Monday, April 20, 2020

WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL? BOOK BLITZ & $15 Amazon Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!!





Who Will Save Your Soul: And Other Dangerous Bedtime Stories
Skye Warren

Publication date: April 14th, 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance




Synopsis:

Features four novellas by New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren. Each standalone story ends in a happily ever after.

WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOUL
Emily's a pathological liar. When her life is at stake, will anyone believe her?

MAFIA CINDERELLA
One dress. One dance. Lucia has one chance to change her life—and the lives of her family.

BEDTIME STORY
Jessica is on the run when her car breaks down. A small-town sheriff can't be her knight in shining armor.

HEAVY EQUIPMENT
Cold. Rough. Merciless. The foreman of the construction crew is going to make her pay every last cent.


EXCERPT:
“What are you doing here?” I sputter.
He lifts a crystal tumbler, one finger of some no-doubt expense liquor at the bottom. “Having a drink. You said the kitchen was off-limits, but I was thirsty. Hope this is okay.”
His twinkling dark eyes tell me he knows it’s not okay.
Challenge lights the air between us, electric and hot. Part of me wants to pick up the phone on the side table and call mother. The second she knows he’s stomped all over her oriental rugs with his muddy work boots, he’s fired.
That would be a cheap win, though. Too easy. Too banal. Besides, I like the thought of him stomping all over her oriental rugs with his muddy work boots.
“Of course,” I say, sarcasm sharpening my words. “We always offer gardeners top-shelf vodka.”
He merely lifts a dark eyebrow. How is it possible for eyebrows to look, low class? His do. They’re a mess, broad and unruly. I want to run my tongue over them, smooth them out.
“Do you always show up half-dressed for them, too?” he asks in a musing tone. “Because that’s a real perk. They should put that in their classified ad.”
My cheeks burn hot as I realize how little I’m wearing. The bath towel covers from the slope of my breasts to the tops of my thighs. It’s held together by so little—only the tuck of terry cloth. If it came undone right now I’d be naked in front of him.
“Tell me your name,” I demand, lifting my chin.
“So you can tell your mother about me?”
“Maybe I will.”
“And if I tell her that you came downstairs in only a towel? That you tried to have sex with me? That you were the one who drank half the bottle of scotch?”
My mouth drops open. “That’s a lie.”
“Does that surprise you? That other people lie, too?” He must see the shock on my face; his smile is smile and smug. “Yes, I know about you. Poor little Emily Coulter, can’t tell the truth to save her life.”
A knot around my throat, pulled taut by thick dirt-stained fingers. “How would you know that?” That’s my family’s dirty little secret, but not the worst one. Not by far.
“I know lots of things.”
“And anyway, why are you back already? It’s only been three days. The hedges don’t need to be trimmed every damn day.”
His smile comes slow. “You don’t trust me?”
“Not as far as I could throw you.”
There’s something strange about him, something a little dangerous.
Unfortunately, that only makes me like him more.




Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.



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Friday, April 17, 2020

Review of DAVID KOEPP'S book COLD STORAGE

For readers of Andy Weir and Noah Hawley comes an astonishing debut by the screenwriter of Jurassic Park: a wild and terrifying adventure about three strangers who must work together to contain a highly contagious, deadly organism

When Pentagon bioterror operative Roberto Diaz was sent to investigate a suspected biochemical attack, he found something far worse: a highly mutative organism capable of extinction-level destruction. He contained it and buried it in cold storage deep beneath a little-used military repository.


Now, after decades of festering in a forgotten sub-basement, the specimen has found its way out and is on a lethal feeding frenzy. Only Diaz knows how to stop it.

He races across the country to help two unwitting security guards—one an ex-con, the other a single mother. Over one harrowing night, the unlikely trio must figure out how to quarantine this horror again. All they have is luck, fearlessness, and a mordant sense of humor. Will that be enough to save all of humanity?

BUY A COPY⇓
GOODREADS / AMAZON / B&N / BAM!


Hi fellow readers, hope you are finding time to catch up on some reading while COVID-19 has us all quarantined. Speaking of quarantined, this book revolves around a fatal fungus that will go to any expense to escape detainment. The amusing dialogue kept me entertained. Accordingly, what I enjoyed the most about reading COLD STORAGE was how the author gave the fungus its own point of view. It was as if the fungus was a conscious being aware of its surroundings and had an opinion regarding the situation it was in. COLD STORAGE is not your typical bioterrorism, end of the world, book. Instead, the author has a sense of humor producing a more quirky reading experience; reducing the typical hair on the back of your neck standing up response. Besides, what it lacks in terror it makes up with an abundance of wretched grossness. Koepp’s writing is incredibly descriptive. He definitely has a talent for repulsiveness. 


Now, I did find it a bit far fetched that they would turn a military repository into a public storage facility. I could be wrong. The one thing about the book that I didn’t much care for was the character Teacake’s dialogue. I can’t pinpoint it but the way he conversed with other characters got on my nerves. Not a lot but enough. Finally, some parts of the story where predictable. I won’t tell you where or what but for speculation purposes what’s up with the good guys have to prevail in the end?




David Koepp is a celebrated American screenwriter and director best known for his work on Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Panic Room, War of the Worlds and Mission: Impossible. His work on screen has grossed over $6 billion worldwide.






Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Review of ROBYN CARR'S new book SUNRISE ON HALF MOON BAY!!!!


SUNRISE ON HALF MOON BAY 
On Sale: April 14th, 2020 
Trade Paperback: $16.99 | ISBN-13: 978-0778309482 
Kindle: $9.99 | ASIN: B07T2BM5ZS 

Justine and Adele have never been close. Sisters born 20 years apart, Justine had already flown the nest by the time Addie came along, and in the decades since, the two women’s lives have led them down dramatically different paths.

Justine is a chic, powerhouse Silicon Valley attorney and the mother of two teenage girls. At 52, she seems to have it all: a high-powered job and income to match, and a seemingly picture-perfect family. But under the glitz and gloss, the reality is much different: Justine works around the clock and has a fraught relationship with her husband, Scott. With her marriage falling apart, Justine is suddenly unsure of what the future holds and where she should go from here.

At 32, Addie has spent the last eight years in her hometown of Half Moon Bay, caring for her and Justine’s ailing mother. While Addie dropped out of school and put her life on hold for so many years to be a primary caretaker, Justine covered the bills and kept her distance emotionally. But now, after their mother has passed on, Addie faces an entirely new challenge: how to rediscover long-buried dreams and start living life for herself again.

Both at a crossroads, Justine and Addie come together in their family house in Half Moon Bay and support each other as they try to answer the question: Does anyone have a real chance to start over? Together, the two sisters will find strength, joy, and a closeness they’ve never known before as they learn to overcome failure, create new dreams, and find love in unexpected places.

Set against the stunning backdrop of coastal California, SUNRISE ON HALF MOON BAY is a story of second chances and the bond that only sisters can share—and its readers will discover that sometimes the happiness we’re searching for has been there all along.


BUY A COPY ⇓
AMAZON / BAM! / B&N / GOODREADS

I am back! Did anyone miss me? I had to take a hiatus from reviewing due to my health. I am a bit rusty so please bear with me as I get back into the groove of reviewing.

Sunrise On Half Moon Bay is the second book I’ve read by Robyn carr, both being stand-alone novels, I found both phenomenal. This is a binge-worthy book and has been a great distraction during the mundane isolation from our current COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to mention to all the non-romance book readers checking this out I don’t like romance books either and this is far from one. The plot contains realistic situations within today’s society. Our population is getting older and sicker causing many families to make hard decisions about what they must sacrifice to care for the ones they love. The vast differences in the age of siblings (and step-parents) are also becoming the norm changing the family dynamic. Though not always for the better. Roaming outside the marriage for a little nooky has been going on since we lived in caves. It’s a quick read about real-life situations that pertains to a larger audience than just the romance genre.   

"They've all been held captive, of their own free will, of course, and yet when set free, they are lost."

Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Carr has plot building and character growth down to a science. I could relate the most with Addie and her isolation. After years of having terrible chronic health issues, I live that isolation every day. Though completely different situations it gave me a bit of hope. This book is an emotionally gripping read filled with betrayal, tragedy, and heartache leaving you with a knot in the pit of your stomach, but don’t despair, the author does as well on the opposite side of the spectrum. Thus, bringing to the story a warm feeling of unconditional love, laughter, and a lot of personal growth. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read. 

"A friend encouraged me to start focusing on what I have rather than what I lost" 

Finally, I would like to thank Katie Olson from Little Bird Publicity for giving me the opportunity to review this book and the author for writing it.     


Robyn Carr is the bestselling author of over 50 novels, which have sold more than 28 million copies. Her 20-volume Virgin River series alone has netted more than 13 million copies; the Netflix television adaptation of Virgin River debuted in 2019 and has since become one of the streaming service’s most popular shows. Eleven of Robyn’s books have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, collectively spending 250 weeks on the list since Virgin River made its debut there in 2008. In 2016, the Romance Writers of America recognized Robyn with the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2019, she was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.





Sunday, April 5, 2020

Voices & Visions BOOK BLITZ and $25 Amazon Gift Card GIVEAWAY!!!!!




Touched, #1
Publication date: March 27th, 2020
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense

A psychic so powerful his abilities come at a cost. A woman so special she alone has the power to touch him.

Detective Isaac Taylor is a broken man. Isolated by his strange abilities and what others perceive as weird behavior, he keeps his head down and excels at his job. But he hears the whispers of his colleagues and family members, and he feels like a freak among them. Then one wrong number phone call changes everything.
Sidney Fairchild is no stranger to danger. She’s a woman on the run, in hiding and existing below the radar. Despite her efforts to stay invisible, she witnesses a crime she knows could get her killed. Then she answers a wrong number phone call that changes her life.

Bound by their undeniable connection, Isaac and Sidney forge a bond stronger than anything either has ever known. But will his psychic abilities save her or lead to their mutual destruction?

Voices & Visions is book 1 in Touched, a new romantic suspense series. If you like compelling characters, realistic dialogue, and heartwarming bromances, then you’ll love this new thought-provoking series from Lashell Collins.


EXCERPT:
“Can we talk about what happened back at the safe house?” she asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.
“I’m not sure rehashing that shootout is such a good idea, Sid. It’s only going to make you feel lower than you already do.”
“No, I don’t mean that.”
“Oh.” He glanced at her again and knew immediately what she wanted to talk about.
“You said that when you touch someone, you can see things about their life somehow? Things about their past or what’s going on with them.”
“That’s right.”
“When we met at the restaurant and you shook my hand… you saw something then, didn’t you? That’s why you looked at me the way you did.”
The intrigue in her light brown eyes held his attention captive for a moment, but the certainty in her voice told him there was no point in trying to sidestep her question. He pulled his gaze away from hers and swallowed.
“Yeah, I did.” His reply was quiet, resigned to the notion that their earlier conversation on this subject wasn’t quite finished.
“What did you see?”
The images came back to him in technicolor, every detail crisp and fresh in his mind. But he knew he couldn’t tell her about them. Not until he’d had a chance to sort them out. He couldn’t tell her that the flashes he’d seen involved him. Involved them. Together. Scenes from their future presumably.
But what was it they always said in those science fiction shows he and Adam loved to watch as kids? That the future wasn’t set in stone, and any glimpse of it was just one possible outcome.
Of course, that was science fiction. This?
He had no clue what the hell this was.



Lashell Collins is an American author of romantic suspense, paranormal romance and rockstar romance. She walks to the beat of her own drum, but that's okay 'cause she's got a pretty good sense of rhythm. Basically, she's a geeky, quirky, laid-back, rocker-loving kinda girl who's married to a retired cop, motorcycle-riding, bad-boy alpha all her own, and she likes to write about sexy police officers, werewolves and rockstars, or some inventive combination of the three!
When she's not busy tapping away on her laptop and living vicariously through her characters, she can usually be found watching Grimm, rocking out to Slash, stuffing her face full of Chinese food, or riding on the back of her husband's Harley-Davidson. Between her book characters and the ones she knows in real life, her plate stays pretty full. But she loves to hear from readers, so give her a shout sometime!

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Monday, October 21, 2019

Review of THE FLOATING DOOR Poems By M.E. Silverman

The Floating Door
by Matthew Silverman
Paperback, first, 92 pages
Published February 18th, 2018 by Glass Lyre Press
ISBN 1941783465

This is a moving collection of poems that captures several different series into one bound volume. He writes about old wives' tales, the American suburbs, and a series about the last living Jew in Afghanistan. These poems are narrative and full of magical realism. M.E. Silverman’s The Floating Door moves from the peculiar and vivid details of growing up Jewish in America to a series of musings about the last Jew in Kabul, over whom “the sun snaps shut/ like a casket.” Noah and Abraham and Isaac vie for attention in a child’s mind with schoolyard rhymes like step on a crack, break your mother’s back. A menorah takes center stage, then a Captain America glass. Throughout, there’s a daring coupling of whimsy and pathos. Shoes from the piles in the Holocaust Museum, “rise leisurely, puppets on strings” to “sweep through the air like Astaire and Rogers.”

PURCHASE HERE:

I found this collection of poetry and narrative paragraphs quite interesting. It covers a broad range of topics but the main one is Judaism. Don’t fret if the Jewish terms in the book elude you because there is a glossary in the back of the book. A few of the poems such as “Spaces” and “Imaginary Prop List For An Abandoned Temple” have a different yet intriguing format. Silverman’s writing has a nice flow with plenty of delightful descriptions that makes the poems come alive. Also, synonyms and idioms used are marvelous. I think the front runner in that department comes from “Finding My Father’s Kinnor”; “...they break open my father’s lungs like a pistachio…” is impressive. Finally, I am going to finish this review with one of the poems that I could really relate to.

Friday At Publix In Atlanta At checkout, a tall man in an overcoat stands with two kids, one in each tight hand. The store is crowded. Everyone has dinner to make, company to keep. My cart looks deep and hollow, one frozen meal, a bottle of soda, and a bar of chocolate. The woman, getting checked out by an old grocer, is half my age, buttoned in a yellow parka like a ripe banana. I almost laugh- except her cart is flowing with cans and meals and sweets. She must have a lover and two or three kids, a minivan, Washed and bright as stars. She singing showtunes on the way to her two-story home, hopes she has time for her yoga class, hopes all is safe and right. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a kid wiggle free to touch an Impulse item while the dad seizes the moment to check stocks or Sports on his new phone. I pretend not to hear when the grocer pauses to let me know the self-checkout is free. I think no rush. she points a puffy finger my way. I avoid eye contact until she resumes the blips and beeps a steady sound of something achieved.






Matthew Silverman
Born in New Rochelle, NY, The United States

WEBSITE: 









Other books include:
Best Mets
100 Things Mets Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die
New York Mets: The Complete Illustrated History
Mets Essential
Baseball Miscellany
--Co-Author of
Mets by the Numbers
Red Sox by the Numbers
Cubs by the Numbers
--Former associate publisher at Total Sports Publishing
--Managing editor of Total Baseball, Total Football and ESPN Baseball and Pro Football Encyclopedias



Tuesday, August 27, 2019

WHEN LIGHT SHATTERS Book Blitz & GIVEAWAY of a Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Box

When Light Shatters 
Laney Wylde 

Published by: CTP Pulse- Crimson Tree
Publication date: August 26th, 2019
Genres: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, New Adult, Romance
Harlow’s parents are dead. So is her brother. So is Tenley.
Probably.
Hopefully.
She’s like… ninety-five percent sure about that last one.
Seventeen and orphaned, Harlow is eager to leave her past behind when she moves in with her guardians. But in her new environment, she’s drawn to Brighton, a senior in her art class who is haunted by ghosts similar to her own. It’s not long before Harlow realizes their friendship has turned into something deeper—something that Brighton would have to sacrifice everything to pursue.
And Brighton does.
Their secret romance is perfect…until the precarious life Harlow has built crumbles beneath her. In the collapse, they both come face to face with Tenley.
Who, it turns out, is far from dead.
Perfect for fans of The Kiss Thief and The Book of Essie, Laney Wylde’s coming-of-age, bisexual romance When Light Shatters is a heady and gripping read. With a touch of irreverence and suspense, Wylde’s most vulnerable work yet will keep you guessing from the first page to the last.
EXCERPT:
His door is cracked, so I push it open. “Jackson, your mom wants you to––” I don’t remember what I was going to say because when I see Jackson, his cheeks are red. It’s hard to see them under his Oakland A’s cap, but his eyes look red too. Sitting on his bed, he wipes some tears off his face and sniffs.
“Did you get hurt?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“Did something make you sad?”
He nods.
I climb up onto his bed and sit next to him. “Are you sad about Tyler getting hurt?”
Jackson looks at me. “Tyler died,” he whispers. “We’re not going to see him again.”
I shake my head. “That’s what I thought, but then I heard my dad say…” that Tyler should never have been riding my bike. If my dad wanted me riding the bad bike, he wanted me to die. He wanted to never see me again. And that can’t be true because Daddy loves me, and he tells me so whenever I’m with Tyler. But if Tyler’s gone, maybe Daddy won’t tell me anymore. Daddy hasn’t said anything to me at all since Tyler’s crash.
“Never mind,” I say. “I think you’re right.”
“I’m just sad,” Jackson says.
“Okay.” He looks down and I look around his room at all the baseball posters on the walls. “My mom holds my hand when I’m sad.”
“Does it help?”
“Sometimes.” I open my hand to him. “We could try it.” He reaches for it and holds it tight in his.
After a while, I say, “I’m sorry you’re sad.”
He nods.
“Your mom said you need to set the table.”
“Okay.” He sniffs and wipes under his nose with the back of his hand. Not the hand holding mine. The other one.
We hop down from his bed, and he lets go of my hand. I walk toward his door, but he catches up to me and gives me a hug. I hug him back, resting my head on his shoulder when he rests his head on mine. I don’t know if holding his hand made him less sad, but I hope this does. It makes me feel a little better. Because if Jackson is hugging me, maybe he didn’t want me to get hit by the truck. Maybe he just wished nobody got hit.



Laney Wylde is enamored with all things southern California--the traffic, smog, surprise earthquakes, and nonindigenous palm trees. Consequently, it's the landscape her strong and sometimes lovable female leads paint their stories on. Her New Adult novels Never Touched and the After Twelve series are bright with provocative themes, steamy romance, and inappropriately timed humor.

When Laney isn't writing, she's singing Taylor Swift with her little boy or asking her husband not to tell her about his work as a surgical resident while she's eating. She daydreams about using her math degree to get into law school, then realizes that would be too much work and that she should just play pretend court on paper instead. While she loves a good book, nothing beats 30 Rock with a bag of popcorn and M&Ms.

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Wednesday, August 14, 2019

MIDNIGHT Book Blitz & $25 Amazon Cift Card Giveaway!!!

Midnight 
J.V. Speyer 
Publication date: August 14th, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
Brandon loved Adrian, so when Adrian abruptly moved out of their apartment Brandon was devastated. Six weeks later Brandon is ready to start to ease his way back into life again, but a chance encounter leaves him questioning everything he thought he knew – about Adrian, their relationship, and himself.
His friends are there to see him through it, especially his best friend Greg. Greg wants what’s best for Brandon. He’s always wanted what’s best for Brandon, even when it’s not necessarily what’s best for Greg. As Adrian’s true nature is revealed, Greg starts to wonder if maybe what’s best for both of them wouldn’t be each other.



EXCERPT:
Brandon sat down on one of the chairs. “Yeah. I mean I know he had to hide. I knew that going in. A lot of guys had to do that. Most of them figure it out. And I’m not mad at him or anything. I just want to move on.” He frowned. ”What are you trying to get at here, Greg? Why does Adrian have anything to do with tonight’s party?”
Greg inclined his head down, toward the spot on the street that he hadn’t been able to tear his eyes from. “Because he’s been here this whole time.”
Brandon choked on his gin and tonic. “What?”
“He’s been sitting outside the condo, watching the building, this whole time. I mean, I get it.”
“I don’t!” Brendon declared, standing up again. He clutched his drink in his hand and couldn’t decide if he wanted to hurl it at the ex standing on the ground or if he wanted to go inside and hide. Throwing the glass would be wrong. It would be irresponsible; it would get people hurt. He didn’t want to hurt Adrian, even if this latest stunt was creepy and stalker-ish. “He’s the one who walked away. Why is he hanging around outside my building like some kind of lonely ghost?”
“He wanted your attention. He didn’t know how to get it, and his ploy backfired spectacularly. I think he regrets what he did.” Greg sighed. “I’ve been watching him all night, trying to figure out what to do. I was thinking about bringing him in.”
Brandon spun, bringing himself face to face with his best friend. “Why would you do that?”
“Because you love him, Bran!”
“So what? I’m moving on, trying to rebuild my life. Something you have not been shy about encouraging, I’ll point out. And you want to just… what, drag him back in here? What could that possibly accomplish?” He pulled at his hair.
“I thought it might give you guys a second chance.” Now it was Greg’s turn to sit down, flopping into one of the other patio chairs like it was the only thing holding him up. “I want to see you happy, Bran. I keep hopping this fence – I know you weren’t with the people who made you happy, but you seemed so perfect for each other. And I desperately want you to be happy.” He sighed heavily, gesturing back in Adrian’s general direction. “But I didn’t do it. The guy’s in his thirties. If he wanted to come up he could ring the doorbell like an adult.”
Brandon shook his head and rubbed Greg’s shoulders. “I knew I could trust you.” Greg leaned into the touch, just a little bit, and Brandon grinned. “I thought we established that Adrian can’t make me happy at this point. We’re not right for each other, even if we thought we were.”
“I know. I just don’t know what to do here.” He leaned back. “I mean, this is kind of creepy. He’s just out there, watching. If I’m not going to invite him inside, I probably ought to call the cops.”
Technically, Greg was right. Brandon probably ought to call the police, because no good ever came from one ex staking out the other’s home like this. “Do you think he’s dangerous?” Brandon hedged. “Seriously, has he said anything that’s struck you as dangerous?”
“Other than creepily hanging around outside your house? Nah. Not that he’d say anything to me, you know?” Greg snorted. “I’m pretty much the last person he’s talking to right now, except maybe you.”
“What do you mean?” Brandon’s arms froze on his friend’s shoulders.
“He’s all pissy because I lit into him about stalking you through the rally.” Greg waved a calloused hand in dismissal. “Like okay, fine, he wants to be with someone new. Okay. And so what if the guy’s an undergrad – it’s a little weird, he’s a little young for a midlife crisis but who am I to judge? But that whole thing – like anyone didn’t know what he was up to.” He shook his head again, and Brandon could feel his shoulders tensing up again underneath his hands. “I wasn’t going to just sit there and not say anything.”
Brandon let his hands fall. “Oh, Greg. I’m so sorry.”
“What the hell for?”
“I never wanted to come between the two of you. You’re friends. You should be doing friend things, not arguing over me.” He turned away, clutching at his drink so he could do something with his hands.


Author Bio:
J. V. Speyer has lived in upstate New York and rural Catalonia before settling in the greater Boston area. She has worked in archaeology, security, accountancy, finance, and non-profit management. She currently lives just south of Boston in a house old enough to remember when her town was a tavern community with a farming problem. (No, really. John Adams complained about it. A lot.)
When not writing, J. V. enjoys watching baseball and seeking out all of New England’s creepiest spots. Her Spawn has turned her into a hockey enthusiast. She can be bribed with gin, tequila, and cats.

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