Unexpected solutions to unanticipated problems with the Golden Harvest.
Title: The Golden Deficit: Book 3 of the Golden Harvest Series
Author: Joni Parker
Pages: 401
Genre: Fantasy
Lady Alex, the Elfin Keeper of the Keys for the Council of Elders, begins an epic adventure when she returns to the magical land of Eledon. The final talley of the Golden Harvest is in, and it’s far from the hundred million gold knots required. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the deficit is even larger, caused by the deceitful Rock Elves. These cunning creatures have been paying other Elves with fake gold knots for years, and no one had a clue until now. The Mentors demand the Elves pay the five million knot deficit in ninety days, but no one has any gold left. The pressure is on, and everyone is at a loss for how to come up with the gold, until Lady Alex devises a brilliant plan. But it will require equipment and expertise the Elves don’t have, and time is running out. Can she gather what she needs and save Eledon from financial ruin before it’s too late?
This sucked! I came home expecting a warm welcome, but instead, I’ve been chewed out twice. Or was it three times? I should have kept score, but I had no idea what I was walking into. I had returned to Eledon because my mortal boss in Paris, Étienne, a world renown fashion designer, went into the hospital for a ruptured appendix. He had delayed treatment because he had top billing during fashion week in Paris, and it consumed him. We worked extra-long hours to get the clothes done in time, and the results were brilliant. Although he could have died, he didn’t, but when he was taken to the hospital, all work in the design studio came to a screeching-ass halt although I had to finish up some photoshoots for a magazine spread. Work won’t start up again until Étienne gets back at the end of March. So, I came home to Eledon.
Eledon was the home of the Elves, and was given to us by our Mentors when we were forced to leave Earth. I was part Elf and mortal, well, mostly mortal. My father was a mortal man from a place in outer space called Oltria, and my mother was the daughter of a Water Elf and a Titan. I hardly remembered them since they died when I was four. When I grew up, I lived with my mortal foster parents until I turned sixteen. Then I moved in with my Elfin grandmother, Lady Lestin of the Water Elves. Talk about a culture shock. I’m still learning about Elves.
– Excerpted from The Golden Deficit by Joni Parker, Joni Parker, 2024. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
Joni Parker was born in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Japan with her family when she was 8, so her father could achieve his dream of becoming a pro golfer. Upon return, her family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where Joni graduated from Camelback High School. After a short stint at Arizona State University, she joined the U.S. Navy. After 22 years of military service, she retired and traveled the country with her husband in their RV until he passed away. Joni went back to work for the federal government for another 7 years until she could retire and devote her time to writing. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona with her sister.
I was introduced to M C Frank’s writing when I grabbed a copy of Seduced and it blew me away. I couldn’t stop reading once I started. She also creates some gorgeous covers and I am a sucker for a book with a fabulous cover. I don’t read a lot of pop and rock star novels, but, because I find M C Frank’s writing off the charts, I will read anything she writes.
Haunt Me is one of the most angsty books I have ever read. M C Frank knows how to wring out every emotion, and tissues may be required.
Two lost souls. Eden had been kidnapped when just a few months old, so she was really lost. She has been kept isolated and doesn’t know that the life she is living is not normal. Now, the whole world knows her story. Isaiah is the pop star who became famous because he lost the love of his life, Eden.
I will warn you, the romance is dark, yet clean, but there are a lot of triggers…dealing with mental issues, kidnapping, rape, substance abuse and more.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Haunt Me by M C Frank and I will be checking my ereader to see is I have any other books hanging around.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The crowd is roaring my name.
Their cries drown out the gorgeous music as I slowly sink back to my knees, where I belong.
Utterly, desperately, completely alone.
“I hope I haunt you!” I shout at her retreating back from the stage.
“I hope you do,” she shouts back.
But I am the one who will be haunted.
If anyone is the heartbreaker here, it’s me, not her. I broke my own heart, and hers. And I have no idea how to put what I broke back together.
I can’t seem to get back up on my feet. All these people are waiting for me, and I can’t open my mouth. I can have pretty much anything I want in the whole world, except for her. She is the one thing I want and the one thing I can’t have.
Is it too late to start believing in hope?
I hope it’s not. Because right now, at this moment when I have zero reasons to start believing and even less reasons to start hoping—this is when I freaking start.
And this time, I’m all in.
There was once a girl who was lost.
And she met a boy who was lost, and they tried to save each other. And they did save each other, for a little while.
But then they got lost again, and even they lost each other.
I was the lost boy and Eden was the lost girl—but she wasn’t lost in the same sense I was. She wasn’t just sad and bruised by life. She wasn’t just alone like me. No.
She was literally lost.
Her family had been searching for her since she was a few months old.
Eden – the poet
The whole country knows my story. It’s tragic, it’s sad, it’s bad. It’s famous. But that was years ago. Now, I am just a girl trying to survive the trauma. Trying to relearn how to live.
And forget that somehow, in the middle of it all, I fell in love with the biggest pop idol on the planet.
Who now hates me for ruining his life.
But my love for him still haunts me, it won’t let me move on. I am stuck in a ghost of a life. I am a ghost of a girl.
I have broken into a million pieces and I don’t know how to be whole again. Love can do miracles, they say. But what love would ever be strong enough to heal me?
Isaiah – the pop idol
I have been writing all my songs about her since the very beginning. These songs have made me a superstar, but my heart is still haunted by her. Still empty. Still bleeding.
The day I lost her, I lost everything. I lost myself.
The years passed, but my heart kept breaking. She pierced my heart, and a man does not recover from a love like that. From a girl like her–even if he is a pop idol.
The minute I meet her again, I know I am hers. There is no denying I never stopped loving her. Pretending to hate her was a waste of time and now, I have ruined everything. She doesn’t want me.
Is it too late to hope?
Is it too late to win her back?
Is it too late for us?
Haunt Me is a second-chance angsty romance about a pop idol and the girl who destroyed him. Prepare the tissues. The darkness will be off the charts with this one -but so will the hope. So will the heat. So will the love.
Genre: Dark Romance, Fiction, Second Chance
487 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2025
ABOUT M C FRANK
Welcome to the world of M.C. FRANK’s books, where characters aren’t going to have an easy time of it: They will find themselves in icy-cold dystopian worlds where kissing is forbidden (among other things), or in green forests ruled by evil Sheriffs. If they’re in Jane Austen’s England, they have to be running away from a traumatic childhood, or if they are in our contemporary world, they’re scared they’ll die before they have finished high school. That sort of thing. Don’t worry, though, she knows we all need a little hope and joy in our lives, so there’s a good dose of those as well in everything she writes. M.C. Frank (writer, reader, designer, physicist and teacher, to name a few) has been living in a world of stories ever since she can remember (that’s before she knew how to write). She started writing them down when she could no longer stand the characters in her head screaming at her to give them life, and while those first scribblings weren’t exactly good (nor were they books, although she insisted on calling them that), they were enough for her to discover her passion in life. She got her university degree in physics a few years ago (yes, she’s like Sheldon, only a bit crazier!) and is now free to pursue her love of reading and writing, as well her free-lance job as editor-in-chief. She lives with her ‘dude’ in a home filled with candles, laptops and notebooks, where she rearranges her overflowing bookshelves every time she feels stressed. Which is often, since (as you might have noticed) she doesn’t pick the easiest subjects for her novels. Learn more about her and her New Adult, Young Adult, scifi, Greek mythology and historical novels at mcfrankauthor.com
I love the fabulous cover for Deadly When Disturbed by D M Barr. It definitely fits the story for this psychological thriller. D M Barr hooked me from the opening pages and never let me go.
Dara Banks needs an assistant and Merry just happens to be there. Merry quickly makes herself indispensable, even insinuating herself into Dara’s personal life. You know that saying, when things appear to good to be true, they usually are. Well…Dara would do well to heed the warning.
Menace and suspense underlay every page. I know something is coming, but I don’t know what and and I don’t know when. I feel a sense of suspense, that, at times, had me racing through the pages. Other times, I took a step back, because I wanted to savor the anticipation.
Sex, brains, and cash – that’s all you needed to get by.
Too bad Merry will find out how wrong she could be.
Like I said earlier, I was hooked from the opening pages. The characters were compelling and I was so easily misled by them, that I never saw the ending coming. I love when an author can get me so involved, convinced I know what’s happening, then springs the unknown on me, making me see how wrong I was.
4 Stars
Synopsis:
Deadly When Disturbed follows the journey of leading Realtor and philanthropist Dara Banks. When Dara searches for an assistant, finding someone as resourceful as Meryl “Merry” Rafter seems too good to be true. So good in fact, she neglects to run a reference check. Bad move. Before she knows it, Merry, a former “actress” trying to be “helpful,” has insinuated herself into Dara’s business, family, and charity, and may be the only person saving her from prison. Dara becomes suspicious and begins snooping into Merry’s past. Feeling cornered, Merry reciprocates by launching an investigation of her own and realizes—too late—that she may have picked the wrong mark to con. These women’s unsettling discoveries, and their desperate efforts to safeguard their skeleton-filled closets and fragile self-images, lead to an explosive confrontation certain to destroy the lives of everyone in their midst.
Praise for Deadly When Disturbed:
“Two women. Friends? Hardly. They’re both after the same thing. And as the stakes get higher, the mind games get uglier, until—well, I’m not going to give away the killer ending. D. M. Barr’s latest domestic thriller is a total rush. It’s like being back with Betty and Veronica all over again—only this ain’t high school, and these women (like the title says) are DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED.” ~ Marshall Karp, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the NYPD RED series
“Who’s the hunter and who’s the hunted in this taut domestic thriller? Don’t even try to guess. Just relax, enjoy, and hang on as DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED takes you on a wild ride.” ~ Brad Parks, international bestselling author of THE BOUNDARIES WE CROSS.
“Tense, well-written, and surprising—Liane Moriarty meets Gillian Flynn by way of John Lutz in D.M. Barr’s latest domestic thriller, DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED. Gaslighting and suburban intrigue abound in this carefully crafted tale, guaranteed to keep you in suspense all the way to the final chapter. Put this one at the top of your to-be-read pile!” ~ Richard Helms, Thriller, Macavity, and Shamus Awards winning author of 22 RUE MONTPARNASSE.
“DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED is a superb dark thriller that offers a brilliantly written bizarro take on the classic All About Eve. Shifts in reality and twists of the plot keep the reader on edge until the stunning and unexpected climax. Fasten your seatbelt and hang on. It’s a great ride.” ~ S. Lee Manning, award-winning author of TROJAN HORSE, NERVE ATTACK, BLOODY SOIL, and DEADLY CHOICE.
“DEADLY WHEN DISTURBED by D.M. Barr is a clever psychological thriller reminiscent of The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, updated for today’s culture and with a superior narrative.… With a steady and increasingly intense pace, [it] is a hypnotic read of insanity and wretchedness that will stay with you long after the last page.” ~ Gaius Konstantine for Readers’ Favorite
Deadly When Disturbed Trailer:
Book Details:
Genre: Domestic Suspense, Domestic Thriller Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: January 2025 Number of Pages: 310 Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Prologue
She stood at her dining room table and calmly fingered through the cardboard box, double-checking that the paperwork was in chronological order. Even now, no one could accuse Samantha Ellingsworth of being anything but organized and precise. For nearly forty years, it had been both a gift and a curse.
First the letters from Harry, professing his incendiary ardor during their abbreviated law school courtship. The GIA certificate for the diamond, his glittering promise of passion extending through eternity. The deed to their Upper West side condo. A copy of her resignation from Davis & Milliken, where she’d been on the fast track to partner. The birth certificates for her daughter, dated a year later, and the surprise twins, ten years after that.
Next, the children’s coveted acceptance letters from Harrison—Manhattan’s most elite private pre-school and elementary—followed by every one of the glowing report cards she’d worked with them so diligently to earn. Campaign flyers she’d created for Harry’s run for state senate. Her passport opened to the page containing the stamp from that fateful trip to Aruba. The letters she’d written, refuting everything he’d accused her of as lies—all unopened and marked “Return to Sender.” The prescription for Prozac, unfilled, as if any pharmaceutical could rescue her from this pit of depression. Finally, the divorce papers she’d received a few weeks ago, still unsigned.
A lifetime of aspirations, misunderstandings, and betrayals, all encapsulated in a pile of paper less than an inch thick. She affixed the cover to the box and took a long, wistful look at the “perfect” apartment they’d been so ecstatic about buying, beating out several competing bids thanks to the lingering cachet of the Ellingsworth name and its clout in political circles. Confident that the condo was spotless, with everything in its place, Samantha slowly donned her hooded sheepskin coat, grabbed the box, and headed out.
The elevator operator nodded as she entered, but Gloria from the floor above murmured a curt hello and diverted her gaze as they descended from the seventh floor. Samantha had grown used to the frostiness over the past few weeks. Did the other tenants fear it was catching, that they too might be abandoned by their spouse and children, their lives reduced to rubble, if they inched too close? Whatever.
She trudged southbound through the early morning wintery mix; package still cradled to her chest like a newborn. Frigid raindrops grazed her eyelashes before cascading downward and stinging her cheeks as she passed the signs in Zabars’ windows, reminding patrons to purchase their Thanksgiving turkeys. The holiday was only days away. The irony did not escape her.
Shivering as much from the weather as from what lay ahead, she descended the subway staircase at 72nd Street, pushing against the throngs headed toward the sidewalk. She had someplace to go too and nothing—not crowds nor apprehension—was going to delay her.
Today was the day, a chance to have her say. Finally, she’d make him understand.
Samantha ran her MetroCard through the turnstile and headed toward the stairway leading to the uptown train. She positioned herself as close as possible to the opening of the tunnel and stood by the edge of the platform, resummoning her fleeting courage as the crowds swelled behind her. Commuters too involved with their phones to notice the determined woman beside them whose breathing had quickened and whose face had grown hot. She hugged the box even tighter to her fidgeting body and waited. And waited.
A collective sigh arose from the crowd as the loudspeaker announced that the next train was going out of service and wouldn’t be stopping. She saw the light in the distance and heard the clunk-de-clunk and whirl—a deafening gale descending onto the tracks, drowning out the murmur of the passengers. Her ride to the most important meeting of her life. And it was the number 2 train. How appropriate. Just like her, relegated from number one.
Timing was everything, the oncoming gleam only yards away. She tightened her grasp on what was left of her world, recalling the face of the bitch who’d laughed as she’d stolen it all away. Then she took one last breath and jumped onto the tracks.
***
Excerpt from Deadly When Disturbed by DM Barr. Copyright 2025 by DM Barr. Reproduced with permission from DM Barr. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Dawn M. Barclay is an award-winning author who writes psychological and romantic suspense as D.M. Barr and non-fiction under her own name.
Her eight other published books include Expired Listings, Murder Worth the Weight, and Saving Grace: A Psychological Thriller. Along with Deadly When Disturbed, in February LBB will also publish the first of her multi-volume series, Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide.
Dawn recently completed her second stint co-editing a Sisters in Crime NY/Tri-state anthology. New York State of Crime, published by Down & Out Books in the fall of 2024, which includes her third published short story, “Orchestral Removals in the Dark.” She is currently editing an anthology of crime fiction for Down & Out Books inspired by the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Dawn offers developmental and copy editing through SuggestedDevelopment.com, and ghostwrites personal histories and corporate profiles through LegacyQuest.net. A member of ITW, she has served as president of Hudson Valley Scribes, vice president of Sisters in Crime-NY (still a board member), and the newsletter author/board member of the NY chapter of Mystery Writers of America.
Kill Sleep Repeat Volume II by Britney King, takes place five years after Volume I. These women walk the dark side of life, putting themselves in danger to accomplish their mission. They struggle to have a private life, which is difficult because of the need to keep so many secrets.
Charlotte Jones has some hard and fast rules she lives by. She has been trained to kill and is pretty damn good at it. She is bold, fearless. Now, she is training her daughter, Sophie, to take over the family business. Sophie is reckless, often acting on impulse. If Charlotte can’t rein her in, the agency will dispose of her.
Charlotte also has another daughter away at boarding school, Hayley. Charlotte keeps her far from the action, but Hayley does not appreciate it or know the reason why. She is headstrong and determined to insinuate herself into Charlotte and Sophie’s life.
I love books where secrets are exposed, especially the killer ones.
Britney King keeps me on my toes. Her writing creates a mystery that slowly unfolds. Will it be Charlotte’s undoing? I love serial killer novels and Britney is creating multiple ones in a single family. Is this the end of the story for the Charlotte Jones and her family, or are the characters talking to Britney, telling her they are not finished with her yet.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Kill Sleep Repeat Volume II by Britney King.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
She’s trained to kill. But will she risk everything to escape?
Nineteen-year-old Sophie Jones has been molded under her mother Charlotte’s lethal guidance, mastering killer skills to inherit the family’s assassin business. Bound by blood and blades, their mother-daughter bond is as unbreakable as it is volatile. But when a mission goes sideways and Sophie spares an innocent life, her unwavering loyalty begins to fracture.
Back home, Charlotte’s latest target ignites a desire she can’t ignore, blurring the line between duty and something far more dangerous.
As buried secrets resurface and relentless enemies close in, Sophie and Charlotte must confront the deepest betrayal of all—the one that comes from within.
Kill, Sleep, Repeat Volume II is a high-stakes, addictive thriller, pulling readers deeper with every page, unraveling shocking secrets up to the final explosive twist. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and Gillian Flynn, this is a story of deadly devotion, twisted bonds, and the haunting cost of family secrets.
**images are linked to Amazon (I am an affiliate)**
Hi Everyone. I hope you had a good week. I finally took down all the Christmas stuff, except the tree. We hung a bunch of Mardi Gras beads on it, so it will stay up for a while longer, seeing Mardi Gras is in February. I have been doing a lot of reading and am determined to catch up on the last three reviews I need to write. I haven’t been in the blogging mood a lot, so I haven’t visited many of you the past couple of weeks. I aim to do better. I finally bit the bullet and signed up for Netflix. I binged on Dexter last night. Tonight my Lions play Washington, so I’ll be watching that. Right now, I am watching Kansas City vs Texans and rooting for Mahomes. Have a good week.
The Lair Series by D V Sullivan is one of my favorite vampire series. Each book is as good or better than the last and I hope D has plenty more on the horizon. It’s such a unique setting for vampires and D’s vivid descriptions creep me out big time, especially when I try to visualize them.
The Last Voyage is all about Captain Redfearn and chief stewardess, Mrs Colding. They have both had an attraction for the other, but they had never acted on it…until now. We will learn more of their histories and be there when their slow burning romance finally comes to fruition.
Captain Redfearn knows he failed as a father, but he sets off on a rescue mission for his missing daughter. Mrs Colding is no pushover, and insists on coming with him. He will be thankful that she is at his side. Don’t underestimate her. She is as tough as they come. And Captain Redfearn…he will lay his life on the line for his daughter, fighting through his past insecurities.
I love all the violence, death and gore.
The ending….excellent. I never saw it coming. I can hardly wait to see what adventure is in store for us in the next story. The Lair series unique take on vampires has me hooked and if you are a vampire lover like I am, I think it will give you the same reading pleasure I found.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Last Voyage Of Captain Redfearn.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A missing daughter. A failed father. A dangerous rescue mission that could be his chance to redeem himself—or cost him both love and family.
Captain Redfearn’s estranged daughter is missing. When he discovers she’s been held captive in his world of yachts-as-vampire lairs, he decides to risk his life to make amends and rescue her.
But he won’t be going alone.
His former chief stewardess, Mrs. Colding—the woman he has long held a candle for—demands on accompanying him. Together, they must traverse new uncharted waters in the Lairverse and their relationship, encountering perils that threaten to bring up the captain’s old anger and insecurities.
Will they find Redfearn’s daughter? Or will this final and most dangerous voyage cost the captain both love and family?
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.
The Bloodstone Legacy: Damnation by V E Huntley grabbed me and never let me go. I love walking on the dark side, so if you are looking for sparkly vampires, don’t look here. These guys are vicious and I can’t look away.
Damnation takes place in a dystopian world 500 years in the future, where vampires rule and humans are their slaves.
Aden Westcott has spent 300 years lost to the darkness. He lost his love, his soul mate, and can never forgive himself…until a human enters his life. Could this be his second chance at love?
I love vampire stories and it’s hard to find a new take on a familiar story, but V E Huntley has managed to do that and more. We have a slow burning romance and many triggering moments, and savagery and brutality are the norm.
There is a cliffhanger ending. I definitely appreciate the author making me aware of that in the blurb. Atonement, Book II is due out in the Spring of 2025 and I can hardly wait.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Bloodstone Legacy by V E Huntley.
4 Stars
GOODREADS
“My penance will never be enough”
Blood. Power. Darkness. Agony.
For the last almost three hundred years, these are the only things Aden Westcott has known.
But as the world’s most notorious and most feared vampire commander, what do you do when you unexpectedly encounter the love of your life—only she’s human?
Do you cling to the darkness you’ve always known, or do you join the fight for a world where her light has the power to transform a vicious vampire-dominated society and save your undead soul in the process?
Set in a dystopian world five hundred years in the future, where vampires rule and humans are slaves, The BloodStone Legacy is a hauntingly sensual story of forbidden love, heart-wrenching choices, sacrifice, and redemption in a world consumed by darkness.
In a society divided by power and blood, Aden Westcott is a brutal vampire haunted by the memory of a lost love. When he meets Ellie, a human thrall who bears a striking resemblance to his past, she challenges everything he believes and turns his world upside down.
As their lives intertwine and their passion ignites, Aden’s inner turmoil and Ellie’s resilience spark a forbidden bond, unraveling long-buried secrets. Together, they must navigate a treacherous path in a world where darkness and light collide and choices have consequences.
As the first book of The BloodStone Legacy series, “Damnation,” will leave you breathless and aching for more.
If you enjoy dark and steamy paranormal romances such as “Adrian X Isolde” by Scarlett St. Clair and “The Dracula Duet” by Karina Halle, then “The BloodStone Legacy” is a must-read.
With its slow-burn romance, intense darkness, and escalating heat, “Damnation” is just the beginning of an unforgettable journey of a forbidden love that could save or destroy a world ravaged by vampires and ruled by darkness.
And with a cliffhanger ending, you’ll be left on the edge of your seat, eagerly awaiting the next installment of The BloodStone Legacy series. So, don’t wait, immerse yourself in the first book now. And stay tuned for the release of book two, “Atonement,” in late Spring 2025.
Warning: this book contains graphic violence, sexual situations, non-consent (not between MMC and FMC), adult language, and scenes and references of physical and/or sexual abuse/assault that some readers may find triggering.
V.E. Huntley is a retired producer who has spent her life telling stories in one way or another. Just ask her cats. They had to endure a lifetime of her endlessly reciting entire dialogue scenes to them, even though all they desperately wanted to do was nap.
Her childhood fear of Dracula was so intense that she couldn’t sleep without the lights on and her mother guarding her bedroom door. Over time, this fear evolved into a lifelong obsession with the dark and twisted world of vampires and the concept of immortality. So, after more than two decades in the film and television industry, she ultimately chose to pursue her true passion—writing dark and sexy paranormal romance.
Besides writing, her hobbies include reading, watching movies, traveling, and keeping her husband busy with an endless honey-do list.
I am a huge fan of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, so when Ethan Warrener offered me a copy, I was happy to grab his debut novel, For Home And Hearth.
It started a bit slow for me, but that’s okay. Ethan lays a solid foundation for the novel, introducing characters and the world they live in, fleshing them out as the book progresses.
Ella Holland is the star of the show. When a drifter comes to their small town in West Virginia, bringing the pigmen at their doorstep, she struggles to protect him…and herself. The town definitely does not look kindly on strangers.
The characters run the gamut, which happens when people are struggling to survive. It seems everyone wants or needs what others have and will do whatever they must to get it. For Home and Hearth is a prime example of genetic engineering gone wrong.
Once For Home And Hearth by Ethan Warrener got going I couldn’t stop reading. I think Ethan has a hit with his debut novel and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of For Home And Hearth by Ethan Warrener.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Ella Holland wanted a simple life, but she would have settled for survival.
Life in the ravaged wilds of Appalachia is dangerous, and most folks don’t live past fifty. Even if sickness or starvation doesn’t get you, the rival clans, or shifty nomads, or the unbred monsters that roam the hills will. This is why a clan must stick together at all costs, nestled in whatever patch of peaceful land it has scratched out for itself.
When a wandering drifter turns up with an army of ravenous pigmen at his heels, Ella Holland and the rest of her clan will have to confront the all the harsh realities they’ve kept sealed outside their walls, the lies they’ve told themselves, and even the specter of their own extinction.
Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Fiction
386 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2024 by Ethan Warrener
ABOUT ETHAN WARRENER
Ethan Warrener grew up in Southwest Missouri, which resembles West Virginia if you really squint. If he’s not writing or teaching, he’s spending any extra free time with his wife and kids or playing too many video games. As you might expect from a Midwesterner, he’s an occasional farmer, a regular churchgoer, and a huge metalhead. For Home and Hearth is his first novel fit to see the light of day.
Mental health for teenagers and young adults, but older adults are saying they are learning new things too.
Title: Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What Are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere
Author: Michael Dow
Pages: 308
Genre: Nonfiction for Young Adults
We are starting the process of removing stigma about mental health issues. Let’s share ideas of the journey to well-being and seek to understand others as they are instead of how we wish them to be. By learning to know ourselves and trying different coping skills that are specific to the situation that we find ourselves in, we can achieve balance and peace. As we deepen our self-awareness and harness tailored coping mechanisms for diverse situations, we pave the path to equilibrium and serenity. Let’s foster an environment conducive to both individual and collective growth within our society. By doing this, we unlock potentials previously unattainable, empowering us to fully cultivate our knowledge, skills, and abilities. With gratitude in our heart, peace in our mind, and confidence in our capabilities, we can face the future with bravery, courage, and determination to help make the best lives for ourselves and others that we possibly can. If society wants something we have never had, we’re going to have to do something that has never been done.
Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What Are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere is available at Lulu.
Book Excerpt
“Hi everyone, my name is Nurse Dorothea. Thank you for coming to the after-school club on mental health. I hope to provide you with some tools to manage your emotions and navigate life’s challenges.Mental health is complicated because there are so many things that can affect it. This class was created to show that it is ok to talk about your mental health with others as well as to give you ideas to improve your mental health.
“We will be recording this session. People in the future will get to experience the same things you will today. Sometimes, I will speak to people watching this showor reading the future book about the class. This is an interactive class and I want you all to ask questions as you have them. We will stop sometimes and discuss things with each other. If you are watching the show or reading the book, then I want YOUall to also discuss the questions and topics with those in the room. This book is an experience, and you will only get the full experience by talking with others. Please take breaks from the show as you need to since this will be a long discussion.”
– Excerpted from Nurse Dorothea Presents Why Coping Skills Work and What are Some That Can Be Done Anytime and Anywhere by Michael Dow, Dow Creative Enterprises, 2024. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
Michael Stephen Dow is married to Perla in Arizona and has 3 kids. Michael was on a path to attend medical school and then the events of September 11, 2001 occurred. Michael became angry at the terrorists and decided to join the US Air Force. He went through Officer Training School and then graduated specialized Navigator training to become an Electronic Warfare Officer. Michael deployed 6 times for the Global War on Terror between 2005 and 2009 with the EC-130H Compass Call mission. Michael medically retired in 2010 and then became an US Army contractor serving Wounded Warriors and ensuring they received all of their entitled benefits for 8 years. Michael always had a love for science and the human body so he then used his GI bill to go through nursing school and graduated in August 2020. Michael now works as a Registered Nurse at an inpatient psychiatric hospital. Michael’s education is as follows: B.A. in Psychology from Auburn University in 1999, B.S. in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2001, M.S. in Management from Troy University in 2010, Masters in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2017, and M.S. from the University of Arizona in 2020 through its 15 month accelerated Masters Entry to the Profession of Nursing program. Michael is the Founder and Manager of Dow Creative Enterprises, LLC. His books have garnered the Silver Nautilus Book award in 2020 (Nurse Florence, Help I’m Bleeding) and an Award-Winning Finalist in the Religion category for the 2021 International Book Awards (A Prayer to Our Father in the Heavens: Possibly the Greatest Jewish Prayer of All Time). Michael believes we will need the best of science and religion to successfully navigate ourselves, our civilization, through the future obstacles we will face. More information can be found at www.DowCreativeEnterprises.com and www.NurseFlorence.org. Nurse Florence® is a federally registered trademark by Dow Creative Enterprises. The Nurse Florence® series seeks to promote science and health among children and to help increase the health literacy levels of our society. With teamwork, inclusion, faith and perseverance, we can bravely face our problems and help each other reach our better selves as well as our best collective good.
This is not my first walk on the dark side with Calvin Demmer. This short story collection brought horrible surprises to light and the evil stalking the pages never let up. Definitely cringe worthy. I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Through The Ravenous Night by Calvin Demmer.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Secret societies, serial killers, malevolent criminals, and other evils stalk these pages.
A short story collection.
Genre: Anthology, Horror, Short Stories, Thrillers
117 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2024
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Calvin Demmer is a dark fiction author. His debut collection, The Sea Was a Fair Master, was released in June 2018. When not writing, he is intrigued by that which goes bump in the night and the sciences of our universe.
