WOW! I mean…WOW. I love romantic suspense novels, and from the blurbs, I thought I would enjoy the McKay Series by W L Brooks, but Let The Dead Lie is a novel that keeps on giving. I couldn’t stop reading. I know this is romantic suspense, but the girls stole the show! The excellent characters are outstanding and outshine the wonderful mystery and danger.
“Daddy, it was all a big misunderstanding. Things were said, and then one thing led to another, and well, here we are.” Alexandra explained in the wispy voice he knew she’d been practicing in the mirror.
The girls, all adopted at the same time by Emmit McKay and his, now deceased wife, Gracie: Casey, who is ten years old, prideful with a superiority complex. Alexandra, who is eight years old and a girlie girl with an attitude. Fletcher is seven. Her name was Jamie, but the tomboy demanded her name be changed. Any idea where the name came from? Charlie, the peacekeeper comes to the fold later. Their large personalities are only eclipsed by their hearts.
When the social worker is due for an inspection prior to the adoption of Charlie:
“They want a fight?” asked Casey, nodding her head. “Is that it, Pops? We gotta fight for what’s ours?”
“Seems that way. If that’s what we all agree on.” He looked at each of his daughters, Casey and Alexandra nodded. Fletcher peered up at him and grinned It was the mischievous grin that made him want to swallow.
“We’s ain’t nos sissies. They want a fight, we’s’ll fight!” Fletcher whooped.
“What?”
“I thought we agreed on a dress.”
“I’s ain’t got a dress! And possession’s nine tenths of the law,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Savannah comes to the small town of Blue Creek. She is the principal of the girl’s school and is put to the test when they are brought to her office for discipline. As the days unfold, she learns more about the girls and how the town looks…down…at them.
The girls are wise beyond their years, working as a team. They are secretive, plotting and planning…and when danger comes to their home, they will rise to the occasion.
The Widow Sadie had told them to Let The Dead Lie.
The writing made the situations easy to visualize, the dialogue making me feel as if I am there, hearing the words spoken live. Let The Dead Lie by W L Brooks would make a fabulous movie or TV series. I was smiling, laughing, cowering in fear, tearing up, all my emotions coming into play.
“We’s tried to keep the blood in, but it won’t stop,” Fletcher told her.”
The ending is heartwrenching, yet I did have a smile or two. I hate to pick favorites, but Fletcher spoke to me. She will do whatever it takes to protect what is hers. These girls are more than capable of doing exactly that.
At times, I had to take a break, the book was so intense and I was overwhelmed.
I could go on and on and I quickly grabbed the next book, The Secrets That Shape Us by W L Brooks, to see what the secret was that would make one of them leave Blue Creek.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Let The Dead Lie by W L Brooks
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A widower with four adopted daughters, Emmit McKay likes to keep a handle on things. But nothing can prepare the former FBI sharpshooter for the battles coming to his small hometown. Especially the one which arrives in such a tempting package.
Savannah Walker moves to Blue Creek to take over as principal of the school Emmit’s daughters attend. With a masters’ degree in education and a no-nonsense attitude, she is caught off guard by the behavior of the McKay girls and never expects to fall in love with them—or in lust with their father. But her intimacy with the family stirs up rumors and unearths secrets.
Savannah and Emmit cannot deny the chemistry which draws them together, but the closer they get, the more dangerous the stakes become. When a murderer is hidden amongst you, you can’t let the dead lie.
Fiction, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2017 by The Wild Rose Press, Inc
Original title: Let the Dead Lie Series: McKay (#1)
ABOUT W L BROOKS (from her website)
W.L. Brooks was born with an active imagination. When characters come into her mind, she has to give them a life- a chance to tell their stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a cat by her side, she spends her days letting the ideas flow onto paper. A voracious reader, she draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense and a dash of the paranormal.
A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently living in Western North Carolina. Check out the latest book in her McKay Series, The Truth Behind the Mask, and stay tuned to see what’s next!
The Ghost Goes to the Dogs (Haunted Bookshop Mystery)by Cleo Coyle
About The Ghost Goes to the Dogs
The Ghost Goes to the Dogs (Haunted Bookshop Mystery) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 9th in Series Setting - Rhode Island Berkley (May 2, 2023) Mass Market Paperback : 320 pages ISBN-10 : 0425255492 ISBN-13 : 978-0425255490 Digital ASIN : B0B8GC8YHT
A stray dog leads bookseller Penelope McClure and her gumshoe ghost on a chase for a cunning criminal in this brand-new entry in the “UTTERLY CHARMING” (Mystery Scene) Haunted Bookshop Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.
Pet Mystery Week brings brisk business to Penelope’s Rhode Island bookshop, but a real mystery comes barking at her door when a lost dog turns up in a panic. Pen and her son Spencer follow the furry fugitive to a wooded area where the dog’s owner lies unconscious. Mrs. Cunningham is a warm-hearted widow who volunteers at the animal shelter and runs Buy the Book’s pet lovers book club. Why would anyone shoot such a sweet soul?
The police believe it’s an accident, a shot by a careless deer hunter, but Pen remains skeptical. To straighten out this doggone mess, she whistles for the ghost of PI Jack Shepard, an expert in hounding as well as haunting. Jack has a dog story of his own, a case from the 1940s that may help Pen sniff out clues to her present predicament. Yet even with Jack’s hard-boiled help, Pen may not be able to stop the killer from striking again or letting this whole case go to the dogs…
About the Author
CLEO COYLE is a pseudonym for Alice Alfonsi, writing in collaboration with her husband, Marc Cerasini. Both are New York Times-bestselling authors of the long-running Coffeehouse Mysteries and Haunted Bookshop Mysteries, now celebrating nearly 20 years in print. With more than one million books sold, their work has been honored with starred reviews and multiple best-of-year list selections by reviewers. Alice and Marc are also bestselling media tie-in writers who have penned properties for Lucasfilm, NBC, Fox, Disney, Imagine, Toho, and MGM. They live and work in New York City, where they write independently and together.
Three ideas. Three directions. Not everyone will survive.
REVIEW
OMG! Five hundred and nine pages of suspense with characters to die for…and Benjamin X Wretlind is not afraid to kill them off. Some I mourned, others, well…
As I read, I kept thinking of The Walking Dead, only on an alternate planet. Instead of zombies, we have vicious creatures. And the evil humans, we have them too.
There is so much I want to say, but this is the third book in the series and I don’t want to spoil anything for anyone. It is worth learning everything for yourself. The beginning does give us a quick recap, but I highly recommend beginning at the beginning.
In All We Leave Behind: Transits Of Three by Benjamin X Wretlind, three children will be pushed into adulthood when they make their exodus from a sanctuary which has become too dangerous. The main focus is on Miriam Page. She is the leader of the first group to leave their sanctuary. The second group is led by Joel, the thinker who wants to find a way to go back to Earth. The third group is led by Micah, who was the Scribe.
Doubts will arise as the dangers do too. The leaders find themselves second guessing their decisions, but keep taking the next step forward. They realize there is no going back.
All We Leave Behind: Transits Of Three by Benjamin X Wretlind is described as an anthropological science fiction series. I find it is a wonderful description. The people, who Benjamin has no problem killing off, struggle to survive. Some things they do because they must, other things they do because they have lost their humanity. Does it always come down to kill or be killed? Can’t we learn to get along?
I will caution that there is brutality, torture, danger and death. There are also moments of levity, smiles, laughter and love. But isn’t that life?
Nemeth is a character that began to take a position front and center for me.
I was able to visualize the world, the characters and their actions, because of Benjamin X Wretlind’s vivid and detailed descriptions, at times making me feel like I am walking beside them, battling creatures and the elements, looking for their new home.
Questions are answered and new questions arise. There will be nine books in the series. I am already so invested I don’t know how I will manage to wait for the next book and the next book and the next book and the next book and the next book and the next book.
I feel my review does not do the book justice, but I was afraid of giving something away, so this is what you get. Want to know why the book blew me away? Read it. 🙂
At the end of the book is a list of the characters and a glossary of definitions.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of All We Leave Behind: Transits Of Three by Benjamin X Wretlind.
5 Stars
BLURB
Following the exodus from rising floodwaters, the surviving descendants of those who came to create a society on a planet far from Earth have struggled to rebuild within the remains of an ancient temple. Now, as disease and an unfamiliar environment threaten to destroy them yet again, everyone seems to have an opinion about what to do next.
Miriam and Tobias Page, newly married, believe there may be a possible home beyond a distant canyon. Their journey with a quarter of the population doesn’t start well and soon nature and their own humanity will conspire to end it all. Meanwhile, Miriam’s two cousins, Joel and Micah, have different ideas. Joel is convinced the best course of action is to return to the mountains they left to mine for the ore that would make a great return to Earth possible. Micah hopes to stay, learn all he can about the temple’s previous occupants, and prove both of them wrong. But soon, he and his new partner Patience realize that no option is truly safe.
As the transits of three different groups get underway, new dangers and surprises emerge from within the rainforests, mountains, and deserts of the planet…and one of those may have followed them from Earth. While a final home is a dream away, present nightmares must be dealt with first if any of them are going to survive.
EXCERPT
“How many?” Moran asked.
“Four. Just up ahead.” Tobias tightened his grip on his weapon.
“Bethany is waiting for us.”
Moran stopped and watched as the caravan slowly edged toward the right, away from immediate danger. “Wish we had more to spare.”
“So do I.” Tobias took in a calming breath and let it out slowly. The nervousness in his stomach eased up. Miriam had taught him several techniques for dealing with fear, for calming his anxiety and sharpening his mind. He would forever be grateful to be married to a counselor, a therapist, a wise wizard of the brain’s complications.
“Ready?” Moran asked.
They both walked slowly toward Bethany’s position, their eyes locked on the trees where Tobias saw the four animals.
“Eight,” Bethany whispered as they approached. “Four more in a cluster of trees to the right of the others.”
“Typical pack. Haven’t heard the growl, yet,” Moran said. “Maybe they didn’t see us.”
“Oh, they did.” Tobias pointed to the tree with the first rychat he spotted. “I swear I saw that one lick its lips.”
“Well, we’ll have to take care of that.”
Moran raised his crossbow and took aim at the one Tobias pointed out. In tandem, both Tobias and Bethany raised their own weapons.
“One on the trunk,” Tobias whispered.
Bethany responded. “The big one to the right.”
The three were silent as they steadied themselves.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
Benjamin, a speculative fiction author, ran with scissors when he was five. He now writes, paints, uses sharp woodworking tools and plays with glue. Sometimes he does these things at the same time.
Undertaking Love Megan Montgomery Publication date: April 1st 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Bethany West upgraded her lucrative career as a sex worker for her dream job as a death worker when she partnered at Smythe & Co. Mortuary. She expected her eco-friendly innovations and death positive attitude to blow the roof off the Victorian-era relic. But that was seven months ago, and during that time, she’s only managed to piss off her embittered business partner, George Smythe, a man dead set on maintaining the status quo and driving Bethany out of his namesake business.
When the pair reluctantly travel together to a mortuary conference in New Orleans—and compete in dueling embalming demonstrations—George finally recognizes the value of Bethany’s business model for the first time. He’s also starting to recognize a growing attraction to his blonde bombshell business partner. Meanwhile, Bethany learns the truth behind George’s cold contempt, and it’s much worse than she thought, stemming not from a single incident, but from the constant on-call status, the compassion fatigue, and the overwhelming stress of the job.
Bethany has 4 days to crack open his tough outer shell to reveal the compassionate man she knows is inside, and she has a plan, but unless George learns to open his heart and lean on her, at the risk of succumbing to their cremation-level attraction in a dangerous way, he’ll jeopardize both the business and their hearts by refusing the true partnership they both need.
I blinked hard to lubricate my eyes, struggling to stay awake behind the wheel. The vent blasted tepid air into my face, trying its damnedest to desiccate my skin and sabotage the efforts of my latest hyaluronic acid injections.
My stomach churned from too much coffee and too little sleep.
A sweat broke out under my arms and boobs.
Great. Now I could smell all that coffee excreting from my pores and ruining my favorite silk blouse.
I glanced at the man in the passenger seat.
George’s pores were looking perfectly dry, as usual. He wouldn’t think of sweating, even from the most strenuous effort.
I’d seen him pull a rotund, decomposing man out of that impossible space between the toilet and the bathtub and plop him on a mortuary cot in an un-air-conditioned, third-floor apartment in the middle of August without breaking a sweat.
The man never had a hair out of place, was never not freshly shaven, and he never forgot to button his suit jacket when he stood, or unbutton it when he sat.
And he was a consummate professional—as long as you didn’t work with him.
And as long as your name wasn’t Bethany West.
I breathed in a lungful of stale air. Even now, in the mortuary van, George managed to smell fresh, yet intensely masculine. The faintest notes of sandalwood and citrus wafted toward me as he fiddled with his ear, pushing his earbud deeper in.
I suspected he wasn’t listening to anything producing actual sound; the earbuds were just a tactic to try to keep me from making “unnecessary” conversation.
I was almost too tired to care.
I stifled a yawn, hoping he wouldn’t catch it.
He did, of course.
I saw the tick of his jaw from the corner of my eye. Glaring at the screen of the laptop balanced on his crossed legs, his flexed fingers hovering over the keyboard, a ballpoint pen clutched in his teeth.
I’d never seen the man smile except for a wince-like approximation of the real thing, and he saved that stingy expression for our clients.
After an entire life spent in the trenches of the funeral business, his handsome face was permanently etched into a show of bland sympathy—except when he scowled in contempt.
That expression was reserved exclusively for me.
Author Bio:
Megan Montgomery writes romance. Sometimes they’re funny. Sometimes they’re morbid, but all her characters have cool jobs. She and her husband, Johnathon Olavarria co-host Forced Proximity podcast, a weekly romance book and movie club.
Her debut novel, Well . . . THAT Was Awkward was inspired by her homesickness for southern Maryland. She now lives halfway across the US on the prairie with her husband, son, and mom.
When she’s not writing, reading, lifting weights, or cooking dinners her son won’t eat, you’ll find her toiling in the garden or brewing potions from her medicinal herbs.
I am an avid fan of Abigail Owen’s and will read anything she writes! That being said, The Stolen Throne, Book 2 in the Dominion series, is even better than The Liar’s Crown. Each book has grown in depth and detail, from the world building to the characters growth. There is no shortage of action and danger.
I am a huge fan of book covers. Once I read that someone saw a lobster on the pretty cover of The Stolen Throne, I couldn’t stop looking at it. Check it out for yourself. Great cover, Elizabeth Turner Stokes. And, I love maps. Kellerica did a great job on the maps of Nova.
I read a lot of teen and young adult novels. Many times I cannot give them a five star rating, through no fault of the author or the story. It’s just not deep enough, engrossing enough, sexy enough, violent enough…well, you get the drift.
The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen is an exception to my normal. The book was long, so I couldn’t finish it in one sitting, but I would have if my eyes didn’t start to cross, blurring the words. I was so engrossed in the details, wandering the worlds with Meren and her unlikely group of heroes, traveling through portals to places I never would have dreamed of on my own. I feel their pain, their struggles, their love, their loyalty…to the twin of the Queen, who was meant to be disposable.
I have a people to protect. I have a bondmate to save. I have a king to destroy.
We have moments to smile, even laugh. Moments to drown our sorrows in those lost. Moments of hope and inspiration, like Abigail Owen’s inspiration for this novel, which starts with an obscure Hans Christian Anderson fairytale about a man who shed his shadow, and when the shadow turned real, he took over the man’s life. She found her villain and her hero. I love when one character can fit both roles. It makes for a more interesting character.
I loved everything about The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen.
I can hardly wait for The Shadows Rule, Book 3, due for publication in January 2024.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Stolen Throne by Abigail Owen.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
My twin sister is the true queen of Aryd. She survives, hiding and clinging to life in the desert, while I reign as the false queen alongside the monstrous King Eidolon. There’s only one escape from this gilded prison: Reven. My Shadowraith. My heart. Only the shadows that he struggles to control are growing more sinister, more powerful.
It’s just a matter of time before they turn on him…and on me.
Even escape doesn’t mean true freedom, though, when we’re still on the run from Eidolon’s unstoppable armies. And when we discover there’s a traitor among us, I have no choice…I must become the queen I was never meant to be.
Because as one evil hunts me, the other loves me more than himself.
And my fate lies with both.
The Dominions series is best enjoyed in order. Reading Order: Book #1 The Liar’s Crown Book #2 The Stolen Throne Book #3 The Shadow Rule All
460 pages, ebook
Expected publication May 2, 2023
ABOUT ABIGAIL OWEN
Multi–award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, alpha heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of sexy shifters! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic. Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.
Stay For Me Tam DeRudder Jackson (The Balefire Series, #5) Publication date: April 27th 2023 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Garrett
I’ve made a few mistakes over the last decade, but the one I regret most was letting Olivia Carter go. When I see her again, the past crashes over me, reminding of everything I ever wanted and gave up when I let our dreams separate us.
Managing Balefire into the world’s biggest rock band came at a personal cost—walking away from my only love. When fate brings her back into my life, I’m determined not to screw up again. After Balefire hires her studio to produce their next music video, I have a second chance to rewrite our song—if I can convince her I’m a changed man.
Olivia
Ten years ago, Garrett Phillips chose to go with “his boys” and leave me in the dust of a ratty old tour bus. Now I’m working my ass off to make a name for myself as a Hollywood music video director. Unfortunately, my fledgling studio is bleeding money, and my only hope of saving it is to make a video with the biggest rock band on the planet. Too bad that means working with the man who tore my heart out of my chest when he chose his rock ’n’ roll dream over me.
He says he’s grown up. He says we can make things work. But can I truly trust that this time he will stay for me?
Garrett’s nostrils flared, and he shifted on his stool. His eyes remained locked on mine as he slid his headphones from his head and set them aside. Cursing the tiny tremor in my hands, I removed my headphones and set them somewhere on the control board beside me.
“Olivia.”
My name on his lips rasped over me like calloused hands over my skin. Involuntary shivers rippled through me, and I clamped my thighs even tighter together.
I stopped whatever he wanted to say next with my finger pressed to his full lips. For a long moment, neither of us moved. Then he reached up and smoothed his fingers up my palm and higher along the length of my fingers. His eyes dipped to our hands. Though we barely touched, sensations like electric currents sparked every nerve, beginning in my hand and arcing up my arm to trip my heart nearly into arrhythmia. My breath caught as he slid his fingers through mine, up and down, up and down, before he twined our hands together with a gentle squeeze. I closed my eyes and worked to find some air.
Author Bio:
Tam DeRudder Jackson’s love of all things Celtic led her to write the Talisman Series. Steeped in Celtic mythology, these steamy, fated mates, paranormal romance adventures are set in the mountains of Tam’s native Montana and the Highlands of Scotland. Rogue, the most recent book in the series, was named a best romance of 2022 by the Independent Book Review.
An avid fan of rock music, Tam never misses a chance to see a live show, especially if it’s Shinedown, one of her favorite bands. Her love of rock music inspired her contemporary rock star Balefire Series, a sexy fun ride following the lives and loves of the members of a fictional mega-band. Readers of this series consistently give the books five-star reviews.
Tam earned her BA in English from Montana State University and her M.Ed. in literacy from Lesley University. After a short teaching stint in Bath, England, she settled in the wilds of Wyoming where she taught adolescents all about the Celts and a bit about writing before she stepped out of the classroom to pursue her writing career full time.
When she’s not writing, you can find her working her way through her mountainous TBR piles, alpine skiing, or traveling to some new place on her ever-expanding bucket list. To stay up to date on her adventures, connect with Tam on her website www.tamderudderjackson where you can subscribe to her newsletter.
Sue Coletta has a collection of thrillers that have given me hours of reading pleasure. Her covers are always amazing and covers have such a huge influence on me, so I invited her and her cover designer, Elle J Rossi from Evernight Designs, to share their thoughts.
Behind-the-Scenes Peek at Cover Creation
Sue: When Sherry approached me about writing a guest post with my cover designer, I thought it was a great idea. Readers only see the finished product, but a lot goes into each cover. Today, I’ve teamed up with my designer, the amazing Elle J. Rossi from Evernight Designs, to peel back the curtain on how we created the final cover for Restless Mayhem.
Ready? Let’s do this…
Before I approach Elle, I have a vague idea of what I want. For Restless Mayhem, the two most important elements were the wolf and dreamcatcher. Once I find images that somewhat match my mental picture, I send Elle multiple links to photo elements to either build from or use a guide. Included in the email, I also include the overall emotion I want convey. For Restless Mayhem, I wrote “dark but hopeful.” How she interprets that first email is beyond me. But somehow, she does.
Elle: Once I receive Sue’s email, I look over all the images she’s sent for review and start to get a good idea for the concept she’d like to see for the cover. Some authors will also send comps of covers in their genre/subgenre that they like. Since Sue’s most recent cover is part of a series, it’s important to stay on brand while also allowing the book to stand out as a new addition. As a fellow author (https://www.ellejrossi.com/), I know how important this first impression of someone’s book is. Humans are visual creatures, and Sue and I want to take advantage of that.
Once I have an idea in my head, I start the mock-up process. Ideally, I like to send the author a couple of rough options and get their feedback before purchasing the images we’ll use on the final. Once I have those completed, I shoot them off to Sue to get her thoughts.
Here are the mock-ups I sent for Restless Mayhem…
Sue: Both are awesome, right? I had to sleep on it to decide where I wanted to go. Plus, a snowstorm knocked out our power and I’d been trying to work via cell phone all day. Needless to say, I was absolutely fried when the mock-ups landed in my inbox. In the morning, I emailed Elle. Here’s what I said…
New day, and the brain’s working again. 😉
Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. I love the black wolf, but I don’t want anyone to think werewolves. The characters are saving Eastern Gray wolves. I’d prefer the dreamcatcher to be more of a focal point and the wolf to be secondary. If we took the dreamcatcher, red sky, and wolf from the first cover and made it clean and crisp like the second, added in a couple trees where the wolf can emerge from, I think it’ll be awesome.
Or…
Using the first cover again, pull the dreamcatcher forward and push back the wolf so he’s more of a ghostly, shadowy outline, and make it clean and crisp (without the added texture), that may be even cooler. Thoughts?
Once again, somehow Elle unscrambled that nonsense.
Elle: Sue may think that her feedback was rambling or nonsense, but it made perfect sense to me. So, I sat back and analyzed the two covers while considering her thoughts and reworking the cover. I used the same dreamcatcher from the first sample but completely replaced the wolf, added a new background, and blended the two together. I did the same on a fourth mock-up but with another wolf. I also omitted the tagline area and then sent those 2 options to Sue for more feedback.
Sue: I loved them both. Here’s where Elle and I had to pick apart the finer details of each cover and choose the elements that most resonated. I’ve worked with Elle for so many years, I value her input. So, I emailed…
OMG, I absolutely love them. Can’t decide between the two. Is it the same background behind the howling wolf as the other wolf? The skyline and dreamcatcher are absolutely perfect.
Elle wrote back…
I’m so glad you like them. Similar backgrounds but not the same. I think it comes down to the actual wolf. I’m torn, but lean slightly toward the non-howler. 😁
I agreed. The non-howler was a better fit. My only addition was Poe, sitting on the S in Restless. True to form, Elle surprised me again. I’ll let her explain what she did.
Elle: I loved the idea of adding in Poe as it brought in another element from some of the previous covers. This, again, was another way to stick to the brand. However, when I added him in, he kind of disappeared into the background and was completely lost, which defeated the purpose of adding him in. I pondered on how to make him stand out. Of course, we could have him glow, but this isn’t that kind of book. J I could lighten him, but crows are black and should stay black, so that wouldn’t work. I opted to try lightening a portion of the background. That worked for multiple reasons: Poe is clearly seen, and it added another color which really made the cover come to life. I sent that latest version off for Sue’s approval, but I had a feeling this was THE ONE.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind-the-scenes peek at cover creation. The most important aspect of any partnership is mutual respect and trust. She does her job, I do mine, and the cover(s) reaps the rewards.
You can find out more about Elle’s design services here: https://www.evernightdesigns.com/
I love the amazing cover for Restless Mayhem by Sue Coletta, which was done in collaboration with Elle J. Rossi from Evernight Designs,. Mr Mayhem and Shawnee have come a long way since I first met them. I never would have predicted that Mayhem, Shawnee and her grandfather, Jacy Lee, would become eco-warriors to save the wolves and wolf dogs they found being trafficked. Buy one to hunt it down and kill it. How cruel.
I have so many highlights in my ereader, I confuse myself. LOL
The crows…sure the wolves are the stars of Restless Mayhem, but the crows are always there, always vigilant, always helpful, and their personalities shine through Sue Coletta’s writing. I find them fascinating and often refer to reality to confirm the authenticity of her writing. I worry for them, as much as I do their human friends. Shawnee and Poe’s ‘problems’ go back a long way and their interactions are laugh out loud funny, but when push comes to shove, he will be there. I wonder…will their feud ever end. 🙂
Shawnee…I love this woman. Maybe these quotes will give you an inside glimpse into who she was, is, and is becoming.
“Between the cougar attack and the bees, I couldn’t catch a friggin’ break. What’s next, a moose stomping me to death?”
Mayhem…
“True warriors are born with an inbred fight response rather than merely flight. And you, dearest Cat, have many of the same attributes.”
Sue Coletta richly details Shawnee’s training, and when they went flying through the trees, I slowed my reading, intrigued, trying to picture it in my mind. It was wild. Walking through the woods, making nary a sound, as they stalk the hunters. I have heard of that before and I love that Sue is able to make Restless Mayhem seem so real, except I don’t think Mayhem, Shawnee and Jacey Lee would get away with the things they do in the real world. Money, influence and prejudice hold too much sway. And…is there such a thing as a Wendingo?
Everything has a place in this world and when you remove an element, the environment reflects that loss. The Native American culture and environmentalists the world over have voiced their concerns and warnings. I love books that can incorporate all these elements into a cohesive novel that grabs me from start to finish.
I could go on and on and on and on, but I think you get the gist. I love, love, love the Mayhem series, since I cracked open the first book, but Sue Coletta supplies enough back story that I believe Restless Mayhem can stand alone. So, don’t be afraid to grab Restless Mayhem, then I am sure you will want to go to the beginning and see how we came to be where we are now.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Restless Mayhem by Sue Coletta.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Amidst a rising tide of poachers, three unlikely eco-warriors take a stand to save endangered Eastern Gray Wolves—even if it means the slow slaughter of their captors.
Deep in the woods of Jackson, New Hampshire, an ancient evil lurks. Armed poachers patrol a secret enclosure, holding captive a pack of majestic Eastern Gray Wolves. But three unlikely eco-warriors are determined to free the wolves, embarking on a dangerous mission to end their torture.
With courage and conviction, Shawnee, Mayhem, and Jacy Lee march onward, even if it means risking their own lives to take down the poachers and restore freedom to the wolves. It’s a battle between justice and injustice, and the eco-warriors are determined to win—no matter the cost.
But what if something even more evil lurks in those woods? What if Shawnee’s not ready to answer the cry for help?
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 26, 2023 by Crow Talons Publishing
ABOUT SUE COLETTA
Sue Coletta is an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Feedspot and Expertido.org named her Murder Blog as one of the “Top 100 Crime Blogs on the Net” (Murder Blog sits at #5) for four years in a row. And recently, she appeared on an Emmy award-winning true crime show.
Sue also blogs at the Kill Zone, a multi-award-winning writing blog, and writes two serial killer thriller series (Tirgearr Publishing) and narrative nonfiction/true crime for Globe Pequot, trade division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group.
For readers, she has the Crime Lover’s Lounge, where members will be the first to know about free giveaways, contests, and have inside access to deleted scenes (if available). As an added bonus, members get to play in the lounge. Your secret code will unlock the virtual door.
BONUS: When you join Sue’s community you’ll receive two free killer reads!
Sue lives in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire with her husband, and begins each by feeding all the wildlife in her yard. Her favorite “pets” are a murder of crows who live free but come when called by name.
Can an Alaskan firestorm lead to true love under a midnight sun?
Alaskan firefighter Raynie Atwood thinks she know what she wants—until a walking encyclopedia disguised as a hotshot firefighter storms into her life. Grieving loss and betrayal by the man she once loved, Raynie sets her sights on a top command post for wildland fire. But when an extended drought, a high heat, and beetle-killed forests add up to the perfect firestorm, Raynie’s leadership is put to the test.
To add fuel to the fire, Cohen Tremblay tests Raynie at every turn as she works to save sled dogs and Iditarod mushers dog kennels in a deadly Alaskan conflagration…and to make matters worse, a deadly threat from Raynie’s past has her fearing for her life. But when Raynie’s world goes up in flames, Cohen may be the only one Raynie can rely on…hard to do when she no longer trusts any man, let alone a bullish co-worker. Instead, she constructs a rock-solid containment line around her heart. But fire is unpredictable, and so is love. Will their chance for love be snuffed before it ignites?
Saving himself and these dogs would be a tricky maneuver. Cohen had no time to lose. Ash and embers scorched his tongue as if the devil was licking it. Hot air pressed down on him. He couldn’t swallow—no saliva.
I’m out of time! Time to deploy my fire shelter.How will I fit three adult dogs, me, and a sack load of puppies inside my shelter?
Cohen stuck the neck of the burlap sack in his teeth, as he couldn’t set the puppies down in the water. He reached behind and retrieved his fire shelter. He tugged it from the case, yanked the cords, and shook it out.
“Rooby! Wacko! Come here!” he commanded, spitting around the burlap clenched in his teeth. The terrified dogs sidled in next to him, and he crouched down, spreading the fire shelter over them. He tied the end of Madonna’s rope around the neck of the sack and draped it around his neck, so the sack hung on his left side. As long as Madonna sat in front of him and wouldn’t bolt, this might work. He wrapped a corner of the shelter around Rooby and another around Wacko and held the corners with each hand.
This has to work. He had no other choice. They couldn’t outrun this fast-moving wildfire. He tasted ash, a bitter mixture of wood and dirt. The fire bellowed like a savage dragon, hellbent to destroy in the blink of an eye what took decades to grow and mature.
Don’t panic! Keep it together. If I panic, the dogs will, and we’ll all go up in smoke.
Cohen held the shelter down over the dogs and himself as best he could, pressing the dogs close to him. Flames swept the clearing from all directions, obliterating all sound except their tornadic roar. Crouching low in the water, he did his best to keep the puppies above the boggy surface—and prayed the dogs wouldn’t panic and run—or they’d all die.
A dog barked; Cohen didn’t know who. Another yipped and cried. Madonna howled and Cohen felt her tense and brace, as if ready to run. “Whoa, Madonna, whoa Madonna…” He didn’t know how many times he repeated the husky’s name as the raging fire whipped around them. The natural water barrier certainly helped, but the winds tore at his shelter. He gripped it so tight he worried his hands would cramp and lose their hold. Despite his layers of protective Nomex, heat encased his fire shelter and pierced him as if he was the delicacy cooking on a closed outdoor grill.
The hot destructive flames licked at the very edges of his shelter. He prayed it wouldn’t melt and collapse on him. A burning tree crashed into the bog in front of them, and Madonna yelped. The husky yanked away from their huddle, and Cohen watched helplessly as the sled dog bolted, jerking the burlap sack from around his neck and dragging the bundle of puppies through the water—straight toward the destructive flames.
Author Bio:
LoLo Paige is an award-winning author and former wildland firefighter whose debut novel, Alaska Spark, has received several awards for best indie romance. Her second book, Alaska Inferno, was a finalist for best indie romance in the 2022 Kindle Book Review Awards.
LoLo writes strong female firefighters and hunky smokejumpers who battle wildland fire in Alaska. She loves writing about the trust, friendships, and pitfalls of falling in love in the action-packed, perilous world of wildfire in her action adventure romances in The Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series. The characters in her stories are battling more than just fires, they’re struggling to stay alive—and they’re willing to risk it all for love.
Alaska Spark and Alaska Inferno have ranked No.1 on the Amazon Bestseller Lists for action adventure and romantic suspense in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The true story about LoLo’s fire crew escaping a runaway wildfire won an Alaska Press Club award and inspired her debut novel, Alaska Spark. The third book in her wildland fire series, Alaska Blaze, drops this spring.
In addition to her action-adventure romance firefighter series, LoLo also writes romantic suspense thrillers and romantic comedies. Other books under her romance umbrella are, Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart, a recently released travel romance, and Irish Thunder, to be released later in 2023, by The Wild Rose Press.
Cafe au Slay: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Orchard Hollow)by A.N. Sage
About Cafe au Slay
Cafe au Slay: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Orchard Hollow) Paranormal Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series Cauldron Press (April 24, 2023) Paperback : 384 pages ISBN-10 : 1989868312 ISBN-13 : 978-1989868317 Digital ASIN : B0BRLBM12H
Piper Addison is not a normal witch. If she’s even a witch at all…
Life after the big four-oh isn’t so bad. Piper Addison, resident witch and coffee shop owner, finally found her groove. Business is flourishing, her ghost familiar is miraculously supportive, and she might even have a date for the weekend.
There’s only one small catch… A dead body puts Piper in an impossible situation.
Orchard Hollow’s biggest secret is about to be revealed, and Piper might be the only one who can save the town’s paranormal residents. If only she can get a handle on her strange magic.
If that wasn’t enough, the town sheriff trusts Piper to solve the case. Can she help catch the killer before the whole world finds out about magic?
Cafe au Slay is a paranormal cozy mystery, complete with an unlucky witch, a ghost familiar, and a feisty raccoon with a talent for getting into sticky situations.
About A.N. Sage
A.N. Sage is a bestselling, award-winning author of young adult fantasy and mystery. She has spent most of her life waiting to meet a witch, vampire, or at least get haunted by a ghost. In between failed seances and many questionable outfit choices, she has developed a keen eye for the extra-ordinary.
A.N. spends her free time reading and binge-watching television shows in her pajamas. Currently, she resides in Toronto, Canada with her husband who is not a creature of the night and their daughter who just might be.
A.N. Sage is a Scorpio and a massive advocate of leggings for pants.
Witches & Walk-In’s Tammy Tyree (A Castle Point Witch Series, #1) Publication date: April 28th 2023 Genres: Adult, Paranormal
Betty Burke has just awakened from a long coma, but there’s a problem; she’s not Betty.
Whip-smart Hypnotherapist Alexandra Heale leads a double life. A natural-born witch, she lives under a death sentence, with a cauldron full of secrets.
When she tries to help Betty; a woman possessed by a traumatized spirit, Alex finds herself under attack – and in danger of being exposed.
Against her better judgment, she enlists the help of Deputy Sheriff Blake Sheraton, a man she’s sworn to hate, with dark secrets of his own – if only he could keep her secrets and ignore his pledge to uphold an evil law.
The paranormal world of demons & spirits is about to descend on peaceful Castle Point, and only one witch can stop the unthinkable.
The cool air tickled my arms. Tiny hairs rose with the gooseflesh. Small mounds of pimpled thermometers popped up over my arms, chest, and neck.
I heard a beeping sound, faint at first, then slowly it became louder and closer. The scent of cleanser assaulted me, harsh and chemical.
My eyes stayed firmly shut as if glued at the seam, or tiny weights held the lids down. My breath came in rhythmic, even bursts.
What was that in my mouth? My tongue wiggled and slammed against the hard plastic. I couldn’t taste anything other than stale, rotting breath, but I could tell something was firmly lodged in my mouth.
What the hell was it?
Why was it there?
I forced my eyes open a fraction. Moonlight filtered through the splintered cracks of my heavy lids and shattered against my eyes. Too bright! I closed them again, only long enough for my tongue to push up against the plastic in my mouth.
I could feel it now, not just in my mouth, but going down my throat. A swell of panic ran from my toes to my nose. I wanted to gag.
Spurred by the beeping beside me, louder now, my eyes flew open. I tried to sit up. I couldn’t move. I laid back against the softness of what must be a bed and peered around the room.
A hospital room.
I felt a heaviness as if underwater, the weight of my arms, legs, and chest making it difficult to see or breathe. The scent of cleanser pierced the back of my nose as I tried to breathe.
What was that thing in my mouth and down my throat? I forced my eyes to open wider, but they burned and felt gritty like someone had sprinkled fine sand under the lids. I blinked several times to clear the grit. My eyes took a while to adjust.
I looked down and saw a tube coming out of my mouth. My heart rate sped up. The beeping beside me kept pace as it beat faster and faster.
Why did I wake up in a hospital?
Was I in an accident?
The beeping sped up again, fast enough to send a wail of high-pitched signals through my room and into the adjoining hallway.
The large door burst open, startling me, which made the beeping speed up yet again. A nurse with short dark hair, dark-circled eyes, wearing pink scrubs with multicolored cartoon puppies on her shirt rushed in.
“Betty! Oh my god, she’s awake!” she practically screamed, to whom I couldn’t imagine. I assumed she was talking about me, however, as she leaped to the beeping machine and pressed a button to stop the noise.
Much better.
But… Betty?
Was that my name?
Author Bio:
Demons, witches and ghosts – oh my!
Tammy (she/her) writes about what she knows – ghosts, hauntings, entities, witches, demonology and the paranormal!
A Clinical Hypnotherapist, Tammy infuses; tales from her actual case files of demonic possession and entity attachment with her knowledge of ancient demonic lore and witchcraft into artfully woven fiction and memoir.
Her upcoming ‘Castle Point Witch Series’ is due to release in early 2023 and promises to be full of paranormal goodness.
Her memoir ‘Dead Men Still Snore’ is a page-turning, award-winning true story of love, loss and channelling her husband’s messages from the other side.
Visit https://tammytyree.com/ for more info about Tammy, her work and to receive updates for future books!
