Teaser Tuesday #90 – Tweedledum and Tweedledee by Willow Rose @willowredrose

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Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

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I used Tweedledum and Tweedledee by Willow Rose for my One Sentence Review, check it out HERE.

This is one horror author you will want to check out!

Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Emma Frost Book 6)

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY TEASE

“Flaying a person or sawing off their leg takes a long time. And it is very messy.”

(56% on Kindle)

GOODREADS BLURB:  A hair-raising thriller from an Amazon bestselling author! …A must read for mystery lovers.

In the middle of the night, Alberto Alonzo sneaks out to play at the casino with his mother’s credit card in his hand. The next morning he is gone and no one knows where he is and, for his family, a real-life nightmare unfolds.

Emma Frost is with her family on a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea when the boy goes missing from the ship. The boy is the son of a world-famous race driver. When the wife is killed shortly thereafter, everyone turns their attention to the race driver and thinks he killed them both.

But soon, another teenager disappears in the middle of the night and Emma suddenly finds herself leading a desperate manhunt to track down the killer before he strikes again.

-RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN is a spine-chilling mystery. It is the third book in Willow Rose’s bestselling Emma Frost series.

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What does the cover say to you?

Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Emma Frost Book 6)

Death Can Set You Free – Review for Sick to Death by Greg Levin @greg_levin @pumpupyourbook

  

 

Inside the Book:

Title: Sick to Death
Author: Greg Levin
Release Date: September 3, 2016
Publisher: White Rock Press
Genre: Thriller/Suspense/Dark Humor
Format: Ebook/Paperback
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MY REVIEW
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Death Can Set You Free
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The concept for Sick To Death by Greg Levin hooked me and the opening pages drew me in, keeping me on the edge of my seat until the last page was read. Death. Disease. Vigilantism. Terrorism. Retribution. Murder.
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Over the previous six month, there was only one thing Gage has become more efficient at than killing…and that was dying.

In the lottery of life, Gage Adder has won a dead cat, an ex – wife and a cancerous pancreas! After finding out he has cancer and was given a death sentence, Gage comes out swinging.

According to my brother, I only became funny once I started dying.

A year to live.

What would you do with the time left? Probably not what Gage does! I knew what he was going  to do, but not the way he would go about it and I love it. Sometimes the only way to see justice done is to do it yourself.

Cancer has a way of ruining a perfectly good murder.

Diarrhea’s what happens when you’re busy making deadly plans.

A humorous accounting of one man’s decision to take matters into his own hands. And the outcome is very surprising.

I never anticipated the creativity and originality Greg Levin displays creating these wonderful characters that jump off the page and into my heart with their willingness to step up, sacrificing their last days on earth to leave it better than they found it. They were drawn together by their disease and death and had a camaraderie many could never understand. Death kept them living.

The moral issues are addressed in a way some could find agreeable, others would condemn them no matter the why.  What would it take to make you kill? What about the social and moral repercussions?

I laughed at ‘Tumor Terrorism’, ‘Metastaside’, ‘The Stage Four Slaughters’. Why not go out with a sense of humor and a few laughs.

I empathized with the gang. I have always loved vigilantes, loved the Charles Bronson movies, but, after reading Sick To Death I find why vigilantism is so bad, even when it’s good. Where do you draw the line?

I received a free copy of Sick To Death from Greg Levin.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

 ABOUT THE BOOK
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KNOWING YOU’RE DYING CAN BE MURDER.

When Gage Adder finds out he has inoperable pancreatic cancer, things really start to look up for him. He leaves his soul-crushing job, joins a nice terminal illness support group, and takes up an exciting new hobby: Beating the hell out of bad guys.

Gage’s support group friends Jenna and Ellison don’t approve of his vigilante activities. Jenna says fighting never solves anything. Poison, on the other hand… When the three decide to team up and hit the streets, suddenly no rapist, pedophile or other odious criminal in the city is safe.

They are the sickest of superheroes. Their superpower is nothing left to lose. But what happens when one of them takes this power too far and puts at risk the lives of hundreds of innocent people? Where does one draw the line when dying to kill?

Meet the Author:

greg-levin

Greg Levin is an award-winning author of dark comedic fiction.

Greg’s first novel… meh, nobody but Greg really cares about his first novel.

His second novel, The Exit Man, was optioned by HBO for development into a TV series and won a 2015 Independent Publishers Award (a.k.a., an “IPPY”), earning a silver medal for Best Adult Fiction Ebook.

Greg’s third novel, Sick to Death, is out now and is being hailed by critics everywhere as one of the top three books he has ever written. Author Craig Clevenger (The Contortionist’s Handbook)calls Sick to Death “a tour de force dark comedy.”

Greg resides with his wife, daughter and two cats in Austin, Texas, where he reportedly is wanted by local authorities for refusing to say “y’all” or do the two-step. He is currently working on his fourth novel.

Visit him at http://www.greglevin.com

instagram

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Tour Schedule

 Monday, September 26 – Book featured at The Dark Phantom
Tuesday, September 27 – Book featured at Books, Dreams, Life
Wednesday, September 28 – Guest blogging at What Is That Book About
Thursday, September 29 – Book featured at CBY Book Club
Friday, September 30 – Book featured at The Bookworm Lodge
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Monday, October 3 – Book featured at My Bookish Pleasures
Wednesday, October 5 – Book featured at Write and Take Flight
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Monday, October 10 – Book reviewed at My Book Addiction and More
Wednesday, October 12 – Book featured at Book Cover Junkie
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Monday, October 17 – Interviewed at I’m Shelf-ish
Wednesday, October 19 – Book featured at Confessions of an Eccentric Bookaholic
Thursday, October 20 – Interviewed at Literarily Speaking
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Monday, October 24 – Book featured at Mello and June
Wednesday, October 26 – Book featured at Bound 2 Escape
Thursday, October 27 – Book reviewed at Natural Bri
Friday, October 28 – Book reviewed at Fundinmental
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Monday, October 31 – Book reviewed at Falling Over Book Reviews
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  • You may see my Giveaways HERE.
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Teaser Tuesday #79 – Perfectly Tortured by Kristine Mason @KristineMason7

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Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of booksandabeat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Perfectly Tortured by Kristine Mason

Kristine Mason is at the top of her game with her lates twisted CORE novel of murder and a serial killer. If you love dark suspense and thrills that make you unable to put the book down, you will want to read her stand alone novels.

Perfectly Tortured (C.O.R.E. Above the Law, #3)

Goodreads  /  Amazon

MY TEASE

“And now she’s perfectly dead,” Adeline said on a laugh. “This one will be, too. You have no choice, lover. It’s either her or—”

“Don’t! Don’t you dare say her name.” He glared in the rear view mirror. “Understand?”

(page 40 on Kindle)

I will be reviewing Perfectly Tortured by Kristine Mason on 11.1.16, so be sure and stop by to check out this darkly delicious thrilling read!

GOODREADS BLURB

What happens when you fall in love with the sister of the serial killer you’re hunting? Something perfectly tortured…

ATL agent Harrison Fairclough has one thing on his mind: stopping a serial killer. He knows who the man is, where he lives and who he’s murdered. The problem? He can’t prove Liam Forrester is a killer without exposing ATL—an agency that isn’t supposed to exist. Needing to get close to Liam, and lead investigators to him before someone else dies, Harrison comes up with the perfect solution…he dates the serial killer’s sister. Except his plan quickly derails once he meets the curvy physical therapist. He’s drawn to her sensual smile, comes to crave her kisses and touch, until the body count rises.

Kiera Forrester’s schizophrenic brother, Liam, has occupied the past ten years of her life. He still does, so much that she’s moved to Florida to watch over him. When she meets her new neighbor, Harrison, she’s instantly attracted to the sexy web designer. But as their relationship heats up and Keira realizes she’s falling in love with Harrison, she’s afraid there’s no future for them. The dark secrets of Liam’s past can’t be hidden away, especially when those secrets lead to murder…

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New Release – The Psycho Collection by @bonnierpaulson

Psychocollectionbanner

I love psycho serial killers!!!!

EVERYONE HAS A LITTLE PSYCHO INSIDE…

The Psycho Collection Box Set

IBOOKS
KOBO
KINDLE
NOOK
GOOGLE

PSYCHO INSIDE ME

I killed my first victim at thirteen years old – my age, not his. He was going to rape me, him and a couple of his friends. And so, I killed him. And then… I killed again. And again.

At seventeen, I’m killing four to six times a year – maybe more. Don’t stress out. I only go after the pedophiles and rapists. There are more out there than I could cover in a lifetime.

Saying I did this on my own would be selfish. Enforcing justice holds a glory all its own. But now, my lifelong friend and backup, Deegan, has been arrested. I have to decide if I want to give myself up and take his place or leave him with all the damning evidence. I don’t want to stop killing. But if I let him take the fall, I can’t kill anymore. And I need to keep doing that.

But the worst part of it all? I love him.

DICTATING DEATH

Samantha wants to love him.

Maria wants to kill him.

Dr. Luke Lawson has no idea that the girl he’s dating has split personalities fighting to control her body. Samantha must keep Luke safe at all costs.

If Samantha wins, Maria will die and disappear forever – taking Samantha with her.

If Maria wins, Dr. Lawson will die and she and Samantha will move on to the next doctor – the next kill.

But Luke is special.

He could save Samantha from herself… but only if Samantha can save him.

WATCH ME BURN

Levi

I’ve been in love and it hurts.

We hurt each other.

On purpose.

I can’t escape the guilt.

Megan

I don’t want to be just friends with Levi.

But I will be.

He’s been hurt before and I just want to be there for him.

Someone needs to be on his side.

Chelsea

Levi Cole is mine.

I want him.

She can’t have him.

She needs to die.

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Friday 56 #83 & BB #59 – Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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2016-02-25 05.16.31~~~

Next up on the shelf is Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

I have loved each and every Hannibal Lecter book and movie. Serial killers are some of my favorite villains and Hannibal Lecter is at the top of my list.

MY FRIDAY 56

There was an opinion he wanted. A very strange view he needed to share: a mindset he had to recover after his warm round years in the Keys.

The resons clacked like roller-coaster cogs pulling up to the first log plunge, and at the top, unaware that he clutched his belly, Graham said it aloud.

“I have to see Lecter.”

(page 65 in hardback)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

I want to tell you the circumstances in which I first encountered Hannibal Lecter, M.D.

GOODREADS SYNOPSIS

Will Graham stands in a silent, empty house communing with a killer. An FBI instructor with a gift for hunting madmen, Graham knows what his murderer looks like, how he thinks, and what he did to his victims after they died. Now Graham must try to catch him. But to do it, he must feel the heat of a killer’s brain, draw on the macabre advice of a dangerous mental patient, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and follow a trail of microscopic clues to the place where another family has already been chosen to die–and where an innocent woman has found the Dragon first.

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Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter, #1)
I am a “cover girl”.

This is the oldest cover on Goodreads. Which do you prefer?

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Martina McAtee creates an amazing world in Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things – Giveaway, Review, Excerpt & Teasers

Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things banner

Welcome to my stop for Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things by Martina McAtee. I love the purple cover that made me look again and again, but it was the title that put a smile on my face and made this a MUST READ.

What dead things, you ask?

Well…you will have to read on to find out.

Be sure and scroll to the end to enter the fun giveaway.

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead ThingsABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things
Author: Martina McAtee
Publisher: Martina McAtee
Pages: 450
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Cover:  Nathalia Suellen

MY REVIEW

The title and cover for Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things by Martina McAtee reached out and grabbed me by the short hairs and said , “READ ME!” So I did. I was captured from the opening pages and Martina McAtee never let me go.

The opening made me think of the character, Victoria on Mike & Molly’s TV show. She too has a job like Ember’s, prettying up the dead for a funeral home. I could visualize Ember talking to the dead as she prepares them for their showing. How creepy a job is that? Could you do it? Not me.

Ember is seventeen years old and she is alone, after her father’s death. Social services is coming to take her away, but she will have none of that. She has always been drawn to the cemetery and spends a lot of time with the dead. She heads there now.

Mace is a supernatural serial killer sent to WATCH her.

Kai felt he was being called to save his cousin, Ember, and talked his sister, Tristan, into joining him on the adventure. What could possibly go wrong?

As Ember meets her family, the introductions don’t go smoothly, but she is accepted. Now, she will find some answers, but they are nothing she could have ever anticipated.

Supernaturals live a humanly life, going to school and learning math. They have the same feelings and problems as we do, plus the additional burden of the magical community.

The snarky dialogue had me smiling, sometimes laughing out loud.

All the supes are here:  windigoes and chupacabra, werewolves and fairies, reapers and soul eaters, necromancers and all the rest.

I was drawn deeper and deeper into the supernatural world Martina McAtee has created. She makes me believe there is a real town, with real issues, and I want more of Ember, Mace, Kai, Rhys, Tristan and Quinn. I feel as if I have grown up with them. They are in danger and I can only wonder if they will all make it out alive.

Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things is an adventure, some fun, some deadly. An amazing and gripping story. I was fully engulfed in Ember’s story, devouring the words, sometimes laughing, sometimes in sorrow, sometimes shocked and angry.

I feel I must mention the gay element, because when I found there were gay men, I was regretting my decision to read this. No need to worry.  The characters are just part of the story. I loved them and Martina McAtee handled it with a feeling of reality and class. Just a normal relationship, “people” living their lives, one a reaper and one a werewolf. There is no erotica.

I LOVED this novel and hated for it to end and I will be looking for Book II in the Reanimator Series, His Soul To Take, coming in 2016. You can bet the house I will be snatching it up, and Martina, PLEASE WRITE FASTER.

I received a copy of Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things by Martina McAtee in return for an honest review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 Stars

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things teaser 1

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things
Author: Martina McAtee
Publisher: Martina McAtee
Pages: 450
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

17 year old Ember Denning has made an art of isolating herself. She prefers the dead. She spends her days skipping school in old cemeteries and her nights hiding from her alcoholic father at the funeral home where she works. When her own father dies, Ember learns her whole life is a lie. Standing in the cemetery that’s been her sanctuary, she’s threatened by the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen and rescued by two people who claim to be her family. They say she’s special, that she has a supernatural gift like them…they just don’t know exactly what it is.

They take her to a small Florida town, where Ember’s life takes a turn for the weird. She’s living with her reaper cousins, an orphaned werewolf pack, a faery and a human genius. Ember’s powers are growing stronger, morphing into something bigger than anything anybody anticipated. Ember has questions but nobody has answers. Nobody knows what she is. They only know her mysterious magical gift is trying to kill them and that beautiful dangerous boy from the cemetery may be the only thing standing between her and death.

As Ember’s talents are revealed so are the secrets her father hid and those in power who would seek to destroy her. What’s worse, saving Ember has put her cousins in danger and turned her friend’s lives upside down. Ember must learn to embrace her magic or risk losing the family she’s pieced together.

For More Information

  • Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things teaser 2

EXCERPT

She went lightheaded as the enormity of her words hit her, “Oh, God. This is like the part in the movie where you try to kill me, right? You are going to try to kill me and I feel too crappy to even try to run.”

She was talking more to herself now. She leaned back against the rusted mausoleum gates behind her, enjoying the cool metal against her skin. Her head was swimming, the stars above blurring in the sky. No, not now, she thought. It was happening again. Whatever had happened earlier in the cemetery was happening again. She could feel it rising up in her, that weird feeling like her insides were melting and liquefying while she could do nothing to stop it. Was this a panic attack? Could a panic attack cause what happened in the cemetery earlier? Maybe this was some kind of fight or flight adrenaline response.

She felt caged, trapped by her own body. It was all in her head. The ground wasn’t vibrating at her feet. There was no way she was really burning up in forty-degree weather. Even in her haze she could see him watching her. Maybe if she just held still, he would be quick about it.

Her head lulled on her shoulders. She was going to pass out. It would serve him right. Then he was just there, in her space, fingers cupping her face. She moaned at the feel of his cold hands against her overheated flesh. “And if it is, Luv? If this is the part where I try to kill you? What then? Are you going to pass out and take all the fun out of it? Or will you fight back?”

There was no mistaking the threat of his words, but he was close enough to whisper them against her skin like a promise. She couldn’t think straight. Her head filled with a sound like angry bees. She pitched forward, dropping her forehead to his shoulder, eyes drifting closed.

He was so cold; even through the layers of his clothes; his body seemed to emit this pleasant icy radiance that soothed her feverish skin. She wrapped herself around him, locking her arms. She buried her face against his throat, nose rubbing against his skin.

She felt his body go rigid in her arms. She didn’t blame him, on some level she understood sane girls didn’t try to cuddle their killers. But nobody ever accused her of being sane. She was the girl who played in cemeteries and talked to the dead. She was the girl with three therapists before she was twelve. She was the girl in flames and he was ice water; if she was going to die, she was going to have this first.

They stood there, bound together by her forced embrace. Those strange vibrations increased, building inside her like a living thing, a burning energy trying to melt her from the inside out. She could hear his ragged breath panting against her ear, could feel him writhing in her grasp, but she refused to let go. Could he feel it too?

She clung to him, knowing if she let go this peculiar energy would overwhelm her. She breathed him in, letting him anchor her as it kept building and burning, growing until it thrust from her with the force of a sledgehammer. He groaned like he’d received the physical blow, he may have fallen had she not been holding him to her. Finally, the world seemed to right itself. Her blood ceased to boil and the vibrations stopped. When her mind quieted, she became very aware of what she was doing.

She let go, shoving him back. Despite his size, he stumbled, blinking hard. They stared at each other, his confusion mirroring her own.

“What are you?” she whispered. “What are you doing to me?”

He rushed her, shoving her against the concrete hard enough to knock her teeth together, “What did I do to you? What game are you playing? What are you? What was that? What did you do?”

She whimpered, feet scrambling for purchase as she realized he’d lifted her from the ground. Her heart thundered in her chest. He was fit but not big enough to haul her off her feet like that. She shoved at him uselessly. “Put me down.”

Her descent was abrupt, her heart lodging in her throat. His eyes narrowed, his hands tangling in her messy hair, tilting her head to the side. “Come on, Luv, you can tell me. I’m sure it’s eating at you, keeping this secret.”

He was insane. She opened her mouth to say so but her brain short-circuited as his nose traced along the column of her throat. “I promise, things will be so much easier if you just tell me,” he purred, his lips pressing the words into her skin. She moved closer to him. In her defense, she’d never been this close to a boy before; especially not one who looked like he did.

“We can do this one of two ways,” He inhaled her scent, pressing his mouth to the shell of her ear as he said, “I promise one is infinitely more pleasurable than the other,”

Ew. Oh, God. What was she doing? What was he doing? Seducing her for information? Threatening her? It really bothered her that she didn’t know the difference.

She needed to get it together. Her breath hitched in her chest. This was not how she saw herself dying. She’d had a plan. She’d written it down obituary style for a morbid ninth grade English assignment. She was supposed to die of obscenely old age in her enormous but tastefully decorated plantation home surrounded by her beautiful and ungrateful grandchildren.

He huffed out a laugh and she realized she’d said all that aloud. She was too scared to be embarrassed. Instead, she slapped at his hands ineffectively.

He stepped away so abruptly she staggered, pacing before her, “You’re seriously not going to tell me? You’re only hurting yourself on this one.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she told him, “You’re crazy.”

He sighed heavily, his tone shifting as if speaking to a rather stupid child, “I’ll figure it out eventually.” He told her, pointing at her, “You don’t smell like a witch. You certainly aren’t a shifter.” Then he was back before her, gripping her chin, turning her head side to side, like he was examining livestock, “But you most definitely aren’t human.” Tiny hairs rose along her skin at his touch, “You’re trying my patience. What the hell are you?”

She pushed away from him, head throbbing with his words. “Stop with the grabby hands,”

She needed to think. He was clearly unhinged. She had very few options. She could run but she doubted she could outrun him. Her gaze raked across broad shoulders and a flat stomach, he looked like he did a lot of cardio. She could scream but there wasn’t anybody to hear her. Instead, she did what she always did when she was nervous…she babbled.

She’d watched a million documentaries on serial killers and the mentally ill. She could figure this out. Netflix was her friend. She wracked her brain, if he was a killer she had to make him see her as a person, tell him about her life, say her name a lot, make him believe people cared if she died, even if it was a lie.

But what if he was schizophrenic? He thought she wasn’t human. What was she supposed to do? Orient him to reality? Play along with his fantasy? She should have paid more attention.

“What’s your name?” she heard herself say, voice breathless.

He arched his brow, tsking softly, expression bored. “I’m asking the questions here,”

“Just tell me your name,” she demanded, panic creeping back in.

“Mace,” the answer tumbled from his lips unbidden. He looked mystified, like his own mouth had betrayed him. He absently rubbed a spot on his chest.

“Mace,” she repeated, with a nod. Okay, it was a start. “So um, here’s the thing, Mace. I’m only seventeen and I don’t want to die.”

He gave her a look and a ‘fair enough’ shrug and gestured for her to continue, clearly amused by this turn of events.

She frowned, but soldiered on, “You can’t be much older than me so let’s just think about this for a minute, okay?” She raked a hand through her damp hair, “I’m not really sure why you want to kill me but my life has pretty much sucked up until now. Like so much suckage. I can’t even explain the level of suck, but I feel like, statistically speaking, that’s gotta change. I’m not trying to sound like a motivational poster but it’s supposed to get better. I’d very much like to have a pulse when it does,”

He narrowed his eyes at her, brow furrowed. He stepped forward.

“Stop,” she held up her hand, palm out, “Just listen,”

He stopped, looking at his feet then at her again.

“I’m a nice girl,” she told him, before frowning, “but maybe you don’t care about that. I mean, if you’re, like, a murderous psychopath, you probably aren’t super interested in my feelings, but what about yourself?” She reasoned, gesturing spastically to all of his…self, “You seem like the kind of guy who thinks a lot of himself.”

He cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. She was in turbo babble mode now, “If you kill me your life is over. You will definitely go to jail. I mean, look at me.” She gestured to her face, “I look like an ad for facial cleanser and girls who eat yogurt. Juries eat that stuff up. You’d probably get the chair.”

He looked a little dazed. “You make a passionate yet confusing plea, Luv,”

Her heart sank as he took a tentative step towards her, then another. He grinned as he advanced.

“Come on. I’m sure you don’t want to go to prison.” She whined, “You are way too pretty for prison. You’d make a lot of the wrong kind of friends in prison.” Stop saying prison, Ember, she begged herself. “Do you want those kind of friends? Of course, you don’t. We could be friends?” she finished lamely, face flushing with shame. Maybe he should just kill her. It would be less embarrassing.

He blinked at her, cheek twitching, “Aw, are you asking me to be your friend? One might question your judgment.”

Her hands fell to her hips, swaying on her feet. “Wow, not to put too fine a point on it, but I’ve only seen you twice and both times you were here,” she gestured to their surroundings. “You hang out in cemeteries because you have so many friends? Is this were your book club meets?”

“I can see why you have no friends,” he told her drolly.

She squinted as something glinted in the air above his head.

“I-” was all he managed before the object made contact with his head, sounding like a hammer hitting an overripe melon. He hit his knees with a groan, whatever he was going to say dying on his lips.

She looked at his crumpled form, unreasonably disappointed.

She’d really wanted to know what he was going to say.

ABOUT MARTINA MCATEE

Martina McAteeMartina McAtee lives in *******, Florida with her teenage daughter, her best friend, two attack Chihuahua’s and two shady looking cats. By day she is a registered nurse but by night she writes young adult books about reapers, zombies, werewolves and other supernatural creatures. When she isn’t working, teaching or writing she’s reading or watching shows that involve reapers, zombies, werewolves and other supernatural creatures. Her debut novel Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things is set to release on August 31st, 2015. She is currently working on the second book in the series, Your Soul to Take, due to release in 2016.

For More Information

GIVEAWAY

Martina will be giving away a sugar skull coffee mug with Day of the Dead tea and sugar skull shaped sugar cubes! Enter below!

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

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Reality TV Murder ~ Serial Date by DV Berkom Review

Hello Reader, meet Leine Basso.

I have read several novels by DV Berkom and find her ability to tell a story amazing. If you are a lover of the mysterious, thrilling, suspenseful world of murder, step inside.

I DARE YOU!

But…beware. All is not as it appears.

Add me to Goodreads now.

  • Paperback: 274 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 2, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1480008435
  • ISBN-13: 978-1480008434

MY REVIEW

Serial Date + Serial Murder = Serial Killer

Serial Date is a fast paced, tension filled suspense thriller that had me engrossed from cover to cover. The quirky and twisted characters made me wonder who was running the asylum. I love her covers. The colors are vibrant and they foretell the story inside.

A brutal, heinous murder on a reality TV show brings in Leine Basso, an ex Agency assassin, to watch over the  contestants. The show consists of ex cons dating hot women and pretending they are serial killers. There are plenty of suspects, but what happens when everyone is targeted by a real serial killer?

It’s pretty bad when the cons are better people than the ones running the circus. So, let’s meet the main characters, even though the peripheral characters are important and have their own impact on the story.

Leine Basso – she may be an assassin, but she is no psychopath. She does have feelings and desires, just like the rest of us. It pains her that her daughter, April, holds the past against her and wants nothing to do with her. She cannot escape the past, no matter how far or fast she runs, but maybe she can kill it. Evil and danger come at her from more than one direction.

Deliciously hot and sexy Los Angeles Homicide Detective Santiago Jensen is assigned the case and the sparks fly when he and Leine meet. Would he risk his job to be with her? The heart wants what the heart wants and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t stop thinking of her.

Peter Bronkowski is a sick and twisted individual. It had been his idea for the show and he is more interested in the ratings than the deaths mounting up around him. He has fears and problems of of his own that do no include Serial Date.

Senator Buzz Runyon is a corrupt, arrogant and pathetic politician that visits the pages. He is controlled by his ‘little head” and in a very sick way. The only things he cares about is reelection and his sex games.

Leine has no idea what is coming her way, until April is abducted by the serial killer. But that can be said for Azazel. He has no idea of the storm that will be unleashed on him. Revenge is his motivation and he will not stop, until he gets it. Leine will not stop, until she gets her daughter back.

Serial Date is the first in a series of suspense thrillers that stand alone. It is easy reading, action packed, loaded with tension and sizzling romance. There are as many weak and twisted men as there are strong and determined women. DV shows the ugliness of human nature, but also the beauty and goodness. I love the taste of humor with my evil and DV deals with this in a way that seems real. After all, the police, medical examiners and others in awkward situations use laughter to get through the badness or discomfort.

I read, but didn’t review Serial Date right away, so I reread it. I thought I would just skim it and refresh my memory, but I ended up reading it word for word. I think I enjoyed it better the second time around, because I wasn’t in as big a hurry to find out how everything ended.

I  would love to have a margarita at the Happy Mermaid with Leine. Gimme a call! 🙂

I received Serial Date from DV Berkom in return for an honest review. Thank you DV. It has been my pleasure! I LOVED it!

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 Stars

SYNOPSIS

When former assassin Leine Basso’s daughter is abducted, she’s drawn into the twisted game of a serial killer who may be a grisly remnant from her past.

Determined to leave her old life behind, retired assassin Leine Basso accepts a job working security at one of television’s most popular reality shows, Serial Date. When a contestant is found dead in the prop closet, it appears the killer is one of the ‘bachelors’ on the show- an ex-con billed as a serial killer- but the detective in charge of the case isn’t so sure.

When Leine’s estranged daughter is abducted by a man claiming to be the real killer, she’s forced to rely on old skills to find her and must come to terms with who she really is. She soon realizes the murderer may be a grisly remnant from her past and she’ll need to use all of her cunning to stop him….

and rescue her daughter.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Image of D.V. BerkomDV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two popular thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she received her BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Many, many cross-country moves (and several years) later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, an ex-chef-turned contractor, and writes every chance she gets.

For more information, please visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

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Author Pages

Amazon  /  Smashwords  /  Barnes & Noble  /  itunes  /  Kobo

The Leine Basso Thrillers:

I have read some of her Kate Jones Thrillers:

5 Star Review – Yucatan Dead by DV Berkom

5 Star Review – A One Way Ticket To Dead by DV Berkom

The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1 box set (includes the 1st four novellas in the series).
(The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 2 includes Cruising for Death (#5), YD, and AOWTTD, all for $8.99 (bought separately they would be 12.99)
 ***all covers link to amazon, I am an affiliate***

 Check out all these beautiful covers for the Kate Jones thrillers by DV Berkom.

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Review ~ In The Woods by Nancy Gideon

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In the Woods (Based upon the original screenplay by Lynn Drzick)
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Suspense
Published by: Katharsys Pictures Publishing
Release Date: January 17, 2015
Length: 201 Pages

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.MY REVIEW

With that delicious cover and knowing there is a screenplay and motion picture, how could I say no to this awesome sounding horror novel. I love the woods and trees! Add some spookiness, death and danger, a magical Hellhound and a serial killer, and I cannot resist.

I, too, am from the north and feel a need to support a fellow Michigander.

In the era of knights and kings, the battles were brutal and savage. The dark magic will follow firefighter, Alex Kerwood into the future.

Laurie was a cautious driver, so when she heard the thump, she had to get out and check. Oh yeah, deserted, lonely road at night, she knows she shouldn’t do it, but does it anyway. I love it. I was yelling at her, telling her to keep on driving. Something bad will happen to her if she gets out of the car. Damn, she does it anyway. 😈

She isn’t the only missing person in town and I doubt she will be the last.

People think Alex is a good guy, but he carries a lot of guilt. He thought he should have been there to save his friend and fellow firefighter, Terry. He drowned his sorrow in alcohol. He and his wife, Helen, love each other, but will the alcohol destroy their marriage? I do love a tortured and fallible hero, trying to do the right thing. Makes him easier to relate to when I know he’s not perfect. I want him to succeed and live happily ever after.

Of course, we have to have the Police Chief, Connor Pellman, wanting to be governor and needing to catch the killer to promote himself. Will that cause him to take the first suspect that comes along? The problems he can cause had me wanting to reach into the pages and smack him.

As Alex and his friend debate what to do about the incident in the forest, the decision is made for them. The past meets the future and IT sets ITS eye on Helen. They WILL know HIS name. Sometimes, you just need to make a decision and do it. Right or wrong, at least it was YOUR decision.

The suspense had me looking ahead, waiting for the worlds to collide with the supernatural Hellhound and the serial killer. Could you ask for two worse entities? I didn’t know which would do the most damage, but I was eager to find out. The story was predictable, but I loved it. There is enough going on that the pacing kept my attention and I was anticipating what would come next. Reads like a B movie and I love them, too. Just like In The Woods, the novel, B movies are not the best ever written, but I love them all the same.

I received the book in return for an honest review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

Hundreds of years ago their battle began . . .

In an age of knights and sorcery, a good king must raise a monster to protect his people from the demon unleashed by a dark-hearted enemy determined to claim his kingdom. But once called forth upon blood-drenched fields, can such evil ever be truly laid to rest?

To a present day community held hostage by fear, a serial killer will soon be the least of its worries after two off-duty firefighters enter a forest and find a grave. What they dig up isn’t a victim or family pet. When they race from the woods, they bring a timeless hell with them . . .

ABOUT NANCY GIDEON

Based upon the original horror screenplay IN THE WOODS by Lynn Drzick, now an independent motion picture.Author Picture - Nancy GideonWith over 58 sales since her first publication in 1987, which was written in long hand then typed up on a manual Smith Corolla, Portage, Michigan author Nancy Gideon’s writing encompasses romance genres from historicals and regencies to contemporary suspense and the paranormal.

Under her own name, she’s a bestseller in contemporary romantic suspense, has written an award-winning vampire romance series, and has a six book shape-shifter series with Pocket Books. Also listed on the International Movie Database (IMDB), she collaborated on Indie horror films In the Woods and Savage with screenwriting and ADR script credits, and even played a small role, that of “bar extra.”

Writing historical romance as Dana Ransom, she’s a “Career Achievement for Historical Adventure” and “K.I.S.S.” award winner with books published in Romanian, Italian, Russian, Danish, Dutch, Portuguese, French, German, Icelandic and Chinese.

As Rosalyn West, she’s a HOLT Medallion winner with nominations for “Best North American Historical Romance” and “Best Historical Book in a Series.”

A prolific writer, Nancy attributes her creative output, which once peaked at seven novels in one year, to her love of history and a gift for storytelling.  She also credits the discipline learned through a background in journalism and OCD.  The due date for her third book and her second son were on the same day . . . and both were early!  When on deadline, she turns on the laptop between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. to get a chapter in before heading in to her full time job as a legal assistant. She’s a member of GDRWA, MMRWA, FF&P and dotes on her critique group.

 

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Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc ~ Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

I knew when I saw the girl running down the path, I had to have Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc.

Cover art by Beetiful Book Covers.

Is it a stalker? Is it a serial killer?

Let’s read on and find out, shall we?


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MY REIVEW of Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc

Love & Mystery in the 6 oh 3, Book I

I saw the cover for Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc and didn’t need to look any further. It was talking to me, telling me ~ READ ME. So I did. 😀

Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc is suspenseful and tragic from the very beginning. I knew what was coming by the blurb, but Nora kept me on my toes as I struggled to weed through the suspects and find the monster that preys on young girls. There are plenty of suspects to keep me – and  you- guessing.

In the small town of Hawick Falls, Kara Linn is the first girl to go missing. Using a blog and his newspaper column, Vic Taylor, her uncle, the editor of the newspaper, struggles to keep her name in the limelight. He felt the authorities were not doing enough to find Kara.

Then Lisa Grant disappears. The monster doesn’t know it, but he stepped in it this time.

Lisa was abandoned by her parents when she was two and had come to live with Sophia. Because of her rebellious nature, the question did arise ~ could she have run away?

Teagan Raynes, her guardian, knows she did not run away. Teagan was going to adopt her, so why would she disappear now? Something terrible had to have happened. I can’t imagine the thoughts going through her mind. Feelings of guilt.

Teagan could relate to Lisa, because she had grown up on the streets with her crazy mom, until coming to her Aunt Sophia’s at seven years old. Teagan had left town to make her own way in the world, but returned to take care of Sophia when she became ill. Now that she was gone, it was up to Teagan to care for Lisa.

Teagan’s insecurities kept her from having a long term relationship with men. Her mother had taught her to trust no one and it took a long time to earn her trust. Still, she held something back. Her mother had also taught her to shoot a gun and Teagan is an expert shot with her .38 Special. Now that got my attention. I do like a strong female protagonist and I want to see her take this psycho dirtbag down.

Travis, her boyfriend had the same kind of background.  Will they be drawn together or torn apart?

Detective Noah Cassidy had lost his wife and child in a boating accident. His mother left home when he was just a child and his father was a drunk. He was determined to be the opposite of his father ~ he would do right by others. Teagan liked the safe feeling she had when Noah was around. He had an air of self assurance and confidence. Their attraction was mutual, but they fought to control it.

I was happy that Nora took the time for Teagan and Noah to get to know each other in a slow growing relationship. This may be considered a spoiler, but I believe we all knew that this would happen, so I don’t think so. That is why Travis had such a short introduction. He didn’t last very long after Noah came into the picture. LOL

Matt, the priest is always around Teagan, like fleas on a dog. Noah and Matt conflicted as soon as they laid eyes on each other. I could picture the hackles rising as they faced off. Is it a territorial thing, male testosterone running AMOK, or is Noah more perceptive than the rest of us? Is there more to Matt than meets the eye? Just because he’s a priest doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. Uh oh, I got a bad feeling. Could it be him?

What’s up with Stacey? She works for Matt, but she is not a very pleasant person for being the church secretary. Is there more than meets the eye there?

Travis, Lisa’s boyfriend, was a suspect too, of course, the prime suspect.

I know it’s vandalism, but the band of Teenage Mutant Meter Feeders could do a lot worse. Or have they?

There are more characters that rotate in and out of the story, doing their part. Sometimes I can’t help but say, “What are they thinking?” “What are they doing? Well, I’ll tell you what they were doing, helping to muddy the waters as I tick off names. Could it be him? Him? Him? Her? Hmmm…

Tragedy strikes, yet we must go on. How? I cannot imagine the felling of helplessness of the ones looking for the missing. I watch a lot of crime shows, but until it happens to you, how can you know how you would react?

Can you imagine the terror of the one taken? Why me? What’s he gonna do to me?

You awake, cold and confused. In the dark, alone and so very frightened. You have nothing to do, but think. The terror builds, as you anticipate your captor’s return. What does he want? Will I live? Will I be tortured? Will I die? You scream, yell, beg, make deals with God (I will be a better person), all to no avail.

Human monsters! Depraved, psychotic, sadistic, truly evil. They revel and get off on others pain, fear and terror.

Still not sure who the bad guy is, but I think there is so much more going on with Teagan than I thought.

My only complaint ~ Teagan was a bit wimpy. Here insecurities and guilt made her seem pathetic at times. I would think her rough upbringing would have toughened her up more. I don’t like criers. I must keep in mind, that women’s tears are different than men’s, so I can overlook most of it, as long as the character comes through in the end. The most frustrating reason for me to cry is when I am very angry. Why does that happen? Does it happen to you?

Will she be able to pull out her gun and shoot someone, when and if the moment comes? What do you think?

She’s always looking around to see if see if she can spot her missing mother, though she does not actively search for her…yet.

I am loving it! Plots and subplots. Yes, the storyline was predictable, but the pacing and doubt of the killer kept the suspense and mystery at a high level. There is no cliffhanger, but there is more to come that I want to learn about.

I am very eager to see Book II.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

BLURB

The police are stumped. Was she a runaway careening toward disaster or the victim of a predator preying on teenage girls?

When rebellious seventeen-year-old Lisa Grant vanishes from her New Hampshire home, her guardian, Teagan Raynes, becomes ensnared in the frantic hunt to find her. Search dogs lose the girl’s scent at Pretty Park, where another teenager disappeared three months ago. Law enforcement fears a stalker is using the park to abduct young girls. Desperate, Teagan, reluctantly puts her faith in the lead detective, the notorious Noah Cassidy.

Hot-headed, Noah Cassidy’s reputation and job are on the line. Rumors that he attempted to kill the man found guilty of destroying his family in a boating accident have tainted him. To prove his worth, Noah devotes every minute to the case and realizes he’s up against a cunning adversary. Worse, he finds himself distracted by feelings for the attractive, gutsy Teagan. To erase her doubts about him, he must earn back his reputation and let go of his past. He knows what he has to do. He must bring Lisa home and take down the monster who is hunting the girls of Pretty Park before it’s too late.

EXCERPT

In the hallway, Teagan unlocked the door. On the street, a postal truck crawled up the block of New England style houses with sprawling porches, rectangular ranches, and modern Cape Cod homes. She grabbed the envelopes from the mailbox attached to the beige clapboards, stepped inside, and closed the entryway.

She sorted through the ads and bills to the last piece, a large white envelope. The sender used a printed label addressed to her. What was this? She ripped open the flap and pulled out…a holy card?

The picture of Mary Magdalene decorated the front. Someone must have sent a prayer for Lisa? Teagan flipped to the other side and frowned at the words.

Tu sequens morieris

Someone wrote to her in…Latin? Strange. The prick of sweat stabbed the back of her neck. She sat on the sofa and scooped up her phone from the coffee table. As she searched online for a translation, she dug into her memory of high school Spanish to help crack the code. Tu was you and morieris had something to do with death and sequens translated to—

Her breath whooshed out of her. She dropped her cell on the cushion, but the phrase stared up from the screen.

You die next.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nora grew up in rural New Hampshire, picking blueberries in her backyard and wandering the woods with her brothers. Now that she’s older, she still lives in rural New Hampshire and enjoys writing stories. She was first published in 2000 and has written historical romances, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and mystery. She is a co-founder of the New Hampshire Romance Writers chapter, which meets monthly at the Bow Library. Here she enjoys great speakers and the company of fabulous authors.

When not writing, Nora spends time with her family, sews quilts, gardens and takes road trips to anywhere fun.

Visit her Website  Goodreads  / Amazon  / and Facebook

Click on the cover to get your Amazon copy of Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc.

GIVEAWAY

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FREE Thriller – Jackpot by Susan Fleet

Jackpot by Susan Fleet is a prequel for the Frank Renzi series. Each novel can stand alone.

Jackpot tells how and why Frank made the move from Boston to New Orleans, a story no thriller lover will want to miss.

Jackpot is free September 1 – 5, 2014.

To see my review:  Is Winning the Lottery a Curse or a Blessing – Jackpot by Susan Fleet.

To see my reviews for the other Renzi novels, scroll to the end or the post.

To get your copy, click on the cover or HERE.

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Jackpot, #4 in the Frank Renzi series.
A serial killer murders lottery winners. Nigel wants to be the next Boston Pops conductor. A compulsive gambler, he’s deeply in debt. When he wins the lottery, he thinks his problems are over, but they’re just beginning. Don’t miss the exciting showdown between Frank Renzi and the killer. “The coolest detective in literature today!” — Feathered Quill Book Reviews
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To see my 5 STAR Review of Natalie’s Revenge, go HERE.

To see my 5 STAR Review of Absolution, go HERE.

To see my 5 STAR Review of Diva, go HERE.

To get your copy of Jackpot, or any other Susan Fleet book, click on the cover below.
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