Tag Archives: read in 2020

Gingerman: In Search of the Toymaker by Tony Bertauski @tonybertauski

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I have been reading the Claus series by Tony Bertauski since the first one, Claus, Legend of the Fat Man. I have missed one or two, and hope to catch up on them. The series is unique and fun to read.

Gingerman: In Search of the Toymaker (Claus #8)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Gingerman is not my first foray into the world of Claus by Tony Bertauski and it won’t be my last. I have been loving this quirky series since the beginning, with Claus, Legend of the Fat Man.

Christmas White Blizzard, better known as Chris, is off to school. His mother loved Christmas so much, she names him and his sister, Yuletide. He is terrified of going off to school, but his desire to learn overrides his fears.

The Institute of Creative Minds is the ultimate dichotomy:

“Be creative and free. But follow the rules or go home.”

The Institute is unlike any school I have ever heard of before. It is Christmas all the time.

When he meets Joli, she decides to be his introduction to the school. I love her feisty, independent personality. She’s a rebel.

Gingerman….well, I don’t want to spoil your introduction to him, so you will need to discover everything about him yourself. I will tell you…he is…unusual. Whether he is good or bad, we will have to wait and see. The verdict is still out, but I do have my thoughts.

The magic of Christmas comes alive through Tony Bertauski’s descriptive words. So, come along with me, Chris, and the Gingerman to solve the mystery of the Institute. It is a wild ride and I think you may enjoy it. It is delightful, unique and mysterious.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Gingerman by Tony Bertauski.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

His real name is Christmas. It’s embarrassing.

He’s been accepted into the Institute of Creative Mind, a prestigious institute for eccentrics, outliers, and gifted students. A school located in the middle of nowhere with two-hundred-year-old castles and a formidable stone wall. A school where Christmas is celebrated the entire year.

Christmas trees, ornaments, and lights decorate the castles. Presents are given out every month, and students are pitted against each other in creative challenges. Chris soon finds out, however, the stakes are high.

The losers are expelled.

He spends sleepless nights keeping up with his homework to not disappoint his parents and to keep a cruel guidance counsellor off his back. But this place is more than a demanding school for gifted students. Chris finds a clue in a textbook his first night, written in code.

Run, run as fast as you can.

When he’s presented with an impossibility that defies all laws of physics and biology, anything becomes possible. Chris discovers students aren’t chosen for their artistic abilities but because of a DNA test. He doesn’t know what the school is really after. If he doesn’t stop them, Christmas will end forever. Everything depends on his courage.

And a strange little friend.

ABOUT TONY BERTAUSKI

Tony Bertauski

Get my books FREE. Tell me where to send them at http://bertauski.com

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’ve written textbooks on landscape design, but that was straightforward, informational writing; the kind of stuff that helps most people get to sleep. I’ve also been writing a gardening column with a humorous slant. That takes a little more finesse, but still informational for the most part.

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I wanted to write, not the assigned reading we used to get in high school. I wanted to create stories that kept you up late.

Fiction, GOOD fiction, is hard to write. Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

MY TONY BERTAUSKI REVIEWS

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One Sentence Review – City of Ghosts by J H Moncrieff @JH_Moncrieff

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City of Ghosts

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

City of Ghosts by J H Moncrieff is a predictable, at times realistic, horror story that had me rapidly flipping the pages as Jackson Stone was chosen to tell a ghostly tale of pain, anger and vengeance.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Winner of the 2018 Kindle Book Review Award for best Horror/Suspense.

On the day the villagers were forced to flee Hensu, not everyone got out alive.

Jackson Stone is touring the abandoned Chinese city when he slips away from the group to spend the night, determined to publish an account of his ghostly experiences there.

Then he meets Yuèhai, a strange, soft-spoken woman who can tell him the city’s secrets—secrets the Chinese government would kill to keep hidden.

As Jackson uncovers the truth about Yuèhai and the ghost city, he’s drawn into a web of conspiracy, betrayal, and murder. He must risk everything to save himself and bring honor back to Yuèhai and her family.

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Review – Below Dark Waters by Katie Zaber @Zaberbooks

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Below Dark Waters

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Dalya series by Katie Zaber needs to be read in order.

Below Dark Waters is told by three points of view.

Princess Mega is on the run, with her friends by her side, running from her father, who wants her dead. Does it get much worse that that?

Carmia is a free spirit, an adventurer. She felt the call of the sea and had Octavia built so she could take to the sea, where she felt at home. A woman pirate, gotta love it. She is on the hunt for treasure, leaving her family behind, though they didn’t miss her much.

Lily…love her. She is a master of disguise.

Seeing this is Book II, I don’t want to spoil the wonder of Princess Megan’s world. I want to be at her side, saving children, being taken to an underwater world where evil is afoot, growing, changing, evolving into the leader she never asked or wanted to be. She has devoted, loyal friends and gathers more, as they see her for who she is, a warrior, a fair and determined woman who knows right from wrong. She grabs what moments of happiness and love that are at her fingertips, knowing she may have to sacrifice her own desires and do the right thing for their worlds to survive and prosper.

The end is not here and I can hardly wait to see where we go to next.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Below Dark Waters by Katie Zaber.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Princess Megan, who never had a reason to assume she was anything but human, has been on the run, protected by her friends. With each step toward the city of Delmont, she hopes they will have time to regroup before setting sail to the Ka’Pamau Islands, their final destination. Instead, her bad luck shadows her and chaos continues to ensue everywhere she goes—including a new part of the world that most air breathers have yet to explore.

Confronted with another royal family and a smitten prince whose advances turn cold, she faces another life-altering decision with ramifications she can’t possibly begin to guess at.

Back on land, Lilly reveals more of her secrets, her story, and her goals. Monumental changes and challenges are headed her way as she embraces her new role in life.

On the sea, Aunt Carmia is stirring up trouble while continuing her hunt for the treasure she most desires. She experiences upheavals, but she is always prepared for the unknown.

As their stories unfold, they remain unaware how fate connects them in the world of Dalya

ABOUT KATIE ZABER

Katie Zaber

Katie Zaber is originally from Southern New Jersey. Her childhood home is just minutes from the Long Beach Island Bridge. When not writing, Katie can be found at wine tastings, sun bathing at the beach, going for hikes, screaming at Six Flags, reading, or in her favorite place, her kitchen, baking desserts and breads. She currently lives in Morris County, New Jersey with her boyfriend.

Website

MY KATIE ZABER REVIEWS

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Ghostly Happenings & The Haunting of Hacket House by Astrid Addams #AstridAddams

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The Haunting of Hacket House

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“When the shit hits the fan, that’s when having a God to pray to or curse is really satisfying…”

No Hacket House or the town of Bramley showed up on the internet when Jane researched the offer for a live in caregiver, but the lucrative paycheck had her packing and moving. Maybe the lack of information should have been a warning?

There are clocks of every variety cluttering the house. What’s up with that? It made me think of my father in law. He loves tinkering with clocks and has them all over his house, but, they are not like these clocks.

The house sounds more like a mansion or museum, with twisting, turning hallways and hundreds of rooms.

Jane is running from someone and thought Hacket House would be a great place to hide. If she can’t find anything about the house and town, maybe nobody else could either. The reason she is running is even sadder than I anticipated.

The man she is there to take care of is in dire straits, uncommunicative. He has dementia (?), with hands like claws and his body stuck in the fetal position. Is it dementia? Is he being tormented? Haunted? And who…or what…is Nark?

As the secrets are revealed, I wonder about Jane and what will become of her. Looming clocks that seem to move on their own, shadows running from clock to clock, people in robes…

The Haunting of Hacket House is a creepy, deliciously spooky tale that kept getting creepier and creepier as I read. It would make a fantastic movie.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Haunting of Hacket House by Astrid Addams.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Some places don’t let go….

Offered a lucrative job at the mysterious Hacket House, Jane agrees to travel across country to live at the mansion. After all, a fresh start is just what she needs. Besides, the remote house is a long way from the past she is still running from.

Arriving at her new home, she finds a strange red house set in a wood of red, gnarled trees. The same trees used to build the house and the grandfather clocks that haunt every room and dark corridor.

Jane quickly realises that there is something very wrong at Hacket House and the village of Bramley.

Why is there a graveyard in the garden of Hacket House? Who are the people in hoods who haunt the house at night? What are they doing with the old man in the bed? Why is somebody moving the grandfather clocks? Who is the strange woman no one will admit exists? What are the shadows that scoot across the walls like cockroaches? Who is Erazmus Nark whose grave nothing will touch?

As the sinister behaviour of the village escalates and her own past closes in around her, Jane learns that just because something is dead, doesn’t mean that it’s gone.

MY ASTRID ADDAMS REVIEWS

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Dead Meat: Day 5 by Nick Clausen @NickClausen9

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I received an email from Nick’s Reader’s Club with all those beautiful covers lined up in a row. Do you wonder who’s watching you now? LOL

Dead Meat: Day 5 (Dead Meat, #5)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Dead Meat series started out as novellas and I am so excited that Nick Clausen has so much to share that now he has a full scale novel.

Nick Clausen takes a view from current events and expands on his Zombie virus, crossing borders and hop skipping across the water. He introduces new characters, some that I quickly grew to care for, and, of course, he is not afraid to kill them off. Goes to show ya, when your time is up, it is up.

Bloody, gory, horrific, people come and people, go, zombies walk and zombies fall, everything I look for in a good zombie story. Non stop blood and guts action, killing those who get bitten or scratched.

City to city, country to country, the virus spreads like wildfire, with no one able to curb the spread, let alone stop it.

You will want to read the series in order and I can hardly wait to see where Nick Clausen takes me next.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat: Day 5 by Nick Clausen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Mille is aboard the ferry headed for Sweden, and so is the living dead. She tries desperately to stop the infection from spreading before the ferry reaches its destination.

By Day 5, the infection has reached several countries across Europe, leaving death and chaos in its wake. The fate of the world seems still closer to the brink.

ABOUT NICK CLAUSEN

Born 1988 in North Jutland, where I still live with my wife, who also happened to be my earliest childhood girlfriend. From 2017 I have lived as a full-time writer. Up until then, I had different jobs beside the writing. I have been studying as a carpenter for three years, and have also read two years of psychology at Aalborg University. It turned out that the writing had a much more powerful pull on me.

Nick Clausen

I decided early on that I would be an author when I grew up. In fact, the decision came to me already when I read my first book, Snevampyren by Dennis Jürgensen. My first “real” stories I wrote at 14-15 years of age. They were rejected by the publisher, but still got praise. There were some years when I was busy with being a teenager and trying to get an education before I suddenly remembered that I should be an author.

That day I made a promise to write 1,000 words a day until I got a book published. I sat down and started writing. I continued to write every single day for a year and a half. I sent the finished manuscripts to different publishers, and the rejections piled up. Twelve of them by the end. But each time I could feel it was a little bit better. The criticism became more positive. The thirteenth story was called Tidevandet, and it was adopted by the publisher and came out a year later.

I have always enjoyed writing, although in the beginning I put a lot of pressure on myself. My approach to the process has become much more free over the years. For example, I no longer plan my stories. That way, I feel that I’m experiencing the story while writing it and the characters feel like real people. I do not know where the ideas come from, but I’ve never had trouble finding them.

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MY NICK CLAUSEN REVIEWS

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Children’s Book – Poppy Needs A Puppy by Pamela Fagan Hutchins @pameloth

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Poppy Needs a Puppy (Poppy & Petey Book 1)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have been reading Pamela Fagan Hutchin’s Patrick Flint novels and I love her writing, so when I saw Poppy Needs A Puppy I thought it was the perfect time to share. We can all use some good feelings, smiles, and some hints for Christmas giving for the youngsters.

I highly recommend grabbing the paperback because it will be easier to read and share. The illustrations are wonderful, as is the story of a young girl wanting to make sure her sick Poppy gets lots of hugs. When they go to the shelter, she has to find the perfect one for her Poppy, and as soon as she saw him, she knew they were going to give him a forever home. Poppy Needs A Puppy by Pamela Fagan Hutchins has all the feels.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of Poppy Needs A Puppy by Pamela Fagan Hutchins.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Caitlin loves her grandfather, Poppy. When he gets sick, she knows he needs extra hugs, more even than she can give him. She visits a shelter and picks out the perfect puppy to help her give hugs to her Poppy.

Written by USA Today bestselling author Pamela Fagan Hutchins, who makes her home in the frozen wilds of Snowheresville, Wyoming. Pamela loves her blind Boston terrier Petey and her dad (Poppy to his grandkids). One day she was feeling tired of writing suspense, mystery, and thriller books for grown-ups, and the Poppy & Petey series was born.

Illustrated by Laylie Frazier.

ABOUT PAMELA FAGA HUTCHINS

Pamela Fagan Hutchins

I like big butts and I cannot lie: horse butts that is. As in draft cross horses, which I ride with my hunky husband way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY and deep in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I am a wannabe barrel racer afraid of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and the author of the USA Today bestselling What Doesn’t Kill You world of romantic mysteries.

{By the way, to get free exclusives, first looks, and special deals with my newsletter, go to https://bit.ly/pamelaNL.}

When I’m not writing or riding, I’m passionate about hiking, always with a couple of rescue dogs (and an occasional goat and donkey), bear spray, a mountain lion knife, and my Judge. NO ANIMALS HAVE BEEN HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS LIFE ADVENTURE (but don’t sneak up on me).

I like big butts and I cannot lie: horse butts that is. As in draft cross horses, which I ride with my hunky husband way up in the frozen north of Snowheresville, WY and deep in the heart of Nowheresville, TX. I am a wannabe barrel racer afraid of going fast, an eater of ribeye, and the author of the USA Today bestselling What Doesn’t Kill You world of romantic mysteries.

I’ve made some lists and won some awards, yada yada. 2018 USA Today Bestseller. 2018 #1 Amazon Bestseller. 2018 Top 50 Amazon Author (Romantic Mystery, Romantic Suspense). The 2017 Silver Falchion for Best Adult Mystery WINNER (Fighting for Anna), the 2016 and 2015 WINNERS for USA Best Books Fiction: Cross Genre (Hell to Pay, Heaven to Betsy), and others. With downloads of nearly 2,000,000 for the What Doesn’t Kill You world, readers seem to enjoy my smart, sassy female sleuths—I think they have exceptionally good taste. {insert silly grin here} Lots of them follow my podcast, too, where I fangirl my favorite authors and interview them for your listening pleasure.

If after all that you still want to learn more about my books, my podcast, or me, then God Bless Ya, and do drop in on my website, http://pamelafaganhutchins.com.

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

MY PAMELA FAGAN HUTCHINS REVIEWS

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The Rose by P D Alleva @PdallevaAuthor #Dystopian #Thriller

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All I had to do was look at the awesome cover for The Rose by P D Alleva and know I want to read it. I have high expectations and my fingers crossed that it will be a good dystopian thriller.

The Rose (Vol. 1) A Dystopian Science Fiction Thriller

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

As soon as I saw the cover for The Rose by P D Alleva, I had to have it. Alien vampires…don’t see a lot of those and I am looking forward to finding out WTH is going on.

Sandy, who is pregnant, and Phil are hiding out in a demolished hotel, watching the American, Russian, and Chinese soldiers kill everyone, men, women and children.

Phil tells Sandy his mission is to find her and bring her to Atlanta. Why is she so special? Or is it her unborn child? No matter, he will lay his life on the line for them.

So far, I am loving where this is going…Alien vampires with evil intent. And the government? No surprise they sell out the little guy is there? What are the ancestor Dracs true intentions, the ones kept hidden from humans and their subordinates?

The Rose is magic and both humans and Dracs have access to it. Indigo is a threat to the Dracs, a human threat they are determined to find and eradicate.

Tesla, a Drac, immediately caught my attention. I think she could be one of the good guys, but we will have to wait and see if I am correct.

Well, that was an action packed adventure that had me quickly flipping the pages, wondering what was going to happen to who.

Alien vampires, werewolves, and other wicked creatures, and the humans who have become involved with them since the war and destruction of Earth. Why are they here? What do they want? Creatures, battles, fights for their lives, caves and pits…It will take another novel to tell the tale and I am very curious to know.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Rose by P D Alleva.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

A masterful, dystopian science fiction thriller of, telepathic evil greys, mysterious rebellion, martial arts, and Alien Vampires.

Sandy Cox believed WWIII was over. But for those Alien Vampires, War Has Just Begun.

Forty-eight hours after a World War III treaty is signed, Sandy Cox awakens in an underground compound unable to move. Tied to machines she screams for help but no one answers. At least no one human.

And they’ve taken her unborn child.

Phil is a rebel freedom fighter who has had more than his share of Alien Vampires. Armed with THE BLADES, a sacred alien martial art, he enters the compound on a mission to find Sandy. But as he battles through the compound, Phil discovers Sandy has her own agenda. Finding her stolen child is all that matters.

But the vampires have their own plan and Sandy’s baby is at the heart of their diabolical plot. Joined by a crew of rogue soldiers, they must navigate the underground compound, battling genetically mutated humans, aliens and monsters.

When battling Alien Vampires, one thing is certain…Get Ready To Bleed!

Fans of The Hunger Games, George RR Martin, VE Schwab, Star Wars, and Ancient Aliens will be fascinated by this high-powered, intelligent, edge of your seat dystopian sci-fi action thriller.

ABOUT P D ALLEVA

“This ambitious novel plays unashamedly in the pulp-SF sandbox. . . A conspiracy mavens dream, packed with gory alien-vampire action.” ~ KIRKUS REVIEWS

“An action packed no holds barred adventure with cinematic flair. Great for fans of Jeff Vandermeer’s Annhilation, L. Ron Hubbard’s Battlefield Earth, and John Ringo’s A Hymn Before Battle.” ~ Booklife Reviews

“Forget what you know about vampires and prepare to get a new bite from the tastefully different rules in The Rose Vol. 1. Bringing a new twist to a well-known genre is usually a riskWebsite, but PD Alleva has found a brilliant way to make it work. The Rose Vol. 1 is a fantastic recommendation for fans of vampire, fast-paced action, heart-racing, and dark-themed novels.” ~ Readers Favorite

Born in Brooklyn, New York, raised in Westchester County, New York, living in South Florida since 1992. A child of the 90’s PD has coined a new genre, Alternative Fiction. Why? Because Multi-Genre Author sounds like you’ve got marbles between your cheeks.

An avid reader who loves to talk books, PD will write short reaction reviews for the books he has finished and has not one issue answering questions from readers as they come.

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Madison Knight #10 – What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold @Carolyn_Arnold @HibbertStiles

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I have been reading Carolyn Arnold’s work for some time now and always eagerly open the book, looking for a good time, some murder and mystery.

What We Bury (Detective Madison Knight Book 10)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have read many books by Carolyn Arnold and I really wanted to love What We Bury, but for some reason my mind kept wandering. Whether it is because of the times (presidential election time in the US), Covid 19, it was an ARC, or it just felt flat, I cannot say. BUT…

When a book starts out with “She’s dead” it definitely gets my attention. And, Madison is on the case. She is a detective with Major Crimes for the Stile Police Department, Her boy toy is Troy. He leads the SWAT team. Her love life takes blow after blow because she can’t stop working long enough to give the relationship the attention it deserves. They have both been burned in their past relationships, but I think it affects Madison more than Troy. I can only imagine how hard it would be to reconcile both their demanding jobs with a home life.

Madison loves chocolate and, at times, she made me think of Brenda Lee on the Closer. She even named her dog Hershey.

She had expected a phone call from her real estate agent, Estelle, but not to tell her she found a body at a home where she was supposed to hold an open house. Guess that’s cancelled.

When Madison sets her mind on something, she is tenacious. She, not only, has a murder to solve, but she is secretly investigating corrupt cops working for the Russian Mafia.

Okay, I think I know what’s going on with Madison and the end result of her secret is so sad. But, that is life and it adds a little bit of realism to the story. Like real life, everything isn’t the way we would sometimes want it to be.

I am getting frustrated with Madison and her insecurities over her relationship with Troy and the doubts she has that he will stick with her. In novels, we come across the issue of communication a lot and it usually involves personal relationships.

I have read many books by Carolyn Arnold and have always been satisfied and nothing has changed in that respect. There is a lot going on and I do enjoy trying to discover the answers to her mysteries myself, but for some reason, What We Bury fell a little flat, though the bad surprise at the end caught me totally off guard and I love when an author can do that. The convoluted identities of the characters made it hard to get a handle on them, but it will become clear once the murder mystery is solved and more of Madison’s side investigation is exposed.

I love Carolyn Arnold’s work. It is more a mystery than a suspense/thriller, which is my favorite, but I do love her step by step process to exposing her villains. I think some of my wandering issues may be remedied when the final product is released, so why not find out for yourself?

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

She’s dying, and she knows it. If only she can stay alive long enough to leave one last message. As the rain beats against the metal roof, she uses her blood-soaked fingertip to scrawl on the floorboards… The letters GB.

Detective Madison Knight has been house hunting, but a call from her real estate agent has nothing to do with finding the perfect property. She’s found a woman’s body, stabbed multiple times. Madison arrives on scene and is presented with an unknown Jane Doe and two letters written in blood. There’s no murder weapon, and it seems Doe was attacked somewhere else.

As Madison works to find justice for the victim, Madison’s own life is put at risk. What she comes to discover is some people will go to extreme lengths to protect their secrets—even as far as murder. But will learning that lesson come too late for her?

Buy this international bestselling book today and join the investigation! Uncover clues, follow leads, and catch a cop killer like thousands of readers have done before you.

ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Carolyn Arnold

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.

Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:  Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.

MY REVIEWS FOR CAROLYN ARNOLD

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Strong From The Heart by Jon Land @jondland #CaitlinStrong

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Strong From The Heart by Jon Land is the eleventh book in the Caitlin Strong Texas Ranger series and I have been loving spending time with her. I usually receive an ARC, but this time I received a beautiful, signed, hardcover and I am so excited to add it to my collection of Jon Land books.

Strong from the Heart (Caitlin Strong #11)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Many of us are aware of the opiod epidemic and Caitlin Strong will be facing it in Strong From The Heart by Jon Land. I wouldn’t want to be the culprits that she is seeking.

The Prologue reeled me in and my mind was whirling with the possibilities.

We start out with a wayward mailman who is on a mission, but it’s not to deliver his mail.

WTH…happened in Camino Pass? Caitlin Strong is on the case and will get to the bottom of it.

She has stepped into a snake pit and I am rooting for her, as she defuses a volatile situation at the Canyon Ridge Elementary School, where ICE attempts to pick up six children. We have the usual posturing between law enforcement divisions for control of the situation. She will not allow that, and her trusty friend Guillermo Paz is by her side. I love Caitlin’s attitude and the humor that Jon Land adds to his thrillers.

“Kids are safe and I didn’t even have to shoot anybody.”

Cort, her outlaw boyfriend is at the hospital after a call telling him his son ODed on opiates. Caitlin would stop at nothing to trace who was providing the drugs to him and the other kids at school. I love that Jon Land tosses in current events.

“Just one Texas Ranger, son?”

“You ever hear the motto, one riot, one Ranger? Because it’s damn near true.”

“You are like human flypaper Ranger, and wherever you go, the worst of the worse just sticks to you.” An apt description of Caitlin Strong, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Jon Land’s writing makes the story flow smoothly, increasing the danger and suspense over the course of the story. We have more than one story line going on and the past creeps into the present. Jon Land always gives us tidbits of Texas Ranger history and I love that.

I worry for some of my favorite characters, because they do not run from trouble and danger, they run towards it.

I had been waiting to read Strong From The Heart by Jon Land for when I really needed a pick me up, a get lost for hours book. I started reading during College Game Day (and anybody that knows me, knows I don’t want to be disturbed during football) and figured I would read during those dull moments, commercials, and half time. I finished it shortly after the Alabama vs Ole Miss game. I got so involved that I couldn’t put it down..

I needed some distraction from current events and I want to thank you, Jon, for helping me to get lost and escape through your words.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Strong From The Heart by Jon Land.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

In what Brad Meltzer calls a “savory Tex-Mex tale, seasoned with all the ingredients of a great thriller,” Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong digs for the truth behind the Opioid Crisis in the next installment of Jon Land’s critically acclaimed series

Mexico, 1898: Texas Ranger William Ray Strong arrives in the border town of Camino Pass to transport a young Pancho Villa to stand trial, but his plans are waylaid when he learns all of the town’s children have been kidnapped.

The Present: The drug crisis hits home for fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong when the son of her outlaw lover, Cort Wesley Masters, nearly dies from an opioid overdose.

Determined to make those responsible pay, Caitlin sets out to track down the dealer and pusher, while trying to solve the inexplicable tragedy of a small Texas town where all the residents died in a single night. When she realizes these two pursuits are connected, she finds herself following a trail to the truth of the crisis nestled hard in the center of America’s power base.

That power base, comprised of politicians, Big Pharma, along with corrupt doctors and drug distributors, has successfully beaten back all threats in the past. But they have no idea what’s in store when the guns of Texas come calling.

ABOUT JON LAND

Jon Land

Jon Land is the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of 36 books, including the bestselling Caitlin Strong Texas Ranger series that includes Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break, Strong Vengeance and, most recently, Strong Rain Falling. The Tenth Circle marks the second return engagement of his longtime series hero Blaine McCracken on the heels of last year’s Pandora’s Temple which was nominated for a Thriller Award and received the 2013 International Book Award for Best Adventure Thriller. Jon’s first nonfiction book, Betrayal, meanwhile, was named Best True Crime Book of 2012 by Suspense Magazine and won a 2012 International Book Award for Best True Crime Book. He is currently working on Strong Darkness, the next entry in the Caitlin Strong to be published in September of 2014. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from Brown University, where he continues to maintain a strong volunteer presence, in 1979.

Stalk Jon:  Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook 

MY JON LAND REVIEWS

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Welcome To The Splatter Club @ktrapjones @BloodBoundBooks

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Welcome to the Splatter Club

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Sometimes I review each story in an anthology and other times I review it as a whole. Seeing I would use a lot of the same words to describe each short story of the twelve included in Welcome to the Splatter Club, I will be doing it as a whole.

The gruesome cover and descriptive title make it easy to know what’s inside this splatterpunk horror anthology. Plenty of blood and guts, some delicious snacks, a has been Las Vegas comedienne, bullies, trophies, outer space, the penguin, and so much more had me cringing, feeling like I want to cover my eyes.

If you are looking for something that is spook worthy, Welcome to the Splatter Club has all you could ask for. The short stories can fill in those moments when you are waiting in line at the drug store, sitting in the doctor’s office, or any time you have a couple of spare minutes.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Welcome to the Splatter Club.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Splatter (adj.) – characterized by extreme or excessive gore or violence

Punk (adj.) – often referring to a musical genre of short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often containing subversive lyrics and social and political commentary.

Welcome to the Splatter Club is thirteen stories of hyperintensive horror with no limits!

Editor K. Trap Jones guides this initiation into our favorite genre of dark fiction: Splatterpunk

The ceremony includes black magick curses, encounters of the fourth kind, and bizarre office politics. Story settings range from a dystopic United Kingdom down to the a convenience store stocking a very malicious product.

  • 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!