The gorgeous, eye catching cover is only the beginning of the deliciousness of Golden Blood: A Vampire Story by Tim Vee. I grab any vampire books that come my way and Golden Blood is a fresh take of a familiar tale. It’s pretty hard to come up with a new slant, seeing there are thousands of books out there. Good job ,Tim.
Balthazar Jiménez de Quesada’s greed has him transformed into a vampire, one of the most grotesque I have ever come across. He’s definitely not sparkly. He turns the wrong person when he slaughtered Yvette’s family and left her for dead. She plots her revenge.
She devotes her vampiric life to finding Golden Blood, the rarest type of blood. It can break the vampire curse, turning her back into a human. There are some bloods that can give a vampire the human feeling for a short period of time, but she wants Golden Blood. So does Balthazar, after he gets his first taste. He wants to kill her and take over her ‘company’.
I love what Tim Vee has done with Golden Blood. I would not change anything. These are not your Twilight vampires. Tim has some of the most vivid descriptions and I can see the flies buzzing, skin sloughing off…
We have a bit of a history lesson with our horror and I was all in. The more I read, the more engrossed I was in the story. I would have read it in one sitting, if I could have, but I did read until the wee hours of the morning.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In 1540, conquistador Balthazar Jiménez de Quesada embarks on a quest for gold but encounters an ancient evil in the jungles of Colombia, La Pastola, transforming him into an immortal vampire. Centuries later, as Napoleon’s army clashes with the British in 1815, a brutal massacre near Walloon births a new vampire desperate to break her curse. In present-day Los Angeles, a man with the rarest blood type—Golden Blood—enters a dangerous world where the line between predator and prey blurs, as a secret society of vampires hunts for the key to their salvation…or their destruction. Golden Blood is a gripping tale of horror, history, and the eternal struggle for redemption, spanning from the New World’s blood-soaked jungles to the underbelly of modern L.A.
Golden Blood is the story about one vampire’s search for Golden Blood that can reverse the vampiric curse and her need for revenge against the vampire that slaughtered her family and turned her into a vampire centuries before. Set in the jungles of Colombia in the 1500s, the Caribbean in the 1700s, Europe in the 1800s and 1900s, and present-day Los Angeles, Golden Blood is a dark, bleak, and gothic story.
Tim works in digital marketing in Toronto and is well-traveled, having visited over 80 countries. When he is not working or writing he likes to spend time with his family and German Shepherd – and to go cycling.
Tim has written ten books; The Secret Policemen and The Secret Service – both dystopian dark comedies; as well as seven science fiction novels – Extinction, Annabelle, Fission, The Children of the Third Reich, The Child of Mars, and The Children of Andaalwaald.
Tim has also written Magpie – a dark and intense journey into the world of international espionage and terrorism.
Tim mostly enjoys writing transgressive fiction – mainly about aliens and psychopaths.
The Crushing by Kerry Peresta is the fourth novel in the Olivia Callahan series. The more I get to know her, the more I love her…and her Wine, Whine, & Win group of friends.
Hannah had gotten married and moved to Pensacola, Florida. Hazel had moved there too. She’s ready for the quiet life. Olivia’s memory may never be fully restored, but she remembers enough to have built a business and pick up her personal life. Her home has been restored since the fire and she loves it. Sherry (it’s always so fun to see my name in a book) has become a part of the private investigating firm Olivia started. Callie lives behind Olivia’s house helping out when she can. Beth is a newcomer and works at the firm. She seems like a good fit. Monty is in prison, but refuses to keep his nose out of their business.
They haven’t heard from Hannah in a long time, so Sherry makes the trip to Pensacola. Patrick, Hannah’s husband says she’s around, just not available. Something seemed amiss before Sherry even got there.
We have more than one wolf hiding in sheep’s clothing and their lives will be put on the line while running through the swamps of Florida.
Poor Hunter. He is torn between two women. At times I feel bad for him, other times I feel like he keeps one on hold for when the other doesn’t work out. So far Olivia isn’t ready for a commitment, though she feels a rightness when they are together, wanting to reach out and kiss him. Will she or won’t she?
The Crushing by Kerry Peresta rolls along at a suspenseful pace. We have many culprits heaping bad things on the ladies. Some of the danger is right in front of their eyes.
To sum it up, the more I read the more suspenseful the story became, the more danger dogged their footsteps, the more complex the mystery became. I couldn’t figure out who was doing what and why and what the outcome would be. The ending left me with a comfortable feeling of relief. The ladies live on to fight another day.
4 Stars
SYNOPSIS
OLIVIA CALLAHAN SUSPENSE
The victim of a vicious assault six years ago that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, Olivia Callahan is now a private investigator with her own firm. The assault that almost took her life resulted in a spectacular metamorphosis. No longer the shy, passive introvert she once was, she’s become a driving and determined force. However, the lack of impulse control caused by her rewired brain causes her to run toward trouble instead of away from it.
When Olivia sends her colleague, Sherry, to the Florida panhandle to find a missing friend, Hannah; the search takes Sherry into the dark heart of an abusive, hostage situation. The man Hannah married is cruel, dangerous, and well-connected. Olivia reels in her favorite cop—Sergeant Hunter Faraday—for a discreet assist, and it soon becomes clear that Hannah’s new husband is adept at waging war against anything that blocks his way.
While rescuing Hannah is Olivia’s primary goal, her incarcerated ex-husband has other plans. He’s collected friends who support his obsessive need to punish her for her role in his murder conviction, and a time bomb is ticking.
As Olivia and Sherry battle to save Hannah, try to neutralize the fiendish plan of an ex bent on revenge, and endure a terrifying race for their lives through the Florida wetlands; a final betrayal waits patiently in the dark. Smiling.
Praise for The Crushing:
“Fans of Frieda McFadden and Lisa Jewell will stay up past their bedtimes devouring the latest thriller from Kerry Peresta! Haunted by her abusive ex-husband, P.I. Olivia Callahan had better keep her friends close and her enemies closer. Now, if she could only tell them apart. When one of her best friends goes missing in a Florida swamp, the clock is ticking. The suspense winds tighter on every page!” ~ Kelly Oliver, author of the Jessica James Mysteries
“The tension in Kerry Peresta’s The Crushing is off the chain. Chilling! ‘I can beat this,’ the captive whispers from her locked room. ‘I will escape.’ Taut. Gripping. Engrossing. Highly recommended!” ~ Tracy Clark, award-winning author of the Cass Raines Chicago mysteries and the Detective Harriet Foster series.
“Rich details, a strong, character-driven plot, and enough snaky twists and turns to give you vertigo – this fourth entry in Kerry Peresta’s Olivia Callahan series will have you sweating bullets and turning pages like a tornado, leaving you as breathless as a mile sprinter. There’s nothing less simple than a simple missing-persons case, and there are far worse things than gators in the dark, dank Florida boonies. Don’t believe me? Read The Crushing.” ~ J.R. Sanders, Shamus Award winning author of the Nate Ross novels.
Book Details:
Genre: Thriller, Suspense Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: October 15, 2024 Number of Pages: 310 ISBN: 978-1-68512-770-1 Series:Olivia Callahan Suspense, Book Four Book Links:Amazon | Goodreads | Level Best Books
Read an excerpt:
PROLOGUE
Sherry crammed the phone against her ear as she dashed through the thick undergrowth, trudged across boggy marshes, and arrived at a feeder stream.
“Olivia! Olivia?”
Nothing.
“Dammit!” she muttered, shoving her cell back into her pocket. She calculated that the nearest town rested fifteen miles down the highway out here in Florida-cracker country, and holing up until the shooter emerged seemed the best option.
She should’ve known there’d be no service out here.
Where did he go? She scraped mud off her face and rubbed her sunburned cheeks. He actually fired a weapon. On no planet had she ever thought this little trek would become a fight for her life, yet here she stood, hands glued to the trunk of a huge palm, eyes darting back and forth across the marshy, pancake-flat wastelands of inland Florida. Behind her lay a wide body of water surrounded by suspicious-looking marsh grass and, she suspected, alligators…and in front of her lay miles of marshland and bedraggled palms spearing the sky.
Why had she volunteered for this assignment, again?
“I just had to get my investigator’s license,” she muttered. “Maybe I should’ve stayed put as Olivia’s assistant instead of private investigator. This isn’t quite how I envisioned the job.”
She rubbed her calves. How long had she been running? Fifteen minutes? Twenty? An hour? Where was Olivia?
The distant blast of gunfire reached her ears. A bullet sliced through the air and hit the tree she’d wrapped herself around, missing her hand by inches. Sherry felt her stomach freeze into a block of ice.
Wiping the sweat from her eyes, she slid her hand to the paddle holster on her belt, gripped her Smith & Wesson revolver, and released the safety strap. Another crack of gunfire erupted closer this time. She swallowed, hard. A whoosh of air zipped past a mere twelve inches in front of her nose. Sherry dropped to the ground like a stone. The spikey bushes on the ground dug into her arms, her chest, her legs. She located a slight rise about ten feet away, and hastily low-crawled through the weeds on her stomach, edged to the top of the incline, and threw herself over the top.
Breathing hard, she peeked out above the edge. The crack-crack-crack of shots fired caused her to dive for cover. She took a deep breath, wiped the sweat off her palms, and fired back a volley of her own. When silence fell, she relaxed against the incline and tugged out her phone. A signal!
With fumbling fingers, she pressed in Olivia’s number. She waited through one ring, then two, before her call was answered.
“Where are you?” Olivia’s anxious voice demanded. “Are you okay?”
Tears of relief trailed down her cheeks. She rattled off a description of her location. Her gaze trained on the best-case origination of shots fired, she whispered, “Olivia! I found Hannah. She’s exhausted and weak, but I’ve got her.” Sherry listened to Olivia’s instructions. “Okay. I’ll meet you at the airport, but…wait. I hear something,” she whispered, and stuck the phone back in her pocket. She gripped her weapon with both hands.
Minutes passed. Sherry tried to breathe.
Something shuffled through the grass. Her eyes sliced left, right.
The shuffling stopped.
The hum of cicadas intensified. She swatted at mosquitoes. Sweat trickled down her face.
Sherry adjusted her grip on her sidearm.
She strained to hear more footsteps, but only heard the faint squawk of herons and hoot of owls. The setting sun left a red slash on the horizon. Bats dipped and swooped above her.
She lowered her weapon, puzzled. Had one of her prior shots wounded her target?
Taking her time, she rose from her niche behind the incline.
A single shot burst from her adversary’s weapon and sizzled through the air.
She cried out in pain. The bullet had nicked her, the sting of a monster wasp. She groped her waist with her free hand and lifted it away wet with blood. Rage rushed through her chest and down her arms. She planted her legs wide and emptied her weapon in the direction of the shooter.
The phone in her pocket vibrated with a text as she reloaded.
Another bullet clipped her in the shoulder.
The sound of sirens wailed in the distance.
She collapsed.
***
Excerpt from The Crushing by Kerry Peresta. Copyright 2024 by Kerry Peresta. Reproduced with permission from Kerry Peresta. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Kerry Peresta is a suspense novelist, and her releases include The Deadening,The Rising, The Torching, and The Crushing, books one-four in the Olivia Callahan Suspense series; and Back Before Dawn, a standalone thriller, all published by Level Best Books Publishing. Her magazine articles have appeared in Hilton Head’s Local Life Magazine, The Bluffton Breeze, Lady Lowcountry, and Island Events Magazine. She spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, editor, and copywriter. She is past chapter president of the Maryland Writers’ Association and a current member and presenter of Hilton Head Island Writers’ Network, South Carolina Writers Association, Pat Conroy Literary Center, International Thriller Writers, and the Sisters in Crime organization. Kerry is the mother of four adult kids, a flock of grandkids, and three cats. She and her husband moved to Hilton Head Island in 2015.
I might be predisposed to loving The 100 by Kass Morgan, because I have seen the TV series. I loved it, so I checked The 100 out from the library. I was bummed, because I’ll have to wait for Book II.
I have been reading a lot of apocalyptic, dystopian, and science fiction stories and loving them. I quickly because immersed in the story and involved with the characters. The tension created kept me flipping pages and the pace never let up.
100 juvenile delinquents were sent back to Earth to find out if it was safe to come back after the nuclear devastation. The Phoenix is running out of everything and is beginning to fall apart. The last of the human race is at stake and the leaders do some gross and disgusting things, sacrificing the few to save the many. They have no limits to how far they will go.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.
Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth’s radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents — considered expendable by society — are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life…or it could be a suicide mission.
CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she’s haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor’s son, came to Earth for the girl he loves — but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.
Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind’s last hope.
Kass Morgan studied literature at Brown and Oxford, and now resides in Brooklyn, where she lives in constant fear of her Ikea bookcase collapsing and burying her under a mound of science fiction and Victorian novels.
Rebecca Zanetti sure knows how to hold a reader’s attention with her fast paced thriller, You Can Kill. We have plenty of victims and plenty of suspects. The more I read, the more both lists grew.
I love dysfunctional characters and serial killers You Can Kill has plenty of both. The deaths are brutal and gruesome, and Laurel Snow is on the case. Her personal life crosses with her professional life, but nothing stops her when it comes to taking down her ‘man’.
Want some breathtaking suspense, some thrills that are sure to offer you a shiver or two, and some mystery that will have you creating your own mystery board, look no further.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Luther meets Justified combined with Profiler in New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s exciting Laurel Snow Thriller series, set in the Pacific Northwest, featuringFBI Special Agent and rising star profiler Laurel Snow. For readers who love their thrillers centered around dysfunctional families, and their protagonists threatened by a serial killer.
“Be prepared to stay up all night…Rebecca Zanetti takes you on a thrill-ride, pitting characters you love against impossible odds.” –CHRISTINE FEEHAN, New York Times bestselling author
A string of brutal murders is leaving a grisly trail across the Pacific Northwest—and drawing rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow back into a treacherous case and a twisted personal drama she can’t escape . . .
The first body is torn apart, blood and flesh discovered across both state and federal lands. As the victims multiply, a pattern emerges—each is related to past cases investigated by Laurel Snow, with the assist of Huck Rivers, Washington Fish and Wildlife captain. When friends and loved ones are targeted, things become even more chillingly personal.
As Laurel and Huck team up again to navigate the gruesome and increasingly bizarre killings, they must also keep a safe distance from Laurel’s half-sister, Abigail, a dangerously clever sociopath. Ever since their father reappeared in town, Abigail has been convinced she must protect Laurel from his malignant narcissism—a scourge she’s sure they’ve both inherited. Huck is not spared either as a shocking development in the case touches his own life.
With the murders, and the suspects, multiplying around them, and the lives of everyone in their orbit at stake, only Laurel’s sharp analytic skills, Huck’s deep gut instincts, and their growing bond will enable them to face the demons within and the threats without—before they’re next on an elusive killer’s hit list . . .
Expected publication October 22, 2024 by Zebra Books
Series: Laurel Snow, #4
ABOUT REBECCA ZANETTI
New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and #1 Amazon bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has published more than sixty novels, which have been translated into several languages, with millions of copies sold world-wide. Her books have received Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus starred reviews and also have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Woman’s World, and Women’s Day Magazines. Her novels have been included in Amazon best books of the year and have been favorably reviewed in both the Washington Post and the New York Times Book Reviews.
Rebecca has ridden in a locked Chevy trunk, has asked the unfortunate delivery guy to release her from a set of handcuffs, and has discovered the best silver mine shafts in which to bury a body…all in the name of research. Honest. Find Rebecca at: www.RebeccaZanetti.com
I have seen a lot of recommendations for Blake Crouch novels, but Run is my first one. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House/ Ballantine Books.
Jack Colclough hears his name called over the radio and knows that ‘they’ are coming to kill him and his family. He has no other option than to run.
They run through deserts and mountains, searching for gas, food and water. All the things necessary when an apocalypse hits. They do their best to avoid anyone else, not knowing who can be trusted…no one. Blake definitely puts his characters through hell.
Riveting. Engrossing. Suspenseful. Unputdownable. I’ll definitely be checking out more of his work.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
5 D A Y S A G O A rash of bizarre murders swept the country… Senseless. Brutal. Seemingly unconnected. A cop walked into a nursing home and unloaded his weapons on elderly and staff alike. A mass of school shootings. Prison riots of unprecedented brutality. Mind-boggling acts of violence in every state.
4 D A Y S A G O The murders increased ten-fold…
3 D A Y S A G O The President addressed the nation and begged for calm and peace…
2 D A Y S A G O The killers began to mobilize…
Y E S T E R D A Y All the power went out…
T O N I G H T They’re reading the names of those to be killed on the Emergency Broadcast System. You are listening over the battery-powered radio on your kitchen table, and they’ve just read yours.
Your name is Jack Colclough. You have a wife, a daughter, and a young son. You live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. People are coming to your house to kill you and your family. You don’t know why, but you don’t have time to think about that any more.
You only have time to….
R U N
This 80,000-word novel also contains a bonus interview with Blake, and excerpts from his other work.
Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into over thirty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Crouch lives in Colorado with his family.
Well, I’m sad to say that Savage Risk was not one of my favorite Jane Blythe novels. She writes wonderful romance novels filled with danger, hunkalicious males, suspense, romance, and happy ever afters. It’s rare when one of her books misses the mark.
We have two dysfunctional characters, Skye Xenos and Caleb Quinn. They had been friends since they were four years old. They had grown up in the wealthy, political world, where their fathers had their lives planned out. That didn’t fly with either one. Skye was an animal whisperer, so it made sense for her to become a vet. Caleb went into the military, then joined Prey Security.
We have an ongoing suspense mystery that will be wrapped up in Savage Risk, the final book in the Prey Security, Alpha Team series.
Caleb comes back into Skye’s life with plans to use her to get information on her father, but that’s not the only reason. Caleb wants her back. That makes her a target. The Russian wants her for a birthday gift for his son to use and abuse and probably kill before it’s all over. Her father wants her to torture her and kill her. She won’t do down without a fight, but it will take Prey Security and Caleb to save her life.
The story was predictable, but I have been invested in the characters since I first met them in previous books. I was glad to see that the bad guys get their just desserts and second chances do pay off. A little bit of spit and polish and this ARC can really shine.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Savage Risk by Jane Blythe.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Some wounds run too deep to heal.
Once upon a time Skye Xenos had a friend. He didn’t know it but he was the only reason she could survive the Hell that was her home. Then he left, breaking a piece of her that could never be repaired. Now over a decade later he’s back and bad things start happening to her. A coincidence or did he really return to destroy the remaining pieces of her heart?
Caleb Quinn knows he made the biggest mistake of his life when he turned his back on his quirky neighbor. He just didn’t know how big a mistake. Not until the final piece of the terrorist plot he and his team have been working to dismantle for over a year leads him back to the one woman he wants and can’t have. Problem is Skye wants nothing to do with him, leaving him no choice but to keep secrets in a desperate bid to keep her safe.
But secrets always have a way of coming out, and if he can’t convince Skye to trust him then the sun, moon, and stars of his world will go out forever, leaving him trapped in the dark.
If you loved USA today bestselling author Jane Blythe’s inclusions in Susan Stoker’s Operation Alpha world, you’ll be thrilled with SAVAGE RISK, the sixth and final book in the Prey Alpha Team series.
Scroll up and one click to start this thrilling military romantic suspense filled with alpha heroes, tough heroines, danger, action, and love! HEA guaranteed!
Published August 8, 2023 by Bear Spots Publications
Series: Prey Security, Alpha Tream
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!
She walked into the room…the boxing gym…and it would change their lives forever.
Lucas’ mother had done everything she could to keep him free of the mafia that surrounds him, but he will sacrifice everything for Serafina. His father remains a mystery, but I had a pretty good idea
I wondered how things would work out for Lucas, but he is quick on his feet and determined to sever the ties that bind him, since he traded his freedom to be near Serafina. The machinations he goes through while striving for a happy ever after are life threatening. After all, the mafia has a saying, ‘once you’re in you’re never out.
Serafina has her doubts about Lucas, but she cannot quash the love she has for him, no matter how many times he lets her down.
There was much that was predictable in The Mafioso’s Promise, but it, also, had it’s share of mystery. I felt for Lucas, the choices he would have to make and the price he would pay to have Serafina. We do have a mafia war going on, but Jade Styles does not go in depth with the bloody details, though many bodies will fall. She concentrates more on the romance and everything Lucas and Serafina will have to go through to be together.
The Mafioso’s Promise by Jade Styles is the first book in The Fallen Angel series, so I foresee more problems popping up in the future for Lucas and Serafina.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
The moment the seductive mafia princess stepped into my boxing gym, I knew I was done for.
The closer we got, the deeper I fell under her spell.
And when she confessed her desire to leave her sinister life behind, I vowed to protect her at all costs.
Even if it meant trading in my boxing gloves for a gun.
Even if it meant putting everything I held dear on the line.
Even if it meant breaking the promise I made to my dying mother and unleashing the darkness within me.
She never expected me to keep her in the dark for as long as I did.
I never expected her to hate me for it.
But every lie and secret was worth it.
Because for Serafina, I would do anything – even descending into the depths of hell itself.
Now, as she stands before me as my arranged bride-to-be, will she ever forgive me for the monster I’ve become?
Publisher’s Note: The Mafioso’s Promise is the first book in the Fallen Angels Alliance series. Each book is a standalone with no cheating, no cliffhangers and a satisfying happy ever after. Expect the following tropes in this
spicy dark mafiaenemies to loversoff-limitsarranged marriagemulticulturalsportssecond chance romance This story features a beautiful curvy FMC and a grumpy possessive MMC. Violent scenes and lots of angst are included. Please buy this book only if you are comfortable with such content.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2024
ABOUT JADE STYLES (from Amazon)
Jade Styles is a contemporary romance author specializing in the following tropes:
* Multicultural
* Billionaire
* Enemies to Lovers
* Mafia
Jade loves to dream up billionaire bad boys who only kneel to their ambitious and passionate beauties.
Her stories are full of heat and unexpected turns, and a happily-ever-after is guaranteed every time.
She currently resides in Seattle, Washington, and when she is not dreaming up the latest romance she can be found either nursing her tropical plants or traveling with her green-eyed husband.
N J Gallegos’ real life medical knowledge comes in handy in The Fatal Mind.
Shawn Gilbert’s NBA career ended when he suffered a head injury. The constant migraine headaches are relentless, ruining any semblance of a normal life…until…
Dr Absinthe has created an experimental chip that inhibits migraines and as soon as Shawn learns of it, he’s on board, FDA approval or not. I have headaches, but Tylenol does the trick for me. Would I want an experimental chip implanted into my brain? I don’t think so.
Some of Dr Absinthe patients don’t react so well to the implant. I figured her patients couldn’t all survive, otherwise we wouldn’t have a story. I am just along for the ride, letting the author take me where they want, instead of trying to anticipate the characters’ every move.
I was shocked, yet I smiled, at the brutal conclusion of Shawn and Rachel’s story. I never saw that coming, and I love it. N J Gallegos kept the pacing at a steady rate, keeping me reading page after page. I had to know how she would end the story.
That last sentence…well…
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Fatal Mind by N J Gallegos.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Dr. Aldea Absinthe’s experimental chip-implant procedure inhibits the migraine pain of her patients, releasing them from debilitating chronic pain. When she performs her new procedure on Shawn Gilbert, a former NBA superstar whose career was cut short by headaches, Gilbert becomes her biggest advocate, launching the brilliant and beautiful neurologist to national stardom. But when Gilbert’s wife Rachel sees Gilbert’s personality become darker by the day, it becomes a race against time to uncover the deadly secret behind Dr. Absinthe’s miracle cure in this Black Mirror meets Frankenstein medical horror thriller.
Genre: Fiction, Horror
Format: 236 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication: October 15, 2024 by Winding Road Stories
ABOUT N J GALLEGOS
N.J. Gallegos is an Emergency Medicine Physician who enjoys horror, medicine, and wicked women looking for revenge. Put all three together? Now we’re talking! She lives in Illinois with her wife and two cats. In her spare time, she enjoys binging reality trash tv, brewing beer, and running while listening to EDM so she can drink said brewed beer.
I want to thank Timber Ghost Press for the opportunity to read The Space Person by Catherine Kuo. As soon as I saw the cover, I had to have it. It’s a quick read, at 77 pages.
Human civilization had immigrated to Mars after using up all the resources on Earth and the Moon. Now they are in search of resources that can keep civilization going. They think they are in luck when they discover a moon that has the life sustaining fuel they so desperately need. Sometimes things are too good to be true.
It’s not long before the crew begins suffering affects from The Space Person. No one is safe.
Horror runs rampant before the story is over and I love when an author is not afraid to kill off their characters. Will anyone survive? You’ll have to read it to see.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Deep in the waters of uncharted space, Captain Annie Chou and First Officer Jasmine Donnelly pilot the exploration ship Shiro Oni in search of resources to sustain the remnants of human civilization back on Mars. Humanity has already been driven from Earth by its own hubris, and now it faces the threat of extinction. By an enormous stroke of luck, the Shiro Oni crew discovers a moon they can mine containing life-saving fuel, and it almost seems too good to be true. Not long after they begin drilling, anxiety, restlessness, and agitation plagues the crew with no discernible cause. The only thing they have in common is a recurring dream involving a mysterious and unsettling “space person.” Driven by Captain Chou’s ambition for fame and glory, and Donnelly’s desperate bid for her people’s salvation, the crew presses on even as the afflicted begin turning to violence. As blood flows through the corridors of the ship, the survivors must ask Is it worth it?
Genre: Horror, Novella, Science Fiction
77 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication December 10, 2024 by Timber Ghost Press
Everything about Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush spoke to me and I was not disappointed. A big plus, it takes place in my home state of Michigan and I felt right at home. I wasn’t able to read it in one sitting, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t try.
I was immediately swept away by the story and the characters. I love that the characters flaws and foibles were on prominent display. It makes them feel more realistic. Even the villain was worthy of empathy, but that doesn’t excuse what he does.
When Jeremiah , the eleven year old son of her best friend, is taken, Emily leaves the Windy City of Chicago and returns to Michigan.
I’m trying to come up with the words to describe the story without giving anything away. It is worth finding out what is going on for yourself. It’s worth meeting the characters and finding out who is your favorite for yourself. The book may highlight Emily, but there were other characters that had as much face time as she did.
The pacing kept me engrossed, unable to stop reading, wanting to know what was coming next and what was going to happen to who. The thrills and chills never stop coming.
There was a couple of times when I questioned their actions, or should I say non action, that kept me from giving the book five stars.
Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush has a fabulous ending and I must admit I thought it was a possibility.
4 Stars
Synopsis:
A Coroner’s Daughter Mystery
Dr. Emily Hartford is back in Frozen Lives, the next thrilling mystery from Jennifer Graeser Dornbush.
Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can’t seem to let go of being “the coroner’s daughter” from Freeport.
Once again, she finds herself pulled back upstate during a wintery late March when Jeremiah, the eleven year-old son of her best friend, Jo, goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan. Emily immediately joins the search for the boy.
To everyone’s relief, Jeremiah turns up days later, alive and unharmed. But tensions remain high, and suspicions of every sort continue to grow. Jeremiah’s account of his abduction doesn’t add up and Emily worries about Jo’s unraveling marriage. Jeremiah’s recovery, it turns out, is not the end of their terrifying tale. It’s only the beginning …
For moving among them is a devious, malevolent force. Sowing panic while seeking to fulfill his own twisted needs, this wolf in sheep’s clothing leaves a trail of rack and ruin, negligent to the damages in his wake … and the bodies he leaves behind.
Emily solidifies her role as coroner’s daughter when she puzzles out this madman’s chilling machinations. Risking everything dear to her, Emily goes the icy distance to end his killing spree.
Praise for Frozen Lives:
“Fast paced, engaging, evocative.” ~ J.A. Jance
“FROZEN LIVES is what a thriller should be—dark, twisty, and oh so scary. Lock your doors and enjoy.” ~ DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series and co-creator of the Outliers Writing University
“Jennifer Dornbush scares the living hell out of me. When I want to stay up all night, I just read one of her books, and Frozen Lives doesn’t disappoint. On par with Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, Frozen Lives weaves a terrifying tale of evil, paranoia and when you go to bed at night make sure your doors are locked tight. A terrific story.” ~ Don Bruns, USA Today Best Selling Author
“Chilling! Jennifer Dornbush has crafted a thriller that haunts the mind and can keep you deep in the pages into the wee hours! A not to miss psychological mystery with twists and turns throughout.” ~ Heather Graham
Book Details:
Genre: thriller, suspense, female detective Published by: Blackstone Publishing Publication Date: October 29, 2024 Number of Pages: 350 ISBN: 9798212638364 Series: The Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries, 4 Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Blackstone Publishing
Read an excerpt:
Author Bio:
The television or movie screen is the closest most people will ever come to witnessing the forensic world. But Jennifer Dornbush was raised in it. As the daughter of a small-town medical examiner whose office was in their home. There were body parts in the fridge. She investigated her first fatality, an airplane crash, when she was 8 years old. Picking up pieces of skull with her father who simply saw it as an anatomy lesson. The first of many coroner lessons she experienced over two decades.
After exploring journalism and high school teaching, Jennifer turned seriously to screenwriting where she began to connect her coroner world to her writing. She sought out a degree at the Forensic Science Academy in Los Angeles to gain more forensic training and earned a unique kinship with LA’s top CSIs, fingerprint specialists, DNA scientists, and detectives.
To share her love of forensics with the writing world, she authored the top selling non-fiction authoritative book, Forensic Speak, used by not only by show-runners and writers, but also crime investigators and law enforcement.
She created an Amazon top selling mystery novel series, The Coroner’s Daughter, which she is currently developing as a series for TV. Her crime thriller, Hole in the Woods, is currently optioned for screen. She is a contributor to mystery anthologies, Hotel California and Thriller. She has also penned two true crime books.
As a screenwriter Jennifer wrote the theatrically released film and novel, God Bless the Broken Road (2018), adapted a popular YA novel to script, and sold a children’s show. She is currently developing TV drama series and feature films with various productions companies.
As a forensic consultant, she is frequently asked to consult with TV writers on shows such as: Bull, Conviction, Hawaii Five-O, Leverage, Suits, and Rectify. She teaches screenwriting and mentors aspiring writers.
Jennifer is a member of the Writers’ Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, & the FBI Citizen’s Academy Alumni.
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Jennifer Graeser Dornbush and Blackstone Publishing. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
