at the Forensic Science Academy in Los Angeles to gain more forensic training and earned a unique kinship with LA’s top CSIs, fingerprint specialists, DNA scientists, and detectives.
To share her love of forensics with the writing world, she authored the top selling non-fiction authoritative book, Forensic Speak, used by not only by show-runners and writers, but also crime investigators and law enforcement.
She created an Amazon top selling mystery novel series, The Coroner’s Daughter, which she is currently developing as a series for TV. Her crime thriller, Hole in the Woods, is currently optioned for screen. She is a contributor to mystery anthologies, Hotel California and Thriller. She has also penned two true crime books.
As a screenwriter Jennifer wrote the theatrically released film and novel, God Bless the Broken Road (2018), adapted a popular YA novel to script, and sold a children’s show. She is currently developing TV drama series and feature films with various productions companies.
As a forensic consultant, she is frequently asked to consult with TV writers on shows such as: Bull, Conviction, Hawaii Five-O, Leverage, Suits, and Rectify. She teaches screenwriting and mentors aspiring writers.
Jennifer is a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, & the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni.

Catch Up With Jennifer Graeser Dornbush:
www.JenniferDornbush.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @jgdornbush1
Instagram – @jgdornbush
YouTube – @ForensicSpeakJenniferDornbush
Facebook – @JGDornbush

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Giveaway – Enduring Promise by Susanna Lane @xpressotours

Posted on October 8, 2024 by fundinmental

Enduring Promise
Susanna Lane
Publication date: October 8th 2024
Genres: Adult, Historical

Can Love Survive the Trials of Fidelity?

After a failed romance in Texas, Bryce Enders has carved out a new life in the harsh wastes of Montana’s gold fields. But when a newspaper headline reveals the wild escapades of his younger brother, Bryce’s path takes an unexpected turn. He heads for Ogallala, Nebraska, where he’s shocked to find Cort not only married, but thriving as the owner of a sprawling cattle ranch.

While their reunion is far from smooth, the brothers quickly rediscover their old affection for one another and Cort offers Bryce a job on the ranch. As he settles into his new life, though, Bryce becomes entangled in a new set of troubles-this time of the heart. His growing affection for Hannah May, a neighbor struggling to keep her ranch afloat, soon becomes impossible to ignore. But there’s a catch. She’s already married to a brute who abandoned her for the lure of gold. Torn between his sense of honor and his undeniable feelings for Hannah, Bryce faces a dilemma as old as time.

Hannah, too, is trapped between her steadfast Christian values and the harsh reality of her situation. Despite her husband’s cruelty, her sacred vows keep her tethered to a man who may well be dead. Yet, Bryce’s determination to free her only deepens the conflict, as a dark secret from his past emerges to haunt him.

Knowing their futures depend on resolving this standoff, Bryce and Cort embark on a perilous journey back to the gold fields. What they find will test their brotherhood, challenge their resolve, and ignite a conflict with Hannah’s husband neither could foresee.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

The Civil War separated them. Time changed them. One newspaper article brings the Enders full circle… but not without the spiral of fate.

This historical western romance, part of a series, delves into the strength of those willing to reach beyond the impossible to survive the rugged land. Where the Nebraska sky touches the grassland and where the gold camps harbor danger… the adventure and romance merges in Enduring Promise.

Cascading events drive Hannah May Van Stadt to question her steadfast convictions and loyalty to a brutal man who’d abandoned her for the gold fields, leaving her to hold onto his derelict ranch. Even at the cost of his life, Bryce Enders’ growing love for this intrepid woman, drives him to make a fateful decision. Confronting the man who stands between them turns out to be far more dangerous than he could have imagined.

Filled with action, heartbreak, and danger while brimming with memorable characters, the story promises to linger in the reader’s thoughts long after the book is closed. The following is an excerpt of the contradiction between the two main characters as they struggle against an untenable attraction.

For a moment, she thought he wasn’t going to speak at all. As she was about to leave him to his work, he said, “Won’t take long to fix the fence.” Yanking on his gloves, he loosened the hammer from the tool bag slung over the packhorse. “Didn’t bring a wagon. Wasn’t sure if it might bog down in the river.”

While she watched, he ignored her. “Thanks,” she managed to murmur. He’d taken a snappish tone, and she was at a loss for anything else to say. He sure didn’t seem happy to be here.

“Be out of here by the afternoon. If you got something to do, you don’t have to stay here.” After that quick glance over his shoulder, he returned to the posts. He jutted his chin toward her waiting horse. “Best get to it.”

“I raked up the mess those cows left behind yesterday. Figured it was time to look for unbranded strays. I have a corral down by the creek where I chase them.”

“That’s man’s work,” he said while he loosened the cinches on his saddle, still avoiding looking in her direction. When he finally turned to face her, his eyes raked her from head to boots before returning to his work. Yesterday his eyes had stayed on hers. Today, there was censure and disdain. Of all the conceit. Seething, she lifted her chin while her mind searched for a response.

“Man’s work? I’ve got no man to do the work. How else would it get done?”

“After you round up these cattle and chase them to that corral, just how do you plan to brand them? Besides that. Those penned cows need hay,” he called out. “Need to get them to water or they’ll bust down the corral. Why not sell out? Your husband might not ever be back, Missus Van Stadt. Or do you plan to do this forever?”

Author Bio:

Susanna Lane’s “Imperfect Promise” delivers a powerful story of redemption, grit, and pure luck as the two primary characters overcome the twists of fate, carving out new lives and leaving an imprint on Nebraska. The author grew up in southern New Jersey and now lives with her husband in rural Delaware. Spellbound at her first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains, she and her husband made them their destination at every opportunity. Cattle drives, hiking, and exploring ghost towns offered her a glimpse of the frontier experience. Her imagination took root as she outlined the stories of survival with every curve of the road. And if you happen upon Susanna bending over a nineteenth century wood cook stove, she’s most likely fitting it into her next story. Her two sons and their families are her gems and her delight. As to her readers . . . she looks forward to hearing from you.

Winner of the 2022 Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Historical Romance Novel and is now the Will Rogers Silver Medallion Award Winner 2022 for Historical Romance.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

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