Friday, April 30, 2021

Death Watch (+ Giveaway)

 

Death Watch
By Annie Anderson
(Soul Reader #2)
Publication date: April 27th, 2021
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

A prison break, a secret admirer, and a boatload of lies.
Just about everything Sloane Cabot knows about her past is a big old pile of malarkey. Couple that with the blank spot of how her family died, and she needs answers, like, yesterday.

But when a man shows up dead on her family’s grave, she knows it somehow has to be tied to that fateful night a year ago.

Too bad you can’t question the dead… or can you?

Goodreads / Amazon / Bookbub

EXCERPT:

A pair of guards opened the giant doors, bowing at Thomas as he guided me through. It was an actual struggle not to freeze at the entrance and stare. But man, did I want to. This place—while definitely what I would consider on-brand for a vamp nest—was one of the most magnificent buildings I’d ever been in. I wasn’t particularly interested in other churches, but this cathedral was just a beauty. A gallery of pews sat to the left and right of a wide aisle that led to a raised dais. Vampires filled the seats, dressed similarly to Thomas and me, their voices a low buzz of conversation. More people were sitting in the upper gallery, their opulent gowns and sharp tuxedos a happy reminder that Thomas had my back. Had I walked in here with leather pants and a whip on my hip, I had a feeling I would have been just a touch out of place.

Thomas continued his leading, guiding me down the aisle toward a stunningly severe woman sitting on what appeared to be a throne. Skin paler than death, eyes vamped out in a way that seemed permanent, and painted lips the color of blood, she was the most beautiful and yet most frightening woman I’d ever seen. Dark hair was piled on her head in purposefully haphazard curls, a few tendrils snaking out of the complicated up-do to artfully caress her neck. She wore a brilliant green gown that was so simple, and yet so achingly complex, it had to have cost a fortune.

We reached the end of the aisle, and Thomas bowed his head slightly. I copied him, wishing I would have received an etiquette lesson on the hour-long drive here. All I’d gotten was Thomas’ clenched jaw and silence.

“You have some nerve,” a woman growled, drawing my gaze from what had to be the queen of this nest to her right.

I quickly realized that the voice did not belong to a woman at all but a child. Pale-blonde hair and blue eyes were set in an elfin face of a vampire who had likely been no more than ten when she was turned. And that had to have been centuries ago. This little whisp of a “girl”—and I use that word lightly—had the look of a being older than dirt. Dressed in a black lace confection appropriate for a child beauty queen, she stood from her chair.

She then launched herself at Thomas.

I couldn’t exactly say why I did it. I mean, she had me by centuries, and Thomas could take care of himself. But as soon as her feet left the dais, I had the knife Clem had given me yanked from its sheath and was in front of the man in an instant.

Thomas owed me, not the other way around, but he’d been kind to me when I’d needed it, and I wouldn’t let him get attacked. No way, no how.

It was as if everyone froze. Conversations halted, guards stood stock-still, and even this slip of a thing stood arrested at the end of my blade, which was poised at her throat.

To this tiny—but by no means less deadly—vampire at the point of my knife, I said, “Settle down there, Blondie, or we’re going to have a problem.”

I had a feeling we probably already had one.

Author Bio:

Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she'll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life... interesting.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don't you just love excerpt that draw you in quickly and make you say, "Okay, what happens next?"

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Thursday, April 29, 2021

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride (+ Giveaway)

I’m happy to be a part of author Kate Young’s Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for her latest release, SOUTHERN SASS AND A BATTERED BRIDE, the third installment in her Marygene Brown Mystery series.

Southern Sass and a Battered Bride

By Kate Young
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series: A Marygene Brown Mystery
Publisher: Kensington (April 27, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 1496721497
ISBN-13: 978-1496721495
Digital ASIN : B08F2WNNPQ

At a murder mystery–themed wedding reception on Georgia’s picturesque Peach Cove Island, the bride is doing an awfully good job playing dead . . .

Marygene Brown always figured she’d marry her childhood sweetheart, Alex Myers, not cater his wedding. But the Peach Diner could use the exposure. Most of the island is showing up—although more for the role-playing murder game at the reception than for the widely loathed bridezilla, Lucy Carmichael. Marygene may have to smile through the festivities, but Mama doesn’t have to hold her peace—especially since only Marygene can hear her mother’s ghost. Mama says she sees an aura of darkness around the wedding.

So, when Marygene finds Lucy lying beside the wedding cake, buried in batter, with no pulse, it looks like Mama called it. This is no game. And when the bride’s body simply vanishes, it’s up to Marygene and her best friend Betsy (cousin to the groom and no fan of the bride) to solve a real-life mystery—with a little help from Mama’s sassy spirit . . .

Includes Seven Recipes from Marygene’s Kitchen!


Southern Sass and a Battered Bride
is available at the following sites: Amazon – B&N – Kobo – IndieBound

Meet the Author: Kate Young


Kate Young
writes Southern mystery novels. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and the Guppy Chapter.

Kate lives in a small town in Georgia with her husband, three kids, and Shih Tzu. When she is not writing her own books, she’s reading or cooking.

For more on Kate and her writing, you can connect with her on the following links:

Website – https://www.kateyoungbooks.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKateYoung/

Twitter – https://twitter.com/KAYoungBooks

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527572.Kate_Young

BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kate-young-b3339e9c-d2e4-482d-a637-5afd7b064d73


Thanks so much for stopping by today. You can follow Kate’s tour by visiting the blogs below. Also be sure to enter the giveaway. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t show up, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Can you image catering your childhood sweetheart’s wedding? Have you ever had to participate in an ex’s wedding or such? 


TOUR PARTICIPANTS

April 26 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

April 26 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE

April 26 – Angel's Guilty Pleasures – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

April 27 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW

April 27 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

April 27 – I Read What You Write - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 28 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

April 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 28 – My Journey Back the Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST

April 29 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 29 – Literary Gold - REVIEW

April 29 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

April 30 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW

April 30 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT

April 30 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

April 30 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

May 1 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – ebook addicts - SPOTLIGHT

May 1 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

May 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

May 2 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW

May 2 – Tea Book Blanket – SPOTLIGHT

 
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Wednesday, April 28, 2021

A Scene in Time (+ Giveaway)

 

Today I am excited to join The Audio Flow in sharing A Scene In Time by Jessica A. Clements. Narrated by Marnye Young, Allyson Voller, and Taylor Meskimen, this is the first audiobook in The Wellesley/O’Brien Saga.

A Scene in Time by Jessica A. Clements

Adam, a Southern gentleman, knew the call to arms was near when President Lincoln asked for 100,000 men to stop secession and rebellion in the South. He joined the Union Cavalry – but not before he married his best, and only, friend. 

Abby, an Irish immigrant that settled with her family in Virginia, was as Southern as you could get. When her husband announces that he had joined the Union cavalry, she couldn’t believe what she heard. She supported the decision of the one person that she loved more than the world itself. 

As the war raged on, things weren’t always as they seemed. Abby’s sisters joined in the Southern cause, working to keep the way of life that the South had always had. Through grief, pain, and battles Abby keeps to the one place that she felt closest to her husband – the cottage that their families had given them. 

A scene in time. An epic battle. And a tale of how love (through all of its forms) can transcend life and death.

Audible | Amazon | Goodreads

Now my thoughts: 

This story is a blend of romance, drama, family ties, and adventurous strong female characters, with touches of paranormal sprinkled about.

 

The narrations by Marnye Young, Allyson Voller, and Taylor Meskimen bring the various characters to life. The modulations of the narrators gives emotions to the events throughout the story. Their voices help to draw you in. The diversity of the narrators enhances the story as they portray the emotions of the characters.


The author takes you on a journey during the Civil War. The story is a great reminder that women disguised themselves as young men in order to fight in the war for the cause they believed in. The story also details how families were torn apart fighting for what they cared about. With an eye for detail, the author puts you in the midst of what it might have felt like on the battlefield, as well as for those waiting at home.

 

This is a story of love, strength, and enduring more than we sometimes think we can. The story follow the events from the viewpoint of several characters adding depth to the story and giving a well-round outlook. 

The story gives a look at how far some will go for those they love, as well as following one's own heart. An intriguing story.

 

Meet the Author: Jessica A. Clements

Jessica A. Clements writes historical romances set during the US Civil War and the Regency Eras. When she is not writing she can be found playing with her son, composing music, playing in a band, and working her day job. 

One of the many things she loves to do with her son is travel to new historical places. They have been to Custer’s Battlefield, Saint Augustine, Savannah, and a couple of smaller battlefields in Alabama. They hope to be able to add to their list soon. 



Website | Twitter Instagram | Facebook

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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Runaway Train (+ Giveaway)

 

Runaway Train
Lee Matthew Goldberg
Publication date: April 29th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

They told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…

Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.

I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma. What’s a girl supposed to do? I didn’t want to end up like Kristen, so I grabbed my bucket list, turned up my mixtape of the greatest 90’s hits and fled L.A.. The goal was to end up at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, but I never could have guessed what would happen along the way.

At turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and laugh out loud funny, Runaway Train is a wild journey of a bygone era and a portrait of a one-of-a-kind teenage girl trying to find herself again the only way she knows how.

Goodreads / Amazon

Here's an excerpt from the book for your reading pleasure.

^^^^

            I’m still high after leaving Winter’s house and decide to just drive around and around as the sun sets beyond the hills coating the sky orange and purple. I adjust the rearview mirror to apply my MAC Viva Glam Taupe Lipstick with brown lip liner and take a moment to assess myself. My hair has been dyed so many colors it appears clumpy and lifeless. The baby fat has finally fled from my cheeks, but my chin still looks weak (thanks Mom), unlike Dad or Kristen’s strong jaw. My smile makes me resemble a chipmunk, and no one would ever call me beautiful, pretty maybe if I spend hours doing my makeup, but most likely, simply cute. Again, like a chipmunk.

            I hit play on my mixtape and “Runaway Train” blasts. I roll up the windows so I can sing it loud without feeling embarrassed, belting the chorus that coincides with my upcoming journey, my flight to nowhere and everywhere at the same time. I’ve got the courage to run away now, but what would happen once I come down from my high? I’ll likely curl up in bed to the sounds of In Utero, solely on my Walkman since Mom had freakin’ broken my stereo.

            I arrive home during Mazzy Star’s luscious and mournful “Fade Into You.” When I walk through the front door, Mom and Dad are waiting on opposite couches. Dad clears his throat.

            “Park it, Scrap,” he says, a nickname that used to be endearing when I was little, but now indicates how little he’s involved in my life. I’m just a scrap to him, leftovers on a plate.

            Dad has a sweep of silver hair that might have been called dashing like a movie star, but his tired, weighed-down eyes keep him ordinary. Winter once said that from far away he looks like Richard Gere in Pretty Woman and that she’d “do him.” I responded by punching her in her big boob.

            Mom gives a shy wave, as if we’re old friends reuniting. I don’t even bother to check if I give off a weed odor. Screw ‘em both.

            “I know about your mother and Mr. Ferguson,” Dad says. He doesn’t sigh like I expect him to; he explains their tryst like he’s rattling off what we’re having for dinner. “I have been seeing someone else as well. Annette.”

            I scrunch my face up. “Annette?” I picture some over-sexed French lady sharing my father’s office cot after a boink session and feeding him escargot.

            “Your mother and I are getting a divorce.”

            An image of Jeremy sashays into my thoughts, hands on hips, and an “I told ya so” pouring from his lips over and over. When I look at Mom, she gives a sobering nod.

            “This is for the best, Nico,” she says, and tries to grab my hand but I whip it away.

            “I’ll be staying with Annette at her place in Los Feliz,” Dad continues. “You won’t have to move.”

            “What if I don’t want to live with her,” I say, pointing at my mother like she’s a defendant in a courtroom. That woman!

            Mom chews on her lip. “Nico, we don’t want to uproot you. And your father needs time to settle in.”

            “I don’t wanna live with him either.”

            Finally, the two of them glance at each other, former opponents aligned against a new adversary.

            “I’m gonna stay with Winter,” I shout. “Her mom already said it’s okay. They have an extra room.”

            “That’s a big imposition,” Dad barks, smoothing down his tie as if we’re in a goddamn business meeting.

            “I’ll help around their house. Edina’s practically begged me. And this isn’t working out so we’ll try it.”

            I stand up like I’m the parent who already made the decision. The allies glance at each other again, neither willing to put up too much of a fight for me.

            “O-kay,” they both say in eerie harmony.

            “I just need to pack,” I say. “I’ll be out of your hair tonight.”

            “Nico, there’s no rush,” my mom says. She stands up but just teeters in place, afraid to make a move.

            I’m holding back tears, refusing to be emotional in front of them. I tell myself to be cold like Dad, a robot in flannel.

            “Why waste any more time,” I say, flapping my arms. “Like, we waste so much time all the time, ya-know? And then one day…”

            I mime the action of dropping dead and watch their faces scrunch up in response.

            “So, it’s been fun parental units. I’ll call you in a few days when I’m settled too.

            I spin around to head up the stairs. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Mom try to come after me, but Dad raises his palm to hold her back. Am I not even worth an argument? I guess fucking not.

            I dash into my room, get out a duffel bag, and throw in everything I think I’d need. My yellow Sports Walkman and a shit ton of batteries. A dozen different band T-shirts and four practically identical flannels, a few various chokers, an off the shoulder leotard, two straight fit jeans, and two jeans shorts that I made by cutting up old pairs, some glitter nail polish, a couple of baby doll dresses, a Jansport backpack, some joints, my fake ID where my name is Sasha Lioni and I go to USC, a bag of makeup and hair dye, a Nirvana poster that I’d tape up in my car, and finally a picture of Kristen and I, nine and ten years old at camp on a trip up to Big Sur, the sun a bright melon ball making us squint, our arms around one another, smiles filled with braces, still innocent and unexposed to any tragedies.

            On my way down, Dad meets me at the bottom of the stairs. He has his gas card in his hand.

            “Use it as much as you need,” he says, tucking it in my jeans pocket. He gives me a pat on the shoulder. I can hear my mother sniffling in the kitchen. I keep my eyes trained to the floor and duck out of there, tossing the duffel bag in the passenger’s seat and roaring off into the night.

Meet the Author: Lee Matthew Goldberg

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE ANCESTOR, THE MENTOR, THE DESIRE CARD and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. His first YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN is forthcoming in 2021 along with a sci-fi novel ORANGE CITY. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City. Follow him at LeeMatthewGoldberg.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I don't know about you, but that cover just draws me in and makes me think of the Harry Bosch series. What about you?

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Monday, April 26, 2021

Lark and the Loon (+ Giveaway)

Today it’s my pleasure to be a part of author Rhiannon Gelston’s virtual book tour for her latest release, LARK AND THE LOON.

This is an intriguing story that is a mixture of the author’s memories and transcendental fiction.

◊ Genre: Memoir with a Twist
◊ Publisher: WiDo Publishing (July 17, 2020)
◊ Print & eBooks
◊ Paperback: 284 pages
◊ ISBN-10: 1947966251
◊ ISBN-13: 978-1947966253

Lark and the Loon follows the adventures of a tentative boy named Lark, as he is catapulted out of all that he knows, into a courageous journey beyond his wildest imagination. 

Upon receiving a special gift from his Gramps, Lark embarks on a reflective journey of self-discovery as the innovative story weaves the true-life memoir of his mother (the author) in with a fantastical journey. With some special new-found friends, Lark travels back and forth from a symbolic tree to his mother’s true memories of life and death moments, and simple moments, found everywhere from wild Africa to their very own living room. Lark and his friends must ascend this tree and gain the important life lessons offered along the way if they ever hope to find their way out. Within this journey, Lark finds these lessons, and ultimately himself, in the space between imagination and truth in this wild tale.  

The story explores friendships, philosophies, and everyday challenges and joys, both from a child's perspective and from a parent's perspective. This memoir with a twist results in a coming-of-age story that ultimately leads to a new understanding of self, others, and the world that surrounds us.

LARK AND THE LOON is available at AMAZONBarnes & Noble * WiDo Publishing. Also, be sure to add it to your TBR List on Goodreads.


Here’s an excerpt from the book for your reading pleasure.

 

Gramps

“Life is a verb.”

—Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Gramps was very thin and very tall. He used to be taller, but he stood a little bit hunched over these days. He had white hair that stood straight up out of his head as if he had his finger in an electric socket at all times. He had a long mustache too, but this was always perfectly groomed, not a hair out of place.

Sometimes he would put some wax in it and turn the hairs up at the ends so the curls matched the permanent, mischievous smirk on his face. Sometimes he let Lark’s little sisters braid it or put glitter in it, and he’d unapologetically wear it like that all day. He had been known to dye it green on St. Patrick’s Day or pink for Valentine’s Day. Gramps always had some sort of sweets hidden in his pocket; he always had a kind word or bit of good advice for those who needed it; and he always had a twinkle in his eye.


People often said Lark looked like Gramps, but Lark couldn’t quite see it. Lark was anything but tall; in fact, he was one of the smallest kids in his class.

He did have unruly hair like Gramps. No matter what he did, it stood up in every direction, and it was white—but a blonde white.

He was a towhead, even more so in the summer months. Perhaps they did have the same eyes if he looked really hard at Gramps’ eyes.

Sometimes it was hard to find the eyes behind the memories.

Gramps had lines of memories all over that smiling face. He had lines like the waves rolling in, notable especially next to his eyes, where the remnants of endless smiles lingered. These wrinkles served an important purpose as permanent reminders of both good and hard times lived. There was the depth of a blue ocean next to those lines, overflowing with memories from somewhere so very far away and yet so close and near.

Yes, that was the comment Lark heard the most: that he had the same smiling, blue eyes with that same twinkle.

Meet the Author: Rhiannon Gelston

 

RHIANNON GELSTON
loves to lose herself in all things creative. She enjoys writing, painting, live music, traveling, sports, being outdoors, exploring, playing, spirituality, and energy work. She has a BA in English and an MS in Occupational Therapy with a pediatric focus. Rhiannon just had her first novel published. It is a memoir with a twist called, LARK AND THE LOON, available wherever books are sold. 

Rhiannon grew up on Spa Creek in downtown Annapolis. Home for Rhiannon will always be the sound of the halyards hitting the masts on a breezy day, a pile of crabs saturated in Old Bay, raft-ups with friends as kids cannonball off of the stern, and time with family and friends, in, on, and around the Chesapeake Bay.

She lives in Annapolis with her husband, their five lovely and lively children, and their black lab, McNasby.

Connect with Rhiannon on Facebook and Instagram.

Be sure to enter the tour wide giveaway. It ends May 3. The grand prize is a $25 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook of LARK AND THE LOON. The second-place winner has to be a US resident as the gift is a signed copy of LARK THE LOON. The third-place prize is an eBook that two winners will receive. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t work, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today. Doesn’t this sound like a fascinating memoir, especially with the twist?


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