Monday, August 26, 2024

Blog Tour: King of Flames by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

 




Publication date August 26, 2024
buy on Amazon




KING OF FLAMES


Bound to a dark king…
Everyone in the world of Under has magic. Everyone belongs to one of the six ruling houses.

Everyone except me.
When all of Under gathers for the ancient Ceremony of the Fall and my weakness is revealed, hungry eyes turn my way. For some I’m unique, a mystery to be solved. For others I’m prey.

From now on, every day will be a fight to survive.
Most dangerous of all, I’ve drawn the attention of Aon, the mysterious king who rules the House of Shadows. Dark and seductive, he appears in my dreams, igniting a desire I can’t control.

They say Aon is a monster, a killer, and worse… So why do I find myself drawn to him? His face is hidden behind a mask, but his voice and his touch enchant me.

When the magic of Under begins to change, the six houses are thrown into a struggle for power and I begin a deadly game of cat and mouse with Aon’s rivals. Because if they discover our bond, they will stop at nothing to destroy me.\

MY REVIEW:


King of Flames (The Masks of Under #1)King of Flames by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First book of new series.
2 people from Earth are taken and go into another world. While there you are thrown into like a pool and it decides what kind of creature you are going to be. Then you are sent to a like kingdom, which there are several. You have marks on your body or you wear masks depending on your rank within that kingdom..
I had originally planned on a 3 star review but the more I got thinking about it I ended up giving it a 4 star.
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ebook to review.
#KingofFlames #NetGalley

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As an USA Today Bestselling Author and award-winning designer, Kat has always been a storyteller. She delights in spinning stories of the sweetest nightmares to delight her readers with her unique twist of fantasy, horror, and romance. With ten years in script-writing for performances on both the stage and for tourism, she has always been writing in one form or another.

Also on her list of skills are artistic direction, scenic painting and props, special effects, and electronics. A graduate of Boston University with a BFA in Theatre Design, she has a passion for unique, creative, and unconventional experiences. In her spare time, she builds animatronics and takes trapeze classes.

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Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Book Review: Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

 


publication August 20, 2024
buy from Amazon

The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.


MY REVIEW:

Love and Other ConspiraciesLove and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun read. The banter between Hallie and Hayden was so much fun and had me laughing out loud. Hallie is trying to win the next online show and is competing against her ex, who treats her horribly. She has no self esteem because of him.
Hayden is trying to make her believe in the cryptids and ghosts, aliens and anything else that she does not believe in.
The feelings start when they are kind of forced to work more closely together and they made a great team.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the arc to review.
#LoveandOtherConspiracies #NetGalley.

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Mallory Marlowe


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Mallory Marlowe is a professional writer and creator based out of Los Angeles, CA. Seriously right-brained since childhood, her love of telling stories began with highly elaborate plots for her Barbie dolls and taking elementary school writing projects a touch too seriously. She went on to study Writing for Film and TV at Emerson College and moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

She has experience in writing fiction, scripts for film and television, and interactive media. Mallory’s truest love is writing romance novels, from contemporary to paranormal, and has a real weak spot for “enemies to lovers” and “there’s only one bed”. When she isn’t writing, she loves reading (most likely some kind of kissing book) and playing video games… but realistically, she’s probably brainstorming whatever meet-cute she’s planning to write next.

Book Review: This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

 


publication
August 20, 2024 by William Morrow
buy on Amazon

Everyone here is a liar, but only one of us is a killer…

A secluded cabin retreat

For GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, McAlpine Lodge seems like the ideal getaway to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-the-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night.

A murderer in their midst

Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying….Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.

Who killed Mercy McAlpine?

It soon becomes clear that normal rules don’t apply at McAlpine Lodge, and Will and Sara are going to have to watch their step at every turn. Trapped on the resort, they must untangle a decades-old web of secrets to discover what happened to Mercy. And with the killer poised to strike again, the trip of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…

MY REVIEW:


This is Why We Lied (Will Trent, #12)This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The 12th book of the series. I had only read one other book in the series but you didn't need to read the rest if you are just looking for the mystery. But if you want to know the characters then you should start from the beginning.
Will is on his honeymoon with Sara. He is an investigator and she is a medical examiner. They are both also married to their jobs.
Will made this honeymoon happen and got this secluded cabin retreat where you have to hike to get there. Luggage and other deliveries are taken there by a small back road.
Mercy has been running the resort for quite awhile. Her father is in a wheelchair, and makes her fell like shit along with her mother.. Mery's brother and ex husband also work there. She is raising her son there and wants to be able to run it with h. Someone wants to buy the place but Mercy doesn't want to sell. There is a big blowup and nasty things are said to her. Then that night she is killed.
There are several other couples renting the cabins and it seems like everyone is lying who they are and what they do.
I loved getting to know all the characters and what they are thinking. Trying to figure out who would want to hurt Mercy the lost was on my mind and I was wrong.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the book to review.
#ThisIsWhyWeLied #NetGalley

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Karin Slaughter


Bornin The United States
January 06

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Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.





Blog Tour: The Haunted Child by Dawn Merriman

 



Expected publication August 16, 2024

Buy on Amazon


A young mother is being framed for a crime she didn’t commit. And only I can free her.

I’m Rylan Flynn. I hunt for ghosts and restless spirits, and solve the mysteries that make them haunt the living.

The police found Andrea Evans with a bloody knife in her hands and her boyfriend dead at her feet. But she swears she’s innocent. And I can tell from the desperation in her eyes that she’s telling the truth.

I first met Andrea at Camp Lakewood when we were just kids. That summer was meant to be one to remember, with hikes in the forest and canoeing on the lake. Instead, it’s one I try to forget.

Because Camp Lakewood is the place I saw a ghost for the very first time—the ghost of a murdered girl.

My long-time crush Ford Pierce was also at camp that year. Today, he is the detective who arrested Andrea. Ford is certain she’s guilty and he warns me off. But if he’s wrong the real killer is still walking free.

As I begin to investigate, everything seems to lead me back to camp. How is Andrea’s case linked to the summer we shared, and to that other killing decades ago?

To free Andrea and reunite her with her child, I must return to Camp Lakewood. Even if that means coming face to face with the darkest and deadliest secrets of my past…

With jaw-dropping twists, mesmerizing suspense, and a touch of romance, the Rylan Flynn series is your new paranormal mystery obsession. Fans of Noelle W. Ihli, Heather Graham and Wendy Wang will be hooked from start to finish.

MY REVIEW:

The Haunted Child: A completely unputdownable paranormal mystery thriller (A Rylan Flynn Mystery Book 4)The Haunted Child: A completely unputdownable paranormal mystery thriller by Dawn Merriman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

the 4th book in this series and still keeping my interest.
Andrea Evans is found at her dead boyfriend's body with the knife in her hand. She swears she is innocent and asks Rylan to help her.
Rylan can see and talk to spirits and help them cross over and she has been known to help the local police. Rylan also has a crush on the cop, Ford Pierce.
This series reminds me of the TV show the Ghost Whisperer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC to review.
#thehauntedchild #netgalley

View all my reviews




Dawn Merriman writes creepy small town murder mysteries from her small farm in northeast Indiana where she lives with her husband and teenage children. You can often find her with muck boots on her feet and a story in her head. She enjoys animals, auctions, snorkeling and archaeology.

Dawn Merriman grew up a small town farm girl, on a small time pig farm in Indiana. She spent her young adulthood sitting on her bedroom floor scribbling stories in notebooks. She won the "Northeast Indiana Young Writers" award as a sophomore in high school.

After battling severe depression, she wrote her debut novel "How Murder Saved My Life" as therapy, mixing her love of murder mysteries and farming with climbing out of the darkness of illness.


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Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Blog Tour: Bloodlust Bites by Luanne Bennett

 



#bloodlustbites


Published August 9, 2024
Buy on Amazon 

Welcome to Crimson, Georgia. I’m Charley Underwood—witch, bar owner, and accidental demon hunter.

Crimson isn’t a regular town. With vampires, shifters, and humans living side by side, tensions always run high. I try to keep the peace, and most of the time nobody gets hurt. Most of the time.

Right now, Crimson is one bite away from all-out chaos.

A dangerous new wolf is stirring up trouble. A sexy vampire is on the hunt, with a gun full of sunlight bullets. And thugs from Atlanta are threatening my friends.

As if that wasn’t enough, my magic is running wild. One second it’s throwing bad guys through windows, the next it fizzles out to nothing. There’s only one way to get it under control—by taking lessons from Crimson’s terrifying old-school coven of witches.

I need to get a handle on it fast. Way out in the woods, someone is attacking young women, leaving them bitten and bloody. Is it a stranger or one of our own?

When police pin the attacks on one of my bartenders, it’s clear that none of this is random. Someone is coming after me and the people I love.

I’ll do anything to protect my crew. Even strike a deal with a vicious old enemy.

Because when I see what I’m fighting against, it’s clear I need all the help I can get.

Bloodlust Bites is a fast-paced urban fantasy that will leave you breathless. With thrilling action, slow-burn romance, humor, heart, and found family, it’s perfect for fans of Kim Richardson, Charlaine Harris and Patricia Briggs.


MY REVIEW:




Bloodlust Bites: An addictive and action-packed urban fantasy (Charley Underwood Book 2)Bloodlust Bites: An addictive and action-packed urban fantasy by Luanne Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charley is a witch and a bar owner. She didn't know she was a witch until recently and now has to learn how to get and use her powers. Meanwhile bad things are going on and she needs to help fix them.
I love the town and characters. There are the witches, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and humans all living in 1 town and trying to coexist with each other.
Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews




Luanne Bennett is an author of fantasy and the supernatural. Born in Chicago, she lives in Georgia these days where she writes full time and doesn’t miss a thing about the cubicles and conference rooms of her old life. When she isn’t writing or dreaming up new stories, she’s usually tending WAY too many orchids or a herd of felines.


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Monday, August 12, 2024

Book Review: Patch Royalty by Scarlet Riley

 


Expected publication
August 13, 2024
Buy on Amazon

After having a child with the boss of my organization, I took the first opportunity I got to run. When I found out that my mother had died, it was the perfect cover to keep prying eyes away from me. That is, until the devil dog’s motorcycle club shows up on my doorstep. What could possibly go wrong when it’s lead by my three childhood best friends?

MY REVIEW:


Patch Royalty (The Devil's Dogs Motorcycle Club #1)Patch Royalty by Scarlet Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book and can't wait for more of this series.
Sophia and her son, along with her brother move back home after their mother's death and to get away from Sophia's boss. She wanted it to be a quiet move and no one to know but the motorcycle club, who has her childhood best friends, knows and they are to help her. Things go on between her and her best friends and you can feel the chemistry there and I was hoping she would choose one of them, I just won't tell you who. The motorcycle club are so close and love how they are there for each other and so protective. Even the mother of her best friends takes no shit from any of them.
Thank you to the Publisher for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews




Scarlet Riley


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URL
https://www.goodreads.com/scarletriley

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Book Review: Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

 


Expected publication August 13, 2024
Buy on Amazon

He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival… but he’s bringing the heat for me.

Nikolai

Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.

Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.

Izzy

I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn’t an option.

But when Nik crashes back into my life, I can’t stay away from his broody charm. I’m determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.

As we fall deeper into a place we can’t come back from unscathed, we’ll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.

MY REVIEW:


Wicked Serve (Beyond the Play #4)Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nikolai is in the last season of hockey in college and is forced tos witch colleges. So now he is playing with his enemy, who is the brother of Izzy. Hm and Izzy had a summer fling and didn't think they would see each other again.
Their feelings are back but they need to keep things from her brother. But then the brother and him start becoming friends.
Izzy plays volleyball and wants her position back but for some reason the coach has it out for her. So she has to prove herself and get what she wants, Both the position and Nikolai.
I found it a cute romance and enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews
#wickedserve



Grace Reilly


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Hi! I’m Grace.

I’m so glad you’re here! Originally from Long Island, I now live in Florida, where I pretend the lizards in my backyard are miniature dragons and soak up the sunshine. I can usually be found with a notebook in one hand and a paperback (or my Kindle!) in another. A storyteller at heart with a deep romantic streak, I write what I love to read: stories filled with swoon and steam, laughter and love, family and friendships, and authentic, earnest emotions and growth. I love drawing on my personal passions for my books, which is how my sports fanaticism resulted in the Beyond the Play series.

More about me: I collect earrings, the quirkier the better. I never turn down a good mint chocolate chip ice cream. I listen to way too much sports talk radio. And I adore writing about couples who are stronger together.

Friday, August 09, 2024

Book Review: Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs

 


published August 6, 2024
Buy on Amazon

It’s never easy working fire scenes, Tempe thinks. Called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a building set ablaze amid mysterious circumstances, she sees all her misgivings justified. The building site is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and the property’s ownership becomes even more suspicious when Tempe delves into its past. The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the thirties and forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his farm in Fairfax County, Virginia. Coincidence? Targeted attacks? So many questions. As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim. Slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the somehow, her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated in advance, and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat.

MY REVIEW:
Fire and Bones (Temperance Brennan #23)Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 23rd book of the series and even though I haven't read quite a few of them I still knew what was going on. The mystery itself can be read as a standalone but if you want to get to know the main characters then it is best to read them in order. The TV show Bones was also based on this series.
Tempe is called to Washington DC for bodies found that were burned and she is needed to find out what happened. But her and her boyfriend were on their way for a vacation. He isn't happy and feels like her work takes priority so he ignores her. So she has a lot going on.
I thank NetGalley and Scribner for the book to review.


View all my reviews



Kathy Reichs


Bornin Chicago, The United States

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Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal and is a frequent expert witness in criminal trials.

Wednesday, August 07, 2024

book review: House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

 


First published August 6, 2024
Buy on Amazon

On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.

A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?

Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny - in the midst of her parent's bitter divorce - and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella's mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.

From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there's something eerie about the house itself: It's a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found.

As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny's murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny's boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella's supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?

MY REVIEW:


House of GlassHouse of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A young Nanny falls through a window and the little girl no longer is talking. Not only that but all glass is being replaced with plastic or plexiglass.Everyone seems to be guilty of who knows what happened to the nanny and did she fall or was she pushed.
The parents are getting divorced and we find out secrets about them. The grandmother also lives in the house but she walks with a cane and can't get around real well. The little girl is stealing objects that are sharp. Just what is going on this house?
Stella is sent as a child advocate and to see what is going on with her and if she can get the little girl to talk.
I enjoyed this thriller and received it from NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC to read.

View all my reviews




Sarah Pekkanen


Bornin The United States
November 29

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I'm a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the upcoming HOUSE OF GLASS, which will be published August 6, 2024. The audiobook is narrated by Tony-awared winning singer/actress Laura Benanti.

My most recent novel, GONE TONIGHT, was hailed by Harlen Coben as "Jaw-dropping... A wild ride." The audiobook is narrated by actress Kate Mara.

I'm also the coauthor of four bestselling thrillers: THE GOLDEN COUPLE, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I've written eight novels that are contemporary fiction, not thrillers: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. My linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All is Bright," and "Love, Accidentally."

When I'm not writing or spending time with my three kids, I'm a passionate advocate for rescue animals. I serve as Ambassador of RRSA India, a shelter and sanctuary for abused and injured street dogs and other animals in Anand, India. And I'm the founder of the nonprofit charity IndiaStreetPaws.com.

I also serve on the board of the International Thriller Writers. Readers and writers - come join us at Thrillerfest in NYC every spring!

Please find me on Insta and Facebook for more!

My website is www.sarahpekkanen.com

Friday, August 02, 2024

Book Review: Destroyer by A.K. Nevermore

 


Published January 1, 2024
Buy it here

On an alternate earth, a cataclysm has altered a subset of the population. Talents are persecuted for their psychic and physical mutations, giving rise to two conflicting societies based upon maintaining genetic purity. And the Source, a shadowy corporate entity dependent upon the exploitation of captive Talents, is hunting them…

Three years before the events in Breaker, Flynn Scot is restless.

Stationed with a mercenary unit in the Deep South on a suicide mission, the urge to return North is eating at him. Coming up against the Source as it tries to subjugate another portion of the globe is par for the course, but this time something’s different.

And it’s not just the ill-timed arrival of a survey crew from Glynfyls.

Saddled with babysitting the handful of Talents, Flynn discovers they’ve been sent down—and set up—to instigate a war between the Northern Territories and the Corporation. He finds himself being drawn into the North’s politics, and drawn out of anonymity. Then, when the operation goes sideways, he’s forced to make a choice: turn a blind-eye to the fallout, or come to terms with the fact that destiny isn’t done with him.

MY REVIEW:


Destroyer (The Price of Talent #0.7)Destroyer by A.K. Nevermore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another prequel for The Price of Talent series.
We learn more about Flynn Scot and what his life was like before Breeder and Breaker.
Saddled with babysitting the handful of Talents, Flynn discovers they’ve been sent down—and set up—to instigate a war between the Northern Territories and the Corporation.
I enjoyed this short story and seeing what Flynn was like and why he is the way he is. There is still more to learn about his past and his family so I can't wait to read more of this series.
Thank you to A.K. Nevermore for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews



A.K. Nevermore


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AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year.

A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.

Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes full time around a nest full of ravens. Her books explore dark worlds, perversely irreverent and profound, and always entertaining.

AK belongs to a bunch of industry associations, volunteers for far too many committees, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Book Review: Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas

 


publication July 30, 2024
Buy on Amazon

One woman learns the secrets of the five Jaeger brothers.

On the other side of town, in the dark glades, under the rain…

Macon is the oldest. Thirty-one. Ex-Marine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.

Army is twenty-eight. A single dad with the most beautiful green eyes. He has no idea who he is, if not a Jaeger brother.

Iron will be in prison soon. You’d never think it to meet him. He’s a nice guy, actually. But he can’t stop reacting to everything.

Dallas is the one I hate. Twenty-one, cruel, and selfish. He takes and then throws away whatever’s left.

And Trace is mine. Or he was for about two seconds. No one can tame him for long.

Not that I ever wanted to. It was fun, but now I need to go home. Back to my side of the tracks. Away from the swamps and these men. To my parents’ big house. On my clean street. Where I’m never dirty or messy or hot. And I will. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I just want to crash on the couch tonight.

Their house is dark and quiet, everyone else is asleep. Except for one. He sees me crying and comes at me from behind. I let him wrap his arms around my body and hold me tightly. His breath is on my neck, his fingers are in my hair, and he doesn’t stop there.

I don’t think it was Trace.

MY REVIEW:


Five BrothersFive Brothers by Penelope Douglas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I have read from this author and I will definitely be reading more.
You have a family of brothers and a sister from the wrong side of the tracks. The guys have bad reps with the women lol.
These men also have secrets. Krisjen comes from money and not supposed to have anything to do with people in this part of town but she is seeing Trace and ends up having sex in the dark with someone. I didn't think it was Trace. I had a feeling on who it was and was hoping it wasn't another Brother. I felt it was kind of a why choose but it ended up being better than that,
I could not put the book down and getting to know these characters and why they are the way they are. Kept me up reading.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the book to review,


View all my reviews





Penelope Douglas


Bornin Dubuque, IA
February 01

Website

Genre


Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Their books have been translated into nineteen languages and include The Fall Away Series, The Devil’s Night Series, and the stand-alones, Misconduct, Punk 57, Birthday Girl, Credence, and Tryst Six Venom. Please look for The Hellbent Series, coming next.

They live in New England with their husband and daughter.

Would you like to join the reader group? ---> https://www.facebook.com/groups/16198...

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Sunday, July 21, 2024

Blog Tour: I'm Her Mother - Lauren North

 



Published July 18, 2024
Buy on Amazon

We both say she’s our daughter. But one of us is lying…

My little girl Lola is my whole world. Three years old and so beautiful – all golden curls and dimpled cheeks.

But on our way home from holiday she was stolen, whisked away in the blink of an eye.

I can’t breathe without Lola. I don’t know how to get her back.

The woman who has my daughter is on the run. And she has no intention of bringing Lola home. Because she says she’s her mother.

But that’s impossible, because I’m Lola’s mother.

Though really, I should have known my secrets would come back to haunt me. That this day was always going to come…

Two women claim that Lola belongs to them. Two women with something to hide. Only one is telling the whole truth… Who will you believe?

MY REVIEW:


I'm Her MotherI'm Her Mother by Lauren North
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You have 2 women saying that the daughter is theirs. 1 of them is lying.
On the way home from vacation Lola is taken and the parents are devastated. Who would do this? Where is she?
I did not like the husband in this book and especially not his mother. She was the MIL from hell. He was to secretive in my opinion.
I read this book in 1 day and could not put it down. I had to find out who was lying and why.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC to review.

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                                                            Lauren North



Lauren writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside. Readers can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North, Instagram @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor


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Saturday, July 20, 2024

Book Review: The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce

 


published July 16, 2024
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Estranged exes must stick close together to save their best friend’s wedding after a string of disasters in this swoony and steamy second-chance romance.

Georgia Woodward lives by her lists, none more so than the one about her ex, Eli Mora. It’s full of the ironclad dos and don’ts they’ve been following since she returned to the Bay Area after their cataclysmic breakup five years ago.

With the wedding of their mutual best friend, Adam, looming, and them about to step into their roles as best woman and man, Georgia’s never needed it more. She refuses to threaten their tight-knit friend group with her messy—and still very present—feelings. The rules on that list will keep her cool, calm, and compartmentalized.

What’s not on her list? Eli arriving from New York with a new rule-breaking attitude or the all-inclusive venue burning to the ground, leaving the bride and groom in dire straits. Nor does she anticipate Adam asking her and Eli to help him make a miracle happen. Together.

As Georgia and Eli rush up to Napa Valley to pull off the perfect wedding, their old chemistry comes back in technicolor. Somewhere between cake tastings gone wrong, disastrous DJ auditions, and Eli’s heated attention, Georgia starts recognizing the man she fell in love with before. And if she lets herself break her rules, she might find what they’re building isn’t the something old that ruined them—it’s a chance at something new.

MY REVIEW:


The Ex VowsThe Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. Made me laugh, cry, be mad and sad.
Georgia and Eli dated for a few years and broke up because he was a workaholic. It's been a few years and now their best friend is getting married and they are in the wedding. They have also had to take over a lot of the wedding planning. So for them to have to get a long was going to be a strain. They made it work and feelings came back or maybe they were already there just laying dormant.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC to review.

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Jessica Joyce

Born
December 19

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Jessica Joyce lives happily-ever-ongoing with her husband and son in the Bay Area. When she’s not writing character-driven, realistic and relatable tales of millennials who are just Doing Their Best while falling in love, you can find her listening to one of her dozens of chaotically curated Spotify playlists, trying out a new skincare face mask, crying over cute animal TikToks, or watching the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice.

Book Review: The Body in the Backyard by Lucy Score

 


published July 16, 2024
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Her self-absorbed news anchor ex-husband careening back into her life was not on this amateur psychic detective’s bingo card.

Not only does Griffin Gentry show up unexpectedly at Riley Thorn’s door—the real shock is that he’s begging her for help. Riley’s hot private investigator boyfriend Nick Santiago refusing to take the job is…well, less of a surprise.

Too bad for Nick that his octogenarian business partner overrules him and takes the lead on Griffin’s case. But when a dead body makes it clear someone really is out to get Riley’s ex, the mile-long suspect list means all hands on deck at Santiago Investigations. Even the wrinkly, retired ones.

It’s only a matter of time before Griffin brings the danger directly to their doorstep. And with Riley and Nick busy interviewing suspects, that leaves their elderly roommates to wreak havoc in the surveillance department. Can Riley block out the chaos to focus her psychic visions long enough to narrow down the list of suspects? Or will Griffin Gentry’s bad karma be the downfall of them all?

MY REVIEW:


The Body in the Backyard (Riley Thorn #4)The Body in the Backyard by Lucy Score
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have tried sticking with this series because I really like Riley and Nick. It has gotten really old reading about the stupidity and rudeness of her elderly neighbors. This part of the series is over the top along with Riley's ex. I really would love to get to know more of Riley's family and Nick's family but the elderly people need to take a backseat.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC to review.

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Lucy Score


BornThe United States

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Lucy Score is an instant #1 New York Times bestselling author. She grew up in a literary family who insisted that the dinner table was for reading and earned a degree in journalism.

She writes full-time from the Pennsylvania home she and Mr. Lucy share with their obnoxious cat, Cleo. When not spending hours crafting heartbreaker heroes and kick-ass heroines, Lucy can be found on the couch, in the kitchen, or at the gym.

She hopes to someday write from a sailboat, oceanfront condo, or tropical island with reliable Wi-Fi.

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