Thursday, March 31, 2022

Showcase - Summer Nights With A Cowboy by Caitlin Crews

Today I'm showcasing the latest in Caitlin Crews' Kittridge Ranch Series, Summer Nights With A Cowboy.
Enjoy!


ISBN-13: 9781250750037
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 03-29-2022
Length: 320pp
Kittridge Ranch #3
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

USA Today bestselling author Caitlin Crews returns with Summer Nights with a Cowboy, another emotional romance in her stunning cowboy series Kittredge Ranch….

He doesn’t believe in love…

Traveling nurse Janie Atwood has come to Cold River to uncover old family secrets and maybe, if she’s lucky, find a new home. That the gorgeous, glowering sheriff next door thinks her caring for his elderly neighbor is a nefarious scheme is a bonus. Having never been anything but a good girl, Janie finds Zack Kittredge’s simmering suspicion an excellent reason to try being a little dangerous instead…

She doesn’t believe in squandering it…

Sheriff Zack Kittredge is okay with being… intense. He takes his loner status as seriously as he takes his responsibilities to protect Cold River. And he thinks cheerful Janie might be a threat to the town. But the more he gets to know her, the more he faces the truth—she’s brighter than sunshine and he’s like a moth to her flame. When Janie suggests he could use a few charm school lessons, he surprises them both by accepting. He doesn’t need help. But it’s clear he might need her…

Because the only thing hotter than the summer sun in the Rockies is the forbidden passion that burns between them…

“This steamy tale proves opposites attract.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on All Night Long with a Cowboy

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Showcase - Cheddar Off Dead by Korina Moss

Today I'm showcasing Korina Moss's debut in her Cheese Shop Mysteries, Cheddar Off Dead.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250795199
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 03-29-2022
Length: 304pp
Cheese Shop Mystery #1
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

In Korina Moss's cozy series debut, Cheddar Off Dead, cheesemonger Willa Bauer discovers that her new home in a small Sonoma Valley town is ripe for murder... something here stinks to high heaven, and Willa knows it's not the cheese.

Cheesemonger Willa Bauer is proving that sweet dreams are made of cheese. She’s opened her very own French-inspired cheese shop, Curds & Whey, in the heart of the Sonoma Valley. The small town of Yarrow Glen is Willa's fresh start, and she's determined to make it a success – starting with a visit from the local food critic. What Willa didn’t know is that this guy never gives a good review, and when he shows up nothing goes according to plan. She doesn’t think the night can get any worse... until she finds the critic’s dead body, stabbed with one of her shop’s cheese knives. Now a prime suspect, Willa has always believed life’s problems can be solved with cheese, but she’s never tried to apply it to murder…

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Showcase - March Harlequin Series



You all know I love HQN series and today I'm highlighting a brief line up of the March offerings.
Enjoy!

Monday, March 28, 2022

Showcase - A Brush With Love by Mazey Eddings

Today I'm showcasing a recent St. Martin's Griffin release and debut, A Brush With Love,  by a promising new voice in romance and a dentist, Mazey Eddings.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250805980
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 03-01-2022
Length: 336pp
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Nine out of ten dentists agree, Mazey Eddings's rom-com A Brush with Love makes your smile brighter!*
*not scientifically proven

Harper is anxiously awaiting placement into a top oral surgery residency program when she crashes (literally) into Dan. Harper would rather endure a Novocaine-free root canal than face any distractions, even one this adorable. A first-year dental student with a family legacy to contend with, Dan doesn’t have the same passion for pulling teeth that Harper does. Though he finds himself falling for her, he is willing to play by Harper’s rules. So with the greatest of intentions and the poorest of follow-throughs, the two set out to be “just friends.” But as they get to know each other better, Harper fears that trading fillings for feelings may make her lose control and can't risk her carefully ordered life coming undone, no matter how drool-worthy Dan is.

Blood, gore, and extra-long roots? No problem. The idea of falling in love? Torture.

Friday, March 25, 2022

Sophia Rose Reviews - Red Blossom in Snow by Jeannie Lin

Today my friend Sophia Rose has a real treat for me as she's reviewing a local author of mine, Jeannie Lin's novel Red Blossom in Snow.
Enjoy!

Red Blossom in Snow by Jeannie Lin

#4 Pingkang Li Mysteries

Historical Mystery

Publisher: self

Published: 3.21.22

Pages:  280

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: Author

Sellers: Amazon



ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

The next installment of the Lotus Palace mystery series.

Magistrate Li Chen and celebrated courtesan Song Yi become entangled in a murder investigation when an outsider to the Pingkang li is found strangled in a pleasure house. As they search for the truth, the secrets they uncover turn out to be their own.

 

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Showcase - Why Didn't We Riot? A Black Man In Trump Land by By Issac J. Bailey

Today I'm showcasing a book of essays by South Carolina Issac J. Bailey on a mosaic of issues about what it means to be Black in an Trumpian America.


ISBN-13: 978-1-63542-028-9
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 03-15-2022
Length: 192pp
Buy It: Publisher/  Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

In these impassioned, powerful essays, an award-winning journalist deals forthrightly with what it means to be Black in an America that still supports Trump.

South Carolina–based journalist Issac J. Bailey reflects on a wide range of complex, divisive topics—from police brutality and Confederate symbols to respectability politics and white discomfort—which have taken on a fresh urgency with the protest movement sparked by George Floyd’s killing. Bailey has been honing his views on these issues for the past quarter of a century in his professional and private life, which included an eighteen-year stint as a member of a mostly white Evangelical Christian church.

Why Didn’t We Riot? speaks to and for the millions of Black and Brown people throughout the United States who were effectively pushed back to the back of the bus in the Trump era by a media that prioritized the concerns and feelings of the white working class and an administration that made white supremacists giddy, and explains why the country’s fate in 2020 and beyond is largely in their hands. It will be an invaluable resource for the everyday reader, as well as political analysts, college professors and students, and political consultants and campaigns vying for high office.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Showcase - The Wayward Assassin by Susan Ouellette blog tour a Partners in Crime tour

Today is my stop on the Wayward Assassin by Susan Ouellette blog tour sponsored by Partners in Crime tours. After reading all about it don't forget to enter to #win.


The Wayward Assassin by Susan Ouellette Banner

The Wayward Assassin

by Susan Ouellette

March 1-31, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

The Wayward Assassin by Susan Ouellette

Revenge knows no deadline.

Although told to stand down now that the Chechen rebel who killed her fiancĂ© is dead, CIA analyst Maggie Jenkins believes otherwise and goes rogue to track down the assassin. Soon it becomes clear that failure to find Zara will have repercussions far beyond the personal, as Maggie uncovers plans for a horrific attack on innocent Americans. Zara is the new face of terrorism–someone who doesn’t fit the profile, who can slip undetected from attack to attack, and who’s intent on pursuing a personal vendetta at any cost.

Chasing Zara from Russia to the war-torn streets of Chechnya, to London, and finally, to the suburbs of Washington, D. C., Maggie risks her life to stop a deadly plot.


Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Showcase - Son of Svea A Tale of the People's Home by LENA ANDERSSON Translated by SARAH DEATH

Today I have another wonderful new offering from my favorite Indie, Other Press, Son of Svea a tale about society and family.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  978-1-63542-004-3
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 02-01-2022
Length: 288pp
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

From one of Sweden’s most astute cultural critics, a razor-sharp comedy of the progress and ruin of the industrial welfare state, told through the story of a single family.

Ragnar Johansson is born in 1932, a transformative moment in Swedish history. He has Swedish social democracy flowing through his veins—convinced it lifted humankind out of the dark ages and into modernity, he cherishes it. At times Ragnar despises his mother, Svea, whose perpetual baking, scrubbing, and canning represent the poverty of the peasantry. Ragnar, for his part, hails the efficiency of washing machines and prefab food. Once he has children himself, he raises them in accordance with his values, standing in the ski track supporting his daughter Elsa as she works hard to become one of the best skiers in the country. While Svea is a relic of the past, Elsa represents hope for the future. In time, however, Ragnar realizes that the world is changing. Is his golden age coming to an end?

In Son of Svea, Lena Andersson offers a characteristically funny, wise, and moving family chronicle about the social transformations that unite and divide us, and about finding the courage to be true to oneself.

Monday, March 21, 2022

The Child Is the Teacher A Life of Maria Montessori by CRISTINA DE STEFANO Translated by GREGORY CONTI

Montessori is a name every American parent is familiar with now you can read an in depth biography of the founder of the Montessori School.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-1-63542-084-5
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 03-08-2022
Length: 368pp
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

A fresh, comprehensive biography of the pioneering educator and activist who changed the way we look at children’s minds, from the author of Oriana Fallaci.

Born in 1870 in Chiaravalle, Italy, Maria Montessori would grow up to embody almost every trait men of her era detested in the fairer sex. She was self-confident, strong-willed, and had a fiery temper at a time when women were supposed to be soft and pliable. She studied until she became a doctor at a time when female graduates in Italy provoked outright scandal. She never wanted to marry or have children—the accepted destiny for all women of her milieu in late nineteenth-century bourgeois Rome—and when she became pregnant by a colleague of hers, she gave up her son to continue pursuing her career.
At around age thirty, Montessori was struck by the condition of children in the slums of Rome’s San Lorenzo neighborhood, and realized what she wanted to do with her life: change the school, and therefore the world, through a new approach to the child’s mind. In spite of the resistance she faced from all sides—scientists accused her of being too mystical, and the clergy of being too scientific, traditionalists of giving children too much freedom, and anarchists of giving them too much structure—she would garner acclaim and establish the influential Montessori method, which is now practiced throughout the world.
A thorough, nuanced portrait of this often controversial woman, The Child Is the Teacher offers an unbiased perspective from an author who is not a member of the Montessori movement, but who has been granted access to original letters, diaries, notes, and texts written by Montessori herself, including an array of previously unpublished material.

Friday, March 18, 2022

Sophia Rose Reviews The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Today I welcome back Sophia Rose who's reviewing The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James a timely contemporary thriller about a true crime blogger. Read on and see what she thought.
Enjoy!



The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Thriller

Publisher:  Berkley

Published: 3.15.22

ASIN:  B097B3MDXJ

Pages:  352

Rating: 4 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers: Amazon


ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Blurb:

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?

 

Thursday, March 17, 2022

#GIVEAWAY - HAPPY 12th BLOGOVERSARY TO THE READING FRENZY

 

YAY THE READING FRENZY IS 12 WHO'D A THOUGHT RIGHT

WHAT A RIDE IT'S BEEN SINCE 2010

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Review - River of Luck by Donna Augustine - Torn Worlds #3

Today I'm reviewing River of Luck, #3 in USA Today Bestseller, Donna Augustine's Torn World series. Those who are frequent blog visitors know that in a relatively short time Donna has become a go to author for me, it doesn't matter if she writes Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy whatever she writes is fantastic. Read on and see what I thought about this novel.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B09T5C6Y3D
Publisher: Strong Hold Publishing
Release Date: 02-26-2022
Length: 273pp 
Source: Author for review
Buy It: Amazon (free on KindleUnlimited)

Overview:

River
I’ve been locked away in a vampire dungeon for nearly a year, and I’ll die here if that’s what it takes to protect my secret. Now he arrives with his pack and thinks he’ll be the one to break me? I’ll die first.

Dante
It was just another raid until we found her. Shivering and bedraggled, she should’ve seen me as her savior but she stares at me as if I’m her worst enemy. Maybe I am, because I should let her go, forget I ever saw her, but I won’t…

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

#MacmillanAudio Review of City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston

Today I'm reviewing the Macmillan Audio edition of City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston narrated by Marisa Calin. See what I thought of it.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B08TZ38281
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 11-23-2021
Length: 10 hours - 44 minutes
Source: Publisher for review
Found Things #4
Buy It: Audible


Overview:

Paula Brackston's City of Time and Magic is the next installment in the time-traveling Found Things Series.

City of Time and Magic sees Xanthe face her greatest challenges yet. She must choose from three treasures that sing to her; a beautiful writing slope, a mourning brooch of heartbreaking detail, and a gorgeous gem-set hat pin. All call her, but the wrong one could take her on a mission other than that which she must address first, and the stakes could not be higher. While her earlier mission to Regency England had been a success, the journey home resulted in Liam being taken from her, spirited away to another time and place. Xanthe must follow the treasure that will take her to him if he is not to be lost forever.

Xanthe is certain that Mistress Flyte has Liam and determined to find them both. But when she discovers Lydia Flyte has been tracking the actions of the Visionary Society, a group of ruthless and unscrupulous Spinners who have been selling their talents to a club of wealthy clients, Xanthe realizes her work as a Spinner must come before her personal wishes. The Visionary Society is highly dangerous and directly opposed to the creed of the Spinners. Their actions could have disastrous consequences as they alter the authentic order of things and change the future. Xanthe knows she must take on the Society. It will require the skills of all her friends, old and new, to attempt such a thing, and not all of them will survive the confrontation that follows.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Monday, March 14, 2022

#GIVEAWAY - Review - In the Middle + Interview with author Carin Shulusky

As you all know I love interviewing and promoting authors well today I have a real treat as I'm presenting a local author I was introduced to a while ago who is just about to release her second novel. Today I'm reviewing her debut novel based on her real life situation while dealing with her mother's declining health, plus I have an exclusive interview and if that's not enough Carin is graciously offering a #Giveaway. (details below)
Enjoy!!

ASIN: B08Z76BCLQ
Publisher: Fossil Creek Press
Release Date: 01-18-2021
Length: 189pp
Source: Author for review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N / IndieBound

Overview:

Carrie Young had it all. She was a successful account executive for a small advertising agency and still managed to be a loving wife and dutiful mother until her mother fell suddenly ill. As the middle child, Carrie was never that close to her mother, but now she was needed to help with the overwhelming task of taking care of her seriously ill mother. The demands of hospitalization, doctors' appointments and daily care throw her once prefect life in near chaos. Disagreements with her siblings, her boss and her mother make her resentful of this new responsibility. The one bright spot is the chance to know her mother's stories of the depression and post war struggle as she never had before. Even as her once perfect life falls apart, she finds a purpose in it all.

GIVEAWAY Is
1 Autographed copy of 
In The Middle
US Only
Please use Rafflecopter form below to enter
Good Luck!

Friday, March 11, 2022

Sophia Rose Reviews Crowbones by Anne Bishop

Today I welcome Sophia Rose back to the blog to review #3 In Anne Bishop's World of Others Series, Crowbones. Stop by and see what she thought.
Enjoy!

Crowbones by Anne Bishop

#3 World of the Others

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  ACE

Published: 3.8.22

Pages:  384

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Blurb:

In this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer-before it's too late....

Crowbones will gitcha if you don't watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others-shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings-Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.

But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble-and that could mean serious trouble.

To "encourage" humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others-and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter—

 

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Review 15 Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily

Today I'm fulfilling a promise by reviewing this FAB rom-com just re-released by brilliant author and friend Lisa Daily that I showcased on the blog a few weeks ago.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 979-8985825503
Publisher: Siesta Key Publishing
Release Date: 2-22-2022
Length: 284 pp
Source: Author for review
Buy It: Amazon

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

"Fall-out-of-your-chair hilarious! One of the funniest romantic comedy books you'll read all year! —Miss Lit Blog

Why am I hiding behind a dumpster at the Gas-N-Go in my pajamas, spying on Will?

A month ago I was America’s favorite TV relationships expert...

Now? I’m the loser facing a major scandal, whose catastrophic love life is splashed across TMZ, social media, and every gossip show and supermarket tabloid — all because I got dumped by my husband on national TV. For a reality TV star. And that’s not even the worst part.

Now, I’m scrambling to un-shamble my life, make a comeback, and salvage what’s left of my heart and my career — which is constantly complicated by the fact that I keep publicly screwing up (on camera, no less), my publicist is advising me to do some (let’s say questionable) stuff to get my career back on track, and most of all, because I can’t tell if my insanely sexy divorce attorney Holt is flirting with me, or just giving me legal advice. It definitely feels like flirting.

Like, the best flirting of my entire life — the kind that makes all your parts tingle, not just your toes...

Is that a bad thing? Yeah, it is — because if I fall for him, we’ll both be torpedoing our careers, not to mention everything else that really matters to me.

It’s just so hard to stop…

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Showcase - Batten Down The Belfry by Diane Kelly

Today I'm excited to showcase Diane Kelly's Batten Down The Belfry, #4 in her House Flipper Mystery series. 
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250816030
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: 03-01-2022
Length: 304pp
House Flipper Mystery #4
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

Batten Down the Belfry is the fourth in the delightful cozy mystery series from Diane Kelly set in Nashville, Tennessee—where the real estate market is to die for.

Here is the church, here is the steeple…

Carpenter Whitney Whitaker and her cousin Buck have successfully flipped houses, but this is the first time they’ve attempted to renovate a house of worship. Still, the colorful stained glass in the country church has caught Whitney’s eye, and she’d love to breathe new life into the abandoned building. What’s more, the place has perfect acoustics. Could the worship hall be reborn as an entertainment venue with its parsonage repurposed as a pre-show bistro?

Open the doors, and see all the trouble.

The owner of the horse farm next door has asserted a legal claim to the church property, rendering their title uncertain. If that’s not bad enough, while rehabbing the church, Whitney’s cat Sawdust discovers a bombshell in the bell tower—the body of the man who’d delivered their beautiful new replacement windows. What transpired in the spire? Who rang the man’s bell and why?

The steeple is keeping its secrets and, when a second body turns up, things become even less clear. Can Whitney help Detective Collin Flynn solve the crimes before someone else is sent to meet their maker?


Monday, March 7, 2022

#GIVEAWAY - Showcase One Will Too Many by PJ Peterson a Partners In Crime tour


Today is my stop on the One Will Too Many By PJ Peterson blog tour sponsored by Partners In Crime Virtual Tours. Read all about it and don't forget to enter the #Giveaway too!
Enjoy!


One Will Too Many by PJ Peterson Banner

One Will Too Many

by PJ Peterson

March 1-31, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

One Will Too Many by PJ Peterson

A wealthy banker with a long list of secrets dies.

The bizarre crime scene stumps the local police…

… but a young doctor could be the key to solving the case.

Internist Julia Fairchild encounters banker Jay moments too late - the poor man is near death in his own dining room. At first no one can figure out what killed him, but the coroner soon confirms that it was homicide: Jay died of methanol poisoning, and now a murderer is on the loose. Julia knows how to catch a killer and she can cut through the noise like a scalpel through skin. She agrees to help the understaffed police force solve the case, but each clue only complicates her investigation further.

Can Julia dissect the deadly riddle and nail the perp, or will this be the first time a monster succeeds in giving her the slip?

If you love Louise Penny, Kelly Oliver, and PC James, you need this medical mystery! Find out why fans say, “I love the character Julia Fairchild!”

Don’t wait - Click the BUY button now!

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Finngirl, LLC
Publication Date: December 2021
Number of Pages: 206
ISBN: 978-1-7335675-7-2
Series: A Julia Fairchild Mystery, #4 || Each is a stand Alone Novel
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Friday, March 4, 2022

Review of The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White

Karen White is one of my all time favorite authors, who I was first introduced to when I reviewed her for Romantic Times Magazine so by the time her Tradd Street series began I was well and truly in love with her writing and then I fell in love with her all over again. So reviewing the last in this unparalleled series is very bittersweet but it's my pleasure and honor to do it.
Enjoy!

ASIN:B08VRGKT2B
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: 11-02-2021
Length: 398pp
Source: Netgalley/Publisher for Review
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Return to the house on Tradd Street for one last time as the best-selling series featuring psychic medium Melanie Trenholm comes to a hauntingly spectacular finale.

After the devastating events of the past few months, the last thing Melanie Trenholm wants is to think about the future. Why, when her husband, Jack, has asked for a separation - a separation that might have been her fault? Nevertheless, with twin toddlers, a stepdaughter leaving for college soon, a real estate career to resume and a historic home that is still being restored, Melanie doesn’t have much time to wonder where it all went wrong - but that doesn’t stop her from trying to win her husband back.

Their relationship issues are pushed aside, however, when longtime nemesis, Marc Longo, comes to them with a proposition: allow their Tradd Street house to be used as the filming location for the movie adaptation of Marc’s best-selling book, and he will help Jack reestablish his stalled writing career. Despite Melanie’s hesitation, Jack jumps at the chance. But Melanie’s doubts soon prove to be well founded when she uncovers ulterior reasons for Marc wanting to be back in their house - reasons that include a hidden gem so brilliant that legend links it to the most infamous jewel of all, the Hope Diamond.

But Melanie has an unexpected ally in protecting the house and its inhabitants - the ghost of a Civil War era girl warns her of increasing threats to her family. But she’s not the only spirit who is haunting Melanie. A malevolent ghost seems determined to stop Melanie from investigating the decades-old murder of a friend’s sister, and this spirit will stop at nothing to protect its secrets - even from beyond the grave.

Melanie and Jack must work together to find the answers before evil spirits of past and present destroy everything they love.

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Sophia Rose Reviews - Mermaids and Meringues by Danielle Garrett

Today on the blog Sophia Rose is back to review Danielle Garrett's Mermaids and Meringues, #2 in her Sugar Shack Witch series. Read on to see what she thought.
Enjoy!


Mermaids and Meringues by Danielle Garrett

Narrated by Danielle Ronconi

#2 Sugar Shack Witch Mystery

Paranormal Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Published: 2.15.22

ASIN:  B09J1YH9XR

Time: 5 hours 52 minutes

Speed: 1.2x

Rating: 3.5 stars

Format: MP3

Source:  Tantor Audio

Sellers: Amazon


ADD TO: GoodReads  

GoodReads Blurb:

It’s New Year’s Eve and Rosella Midnight has a date with danger.

A handsome date for New Year’s Eve? Check.

Red lipstick and a killer party dress? Double check.

A kiss when the clock strikes twelve? Undecided.

If I’m going to be stuck in Winterspell a little longer, I may as well have fun with it. But you know what they say about the best laid plans...

When my romantic evening turns into a kidnapping investigation, I can’t wait around to watch the ball drop. There’s a mermaid-snatching monster on the loose, and it’s up to me to stop them.

Luckily for me, my date always comes loaded for dragon.

 

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

#Macmillan Audio Review of Dark Horse by Gregg Hurwitz narrated by Scott Brick

The Orphan X series is one of the best thriller series out there. I started the series with book #6 and do have book #1 in my audio library and I intend to start it soon but right now read what I thought about book #7 Dark Horse.
Enjoy!

ISBN: 9781250787880
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 02-08-2022
Length: 15 hours - 7 minutes
Source: Publisher for review
Buy It: Audible

ADD TO: Goodreads

Overview:

The New York Times bestselling series returns when Orphan X faces his most challenging mission ever in Gregg Hurwitz's Dark Horse.

This audiobook includes a bonus conversation between the author and Jack Carr.


Evan Smoak is a man with many identities and a challenging past. As Orphan X, he was a government assassin for the off-the-books Orphan Program. After he broke with the Program, he adopted a new name and a new mission—The Nowhere Man, helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. Having just survived an attack on his life, and the complete devastation of his base of operations, as well as his complicated (and deepening) relationship with his neighbor Mia Hall, Evan isn't interested in taking on a new mission. But one finds him anyway.

Aragon Urrea is a kingpin of a major drug-dealing operation in South Texas. He's also the patron of the local area—suppyling employment in legitimate operations, providing help to the helpless, a rough justice to the downtrodden, and a future to a people normally with little hope. He's complicated—a not completely good man, who does bad things for often good reasons. However, for all his money and power, he is helpless when one of the most vicious cartels kidnaps his innocent eighteen year old daughter, spiriting her away into the armored complex that is their headquarters in Mexico. With no other way to rescue his daughter, he turns to The Nowhere Man.

Now not only must Evan figure out how to get into the impregnable fortress of a heavily armed, deeply paranoid cartel leader, but he must decide if he should help a very bad man—no matter how just the cause.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Showcase - Every Leaf a Hallelujah by Ben Okri Illustrated by Diana Ejaita

Today I'm so happy to be showcasing a wonderful children's book a new release from Other Press by Ben Okri,  Every Leaf a Hallelujah - An environmental fairytale made for our times, written to be read by adults and children, from the Booker Prize-winning author of The Famished Road. 

Enjoy!


ISBN-13: 978-1-63542-270-2
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 02-22-2022
Length: 112pp
Buy It: Publisher/ Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

ADDTO: GOODREADS

Overview:

The Guardian: Best Children’s and YA Book of the Year

An environmental fairytale that speaks eloquently to the most pressing issues of our times, from the Booker Prize–winning author of The Famished Road.


Mangoshi lives with her mom and dad in a village near the forest. When her mom becomes ill, Mangoshi knows only one thing can help her—a special flower that grows deep in the forest.

The little girl needs all her courage when she sets out alone to find and bring back the flower, and all her kindness to overpower the dangers she encounters on the quest.

Ben Okri brings the power of his mystic vision to a timely story that weaves together wonder, adventure, and environmentalism.

PRAISE:



“Ben Okri’s Every Leaf a Hallelujah is beautiful and wise—a true fable for our time. And Diana Ejaita’s illustrations are spectacular.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sixth Extinction

‘It was a sheer joy to be able to read this. It is mysterious and magical and true. Children and those who read it to them will love it and long remember it. The illustrations are woven wonderfully around the words; the trees are with you, telling it, writing it. Once read we will know never to take trees or leaves for granted again. A powerful symphony of a story that will resonate for every reader. We hear the wind in the trees on every page. We only have to listen’ MICHAEL MORPURGO


Ben's Message to Readers


In the forest near Mangoshi’s village in Africa there grows a very special flower. Mangoshi knows that only this flower can save her mother’s life. It can save her village too. All she has to do is find it.

Ben Okri and Diana Ejaita have created a magical world of beauty and colour, an enchanting array of extraordinary trees, each with its own personality and voice. The chief among them, the great baobab, invites us into his branches to travel the world and see for ourselves the perils of not listening to nature. All around us, forests are vanishing, and no one is listening.


Ben Okri is a poet, novelist, essayist, short-story writer, anthologist, aphorist, and playwright. He has also written screenplays. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction.


Meet the Illustrator:
Diana Ejaita works as an illustrator and textile designer in Berlin. Born in Cremona, Italy, and of Nigerian origins, her aesthetic pays homage to her lineage.