Buried Alive in Sinful Vows by Kristine Mason @KristineMason7

Posted on December 14, 2017 by fundinmental

WOO HOO, get your copy of Sinful Vows by Kristine Mason now.

OMG. What a fabulous cover for Sinful Vows by Kristine Mason.

I am a huge fan of Kristine Mason’s and I am so happy to be back in her world. I know there will be laughs, danger and death, not necessarily in that order, and I look forward to digging in. LOL

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MY REVIEW

Kristine Mason can go from light and sweet to dark and deadly at the snap of a finger.

A secret to be kept. How far to go to keep it? He went all the way, and once started, his nightmares drove him.

Whitney was patiently waiting for the right man to come along, taking a ribbing from Andy. Her and Andy had an easy relationship, working side by side, sharing lively banter. She looks at him as an older brother.

Whitney is the first female detective in the narc unit of Cuyoga County Sheriff’s Department in Cleveland, Ohio. But, her biological clock is tick, tick, ticking away, so when she goes undercover in the burbs, with a fake husband and ‘white picket fence’, I know there is romance in the air. Enter CORE. And a hunka burning love is coming her way.

Let’s meet Sloan North, ‘a giant, hairy beast, covered in leather, denim and chains.’

She’s an ‘Amazonian Barbie’ and a bit too mouthy and bossy for him. Guess he’ll need to get over it, because between you and me, they will be hooking up for the long term.

Kristine Mason has a way with writing and descriptions, bringing her characters to life with a humorous hint and lively banter.

“How do you fit in this thing?” “Just fine.” They are talking about her Fiat 500 hatchback.

“You should too. If not, I’ll open the sunroof and you can put your head through there.”

It keeps on going and I can’t help but laugh out loud. Wonderful dialogue and I commend Kristine Mason’s ability to write it. It appears to be done so effortlessly.

I love when he pulled off his shirt at the department store, to try on the shirt Whitney had chosen for him in his new role as a suburban husband. WHOA, I can see it now. And the women shoppers reaction. “I’d keep him naked.” LOL

Hilarious writing of Whitney and Sloan’s dialogue and thoughts. Kept me in stitches.

Usually Kristine Mason’s stories are dark and dangerous and I have a feeling we’ll get to that, but I am liking all the fun dialogue and thoughts running through their heads.

I love when he forgot he was carrying her around their new fake home…and she let him.

The kids at the door were so sweet and funny.

I love Whitney leaving sticky notes for him everywhere, bossing him from afar. For being so organized, she sure is a slob.

Suburbia – we have the slut, the gossip, the dickhead…Sloan fights the whole shebang…suburbia, fake wife…but begins to nest, fixing this, planting that, buying this.

The Goldhirsch brothers…

I even feel bad for the serial killer. How is it possible for me to feel bad for someone that buries people alive? I hope that doesn’t say bad things about me. LOL I think it just says great things about Kristine Mason’s writing. She has several plots running simultaneously.

Whitney and Sloan act like a couple of teenagers trying to show the other they don’t like each other, afraid of being hurt or embarrassed. When they finally confront their interest, it is so cute, innocent, and childishly sweet.

Her best friend, Morgan…what a hoot. Sometimes the peripheral characters pop in and steal the show.

When Whitney’s parents come to their pretend home, I couldn’t help but laugh at her mother’s comments. Kristine does seem to sneak in an Ohio State fan in her novels. I catch it, because I am a Michigan Wolverine fan. Have no fear. We get along great.

I bounced back and forth on the rating, because I LOVE Kristine’s ability to take me into a deep, dark place with characters that scare the holy crap out of me and make me revel in the evil that men do. Sinful Vows does not quite take me there. Sure, we have some evil guys, doing evil things, but we are in suburbia, playing pretend house and enjoying all the humor that entails.

BUT, as you can see from my rambling review, I just want to keep sharing more and more and more, so…you bet ya…5 Stars it is.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sinful Vows by Kristine Mason.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Marriage can be murder…

Former Chicago Vice cop, Sloan North, is back working undercover, this time for the investigative agency, CORE. He’s missed being on the streets, taking on a fake persona and going after dangerous bad guys. Instead of the dark heart of Chicago, Sloan’s planted in a quiet, boring suburb of Cleveland, pretending to be married to an irritating, too hot for words, Cuyahoga County Detective, Whitney Russell.

Whitney can’t believe she’s saddled with a bearded, tattooed behemoth of a man as her phony husband. He’s crude, rude and has a bad enough attitude no one on their cul-de-sac will buy their ruse. But as they’re forced into fake wedded bliss, Sloan surprises her in more ways than one. Beneath his harsh, sexy exterior is a man worth loving. Too bad she doesn’t believe in love.

While Sloan tries to avoid his gorgeous, leggy partner, deal with mind-numbing suburbia, and determine if his neighbor is indeed a big time drug lord, a body is unearthed on the neighboring street. Then another…and another. Life in the burbs goes from boring to deadly because this killer doesn’t just murder his victims. He buries them alive.

ABOUT KRISTINE MASON

Kristine Mason is the bestselling author of the popular romantic suspense trilogies, C.O.R.E. Shadow, and Ultimate C.O.R.E. She is currently working on her next trilogy, C.O.R.E. Above the Law, along with a series of Psychic C.O.R.E. novellas.

Although Kristine has published a few contemporary romance novels, she focuses most of her energy on her romantic suspense stories, which she loves for their blend of dark mystery/suspense and sexy romance. She is fascinated with what makes people afraid, and is famous for her depraved villains whose crimes present massive obstacles for her heroes and heroines to overcome.

Kristine has a degree in journalism from Ohio State University and lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, four kids, and two dogs. If she’s not writing, she’s chauffeuring kids, gardening, or collecting gnomes. Oh, and she makes a mean chocolate chip cookie!Connect with Kristine on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kristinemasonauthor, Twitter https://twitter.com/KristineMason7 or email her at authorkristinemason@gmail.com. You can also find out more about Kristine’s books at http://www.kristinemason.net

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MY REVIEWS FOR KRISTINE MASON’S NOVELS

Shadow of Danger / Shadow of Perception / Shadow of Vengeance
Ultimate Kill / Ultimate Fear / Ultimate Prey (review coming soon)
Celeste Files: Unlocked / Unjust / Unforgotten / Poisoned / Possessed
Perfectly Twisted / Perfectly Toxic / Perfectly Tortured
Sinful Sacrifices / Sinful Deeds

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Monday Mini – Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe @Adam_G_Howe

Posted on December 11, 2017 by fundinmental

Oh man, I don’t know what to say about Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe.

From Adam Howe, winner of Stephen King’s On Writing contest, come three original novellas of hardboiled crime, graphic horror and pitch-black gallows humor.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

My Review for Damn Dirty Apes

Adam Howe’s writing kept me laughing through the horrific twists and turns that is so ‘sick’. A weird and wacky horror story had me laughing in disgust. The mix of humor, horror and horniness shared some despicable characters and I loved to hate them. They hunt and fight their way through blackmail, kidnap and violence.

My Review for Die Dog or Eat The Hatchet

A psychopath reveling in the memories of the brutal and grotesque murders he committed. When is the death penalty appropriate. When you meet Hingle and delve into his perverted and twisted mind. The horror and savagery is impossible for me to imagine on my own, so Adam Howe brings it to life for me. Wickedly good ending.

My Review for Gator Bait

Gator Bait is available by itself and I have already reviewed it. I will share a bite and you can check it out for yourself HERE.

OMG! The ending blew me away and I couldn’t help but laugh. I never could have seen ALL that coming and I love it. The best laid plans often go awry and boy, oh boy, do they.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Die Dog or Eat the Hatchet by Adam Howe.

5 Stars all the way for each and every novella.

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Sex Trafficking and High Fashion in Justice For Abby by Cate Beauman @CateBeauman

Posted on December 10, 2017 by fundinmental

I have been reading my way through Cate Beauman’s Bodyguard of LA County Series, and Justice For Abby is Book Six. I love romantic suspense and Cate can sure spin a tale that keeps me wrapped up in the mystery. I look forward to each and every one.

Cover by Demonza

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

Justice for Abby by Cate Beauman is Book VI of the Bodyguards of LA County Series and I have been eating these romantic suspense novels up, like the M&Ms I love so much. This may be the best one yet.

Abby is taken from the rest area parking lot, right in front of her sister, Alexa, and her daughter, Livy. With the threat of harm to her family, Abby is forced to work for them, but her eye is always on escape.

After her rescue, she has lingering affects, flashbacks and panic attacks, and fears that she won’t be able to come back if she loses herself…again.

She is the prime witness for the prosecution in the trial for the traffickers. She is single handedly bringing down the largest sex ring they’d ever seen, so she has a bullseye on her back. They want her DEAD.

The traffickers are brutal, savage, only interested in themselves. The women are possessions, bought and sold, passed around like a commodity. Imagine the threat of death and torture hovering over your head, day after day, month after month, year after year, with no relief in sight.

Abby is a fighter with a big heart. She is making a name for herself in the high fashion world and paying it forward by creating opportunities for those less fortunate, hiring some of the women she knew from her captivity.

Her bodyguard, Jerrod lives with her, protecting her. He is all business, but will the sexy little kitten win over his heart? Me thinks so. I love the recurring characters and the danger that surrounds them as I wait…for that terrible something to happen.

Margret…my heart goes out to Margret and I know there is nothing Abby won’t do to try and save her.

Shelby, beware of a woman scorned and a shallow one at that. Can a villain be redeemed? I always have hope, but you’ll have to read the book to find out.

Cate Beauman describes the scenes in such vivid detail that I can see Abby dancing, singing, and shaking her bootie as she cooks and I can’t help but smile even as I type these words. Makes me want to get up and dance.

When the shit hits the fan, I love how Cate Beauman handled it and she sure has me terrified, wondering…

I love how Cate Beauman twisted and turned the normal romantic suspense beast, you know, that push and pull of attraction, the dance between yes and no, making my rating of Justice For Abby over the top.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Justice for Abby by Cate Beauman.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Fashion designer Abigail Harris has been rescued, but her nightmare is far from over. Determined to put her harrowing ordeal behind her and move on, she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life while eluding the men who want her dead.

The Mid-Atlantic Sex Ring is in ruins after Abby’s interviews with the police. The organization is eager to exact their revenge before her testimony dismantles the multi-million dollar operation for good.

Abby’s safety rests in the hands of former US Marshal, Jerrod Quinn. Serious-minded and obsessed with protocol, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest agent finds himself dealing with more than he bargains for when he agrees to take on his beautiful, free-spirited client.

As the trial date nears, Abby’s case takes a dangerous turn. Abby and Jerrod soon discover themselves in a situation neither of them expect while Jerrod fights to stop the ring from silencing Abby once and for all.

ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards series.

For information on Cate’s new releases, monthly giveaways, and upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter at: http://www.catebeauman.com/author/home.html#!newsletter-sign-up/c9td

Contact Cate: Amazon Author Page / BookBub

Social links: Twitter / Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram

MY REVIEWS FOR CATE BEAUMAN

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Magical Children’s Adventure – The River Keepers by Michael F Stewart @MichaelFStewart

Posted on December 8, 2017 by fundinmental

The fabulous cover for The River Keepers by Michael F Stewart is done by Martin Stiff. Great job, Martin.

I love when a cover depicts the story inside and Martin’s cover was only the first step drawing me into the adventure.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I had read A Cold Dark Place by Michael F Stewart and loved it, so when Michael offered me a copy of The River Keepers for review, I snatched it up and began to read.

I love that the adventure is in their own backyard. So…after your children read this, you may see them outside, looking…

Natasha and Teagan are sisters. Actually, they are more than that. They are twins, mirror opposites.

A freak storm. A downed tree. What’s that I see?

At eleven years old they are off on an adventure that leads them to research and learning, getting lost in the magic and growing in ways they never could have foreseen. Their adventures will not only change their lives, but their parents too.

I love how Michael slips a little science and ecology into the story in a way that is sure to intrigue everyone. I love when there is a lesson to be learned and it is wrapped up in a wonderful and entertaining tale, sending a subtle message to all who read it.

A skunk, a mouse, a frog…what would it be like to walk and hop in their footsteps?

You will never look at critters…or gnomes…the same way again.

When the skunk sprayed…I laughed out loud.

When the mouse squeaked…I cringed in fear.

Michael F Stewart has created a magically wonderful adventure that is suitable for all ages. To all you adults out there…let your inner child run wild!

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

What would you do if your sister turned into a skunk?

How about a mouse? Or a frog? Would you want to be a snake?

Have you ever wished to swim like an actual fish? Wouldn’t you worry that a snapping turtle might take a bite out of you?

In The River Keepers, two sisters must rise to meet an unexpected challenge. It’s a story infused with the magic and drama outside their backdoor — perhaps yours, too.

ABOUT MICHAEL F STEWART

Michael F. Stewart is winner of both the 2015 Claymore Award and the 2014 inaugural Creation of Stories Award for best YA novel at the Toronto International Book Fair.

He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia, and New Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. In addition to his award winning Assured Destruction series, he has authored four graphic novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s Boldprint series. Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights are published by Scholastic and early readers are out with Pearson Education.

For adults, Michael has written THE SAND DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS–a covert government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them in the next.

Herder of four daughters, Michael lives to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s first Writer in Residence. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter @MichaelFStewart.

Michael is represented by Talcott Notch.

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MY MICHAEL F STEWART REVIEWS

A Cold Dark Place

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Dark and Dangerous – Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff @AlexSokoloff

Posted on December 7, 2017 by fundinmental

Alexandra Sokoloff has blown me away, with her Huntress/FBI Thriller Series. Huntress Moon, Book I (see my review here) continues through Blood Moon, Book II (see my review here) and I am unable to stop reading. It’s like Lays Potato Chips…you can’t eat just one. Well, I couldn’t read just one. I went through Book II, III and IV on a binge read. And…I see there is a Book V, Hunger Moon, and I aim to get my hands on that one too.

The covers are awesome and kudos to the designers. Cold Moon is done by…

Inkd

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

After reading Blood Moon, Book II, by Alexandra Sokoloff, there was no way I could stop. I kept on reading through Cold Moon and Bitter Moon. Now I see we have Hunger Moon, which would be Book V, and I will jump through hoops to get my hands on it.

The moon talks to Cara. Does it talk to you? What does it say?

We begin with Roarke’s nightmare, waking him. Cara…

She faces her own terror in the night, but vows IT will never take her.

“Fair as the moon and cold as ice.”

Roark’s team functions like a well oiled machine, even when personalities occasionally clash and opinions differ. They always get their ‘man’.

Cold Moon takes an even closer look into the depraved, the abused, the lost and those who care about them. Human trafficking of women and children, enslaved in prostitution, bought and sold, used and abused. Who will stand up for them, defend them, save them?

How can an online presence affect people, politics, legalities, courts…The anonymity of cyber activism.

I do not want to spoil any of the goodies contained in Cold Moon, the third book of Cara and Roarke’s story, so I will just throw out some hints and ask you…what would you do?

Evil…can you see it, smell it, touch it, feel it? Is it alive? Do you do something about it yourself?

Is it self defense, if you know evil is coming your way, and you take it out first?

My emotions are raging in anger and disgust. I know this goes on, day in and day out, and I wonder if those who, in real life, try to stem the flow of evil feel it is too big, there are too many. One by one they WILL fall.

“There is something larger at work…a force beyond the simply human. A female vengeance against outrages.” Santa Muerte

“Sometimes death for one is salvation for another.”

I love the dark and dangerous, unique and original, direction Alexandrar Sokoloff takes in this story. I am afraid to google some of the online forums she talks about. I am afraid of what I will find out. Will evil know I am looking and come for me? She continues to thrill and amaze me, disgust and frighten me, leaving me ALWAYS wanting more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Cold Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The hunt for mass murderer Cara Lindstrom is over. FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke has been working for this moment: the capture of a killer who savagely hunts the worst of humanity. But Roarke remains traumatized by his own near-death at the hands of the serial killer who slaughtered Cara’s family…and haunted by the enigmatic woman who saved his life.

Then the sixteen-year-old prostitute who witnessed Cara’s most recent murder goes missing, and suddenly pimps are turning up dead on the streets of San Francisco, killed with an MO eerily similar to Cara’s handiwork.

Is a new killer on the loose with a mission even more deadly than hers? In the pulse-pounding third Huntress/FBI Thrillers book, Roarke will have to go on the hunt…and every woman he meets, even those closest to him, may prove deadly.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF

I’m the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of the Amazon bestselling crime and supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, Book of Shadows, The Unseen, The Space Between, and the new Thriller Award- nominated Huntress/FBI thriller series: Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon. Bitter Moon, Hunger Moon. The New York Times Book Review has called me “a daughter of Mary Shelley” and my novels “some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.”

I’m a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where I majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. After college I moved to Los Angeles, where I’ve made an interesting living doing novel adaptations and selling original thriller scripts to various Hollywood studios.

In my stories I like to cross the possibility of the supernatural with very real life explanations for any strangeness going on, and base the action squarely in fact. THE UNSEEN is based on real paranormal research conducted at the Duke University parapsychology lab, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a Boston homicide detective and a practicing Salem witch in a race to solve what may be a Satanic killing. THE SPACE BETWEEN, is an edgy supernatural YA about a troubled high school girl who is having dreams of a terrible massacre at her school, and becomes convinced that she can prevent the shooting if she can unravel the dream.

I also have written paranormal romance (THE SHIFTERS, KEEPER OF THE SHADOWS) and the non-fiction workbooks SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on my internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (http://screenwritingtricks.com)

I live in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson.

When I’m not writing I dance: jazz, ballet, salsa, Lindy, swing – I do it all, every chance I get.

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MY ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF REVIEWS

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A Princess & A Dragon – Bianca by Meg Welch Dendler @MegWelchDendler

Posted on December 3, 2017 by fundinmental

Covers are the first thing that influences me to even pick up a book and Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess by Meg Welch Dendler has a very cute one that I found impossible to resist. I could tell it was a children’s cover, but that’s perfect, seeing it’s a children’s book. Suitable for children of all ages. From three to one hundred and three.

Meg’s daughter, Callista, did the cover drawings for the dragon and Bianca. Kelsey Rice added color, style and put it all together. Well done!

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

The cute cover lured me in and I was thoroughly entertained by Bianca by Meg Welch Dendler. It may be recommended for ages 3+ and up, but I think everyone will fall in love with the characters that come into Bianca’s life. I know I did.

Bianca is a thirteen year old princess considered so frail by her father, King Dominic, she ias kept isolated in the castle, not allowed to go outside, let alone play with any of the town children. Her highlight of the day was her subjects amassing below the castle tower window, cheering and waving at her.

No one knew, but she entertained herself, running and playing on the stairs, sword slashing at imaginary foes, and lots and lots of reading. Don’t we all get lost in stories?

No one expects her to do anything but be pretty, don’t worry about anything, and eventually get married to her chosen mate. But when her father and the knights never return from the hunt for the dragon, she makes up her mind it is her duty, as the princess, to find them.

She sets off with Sammy, the donkey. Imagine never doing anything for yourself, never having been outside, never feeling the sun on your face, the grass beneath your feet, the dust in your nose. The stories never prepare you for ‘real life’, but Bianca has no fear. She will figure it out, whether it’s finding shelter or cooking her own meal. A very determined young lady that any child would love to emulate.

She meets a witch, fairies, a magical cat, a dragon, a wolf and other animals that hang in the forest. I worried for her…a little…but she had magical help from the animals around her and I knew they were looking out for her. And the dragon…Well, you will have to read for yourself to find out with him.

If you are looking for a children’s book that will give yourself and your little ones hours of reading pleasure, look not further. This is it. I couldn’t stop reading it once I started and it took me under four hours to finish it. I debated on the rating because I love heavy and dark reading, but this is a children’s story that I loved and think ‘children’ of all ages will too. A well deserved four stars.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess by Meg Welch Dendler.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Princess Bianca had never set foot outside the castle walls. Not once in her over-protected, pink, fluffy life. But when a dragon was spotted in the land and fear spread that the monster had conquered the king and his brave knights, Bianca realized that it was her duty to protect her kingdom. She will have to prove that she can be braver and stronger than anyone believed because the threat outside the protection of her castle tower was more dangerous and magical than she ever imagined possible, except in a fairy tale.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meg Dendler has considered herself a writer since she won a picture book contest in 5th grade and entertained her classmates with ongoing sequels for the rest of the year. Beginning serious work as a freelancer in the ’90s while teaching elementary and middle school, Meg has over one hundred articles in print, including interviews with Kirk Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. She has won contests with her short stories and poetry, along with multiple international awards for her best-selling “Cats in the Mirror” alien rescue cat children’s book series. Meg is also an editor with Pen-L Publishing and works with independent and self-publishing authors to polish their manuscripts for publication.

Meg and her family (including four cats and her dog, Max) live in Arkansas. Visit her at www.megdendler.com for more information about upcoming books and events and all of Meg’s social media links.

In the first book of the Cats in the Mirror series, “Why Kimba Saved The World,” feisty house cat Kimba learns that she is really part of an alien race and has to pick sides between her loyal human family and her feline destiny. The second book, “Vacation Hiro,” came out in November of 2013. These first two books in the Cats in the Mirror series have been honored with Silver Mom’s Choice Awards, and “Why Kimba Saved The World” won a Bronze Moonbeam Children’s Book Award as “Best First Book.” Book 3, “Miss Fatty Cat’s Revenge,” released on September 12, 2014. A companion book to her Cats in the Mirror series, “Max’s Wild Night,” was published in May, 2015, and Book 4 in the Cats in the Mirror series, “Slinky Steps Out” joined the pack in the spring of 2016. An adult book, “At the Corner of Magnetic and Main,” was released by Pen-L Publishing in September of 2015.

Website / Blog / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / LinkedIn / Instagram

FOLLOW THE TOUR

Dec. 1 Meg Dendler’s Blog & Book Launch/Promotion

Dec. 2 Book ‘Em Book Club (Interview)

Marion Marchetto (Review)

Dec. 3 Fundimental (Review)

Dec. 4 Ellie Mack (Review)

Dec. 5 Michelle Dunton @ Writing Fun (Phone Interview,Skype?)

Dec. 6 H. L. Burke (Promo Post)

Typewriter Society (Interview)

Dec. 7 Amanda’s Books & More (Guest Post)

Dec. 8 Kay LaLone (Review)

Missy Sheldrake (Promo)

Dec. 9 Kris Riley at “My Blissful Books” (Review)

Dec. 10 Coffee Addicts Book Review (Review)

Dec. 11 Waggy Tails Dog Blog (Review)

Lily Iona MacKenzie (Interview)

Dec. 12 Whispering Stories (Review?)

Dec. 13 Read Explore Repeat (Review)

Cat Michaels (Review)

Dec. 14 Sorchia’s Universe (Promo Post)

Cover2CoverBlog

Dec. 15 A Day in the Tangled Skein of My Life (Review)

Dec. 16 Watch Jane Write (Review)

Dec. 17 Meg’s Blog for Wrapup

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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She’s Kicking Ass Again in Strong to the Bone by Jon Land @jondland

Posted on November 20, 2017 by fundinmental

Buckle your seatbelts, because Strong to the Bone by Jon Land is one rootin tootin, smash bang novel of action and mystery that culminates in a rip roaring ending not to be missed.

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I am so happy to be back into a rootin’ tootin’ Caitlin Strong adventure. The Texas Rangers and Nazis…doesn’t bode well for the Nazis. LOL

Right off, Jon Land does what he does so well, makes me so curious and surprised about our prisoner of war camps in Texas during World War II, that questions arise. Why have I never thought of this before? Was I never taught in school? Is is true? I know a lot of people don’t care one way or another about prologues, but this one sure did it’s job. Sent me straight to Google. I had to know more.

I can picture Caitlin on top of the fire truck, spraying the rioters with the fire hose like Al Capone sprayed his enemies with his tommy gun. A young woman is in distress, possibly being raped, and nothing will stop Caitlin from going to her rescue.

If you are not familiar with Caitlin, let me introduce you. She comes from a long line of Texas Rangers, but until she was raped in college, she had no plans to follow in their footsteps. Now…she’s a kickass, no holds barred force to be reckoned with. She goes in with guns blazing, her fists and legs pumping, doling out justice.

I love that Jon Land is constantly challenging Caitlin in personal and professional ways.

She teams up with her sweetie, Cort Wesley. He’s an ex Green Beret, maybe a bit tarnished, but that will only serve him well when he meets up with Armand Fiskar. Armand is the son of the man who created the Aryan Nation, only he has more grandiose plans.

I am lovin’ Paz, an ex Venezuelan secret policeman, sent to kill Cort. Now they walk together. I love characters who have walked the wild side, yet are able to redeem themselves.

And neo Nazis…smacks of reality.

Cort, Paz, and even Caitlin, though she doesn’t acknowledge it, have a little bit of help from the paranormal.

Moments to laugh, moments of anger, smiles and frowns, humanity in all its glory and disgust.

Jon Land’s creative writing shows his humorous side, when he allows his characters to replace the Captain’s cigarettes with the candy kind. Do you remember eating them as a kid?

The Aryan Nation, neo nazis, bioterrorism, organ transplants, weapons of mass destruction…so many underlying plots culminate in a blown out ending. I am a lifelong fan and eagerly await each and every story Jon Land has to tell.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Strong to the Bone by Jon Land.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong takes on a gang of neo-Nazis in Strong Cold Dead, an action-packed novel of the critically acclaimed Caitlin Strong series by Jon Land

1944: Texas Ranger Jim Strong investigates a triple murder inside a Nazi POW camp in Texas.

The Present: His daughter, fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, finds herself pursuing the killer her father never caught in the most personal case of her career a conspiracy stretching from that Nazi POW camp to a modern-day neo-Nazi gang.

A sinister movement has emerged from the shadows of history, determined to undermine the American way of life. Its leader, Armand Fisker, has an army at his disposal, a deadly bio-weapon, and a reputation for being unbeatable. But he s never taken on the likes of Caitlin Strong and her outlaw lover, Cort Wesley Masters.

To prevent an unspeakable cataclysm, Caitlin and Cort Wesley must win a war the world thought was over.

ABOUT JON LAND

JON LAND is the USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels, including Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break, Strong Vengeance, Strong Rain Falling (winner of the 2014 International Book Award and 2013 USA Best Book Award for Mystery-Suspense), Strong Darkness (winner of the 2014 USA Books Best Book Award and the 2015 International Book Award for Thriller), and Strong Light of Day (winner of the 2015 Books and Author Award for Best Mystery Thriller and the 2016 Beverly Hills Book Award for Best Mystery). Land is a graduate of Brown University. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

MY JON LAND REVIEWS

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One Sentence Review – Eclipse Lake by Mae Clair @maeclair1

Posted on November 18, 2017 by fundinmental

.Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

Eclipse Lake is a fully developed story with complex characters and detailed descriptions of a small town called Onyx, that is character driven, with romance the spotlight and suspense being the dot on the I, making me believe in second chances.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Small towns hold the darkest secrets.

Fifteen years after leaving his criminal past and estranged brother behind, widower Dane Carlisle returns to his hometown on the banks of sleepy Eclipse Lake. Now, a successful businessman, he has kept his troubled past a secret from most everyone, including his seventeen-year-old son.

But memories in small towns are bitter and long.

Ellie Sullivan, a nature photographer for a national magazine, has a habit of ping-ponging across the map. Her latest assignment leads her to Eclipse Lake where she becomes caught up in the enmity between Dane, his brother Jonah, and a vengeful town sheriff. When freshly-discovered skeletal remains are linked to an unsolved murder and Dane’s past, Ellie is left questioning her growing attraction for a man who harbors long-buried secrets.

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Going Covert in Dead Cold by Jennifer Chase @JChaseNovelist @pumpupyourbook

Posted on November 16, 2017 by fundinmental

We’re really excited to be part of Jennifer Chase’s DEAD COLD Blog Tour!

Fabulous cover for a fabulous story!

Title: DEAD COLD
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: JEC Press
Pages: 326
Genre: Crime Thriller

MY REVIEW

WHOA. Why haven’t I read any Jennifer Chase and Emily Stone? I cannot say how excited I am now remedying that! Intense from the very beginning. The writing went where I wasn’t expecting and I love it. I can hardly wait to see what other surprises await me.

I took a break from murderous mayhem and serial killers, for a short while. All the books started to run together, but I felt right at home when I began reading Dead Cold by Jennifer Chase. Made me wonder why I ever took a break.

Emily and her partner, Rick Lopez, work outside the law, but they use all the skills they had learned in their time with the federal government to pursue criminals. Rick loved Emily and hunting the bad guys with her. They are so much more than partners. They are friends and lovers too.

Emily is like a female Sherlock Holmes. She is patient, meticulous, methodical, a natural when it comes to profiling. But she does have a bit of a problem with surveillance. She wants to go right for the take down. There is absolutely nothing Emily wouldn’t do to accomplish her goal, to save a life, to rescue a friend. Instincts, intuition, deductive reasoning, step by step, piece by piece, she weaves together the facts and data. Each piece of evidence is a part of the puzzle. Then…

She looks death in the eye and spits at it.

They are covert, letting the cops take the credit while vanishing into thin air when they arrive.

Now her sights are set on a serial killer she dubbed the Ice Puzzler.

Jordan is her go to guy for information they can’t get on the own. He’s smart, playful, fun and annoying. I smiled at his antics. When he meets Gunner, he insists he is not a dog guy, but Gunner adopts him. Rick is antagonistic to Jordan. Do they need to put ‘it’ on the table and measure? Is he jealous, threatened? Does Rick have a reason to be concerned about Jordan’s feeling for Emily?

Oh man. A shift of perspective. Right at a crucial moment. One minute I was with Emily and Rick, and Emily is in deep danger, then I was pulled away to be with Detective Daniel Starr. Now I have to wait…to see what comes next. A great way to build suspense and anticipation and I love it.

Uh oh. Kayla cannot let sleeping dogs lie and is persistent in her pursuit of Emily. I can understand it, but I think nothing good can come of it. You’ll need to read the book to find out who Kayla is and what becomes of her.

Enter HER. Who is SHE? What does SHE have to do with anything? Other than being a sad and damaged woman with some very serious issues?

I feel empathy for the villain. I sometimes find myself rooting as much for the villain as the hero. I just can’t seem to help myself. It takes some fantastic writing to make that happen.

Told from multiple perspectives, there’s an underlying mystery running. I’m deciphering the implications and coming up with my own conclusion. Let’s see if I’m right.

As the pieces come together Jennifer Chase delivers a surprise or two or three. She created a wonderful feeling of suspense, and anticipation. My eagerness to find out kept me reading at a rapid pace, but I told myself to slow down…I wanted to savor each delicious morsel of Dead Cold. Danger oozes off the pages. Action and intrigue overwhelm me. Love everything about it. Can’t get enough of it. I need more!

For more fun, be sure and check out her bio.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Cold by Jennifer Chase.

5 Stars

What happens when one California community has a disturbing spike in homicides? It catapults cops into a deadly game of murder. Frozen human body parts hideously displayed at the crime scenes offers a horrifying interpretation that only a sadistic serial killer could design—and execute.

On the hunt for a complex serial killer, vigilante detective Emily Stone must face her most daring case yet. Stone’s proven top-notch profiling skills and forensic expertise may not be enough this time.

Young and ambitious, Detective Danny Starr, catches the homicide cases and discovers that it will test everything he knows about police work and the criminal mind. Can he handle these escalating cases or will the police department have to call in reinforcements—the FBI.

Emily Stone’s covert team pushes with extreme urgency to unravel the grisly clues, while keeping their identities hidden from the police. With one last-ditch effort, Stone dangles someone she loves as bait to draw out the killer. She then forces the killer out of their comfort zone with her partner Rick Lopez, and with help from a longtime friend Jordan Smith. A revelation of the serial killer’s identity leaves the team with volatile emotions that could
destroy them.

The killer continues to taunt and expertly manipulate the police, as well as Stone’s team, and as they run out of time—they leave behind everyone and everything—in Dead Cold.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon

ESCAPE WAS IMPOSSIBLE. TEARS STREAMED down her face as she sat in the darkness and waited for the man to return. There was no other choice—but to wait.

She hadn’t eaten anything in three days and had only a limited amount of water—her strength continued to fade with every hour. With her wrists and ankles secured with duct tape, her skin stung with pain every time she struggled to move. At least the man had peeled the tape from her eyes and mouth so that she could see something besides pitch-blackness.

Even if she could escape, the only way to safety was jumping into the frigid water, but she could not swim and would drown before ever reaching the shore.

The only thing thirteen-year-old Kayla Swanson thought about was home. Fond memories flashed through her mind of her parents, her little brother, and her dog Charlie. She was never going to see them again. Their smiling faces were forever etched in Kayla’s mind, and she constantly held them close to her heart.

The boat rocked, and seemed to sway more violently as the tide flooded in and out of the harbor. Kayla could hear a consistent clanking noise above her as the boat rolled back and forth. The sound had a hypnotic quality, and kept her mind on something else besides when the man would return and what he would do next.

Her lips were dry and cracked as she bordered on dehydration.

Even her tears dried on her cheeks, leaving her skin stiff and drawn. Her body began to shake, not only from fear, but also because of the extreme exhaustion and the constant dampness all around her.

The boat rocked more, but this time it shifted from the opposite sides. Kayla heard soft footsteps above, which she knew wasn’t her captor’s heavy walk. She strained her eyes in the darkness and thought she saw a thin shadow stealthily move along the upper deck.

Was it a ghost?

Kayla remembered a television series where a team of people hunted ghosts and they had said that ghosts could occupy any type of space, house, property, and even a boat.

She blinked her eyes several times and hoped that she could catch a glimpse of the ghost again. With every ounce of declining strength, Kayla scooted her body closer to the narrow stairs leading to the upper deck.

Painfully craning her neck, she strained to see something up in the darkness.

The dark shadowed areas played tricks on her eyes—it was there, then it wasn’t.

She waited for several minutes.

Nothing appeared.

The only sounds she heard were the usual boat noises she had grown accustomed to hearing. Whatever she thought she heard was gone now. It was most likely her imagination trying to give her some hope and a few moments break from her dire circumstances.

As she relaxed her shoulders and leaned back against the wall, the reality of her world pressing down hard. Tears streamed down her face. She tasted the saltiness that settled around her mouth. Her last moments were approaching, and there was nothing she could do.

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning crime fiction author and consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

Her latest book is the crime thriller, Dead Cold.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

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Badass Female Vigilante Serial Killer – Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff @AlexSokoloff

Posted on November 8, 2017 by fundinmental

Alexandra Sokoloff has reeled me in, hook, line and sinker, with her Huntress/FBI Thriller Series. Huntress Moon (see my review here) blew me away and she has kept it up in Blood Moon, Book II.

The covers scream out to me…and I do not hesitate to answer…I’m coming.

Cover: Brandi Doane

Goodreads / Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA

MY REVIEW

I am so excited to be back with Special Agent Matthew Roarke, kicking down doors and taking down the bad guys, as his hunt for Cara continues. I love action from the opening page, getting me fully invested in the story and Blood Moon has it in spades.

This book picks up where Huntress Moon, Book I, left off. It does fill in some blanks from the first book, but I will tell you now, I am so happy I started at the beginning. I don’t want to miss a thing and I don’t think you will either.

Cara is a female serial killer, but she is so much more than that. She is a vigilante that Roarke has been chasing since Huntress Moon, Book I of the series. Cara was not born this was, she was created…by The Reaper. She touched me deeply. Right or wrong? Who are we to judge? She is exorcising her demons the only way she knows how, saving innocent lives along the way.

Life is not black and white, but many shades of gray. Blood Moon makes many questions come to mind as man’s inhumanity to those unable to protect themselves is shoved in your face. Is evil alive? Does it have a physical presence?

How far should they, the FBI, go to draw her out? Roarke has conflicting feelings, but comes up with the plan. Cara was Roarke’s incentive to become an FBI agent, since he learned about the tragedy surrounding her at when he was nine years old.

Alexandra Sokoloff has written a story that pushes and pulls me in so many directions making me question myself. My morals and ethics. Who is right? Who is wrong?

She skillullly weaves the past and the present, sharing the storyline from Cara and Roarke’s perspective. The investigation takes them to surprising places, the clues and evidence leading them in unexpected ways. This is not your typical police procedural. Reading all the evidence takes a meticulous and detailed mind, thinking outside the box. I think it takes a special kind of person, whether you are deciphering the clues as a reader or creating them as a writer.

Alexandra Sokoloff is able to ramp up the intrigue, my curiosity, the suspense, and my anticipation to a horrifying, frantic level, making me wonder how this can possibly end.

Would you care if the traffickers, rapists, and pimps were offed? Would you go out of your way to find the vigilante who protects children who are unable to protect themselves and others have cast aside?

The characters come to life in a way I never anticipated. I loved them, I hated them, I worried about them, I raged at them, I fretted with fear and terror, and I wished they would go down in flames, and I mean that literally.

I love/hate the ending, BUT don’t think for a minute that the story is done, because Alexandra Sokoloff has so much more coming in Cold Moon, Book III, and I do not want to miss one second of Roarke’s and Cara’s story. I didn’t wait…I immediately began to read it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Book II in the Thriller Award-nominated Huntress/FBI series

Twenty-five years have passed since a savage killer terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace.

The haunted child who was the only surviving victim of his rampage is now wanted by the FBI for brutal crimes of her own, and Special Agent Matthew Roarke is on an interstate manhunt for her, despite his conflicted sympathies for her history and motives.

But when his search for her unearths evidence of new family slayings, the dangerous woman Roarke seeks – and wants – may be his only hope of preventing another bloodbath.

It is highly recommended that you read Book 1 of the series, Huntress Moon, first.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF