Thursday 27 March 2014

March Book Frenzy with eNovel Authors at Work





This Hop is brought to you by 

8 AUTHORS OVER 4 DAYS
GENRES: Romance, Historical Fiction
Tour Link:  March Book Frenzy

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GIVEAWAYS
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$35, $25 and $20
PLUS
2 featured e Books from each author.

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in cash via paypal or gift card via Amazon (your choice)
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Follow the hop by visiting as many of the blogs on the linky as possible.

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Remember to enter the Giveaway  at each to increase your chances of winning. 




Featured Books


In the Beginning 
by Abby L. Vandiver


In 1997, Justin Dickerson, a Biblical Archaeologist, jumps at the opportunity to attend the Fifty Year Jubilee commemorating the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The invitation to Jerusalem could not have come at a better time. Her life is almost unbearable. Travel, conversation with colleagues, and celebrating the find that stunned the Christian and secular world alike in 1949 promises a wonderful diversion from personal angst.

However, in the bustling metropolis of Jerusalem she learns that some of the 2,000 year old manuscripts, once hidden in clay pots in the caves of Qumran, may have been purposely destroyed. Obsessed with the discovery, Justin determines to find the truth. Family and an abiding faith are her anchors as she discovers the answer to Earth's ancient mysteries and what really happened In the Beginning . . .


Why I Chose This Book


First of all the title drew me in. The beginning of what? The world? A mystery? A romance? When I read the blurb, I was hooked even more. My husband jokes that I only read books with a red cross on the front. While it is true that I do read a lot of books with titles such as The Templar Code, The Templar Conspiracy, The Templar Secret, they are not all I read. I have a soft spot for religious conspiracy type thrillers ever since I read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, my first book of that particular genre.

Going by the blurb and the cover of In the Beginning, I think it is a book that would fit in very well with that genre, and maybe even add something new as well. I've never read a book featuring a female archaeologist before and she sounds like a wonderful heroine for the book. This is one that will be going on my to-be-read pile.

***

Quintspinner
by Dianne Greenlay
Amazon Kindle


A secret and unauthorized trip through the chaos of a 1717 London marketplace takes a bizarre twist for 16 year old Tess. Unexpectedly witnessing the murder of a renowned Seer, Tess becomes the keeper of the old woman's legendary spinner ring and its supposed power of prophecy.

Returning home, Tess bears the brunt of her father's rage when he is informed of her disobedient excursion. An ensuing altercation with her father leads Tess to the discovery of a family secret that stuns her.

Why I chose this book

First of all it's a beautiful and intriguing cover that drew my eye immediately. Historical books with a magical/supernatural twist are very rare and something that appeal to me. I'm not such a fan of modern, urban fantasy, as it were, but give me a historical setting with a bit of magic and I'm hooked.

Historicals have always fascinated me and even though you might find different authors writing about the same time period, each author brings their unique vision to it so you'll always find an original story, even if both are set in the same era.

***


Direct Link to Linky










Sunday 23 March 2014

Book Spotlight: Flash Move by Andy Kasch


Flash Move
The Torian Reclamation Book 2
by Andy Kasch
Sci-fi/Space Adventure
Amazon


Freedom left unchallenged is an undervalued asset.

Book Two of The Torian Reclamation. It’s been 25 years since the Earthlings were resuscitated and Brandon Foss’s unique set of skills became the deciding factor in Tora’s first interstellar war. A second-generation of Torian humans is now in young adulthood, including Derek’s thrill-seeking son Jumper—whose insatiable thirst for adventure often entangles him and his friends in the darker shenanigans of their home world’s fallen culture.

Amulen society has been decimated due to widespread addiction to the alien game polwar. Derek and his family stubbornly remain on Amulen despite the continually deteriorating conditions.  When a new, suspiciously power-hungry leader makes progress in re-uniting Amulen through the very thing that destroyed it, Brandon shows up and gets the kids involved in reconnaissance work.

But an uninvited guest also arrives. The Torian military is provoked into action, tested to extremes, and forced to discover who their friends really are.
 
Open this space adventure story to page one and see if you can spot the flash move.

***

Excerpt:

“Park here.” Jumper motioned towards a depression in a small sand dune along the foothills.

“This isn’t the same spot where your 2-seater was found,” Lakor5 said.

“I know, but the trailhead we located is closer here, almost straight ahead.” Jumper pointed to a clearing in the woods at the base of the mountain in front of them.

“All right,” Lakor5 said to the driver, a dull-skinned Amulite who Jumper had already forgotten the name of. “Do as he says.”

The driver took the cruiser over the dune Jumper pointed to, came down the other side of it, found a low spot, hovered, and set down. The vehicle wasn’t as hidden as Jumper liked, but at least it wasn’t directly visible from most of the immediate flatlands.

Jumper waited impatiently while everyone else gathered their gear and got themselves together. He finally led them all to the trailhead and began the ascent into the Sinlo Mountains. The path was lightly used; most would probably not use the word “trail” in referring to it. It was heavily overgrown in some areas, but passable. It didn’t become steep immediately. Everyone followed Jumper as they hiked up several switchbacks.

Alan and Kayla stayed up with Jumper. Lakor5 was right on their heels. Jumper was happy about that. It wasn’t as though he and Alan were bona fide friends with Lakor5—in fact, on several occasions they had gotten into altercations with his patrol. But Jumper knew the combativeness between them was more friendly banter than serious contention. Lakor5 always ended up letting them pass wherever they were heading—even into heavily patrolled Midlands areas. Jumper figured him for someone thirsty for stories and information, and his way of getting it was by pretending to act tough. Ultimately, Jumper and Alan were glad he—and not someone else—was the eastern patrol captain.

The other three natives followed a short distance behind. Mulb9 brought up the rear. The route Jumper led them on circled behind an outcrop of boulders through a thicket of bushes. When they came out of it, they found themselves on a plateau above the big rocks. A sizable crevice full of dry brush separated the mountainside from the boulders. Some of the brush was broken up in places, and a bad smell permeated in the area.

“Nice view from here,” Kayla said when they stopped to wait for the others. She was gazing out over the valley. They had climbed high enough to see the swamps on the far northern horizon.

Jumper noticed Alan wasn’t looking out to appreciate the view. He was staring into the rock crevice and grimacing.

“What’s wrong?”

Alan pointed at the broken bushes. “Isn’t this where your opponent landed?”

A look of horror came over Kayla.

Jumper pushed Alan on the shoulder. “No. We were farther north. An animal or rock must have fallen there. Enough about that. What’s wrong with you?”

The three natives cleared the bushes and came up on to the plateau.

Jumper waved ahead. “Let’s move.”

But before they could continue, the sound of three small explosions echoed from high above, separated by evenly-timed pauses. It was a signal.

Totlen6 turned to Mulb9. “Answer them.”

Mulb9 unhitched a black cylindrical object from his belt and held it skyward, his arm fully stretched. Two sparks emitted from it and shot high into the air. They detonated in two timed explosions.

Jumper and his six companions remained standing in the open and waited. After a few minutes, the series of three overhead explosions repeated.

“They’re telling us not to come,” Totlen6 said.

“Well, at least they know we’re coming now,” Lakor5 said.

When Mulb9 stowed his device, Jumper led them up into the next batch of woods to continue the ascent.

“More importantly,” Kayla said, “they now know that we know they know we are coming. So we won’t appear as hostile—hopefully.”

Jumper saw Lakor5 glance at her and nod in obvious appreciation of her logic. He seemed impressed by her. But then, Torian females didn’t play a prominent role in their society, especially native females. Encountering an Earth woman as brave, agile, and smart as Kayla had to be a new cultural experience for these natives.

Jumper suspected Kayla wasn’t quite as brave as she acted, though. As they made their way through thick woods and brush, sometimes having to improvise a new section of trail to get back to Jumper’s intended path, rustling noises could be heard in the wilderness around them. Birds and small game, no doubt. Once in a while, Kayla’s hand would find its way to grasping Jumper’s arm right after one of those noises occurred nearby. Jumper kept looking at her when that happened, but she always appeared to be steadying herself from stumbling, sometimes apologizing as she reached for her ankle or foot, as if to blame some vine on the ground for the incident.

“I don’t think there are many dangerous animals in these mountains,” Jumper said to her after the fourth such occasion.

“Good,” she replied. “That’s one less thing I have to rescue you from.”

“Actually,” Lakor5 said, “a small population of large felidors lives up here. Plenty of birds and small game for them, although they’re partial to wild dogs and zaboar.”

“Felidors,” Alan said from behind them. “My dad calls those saber-tooth tigers. Says they went extinct on Earth thousands of years ago.”

No sooner had Alan said that then the bush next to them exploded with sound—much too loudly for a small animal. All ten of Kayla’s fingers dug themselves deep into Jumper’s right arm. The bush then emitted a spine-chilling growl and a blurry object sprang from it.

Jumper wrapped Kayla backward with his arm and pushed her to the ground, falling on top of her and knocking Alan down as a domino. Jumper rolled off her and reached for the hand laser on his belt—but it wasn’t there.

A felidor had ambushed them. Jumper’s quick reaction moved him and Kayla out of its path, but the big cat landed on Lakor5 and now had him pinned on the ground. Lakor5’s forearms were extended to the felidor’s thick neck. He was managing to hold the cat’s large fangs a few inches away from his throat. But the felidor was winning the struggle and Jumper could see Lakor5’s strength beginning to give way. Jumper turned behind him and yelled.

“I lost my weapon! Help!”

Kayla had crawled back behind a fallen tree and her head could be seen thrashing about behind it. Jumper heard her cursing in what sounded like a crying voice. Alan was trying to stand but might have been knocked senseless from the fall. Jumper crouched at his side and grabbed the rifle still strapped to his back, trying to pull it off his arm. But Alan rolled to that side, probably as an instinctive reaction. The rifle ended up beneath him.

Jumper looked behind him in desperation. Totlen6 was there, thank Erob, and had his rifle up. But wait—the butt end was wedged between two tree trunks behind him and the front was stuck in a hole in a tree in front of him. He was struggling to free it.

The great beast let loose with a ground-shaking growl. Jumper looked back to Lakor5. The cat was leaning ever-closer to its intended victim. Lakor5 then managed to roll slightly to his right, freed his left arm, brought it to the opposite side of the felidor’s neck, and pushed it sideways away from him to his left. The cat jumped off, but crouched and pounced right back on him. Lakor5 was back in the same position, even weaker now, trying to hold the cat’s jaws off his throat.

That’s when a laser fired from behind. The beam connected on the felidor behind its shoulder, causing the beast to howl horribly and jump off of Lakor5 again. It landed on the path in front of him, where it turned and crouched in a pouncing position. Jumper looked back down the trail.

Totlen6 was still struggling to free his wedged rifle. Lying on the ground beneath him was Mulb9. He had just set his hand laser on the ground and was extending his other arm forward, which held a long, thin device. He aimed the device and fired. A long red segment of light shot out of it and struck the felidor in the chest, resulting in another loud shriek from the cat. It changed positions again, but was still on its feet.

Quickly, Mulb9 stood and charged. The felidor saw him coming and crouched lower, preparing to spring with whatever strength it had left. But Mulb9 fired again first. This time, the red light could be seen sinking deep into its neck. The felidor dropped stiff.

Lakor5 managed to sit up and get his rifle positioned at his shoulder. Too late.

Jumper looked behind him again. Totlen6 cursed and slowly dislodged his rifle from the trees, a much easier task when not panicking. The driver was finally coming into view on the trail. He had a confused look on his face, obviously unaware of what was happening.

Alan stood up and surveyed the scene in front of him. He looked as confused as the driver. Kayla also reappeared from behind the big log. Her hair was a mess. She was holding her hand laser, but her hand was shaking a little.

Jumper moved forward on the trail, disgusted at the humans’ performance under pressure. Lakor5 stood and reached his hand out towards Jumper.

“Is this yours?”

Jumper looked at his hand. He was holding Jumper’s laser. It must have dropped when he pushed Kayla backwards.

“Thanks.” Jumper took it and fastened it back on his belt, hopefully more securely this time. Kayla came up by his side and started fixing her hair. Jumper stared at her.

“Rescue me, huh?”

Kayla shrugged and appeared to be recovering. “I probably should have told you. I’m afraid of animals.”

“Great.” Jumper shook his head and went over to inspect the dead felidor.

It was bigger than Jumper, with red fur and impressively muscular shoulders. Those fearsome fangs were about the size of the span of Jumper’s hand. Mulb9 came up and stood next to Jumper.

“That’s a dart gun, isn’t it?” Jumper asked Mulb9. “I’ve heard about those.”

“Yes.” Mul9 re-strapped it to his ankle and then produced a different device, a small silver metallic ball. As he held it, an antenna rose up. Jumper thought he detected a slight popping noise for a second, and then birds in nearby trees and bushes could be heard flying out of them and away in every direction. The antenna went back down and Mulb9 put the device away in one of the small pouches hooked to his belt.

“Someone should have told me there were large predators in this region,” he said.

Mulb9 then drew his hand weapon, bent down, grabbed one of the felidor’s fangs, and began shooting short, controlled beams into its mouth at the base of the tooth. A moment later, the tooth pulled free. He wiped the blood on the cat’s fur and stood up.

“Souvenir.”

Jumper saw Kayla walking backwards with a terrified look on her face, until she bumped into Totlen6. Jumper rolled his eyes and looked back at Lakor5.

He was back on the ground, sitting and resting his head on his knees. The driver was crouched next to him with a hand on one of his arms. Jumper hurried over and knelt at his other side.

“Lakor5, are you all right?”

Lakor5 lifted his head. “I think so. Just catching my breath. But I believe I’ll let you Earth kids have your own mountain adventures from now on.”

That’s when Jumper noticed the puncture wounds on both of Lakor5’s shoulders. Small trails of yellow Torian blood were running from either side. The felidor’s claws must have been sharp to puncture the thick leather Torian skin.

“Excuse me,” Mulb9 said as he nudged Jumper out of the way. He held another small device in one hand and positioned it over Lakor5’s left shoulder wound. A flash of light came from it and the wound stopped bleeding. He did the same to the other side, then peeled back one of Lakor5’s eyelids and looked into it.

“He’ll be fine,” Mulb9 said and stood back up.

They gave Lakor5 a few minutes to rest before continuing the expedition. When everyone was ready to start again, Totlen6 insisted that he and the driver lead from this point forward. Jumper’s objections were ignored.

“Stay behind us,” Totlen6 said, “and try to make yourselves useful if there’s any more trouble.”

Alan dropped his head and looked at the ground after that comment, but Kayla furled her brow. She looked upset and determined.

Jumper wasn’t sure how he felt, but it was clear Totlen6 had taken him off point position for the time being. Jumper reluctantly instructed him as to the path and stayed close behind him and the driver. Kayla and Alan were right behind Jumper. Mulb9 walked with Lakor5 in the rear, with a short gap between them.

Before they had gone much farther, Jumper noticed red streaks in the sky. Totlen6 must have seen them also, because he paused for a second and looked upward before resuming the climb.

Alan saw them too. “Are the mountain dwellers shooting at us above the treetops?” he asked.

“Erob no,” Jumper replied. “Those streaks are way too high. You sure your vision is okay? Those are so far up they may not even be in the atmosphere. Could even be meteors.”

Alan glanced back and forth between the sky and the trees a few times while blinking, then shrugged and resumed hiking.

As they continued to ascend, the landscape became less rocky. Thick patches of lush green vegetation grew on the forest floor. Much of it was an edible plant with large web-like leaves, what the locals called sola but what Jumper’s dad referred to as ferns. Jumper stopped momentarily as he noticed many of the sola leaves had recently been picked. He knew they were getting close to population.

Jumper then jogged ahead to correct Totlen6 and the driver to the right path, as they were veering from it again. Totlen6 really should have let Jumper continue leading. But before he reached them, Totlen6 and the driver stopped cold and crouched. Jumper quickly drew his weapon and turned behind him. Kayla had her weapon out and her feet spread apart. Alan was already hunched down with his rifle leveled at his shoulder. Good. The humans were making a comeback. Lakor5 and Mulb9 were also crouching down in the rear, but didn’t have their weapons up yet.

Jumper turned to the front and saw the driver and Totlen6 slowly stepping forward with their weapons pointed. They stopped at an opening in the woods between two larger trees that had twelve or so feet of space between them. There they stood.

Jumper hurried over to join them, but slowed and carefully picked his steps the last bit of distance. When he got there, what he saw was perplexing.

Two native Amulites, both with fairly bright skin, were sleeping on either side of a polwar game. The frame was lit and there were pieces in the field, but not enough for a completed game. They must have fallen asleep while playing. Either that or they were dead. One of the players was hunched over in a sitting up position, and the other was slumped sideways on a tree stump.

Totlen6’s words about doing something useful echoed through Jumpers brain. He decided to pick up a stone and throw it at one of the players. It hit the one in the sitting-up position in the leg, which caused him to stir. That one, at least, was alive.

Totlen6 turned to scowl at Jumper when the stone hit, and raised his rifle closer to his eye. But then he looked back at Jumper and nodded towards the same player, motioning him to do it again. So, Jumper threw another rock, a little bigger one this time, a little harder. It hit him the torso, under his armpit. That did the trick. The player woke up.

He raised his head and looked about him. When he saw the weapons pointed at him, he glanced around rapidly in a panic. But then he noticed his sleeping opponent. He stopped moving, stopped looking about. The game field captured his attention and held it. He finally picked up a piece and placed it in the field. He then picked up the same rock that Jumper just hit him with and threw it at his opponent. It hit him it the head. His opponent came to life, but never noticed the armed party standing next to him. The first thing he saw was the game frame and he never looked away from it. He picked up a piece and studied it. As he did, the first player fell back asleep in the same position.

Jumper holstered his weapon, walked over to the now-awake player who was leaning against the tree stump, and waved his arms all around his peripheral field of vision. No reaction. He turned back to Totlen6 and pointed up the path.

“Let’s go. No threat here.”

Totlen6 must have surmised this as well, because his rifle was already swung around his back. The driver looked confused, but finally shrugged and turned back to the trail. The expedition continued.

But they moved slower now, and stayed closer together. This was the final stretch. The large clearing where Jumper and Alan inadvertently discovered the mountain dweller camp several days ago was close ahead. Before they reached it, they passed two additional smaller clearings with two more pairs of natives sleeping with a polwar game between them. The sleeping players were thinner than typical Amulites, possibly due to malnourishment. Those players they left undisturbed.

Then they came to the large clearing.

“This is it,” Jumper said to Totlen6 as they stepped out of the trees.

“No one’s here,” Totlen6 said.

But he spoke too soon. Two strong arms grabbed Jumper from behind and held him in place. He saw blurs moving on his left, and then the driver and Totlen6 were both quickly seized as well, by one native on each side of them.

Jumper turned to his right. Alan was also being held in place by a single native from behind.

He looked back into the trees at the pathway. Kayla, Lakor5, and Mulb9 were nowhere in sight.

***

About the Author:

Andy Kasch lives in Southern California with his beautiful wife and two neurotic cats. He writes when he is not fly-fishing from his kayak or travelling. The two greatest things to happen in the 21st century so far, according to Andy, are the craft beer revolution and the advent of the self-publishing business. These are good times if you are blessed enough to be in a position to enjoy them. Andy wishes you much benevolence and advises you to lead a balanced life, always. Tulros.






Saturday 22 March 2014

Book Spotlight: Tequila Assassin: Malinalli Way by Greg Prosmushkin


Tequila Assassin: Malinalli Way
by Greg Prosmushkin
Crime/Thriller
Amazon


When Jack Fleming, former agent for the United States Special Forces finds himself in a Mexican prison, he faces the choice between certain death behind bars and starting the greatest adventure of his life: an adventure that will lead him across Mexico in pursuit of cash, drug lords, and the truth.

His options being limited, Jack finds himself deep in the dangerous world of the Alacran drug cartel. As his journey leads him across the landscape of Mexico, Jack learns that he may not be on the side of the law after all, and that the “Law” itself may not be as simple and straightforward as it seems.

In a story packed with intrigue and murder, a brilliant adventure emerges which brings to light the true depth of human depravity, and the surprising goodness that can be found in even the darkest places.

***

About the Author:

Greg Prosmushkin was born in 1968 in Moscow, Russia. At the age of 11, he immigrated to the United States with his parents. Growing up in Philadelphia, he completed Drexel University and Temple University School of Law. After practicing law for 10 years, he embraced his entrepreneurial spirit and jumped into a variety of ventures, including adult daycares, veterinary hospitals, and even launching a private tequila brand.

Writing a novel, however, has always been his dream. "Tequila Assassin: Malinalli Way" is his first completed novel.


Friday 21 March 2014

Series Spotlight: The Cowboy and the Vampire by Hays McFall





Let ‘er buck!
The Cowboy and the Vampire Reboot

The phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is a lie. It’s a damn lie. People do it all the time. Art is truth.

To mark the upcoming May 2014 release of the third book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection, the series was treated to a gothic western makeover, with artwork commissioned exclusively for the series.

“We wanted to give readers something special and the new covers get right to the heart of the series,” said co-author Hays. “Go on and judge the books by these covers! They bring together the paranormal and the western elements perfectly, setting a dark tone with just a hint of the humor.”

“Each time you look at the images, you see something a bit different, even more of the opposites-attract romantic theme pops, and the overtones of simmering passion,” said co-author McFall.

Get caught up on the love between Tucker and Lizzie now before the release of book three.

***

A Very Unusual Romance
The Cowboy and the Vampire
Book 1
Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

“Deliciously dark.” – Booklist

Welcome to LonePine, Wyoming, where the best of the American west faces off against the rise of the undead. It’s a love story for the ages.

Worlds collide when a broke cowboy and a glamorous big city reporter fall lipstick over boot heels in love. But she carries a 2,000-year-old secret in her veins that will test their unusual romance.

Saddle up for a hilarious, existential gallop through the dying west with an army of ancient bloodsuckers in hot pursuit.

***

Blood and Whiskey 
The Cowboy and the Vampire
Book 2
Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

“Strong writing, funny characters … riveting.” – Kirkus Reviews

Welcome back to LonePine, Wyoming. It’s like any other slowly dying town in the modern American West. Except it’s suddenly lousy with vampires.

Cultures clash as the vampire illuminati ride into town to settle ancient scores, test loyalties and thrash out a new world order. Can the fragile relationship between a cowboy and a vampire survive lust, betrayal and country music?

Grab the reins and hold on tight as Tucker and Lizzie stampede through rural America and across the vampire afterlife, desperate to protect their unlikely love.

***

The first book of this series, A Very Unusual Romance, was published in 1999, long before the vampire craze. With comparisons to Anne Rice and Zane Grey, the book gained a devoted following with initial sales of more than 10,000 print units. Fast forward a decade, and the publisher (Llewellyn) brought out the book as a second edition in 2010, aiming to capitalize on the Twilight mega-hit. Meanwhile, the authors wrote the second book in the series — Blood and Whiskey — bringing it out under their own imprint (Pumpjack Press, 2012). In 2013, they gained the rights back for the original book, and now, with book three poised for publication in May 2014, the restored Cowboy and Vampire series has been redesigned with exclusive art and is coming out for the first time in 15 years as a complete collection. Yippi-ki-yay!

***

About the Authors:

Between the two of them, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall have worked in writing jobs ranging from cowboy-poet to energy journalist to restaurant reviewer to university press officer. After they met, their writing career took center stage when they wrote the first book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection as a test for marriage. They passed. Clark and Kathleen now live in Portland, Oregon.

Connect with the authors:

www.cowboyandvampire.com

www.facebook.com/cowboyandvampire

@cowboyvamp (twitter)

@cowboyvampire (instagram)


About the artist

When asked about his biggest artistic influences, Aaron Perkins says there are too many to name, but when pressed mentions Gustav Klimt, Modigliani and the full-on art deco and nouveau movements, abstraction expressionism and surrealism. Aaron is also a big fan of concert poster art. That heady and diverse collection of inspiration shows up in The Cowboy and Vampire Collection covers.
Connect with the artist:

An interview with the artist here

His website: www.aaronperkins.com    



Release Day Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Raging Storm by Brandy Nacole





Raging Storm
Spiritual Discord
Book 2
Brandy Nacole 
Genre: Fantasy/Paranormal/Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication: March 21, 2014
Word Count: 81,000
Cover Artist:  CCRBookCoverDesigns.com

Book Description:

After Kayson fell from heaven, his life got complicated.  His greatest enemies, the hell hounds, thrived on Earth and hunted not only the fallen but the blood children created by their Master.  After being chased and confronted by one of those very creatures, Kayson’s life becomes even more complicated.  He never expected to be rescued by a vampire named Sabrina.  He also never expected to become her protector after she falls prey to a hell hound’s deadly bite.

Falon, head of the hell hounds, has been desperately trying to hunt down Kayson and Sabrina but with the rain steadily falling—due to interference by the lower-realm Angels, also known as the assemblies—Falon grows irritated.  His only option is to threaten those that may know where the fallen can be found.

With the threat of the hounds finding Kayson and the other fallen, Kayson is running out of time.  Stille, once a respected Warrior in the assemblies, is pushing Kayson to leave an unconscious Sabrina behind.  After all Sabrina has done for him,

Kayson refuses to abandon her.  But will his decision leave his friends vulnerable to attack?

Sabrina is conscious enough to sense the struggles that Kayson is facing.  If he knew the torture she’s been going through, she knows he would suffer even more.  Sabrina silently fights the darkness that is seeping into her dreams, while struggling to stay strong for Kayson.  But when the pain becomes too much, Sabrina has to make a choice that may cost not only her life, but the lives of others as well.

***

About the Author:

Brandy Nacole resides in Arkansas where her imagination runs wild. Her obsession is reading but her passion is writing. She put her dream of becoming a writer on the back burner and went to college to become a psychologist. Three years after endless classes in a field she only felt half satisfied with, Brandy picked up her pen once again and wrote the outline to Uniquely Unwelcome. She finished out her degree in psychology, but traded her dream of writing for the degree and put psychology on the back burner. Whenever she's not reading or writing, Brandy is spending time with her family and friends, throwing around crazy ideas, teaching , and singing like a rock star at a concert for no one else but herself. She loves plants, but unfortunately is a killer of anything that requires water but can't voice (scream) their needs.

She is the author of The Shadow World Series and The Spiritual Discord Series.

www.brandynacole.com

www.facebook.com/authorbrandynacole

www.twitter.com/authorbnacole

www.pinterest.com/bnacolebooks

***

Tour giveaway details 

1 ecopy of Uniquely Unwelcome by Brandy Nacole

1 $10.00 Amazon GC

1 Swag Pack

Thursday 20 March 2014

Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Of Fur and Fangs Box Set





Of Fur and Fangs Boxed Set
D’Elen McClain, Skhye Moncrief, Sky Purington, Celeste Anwar & Teresa Gabelman
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
Date of Publication:  February 2014
ASIN:  B00IITRM8S
Number of pages:  672
Word Count:   336 K
Amazon


Book Description:

Things don’t shift any better than this. One cutting edge read after another, of Fur & Fangs brings you six steamy paranormal reads from five best-selling authors.

***

FANG CHRONICLES: MANDY’S STORY
By D’Elen McClain

Every beastkind knows you don’t mess with a Kodiak bear—everyone that is except Mandy, the wolf-pack Alpha’s sister. When Mandy hears whispers that the bad attitude bear, Honey, has chosen a mate, she takes matters into her own hands because her wolf decided months before that Honey was hers.

Excerpt:

“I’m giving you to the count of three before I shift and tear this cage apart.”

Mandy’s green eyes flashed. She checked out the bars and then gazed back at him. “Hmm. It might hurt, but go ahead and give it a try.” She flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder.

His low growl swelled as it traveled up from his chest. “One…”

Her pouty lips curved slightly. “I’m not a child, and the number counting thing is ridiculous.” Eyelashes swept down over her green eyes and then went back up almost in a practiced move.

Nine hundred pounds of Kodiak bear exploded within the steel bars. Large tuffs of brown fur stuck out between the solid three-inch slats of metal, leaving no room for movement. He pushed his weight against the steel, and when nothing gave so much as an inch, he went completely wild, which did exactly... nothing.

She gave him her bored look again. “Are you finished throwing your temper tantrum?”

Website/Blog- www.fangchronicles.com

***

BIG BAD BEAST
By Skhye Moncrief

Each wants the other, but neither can stand to be in the same room together…And each has secretly lusted for the other like a dark explosive sin. Stand back and watch the fireworks light up the Minnesota Territory’s post-apocalyptic sky because the BIG BAD BEAST can’t help but to huff and to puff and to blow Josie’s house in…

Excerpt:

Interesting way to see if I feared nightfall and being preyed upon by alien monsters. "I thought I'd ask for sanctuary." I shot him a firm glance, challenging him to think otherwise. "Avoid Bounders one night." Why not? The alien creatures could dine upon my carcass tomorrow night. This game of cat and mouse with this young Shifter could be pretty entertaining. I'd just play along to see how long it took for us to get around to introductions. Then the fireworks start.

"Then?" he asked.

The door creaked.

Jaguar spun to the doorway.

One filling with an extremely large form. Shadows draping his features. Shifter though. Too big for a Normal. Apparently, Augustus had enough sense to keep an adult around to keep the hormonal antics to a minimum here.

"Shouldn't you be guarding the gate?" a familiar unsettling voice asked.

My whole being shuddered and quaked.

In fear. I think. Hostillian.

My gut actually had the audacity to do somersaults.

Website- http://skhyemoncrief.com

***  

FERAL FASCINATIONS
By Skhye Moncrief

Their blood lust flares hotter than a solar storm…She seduced an earthling to create their were-assassin blood bond. Shanghaied to fight a war between vampires and werewolves, his gut shouts escape. But humanity needs a hero. Colliding in a universe of psychic mind-reading games, each realizes trusting the other is as dangerous as buying into their FERAL FASCINATIONS.

Excerpt:

My mouth watered where I sat across the table from the bloodied mixture. The succulent smell of blood isn't what I remembered from a lifetime of fistfights and accidents back on Earth. No. I could have done without the blood smell then. Now, the metallic tang rooted in my nostrils with a sweetness that begged for a chug-a-lug.

My mouth watered again.

Drink it and I cave. To give in means I relinquish the last vestige of choice I have. But the scent calls to me.

Nausea roiled in my gut.

Was that an intuitive sign to abstain? You stupid gut that only makes sense on Earth.

She settled into the bed, shoving the blade back in its boot.

Funny thing about the glass's contents. It had some kind of magical power because my captor blurred into the background behind the shimmery blueness of the liquid. Faded into a smear. And my woody didn't pitch a fit.

Website- http://skhyemoncrief.com      

***

THE GEORGIAN EMBRACE
By Sky Purington

When Devin, a mysterious stranger claiming to be from the future, appears on her Georgian's worksite everything changes for eighteenth century Isabel. Even as smoldering, unavoidable desire ignites between them they must struggle to stay one step ahead of the time-warping house caught in Calum's Curse. Better yet, the rival werewolf determined to finish the legacy it began.

Excerpt:

Devin gently seized her wandering, worried hand and shook his head, voice strained. “I’m fine, lass. Please sit.”

“No. You’re not.” She frowned. “What is it?”

After pouring three glasses of wine, Calum sat behind his desk. “Do as he asks, Isabel.”

She glanced between the two. Both were clearly troubled. Though reluctant, she slowly sat. “What’s happened?”

Calum looked to Devin. When Devin shook his head, he continued. “There have been some unfortunate changes.”

A chill raced up her spine. “Tell me.”

“The wolf…” Calum cleared his throat then said, “Has left its mark.”

Fists clenched, her heart skidded to a stop. Devin. Frightened, she looked his way. His smoky green eyes were unusually pale. Sensuous lips were cut into a thin, grim line and the skin around his eyes drawn. “What does he mean?”

“Did Lucas never tell you how he became the beast he is?” Devin drained his wine, eyes locked with hers. “Did he never mention the bite of the werewolf?”

Website- http://www.skypurington.com

***

CARNAL THIRST
By Celeste Anwar

When Danior found the woman being drained of life by one of his clan, for some unfathomable reason, he knew he could not allow her to die. Against the ruling of the council, Danior secrets her away, taking her through the change from human into vampire and forever changing life as she knows it. But the move ensures they will be outcasts--hunted to the death by his people.

Excerpt:

Maggie gritted her teeth and jerked the poker out of the wall.  “Look, I don’t know who you are, and I don’t know what you had in mind when you brought me here, but I’d like to leave now.”

He shrugged.  “Unfortunately, I can’t allow that.  You’ve been bitten.”

Her eyes widened.  “You son of a bitch!  You’re the one that attacked me, aren’t you?”

He smiled faintly.  “Not I.”

She wanted to wipe that smug look off his face with the poker, but she didn’t want to get that close to him.  If he was the one who had attacked her, he had thrown her around as if she was some shrimpy ninety pound weakling.  “Why is it that I don’t believe you?”

Again, he shrugged, as if it was a matter of indifference to him one way or the other.

She studied him for several moments when he didn’t respond.  “You can’t keep me a prisoner here.”

He looked at her with interest.  “Why not?”

Website- http://www.romancewiki.com/Celeste_Anwar  

***

THE PROTECTORS DAMON
By Teresa Gabelman

The Vampire Council Warriors have been ordered to train social workers how to protect themselves against vampire attacks. VC Warrior Damon DeMaster’s and social worker Nicole Callahan clash at their first meeting. Even as sparks fly and tensions mount, Nicole and Damon depend on each other to protect the children of both races against the new drug hitting the streets, Crimson Rush.

Excerpt:

“I still think you are taking grave risks that you are ill equipped to take, human,” Damon scowled, his voice a low deep rumble of authority.

“Yeah, well, it wasn’t you who put that child in the hands of a monster, vamp,” Nicole shot back. If he thought to scare her with the big bad vampire warrior thing he had going on, he was sadly mistaken. Backing down wasn't an option when it came to her job.

“Ah....okay,” Duncan stepped in not liking where this was heading. “Everybody partner up.”

Mitch glared a warning at Nicole, who just shrugged and mouthed, “He started it.” Taking a quick peek at the warrior, she noticed his smug grin. Oh yeah, this was going to be a problem.

Website www.teresagabelman.com

***

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Wednesday 19 March 2014

Blog Tour/Guest Post/Giveaway: Twas the Darkest Night by Sophie Avett




Guest Post:
Sophie Avett’s Tea with the Raven: Introducing New Gotham’s Fairy Godmother

Greetings ingrates,

Welcome to New Gotham. Mind the pixies. And no, they’re not for sale. Goodness, have you people no principles? Yes, I know New Gotham is filled with monsters aplenty. But honestly, they’re pixies. Not people. Can’t go about kidnapping them as you please and what not. Besides, New Gotham’s policy on pixie theft is very clear—they cannibalize thieves as is proper. Likewise, I don’t recommend tipping the witches less than 20%. They frown on that.

As always, I’m a busy women, so we’ll make this quick—I’m Annabelle Potts. Yes, dear, Mrs. Potts is appropriate. As you’ve no doubt heard, I’m the wand, the dust, and the wings running the fairy tales in these cursed parts. I have a steel trap with barbed wire for a mind, two fantastic sister-witches with excellent knitting skills as my companions, and a very long list of things to do. Busy, busy, busy.

Why, you ask?

New Gotham is filled with thankless heathens and it’s my job to make sure they don’t drivel into my kettle and ruin all my brilliant schemes with all their inane twittery about not wanting to fall in love. Ha. Oh, how the little people amuse.

Monsters, I swear…

Vampires, witches, werewolves, and the fey. Goodness, they seem to be the only beings who don’t fully understand their purpose. And do you know what their purpose is?

That’s right, to do exactly as I say. Or else.

Why?

There will be happy endings. I don’t care if I have to murder you and bring you back as a ghost to make that happen. We’ll find you a crisp linen to wear and call it a plot twist, am I clear, dearie?

Yes, yes, I thought so.

Now then, recently I was the source of the wonderful idea to pair Elsa Karr, a troll and struggling shop-owner, with…well, a shameless devil. He’s not a true demon, of course. But a mixture of the damned and the devilish. In the grand tradition of monsters everywhere, he’s delicious, but difficult to manage without the proper set of skills and a good paddle.

There’s a mess of magic, a ship that sets itself on fire, and, of course, I was forced to get involved once or twice because sometimes vampires, and some children, feel the need to test the gravity of their circumstances. A few screams later and everything was right as rain.

What? Why are you gaping at me like that? Just exactly who did you think you were speaking with, child? If you’re looking for Cinderella’s twit—well, she’s buried in the daffodils. Alive.

I am a fairy godmother.

There is no where you can run. There is no where you can hide. The love will happen. There will be cookies to help the spanks go down, but alas, fairytales are my business and I haven’t the time, the patience, or the spare cake for nonsense. Am I clear? Crystal, eh? Wonderful. Fetch your tea cup and your good silver stake, the girls will get the chocolate—I’ve got a tale to tell.

With kind regards,

Mrs. Potts

***

Twas the Darkest Night
A New Gotham Novel 
A Sinister Stiches Spin-off
Sophie Avett
Genre: Erotic Gothic Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Skeleton Key Publishing
 Date of Publication:  March 15, 2014
Number of pages: est. 355 pages
Word Count:  est. 160, 000 
Cover Artist: Elaina, For the Muse Designs

Book Description:

Remember the story about the troll who lived under the bridge—yes, well, that twit didn't have to pay rent.
Owner and operator of Bits and Pieces, and resident expert on charms and glamours, Elsa Karr is a witch with a sour frown and a list of things to do as long as Thor’s hammer. Top of the list is saving her father's shop from ruin. If she isn't trying to claw her way out of debt, she's arguing with her cat, Fenris, or shoveling carts of cake into her gob. She's not interested in romance or the vampire who rents the flat above her shop. All she wants is a little peace and chocolate--fine, all right! All right! The vampire is kind of screw all cute. (Curse him.)

The disgraced son and heir of the Wingates House vampire clan and a mad-man to boot, Marshall Ansley spends most of his time working and dodging his mother's phone calls. Marshall is beyond family. He's beyond everyone, actually. Don’t be daft, he especially doesn't do…Christmas. But behold, the plague brings an original flavor of annoyance this year when his boss tasks him with acquiring the account of a recluse fey and her upcoming Gothic clothing boutique, Sinister Stitches. That is the ONLY reason he's bothering with his shrewish landlord. No, that's it. No…really. Fine, if you insist, the witch might be a tad bit...all right, she's adorable. (Damn her.)

Scrooge meets Scrooge. Dominant meets Dominant. Tempers…spark. In each other, they may unfold a tale that only comes to pass on the darkest of nights.

***

About the Author:

Sophie Avett is kind of a nerd. Like not even one of the cute, hip ones everyone brags about nowadays. More like the socially awkward hippie who eats way too much bread and dreams about being a dragon from behind towers of mythology books. Um...yeah. Picture old, tattered paperbacks and comic books--mostly Batman and Wonder Woman--dwarfing a tiny desk, with just barely enough room for the troll who writes there and the 70 pound hell-hound that insists on laying it's wet nose on top of her bare foot. 

Granted not the most exciting existence, but she tries to make up for it by writing romances populated with her own peculiar ilk of paranormal beasties.  Trolls, wyverns, the obscure Nordic brownie--she likes to keep things interesting. And bloody. (And mostly naked--but, we'll keep that bit between us.)

Sophie Avett loves to hear from her readers. (Hi, mom.) So if there's something on your mind, feel free to leave a message after the scream. 


(Mom, seriously…you can just call me.)



Brimstone Pub, the Blog: http://thebrimstonepub.com/


***

Giveaway:

Free e-Book Copy of  ‘Twas the Darkest Night

The first five people to comment on one of Sophie Avett’s Bewitching Book Tour Stops will automatically win a free e-book copy of ‘Twas the Darkest Night. Available formats include: mobi, pdf, epub, and prc.

Interested parties should leave their email address and which format they would prefer at the end of their comment. The ravens will keep tally and submit prizes! (If your e-reader format is not listed, contact the ravens directly via the contact form and the ravens will fashion a book especially for you!) Likewise, any winner of Sophie Avett’s contests will also receive a free e-book copy of ‘Twas the Darkest Night.



1 Carriage Charm

1 set of Raven earrings

1 Sinister Stitches Dress


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Tuesday 18 March 2014

Book Review: Wolf by Mo Hayder


Wolf
by Mo Hayder
Jack Caffrey #7
Crime/Thriller
Random House UK
4.5 Stars

Blurb:

I believe, from what I can hear, that either my daughter or my wife has just been attacked. I don't know the outcome. The house is silent. 

Fourteen years ago two teenage lovers were brutally murdered in a patch of remote woodland. The prime suspect confessed to the crimes and was imprisoned.

Now, one family is still trying to put the memory of the killings behind them. But at their isolated hilltop house . . . the nightmare is about to return.

Review:

I have read every one of Mo Hayder's books and while I don't think this one is the best (Pig Island takes that place in my mind, I still think about that one years later), it is terrifyingly good.

Detective Jack Caffrey's brother went missing when he was a child, suspected murdered by a child molester who lived nearby, but no body and no evidence were ever found. Those days huant Jack still and colours his life as a policeman.

A vagrant, known locally as the Walking Man, hints that he may know something about Ewan's murder, for he too lost his daughter and never found her body. But in order to reveal what he knows, the Walking Man sets Jack a task: to discover who a lost dog belongs to, a dog with the words 'Help Us' written on cardboard stuck in its collar.

Jack is half-convinced that it is some sort of prank but he decides to give it a go and hopefully find the owners.

Meanwhile, the dog's owners are being held hostage in their remote house, The Turrets, and tortured by the two men who pretended to be policeman. But who are they really? And what do they want? And how do they know so much about the family?

The book is very well-plotted and tightly paced. Something minor might be mentioned in a previous chapter, but later on it might have some vital significance. Lots of clues are there in the story, but it twists and turns this way and that so that you are never quite sure what exactly is going on.

Although this is the 7th book in the Jack Caffrey series, you do not need to read all of those to understand this one - the author gives little notes about previous things, but you aren't hammered over the head with them. Just enough so you're not lost.

Jack is a very realistic character. He is not perfect, he makes mistakes, but you do feel for him and the guilt he still feels after all these years since his brother disappeared. With each book, I think you get to know him a little bit more each time.

And the major twist at the end I did not see coming. I was completely surprised and being such a thriller and crime fan, you have to work hard to do that these days. I was very impressed.

My only niggle, and it is a niggle, is that most of the novel is written in the present tense. I find it more difficult to get into for novels, but Mo Hayder is one author I will read no matter what tense the book happens to be.

This is a book you do not want to read late at night. Tight suspense and a really good twist make this an excellent crime read.



Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Forager by Peter R. Stone

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Forager - PROMO Blitz
By Peter R. Stone
Dystopian
Date Published: November 2013

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Eighteen-year-old Ethan Jones lives in Newhome, a town built upon the decaying ruins of post-apocalyptic Melbourne, ruins haunted by the ferocious Skel, a nomadic tribe of degenerate savages.

The Skel are ramping up their attacks on Newhome's foraging teams and infesting Melbourne's ruins in ever greater numbers. Is this part of a larger plan that could spell the town's doom?

Meanwhile, the last thing Ethan expects when he and his companions rescue a two-car convoy from the Skel is a Japanese teenage girl with an outlandish dress-sense, who after they take her back to Newhome, goes to great lengths to ingratiate herself into his life. But is it in gratitude for saving her life or is she seeking something more?

And what a quandry she places him in, for he knows the rules, that no man is permitted to be alone with an unmarried woman. But how can he drive such a gentle soul away when she touchs his heart so deeply, even though she clearly carries the pain of a broken heart.

At the same time, Newhome's police force, the Custodians, are suspicious of Ethan's foraging team's successes and are pulling out the stops to find out which member of his team has the illegal mutant ability that gives them an edge over the other teams. Should these peacekeepers discover Ethan is the mutant they seek, they will haul him away and dissect him like a frog.

EXCERPT

Michal, our driver and my best friend, clambered into the truck first, having to duck his head down just to get through the door since he easily topped six-foot-four; and at seventeen I suspected he hadn't even finished growing. I clambered in beside him while Leigh, David and Shorty climbed into the back seat.

Michal looked down at me, clearly displeased about something. "You gotta be more careful, Ethan."

"Me?" I asked, not having the slightest inkling of what he was referring to.

"Yes, Ethan, you," he confirmed as he turned the key in the ignition and pumped the accelerator gently to get the engine started. The truck was pretty old and I doubted it had a single part that hadn't been replaced or refurbished at some stage. 

"I'd wager my bottom dollar they're here 'cause they want to find out why our team brings in more metals than the others."

Our team was one of many that foraged in the ruins outside for non-corrosive metals, such as gold, platinum, copper, bronze and lead, that had survived the decades since the Apocalypse. We would take them back to the Recycling-Works where they would be sorted, melted down, and handed over to the factories.

"What do you mean?" I replied, feigning ignorance.

"Them other three goons," he whispered as he jerked his head back to indicate our workmates in the back seat, "they ain't too bright. They think you just know the best spots to look, but not me. I've seen you."

That sent icy tendrils of dread creeping back into my gut. "Seen me what?"

"You can drop your act with me, okay?" he said softly as he shifted the truck into gear and drove it out of the Recycling-Works yard and towards the town gates. 

"I've heard about people like you, and you're secret's safe with me. Just don't keep hitting pay dirt every day from now on, 'cause those Custodians, they're not here to protect us from the Skel like they claim, otherwise they'd have brought a Bushmaster instead of that G-Wagon."

Peter R. Stone
Peter R. Stone photo Peter20R20Stone20Small_zpsedbedb3c.jpg

Peter Stone, an avid student of history, was reading books on Ancient Greece from the age of four. Periods of interest include the ancient world, medieval era, Napoleonic times, and the Second World War. He still mourns the untimely passing of King Leonidas of Sparta and Field Marshal Michel Ney of France.

A product of the Cold War Generation, Peter Stone studied the ramifications of a nuclear missile strike when he was in his senior year of high school, learning the effects of nuclear fallout and how to (hopefully) survive it. He has ever been drawn to post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels and films, and eagerly devoured The Day of the Triffids and John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy when he was a child. He is also an avid fan of science fiction, and his favorite books include the Lensmen Series by E.E.Doc.Smith, anything by Alastair Reynolds, and the Evergence trilogy by Sean Williams.

Peter Stone graduated from Melbourne School of Ministries Bible College in 1988. He has been teaching Sunday School and playing the keyboard in church for over twenty-five years. His wife is from Japan and they have two wonderful children. He has worked in the same games company for over twenty years, but still does not comprehend why they expect him to work all day instead of playing games.

Authors Website

Buy Link

Giveaway
Soft Cover Copy of Forager

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Saturday 15 March 2014

Book Review: Tarnished Heroes by David Kessler


Tarnished Heroes
by David Kessler
Crime/Mystery
4 Stars
Kindle Re-issue

Blurb:

Young policeman Neil Douglas rushes to the aid of a woman who has been stabbed on Hampstead Heath. Seeing a man standing over the body, he lashes out with his baton, striking the man in the head. There is just one problem: the man didn’t attack the woman; he was coming to her aid. Neil has just put an innocent man in a life-threatening coma. And the killer is still on the loose.

Supended from duty and tormented by guilt, he is determined to track down the escaped killer. All the while he is taunted over the airwaves by a pretty but ruthless American phone-in show presenter.

But who was the dead woman? Who is trying to hide every trace of her past? And does her case have anything to do with another murder case five years ago in which the “innocent man” whom Neil struck was the prime suspect? Neil is determined to find the answers to these questions – even if it costs him his life.

Review:

Late at night, coming to the scene after a woman is attacked on Hampstead Heath, young policeman Niel Douglas makes a split-second deicsion that will forever haunt him. Discovering a man over the woman's body brandishing a tree branch, Neil attacks him with his baton and sends the man into a coma. But the man wasn't the attacker, he had been coming to the woman's aid.

When the man's identity is revealed as Martin Roebuck, a murder suspect in a different case a few years ago, Neil feels there is more going on than meets the eye. Suspended from duty, hounded by the press and a talk-show radio host, Neil is determined to find out what is going on even if it meand losing his job or his life. But the more he investigates the more he realises that everyone has something to hide and they don't want Neil raking over old coals, especially the real killer.

Now, although a crime novel with a mystery to solve, this seems more of a psychological drama and a character study. The pace is not as frantic with Mr. Kessler's later thrillers, but that isn't to say nothing happens or that it's slow moving. And one thing I have to applaud the author for – we get glimpses into the mind of the killer but without revealing the killer's identity before Neil finds out. I hate it when books let the reader find out more than the investigators do. Here, the reader feels as if they are investigating along with Neil and it really works.

As with all stories, it can stand or fall with its characters and here we have a very sympathetic protoganist, even if he has done some wrong things. You really get to know Neil as the book progresses. And the twists! There were a couple near the end that I didn't guess and they completely floored me, but all of them had little hints here and there earlier in the book so the reader doesn't feel cheated.

The romance between Neil and Beth, the aforementioned radio host, just didn't seem to gel with me, but I can't really say why. It did add an extra layer of danger, with Neil now not only worried about himself but Beth and her young son as well. I loved the part when Neil was telling little Stevie a bedtime story about a knight slaying a dragon who'd been terrorising a village, but when he returned to the village, they all said the dragon wasn't killed. Neil explained to Stevie that we all carried our own dragons, whether it was fear, pride, greed and we can only slay our ownd dragon's, not anyone else's.

A very engrossing read.

***


Book Spotlight: Killing Bliss by E.C. Sheedy

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Killing Bliss - PROMO Blitz
By E C Sheedy
Date Published: June 2013

Romantic Suspense

One night. Two bullets. Three runaways.

Addy Michaels, living her careful life on a forgotten back road, thinks she's safe--that her past and its corpses are long buried. Surely after fifteen years the cops have quit looking for the street kids believed to have kidnapped a baby and killed their prostitute foster mother, Belle Bliss.

Addy couldn't be more wrong.

A cold case. Hot again, when the missing child's grandmother hires renowned profiler Cade Harding to find her grandson. Cade tracks Addy to her safe haven in a remote area of Washington state. Their attraction to each other is immediate, dangerous, and badly timed because...

Cade isn't alone.

A twisted killer, faceless and unknowable, follows in Cade's footsteps--on the hunt for anyone who can tell the truth about killing Bliss.

All roads lead to Addy.


EXCERPT

Cade looked at Stan and Susan, two aging lovers—and he'd decided they were definitely lovers. Susan's eyes were wide, expectant. Stan's were judgmental and pissed off.

Cade turned to Susan, genuinely puzzled. "Why now?" he asked. "After all these years, why ask me to investigate now?"

"Mainly because I didn't know, until your mother's funeral, that you could help. It was your wife who told me what you did, how successful you were. She was very proud of you, you know." She paused. "As for your mother? Whenever I asked about you, she said very little, other than you'd 'taken off and left her alone, just like your father."

Cade might have protested, except for the glint of understanding in Susan's eyes, an understanding that no doubt came from years of her lending his mother money. He didn't bother defending himself, say how he'd kept in touch with his mother until she died and sent a regular monthly check. His business.

"That it?" he asked, wanting to end the conversation.
"No. The big reason is Frank Bliss is being paroled after serving seven years for manslaughter."

Stan interjected. "Go back a bit, Susie."

She pursed her lips. "A few months after the murder, I met with Frank Bliss. I'd hoped to learn something the police hadn't—stupid, I know—but..." She took a few steps, then turned back to face him, her expression defiant. "Ever since, I've felt that boy knew more than he'd told."

"You 'felt'?" Even though Cade's career as a profiler centered on building a whole loaf from discarded chaff, he'd learned to distrust the I felt phrase—so often too close to its sister phrase, I wish, to be worthwhile.

"I figured you'd glom on to that word, but regardless, I'll stand by it. Frank Bliss was either lying or not telling everything he knew."

"If you consider his mother was brutally murdered—literally before his eyes—why would he lie? What do you think he'd gain from it?"

"I have no idea," she said. "But ever since the murder, Frank Bliss has been in jail more than he's been out. I suspect he lies for all kinds of reasons."

"And his brother?"

Stan answered. "Dead. Knifed in an alley after a fight in some club. About three years after the murder."

"Unlucky family," Cade said. "A good psychologist might say it was his mother's murder that turned Frank bad in the first place."

"He'd be wrong," Susan said, "because Frank didn't like his mother."

"He told you that?"

"He didn't have to. It was in his face, in his eyes. I think he was happy she was dead."

"Even if you're right, it doesn't prove—"

She stopped him with a raised hand, her eyes coal hard and direct. "If he didn't care about his mother, he certainly wouldn't care about a sixteen-month-old baby. Whatever his reasons, I think he lied." She waved her hand in a frustrated action, her voice rose. "Maybe he killed his mother, maybe the lies were to protect himself, or his kid brother—"

"That's a lot of maybes, Susan." Cade said quietly. "Besides, you said the police checked Brett's alibi."

"They could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time."

The room went quiet, and Stan arched a brow and looked at Cade, his expression bordering on sympathetic. "Susie hasn't let this case go since she found out about Josh. She's not about to stop now," he said.

Maybe not, but Cade knew they'd stepped hip deep into the realm of conjecture and magical thinking on a murder that occurred fifteen years ago. "It's a waste of time. Mine and yours," Cade said. He hadn't left WSU to get mired in someone else's problem, someone else's grief—or to work a case with a serious case of freezer burn. He'd walked this walk before. Swampland in a fog. "I'm sorry," he said again, more firmly this time. "I can't help you."

Again the room fell to silence, broken finally by Susan's heavy sigh.

"I didn't want to do this," she said. "But you leave me no choice." She met his eyes, her gaze unwavering. "You do this for me, Cade, and I'll forget what your mother owed me, which over the years came to over sixty-five thousand dollars."

She might as well have hit him in the gut with a two-by-four. His breath swooshed out, then he shook his head, muttered, "Son-of-a-bitch."

"No," Susan stated in a clear, measured tone. "I'm the mother of a dead daughter who's missing her grandson. Sons-of-bitches don't even come close."

***
Addy picked up her paint gear, straightened, and let her gaze drift over Star lake. Ruffled by the wind, it was a blanket of rippling diamonds in the afternoon sun. She swiveled, her gaze feasting on the tiny property: the cabins, ten of them sporting new paint jobs and looking proud and pretty, the fresh gravel she'd laid in the driveway, and the new sign in amusing fifties-style lettering she'd had done for over the office door. All of it her work, her dream, her safety net.
She headed for the maintenance shed, but hadn't taken more than three steps before she heard a car turn off the highway and scrunch its way along her new gravel.

She looked over her shoulder to see a Cherokee—maybe three or four years old—pull up to the office steps. A man and a dog—probably the same age as the truck—got out. Knowing Toby would handle them, Addy continued on to the shed and stowed her supplies neatly on the shelves.

The man was coming out of the office as she approached. The big yellow dog, who'd been sitting outside the door, got up, wagging its tail and wiggling its rear end as if he'd been abandoned for a month rather than the few minutes it had taken for his owner to check in.

There were three steps up to the office door. From the bottom one, she said, "Friendly?" And nodded at the dog.

The man smiled and patted the dog's head. "A teddy bear, especially if there's food around."

"Does he have a name?" She ran a hand along the silky fur on his back. She really should get a dog... if she stayed.

"Redge." He shifted his gaze from the dog and met hers. "What about you?"

Her nerves jangled, and she tucked her hands in the pockets of her overalls. "Me?" she said, sounding confused and stupid and knowing she was neither.

"Name. Do you have one?"

She pulled her hands from her pockets, stuck one out straight as a lance, and said, "Addy Michaels. I'm the owner of Star Lake."

She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw him blink a couple of times, his eyes sharpen. He definitely hesitated before taking her hand, then smiled as if he was obliged to, kind of cool and polite. "Addy. I'm Cade Harding. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. I take it you'll be staying with us?" She dropped to one knee to pet the dog, and get out from under his eyes, which suddenly seemed a bit too intense.
"A couple of days at least." He hesitated. "Maybe more."

She got to her feet, risked looking up at him. He resembled Gus a little, or how she imagined Gus would look with a few years on him. Dark hair, dark eyes, a bit of stubble around the chin, body on the lean side. Gus's face would be harder though, colder, not so... bookish or calm. And Gus’s eyes were a strange amber brown, nothing at all like Cade Harding's, which were a green color that reminded Addy of cedar boughs. "You sound like a man without a destination."

He didn't smile this time, but he did tilt his head a bit. Her nerves skittered again when his gaze fixed on her. “As destinations go this will do just fine.”

About the Author:
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EC Sheedy

EC Sheedy lives and writes on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. With the ocean a few steps from her door and Zuke, a 110 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback, sleeping on the sofa in her office, she considers herself one very lucky writer. But her real luck is being married to Tim, her first and final husband.

EC writes both contemporary romance and romantic suspense, the latter because sometimes a nasty and conniving villain pops into my head and she just has to get him out.
She dislikes cooking.
She dislikes nosy people.
She dislikes too many rainy days in a row.
She dislikes snakes.

And the only word she hates is hate—especially when used as a verb.
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