Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Lila Carmichael, outrageous, bawdy comedienne, is a rich and powerful woman in television. But, it’s not enough she has everything she desires; for fifteen years she has been obsessively orchestrating payback to five unsuspecting, former schoolmates—“friends” who played a nasty trick on her, and now it’s her turn for revenge.
Under the flattering auspices of a cozy college reunion, these unsuspecting classmates arIe invited to Lila’s private island for a weekend from hell where Lila forces them to play a vicious parlor game—a psychological “Ten Little Indians,” where one by one Lila’s guests are figuratively killed-off. Yet, revenge turns bittersweet when the weekend is over and one guest is dead.
A psychological spinoff of Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” that Publisher’s Weekly calls “A page-turning thrill ride that will have readers holding their breaths the whole way through.”
I added Innocent Little Crimes by C S Lakin to my Goodreads TBR on 10.30.12. I must have won it and the author/publisher sent me an ebook. Amazon says the book is unavailable, but I see where she has a lot of books about writing, so she is still around. I will most likely read this because #1 the cover. Have to know….and I do love when a character takes care of a problem themselves. Psychological thrillers can have that little something extra we are all looking for. Ya know, a little bit of vigilante justice is sometimes in order. What do you think about taking the law into your own hands? Could you do it?
I was offered a review copy of Christopher Opyr’s novella, Calling Mr Nelson Pugh. Seeing it was a quick read and I do love psychological thriller’s I grabbed it.
WOW. Calling Mr nelson Pugh is an intense psychological thriller novella that has an underlying threat in the beginning that turns into an all out assault to the senses as he is taken down a torturous road to hell.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Calling Mr Nelson Pugh by Christopher Opyr.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Mr. Nelson Pugh suffers from crippling anxiety, which is only exacerbated when he travels. So when on his latest business trip he receives an unusual series of calls from his wife, Eleanor, his anxiety gets the best of him. At first, giving in to his own self-doubt, he attempts to cast aside his growing fears as another episode of paranoid delusion. As the calls continue, however, Nelson can no longer be sure.
Is he suffering from a panic attack or is his family in terrible danger? And if the danger is real, will anyone believe him when he can barely trust himself?
Hundreds of miles away and with no hope of reaching his family, Mr. Nelson Pugh must uncover the truth before the mystery reveals itself with potentially horrific consequences.
ABOUT CHRISTOPHER OPYR
Christopher Opyr is the pen name of Christopher Hutton. He is a former story producer and voice-over writer for television, although Calling Mr. Nelson Pugh is his first prose publication. Christopher was raised in Richlands and Jacksonville, North Carolina, although he has fond memories of holidays in Moberly and Macon, Missouri, and lived for 13 years in Los Angeles, California before returning to his home state. He currently lives in North Carolina with his wife, daughter, and a menagerie of animals: four cats, a dog, and multiple guinea pigs.
What do you do when you know you’re on a serial killer’s hit list?
Six women are dead, and Wren Addison is the next victim on the SMS Killer’s list—or so she’s been told after waking in a pool of blood with no memory of the events that have transpired.
Newly separated and struggling to start her life over after her husband’s infidelity, Wren tries to remember what happened to her, but nothing is adding up as more horrors unfold around her. With her life on a timer and the murderer taunting her, she realizes there is nothing typical about this serial killer.
Wren is pushed to the edge as she dances between knowing she’s likely to die and fighting to be the first to survive. As the truth starts to emerge, she rises to the challenge and decides not to go down without a fight.
Someone is going to die, and she’s determined it won’t be her.
Book Details:
Genre: Psychological Thriller Published by: Tangled Tree Publishing Publication Date: July 11th 2020 Number of Pages: 301 ISBN: 9781922359124 Series: A Deadly Sins Novel, #2 || Stands Alone Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
You really don’t know how you feel about some things until they happen to you. You can guess. You can pretend you’d be strong, that you’d stand on the rooftops and shout your indignation as you shake your fist to the skies, but those are only guesses. Hopes. What we think we know about ourselves. They say no one ever really knows anyone. I think it’d be a safe bet to say that we don’t really know ourselves either. You think you do. The “Oh, I’d never do that! Look at how she’s acting. If I were in her shoes….” but you don’t. No one does.
I said the same things to myself when I walked out on my husband, Ricky, months ago. Those thoughts went through my head as I closed the door behind me for what I told myself was the last time. I wouldn’t let myself cry as I said goodbye to him, only feeling the first tears fall when I heard the click behind me, the locking of the door to what used to be our home together. When he didn’t chase me and beg me to stay.
I wept in that moment, wondering how much pain a person could take.
Over the days that followed, it faded into something more akin to numbness as I found an apartment and got a new checking account. As I arranged to find movers to get my things while he was at work, all while thanking God that we had no children.
Now I find myself in that place once more, though for an altogether different reason. Something has happened to me, something that leaves my body sore and my head feeling as if I have a hangover. These are the moments that tell you who you really are, leaving you exposed to your own darkness.
I found that out about myself. No one ever imagines themselves in this position. You’re not prepared. No amount of self-defense can prepare you for the shock that is the next morning, waking up in a bloody mess, knowing you’ve been sexually assaulted.
I can’t even say it out loud. I won’t. I refuse to do it. It makes it real, and I don’t want it to be real. I want it to be some horrible nightmare that I can wake up from.
But it’s not.
It’s the middle of the night. I’m sitting on the floor of my shower, the water finally not running pink anymore. My face feels puffy from crying as I carefully wash the wounds, the soap burning. I wince and then stand up before the water turns cold. Sitting here won’t accomplish anything.
I look down at the mark on my left breast, swollen and purple. The definite outline of teeth, broken skin, tender to touch. It’s not the only place I’m hurting, but it’s the only one I can easily see. The only one I can’t really hide from. It’s a slap in the face, a calling card from someone I can’t remember. A face that won’t ever haunt my dreams.
So, what do I do now? It’s about 4:00 a.m. Do I call someone? The police? My friend Lily? My husband? Maybe Alex? Surely she would believe me.
I blink away tears, dipping my head back into the hot spray to wash the blood out of my hair.
No, I won’t tell anyone. It’s too embarrassing. Too humiliating. This big foreboding thing happened to me. What they warned us all about. My drink was tampered with, and someone hurt me. I broke the rules, and I got this for it.
I should have listened, I suppose.
I feel sick knowing what someone did to me while I was asleep. Or was I? Maybe I did fight and just can’t remember. I’d fight, surely. I wouldn’t just lie there and take it, right? The thought gives me some minimal sliver of peace, like passing through the eye of the hurricane—you know it’s not real, not the end, but you relish it just the same.
By the time I get out of the shower, I realize I haven’t really slept. My alarm will go off at seven for work so I can catch the bus and be on time for the morning meeting. I could get three hours of sleep before that, maybe.
I shut off the water, suddenly a bit afraid. Knowing someone was here gives me the creeps. Makes me wish I’d gotten that gun Ricky tried so hard to get me to agree to, the one I refused. I wouldn’t give in, fearing some horrible accident. He kept his locked up, and I never bothered to learn to shoot. He begged to teach me, tried to get me to hold his Glock to “get the feel of it.” Nope. Now I regret it.
In the months I’ve lived here, I haven’t been afraid to be on my own until now. Someone got to me. I’m without defense in my own home.
***
Excerpt from Carnal Knowledge by Rachael Tamayo. Copyright 2020 by Rachael Tamayo. Reproduced with permission from Tangled Tree Publishing. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
International Amazon bestselling author Rachael Tamayo is a former 911 emergency operator and police dispatcher. After twelve years in those dark depths, she’s gained a unique insight into mental illness, human behaviour, and the general darkness of humanity that she likes to weave into her books. A formerly exclusive romance author tried her hand at thrillers in her award-winning novel, “Crazy Love,” and loved it so much that she decided not to turn back. Born and raised in Texas, Rachael lives in the Houston area with her husband of almost fifteen years, and their two young children.
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Rachael Tamayo. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on July 11, 2020 and runs through August 16, 2020. Void where prohibited.
Britney King has done it again in her psychological thriller, The Book Doctor. The Prologue smacked me in the face, made me duck and cover, and had me rapidly turning the pages to find out what in the hell is going on.
George is a writer with a book deadline months past due and a wife with severe mental issues and the story takes off. It quickly becomes a twisted mess and I’m wondering what is going on with Liam. And his wife? My head is spinning.
George is living in hell.
A terrifying look into the life of a mentally disturbed woman and the man who cares for and keeps both of them safe. An impossible task, I believe.
Great job, Britney. You had me til the end and what a wild ride it was. I went down the path you led me and walked into crazy town. You had me questioning the characters actions, feeling something was a little bit off, and I never saw the ending coming.
I love books with serial killers and this led me down a murky path. The pacing kept me turning the pages, having to know what comes next. I can highly recommend every book of hers I have read.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Book Doctor by Britney King.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes a riveting new thriller about a writer desperate to make a comeback who realizes that success may cost more than he can afford to pay when a stranger arrives at his door.
George is bitter. As he should be. Once a household name, George is dying to make a comeback, and death may be the only option left to get the public’s attention. Ask anyone, his life is unraveling at the seams. Meanwhile, his new apprentice is everything he is not.
The enigmatic man his publisher sends to help is young and ambitious, with looks that could kill, and possibly do.
When George discovers that his apprentice’s talent extends beyond fixing broken plots, that his winning formula may, in fact, be a result of making the crimes in his novels come to life, George has to ask himself how much he is willing to overlook to achieve mainstream success.
Perfectly paced, The Book Doctor is an electrifying psychological thriller about a life’s work, obsession, and the dangerous places ambition can take you. Full of enough tension and twists to make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat, it keeps you guessing until the very last page.
ABOUT BRITNEY KING
Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes
psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone
novels.
The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have
known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy,
dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on
revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female,
and Basic Instinct.
The Water Series follows the shady love story of an
unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been
compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.
Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the
journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks
to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to
keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.
The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about
unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and
apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it
has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.
The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless
couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For
fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel
explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is
reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me.
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this
gig. You can find Britney online here:
To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her
mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb
into your browser.
I have been a long time fan of Dean Koontz, though I haven’t reviewed many of his books. I especially love his old time horror, but The Whispering Room is horror of a human kind and I am lovin’ the Jane Hawk series.
The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz is Book II of the Jane Hawk series. The books need to be read in order, and when I started the series, I had no idea there are five books, looooong books, but I am lovin’ them.
The Whispering Room picks up where The Silent Room leaves off.
I must warn you about the characters. There are so many great ones introduced, but many will not survive, so be careful who you become enamored with. She has ‘friends’ that offer their help, some willingly, some not so willingly, but this is a solo operation and she works best alone.
“They’ll all know about you in The Whispering Room.”
I loved when Jane put her mission aside to render assistance to a family. It shows what kind of person she really is. This is a nice touch, because most of the story is spent with Jane traveling here to there in search for answers.
The high and mighty sociopaths are culling the population. Why? What makes the victims such a threat? How did they even come to think of such horror? And all the other twisted, perverted things they do?
Iron Furnace, Kentucky makes the Stepford Wives look like child’s play.
Utopia…one man’s vision is another man’s horror.
I know, with the digital world we live in, there is no such thing as privacy. Every time we step foot outside our homes, we are being watched. Anyone can be found anywhere. But there are even more threats out there and I wonder if something like this could happen in the future.
I loved that I made a quick appearance, or at least my name did, Sherry. That’s always fun to see.
The action ramps up in The Whispering Room. I was not able to quit reading, rapidly flipping the pages and I mourn for some of the characters that fall victim.
Are ‘they’ going to ‘win’? How can they not? But this is fiction, so I know (?) Jane has to come out victorious.
I checked out The Whispering Room by Dean Koontz from the library and have already downloaded the next book, The Crooked Staircase.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Jane Hawk—fiction’s
most relentless, resourceful, stunning new heroine—continues her battle
against a murderous conspiracy in the riveting sequel to The Silent Corner.
“No time to delay. Do what you were born to do. Fame will be yours when you do this.”
These are the words that ring in the mind of mild-mannered,
beloved schoolteacher Cora Gundersun—just before she takes her own life,
and many others’, in a shocking act of carnage. When the disturbing
contents of her secret journal are discovered, it seems certain that she
must have been insane. But Jane Hawk knows better.
In the wake
of her husband’s inexplicable suicide—and the equally mysterious deaths
of scores of other exemplary individuals—Jane picks up the trail of a
secret cabal of powerful players who think themselves above the law and
beyond punishment. But these ruthless people bent on hijacking America’s
future for their own monstrous ends never banked on a highly trained
FBI agent willing to go rogue—and become the nation’s most wanted
fugitive—in order to derail their insidious plans to gain absolute power
with a terrifying technological breakthrough.
Driven by love for
her lost husband and by fear for the five-year-old son she has sent
into hiding, Jane Hawk has become an unstoppable predator. Those she is
hunting will have nowhere to run when her shadow falls across them
ABOUT DEAN KOONTZ
Acknowledged as “America’s most popular suspense novelist” (Rolling
Stone) and as one of today’s most celebrated and successful writers,
Dean Ray Koontz has earned the devotion of millions of readers around
the world and the praise of critics everywhere for tales of character,
mystery, and adventure that strike to the core of what it means to be
human.
Dean,
the author of many #1 New York Times bestsellers, lives in Southern
California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the
enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
Problem Child: A Jane Doe Thriller Thriller 2nd in Series Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (March 24, 2020) Paperback: 265 pages ISBN-10: 1542014395 ISBN-13: 978-1542014397 Digital ASIN: B07SDTRJP9
MY REVIEW
I love what gets Jane Doe’s emotions revving, her hate for the power plant and her fascination with wind turbines. I, too, feel they are an art form.
Yeah, maybe you could blame some of her sociopathy on her worthless parents, who wouldn’t give her the time of day unless they wanted something from her. Her brother was just as bad. In and out of prison, a bully to her when she was a child. No one was there when she needed someone, so she has no use for them. She can take care of herself.
Unfortunately, she feels she must return home. Her niece, Kayla, is missing. No one seems to care about her either, but after finding out everyone thought that Kayla was just like her, she felt she had to know. Was she a sociopath too? Could she be a mentor, teaching her how to navigate life and keep herself hidden, and maybe have someone to share her true self with?
Sociopaths are not capable of feeling love and loneliness, but Jane feels something. Something for her boyfriend, Luke. He knows she is different, doesn’t want the white picket fence, but could they have a ‘marriage’ of sorts? He accepts her for who she is and that counts for a lot. She wants to keep him. LOL I couldn’t help but laugh at that. Like he’s a puppy or something.
At least searching for Kayla, she could keep from getting bored. When she gets bored, she does things that could bring trouble down around her, and being a lawyer, she has a place where she is comfortable, sorta. Don’t cross her though. You won’t like Jane if you make her mad. She loves the hunt and she’ll play anyone who gets in her way.
As a monster myself, I’m not under any delusion about the kindness of strangers.
Just because she’s a sociopath, doesn’t mean she’s a serial killer.
Problem Child, for me, was eye opening and thought provoking. I know not all sociopaths are murderers, but with Jane, it is just as frightening. It makes me realize, even more, that we could be surrounded by them and never know it. Could it be your neighbor? Your coworker? Your friend? Your family? Your lover? You may look at everyone differently after reading Problem Child.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Problem Child by Victoria Helen Stone.
4 Stars
BOUT THE BOOK
She’s cold, calculating, and can deceive
with a smile. Jane Doe is back in the Amazon Charts bestselling
series—and this time she’s met her match.
After a brutal childhood, Jane Doe has
been permanently wired to look after herself and only herself. Now,
looking next to normal, Jane has a lover and a job. But she hasn’t lost
her edge. It sharpens when she hears from her estranged family.
Jane’s deeply troubled sixteen-year-old
niece, Kayla, has vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane.
Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young
girl’s eyes. It’s the empty stare of a sociopath.
Jane knows what vengeful and desperate
things Kayla is capable of. Only Jane can help her—by being drawn into
Kayla’s dark world. And no one’s more aware than Jane just how dangerous
that can be.
About Victoria Helen Stone
Victoria Helen Stone, formerly writing as USA Today bestselling
novelist Victoria Dahl, is originally from the Midwest but now writes
from an upstairs office high in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. After a
career in romance that included the American Library Association’s
prestigious Reading List Award, she turned toward the darker side of
fiction and has written the critically acclaimed novels, Evelyn, After; Half Past; and False Step. Her Amazon Charts bestselling thriller Jane Doe has been optioned by Sony Television. For more on the author and her work, visit VictoriaHelenStone.com. And on Twitter @VictoriaDahl
I have picked up a book or two of Michaelbrent Collings on Amazon free days and through his newsletter. Most are waiting for their turn to be read, but I have read and reviewed Scavenger Hunt. Now, I see his name and I grab the book.
Stranger Still is due for release on 3.10.20. Don’t you just love that creepy cover?
Stranger Still by Michaelbrent Collings is a stand alone novel, even though it is a sequel to Strangers. I didn’t realize I had Stranger on my Kindle, but now that I have met Legion, I have to know more about him.
He named himself Legion. He is a punisher. Doling out lessons to sinners.
Sheldon, but not the cute kid on Young Sheldon, or the genius on Big Bang Theory. No, this Sheldon is a hot mess whose specialty is kidnapping, torturing and murdering. He thinks he’s a god and revels in the gross and disturbing brutality he doles out.
Sheldon takes Camille and Alex hostage while they are on their honeymoon. But why? I have a feeling there is much more to Alex than we know at this time. At first, I thought he didn’t tell her his secrets to keep her safe, but….
I quickly became hooked on the characters, leading me to want to know more about them. I was riding in the front seat of the car with Camille, bouncing around in the trunk with Alex, and in the heads of Sheldon and Legion, and believe me, that is a frightening place to be.
At half way through Stranger Still, I am excited about what is to come. I have no idea how this will end, but I am fully committed and hoping Camille survives. There is something about Camille that comes through in Michaelbrent Collings writing that captures me. I feel she has a bigger part to play than victim, and I am curious to see if I am right. And Legion…
Bad childhoods, and I mean bad, can make people bad people, but there are those that walk out a decent person, overcoming the evil perpetrated on them. As I think about Legion, I wonder where exactly he fits in. He is a character that, even though he is brutal, at times savage, he has a reason for doing what he does. Can that excuse him? Only you can decide.
Is everyone twisted, insane, ruthless? How many sociopaths/psychopaths does it take to create Stranger Still?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stranger Still by Michaelbrent Collings.
4 Star
GOODREADS BLURB
Your sins are Legion…
… and now you belong to him.
***
Legion is a teacher. An avenging angel. A murderer.
A madman.
Born in the blood of a dying mother, raised in the underground hideout of an insane father, he travels the world looking for those who keep secrets and sins. He finds those who have fallen short, and teaches them the lessons they need to leave their mistakes behind.
And if he has to teach a lesson that ends in death, well… sometimes that’s the cost of proper education.
That’s why, when he sees a man kidnap two people on the side of the road, Legion knows it is time to teach again.
Soon he finds himself caught in the crossfire of a coup in a Russian crime syndicate. Legion is captured, beaten, bleeding, in chains; cut off and alone.
It’s just the way he likes it.
Legion has his students. And the lessons are about to begin…
ABOUT MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS
Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally-bestselling novelist,
multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, produced screenwriter, and one of
the top indie horror writers in the United States.
He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.
Michaelbrent
has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than
he is (though he admits that’s a low bar to set), and also cooler than
he is.
Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentC…
and can be followed on Twitter through his username @mbcollings.
Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You
will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!
Any book by Britney King is high on my reading list, so as soon as Kill Sleep Repeat hit my Kindle, I was all over it. Britney has never disappointed me and this one was so much more than I expected.
As soon as Kill Sleep Repeat hit my Kindle, I began reading. I cannot let one of her thrillers sit on my virtual bookshelf. I must know who will be put through hell this time.
Stay focused. Remain in character. Don’t get murdered. For Charlotte, they are rules to live by.
Charlotte is a flight attendant and an assassin, which makes it easy to travel to her marks. Her victims pay the ultimate price. She’s married to Michael, with two daughters, but no one knows her secret. She is a sociopath, no conscience, no remorse and revels in wrapping her hands around her marks neck until no sign of life is left, but they are all villains in their own right. Her father was a sheriff, so maybe that’s where she comes by her need for justice.
She killed for the first time when she was in college, but Britney King doesn’t let it be just a murder. This the first twist that caught me offguard and I am loving it.
Do we ever really know someone? Their true thoughts and feelings? What they are doing when we are not with them? How long can someone hide the truth from their spouse, their family, their friends? How long before they all figure out who you really are…a sociopath.
Henry…is a good or bad? Can she trust him?
JC…well, I see him being a big problem and I’m not sure who he really is…until…
The website. I love how she handled that. Adds a little something extra, which is something Britney King manages to do in each and every story. It’s the little details that make a story something special.
Britney King is excellent with book surprises and I was hit with one after another, each larger than the first. I never saw the direction we would go, the danger and intrigue. I want to say more, but I want you to experience this for yourself, so mum’s the word.
As I read Kill Sleep Repeat, I was totally in Charlotte’s corner. She may be a vigilante, taking the law into her own hands, but I want her to succeed and survive. I want her to get her revenge when she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. Kill or be killed.
I bounced between 4 and 5 stars, but because it is an ARC, I will overlook the tiny issues I had because it is just that good!
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Kill Sleep Repeat by Britney King.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes an intense and deadly provocative thriller which follows a woman who, in a fight for survival, realizes her job may cost more than it pays.
Several times a week, Charlotte Jones leaves suburbia behind and boards a chartered flight to parts unknown, where she wraps her hands around the necks of marks for just as long as she has to.
Then she goes back to domestic life with a paycheck, defense wounds, and the sense that she can handle anything.
Which is good, because being a wife, mother, and sociopath, with an insatiable taste for murder, gives the term work-life balance new meaning. When one life unexpectedly bleeds into the other, leading to a secret admirer and borderline insta-fame, Charlotte is forced to ask herself if she really can have it all.
Slick and unsettling, Kill, Sleep, Repeat is a cunning tale of deception and desire that begs the question: Do we ever really know people the way we think we do?
ABOUT BRITNEY KING
Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes
psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone
novels.
The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have
known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy,
dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on
revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female,
and Basic Instinct.
The Water Series follows the shady love story of an
unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been
compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.
Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the
journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks
to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to
keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.
The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about
unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and
apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it
has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.
The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless
couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For
fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel
explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is
reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me.
Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this
gig. You can find Britney online here:
To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her
mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb
into your browser.
Doctor Alicia Reese suffered the devastating loss of her husband and was in a delicate place when Lucas walked into her office with paralyzing panic attacks.
I was reading along, then went back to the blurb, wondering if this book was going to be about love, loss and recovery and just a ho hum read, WHEN it took a sharp turn.
I had a general idea of where Deborah Serani was going to take me, but after the phone call…that revved it up for me.
I was very curious how it would all play out because it’s only 188 pages and I felt like time was running out. My suspense level rose, the tension increased, pace got faster and I felt I had to know.
Yeah, the cover drew my interest, but the title and blurb set me up for an even better story than I anticipated. I do like book surprises, don’t you? And this was one wild ride in the inner thoughts of Lucas and Alicia.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Ninth Session by Deboarh Serani.
4 Stars
BOOK BLURB
Dr. Alicia Reese, a recent
widow and a CODA – a child of Deaf Adults, takes on a new patient. Lucas Ferro
reveals the reason for his consultation is that he wasn’t really open with his
previous therapist. After gaining Reese’s trust, he shares aspects of his life
that are clearly disturbing – experiences that create anxiety and panic, but
also reveal horrifying psychopathology. Instead of referring Ferro elsewhere,
Reese chooses to continue working with him, feeling reinvigorated by the
challenge of his case.
As sessions progress, and Ferro’s disclosures become more menacing, Reese finds herself wedged between the cold hard frame of professional ethics and the integrity of personal truth – and learns just how far she’s willing to go, willing to risk and willing to lose to do the right thing.
ABOUT DEBORAH SERANI
Deborah Seraniis an award-winning author and psychologist who has been in practice for thirty years. She is also a professor at Adelphi University and is a go-to media expert for psychological issues. Her interviews can be found in Newsday, Psychology Today, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Associated Press, and affiliate radio programs at CBS and NPR, among others. Dr. Serani has also been a technical advisor for the NBC television show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The recurring character, Judge D. Serani, was named after her.
The Psycho Collection is no longer available as a boxed set. I am reviewing the books for the Blogger Shame Challenge, because it is way overdue. I read the books in 2016 and will be reviewing them individually.
I only find the audiobook and paperback for Psycho Inside Me available at this time. I don’t know how I ended up reviewing Dictating Death on 2.5.15, finished reading Psycho Inside me on 5.18.16 and Watch Me Burn on 5.21.16. I think because they can stand alone and I reviewed Dictating Death before the boxed set came out, which is no longer available.
MY REVIEW FOR PSYCHO INSIDE ME
Action from the getgo.
The sheriff’s son, Deegan, helps the preacher’s daughter cover up the death of bad boy Bobby. They were friends, but this changed their relationship, brought them closer.
Her instinct was to take his ring for a trophy, but Deegan had a better idea. A tattoo.
The death changed her and now she is on the run. She is fueled by nightmares of Bobby, but determined not to be caught.
Are monster born or raised? That age old question, what creates a monster? I am always curious about what drives people to do some of the most heinous acts to others.
Justice doesn’t always come to the rescue and sometimes taking the matter into your own hand is the only answer. I do believe the world has a lot more grey, than black and white.
I didn’t see the direction Bonnie R Paulson was going to take with Psycho Inside me, but I do love the Bonnie and Clyde vigilante aspect. I can always relate to a vigilante and I guess that says something about me. LOL She is a badass psycho and I love her…and her boyfriend too. I feel her need to take down the bullies and pedophiles that prey on children. They do deserve the worst that can be heaped on them…and her name is Cassie.
She trained. She is only a young teenager, but she becomes a predator, created by those whotreated her as prey. I love how she is changing from her 13 year old innocent ways, forcing herself to become a calculating weapon of justice. Fine by me is she wipes out the perverts. You may feel the same way after reading about the degenerates.
The world is dark, with rays of sun shining through when the clouds lift in her mind.
How will this end? Will she be killed in one of the attacks? I want it to end well for her, regardless of what she has done. I love a characters that can win me over so completely.
Molestation and sexual assault are difficult subjects to face and talk about, but Bonnie R Paulsonwants you to know…YOU ARE NOT ALONE..you can survive.
Psycho Inside Me by Bonnie R Paulson….BLEW MY MIND.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Psycho Inside Me by Bonnie R Paulson.
I’m going over the falls and into deep water. And I go willingly.
Maria hated waiting for the death part. The fun was in the lead-in to the final act – the revenge.
The creepiness of the cover drew me in and after reading the blurb, I was hooked. Knowing what’s inside only whet my appetite for blood. And I got it. Right from the getgo. From the opening pages the knife was cutting, the blood flowing, the torture beyond belief. It wasn’t enough to kill. It must be a long, drawn out, painful and excruciating death. And Maria reveled in it.
Samantha and Maria are at odds with each other. Samantha wants to love Doctor Luke Lawson, while Maria wants to kill him. Call them the Threat Specialists – one is proud, the other horrified. What is the end game? What creates someone so twisted, reveling in brutality, savagery, enjoying the kill? Maybe you will find out…if you read Dictating Death by Bonnie R Paulson
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Dictating Death by Bonnie R Paulson
4 Stars
MY REVIEW FOR WATCH ME BURN
Levi had been burned in the romance department, so when Megan hit on him, he did all he could to avoid her. But she wanted him and friendship was not enough. Even though Chelsea had already staked her claim.
How far will she go to hold onto Levi? Are they living a story of Fatal Attraction?
Levi and Chelsea’s relationship was toxic. Now he feels he must remain along…hiding.
When he saw the FOR RENT sign, I thought, “OH NO!” The game is on.
Such a twisted, perverted definition of love, which could turn fatal. Will it? And for whom?
Stalking. Abuse. Rape.
Pathetic excuse for a man. How can he be ‘trained’ to accept his role? Can you fix what is so badly broken?
Not enough time passed for Chelsea to win Megan’s trust, but the story is short, so I can see why things happend so fast. I would love to see Bonnie R Paulson flesh the story out and take it to an even deeper, darker level. BUT, I love it. Twisting and turning to the end.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Watch Me Burn by Bonnie R Paulson.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Everyone has a little Psycho inside… ***BOX SET***
Psycho Inside Me
I
killed my first victim at thirteen years old – my age, not his. He was
going to rape me, him and a couple of his friends. And so, I killed him.
And then… I killed again. And again.
At seventeen, I’m killing
four to six times a year – maybe more. Don’t stress out. I only go
after the pedophiles and rapists. There are more out there than I could
cover in a lifetime.
Saying I did this on my own would be
selfish. Enforcing justice holds a glory all its own. But now, my
lifelong friend and backup, Deegan, has been arrested. I have to decide
if I want to give myself up and take his place or leave him with all the
damning evidence. I don’t want to stop killing. But if I let him take
the fall, I can’t kill anymore. And I need to keep doing that.
But the worst part of it all? I love him.
Dictating Death
Samantha wants to love him.
Maria wants to kill him.
Dr.
Luke Lawson has no idea that the girl he’s dating has split
personalities fighting to control her body. Samantha must keep Luke safe
at all costs.
If Samantha wins, Maria will die and disappear forever – taking Samantha with her.
If Maria wins, Dr. Lawson will die and she and Samantha will move on to the next doctor – the next kill.
But Luke is special.
He could save Samantha from herself… but only if Samantha can save him.
Watch Me Burn
Levi
I’ve been in love and it hurts.
We hurt each other.
On purpose.
I can’t escape the guilt.
Megan
I don’t want to be just friends with Levi.
But I will be.
He’s been hurt before and I just want to be there for him.
Someone needs to be on his side.
Chelsea
Levi Cole is mine.
I want him.
She can’t have him.
She needs to die.
crazy,
standalone, stalker, psycho series, psychological thriller, ya
thriller, ya romantic suspense, YA survivor fiction, ya psychological
romance, relationships, psychology
ABOUT BONNIE R PAULSON
Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and
medical background with reality and possibilities to make even myths
seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive.
Bonnie has discovered a dark and twisty turn in her writing that she
hopes you enjoy as much as she has enjoyed uncovering it. Dirt biking
with her family in the Northwest keeps her sane.