Freakin Friday #4 – New Release of Emma Meade’s short story – Dark Whiskey

Posted on June 28, 2013 by fundinmental

Freakin Friday!

Freakin Fridays is a meme brought to you by fuonlyknew. We will be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.

Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts!

Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

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Emma Mead’s cover for Dark Whiskey is eye catching. I love the colors and the simple design.

The cover was designed by Clarissa at Book Cover Art. Hop on over and check her out.

Uh oh! Jesse knew they should not have gone into the bar.

The vibes were bad and kept getting worse. She felt she should run, not walk to the nearest exit. But, she didn’t.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

Dark Whiskey grabbed me from the first page and swept me through to the last. The suspense kept me racing through the pages. Emma Mead’s writing is easy to read and flows smoothly. I can never figure out how an author can pack so much into a short story.

I must confess, I almost liked Eli.

I couldn’t help but laugh as Emma describes the girls. I had a girlfriend that was the motivator in our relationship, so I could relate to both of the girls.

Tasha got dumped and was determined to get back on the “horse”. Being BFFs, Jesse felt she had to be there for her, but wasn’t happy about it. Since her breakup, Tasha refused to go to their usual haunts, so, on to new territory. Have you been there, sticking by your friend, even when you know they are making a huge mistake?

Haven’t we all done something stupid when we were drinking? Okay, maybe not all of us.

I would love to hear more from Jesse and Eli. I feel there is a story to be told.

I received this book from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT EMMA MEADE

Author of Nights Sighs, Under the Desert Moon and The Awakenings & Other Stories.

Emma Meade writes paranormal fiction. She lives in rainy Ireland and loves all things supernatural. Stephen King’s The Stand is one of her most loved books. Books, DVDS & TV show boxsets take up lots of space in her home and she collects all the Point Horror books she can get her hands on. She is not ashamed to admit that Dirty Dancing and Twilight make her top ten movie list but wishes to point out that The Last of the Mohicans, Reality Bites, Dead Poets Society, Stand by Me and The Goonies are in there too.

Writing supernatural stories & watching marathon re-runs of Buffy are some of her favourite ways of escaping reality.

You can find Emma here:

Amazon Author Page/Blog /Website/Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter

To see my 5 STAR Review of End of The Line, go HERE.

To Purchase one of Emma Meade’s books, simply click on the cover.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To keep updated on the latest happenings here on fundinmental, follow by email.

5 STAR Review & Giveaway for Promise Cove by Vickie McKeehan

Posted on June 26, 2013 by fundinmental

Promise Cove is a novel of romance, suspense and the paranormal. My expectations are high and Vickie McKeehan does not disappoint. She starts out with the familiar, takes a twist and turn, then ends with ooey, gooey, warm fuzzies.

Drink in the gorgeousness of this awesome cover. I can see myself sitting in one of those chairs with my camera, a margarita and the next book in the series, Hidden Moon Bay, listening to the palm fronds rustling in the wind and enjoying the wonder of the beach.

Add To Goodreads

The words rolled off his tongue, “Murphy at the store said you might need help out here.”

It didn’t make sense. With all that Scott had, it was Nick standing here talking to Jordan. It had been Scott’s family home, but his grandparents had suffered a financial hardship and lost possession of it. After Scott and Jordan were married, he bought the house. They started their married life with the thought of the B & B the house would become when the renovations were finished……………………… until he was called to duty in the service of his country.

Scott’s last words, “Promise me, Nick….”

Nick had thought they would be his last words.

What was the promise?

Come on in and have a seat. Let’s talk about Promise Cove.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I am continually surprised when I read and love some Romance books as much as I do. I look at a book blurb like this and think – oh – girl meets boy, falls in love, they fight a little, will she lose him, and then happy ever after. I find that is not the case here. There is so much more to the story. The Goodreads book blurb says it will hold me breathless to the last page, how about the last sentence.

A small town. Of course I know some of what is to come. But wait. I expect Vickie to come up with something surprising and she does that flawlessly.

I keep trying to think of a way to describe Vickie McKeehan’s writing. It is so smooth, the words flow like water rolling gently down the stream. I never said I was a writer. LOL

She takes romance to a level so far above the usual, that it takes a while for me to see how it will get to the happy ending. I am always trying to figure out the end of a book, from the very first page. In this instance, I don’t want to know what is coming. Surprises can be very nice. ^_^

I cannot imagine war. My mind will not go there emotionally. I cannot begin to get a sense of what it would be like to know you can be shot or blown up at any second. What about the wives, keeping the home-front running, while waiting for their spouse’s return? And what if they don’t return?

Our service people’s bravery is something to be inspired by. I would like to thank all our military people for the wonderful job they do in protecting us and our way of life.

Her characters come alive on the pages as you enter their world, hoping and wishing that all works out for them. I am usually drawn to a strong female character in the books I read. I guess because I am female and I want to walk in their shoes. This time?

I fell in love with NIck. Yep, that’s right. You heard me. Read on and tell me you wouldn’t.

Nick – hypervigilent – fight or flight response in soldiers returning home from war.

Had he inherited a gene that kept him from emotional attachments?

When Vickie describes Nick with Hutton it blows my mind. This is the thing that stood out most in the book for me. She describes his wonder at learning he has feelings and emotions, just becoming aware as if a baby himself. So sweet. My eyes watered at Nick’s amazement of Hutton and Vickie describing his awe as Hutton would speak, drum and just do normal baby things. I couldn’t put it down. How could you not fall in love with Nick yourself? Plus, he’s pretty HOT.

I always like a little chuckle when I am not expecting it.

“…closest thing to a hunk….UPS man who gave her a three minute thrill…”

I loved the ending. To me a great romance ends with a little surprise and happy ever after.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will grab every book Vickie McKeehan writes, knowing she will take me from my world into hers. At the moment there are three more books in the Pelican Pointe Series and I can hardly wait to see where Hidden Moon Bay takes me.

I picked this book up on a free day at Amazon. Thank you Vickie for sharing the love.

I know I keep rambling on and on, but every time I edit the review, I think of something else I want to include. With that said, I’m going to read this ONE more time, then publish it. LOL

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vickie is the author of six novels, including The Evil Trilogy and the Pelican Pointe series. She’s a hardcore lover of books who grew up listening to her mother tell fascinating stories about ghosts and other tales full of characters she wasn’t sure ever really existed.

A self-proclaimed beachgoer and ocean-lover, she lives in Southern California with the love of her life. When she isn’t working on her next manuscript or screenplay, she loves to be outdoors.

In her spare time she tries to grow things which other people commonly refer to as gardening. She loves reading all kinds of books, both fiction and non-fiction, loves to play video games, and enjoys watching football with the hubby. If you’ve ever read any of her books, you know she’s a die-hard Raider fan, which means she has the patience of Job.

She lives for chocolate, but then who doesn’t? She’ll kill for a cup of coffee in the morning. She’s convinced the best food on earth is French fries. And she could easily be a vegetarian if it wasn’t for bacon.

To find Vickie McKeehan just look below:

Blog/Goodreads/Facebook/Twitter

To Purchase any of Vickie McKeehan’s books from Amazon, click on the cover.

GIVEAWAY

Vickie McKeehan is offering for the Giveaway 4 ebooks. International. Easy entry as always. Just leave your email address and answer the question:

Do you have someone close to you, or know of anyone that is now, or has ever served in the military?

GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. All winners have been notified. THE WINNERS ARE:

Gail / T. O. / Vanessa / Ann

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone, who has served their country, for their and their families sacrifices.

The response was overwhelming. Thanks go out to everyone who commented and shared their stories.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To keep updated on the latest happenings here on fundinmental, follow by email.

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith – Creature Dines on Crater Lake Smorgasbord

Posted on March 15, 2013 by fundinmental

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

An awesome and amazing cover to go along with an awesome and amazing book. I love monster books and movies. Not much can beat Godzilla, Sharktopus, Anaconda, Jaws, Jurassic Park……on a weekend afternoon.

I can definitely see this as a movie!

Add To Goodreads

Crater Lake was formed by a volcano. When Mount Mazama erupted, it left a caldera. It filled with rain and snow, making it into the lake it is today.

Henry’s friend and fellow ranger, George Redcrow, thought it was warming since the earthquake two years ago. They both wondered what damage had been done under the lake.

While showing tourists the lake, another earthquake hit. Henry looked around for any damage. He loved dinosaurs. He read all the Godzilla and Jurassic Park books, so when he spotted the bones, he thought he would come back later and check them out. They looked too big for a bear.

In the morning, Henry ran into George. George told him he had been out to the island and found a lot of carcasses. They were surrounded by monster sized tracks that looked like nothing he had ever seen before. Henry thought back to yesterday. A woman had been telling him about her friend that had visited the Park the year before. Her friend had told her she saw the Lock Ness Monster in the lake.

Henry called in a Paleontologist from John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Dr. Justin Maltin introduced himself to Henry and told him he didn’t know what kind of bones they were. He had never seen fossils like these, ever. Justin talked about his concern for any damage under the lake. They agreed to meet for dinner to discuss the situation further.

Justin told Henry the water temp was still rising and there was ongoing volcanic activity. It was not inconceivable that it could destroy the Park. What upset him the most was a huge track he had found. If it were real, it was from a creature he had never seen before.

Justin believed that dinosaurs were extinct because they couldn’t coexist with humans. Some were just too vicious. Think of King Kong and what happened to him. Or the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

With all the changes around the lake due to the earthquake, could it be possible?

If so, where did it live? How would they find it? What would they do once they did find it?

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I found the book full of suspense and anticipation. The writing led me into the story and never let me go. The book was so good, I didn’t want to quit reading. What was going to happen? What were they going to do? I started reading it too late, otherwise I would have read it straight through.

It captured enough details of the characters daily activities to allow me to imagine their lives and know them as if they were my neighbors. I like that it included things about the current economy and joblessness. It seems I am reading a lot of books that talk about current events. It makes the stories seem real to me.

Henry and Justin were both concerned about damage to the park when the news came out. What would happen to the Park when it was invaded by seekers of the creature? Americans are known in other countries as being rude and crude, disrespectful of the environments around them.

Henry calls it Godzilla. I love it. Some of my best weekend afternoons have been spent watching cheesy B rated monster shows. I think they are a blast to watch and I find I get into the books even more so. If there is a creature on the cover, I want the book. I am rarely disappointed.

They search the caves for a voracious meat-eater – Jack in the Box.

I loved the book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I received this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I’ve been writing for over 41 years now…published for 30 of those years since 1984; have EIGHTEEN novels, 2 novellas and 12 short stories to my name…and more coming. Aug. 30, 2012: I (first time ever!) SELF-PUBLISHED MY 16TH NOVEL *DINOSAUR LAKE* TO AMAZON KINDLE DIRECT! January 2013 I SELF-PUBLISHED MY 17TH NOVEL *HUMAN NO LONGER*, my fourth vampire novel. Also in January 2013 I self-published my rereleased murder mystery (originally a 2003 Avalon Books hardcover) SCRAPS OF PAPER-Revised Author’s Edition and FOUR SPOOKY SHORT STORIES, a collection of 4 horror/romantic horror short stories.

I write traditional supernatural horror, SF horror, romantic time-travel, murder mysteries and paranormal romance. I’ve been writing about ghosts, ancient Egyptian spirits, haunted places and evil vampires WAY LONG BEFORE Stephanie Meyer (no relation to me even though my maiden name is Meyer) and the rest of the vampire author crowd, ha, ha. And now ALL 15 of my older Zebra, Leisure paperbacks, Avalon Books murder mysteries and my Wild Rose Press books have been revised, reprinted and rereleased for the first time in many years (and in e-books for the first time ever) from DAMNATION BOOKS www.damnationbooks.com and ETERNAL PRESS www.eternalpress.biz and AMAZON KINDLE DIRECT. Yippie! So look for them.

I’m a wife of almost 35 years (husband, Russell), mother (one son, James) and grandmother (two grandchildren, Caitlyn and Joshua). I was a graphic designer in the corporate world for 23 years; and have published with Dorchester, Kensington, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Amazon Kindle Direct, Damnation Books and Eternal Press, and Amazon Publishing. Six years ago I crossed over into e-books as well as paperbacks and now ALL my old/new books are in ebooks…and soon to be in AUDIO BOOKS from ACX. I love cats and nature, classic rock and country music (my brother, JS Meyer www.jsmeyermusic.com, is a singer/songwriter and does the songs for all my self-made book trailers that are on my websites). VISIT me at www.myspace.com/kathrynmeyergriffith or www.bebo.com/kathrynmeyerG or www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith to see all my book covers and trailers.

My published books: (ALL OF THESE OUT AGAIN…PLEASE LOOK FOR THEM!) Human No Longer (2013),Dinosaur Lake (SF horror), Scraps of paper-Revised Author’s Edition, Evil Stalks the Night (supernatural horror), Leisure 1984; The Heart of the Rose (historical romance) Leisure 1985; Blood Forge (supernatural horror), Leisure 1989; Vampire Blood (romantic supernatural horror), Zebra 1991; The Last Vampire (supernatural horror), Zebra 1992; Witches (romantic horror), Zebra 1993 & Pinnacle 2000; a novella called The Nameless One in Dark Seductions, an erotic horror anthology, Kensington, 1993; The Calling (supernatural horror), Zebra 1994. The Nameless One, a short erotic novella in the 1994 Zebra Anthology Dark Seductions. And Scraps of Paper (hardcover mystery) Avalon Books, 2003; All Things Slip Away, the second mystery in the series came out also from Avalon Books in February 2006 and now both are out again from Amazon and both in ebooks for the first time ever. And my three novels and two short stories from The Wild Rose Press are out again from ETERNAL PRESS: Egyptian Heart(ancient Egyptian time travel romance); Winter’s Journey(a romantic suspense novel); The Ice Bridge, (a contemporary romance e-novel with a dose of murder mystery) and two ghostly short stories, Don’t Look Back, Agnes and In This House. BEFORE THE END: A Time of Demons, an apocalyptic saga from Damnation Books, June 2010. THE WOMAN IN CRIMSON, a vampire eternal love story, is out now from ETERNAL PRESS http://www.eternalpress.biz. The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Fiction: Volume 1 (I did the Introduction) 2011 and Telling Tales of Horror 2012(I did the chapter on Putting the Occult into your Fiction)***

Website

These are just a few of the many books published by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. Click on the cover to purchase, or be taken to Amazon for more of her books.

To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

To keep updated on the latest happenings here on fundinmental, follow by email.

Dragon Lady Step Aside For Natalie – Review

Posted on December 12, 2012 by fundinmental

Natalie’s Revenge – A Frank Renzi Novel by Susan Fleet

1988 – As soon as she woke up, she knew something was wrong.

Natalie was only ten, but she doubted her mom when she said she worked so late because she was a hostess at some fancy restaurant. Natalie was always home alone and never opened the door for anyone. When the doorbell rang, she looked out the peephole. It was a woman cop and she knew Natalie’s name. She went on to tell her that her mom was dead.

July 2008 – Renzi was called out in the middle of the night for a body with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. It was a hit. Renzi’s partner, Kenyon Miller was on his way. When he arrived, he told Renzi that he knew him. He was a bigwig at the new casino – The BABYLON.

The victim, Arnold, had been a good father, but a womanizer. He and his wife lived separate lives and it came out that he had a gambling problem. Could it be a disgruntled husband? A Business partner? His Wife? A Loan shark?

As they went over the security tapes from the Hotel Bienvenue, where Peterson was staying, Renzi saw her. She entered Peterson’s room. Her hat and sunglasses covered her face, but he noticed her walk, that she was fit and athletic. He also noticed a tattoo on her ankle. High priced hooker?

At the Sunshine Inn, June Carson was preparing to leave town. Her next stop was Circle K for travel supplies. She saw she was being watched by a guy in a cowboy hat. She left quickly, but he followed her, then called her name “Natalie”. It was an old classmate, Tex Conroy, from Pecos, Texas.. He had recognized her firebird pendant – her good luck charm. Not so good now. She knew what she had to do, get him off in an isolated place.

After her mother’s death, she was sent to her Uncle, Jerome Brixton in Pecos Texas. She liked to watch America’s Most Wanted and wondered what it would be like to run from the law. She researched her Vietnamese heritage and chose birds and mountains to protect herself. If she didn’t avenge her mother’s death, would angry spirits ruin her life?

Her cousin, Randy, called her slant eyes and gook. When she adopted a kitten, Randy killed it. She vowed she would make him pay.

Chinese proverb – All warfare is based on deception. Natalie learned Tae (strike) Kwon (strike with fist) Do (means way). She learned Jiapsul – pressure points. Part of the Tae Kwan Do oath was, “I shall be a champion of justice and freedom”.” She liked that. Justice for her mom. Freedom for herself. She learned to shoot guns because sometimes martial arts wouldn’t be enough.

As Renzi investigated Tex’s death in Pecos, the name Natale came up. She was accused of killing her cousin, Randy. He fell off a cliff at a family picnic. She wasn’t charged, but Renzi felt she was the one.

She knows he is closing in on her, but nothing was going to stop her from fulfilling her destiny.

5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I love the cover. Red is very eye-catching and who doesn’t love a shoot ’em up female protagonist. She even holds the gun properly. The title speaks for itself. The “package” made me want to pick it up and read it the moment I got it.

New Orleans. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting New Orleans. I love to read about places I’ve been to and am so familiar with. It seems to add something extra.

Once Renzi got to Pecos, I read faster and faster, learning about Natalie and her life in Pecos. I could feel the suspense building as I wondered how Renzi would catch her and wishing he wouldn’t. Very well written. I was unable to put it down. I had to know what was going to happen to her.

I love when the character, whether a book, TV show or movie, has to seek justice for themselves, like Death Wish . I have watched them so many times, I feel like I know all the characters intimately. I loved all the Death wishes, so I knew I would love this book. Of course, if everyone did it, we’d be like the Wild West. I rooted for her to exact her revenge and get away with it, even though she might have went too far.

I loved that Natalie went about her life, doing what she had to do to accomplish her goal, made me feel more empathy for her. Stripping, hooking and sacrificing her life, so she could put things right. Feeling as if her heritage demanded it or she would be haunted for the rest of her life. She became an actess, a chameleon. She had seven words to live by – Be what they want you to be. She trusted no one and relied only on herself.

I loved her single-mindedness to achieve her goal and the sacrifices she made, but then what? She really wanted what we all want, but she needed answers to be able to move on. And after all she had done, how could she have a “normal” life?

How far would you go to make sure someone paid for destroying a loved one’s life? Would you be able to do whatever it takes to make them pay?

Loved it when Vobitch kicked Hammer out of his office. I loved the dialogue between Renzi, his partner Kenyon and his boss, Vobitch. A verbal jousting match. Sarcastic, back and forth bantering, like Lisbon and Jane on The Mentalist.

Multiple story lines throughout the plot. Renzi is in love with Kelly who is also a cop. Hurricane Gail is heading for New Orleans. Guess a lot of us know what that entails.

Ending? Loved it. I sat there with my mouth hanging open, thinking…….Let me………………… Nope, you’ll have to find out for yourself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Music & Mayhem is my game. Started my trumpet career in my teens, got into the mayhem later. My print journalist father taught me how to play pool in the police station. Maybe that’s how I discovered my dark side.

After gigging on trumpet in the Boston area for many years (while teaching at Brown University and Berklee College of Music), I moved to New Orleans, which became the setting for my crime thrillers. Scroll down and check the video trailers for DIVA and ABSOLUTION.

I survived Katrina, but moved back to Boston in 2010. On my website I post profiles of women musicians and just began a blog, DARK DEEDS, about serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. Please come visit!!

SUSAN’S HANGOUTS

Website / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

Susan is offering 2 ebooks for the Giveaway – one for the US and one for the UK. Easy entry as always, just answer her question – New Orleans has many local coffee shops, but one is particularly famous. Not only that, I set one early scene at the coffee shop in Absolution, my first Frank Renzi mystery. What’s the name of the coffee shop? Have you ever been there? – and leave your email address.