Friday, January 31, 2020

book Review: Calculated in Death by JD Robb

Calculated in Death (In Death, #36)\
On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn't seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait. . . .


                             MY REVIEW:

Calculated in Death (In Death, #36)Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another great book for the series. This time a woman is found murdered in a building that is being remodeled. She doesn't seem the type to have anyone out for her. Then her files are taken from her office. LT Eve Dallas is on the case and again will not not anyone get away with murder. And of course her billionaire husband Roarke is helping her along with her partner, Peabody.


View all my reviews


Buy this on Amazon



Thursday, January 30, 2020

Blog Tour: Taken With You by Carrie Ann Ryan





We are beyond excited to be celebrating this release from Carrie Ann Ryan with you today by participating in the blog tour! TAKEN WITH YOU is part of her Fractured Connections series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights.  Check out an excerpt and book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now


Purchase your copy of TAKEN WITH YOU today!

Amazon US    |    Amazon UK   |   Amazon CA   |   Amazon AU


About TAKEN WITH YOU: 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan comes a new story in her Fractured Connections series…

It all started at a wedding. Beckham didnt mean to dance with Meadow. And he really didnt mean to kiss her. But now, shes the only thing on his mind. And when it all comes down to it, shes the only person he can't have.

He'll just have to stay away from her, no matter how hard theyre pulled together.

Running away from her friend's wedding isn't the best way to keep the gossip at bay. But falling for the mysterious and gorgeous bartender at her friendsbar will only make it worse. Beckham has his secrets, and she refuses to pry.

Once burned, twice kicked down, and never allowed to get up again. Yet taking a chance with him might be the only choice she has. And the only one she wants.

**For fans of Carrie Anns Fractured Connections series, Taken With You is book four in that series.**

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, its an introduction to an authors world. And for fans, its a bonus book in the authors series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**



                                       MY REVIEW:


Taken With You (Fractured Connections, #4)Taken With You by Carrie Ann Ryan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a short novella that I thoroughly enjoyed. Beckham ad Meadow are at a wedding and that is where this story starts. He asked her to dance and then he kissed her. She was shocked and ran away. He knows he shouldn't have asked her to dance and the kiss was a mistake but he can't get her out of his mind. These 2 have such horrible pasts that they are trying to hide and move on from. The thing is He knows who Meadow is but she doesn't know who he is. Meadow had been hurt by so many people in her past both physically and mentally that she finds it hard to trust.
I received this ARC from Inkslinger .


View all my reviews



Add TAKEN WITH YOU to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of TAKEN WITH YOU today!

Amazon US    |    Amazon UK   |   Amazon CA   |   Amazon AU


BOOK TRAILER

REVIEW QUOTES FOR CARRIE'S NOVELS: 

Carrie Ann Ryan never fails to draw readers in with passion, raw sensuality, and characters that pop off the page.  Any book by Carrie Ann is an absolute treat.” – New York Times Bestselling Author J. Kenner
"With snarky humor, sizzling love scenes, and brilliant, imaginative worldbuilding, The Dante's Circle series reads as if Carrie Ann Ryan peeked at my personal wish list!" – NYT Bestselling Author, Larissa Ione
"Carrie Ann Ryan writes sexy shifters in a world full of passionate happily-ever-afters." – New York Times Bestselling Author Vivian Arend
Carrie Ann Ryan's books are wickedly funny and deliciously hot, with plenty of twists to keep you guessing. They'll keep you up all night!” USA Today Bestselling Author Cari Quinn


...







AUTHOR INFORMATION:




New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought shed be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasnt until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.

Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isnt planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.


AUTHOR LINKS:





Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Book Review: The Game Changer by Jennifer Brown

The Game Changer: A Parkwood Mystery from Hallmark Publishing

Hollis and Daisy love
podcasting about murder cases…
But can they solve one?
Hollis Bisbee used to be a big-city crime reporter. Now, she’s a small-town journalist, and she’s bored. She and a young mom, talented baker Daisy Mueller, start the Knock ‘Em Dead podcast—”Where murder and muffins meet!” It’s all fun, games, and baking tips until murder comes to Parkwood.

Buy on Amazon

                                   MY REVIEW:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cozy mystery and I really enjoyed it.
Hollis was a city crime reporter and has come to a small town to cover boring stories. But her boss doesn't want negative news. She also is starting a podcast with her best friend.
A coach ends up murder and she wants to cover it but her boss won't let her. Seems to be the town likes to cover things up. So she talks about it in her podcast. Seems most people only want to know about what her best friend is cooking than on the crime she wants to talk about. As I kept reading I did not like the town cop and felt he was covering things up including his son. But the other cop on duty is there to also help and he gets to be friends with Hollis but it starts out because his boss wants him to follow Hollis around,
I liked getting to know the characters in this story and looks like it will be a fun series.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.


Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Blog Tour: The Third To Die by Allison Brennan

The Third to Die : A Novel 
Allison Brennan
On Sale Date: February 4, 2020
9780778309444, 0778309444
Hardcover
$26.99 USD, $33.50 CAD
Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense 
464 pages

About the Book:
New York Times bestselling author and gifted storyteller Allison Brennan's new standalone thriller features a troubled female police detective and an ambitious FBI special agent who wind up at the center of a ticking-clock investigation into a diabolical serial killer.

Brennan's novel will launch a book-a-year series featuring a fabulous cast of recurring characters. It’s the story of a troubled female police detective and an ambitious FBI special agent who wind up at the center of a ticking-clock investigation into a diabolical serial killer; and the bond they forge in this crucible sets the stage for the future books in the series.

Detective Kara Quinn is visiting her hometown of Liberty Lake, Washington, after being placed on administrative leave by the LAPD, when she comes upon the mutilated body of a young nurse during an early morning jog. The manner of death is clearly ritualistic; she calls it in. Meanwhile back in DC, special agent in charge Mattias Costa is meticulously staffing his newly-minted Mobile Response Team. One of his first recruits is the brilliant FBI forensic psychologist Catherine Jones. When word reaches Matt that the Washington state murder appears to be the work of the Triple Killer--it will be the first case for the MRT. Jones has done the only profile on this serial killer, but she is reluctant to join the unit, still shaken by the death of her sister a year ago under circumstances for which she holds herself responsible. But only she holds the key to understanding the killer's obsessive pattern--three murder victims, three deep slashes a piece, each three days apart, each series beginning on a March 3rd--3/3, then a three-year hiatus before he strikes again.

This time they have a chance to stop him before he claims another victim strikes, but only if they can figure out who he is and where is is hiding.


                                            EXCERPT:

Wednesday, March 3
Liberty Lake, Washington
12:09 a.m.

Warm blood covered him.
                His arms, up to his elbows, were slick with it. His clothing splattered with it. The knife—the blade that had taken his retribution—hung in his gloved hand by his side.
                It was good. Very good.
                He was almost done.
                The killer stared at the blackness in front of him, his mind as silent and dark as the night. The water lapped gently at the banks of the lake. A faint swish swish swish as it rolled up and back, up and back, in the lightest of breezes.
                He breathed in cold air; he exhaled steam.
Calm. Focused.
As the sounds and chill penetrated his subconscious, he moved into action. Staying here with the body would be foolish, even in the middle of the night.
He placed the knife carefully on a waist-high boulder, then removed his clothes. Jacket. Sweater. Undershirt. He stuffed them into a plastic bag. Took off his shoes. Socks. Pants. Boxers. Added them to the bag. He stood naked except for his gloves.
He tied the top of the plastic, then picked up the knife again and stabbed the bag multiple times. With strength that belied his lean frame, he threw the knife into the water. He couldn’t see where it fell; he barely heard the plunk.
Then he placed the bag in the lake and pushed it under, holding it beneath the surface to let the frigid water seep in. When the bag was saturated, he pulled it out and spun himself around as if he were throwing a shot put. He let go and the bag flew, hitting the water with a loud splash.
Even if the police found it—which he doubted they would— the water would destroy any evidence. He’d bought the clothes and shoes, even his underwear, at a discount store in another city, at another time. He’d never worn them before tonight.
Though he didn’t want DNA evidence in the system, it didn’t scare him if the police found something. He didn’t have a record. He’d killed before, many times, and not one person had spoken to him. He was smart—smarter than the cops, and certainly smarter than the victims he’d carefully selected.
Still, he must be cautious. Meticulous. Being smart meant that he couldn’t assume anything. What did his old man use to say?
Assume makes an ass out of you and me…
The killer scowled. He wasn’t doing any of this for his old man, though his father would get the retribution he deserved. He was doing this for himself. His own retribution. He was this close to finishing the elaborate plan he’d conceived years ago.
He could scarcely wait until six days from now, March 9, when his revenge would be complete.
He was saving the guiltiest of them for last.
Still, he hoped his old man would be pleased. Hadn’t he done what his father was too weak to do? Righted the many wrongs that had been done to them. How many times had the old man said these people should suffer? How many times had his father told him these people were fools?
Still, he hoped his old man would be pleased. Hadn’t he done what his father was too weak to do? Righted the many wrongs that had been done to them. How many times had the old man said these people should suffer? How many times had his father told him these people were fools?
Yet his father just let it happen and did nothing about it! Nothing! Because he was weak. He was weak and pathetic and cruel.
Breathe. Focus. All in good time.
All in good time.
The killer took another, smaller plastic bag from his backpack. He removed his wet gloves, put them inside, added a good-sized rock, tied the bag, then threw it into the lake.
Still naked, he shivered in the cold, still air. He wasn’t done.
Do it quick.
He walked into the lake, the water colder than ice. Still, he took several steps forward, his feet sinking into the rough muck at the bottom. When his knees were submersed, he did a shallow dive. His chest scraped a rock, but he was too numb to feel pain. He broke through the surface with a loud scream. He couldn’t breathe; he couldn’t think. His heart pounded in his chest, aching from the icy water.
But he was alive. He was fucking alive!
He went under once more, rubbed his hands briskly over his arms and face in case any blood remained. He would take a hot shower when he returned home, use soap and a towel to remove anything the lake left behind. But for now, this would do.
Twenty seconds in the water was almost too long. He bolted out, coughed, his body shaking so hard he could scarcely think. But he had planned everything well and operated on autopilot.
He pulled a towel from his backpack and dried off as best he could. Stepped into new sweatpants, sweatshirt, and shoes. Pulled on a new pair of gloves. There might be blood on the ATV, but it wasn’t his blood, so he wasn’t concerned.
He took a moment to stare back at the dark, still lake. Then he took one final look at the body splayed faceup. He felt nothing, because she was nothing. Unimportant. Simply a small pawn in a much bigger game. A pawn easily sacrificed.
He hoped his old man would be proud of his work, but he would probably just criticize his son’s process. He’d complain about how he did the job, then open another bottle of booze.
He hoped his father was burning in hell.
He jumped on the ATV and rode into the night.


Excerpted from The Third to Die by Allison Brennan, Copyright © 2020 by Allison Brennan. Published by MIRA Books.



MY REVIEW:

The Third to Die (Mobile Response Team, #1)The Third to Die by Allison Brennan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Detective Kara is on leave for her job. She has gone back to her hometown and is out on a jog when she comes across a body.
We also meet FBI Agent Mathias who is called to investigate this murder and it looks like it is part of a serial killer.
It seems this person kills 3 people every 3 years and they and they are 3 days apart. So now they want to figure it all out before the next 2 people are killed.
As this is going Matt;s best friend who is a profiler is also going through a tough time and we get to know her and what she has one through and why she thinks her family is better without her.
I enjoyed this book a lot and thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC.



View all my reviews


About the Author:
Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of three dozen thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, has had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids. Allison and her family live in Arizona. Visit her at allisonbrennan.com

Social Links:
Facebook: @AllisonBrennan
Twitter: @Allison_Brennan
Instagram: @abwrites

Buy Links:


Monday, January 27, 2020

Blog Tour: Whiteout by Adriana Anders





Whiteout
by Adriana Anders
Publication Date: 1/28/2020

With a storm coming and a killer on the loose, every step could be their last...

Angel Smith is finally ready to leave Antarctica for a second chance at life. But on what was meant to be her last day, the remote research station she's been calling home is attacked. Hunted and scared, she and irritatingly gorgeous glaciologist Ford Cooper barely make it out with their lives...only to realize that in a place this remote, there's nowhere left to run.

Isolated with no power, no way to contact the outside world, and a madman on their heels, Angel and Ford must fight to survive in the most inhospitable—and beautiful—place on earth. But what starts as a partnership born of necessity quickly turns into an urgent connection that burns bright and hot. They both know there's little chance of making it out alive, and yet they are determined to weather the coming storm—no matter the cost.

Adriana Anders is the award-winning author of the Blank Canvas series. Under Her Skin, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2017 and winner of two 2018 Holt Medallions, has been featured in Bustle, USA Today Happy Ever After, and Book Riot. Today, she resides with her tall French husband and two small children in France, where she writes the gritty, emotional love stories of her heart.


Purchase Links:

NEWSLETTER: AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND | APPLE | KOBO | BAM

Rafflecopter:
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7862/?


Excerpt:
They finished dinner, cleaned up, and went about getting ready for bed.
“Better take care of those feet,” he said.
A low sound of protest emerged from inside the sleeping bag, where Angel had already taken up residence. “Can it wait till the morning?”
“Frostbite’s not something to mess with. Let’s see them.” He didn’t intend to sound quite so bossy.
“I’ll do it.” Her words were slurred.
“You can barely move.” He held on to the kit, obstinate—and something else. Responsible, maybe. “I saw you limping out there. Your knee’s bugging you. Don’t deny it.”
She threw him a glare, but surprised him by complying.
He took hold of one slender foot and stripped it gently but quickly, since even in shelter, the risk of frostbite was real. It was light in his palm and mostly warm enough to alleviate his worry, though her toes were chilly. He touched each one. “Any numbness?”
She shook her head.
With great care, he peeled the bandages off, cleaned her skin, and reapplied fresh ones where needed, slipping the sock back on before starting the whole process with the other foot.
He couldn’t say exactly when it occurred to him that he held her naked foot in his hand, but once the realization popped into his head, it wouldn’t go away. Hung around like an itch he couldn’t get to.
A foot, for God’s sake. Ridiculous.
But the foot didn’t feel ridiculous right now. He gently squeezed it and expelled a harsh breath.
It felt…improper. Especially in comparison with the rest of her fully clothed body. And secret, somehow. He knew things about her now. He knew her second toe was longer than the big one, that her arches were high and elegant, her skin already roughened from two days of marching in the freezing desert air. He knew she’d put on a bright red nail polish at some point. It’d worn mostly off, but it made her toes look like candy. And he’d never craved sugar so badly.
The best course of action, now that she was all bandaged up, was to give her back her foot.
But he couldn’t.
Instead, he ran his thumb along the central curve, pressed forward beneath her toes, then down to her heel. The sounds she made were—he swallowed—obscene. A shocked gasp that urged him to look her way. He didn’t, though, because if their eyes met, he might have to stop.
And that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Another rub, deeper this time, bearing down on aching muscles. But it didn’t sound like pain when she moaned, low and guttural, and though he knew better, he let his eyes slide up her body to her face.
He froze. He’d never seen anything hotter—not on-screen or in the throes of sex or in his darkest fantasy.
Mouth open, eyes closed, cheeks flushed, everything about her screamed pleasure. Just to be sure, he stroked back and pressed again, wanting—no, needing—to know which notes this spot would play on her ever-changing face.
And she didn’t disappoint. Every feature cringed, slowly, sensually, in a magnified expression of pleasure-pain. Sweeping up to caress her toes now was sheer torture, because he was hard—shocking in this cold—and her reactions, though subtle, were more intimately real than any peepshow.
He could’ve gone on forever, rubbing, rapt, eyes glued to her face as she showed him just how good he made her feel, picturing how amazing she’d look if he were kissing her, or—
Her eyes popped open, ensnaring his in their velvet trap.
Everything went quiet, stilling as if the storm had taken a breath. Or maybe it was him going a little deaf, like when his ears needed popping in a plane. Except he could hear the things happening in this tent. Could feel and smell with overwhelming precision every fine detail blown up under a microscope.
They shared a couple hard inhale-exhales, the tension between them as palpable as the frigid temperature.
The press of his fingers lessened, his caresses slowed, until he did nothing but grasp her foot while she just as steadily held his gaze.
“That feels amazing,” she said in a bedroom whisper that he could feel deep in his bones, though it couldn’t possibly be loud enough to hear.
Her mouth closed and his attention flicked down, watching her swallow with something awfully close to hunger before sliding back up to find her eyes boring into him.


***

Excerpted from Whiteout by Adriana Anders. © 2020 by Andriana Anders. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.





                                       MY REVIEW:

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is an adventure. Angel is ready to leave Antarctica and have a second chance at life but on the day she was to leave the research station is attacked. As she watched people die she vowed to keep herself alive by hiding and protecting herself. Ford is there and together they know why they were attacked but also there isn't enough food or anything for them to stay alive. SO out in the brutal cold they have sleds and pack them up with the food they have and tents to get to the a town that is going to take about a month to get to. They also know someone is out foe the items that were not retrieved and they are now in possession of. Along the way they run into hurdles to slow them down.
I could not put this book down as I wanted to see if they would make it to their destination in 1 piece.
I received this from Casablanca for review.




Friday, January 24, 2020

Blog Tour: Don't Read The Comments by Eric Smith



Don't Read the Comments  
Eric Smith
On Sale Date: January 28, 2020
9781335016027, 1335016023
Hardcover
$18.99 USD, $23.99 CAD
Ages 13 And Up
368 pages

Summary:
Slay meets Eliza and Her Monsters in Eric Smith’s Don't Read the Comments, an #ownvoices story in which two teen gamers find their virtual worlds—and blossoming romance—invaded by the real-world issues of trolling and doxing in the gaming community.
Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.

Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.

At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…


And she isn’t going down without a fight.

MY REVIEW:


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Divya is the Master of the game Reclaim The Sun. It is the hottest online game of the year. She has sponsorships and makes money playing the game and has many followers.
Aaron loves play games and actually writes games for a local developer. Then he ends up on the same remote planet as Divya and they become friends. But the jealousy is out there and a group has taken Divya down and actually ruining her life.
I did not know that such nastiness goes on in the gaming world and after talking to others was told that yes it is a nasty in the community. But I also liked how the fans of Divya have her back.
The online trolls have even gone after Divya and her family and friends in real life at the point where the police have to get involved. I enjoyed reading about the game and how they play it and all the cool aspects of the game.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the ARC.



Author Bio:
Eric Smith is an author, prolific book blogger, and literary agent from New Jersey, currently living in Philadelphia. Smith cohosts Book Riot’s newest podcast, HEY YA, with non-fiction YA author Kelly Jensen. He can regularly be found writing for Book Riot’s blog, as well as Barnes & Noble’s Teen Reads blog, Paste Magazine, and Publishing Crawl. Smith also has a growing Twitter platform of over 40,000 followers (@ericsmithrocks).

Buy Links:

Social Links: 
Twitter: @ericsmithrocks 
Instagram: @ericsmithrocks

Facebook: @ericsmithwrites







Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Release Day Blitz: Toxic Vengeance by Kaylea Cross


Today we are celebrating the release of a new, romantic suspense title from Kaylea Cross. TOXIC VENGEANCE just went live, and you will not want to miss this series! Be sure to add the book to your TBR pile now and follow Kaylea for exclusive updates about the book and the Vengeance series.

Toxic Vengeance by Kaylea Cross

Available Now

Amazon   |   Apple  |  Kobo  |  Nook 

Book Blurb:

A past poisoned by lies.
Toxins expert Eden Foster was trained never to get close to anyone. She’s only broken that rule twice, and each time it ended in heartbreak. Her mentor was murdered in front of her, and now the man she was forced to deceive and leave behind has suddenly become a threat. She wants justice, but the only way she’ll get it is by joining forces with the only man to pose a threat to her guarded heart—the CIA contractor tasked with capturing and turning her in.
Risking a second chance could cost them everything.
Zack Maguire has spent his entire adult life serving his country, but this time, he’s torn between duty and his heart. Eden might not be the woman he thought she was, but he refuses to accept that everything between them was a lie. If she’s being hunted, he’s all in. He won’t sit back and do nothing when her life is on the line. As the danger mounts, he’ll do anything to protect her. And when their enemies close in, the only way they’ll live long enough to have a second chance is to let go of the past and learn to trust each other.

Add the book to Goodreads

 

OTHER BOOKS IN THE VENGEANCE SERIES

Stealing Vengeance 

Amazon  |  Apple   |  Kobo  |  Nook



Covert Vengeance 

Amazon  |  Apple   |  Kobo  |  Nook

Explosive Vengeance 

Amazon   |   Apple  |  Kobo  |  Nook 

 


Beautiful Vengeance - coming March 31

Amazon   |   Apple  |  Kobo  |  Nook 

-------------------------

AUTHOR INFORMATION:



New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kaylea Cross writes edge-of-your-seat military romantic suspense. Her work has won many awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence. A Registered Massage Therapist by trade, Kaylea is also an avid gardener, artist, Civil War buff, Special Ops aficionado, belly dance enthusiast and former nationally-carded softball pitcher. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and family.

FIND KAYLEA CROSS: