Pages

Saturday, March 31, 2018

This Fallen Prey by Kelley Armstrong

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Minatour Books
Date of publication: February 2018

When Casey Duncan first arrived at Rockton, the off-the-grid, isolated community built as a haven for people running from their pasts, she had no idea what to expect. There are no cell phones, no internet, no mail, and no way of getting in or out without the town council's approval. She certainly didn't expect to become the town homicide detective. But, the very last thing she expected was for the council to drop a dangerous criminal into their midst without a plan to keep him imprisoned. And she never thought that she'd have to be responsible for him. 

The longer Oliver Brady stays in town, the more people seem to die around him. When evidence begins piling up that someone inside Rockton is working as his accomplice, Casey races to figure out who exactly Brady is and what crimes he's truly responsible for committing.


This Fallen Prey is the third book in the Rockton series. By far it is the most exciting and fast paced of the three in the series.  This time around, spring is coming and with it the council has sent a alleged serial killer to the settlement. The residents of Rockton are completely  unprepared for a killer like him, the situations becomes extremely chaotic after he has been there for a few days.  I will caution, I wouldn't say this does well as a stand alone.  I highly recommend you read the first two books, City of the Lost and A Darkness Absolute, before reading this one.  There is a lot of back story that you need for this book.

It's really hard to talk about this plot without giving away spoilers.  There are a few twists, one I totally didn't see coming.  I'm not sure there was ever break in the book as it starts with an airplane landing and doesn't stop until the end.  I loved every minute of the storyline.  I still love Casey and Eric together.  Their relationship gets a lot deeper as the series progresses.  The book ends on a cliffhanger of sorts.  That was frustrating and I can't wait for the next book! This is a great series and one I highly recommend!



Friday, March 30, 2018

Blog Tour: Recovered by Jay Crownover




From New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jay Crownover comes a standalone romance with a hero sure to keep readers up long into the night. Check out the review below and pick up your copy of RECOVERED for just $.99 through release week only!

Author: Jay Crownover
Date of publication: March 2018

It was hate at first sight......
 
Affton
I hated Cable James McCaffrey.

He was entitled, spoiled, a user…and an addict.

He was out of control and didn’t bother trying to hide it.

He had everything anyone could want but still seemed miserable and lost.
Every move he made, every mistake he stumbled his way through, rubbed me the wrong way. However, I couldn’t stop myself from trying to save him from himself when no one else would. In the sweltering heat of the summer, Cable taught me that having it all means nothing if you can’t have the one thing you want more than anything else.

Cable
I was obsessed with Affton Reed.
She was rigid, uptight, and no fun. There was something about her innate goodness that called to me.
She acted like she was above all the normal faults and failures that clung to the rest of us like the scent of smoke after a fire. 
I was infatuated with her, but that didn’t stop me from acting like she didn’t exist.
In the scorching heat of summer, Affton taught me that there is always a way back from the brink of despair. She showed me that the trick to having it all was realizing that it was already there, in my hands. All I had to do was hold onto it.

The road to recovery is full of twists and turns no matter who is in the driver’s seat.

Recovered is the latest book from one of my favorite writers. In this one, Cable and Affton have hated each other since high school.  Affton has good reason, she lost her mother to addiction.. When she is blackmailed into being Cable's sober buddy for the summer before she starts college, she is not prepared to eventually fall in love. 

One thing I have always said about Jay Crownover is that she has a knack for writing emotional and gut wrenching stories.  Recovered is one such story.  I will admit, this is one  I didn't completely love.  It's her amazing writing that kept me reading, but the story-line was hard to get through. BUt, that is all on me. I'm not saying it's a bad story, it's just not one that I loved reading.    Affton is an amazing character who did so much right.  I was rooting for her even though I wasn't always rooting to Cable.  I definitely recommend giving it a try.


RECOVERED is just $.99 through release week! Order your copy of RECOVERED today!

Amazon PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/2GdsOje
Amazon HARDBACK: http://bit.ly/RecoveredHB


Enjoy this excerpt:

AFFTON

He looked like a surfer with his shaggy, dirty blond hair and the careless scruff that darkened his chin and cheeks. He had on a light gray t-shirt featuring the logo of his parents’ brewery and a pair of jeans that were in far better shape than the ones he’d dipped in the Gulf last night. He was wearing faded black Converse that were almost identical to mine. Looking at him, it was impossible to tell he was the privileged son of a couple of millionaires. He didn’t look like an ex-con or recovering addict. At least he didn’t until you got to his eyes.
Those dark orbs were perfect for hiding secrets, but if you looked hard enough, you could see the storm raging inside of Cable McCaffrey. There were shadows in those dark eyes, and they were at war with him.
They were winning.
I stiffened as his hand landed on the small of my back where my shirt was tied so it fit instead of handing down around my thighs. It was one of my favorites. I stole it from my dad and refused to give it back even though it was three sizes too big. The bare skin where his palm landed tingled, and I quickly took a step forward to break the contact.
“Yeah, I can surf. We’ve had this house since I was little. I learned how so I didn’t have to be stuck inside while my parents did their best to eat each other alive. I never particularly looked forward to summer vacation, but I always loved being on the water.” He took the car from me and immediately put his feet on the bar and rode it like a scooter as we started through the store. “I was into the girls in bikinis who liked surfers even more.”
I bristled and was going to snap at him that he was into anyone who had a willing vagina when I realized by the smirk on his face and quirk in his gold-tinted eyebrows that he was baiting me. He knew it ruffled my feathers when he brought up sex and his vast experience with the opposite sex. He was purposely rattling my cage just to get a reaction.



a Rafflecopter giveaway



About the author:

Jay Crownover is the international and multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men Series, The Saints of Denver Series, the Point Series, the Breaking Point Series, and the Getaway Series. Her books can be found translated in many different languages all around the world. She is a tattooed, crazy haired Colorado native who lives at the base of the Rockies with her awesome dogs. This is where she can frequently be found enjoying a cold beer and Taco Tuesdays. Jay is a self-declared music snob and outspoken book lover who is always looking for her next adventure, between the pages and on the road.
Jay Crownover’s RECOVERED Review Blitz:

March 26th
Elenasbookblog

March 27th
RELEASE DAY!

March 28th

March 29th

March 30th


Thursday, March 29, 2018

Blog Tour: Spotlight of The Longest Silence by Debra Webb


Author: Debra Webb
Publisher: MIRA 
Date of publication: March 6, 2018

A killer stole her voice. Now she’s ready to take it back. Don’t miss the chilling Shades of Death series from USA TODAY bestselling author Debra Webb.

Joanna Guthrie was free. She had been for eighteen years–or so she needed everyone to believe. What really happened during the longest fourteen days of her life, when she and two other women were held captive by the worst kind of serial killer, wasn’t something she could talk about. Not after what they had to do to survive.

But when more women go missing in an eerily similar manner, Jo knows her prolonged silence will only seal their fates. She’s finally ready to talk; she just needs someone to listen. FBI special agent Tony LeDoux can’t deny he finds Jo compelling–he’s just not sure he believes her story. But with the clock ticking, Jo will do anything to convince him, even if it means unearthing long-buried secrets that will land them squarely in the crosshairs of the killer…

“This psychological thriller is rife with tension that begins on page one and doesn’t let up. It’s a race against the clock that had me whispering to the pair of flawed, desperate protagonists, ‘Hurry,hurry.’ A gripping read.”  —New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown

“The twists and turns in this dark, taut drama make it both creepy and compelling.” —New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry


Purchase Links


About Debra Webb


DEBRA WEBB is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 130 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on a farm in Alabama.

Connect with Debra

EXCERPT TOUR:
Tuesday, February 13th: What is That Book About
Wednesday, February 14th: The Book Diva’s Reads
Thursday, February 15th: Books & Spoons
Friday, February 16th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Monday, February 19th: Palmer’s Page Turners
Tuesday, February 20th: Broken Teepee
Wednesday, February 21st: Helen’s Book Blog
Thursday, February 22nd: The Lit Bitch
Friday, February 23rd: Lit Wit Wine Dine
Saturday, February 24th: Clues and Reviews
Tuesday, February 27th: Why Girls Are Weird
Wednesday, February 28th: Kritter’s Ramblings
Thursday, March 1st: Books a la Mode
Friday, March 2nd: Read Love Blog

REVIEW TOUR:
Monday, March 5th: The Sassy Bookster
Monday, March 5th: Books & Spoons
Wednesday, March 7th: Moonlight Rendezvous
Thursday, March 8th: Tales of a Book Addict
Saturday, March 10th: Books & Bindings
Tuesday, March 13th: @athousandbookstoread
Wednesday, March 14th: The Book Diva’s Reads
Thursday, March 15th: Katy’s Library and @katyslibrary
Friday, March 16th: Not in Jersey
Monday, March 19th: Helen’s Book Blog
Tuesday, March 20th: Mama Reads Blog
Wednesday, March 21st: Ms. Nose in a Book
Thursday, March 22nd: Bewitched Bookworms
Thursday, March 22nd: A Bookish Way of Life
Friday, March 23rd: Kritter’s Ramblings
Monday, March 26th: Novel Gossip and @novelgossip
Tuesday, March 27th: Mystery Suspense Reviews
Tuesday, March 27th: A Chick Who Reads
Wednesday, March 28th: Why Girls Are Weird
Thursday, March 29th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, March 29th: Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Friday, March 30th: Staircase Wit


Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Blog Tour: The Heart Between Us by Lindsay Harrel

Author: Lindsay Harrel 
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Date of publication: March 2018

Megan Jacobs always wished for a different heart. Her entire childhood was spent in and out of hospitals, sitting on the sidelines while her twin sister Crystal played all the sports, got all the guys, and had all the fun. But even a heart transplant three years ago wasn’t enough to propel Megan’s life forward. She’s still working as a library aide and living with her parents in her small Minnesota hometown, dreaming of the adventure she plans to take “once she’s well enough.” Meanwhile, her sister is a successful architect with a handsome husband and the perfect life—or so Megan thinks.
When her heart donor’s parents give Megan their teenage daughter’s journal—complete with an unfulfilled bucket list—Megan connects with the girl she meets between the pages and is inspired to venture out and check off each item. Caleb—a friend from her years in and out of the hospital—reenters her life and pushes her to find the courage to take the leap and begin her journey. She’s thrown for a loop when Crystal offers to join her for reasons of her own, but she welcomes the company and the opportunity to mend their tenuous relationship.
As Megan and Crystal check items off the bucket list, Megan fights the fears that have been instilled in her after a lifetime of illness. She must choose between safety and adventure and learn to embrace the heart she’s been given so that she can finally share it with the people she loves most

Sometimes you read a book and know that it will stick around in your head for a long time.  The Heart Between Us is one of those book.  It involves Megan, a heart transplant recipient, who decides to finish out her heart donor's bucket list.  Her sister Crystal decides to accompany her on the journey.

I really enjoyed this book.  One of the biggest themes of the book is fear and how it tends to keep us  from living our life with joy. The trip that the women take not only allows them to heal their relationship, but it teaches them to both be brave. That isn't the only theme found among the pages.  Fear of loss of control and finding out what you thought you wanted in life doesn't always end up making you happy are a couple of the other ones.  There is a lot packed into this book.  The story is well written and made me want to keep reading. I was rooting for them both to find their brave self.  The ending was super sweet.  I won't spoil it for you, but I urge you to read the book.  



Purchase Links

About Lindsay Harrel

Lindsay Harrel is a lifelong book nerd who lives in Arizona with her young family and two golden retrievers in serious need of training. She’s held a variety of writing and editing jobs over the years, and now juggles stay-at-home mommyhood with writing novels. When she’s not writing or chasing after her children, Lindsay enjoys making a fool of herself at Zumba, curling up with anything by Jane Austen, and savoring sour candy one piece at a time. Connect with her at www.LindsayHarrel.com.
.
Connect with Lindsay

Lindsay Harrel’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, March 12th @beccasbookishlife
Tuesday, March 13th: Girls in Books and @girlsinbooks
Wednesday, March 14th: The Library of Mrs. Gardner and @mrs.literarylovely
Thursday, March 15th: @athousandbookstoread
Monday, March 19th: The Literary Llama and @theliteraryllama
Tuesday, March 20th: @willbakeforbooks
Thursday, March 22nd: @acozyreader
Friday, March 23rd: View from the Birdhouse
Monday, March 26th: Bewitched Bookworms
Tuesday, March 27th: @bookishconnoisseur
Wednesday, March 28th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, March 29th: Fiction Aficionado
Monday, April 2nd: @createexploreread
Wednesday, April 4th: The Sketchy Reader
Thursday, April 5th: Empowermoms
Friday, April 6th: @bookmusings
Monday, April 9th: Laura’s Reviews
Wednesday, April 11th: Reviews from the Heart
Friday, April 13th: What is That Book About


Tuesday, March 27, 2018

March Mini Musings


Bad Girls Don't Die: This was a so-so, fairly quick YA supernatural read.  I listened to the audiobook. The only reason I picked it up was I kept seeing it on the shelf at my kid's middle school book fair.  Honestly, it was kind of forgettable.  It's the first in a trilogy, but I seriously have no desire read the other two.  


Murder Beyond the Grave:  I have always likes real crime books.  In this volume, there were two murder stories.  Each one was interesting and sad at the same time.  I'm not sure I loved the dramatization of the stories, but it was a quick read and kept me engaged.  There are a few other volumes in the this series, so I'll be checking them out soon.

Haunted Nights:  This anthology has 16 never before published short stories.  For me, this was a mixed bag of creepy and boring stories.  It's definitely not one to read all the way through in one sitting.  The stories tended to blend together after a while.  The one that I thought was the creepiest was "Dirtmouth" by Stephen Graham Jones.  There is something in here for everyone.

Monday, March 26, 2018

Blog Tour: A Dangerous Game by Heather Graham



Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: MIRA 
Date of publication: March 13, 2018

TROUBLE ALWAYS FINDS HER…
Wrapping up a normal day at the office, criminal psychologist Kieran Finnegan is accosted by a desperate woman who shoves an infant into her arms and then flees, only to be murdered minutes later on a busy Manhattan street.

Who was the woman? Where did the baby come from? Kieran can’t stop thinking about the child and the victim, so her boyfriend, Craig Frasier, does what any good special agent boyfriend would do—he gets the FBI involved. And asks Kieran to keep out of it.

But the Finnegans have a knack for getting into trouble, and Kieran won’t sit idle when a lead surfaces through her family’s pub. Investigating on her own, she uncovers a dangerous group that plays fast and loose with human lives and will stop at nothing to keep their secrets—and they plan to silence Kieran before she can expose their deadly enterprise.

Purchase Links
.
A Dangerous Game is the third book in the "New York Confidential" series.  In this one, Kieran is approached by a strange woman who hands her a baby and vanishes.  Minutes later, Kiernan finds the woman dying of a stab wound.  The case gets her and her FBI agent boyfriend, Craig, involved in an illegal human trafficking case.

This series seems to be a hot or miss for me.  The first book, Flawless, was just OK. While, the second book, A Perfect Obsession, was really good and had me hooked from the start. I wanted to love this one too, however, this one just didn't hook me in and I found myself pushing to finish it.  Other than the identity of the mother, I wasn't really interested in the mystery. It just kind of dragged.

I did love Craig and Keiran together.  They make a great couple and it was fun to see their relationship get stronger.  But, to be honest, Kieran was kind of annoying in the book and that was a first.  I couldn't understand why she kept making dumb decisions.  Craig was working the case, but she kept having to stick her nose in and put herself in danger.  I think fans of the series will like this one.  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as exciting as I would have liked.


About Heather Graham


New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham has written more than a hundred novels. She’s a winner of the RWA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Thriller Writers’ Silver Bullet. She is an active member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America. For more information on Heather and her work, check out her websites:

TheOriginalHeatherGraham.comeHeatherGraham.com, and HeatherGraham.tv. You can also find Heather on FacebookTwitter, and YouTube.

EXCERPT TOUR:
Monday, February 19th: Stuck in Books
Tuesday, February 20th: Books & Spoons
Wednesday, February 21st: Read Love Blog
Thursday, February 22nd: Jathan & Heather
Monday, February 26th: Moonlight Rendezvous
Tuesday, February 27th: The Sassy Bookster
Wednesday, February 28th: Stranded in Chaos
Thursday, March 1st: Book Reviews and More by Kathy
Friday, March 2nd: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Monday, March 5th: What is That Book About
Tuesday, March 6th: A Holland Reads
Wednesday, March 7th: Books a la Mode
Thursday, March 8th: From the TBR Pile
Friday, March 9th: Nightbird Novels

REVIEW TOUR:
Monday, March 12th: Moonlight Rendezvous
Monday, March 12th: Reading Reality
Tuesday, March 13th: Books & Bindings
Wednesday, March 14th: Romancing the Readers
Friday, March 16th: Clues & Reviews and @cluesandreviews
Friday, March 16th: A Fortress of Books
Monday, March 19th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Monday, March 19th: Evermore Books
Tuesday, March 20th: Thoughts of a Blond
Wednesday, March 21st: Books & Spoons
Thursday, March 22nd: Write Read Life
Friday, March 23rd: The Romance Dish
Friday, March 23rd: Jathan & Heather
Monday, March 26th: From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, March 27th: Stranded in Chaos
Wednesday, March 28th: A Holland Reads
Thursday, March 29th: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Friday, March 30th: Bibliotica
Monday, April 2nd: Sultry Sirens Book Blog
Tuesday, April 3rd: Book Nerd
Wednesday, April 4th: OMG Reads – Spotlight
Thursday, April 5th: Mystery Suspense Reviews


Sunday, March 25, 2018

The Woman Left Behind by Linda Howard

Author: Linda Howard
Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication:  March 2018

Jina Modell works in Communications for a paramilitary organization, and she really likes it. She likes the money, she likes the coolness factor—and it was very cool, even for Washington, DC. She liked being able to kick terrorist butts without ever leaving the climate-controlled comfort of the control room.

But when Jina displays a really high aptitude for spatial awareness and action, she’s reassigned to work as an on-site drone operator in the field with one of the GO-teams, an elite paramilitary unit. The only problem is she isn’t particularly athletic, to put it mildly, and in order to be fit for the field, she has to learn how to run and swim for miles, jump out of a plane, shoot a gun...or else be out of a job.

Team leader Levi, call sign Ace, doesn’t have much confidence in Jina—who he dubbed Babe as soon as he heard her raspy, sexy voice—making it through the rigors of training. The last thing he needs is some tech geek holding them back from completing a dangerous, covert operation. In the following months, however, no one is more surprised than he when Babe, who hates to sweat, begins to thrive in her new environment, displaying a grit and courage that wins her the admiration of her hardened, battle-worn teammates. What’s even more surprising is that the usually very disciplined GO-team leader can’t stop thinking about kissing her smart, stubborn mouth…or the building chemistry and tension between them.


I have been at a loss to figure out what to say about this latest from one of my favorite authors.  I really loved the first book, Troublemaker, but this one, The Woman Left  Behind, just didn't measure up.  While I did enjoy the overall story, I just didn't love it.  It is a sequel to Troublemaker, but you could read this without reading the first one  The story involves Jina, a communications employee in a paramilitary company.  She is selected to become part of a "Go Team" .  She is assigned to Levi's (Ace) team and they must train her to get up to team standard.

I think I would have liked this book more had the first 3/4 of the book not been all about her training.  Because that got kind of boring after a while.  I mean, I did like reading about her becoming part of the team and what she had to do to get there, but it went on too long.  The bigger disappointing part was the "left behind" aspect that doesn't take place until the last 1/4 of the book.  It was kind of anti-climactic to be honest.   Jina spends way too much time toward the end being upset that she got left behind.  But honestly, she really didn't have any reason to feel that way.  Given the circumstances, her reaction and resentment was way over blown.  

The romance aspect was really non-existent.  Levi and Jina have feelings for each other throughout the book, but spend most of the time trying to avoid each other because Levi is Jina's team leader.  I did like their HEA because they had known each other for over a yerar at that point, but it could have almost been left out of the book and it would have been fine.  

There is a side story with a congress woman who has it out for the whole GO-Team project, but I'm still unclear on her motives.  This may go back to something from the first book, but I honestly don't remember.  So, while the book was entertaining, I'm not sure I would urge everyone to go out and get it. She has written better romantic suspense.