Giveaway & Review – Homicide in the House by Colleen J Shogan @cshogan276 @dollycas

Posted on July 27, 2016 by fundinmental

Homicide in the House
by Colleen J. Shogun

Homicide in the House
(Washington Whodunit)
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Camel Press (June 15, 2016)
Paperback: 258 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1603813334
MY REVIEW

I love the cool cover created by Sabrina Sun for Homicide in the House by Colleen J Shogan.

Homicide in the House by Colleen J Shogan has so many elements that relate to our current political climate, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. Government shutdown. Political machinations. All decisions are compromised. Give to get. It’s not selling out your soul when you bend…not break. Representatives park themselves and build a kingdom. I could get on a rant, but let’s talk about the book.

Even though Homicide in the House by Colleen J Shogan is the second book in the Washington Wodunit series, I don’t feel my reading suffered from not having read Stabbing in the Senate first, where Kit was accused of murdering her boss. Will dead bodies follow her through Capitol Hill?

Right off, I like Representative Maeve Dixon and Kit, her right hand. When Maeve is suspected of murder, it is time for Kit to put her thinking cap on and begin her own investigation. Colleen kept me guessing who amongst the suspects was the guilty party.

Homicide in the House by Colleen J Shogan meets all the requirements for a cozy mystery: an amateur sleuth and her trusty friends. Some lovable and not so lovable characters along with a critter and easy reading and I would vote yes to adding this to your reading list.

I received a copy of Homicide in the House by Colleen J Shogan in return for an honest review.

3 Stars

Synopsis:

Kit Marshall has bounced back from her first brush with the law, when she was suspected of murdering her senator boss. Now she is working for a freshman congresswoman, Maeve Dixon, a young Gulf War veteran representing North Carolina. It’s February, and Kit is feeling out of sorts. A government shutdown has just been announced, wreaking havoc on the Hill, and Dan, Dixon’s chief of staff and Kit’s supervisor, is an inexperienced lightweight flying blind. Then there’s Kit’s distracted live-in boyfriend, Doug, who doesn’t seem any closer to popping the question. Kit’s best friend Meg is up to her eyeballs with her new beau and oversight committee job, and Clarence the beagle mix will certainly not win Capitol Canine if Meg has to campaign for him all by herself. Bad as things are now, they are about to get much worse.

Early one morning Representative Dixon is caught standing over the corpse of Jack Drysdale, the Speaker of the House’s top staffer, a man she argued with in front of the press the day before. The murder weapon was the Speaker’s gavel. This item was entrusted to Dixon at the time, leading the police to believe they’ve found their killer. To save her job, Kit must clear her boss’s name, and quickly. Dixon’s career may be over if the police declare her a suspect or an anonymous blogger known as Hill Rat breaks the story. Solving this murder will test Kit’s courage and all her fledgling powers of deduction as she roams a spooky, sparsely populated Capitol Hill looking for clues and sounding out suspects.

About The Author

Colleen J. Shogan is a senior executive at the Library of Congress. She is the former deputy director of the Congressional Research Service and previously served as a staffer in the United States Senate. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American government at Georgetown University, Penn, and George Mason. Colleen is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received her BA from Boston College and her doctorate from Yale. A member of Sisters in Crime, she lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband Rob Raffety and their rescue mutt, Conan. Her first book, Stabbing in the Senate, won the Next Generation Indie Award for Best Mystery in 2016.

Author Links: Webpage / Facebook / Twitter / GoodReads

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N

Tour Participants

July 25 – Back Porchervations – Review

July 25 – Babs Book Bistro – Spotlight

July 26 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – Review

July 26 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – Interview

July 27 – fundinmental – Review

July 28 – Sleuth Cafe – Guest Post

July 28 – T’s Stuff – Spotlight

July 29 – Teresa Trent Author Site – Review

July 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – Guest Post

July 30 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Character Interview

July 31 – Lisa Ks Book Review – Review, Interview

August 1 – Bookjunkie’s Book Blog – Review

August 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview

August 3 – Queen of All She Reads – Review

August 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review

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Tag Team Event – The Lie by Ashley Fontainne Giveaway

Posted on March 1, 2016 by fundinmental

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Welcome to our Tag Team Event and Giveaway

(Sherry at fundinmental) and Laura at fuonlyknew are proud to present Ashley Fontainne and The Lie.

We will share our reviews and giveaways, giving you two perspectives and two chances to win!

~~~

Some time ago I was lucky enough to win a bunch of Ashley Fontainne’s books and The Lie was one of them. I found out she is a master storyteller and have been grabbing her new books every chance I get, picking off the ones I won wherever I can fit them in.

I read this last year, but since then Ashley Fontainne had The Lie optioned for film and has just completed the movie, which is called Foreseen. If you would like to learn more about the movie, read on and I will share a photo and link after my review.

I have a passion for trees and walking through this story with Karmen, staying in the shadows, is a hike that gave me time to ruminate and wonder about the battle for good and evil that is just around the corner.

Add me to Goodreads now

The Lie by Ashley Fontainne

GOLD MEDAL WINNER – FICTION
2013 ILLUMINATION BOOK AWARDS

MY REVIEW

The Lie by Ashley Fontainne starts out with a brutal act that sets the battle for good and evil into motion. I love the premise for The Lie, a book within a book, a writer writing about a writer..Mystery and foreboding arise from the pages.

Jacob is a pastor who takes joy from the simple things in life. I loved his wife, Deborah, a friendly, warm, loving person, rejoicing in her faith. I wouldn’t move from Pelican Point, Florida, to Martin, Kentucky, a small coal mining town, but this is where Jacob felt the Lord sent him. But…there was not to be a happy ever after, though I do feel he is destined for something big.

Karmen Moncrille is a shy, introverted writer. She has a natural gothic look about her, but the real question is…where do her ideas come from? No one would believe it if she told them. Is she crazy or possessed? I felt her aversion to makeup and couldn’t help but laugh at Ashley Fontainne’s humorous writing about it. A laugh or two amongst the horror is a good thing. The description of her panic attack was so real…until she tipped it over the edge into a dangerous place.

The descriptive writing makes it easy to see the characters and events as if they are taking place before my very eyes…and they will be, when the movie, Foreseen, comes out.

Emily is her best friend and I liked her a lot. She is the total opposite of Karmen and when she snuck in Karmen’s window and talked her into a trip back home for her upcoming twenty third birthday, well, all I could think was…HERE WE GO!

The writing and pacing kept me on the edge of my seat. I can feel the approaching badness and I am just waiting for the event that will change everything for her. I am suspicious of everyone. I am a realist and find it easy to question things. I keep thinking she needs to be careful what she wishes for because she just might get it, but it won’t be quite how she anticipated it to be.

I hate to put the book down, but it’s late and I’m only halfway through and my eyes keep closing. To bed I go and I hope my dreams are not Karmen’s.

Paranormal, romance, religious, man’s frailties and doubts, demons. Is it really necessary to believe in a higher power? Redemption? Evil uses our basest depravities against us. I love the wonderful mix of genres, the blend of good and evil fighting over us and the world we live in. The big question – Who will rule?

I love, Love, LOVE this book and can hardly wait to see the movie…and, of course, to read more of her books!

She was supposed to write The Lie and change the world, but…

“The Lie had already been written.”

5 STARS

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Karmen Moncrille’s name has been known throughout the world since the age of sixteen when her first book shot to the top of the bestseller’s list. Now everything she writes is an instant hit, and her legions of devoted fans eagerly await her next release.

The mysterious Karmen always blamed debilitating panic attacks as the reason she avoided publicity and has become a recluse. Which is exactly what she wants the world to think. Only Karmen knows the truth behind her introverted nature. Terrified of being asked where her ideas come from, she fears being branded a raving lunatic.

Now just a week before her twenty-third birthday, Karmen’s world implodes. The madness that haunts her dreams spills over to her reality and she questions her sanity. Suddenly everything has changed and now the world will transform with her. Her last book will unleash the truth and alter mankind—forever.

Is Karmen’s ability to write a gift or a curse? She’s about to find out if her entire life is a lie. And why she was destined to write it.

WHAT’S BEING SAID ABOUT THE LIE BY ASHLEY FONTAINNE

“THE LIE by Ashley Fontainne is a thought-provoking novel that takes readers into the darkness, yet shares a deep, unforgettable story….the premise is excellent and definitely one that will attract readers looking for intrigue. I enjoyed the fact that the author writes from a Christian world view and is obviously familiar with and respectful of Christianity…All in all, a solid, original work. I think Ashley Fontainne is building an excellent career and will find many devoted fans.” – Judge, 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

“Ashley nails the struggles of good vs. evil, religious, political and individual flaws and weaknesses/strengths. The use of Scripture is amazing and her suck-you-in style captivates the reader with her vivid characters and their motivations.” – Janelle Taylor, NY Times bestselling author of Necessary Evil

“Any…reader interested in intrigue, mystery, supernatural thrillers and a thread of spirituality linking all elements will find this an engrossing saga with unexpected turns and a very unpredictable conclusion.” – D. Donovan, eBook reviewer, MidWest Book Reviews

Click here or on the image to check out Foreseen on Facebook.

ABOUT ASHLEY FONTAINNE (from her website)

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.

Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.

Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.

Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.

Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads / LinkedIn / G+ / You Tube / Twitter

GIVEAWAY

Ashley Fontainne has a fantastic giveaway for you! Multiple books and two chances to win ebooks or audiobooks, your choice. We will have 3 (three) winners on each blog. Check out this list of books for the winners!

Blood Ties
The Lie
Growl
Number Seventy-Five
Night Court
Whispered Pain
Tainted Cure

You can check out my reviews by following the links below if you need more info.

All you need to do to enter is answer the question below and leave your email so I may contact you if you win.

“What scares you the most? Is it demons, flying…”

For a second look and another chance to win, go to Laura at fuonlyknew.

Giveaway will run from 3/1/6 – 3/11/16.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.

If you have a problem commenting, look for the twitter, facebook…buttons.

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!.

Ashley Fontainne’s writing is so spectacular, I am always anticipating the next book I will read of hers. Here are my reviews…so far:

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For a second look and another chance to win, go to Laura at fuonlyknew.

A Cure or a Curse – Tainted Cure @AshleyFontainne

Posted on February 16, 2016 by fundinmental

Is it a cure or a curse? The cover for Tainted Cure by Ashley Fontainne is only one of the things that drew me to this novel. I have read several amazing books by Ashley and she always leaves me wanting more. This author is at the top of her game and any book by her will be a MUST READ for me.

Some of her novels have been made into or optioned for film.

Cover design by One of a Kind Covers

Add me to Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Tainted Cure by Ashley Fontainne is a unique and original look at drug addiction and the search for a cure for it. People are very creative and Tainted Cure will show you how something lifesaving and good can become twisted and evil. Do you believe in conspiracies…you may when you are done reading this.

Dr Everett Berning had been recruited to work for the covert program – Rememdium.

Their goal: find a cure for addiction.

A meth head had taken out his entire family, so how could he refuse?

Word gets out about a possible cure and the story takes an unexpected turn. Is it a cure or a curse?

At the beginning, I wondered where Ashley Fontainne could take a story about drugs. Haven’t we read all the storylines? She writes such great stories, I still expect a high level of entertainment and suspense with a unique and original twist and she did not let me down.

OMG. I didn’t see this grisly and horrific twist but I love it. They created monsters, monsters that may be the end of the world. Would anyone survive or would this be the apocalyptic event that wiped mankind from the face of the earth? The epidemic that creates the apocalypse is not what is foreseen by the doctors and medical community of today.

I never saw Tainted Cure going in this direction, fanfrickintastic. I love it and I will not tell you much, because I refuse to spoil it for you.

They don’t care who is good or bad, they just take whoever is unlucky enough to get in the way.

The twists and turns, the suspense, thrills and terror of what would come on the next page kept me reading at a rapid pace.

Tainted Reality, Book II of the Rememdium series is next on my reading list. I must know more and I must know it NOW!

I received a copy of Tainted Cure by Ashley Fontainne in return for an honest review.

5 STARS

Goodreads Blurb: Dr. Everett Berning, a leading researcher into the causes of addiction in the brain, spent ten years of his life dedicated to one thing: finding the cure. Recruited after a strange encounter with the enigmatic Dr. Roberta Flint, Director of Research on Code Name: Rememdium, Dr. Berning is sent to work in a secret lab as part of the research team.

When the moment the scientists waited on for years arrives, Dr. Flint and her team are ecstatic.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the world feels the same way.