WHOA! The horsewhisperer and his trusty steed grace the cover of Oaths And Promises. I love that the horse, at least in The North Edge Of Nowhere, looks like a dinosaur. How fun.
Darius is twenty years old now, becoming a man. He still has not let go of his past and the fact that he was a bastard. He puts a lot more meaning into it, than those around him. He keeps his libido in check, afraid of impregnating a woman and having a child outside of marriage. I think that will make him a wonderful father and husband…when the time comes.
I love the people’s attitude towards women, allowing them to be who they want. When Bronwyn comes into his life, I felt there would probably be a romantic interest between them. Whether it would be a good one or not, I didn’t know. I love that she is not afraid to step outside the norm and wants to learn to fight, like Daniel and Darius are doing. That puts them in close contact and she goes after what she wants.
Some humorous dialogue had me smiling, at times. Sometimes, even laughing.
I follow the characters through their trials and tribulations, watching them resolve their differences, become a family. Romance blooms, friendships become unbreakable. The oath becomes unnecessary, as past mistakes are forgiven, new relationships forged in love and commitment. Threecon makes an appearance and I love how Carmen Webster Buxton creatively handled the situation. I will miss the Nowhere world and the characters I’ve met.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Twenty-year-old Darius is a man grown, but his childhood still haunts him. Raised as a prince in a distant southern city, he now lives in Castle Muir, a fiefdom in the far north of the nameless world. Having sworn an oath to remain in the fief and to obey the lord of it, his biological father, he still feels a sense of resentment at his circumstances. His friendship with Daniel the Wanderer remains strong, even when he finds out Daniel’s secret. When his cousin Bronwyn comes to live at Castle Muir, Darius’s oath of obedience is tested. Bronwyn is often rude to Darius, which makes it hard for him to treat her with the respect his father demands. But when his father speaks of Bronwyn becoming like a sister to Darius, he’s sure of one thing: When he looks at Bronwyn, he does not see his sister.
ABOUT CARMEN WEBSTER BUXTON
Carmen Webster Buxton spent her youth reading every book published by Ursula LeGuin, Robert Heinlein and Georgette Heyer. This combination of far-future worlds, alien cultures, and old-fashioned courting customs influenced her writing, especially in her ThreeCon series.
Carmen was born in Hawaii and experienced a peripatetic childhood, as her father was in the US Navy. Having raised two wonderful children, she now lives in Maryland with her husband Charlie, and a beagle named Cosmo. She writes science fiction (often including a romance, and mostly set in the far future), and the occasional fantasy.
Carmen has published many books:
WAKANREO SERIES Alien Bonds Alien Vows Alien Skies
HAVEN SERIES The Sixth Discipline No Safe Haven
THREECON SERIES (can be read in any order) The Nostalgia Gambit Saronna’s Gift Shades of Empire Tribes Worlds Apart
ALTERNATE HISTORY King of Trees
YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION Turnabout Drifters
FANTASY Where Magic Rules Bag of Tricks Hidden Magic
THE NAMELESS WORLD SAGA (coming in 2021) The North Edge of Nowhere Oaths and Promises
Carmen often blogs about ereaders, digital publishing, writing, and speculative fiction. Visit her blog to see what’s coming out next! To ask questions or to provide feedback on her books, send email to carmen.webster.buxton (at) gmail.com.
Every once in a while, I want to read a book that is so far out of the ordinary and XCRMNTMNTN by Andrew Hilbert fit the bill. Due to be released 3.7.23 from Ghoulish Books.
Just looking at the cover for XCRMNTMNTN by Andrew Hilbert, I had to give it a shot. Every so often, I want that shock factor. That jaw dropping WTF factor. I sure got it! I am not even sure how to review this, other than to say, be prepared for some dirty business, keep an open mind, and climb for the….stars. LOL
I laughed, I felt like puking, I thought the characters got what they deserved, and I felt a sigh of relief when I was done. So, park your ego at the door, you won’t need it here. When a book gives me what I was looking for, I have to reward it.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of XCRMNTMNTN by Andrew Hilbert.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
THIS IS NOT A PORNOGRAPHY
When a pile of shit from space lands near a renowned filmmaker’s set, inspiration strikes. Take a journey up a cosmic mountain of excrement with the director and his film crew as they ascend into madness led only by their own vanity and obsession. This is a nightmare about creation. This is a dream about poop. This is a call to arms against vowels. This is XCRMNTMNTN.
ABOUT ANDREW HILBERT
Andrew Hilbert is the author of Inner Space, Invasion of the Weirdos, Bangface & the Gloryhole, and Death Thing. He lives in Texas.
Kate Warne’s Sister Is Missing by J A Schneider was a big departure from the other novels of hers that I have read. At first it threw me off. The writing felt dry, textbooklike. BUT, the more I read, the more I got lost in the characters and their circumstances.
Kate Warne’s Sister Is Missing is historical fiction at its finest. We have fiction woven into facts seamlessly. The events take place during 1861. Think of your history. the Civil War had just broken out. There were those who wanted Lincoln dead. Kate Warne did her part to try and save him, but we all know, eventually, he was killed.
Kate Warne was the first female detective with the Pinkertons, thanks to Alan Pinkerton’s ability to judge a person’s character and see that she would be able to go places and learn things because people would overlook a woman. No one would suspect her of being a detective.
Kate and Saskia’s brother and sister in law are quite the pieces of work. When Saskia goes missing, my eyes are on them. Kate, Saskia and their brother shared ownership of the home they lived in.
Opium, in the form of laudanum was the be all, cure all. History repeats itself in drug addiction and abuse of dangerous substances.
Kate’s friends, Buck and Hattie, are also her partners. Will there be a love interest for Kate? The Flower Girl, a girl with a heart so big she put her life on the line for another. She may not be a star in the book, put she shone brightly regardless. I love when peripheral characters take center stage. That is some good character development that makes me want more.
I would have loved to get to know Saskia better. She was sweet, innocent, adventurous, artistic…Will she be found in time? Is it already too late?
The descriptive writing brought to life the horror, the smells, the danger…my anger and disgust, my wonder and delight, my curiosity and desire to know more. The characters grew on me the more time I spent with them. The mystery kept me guessing and the villains, because there are plenty to go around, filled me with revulsion. What a great word, revulsion. Just saying it conveys how poorly I felt about them, especially a certain someone, who, at this time, will be left nameless.
I appreciate a book that has me going on a hunt, surfing the web, searching for more answers on my own. I love that we ended on a high note, with love and inspiration.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Kate Warne’s Sister Is Missing by J A Schneider.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
April 1861, New York City. Civil War has just broken out. Kate Warne, first female detective and a Pinkerton, returns to find that her beloved sister, Saskia, has gone missing. Where to turn? Who to suspect?
Danger surrounds Kate. Secessionists’ fury has followed her since she thwarted their recent attempt to assassinate Lincoln in Baltimore. New York City is also a powder keg, with most elites and even the city’s mayor violently pro-South. Or could Kate’s possibly pro-South relatives have anything to do with Saskie’s disappearance?
Buck Hackett, a handsome fellow Pinkerton, teams up to help but also yearns for Kate. She resists loving him, fearing more heartache after the loss of her husband. Instead, she and her frequent partner Hattie Lawton – whose family Pinkerton helped escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad – plunge headlong into the dangers of 1861 NYC: from the theater scene to scenes of squalor and vast wealth – then through the raging opium epidemic and the secret tunnels of Chinatown. To find her sister, Kate braves every danger, knowing that every second counts.
ABOUT J A SCHNEIDER
Wheaton College, Norton MA (French Lit Major, Minor in Spanish & squeezed in Russian.) Sorbonne, Jr. Year in Paris
Exchange student in the Soviet Union, where I got arrested for spreading anti-Soviet propaganda – ha! Caught with friends laughing at their pea-green-colored drinking water; that was the offense; four of us arrested. Let go after a day, guess they decided we weren’t worth an international incident. Then weeks later I landed in a Soviet hospital because I fell down a ravine during a student hike in the Caucasus mountains near Sochi. It wasn’t bad. Docs in Sochi were nice…
Former writer at Newsweek Magazine. Author of the 6-book EMBRYO medical thriller series; the 4-book Detective Kerri Blasco Police/Psychological Thrillers FEAR DREAMS, HER LAST BREATH, WATCHING YOU, & SHOELESS CHILD.
Also 5 standalone thrillers: INTO THE DARK, GIRL WATCHING YOU, WHAT YOU’VE DONE, CRY TO ME, & THE WIFE LIST. Also the U.S. Civil War thriller, KATE WARNE’S SISTER IS MISSING. (She was America’s first female detective and a Pinkerton. The story takes place in NYC – a pro-South hotbed – at the outbreak of the Civil War.)
Did someone say dragons? I love stories about dragons and getting lost in fantasy worlds, but it took a while for me to get involved in the story and connect with the characters.
Quen knew she was not like others, with two different colored eyes and…well, that’s a secret. Did her father want her hidden because she’s a shapeshifting Rajani sorceress dragonmancer destined to destroy the human world?
Her curiosity and need to know what Kovatha Imbica wanted with her father, made her leave her home and walk into the desert, searching for answers. What she finds is more than she could have expected. She finds a friend, a love interest, Mishny (who cracked me up and, most definitely, is not a friend), Nivi, mages, dragons, and so much more. There are those that want to love her and help her, and those who want something else from her. Will she be able to save herself and merge her souls, or will the curse be the end of her?
The world building takes us across the desert, to the mountaintop, into caves and villages that hold intrigue and danger.
I think the fact I read Season Of The Dragon on my computer may have lessened my enjoyment. Also, I feel this is for teens and young adults, so the hot dragons and sexy scenes that I long for are absent. My three star review does not stop me from wanting to know what comes next.
At the end of the book is a list of pronunciations for the names and words that are probably foreign to you, a glossary of terms, and an explanation of the religion and mages.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Season Of The Dragon by Natalie Wright.
3 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
From award-winning author Natalie Wright, a sumptuous world of mages and rogues, dragomancers and dragons, myth and mystery, and court intrigue.
“A dazzling epic fantasy kickoff that rewards and upends reader expectations.”—Editor’s Pick, BookLife Reviews
Quen wasn’t born to save the world. She was created to destroy it.
Quen Santu works for her father tanning hides, waiting for her tides to turn. Everyone she grew up with has already committed to a herdclan. But Quen was born cursed with a second, shadow soul. Sensing the oddity within, animals run from her—an untenable trait in a herding culture. On the cusp of her twentieth year, Quen is at risk of becoming pesha—no one.
Then, a dragon kills her father. The murder turns Quen’s life upside down and dashes her hope for an honorable life. As her anger grows, so does her untapped power. Fueled by a quest for vengeance, she joins a vigilante group of rogues hunting the beast. But her journey soon reveals a terrible truth: beyond the safety of her desert village, she has caught the attention of dangerous eyes. And now, she has become the hunted.
At the end of her journey, Quen’s fate will be sealed. Can Quen overcome her curse and unite her warring souls? Or will her shadow soul consume her—and everyone she loves?
The fate of her homeland—and all she loves—hangs in the balance.
ABOUT NATALIE WRIGHT
Natalie writes Epic Fantasy and Science Fiction novels, short stories, and microfiction. Her newest novel, Season of the Dragon, is forthcoming in March 2023 from Menaris Books.
Natalie is the author of six published books, including the award-winning Sci-Fi series H.A.L.F. (Human Alien Life Form). She also authored Emily’s House, a story that was featured by Wattpad with over 2 million reads and counting!
In addition to writing, Natalie also co-hosts the Tipsy Nerds Book Club podcast: The best of Sci-Fi & Fantasy—with a twist! You can download the popular SFF podcast free wherever you get your podcasts. Read the book, grab a cocktail, and join the conversation: http://tipsynerdsbookclub.com.
Natalie is also a freelance content development editor and a judge in the international NYC Midnight writing challenges.
Natalie appears on panels and exhibits at book festivals and comic cons throughout the US. She has an adult son and lives in Arizona with her husband and two cat overlords.
You can check out her travel schedule on her blog (link below) to see if she’ll be in a city near you.
I love the subtle cover of One More Breath by Amber Garr. Sometimes, less is more.
I flipped between a 3 and 4 rating because there was nothing earth shattering in One More Breath by Amber Garr’s lovely story about characters overcoming obstacles to find their happy ever after. It is well written, flowing smoothly, allowing the characters to shine. I do find it easy to overcome obstacles (in novels) myself. I am happy to let the author take me where they will, sitting back and enjoying the story. We did have some danger and thrills along the way, but, like the cover, most times they were subtle, making the anticipation build, having me wonder when the bad would happen.
I love that One More Breath by Amber Garr is a series, The Georgia Girls Series. The Girls are fun, adventurous, loyal, and do not hesitate to come when one of them is in distress. I am eager to see where Amber will take them and who will be in the spotlight next. I have no idea when inspiration will strike or who will be whispering in Amber’s ear, but it has been a long time coming. How about it Girls?
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Sydney Westbrook has had enough.
After a fight with her abusive ex-boyfriend leaves her in the hospital once again, she knows it’s time for a change. Just out of college, Sydney decides to accept a position as a live-in nurse. But leaving the comfort of Atlanta and the support of her small circle of friends is hard to do. And when she meets her ailing, stubborn client, Sydney second guesses all of her choices.
A southern family with a social status to maintain, the McNamara’s think very little of Sydney, especially since she reminds Mrs. McNamara so much of the daughter-in-law she never accepted. But when Sydney encounters Quinn, the defiant grandson, her views of the family begin to change. And her heart begins to heal the hole left behind by the abuse.
Sydney and Quinn may have little time together, but they make the most out of it. A public display of their relationship is short-lived when Sydney learns just how far her client will go to save her family’s namesake. And when Sydney’s past suddenly rips into her new world, her happiness with Quinn threatens to come to an end.
But truth and friendship will help Sydney finally live the life she’s chosen while loving the one she chose.
ABOUT AMBER GARR
Amber Garr spends her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner, author of the bestselling The Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels, the award-winning The Water Crisis Chronicles, and the The Second Rising Series. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.
I love the ominous old time feel of the cover for Lies On Bristol Lake by Jean Nicole Rivers. I had an idea of what the book would be about, the mystery and the danger. Any book that takes place on or near the water always catches my attention, making me curious to know if it will be a fit for me. Jean Nicole Rivers put her own twist on a familiar tale and that is why I love her writing so much.
It wasn’t hard to figure out early on that Dahlia Dixon would marry the wealthy boss, the synopsis told us so, but what is happening after they are married really pissed me off. A lot of it was obvious, but there are more plots going on than just the one between Dahlia and her husband, Malcom.
I love when an author adds some humor to her darkness and cracks me up:
‘I could rip my top off right now and whip glittering pink tassels attached to my nipples in wild circles and few would even notice…’
Keep in mind that I am reading an ARC. Some things may be corrected and changed for the finished product.
Dahlia’s past haunts her. She feels she is split in two and Dark Dahlia is now warning her…something is not right. Are the dead talking to her? Trying to tell her their secrets? Is Thomas really dead, her lover who tried to drown her in high school?
There was a surprise or two…and one really blew my mind. I didn’t see that coming at all! I love when an author can surprise me, shock me, giving me pause…before I read on.
Lies On Bristol Lake gave me a sense of complacency in the beginning. I knew there was a mystery and there would be some danger. It creeps up on me slowly, pouncing when I least expect it. As everything comes together I am left with a feeling of satisfaction. Well done, Jean, you got me…and that is not any easy thing to do. I usually figure things out before the author has a chance to tell me what’s happening. I did with some things, but that ending…awesome!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Lies On Bristol Lake by Jean Nicole Rivers.
4 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
Dahlia Dixon is finally getting a grip on her once crippling PTSD, the result of a college incident that nearly left her dead in a university pool. After marrying her wealthy boss, she’s whisked away to his isolated home on Bristol Lake. Her new husband’s first wife drowned in Bristol Lake only months before and is still hauntingly present in every corner of the modern retreat.
When Dahlia is run off the road, lies begin to surface. She learns that another woman recently died in Bristol Lake. Dahlia is sure she is in someone’s crosshair. No can be trusted. The dangerous paranoia is returning. Dahlia must dive into the secrets that dwell in the lake before she herself is dragged beneath its glassy surface.
ABOUT JEAN NICOLE RIVERS
Jean Nicole (@jeannicole19) is a National Black Book Festival award-winner and author of two psychological horror novels, Black Water Tales: The Unwanted and Black Water Tales: The Secret Keepers. She has also garnered awards for her screenplay, If I Die, from multiple film festivals including the Shivers International Film Festival (Canada).
Currently, she is working through the 3rd installment of her Black Water Tales series on a novel currently titled, To the Moon and Back.
In 2016, she launched the only novel writing software founded and owned by a black woman, Simple Stylus (www.SimplyStylus.com) and she teaches an online beginner writing course titled, Simply Writing: An Aspiring Author’s Guide to Developing A Solid Writing Process and FINALLY Writing Their Novel.
She writes because she loves words, she writes because she loves stories, she writes because she has a story to tell.
I downloaded Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella on 4.8.15. After reading it, and Creators, a ninety page novella that introduced me to the series, I wonder why I waited so long. Oh, wait, it’s because I can’t help downloading the next book, and the next one, and the next one…Do you know what I mean? Do you one click…because you can? LOL
A book, and series, like Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella, really strike home for me. I love books that deal with things that ‘could’ happen. I mean, think about it…what would you do to survive? And what would those who could save humanity do to make sure the right people were chosen?
What happens to a person when they are no longer ‘useful’ to the system that operates on limited resources? Are people disposable?
In Contributor by Nicole Ciacchella, we see what happens to those deemed disposable by the Creators. I was filled with anger and disgust, yet there are always those characters that will rise to the occasion and shine brightly.
Dara Morrow, a seventeen year old girl has been given everything. Her eyes are opened when she realizes not only must she must earn it, but when her mother becomes ill, what happens when a Contributor is no longer able to contribute.
Nicole Ciacchella has the creep factor going in full force when we meet the Head of Engineering, Andersen. Dara is competing to become his assistant. I love when an author can surprise me, and I was surprised when help came from an unexpected source.
The characters range from the worst of the worst to the best of the best. The danger is subtle, but I knew it was always there. I do wonder if a novel like this could be insight to what our future could be? I love ecological stories that highlight current events in real life, which has become truly frightening. Famine? Storms? Are books like this a warning? Something to think about with this thought provoking series.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
When the Great Famine threatened the existence of mankind, the Creators saved humanity. Humanity has been their loyal subject ever since.
This history has been ingrained in seventeen-year-old Dara Morrow since her first day of Creator-sponsored school. Grateful for the life-giving necessities her Creator provides, Dara is thrilled to be one of three students chosen for an elite, year-long apprenticeship program. Now is her chance to prove herself a devoted Contributor.
But Dara’s competition is ruthless and will stop at nothing to win the competition. Worse yet, her exacting master has little patience for her.
Then Dara’s mother is seriously injured, and Dara realizes the price of being a Contributor: once you’ve outlived your usefulness, you’re discarded. Can Dara learn to manipulate the system to save not only herself, but everyone she loves?
ABOUT NICOLE CIACCHELLA
Nicole has never met a genre she doesn’t like. She dabbles in everything from science fiction to contemporary rom-coms to fantasy fiction.
Nicole has previously published under the pen names Elizabeth Darcy and Anne Wentworth, but is no longer using those names.
Nicole has had a lifelong passion for the written word. As a child, one of her most treasured Christmas gifts was an electric typewriter, which enabled her to crank out her stories even more quickly than she could with a pen. Naturally, the personal computer is one of her favorite inventions. When she isn’t writing, Nicole can usually be found curled up in a chair, whiling away the hours with a good book.
One of Nicole’s other great passions is travel, and she has visited Europe, as well as traveling to many of the fifty states. Her favorite trips include visits to Paris, Maui, and various parts of Belgium. She feels fortunate that she is married to a native Belgian, as it gives her plenty of reasons to visit Europe as often as possible. Also, it gives her an excuse to eat Belgian waffles regularly.
Born and raised in Michigan, Nicole lives there still with her husband and two beautiful children. She thinks Michigan is the greatest state in the country, and Michigan State University is the greatest university in the world.
I have been a fan of the Light Brothers for some time now. They specialize in short horror stories that will keep you up at night. I only found this available as an audiobook. Visit his website below for some free stuff for you to check out and I highly recommend doing so.
First off, I enjoyed Black Door by Evans Light and have read several of his short stories. Black Door seemed like its target audience is preteens and teens looking for an adventure. I enjoyed my journey, but like things deeper and darker, giving me shivers and jumping at those things that go bump in the night. I feel the youngster might just do that.
I can hear the boys bickering, jabbering as the GPS leads them on a wild goosechase. The camp is not what they expected and I think we know what that means…some spookalificous moments are to be had.
Evans Light has a way with words, creating some creepy descriptions, but that is not the creepiest part. It is the ending. So, beware when you embark on your next camping experience. You may get more than you bargained for.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
William and his brothers are on their way to summer camp. But when a wrong turn leads them to an abandoned campground, things start to get weird in this nail-biting tale of adventure and suspense.
”Imaginatively cryptic . . .will delight readers young and old alike with good old-fashioned spookiness. Highly recommended.”
Appropriate reading for pre-teens, teens and adults.
ABOUT EVANS LIGHT
Doesn’t Evans look like someone you would like to take home to mother?
Evans Light is a writer of horror and suspense who suffers from frequent bouts of delusional grandeur interspersed with moments of soul-crushing suspicions of personal inadequacy.
His debut collection of short stories and novellas, SCREAMSCAPES: Tales of Terror, is now available from fine retailers everywhere, and his first novel is well underway.
Evans and Adam Light have a Goodreads Q&A group, Corpus Press: Horror and Weird Fiction, which can be found here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/8….
The great cover for Cry To Me by J A Schneider immediately drew me in. I love suspense thrillers. Add a hurricane, blizzard, or any kind of weather or storm to the scenario and it steps things up. I love the characters trapped and in danger.
Little Miss Cry To Me, Kim Bell, cannot say no to anyone and finds herself overloaded with obligations. Things become worse. At a celebration in their home, she finds her brother in law and sister, with a gun in her hand, dead in his office. The police think she murdered Wyatt, then killed herself. It isn’t possible. Her sister hates guns.
David, Wyatt’s brother is at her side, pulling her away. Kim is a true crime writer and a quick thinker. Something doesn’t seem right to her, so she quickly pulls out her phone and snaps a few photos. Her first experience with murder was her own father’s, which was never solved. Her mother became an alcoholic. Kim and Liddy became each other’s world.
Liddy was the fun sister, the creative one, the peacemaker. Wyatt is was a tech CEO guru. Winnie is one of Liddy’s best friends. She seems VERY helpful and makes me suspicious. (I am not paranoid. I know people are out to get me. LOL) Zoe Martin is another of Liddy’s best friends. Many times things are not as they seem, so I immediately begin to try and figure out who is the villain. Is it one of the ‘ladies’ or one of their husbands?
Police Officer Miller…bitch is pissing me off. Her dismissive attitude and quick assumptions lead me to believe that, if she didn’t have a partner looking for the real answers, the investigation could have ended with Kim found guilty in Liddy and Wyatt’s death.
I read LOTS of mysteries, suspense and thriller stories. It’s important to me that the mystery stays muddled. I love red herrings, twist and turns, and danger dogging the characters footsteps. Early on it becomes obvious the characters are keeping secrets. I may need my own murder board to focus in on the culprit and that’s a good thing. No easy answers here.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Cry To Me by J A Schneider.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Liddy Bell shot her husband – or did she? In the middle of a party she’s giving with her guests just feet away? Liddy’s sister Kim, a true crime writer, struggles to prove her sister innocent.
Wyatt Bell was a powerful tech CEO; the party was to celebrate the purchase and restoration of his and Liddy’s 1920s mansion. No one heard the shots that killed him and wounded Liddy. The band was loud and guests were scattered. When the police declare the crime a failed murder-suicide attempt and Liddy as their suspect, her sister Kim is devastated and insists it’s a setup. Wyatt’s handsome brother David and Liddy’s closest friends try to help Kim investigate…but questions arise. Could Liddy have only pretended to be happy, snapped, and shot her husband? Above all, Kim’s worst anguish is wondering if she ever really knew her sister…
With a hurricane approaching, the police put their investigation on hold, and those closest find themselves all under one roof. Relationships unravel, and Kim thinks, “This is terrifying. We’re all five of us in this house. At night in a hurricane with no power…and a terrible feeling of menace. I can’t shake it.”
ABOUT J A SCHNEIDER
Wheaton College, Norton MA (French Lit Major, Minor in Spanish & squeezed in Russian.) Sorbonne, Jr. Year in Paris
Exchange student in the Soviet Union, where I got arrested for spreading anti-Soviet propaganda – ha! Caught with friends laughing at their pea-green-colored drinking water; that was the offense; four of us arrested. Let go after a day, guess they decided we weren’t worth an international incident. Then weeks later I landed in a Soviet hospital because I fell down a ravine during a student hike in the Caucasus mountains near Sochi. It wasn’t bad. Docs in Sochi were nice…
Former writer at Newsweek Magazine. Author of the 6-book EMBRYO medical thriller series; the 4-book Detective Kerri Blasco Police/Psychological Thrillers FEAR DREAMS, HER LAST BREATH, WATCHING YOU, & SHOELESS CHILD.
Also 5 standalone thrillers: INTO THE DARK, GIRL WATCHING YOU, WHAT YOU’VE DONE, CRY TO ME, & THE WIFE LIST. Also the U.S. Civil War thriller, KATE WARNE’S SISTER IS MISSING. (She was America’s first female detective and a Pinkerton. The story takes place in NYC – a pro-South hotbed – at the outbreak of the Civil War.)
Copper Waters is the fourth book in the Annalise series, and I have loved traveling the world, facing danger, and coming out on top of it, with her and her group of friends. As the series grows, so do the characters.
I do have an issue with Annalise shitting or getting off the pot as far as her and Alec’s relationship goes. She is an antiquities expert and Alec is loaded. He’s ready to tie the knot and give up the ratrace. She’s not so sure, having a hard time believing he could really want her. But, I think the time has come to make a decision.
Especially after the mystery and danger they face in New Zealand. But, before their adventure, before she will accept his proposal, another road block appears.
I doubt I will ever make it to New Zealand, so it is wonderful to see it through Annalise’s and Marlene M Bell’s eyes. The vivid descriptions…They paint an amazing picture with their words. Snow topped mountains, lush green fields, hers of sheep and cattle, and the small town of brightly colored businesses, with historical architecture.
Annalise cannot leave a mystery unsolved, so going home to the United States when the shit starts to hit the fan is not an option. I love that her and Bill, Alex’s…and now Annalise’ detective friend, are getting comfortable with each other…not in a romantic way, but as life long friends.
The characters become richer with each story, as Marlene M Bell fills in the blanks of their lives. After reading Copper Waters, I am wondering how she will help Annalise mature into a more confident person. I don’t understand why she is so hesitant with Alec, yet so bold when there is a mystery to be solved. I love a strong female protagonist, and I want Annalise to become a more mature, self assured person. confident woman.
The saying ‘ Absence makes the heart grow fonder’ works for Annalise and Alex. They learn each other even better while being apart, finding out the mos important thing is each other.
I am loving the series and traveling to foreign worlds, but Copper Waters fell a little flat for me. I don’t know what I was wanting or expecting, but I didn’t get it. I did enjoy the story and my travels, and kept picking up the book when I had a spare minute or hour. (LOL) so there is no doubt I will continue reading whatever Marlene M Bell writes. Bring it on Marlene.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Copper Waters by Marlene M Bell.
4 Stars
Book Details:
Book Title: Copper Waters – A New Zealand Mystery (Annalisse Series Book 4) by Marlene M. Bell Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 340 pages Genre: Mystery-Suspense Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing Release date: October, 2022 Format available for review: print – softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF ) Will send print books out: USA Content Rating: G. Book is for general audiences. No profanity. No graphic scenes. Crimes described briefly after-the-fact. Mild and limited romance https://www.youtube.com/embed/PjDimoA2yQc https://www.youtube.com/embed/PjDimoA2yQc
Book Description:
Annalisse Drury and Alec Zavos find themselves on opposing sides when an ex-lover from Alec’s past introduces him to his alleged son. With Alec distracted and their future engagement in limbo, Annalisse accepts a key to her dream cottage—situated on a picturesque sheep station on South Island, New Zealand—only this time, she travels alone.
But not long after her arrival she’s confronted by two peculiar deaths—either accidental, or the deliberate acts of a psychopath.
Local investigators are closing the cases too quickly and want Annalisse to exit the country before she reveals the town’s darkest secrets.
Will she return to Alec, or sacrifice their future together to expose it all?
Book Title: Stolen Obsession (Annalisse Series Book 1) by Marlene M. Bell Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 296 pages Genre: Mystery-Suspense Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing Release date: March 2018 Format available for review: print – softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF), audiobook (audible download) Will send print books out: USA Content Rating: PG. Subtle romantic interludes. No profanity. https://www.youtube.com/embed/EfPsyRPdIwI https://www.youtube.com/embed/EfPsyRPdIwI
New York antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury’s best friend was murdered. The killer’s identity may be linked to her friend’s expensive missing bracelet—a 500-year-old artifact that carries an ancient curse, one that unleashes evil upon any who dare wear the jewelry created for the Persian royal family.
Weeks later, Annalisse sees a matching necklace at a Manhattan gallery opening. She begs the owner to destroy the cursed piece, but her pleas fall on deaf ears—despite the unnatural death that occurs during the opening. With two victims linked to the jewelry, Annalisse is certain she must act. Desperate, Annalisse enlists the gallery owner’s son to help—even though she’s afraid he’ll break her heart. Wealthy and devastatingly handsome, with a string of bereft women in his wake, Greek playboy Alec Zavos dismisses Annalisse’s concerns—until his parents are ripped from the Zavos family yacht during their ocean voyage near Crete.
Annalisse and Alec race across two oceans to save his parents, feared kidnapped or even dead. When the killer changes tactics and goes after Alec behind Annalisse’s back, can her plan to rescue Alec’s mother save them all?
Book Title: Spent Identity (Annalisse Series Book 2) by Marlene M. Bell Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 378 pages Genre: Mystery-Suspense Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing Release date: Nov 2019 Format available for review: print – softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF), audiobook (audible download) Will send print books out: USA Content Rating: PG-13+M. Main Character is accosted and fights an assailant in one chapter. Mild profanity. https://www.youtube.com/embed/bqwn2d2qBQU
Antiquities appraiser Annalisse Drury drives to her family farm in upstate New York to consult with Aunt Kate about her troubled relationship with Greek tycoon, Alec Zavos. When Annalisse arrives, she learns the beloved farm she expects to inherit is for sale.
That same morning, they find a stranger’s body decaying in the barn. Then her aunt vanishes.
In Spent Identity, Annalisse and Alec join forces for the second time. They must find the mastermind behind her aunt’s abduction before Kate’s health issues worsen. Was the corpse in the barn a coincidence or a warning? The clock ticks for Annalisse to find her aunt and repair what she has left with the man she loves.
Book Title: Scattered Legacy (Annalisse Series Book 3) by Marlene M. Bell Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 352 pages Genre: Mystery-Suspense Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing Release date: Oct 2021 Format available for review: print – softback, e-book (mobi file (for Kindle), ePub, PDF) Will send print books out: USA Content Rating: PG+M. Brief kissing/romance. mild use of profanity like “damn.” No F Bombs. Some violence and talk of an attack by villain that doesn’t materialize.
To outsiders, the relationship between Manhattan antiquities assessor Annalisse Drury and sports car magnate Alec Zavos must look carefree and glamorous. In reality, it’s a love affair regularly punctuated by treasure hunting, action-packed adventure, and the occasional dead body.
When Alec schedules an overseas trip to show Annalisse his mother’s birthplace in Bari, Italy, he squeezes in the high-stakes business of divesting his family’s international corporation. But things go terribly wrong as murder makes its familiar reappearance in their lives – and this time it’s Alec’s disgraced former CFO who’s the main suspect.
Accompanied by friend and detective Bill Drake, Annalisse and Alec find themselves embroiled in a behind-closed-doors conspiracy that threatens the reputation and legacy of Alec’s late father – linking him to embezzlement, extortion, and the dirty business of the Sicilian Mafia. The search for the truth sends the trio straight into riddles, secrets, and an historic set of rosary beads. Annalisse leads Alec toward a discovery that is unthinkable, and events that will change their futures forever.
Scattered Legacy is the third in Marlene M. Bell’s thrilling Annalisse series, which weaves romance, crime, and historical mystery into addictive tales to instantly captivate fans of TV show Bones or Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
Marlene M. Bell is an eclectic mystery writer, artist, photographer, and she raises sheep in beautiful East Texas with her husband, Gregg, three cats and a flock of horned Dorset sheep.
The Annalisse series has received numerous honors including the Independent Press Award for Best Mystery (Spent Identity,) and FAPA— Florida Author’s President’s Gold Award for two other installments, (Stolen Obsession and Scattered Legacy.) Her mysteries with a touch of romance are found at marlenembell.com. She also offers the first of her children’s picture books, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! Based on true events from the Bell’s ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of compassion and love between a little girl and her lamb.
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