Category Archives: Reviews

Review – Savage Risk by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor #romanticsuspense

Posted on by

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Well, I’m sad to say that Savage Risk was not one of my favorite Jane Blythe novels. She writes wonderful romance novels filled with danger, hunkalicious males, suspense, romance, and happy ever afters. It’s rare when one of her books misses the mark.

We have two dysfunctional characters, Skye Xenos and Caleb Quinn. They had been friends since they were four years old. They had grown up in the wealthy, political world, where their fathers had their lives planned out. That didn’t fly with either one. Skye was an animal whisperer, so it made sense for her to become a vet. Caleb went into the military, then joined Prey Security.

We have an ongoing suspense mystery that will be wrapped up in Savage Risk, the final book in the Prey Security, Alpha Team series.

Caleb comes back into Skye’s life with plans to use her to get information on her father, but that’s not the only reason. Caleb wants her back. That makes her a target. The Russian wants her for a birthday gift for his son to use and abuse and probably kill before it’s all over. Her father wants her to torture her and kill her. She won’t do down without a fight, but it will take Prey Security and Caleb to save her life.

The story was predictable, but I have been invested in the characters since I first met them in previous books. I was glad to see that the bad guys get their just desserts and second chances do pay off. A little bit of spit and polish and this ARC can really shine.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Savage Risk by Jane Blythe.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Some wounds run too deep to heal.

Once upon a time Skye Xenos had a friend. He didn’t know it but he was the only reason she could survive the Hell that was her home. Then he left, breaking a piece of her that could never be repaired. Now over a decade later he’s back and bad things start happening to her. A coincidence or did he really return to destroy the remaining pieces of her heart?

Caleb Quinn knows he made the biggest mistake of his life when he turned his back on his quirky neighbor. He just didn’t know how big a mistake. Not until the final piece of the terrorist plot he and his team have been working to dismantle for over a year leads him back to the one woman he wants and can’t have. Problem is Skye wants nothing to do with him, leaving him no choice but to keep secrets in a desperate bid to keep her safe.

But secrets always have a way of coming out, and if he can’t convince Skye to trust him then the sun, moon, and stars of his world will go out forever, leaving him trapped in the dark.

If you loved USA today bestselling author Jane Blythe’s inclusions in Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha world, you’ll be thrilled with SAVAGE RISK, the sixth and final book in the Prey Alpha Team series.

Scroll up and one click to start this thrilling military romantic suspense filled with alpha heroes, tough heroines, danger, action, and love! HEA guaranteed!

  • Genre: Fiction, Military, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Thriller
  • 242 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published August 8, 2023 by Bear Spots Publications
  • Series: Prey Security, Alpha Tream

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – The Mafioso’s Promise by Jade Styles #jadestyles

Posted on by

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

She walked into the room…the boxing gym…and it would change their lives forever.

Lucas’ mother had done everything she could to keep him free of the mafia that surrounds him, but he will sacrifice everything for Serafina. His father remains a mystery, but I had a pretty good idea

I wondered how things would work out for Lucas, but he is quick on his feet and determined to sever the ties that bind him, since he traded his freedom to be near Serafina. The machinations he goes through while striving for a happy ever after are life threatening. After all, the mafia has a saying, ‘once you’re in you’re never out.

Serafina has her doubts about Lucas, but she cannot quash the love she has for him, no matter how many times he lets her down.

There was much that was predictable in The Mafioso’s Promise, but it, also, had it’s share of mystery. I felt for Lucas, the choices he would have to make and the price he would pay to have Serafina. We do have a mafia war going on, but Jade Styles does not go in depth with the bloody details, though many bodies will fall. She concentrates more on the romance and everything Lucas and Serafina will have to go through to be together.

The Mafioso’s Promise by Jade Styles is the first book in The Fallen Angel series, so I foresee more problems popping up in the future for Lucas and Serafina.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The moment the seductive mafia princess stepped into my boxing gym, I knew I was done for.

The closer we got, the deeper I fell under her spell.

And when she confessed her desire to leave her sinister life behind, I vowed to protect her at all costs.

Even if it meant trading in my boxing gloves for a gun.

Even if it meant putting everything I held dear on the line.

Even if it meant breaking the promise I made to my dying mother and unleashing the darkness within me.

She never expected me to keep her in the dark for as long as I did.

I never expected her to hate me for it.

But every lie and secret was worth it.

Because for Serafina, I would do anything – even descending into the depths of hell itself.

Now, as she stands before me as my arranged bride-to-be, will she ever forgive me for the monster I’ve become?


Publisher’s Note : The Mafioso’s Promise is the first book in the Fallen Angels Alliance series. Each book is a standalone with no cheating, no cliffhangers and a satisfying happy ever after. Expect the following tropes in this

spicy dark mafiaenemies to loversoff-limitsarranged marriagemulticulturalsportssecond chance romance This story features a beautiful curvy FMC and a grumpy possessive MMC. Violent scenes and lots of angst are included. Please buy this book only if you are comfortable with such content.

  • 286 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Published September 16, 2024

ABOUT JADE STYLES (from Amazon)

Jade Styles is a contemporary romance author specializing in the following tropes:

* Multicultural

* Billionaire

* Enemies to Lovers

* Mafia

Jade loves to dream up billionaire bad boys who only kneel to their ambitious and passionate beauties.

Her stories are full of heat and unexpected turns, and a happily-ever-after is guaranteed every time.

She currently resides in Seattle, Washington, and when she is not dreaming up the latest romance she can be found either nursing her tropical plants or traveling with her green-eyed husband.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – The Fatal Mind by N J Gallegos @DrSpooky_ER

Posted on by

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

N J Gallegos’ real life medical knowledge comes in handy in The Fatal Mind.

Shawn Gilbert’s NBA career ended when he suffered a head injury. The constant migraine headaches are relentless, ruining any semblance of a normal life…until…

Dr Absinthe has created an experimental chip that inhibits migraines and as soon as Shawn learns of it, he’s on board, FDA approval or not. I have headaches, but Tylenol does the trick for me. Would I want an experimental chip implanted into my brain? I don’t think so.

Some of Dr Absinthe patients don’t react so well to the implant. I figured her patients couldn’t all survive, otherwise we wouldn’t have a story. I am just along for the ride, letting the author take me where they want, instead of trying to anticipate the characters’ every move.

I was shocked, yet I smiled, at the brutal conclusion of Shawn and Rachel’s story. I never saw that coming, and I love it. N J Gallegos kept the pacing at a steady rate, keeping me reading page after page. I had to know how she would end the story.

That last sentence…well…

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Fatal Mind by N J Gallegos.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Dr. Aldea Absinthe’s experimental chip-implant procedure inhibits the migraine pain of her patients, releasing them from debilitating chronic pain. When she performs her new procedure on Shawn Gilbert, a former NBA superstar whose career was cut short by headaches, Gilbert becomes her biggest advocate, launching the brilliant and beautiful neurologist to national stardom. But when Gilbert’s wife Rachel sees Gilbert’s personality become darker by the day, it becomes a race against time to uncover the deadly secret behind Dr. Absinthe’s miracle cure in this Black Mirror meets Frankenstein medical horror thriller.

  • Genre: Fiction, Horror
  • Format: 236 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication: October 15, 2024 by Winding Road Stories

ABOUT N J GALLEGOS

N.J. Gallegos is an Emergency Medicine Physician who enjoys horror, medicine, and wicked women looking for revenge. Put all three together? Now we’re talking! She lives in Illinois with her wife and two cats. In her spare time, she enjoys binging reality trash tv, brewing beer, and running while listening to EDM so she can drink said brewed beer.

MY N J GALLEGOS REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – The Space Person by Catherine Kuo #catherinkwo #timberghostpress

Posted on by

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I want to thank Timber Ghost Press for the opportunity to read The Space Person by Catherine Kuo. As soon as I saw the cover, I had to have it. It’s a quick read, at 77 pages.

Human civilization had immigrated to Mars after using up all the resources on Earth and the Moon. Now they are in search of resources that can keep civilization going. They think they are in luck when they discover a moon that has the life sustaining fuel they so desperately need. Sometimes things are too good to be true.

It’s not long before the crew begins suffering affects from The Space Person. No one is safe.

Horror runs rampant before the story is over and I love when an author is not afraid to kill off their characters. Will anyone survive? You’ll have to read it to see.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Deep in the waters of uncharted space, Captain Annie Chou and First Officer Jasmine Donnelly pilot the exploration ship Shiro Oni in search of resources to sustain the remnants of human civilization back on Mars. Humanity has already been driven from Earth by its own hubris, and now it faces the threat of extinction. By an enormous stroke of luck, the Shiro Oni crew discovers a moon they can mine containing life-saving fuel, and it almost seems too good to be true. Not long after they begin drilling, anxiety, restlessness, and agitation plagues the crew with no discernible cause. The only thing they have in common is a recurring dream involving a mysterious and unsettling “space person.” Driven by Captain Chou’s ambition for fame and glory, and Donnelly’s desperate bid for her people’s salvation, the crew presses on even as the afflicted begin turning to violence. As blood flows through the corridors of the ship, the survivors must ask Is it worth it?

  • Genre: Horror, Novella, Science Fiction
  • 77 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication December 10, 2024 by Timber Ghost Press
  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Yours Truly by R M Demeester @rmdemeester

Posted on by

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I kept seeing the cover for Yours Truly by R M Demeester and finally decided I had to have it. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I got more than I bargained for and I loved it.

Lilac and her mother have a rough life, living paycheck to paycheck. Lilac met Chad while working at a dead end bar. She feels she finally caught a break, because he comes from a wealthy family and he wants her. BUT…

Sarah, Chad’s ex fiancee has something to say about that. Think Fatal Attraction.

All three families carry a lot of baggage. I do love damaged characters. I, especially, love villains, and we have our fair share of wrong doers in Yours Truly. One pops up that never caught my attention until the end. I love it. The villain does a good/bad thing for a selfish reason and it works out well for everyone….everyone but Sarah. That’s okay, though. Sarah needs to be locked up. She is a danger to anyone who gets in her way.

The suspense and pacing kept me hanging on the words and I love that I wasn’t able to figure everything out. It seems so simple. Girl meets boy and they fall in love. Girl dumped isn’t happy about it…BUT it goes so much farther than that.

The ending…I couldn’t help but shake my head and smile.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Love finds us, but so does she.


I know what it’s like to be underestimated. At almost twenty, I’ve learned that life isn’t easy on people like me—a high school dropout working in a dead-end bar. So when Chad, from an influential family, walks into my life, I think I’ve finally caught a break. But, of course, things are never that simple.

Then there’s Sarah, his ex-fiancée. She can’t, or won’t, let him go. Chad says she’s just struggling to move on, but I’m not so sure. Sarah is everywhere. She’s inserting herself into our business, and her behavior crosses lines I can’t ignore. I try to tell myself she’s just obsessed and harmless, but deep down, I know better.

Now I’m wondering how far she’ll go to get him back and what it will cost me. I’m worried I’m risking my happiness, my sanity, or even my life.

  • Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller
  • Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication October 11, 2024

ABOUT R M DEMEESTER

R.M. Demeester, from Saskatchewan, loves being a mom, reading books, and writing. She’s been writing since she was very young. Today, she’s known for her stories in women’s fiction, romantic suspense, and thrillers. She also has a rescue dog named Gainer, a chocolate lab who passed away recently, but is still very much loved and missed. Her newest book, “The Girl Once Known”, comes out in February 2024.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell #netgalley #grandcentralpublishing

Posted on by

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Kay Scarpetta has been around long enough, that many of the characters are familiar to me. I have enjoyed each and every moment with them. I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell.

An abandoned amusement park.

A mutilated body.

A message sent.

Kay Scarpetta finds out the victim is someone she knows. Someone she once loved. Sal Giordano. I do like when an author isn’t afraid to kill off a character that I know, as long as it enhances the story. This death hits very close to home for Kay.

Mystery surrounds Sal Giordano’s death. Does it involve aliens? Just your run of the mill human murderer? Or could it be someone from their past getting their revenge?

Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell seemed different from the usual Kay Scarpetta novels, but may I’ve just missed too many to see the storyline clearly. Either way, I enjoyed my time with the characters. The mystery is deep, complex, and I didn’t see what was coming.

I found it hard to rate Identity Unknown. I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t quite get there. Whether it’s the or me, I can’t say. I will say this, if you are a Kay Scarpetta and Patricia Cornwell fan, I recommend reading Identity Unknown

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

4 GOODREADS BLURB

Autopsies can reveal the secrets of the dead.

And this victim is sending Scarpetta a message…

Summoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had an intense love affair with Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship.

The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano’s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue.

As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of Giordano himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil . .

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • 400 pages, Hardcover
  • Expected publication October 8, 2024 by Grand Central Publishing
  • Series: Kay Scarpetta, #28

ABOUT PATRICIA CORNWELL

Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature.

Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.

Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.

After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.

Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.

When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”


Social and Digital Outlets

http://www.patriciacornwell.com

https://www.facebook.com/patricia.cor…

https://twitter.com/1pcornwell

https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/

MY PATRICIA CORNWELL REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

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

Posted on by

FROZEN LIVES

by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

October 7 – November 1, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

MY REVIEW

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

Synopsis:

A Coroner’s Daughter Mystery

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Praise for Frozen Lives:

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

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

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

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

Book Details:

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

Read an excerpt:

 

 

Author Bio:

Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

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

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

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Jennifer Graeser Dornbush and Blackstone Publishing. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

Can’t see the giveaway? Click Here!

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Don’t Let Her In – The Crone by Kevin Bachar @KevinPangolin

Posted on by
The Crone Horror Book House of Horror series Witches and scary evil in a haunted house.
The Crone Horror Book House of Horror series Witches and scary evil in a haunted house.
The Crone Horror Book House of Horror series Witches and scary evil in a haunted house.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Crone by Kevin Bachar is one of the best horror novels I have read in a while. It’s part of his stand alone Houses Of Horror series. Most people think of their home as places of comfort and safety. Not so, Kevin Bachar’s homes. They are filled with horror and terror.

The fabulous cover hints at the horror awaiting new homeowners Paul and Tina Nimos. They are house flippers. Buying homes, fixing them up, and then selling them. This time, the house is in good shape and they are going to make it their forever home…Or so they think. The Crone will have something to say about that.

A sharp piece of wood, a drop of blood, and The Crone is released. What started out as hope for their forever home quickly feels like a curse. But the Crone never faced anyone like Tina before. Tina had served in Afghanistan, and she will put up one hell of a fight to protect her family and claim the house as their own.

I had moments of familiarity, like when she goes to the grocery store and has to put items back because she didn’t have enough money. I’m happy those days are over for me, I just hope it’s over for Tina too. It is small moments like this, that make the characters relatable and realistic…even The Crone…if you believe in that sort of thing.

I found myself smiling at the cute dialogue between Tina and her daughter, Katie.

“How about the Daddy doll? Does he listen to the Mommy?”

“No, he never does…..”He’s always in time out. Not very good at listening.”

Thrills and chills abound in The Crone by Keven Bachar. Sometimes the horror is subtle and anticipatory, other times it’s in your face. To add to the ambience, cozy up in your favorite reading place, turn out the lights, and read The Crone.

The Crone was unpudownable and has a great ending. I was soon flying through the pages, I read The Crone in one sitting, so take note, once you start you may not be able to stop.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Star

GOOREADS BLURB

Paul and Tina Nimos are like a lot of young married couples, they’re madly in love but finances are putting a strain on their relationship. Their home renovation business is struggling, and with a new baby in the house, bills are piling up. When Paul finds a cheap house to buy and flip, he thinks their problems are solved. It’s an older New England home, with plenty of history and once it’s repaired it should command a great price.

But as Paul and Tina begin the daunting task of restoring the new house, they struggle with the reconstruction. It seems the home doesn’t want to be repaired. As they fall behind in their renovation they realize that unexplained forces are conspiring against them and that helpful friends might not be who they seem.

Soon the couple realizes that a Crone could be the source of their troubles. But it might be too late, as the house and the Crone prepare to extract a horrific toll from Paul, Tina, and their baby. Will they be able to fight back against a centuries-old evil? The Crone, don’t ever let her in.

  • Genre: Fiction, Horror
  • 266 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication October 30, 2024

ABOUT KEVIN BACHAR

Kevin Bachar is a national EMMY award-winning natural history documentary filmmaker and WGA writer. The elevated horror film he wrote – The Inhabitant – https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/the-inh… – was released through Lionsgate and is available on most streaming services.

If you’ve watched National Geographic, PBS, or The Discovery Channel over the years you’ve seen his work. He’s the idiot in the water filming sharks or crawling into caves to photograph vampire bats. You can see Kevin at work filming sharks here – https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2703407897/…

The natural world has always captured his imagination and the supernatural world inspires his stories. Through his journeys, he’s interviewed scientists who’ve enlightened him, heard folk tales that have frightened him, and seen quite a few things that have challenged his skeptical mind.

His collection of short stories that weaves together the natural world and the supernatural world entitled, DREAD, is available on Amazon. He’s currently working on his second collection entitled – CREEP.

Complimenting his writing, Kevin has lectured and given presentations at prestigious institutions such as Rutgers University, American University, and the Rubin Museum of Art.
To keep up to date with Kevin’s movies, documentaries, and books –
www.kevinbachar.com
https://twitter.com/KevinPangolin
https://www.instagram.com/kevinbachar/
https://www.tiktok.com/@kevinbachar?l…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjEKM_m…
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1423190/

MY KEVIN BACHAR REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

$20 GC & Review – Silver Bells by Sandy Lender @goddessfish @sandylender

Posted on by

SILVER BELLS: A CHRISTMAS HORROR STORY

Sandy Lender

GENRE:  Horror

MY REVIEW

Such a great cover that hides the horror inside.

Ivy Light is visiting her best friend for Christmas. She will get more than she bargained, both good and bad.

The Harris’ have a security guard by the name of John Knightley, after the husband receives a threat. He will regret allowing the rest of his team to have the holidays off.

A fire next door leads to a full house, when they open their doors to the homeless family.

The spirits have a beef against those who built their houses on sacred ground. We all know what happens when the spirits take offense. They fight back.

Silver Bells by Sandy Lender is a quick read with enough horror to keep me curious, having to know how the story will end. So, if you are looking for something wicked for the holidays, you might want to take a looksee.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Star

BLURB

There’s more than the Christmas Spirit hovering around Reindeer Creek this holiday
season. An eerie backdrop to her dearest friend’s new home disturbs Ivy Light, but the Harris family’s personal security detail—the debonair John Knightley—intrigues her greatly. The handsome gentleman has his hands full with his client being stalked by more than unethical business moguls. There are hybrid wolf-bear creatures and a manipulative side chick to worry about, after all. It’ll take extra Christmas cheer for Ivy to bring comfort and joy back to her best friend amid the tragedies and paranormal threats this year. 

Join in the festivities at Reindeer Creek! And help the families at the Harris house divine what’s reality, who’s a foe, and how to thwart the evil side of a spiritual war.

EXCERPT

She clearly heard the click of the coat closet door as Harry finished depositing Professor Thackery’s outerwear and listened for their footsteps to join them. John would have a fit if he could see this. Each one of us lined up here at the window, exactly where he told me not to have us. Of course, John hadn’t indicated he was prone to fits of anger when his orders were balked. He rolled with the punches nicely. He’d probably smirk at her with that way too sexy mouth.

Enough of that thinking.

The snowman-gnome worker had made it half-way up the ladder and stopped. Because her attention was focused on Mr. Heggs, his plastic-looking hair, and the diminutive chainsaw he now fired up with a whine-and-whir, she lost track of his partner. Would that fellow try to approach the front door next? Try to breach the stronghold?

She wanted to move everyone to an interior room. “Maybe we should all—”

Lexie shrieked as a blur of gray wintery mix slammed into the worker outside. Both ladder and chunky gnome crashed over in a fast-motion slam to the ground.

Snow exploded along the footprint of the falling ladder. And as stark red sprayed up from the chainsaw’s grinding whir-and-scream against bone and metal, Ivy grabbed Lexie and spun her away from the gore. She buried the child’s face in her shoulder, away from the horrifying thrashing that ended long before the crimson shower.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Sandy Lender is an international best-selling poet and award-winning author of fantasy, literary fiction, poetry, and short story work. She’s a construction magazine editor by day and author of #GirlPower fantasy novels by night, living in Florida to help with sea turtle conservation and parrot rescue. You can follow her author page on Amazon, check her website at SandyLenderInk.com, or subscribe to her newsletter at https://bit.ly/SSReNews.

With a four-year degree in English and thirty-year career in publishing, Sandy’s successes include traditionally and self-published novels, hundreds of magazine articles, multiple short stories in competitive anthologies, a handful of technical writing awards, a handful of creative writing awards, and the 2023 Michael Knost Wings award. Sandy’s been writing stories since she was knee-high to a grasshopper when her great-grandmother shared her odd little tales of squeaky ghost-spiders around an apartment complex in Southern Illinois. The stories have developed to include strong young ladies working with dragons to save worlds from terrible fates, but those pesky spiders still show up from time to time.

There’s always something brewing at Sandy Lender Ink headquarters where some days, you just want the dragon to win.

  • Visit SandyLenderInk: www.SandyLenderInk.com
  • Subscribe to her free, monthly newsletter at bit.ly/SSReNews
  • Follow Sandy Lender on Amazon: amazon.com/author/SandyLender
  • Follow her on Twitter @sandylender
  • Follow her BookTube channel SandySaysRead on YT @SandyLender
  • Grab the ebook of Silver Bells: https://books2read.com/u/4Nlap6
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Review – I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong @KelleyArmstrong #netgalley #illbewaiting

Posted on by

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I’ll Be Waiting is one of the best Kelley Armstrong novels I have read in some time.

“I’ll Be Waiting”, were some of Anton’s last words. Nicola had thought their short time together would be because of her illness, Cystic Fibrosis. She cannot accept that he is gone, so she hops from one seance to another.

Don’t we all know, don’t go in the basement. Yet, she does.

I didn’t trust the right person and did trust the wrong person. That’s some great writing. Sucked me right in.

I love that Kelley Armstrong had my head spinning. I couldn’t figure out if Nicola was being played or if it was true. I do love a convoluted ghost story. One that I am not able to figure out for myself. I was fooled and when I found the truth, I loved the book all the more. It’s nice to be surprised. I couldn’t figure out who to trust and was sucked into the ghostly mystery.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

From New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a spellbinding new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood…

Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press—the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body….

In this atmospheric, thrilling new ghost story, Kelley Armstrong’s full talents are on display to thrill, chill and leave the reader guessing how Nicola escapes with her life–if she can.

  • Genre: Ghosts, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
  • 336 pages, Hardcover
  • Expected publication October 1, 2024 by St Martin’s Press

ABOUT KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Tumbler

MY KELLEY ARMSTRONG REVIEWS

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
  • You can see my Reviews HERE.
  • If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
  • Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
  • Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
  • I am an amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
  • Thanks for visiting fundinmental!