Tuesday, December 22, 2020

BLOG TOUR - The Birthday Weekend


DESCRIPTION:

Dear Louise. It’s time we all put the past behind us. We’re meeting for my birthday. I want you there. Love, Amy. X

When Louise receives an invitation to her old friend Amy’s birthday weekend in a cottage next to the woods near their old university campus, a chill runs down her spine.

Fifteen years ago, Hannah walked into those same woods and never came back. Her death destroyed her friends. They’ve not met as a group since. Until now.

As the party gets underway and old grudges are uncovered, a game of truth or dare is proposed. It’s clear one person has questions about their friend’s death – and now they want answers. And nothing will stop them.

When everyone has buried secrets, digging for the truth is going to get dangerous.

A gripping and addictive psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages, for fans of Gillian Flynn, Teresa Driscoll and Ruth Ware.


BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08JQF4T9YSocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/30Qy50ByHtI
Kobo: http://ow.ly/6WP850ByHsq
Google: http://ow.ly/Jy5T50Bz4rw


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title
:   The Birthday Weekend
Author:  Lesley Sanderson
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   206
Date of Publication:  December 18, 2020 
My Rating:   4 Stars

This is going to be a tough weekend. Old friends get together for the first time in 15 years. When they were younger, one of their friends, Hannah, disappeared, and was later found dead. Her life was lost and friendships were destroyed. 

But now Amy, Kat, Louise and Daisy, and their significant others, are going to spend a weekend together. Not only is it Amy's birthday, but it will give the small group a long-awaited opportunity to discuss what could have possibly happened when their college friend Hannah disappeared. They were tight back then, but everything crumbled for them, never to be the same again.

Although there were several friends, the entire story is delivered in Louise's first-person perspective. She was Hannah's best friend in school, and just might be the one most devastated by Hannah's death. This weekend certainly will not be easy for any of them. Amy, however, has a plan, and that is for each of them to discuss what happened to Hannah the last time they say her. Will this be to all of their undoing?

Not only do they have to deal with the trauma of remembering that awful time, each of them have major issues they are coping with. As they try and unravel events from that time, the drama surrounding their lives now comes into play. Things are certain to be revealed during the weekend, and it will soon become evident that nothing is as it seems for any of them.

This thrilling story by Sanderson hits the mark when it comes to secrets, lies and tension. I could not put this exciting book down and found myself drawn to the drama as it unfolded, and shocked at the revelations that were revealed. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

Lesley is the author of psychological thrillers and spends her days writing in coffee shops in Kings Cross where she lives and works as a librarian. She loves the atmosphere and eclectic mix of people in the area. Lesley discovered Patricia Highsmith as a teenager and has been hooked on psychological thrillers ever since.

Author Social Media Links
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/lsandersonbooks/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/LSandersonbooks

Friday, December 18, 2020

BLOG TOUR - Miracles in Wild Rose Bay


DESCRIPTION:

A truly unforgettable Irish romance set on the shores of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Arriving in Sandy Cove to views of the shimmering ocean, b is excited to get to work. She’s been sent from New York City to take photos of Ireland for a travel magazine, and she knows the perfect area to visit: the mysterious, picturesque Wild Rose Bay.

Staying in her sister Kate’s sweet little cottage, the long nights and beach strolls inspire Tara. But Kate isn’t pleased with Tara’s assignment: she doesn’t want the untouched beauty of the area spoiled by tourists. And when Tara ignores Kate and heads out on her own, she encounters more opposition from Kate’s handsome friend Mick O’Dwyer.

Despite their differences, Tara soon finds herself captivated by Mick, and as he helps her research the area, they uncover a tumbledown farmhouse that holds a secret about Tara’s family. Soon Tara is forced to make a choice: should she give up her story and the career she’s always wanted, or the man and the country she’s falling in love with?

The ultimate escape to beautiful Ireland. Totally captivating from the first page to the last, Miracles in Wild Rose Bay is perfect for fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Debbie Macomber and Mary Alice Monroe.


BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B08G568K3BSocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/FEiZ50Baohn
Kobo: http://ow.ly/eKlT50BaofA
Google: http://ow.ly/bS2C50Baoj6


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title
:   Miracles in Wild Rose Bay
Author:  Susanne O'Leary
Series:  Sandy Cove #6
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:  Romance
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   232
Date of Publication:  December 15, 2020 
My Rating:   4 Stars

Tara O'Rourke is visiting Sandy Cove from New York City to write an article and take phots of the hidden gem there in Ireland. Wild Rose Bay is a beautiful, nearly hidden location with a lot to offer. An extra bonus is that Tara is staying with her twin Kate, which gives the sisters extra bonding time.

Kate is not too keen on the exposure that Tara's article could create, as it could bring in too many tourists and upset the gentle beauty that the little village offers. Tara soon discovers an even deeper hidden gem that lends itself to the twins family background. Meanwhile, she meets Kate's friend, Mick O'Dwyer. Despite Kate and Mick's concern about Tara's intentions, she soon embarks on an adventure that will affect her life in ways she could not have expected.

An old farmhouse, one is great need of repair, soon becomes a big distraction in Tara's plans, but at the same time brings her closer to Mick, and ultimately Kate. There is one other player in this unfolding drama, and Tara's very future soon becomes tied up with her past.

What a lovely story that brings family history with the beauty that surrounds Tara and the others. I loved reading this gentle telling in this effective series by Susanne O'Leary. While this book certainly could do well as a standalone, the stories are loosely interconnected, which brings great continuity to this gorgeous series. Both the characters and the backdrop of Wild Rose Bay and Sandy Cove are quite lovely. I loved Tara and what she brought to this already enjoyable series. I do look forward to any additional stories set in this beautiful locale.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Susanne O'Leary is the bestselling author of more than twenty novels, mainly in the romantic fiction genre. She has also written three crime novels and two in the historical fiction genre. She has been the wife of a diplomat (still is), a fitness teacher and a translator. She now writes full-time from either of two locations, a ramshackle house in County Tipperary, Ireland or a little cottage overlooking the Atlantic in Dingle, County Kerry. When she is not scaling the mountains of said counties, or keeping fit in the local gym, she keeps writing, producing a book every six months.

Visit Susanne at her website, http://www.susanne-oleary.co.uk 
or her blog, http://bit.ly/11F4e4S 

Find her on Facebook, http://on.fb.me/1A2NAbr
and on Twitter, http://bit.ly/1rH67dK

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

BLOG TOUR - The Killer's Girl

 
DESCRIPTION:

‘Mama, wake up.’

The little girl reached for her mother’s face with one pudgy hand. But the eyes stayed closed, and the blood continued to trickle across the floor.

When the body of a young woman is found, tied to her bed and the victim of a brutal attack in her own home, Detective Morgan Brookes is sickened by what she finds as she searches the house. And unprepared for the nightmares it inspires about her childhood.

When the DNA collected gives a positive ID, Morgan can’t wait to put the attacker behind bars. But the person it matches to is already in prison. How could the DNA of someone who has been locked up for over twenty years have shown up in Morgan’s crime scene? And then they make another close match. To Morgan herself.

Faced with the impossible proof that she is somehow connected to this case, Morgan delves deep into the crimes of a killer who stalked the Lake District two decades ago. But distracted by the old case, she misses the signs that he has found a new victim. And when he strikes close to home, Morgan finally realises that she has been living on borrowed time. To find this killer, it’s clear she must confront the nightmares in her past…

A heart-racing, nerve-wracking crime thriller. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Patricia Gibney will be completely gripped.

BUY LINKS:


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title
:   The Killer's Girl
Author:  Helen Phifer
Series:  Detective Morgan Brooke, #2
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
Date of Publication:  December 10. 2020 
My Rating:   5 Stars

Detective Morgan Brookes is investigating another brutal murder case. Younger than her colleagues, she proves more than adept at any job at hand. However, as she vigilantly searches for a killer, along with her team, she soon discovers that she is facing someone closer to her than she could ever have imagined.

Morgan is faced with two dilemmas. The first is the positive hit on the DNA, yet it could not really be a match, could it? Secondly, Morgan has been beset by nightmares for years, always waking at a certain time of night. How these nightmares play into what is going on right now is rather chilling.

I loved Morgan's team members and their level of protectiveness. but I especially enjoyed Morgan's stubbornness when she would not back away from the danger that would no doubt soon envelope her. The convergence of past and present was laid out in thrilling fashion in this electrifying book by Helen Phifer. The first book in thise xciting series is One Left Alive, another equally captivatng book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Helen Phifer lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children.

Helen has always loved writing and reading. Her love of horror films and novels is legendary. Helen adores reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own. 

Author Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Helenphifer1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenphifer
Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenphifer1
Website: https://www.helenphifer.com

BLOG TOUR - Mine to Keep



DESCRIPTION:

Bonnie Drummond is from the wrong side of the tracks, raised in a family of liars and criminals. No matter how hard she tries to stay on the straight and narrow, she always finds herself sucked back into the family drama, forced to sacrifice everything she’s earned to protect her family.

But this time they’ve gone too far—crossed the wrong people—and to save them she’ll have to put her life on the line.

Roman Kozlov, enforcer for a New Orleans mafiya family, is the poster child for the life Bonnie is struggling to escape. But he's also as alluring as he is dangerous, and it doesn’t take long for their lives to begin to mesh.

With Roman, Bonnie finds the family she never had.

As their race for answers heats up, so too does the budding romance between them. And with danger nipping at her heels and love threatening her heart, Bonnie must come face-to-face with her past if she wants to have a future.

NOLA Knights
Book 1: His to Defend
Book 2: Hers to Tame
Book 3: Mine to Keep


BUY LINKS:


MY THOUGHTS:

Title:   Mine to Keep
Author:  Rhenna Morgan
Series:  NOLA Knights #3
Publisher:  Carina Press
Genre:   MysteryThrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   352
Date of Publication:   December 14, 2020
My Rating:   5 Stars

Bonnie Drummond pretty much has one focus in life, and that is of protecting her father and brother, despite the difficulties in life they've experienced, even if her family has brought certain things upon themselves. Bonnie is working two jobs to help out her family, despite the cost to herself. When something happens to them, she goes to the only really friend she has, Cassie. 

Never once did Bonnie realizing that turning to Cassie for help would change her life irrevocably. Cassie has a family that protects anyone in their net, even if their lifestyle is something that Bonnie could never have imagined. For starters, they have a wealth and standing Bonnie could not imagine, so she immediately feels she does not fit in. However, she needs their help, one way or another.

When she meets Ronan Kozlov, who a a mafioso, Bonnie wants to run in the opposite direction. After all, her hard work proves that she wants to lead a good life, one free of any deceit. Despite their major differences on that score, she is very drawn to Roman. At some point Bonnie sees that she cannot pull away from him, even if it means understanding things about his lifestyle.

I loved this book, as I did the first two books in this series, His to Defend and Hers to Tame, and those reviews are linked here. This story was just as exciting as the previous ones. One thing that really drew me to Mine to Keep is Roman's Alpha personality, with expressing like 'you will enjoy yourself'. Not sure why I enjoyed his demanding nature, but he proved to be the perfect match for Bonnie.

On the one hand, this book explored the undeniable connection between Bonnie and Roman, but it also pushed the levels of danger that landed right in front of Bonnie. The story was exciting from the very beginning and the tension never once let up. 

I am not certain if this series will be continuing,  but if it does, I am more than eager to read more, especially when knowing going in that the heroes are ultimate bad guys. Rhenna Morgan has written a compelling series thus far and pulled me right in just as Bonnie was pulled into a family that no doubt would always be wrought with danger.

Many thanks to Carina Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


 


Please enjoy the following excerpt:
She’d lost her damned mind. Or at least had temporary insanity—probably induced by too much adrenaline. One of the two had to be the problem, because Bonnie had sure as hell never been known to let her mouth run rampant the way it had in front of Roman and Cassie fifteen minutes ago.

Perched in the middle rear seat of Roman’s supped-up truck, Bonnie stilled her jiggling knee for the third time in five minutes and stared out her window for any sign of the massive Russian. “What’s he doing, anyway?”

Cassie twisted from the front passenger seat, the length of time it took for her gaze to come into focus making it seem she’d been somewhere else entirely. “Who, Roman?” She scanned the front yard and shrugged her shoulder. “No telling. Maybe looking for clues? Or he could just be making sure the place is all locked up.”

Now, that was funny. Almost impossible to laugh at considering the anvil sitting in her stomach, but funny, nonetheless. “There’s nothing in there worth stealing. My family’s more the transitory type when it comes to possessions.”

See? There it was again. Her mouthing off and sharing shit she’d held back for most of her life.

Cassie didn’t seem to notice. Just twisted in her seat and cocked her head to one side. “So, what do you think about Roman?”

That he’s huge, hot and could probably make Satan piss his pants.

Before the uncensored answer could jump past her lips, she rearranged her backpack lying across her thighs. “He seems…nice.”

“Nice?” Cassie echoed back with open disbelief. “That’s it?”

Okay, he’s intimidating as fuck and somehow made me blurt out all my family’s dirty laundry in less than three sentences.

Also not a wise confession.

“Well, what do you want me to say? My mind’s all screwed up after the day I’ve had. He could have polka dots and a unicorn horn sticking out of his head and I’d probably have missed it.”

Liar.

All right, fine. So, she’d taken a healthy inventory. He was at least six-foot-four, for Christ’s sake, and packed more muscle than that slick black suit of his had a prayer of hiding.

And those tattoos at the base of his fingers and on the backs of his hands…she had no clue what they were or meant, but they were sexy AF.

Cassie’s face sobered. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. I know you’re worried about your brother and dad, but I’ve wanted you to meet my family for so freaking long, I got carried away.”

Roman prowled into view from the far side of the with concentration.

Cassie followed Bonnie’s gaze out the windows, noted Roman’s trajectory toward the truck and lowered her voice. “You have to admit, though. He’s pretty handsome.”

Bonnie shook her head. “Handsome belongs on guys like Hugh Jackman and Orlando Bloom. That guy’s got badass motherfucker written all over him.”

Cassie’s head snapped back in surprise just as Roman opened the door and climbed into the cab.

Great. More verbal diarrhea. Though, she had a feeling Cassie didn’t take the comment the way she’d intended it. To Bonnie’s mind, Roman’s mega short dark hair and tightly cropped beard was hella hot, and he could probably sharpen a knife on the hard angles of his jawline. His eyes were killer, too. Hooded in a way that made you have to really work to figure out what color they were.

And for the record, she’d put in the effort.

Gunmetal gray.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native Oklahoman, Rhenna Morgan is a certified romance junkie. Whether it’s contemporary, paranormal, or fantasy you’re after, Rhenna’s stories pack romantic escape full of new, exciting worlds, and strong, intuitive men who fight to keep the women they want. For advance release news and exclusive content, sign up for her newsletter at http://RhennaMorgan.com. You'll also find all of her social links there, along with her smoking hot inspiration boards.

Connect with Rhenna Morgan
Website: http://rhennamorgan.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhennaMorgan 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RhennaMorgan 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhennamorgan/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8596977.Rhenna_Morgan 

Monday, December 14, 2020

BLOG TOUR - Saltwater Graves


DESCRIPTION:

Plunging under the cold ocean surface, her long blonde hair drags in the current and she frantically kicks towards the light. With her arms and legs tied she is helpless. As water fills her lungs, she has just one regret. She never told anyone about her date.

On a lonely stretch of coast at daybreak in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Detective Casey White is shocked to find the drowned body of a much-loved local woman, Ann Choplin, her beautiful face covered with specks of sand. The green and white rope binding her wrists reveals the terrifying truth that this innocent mother’s death was no accident.

With the incoming tide flooding the scene and swallowing all evidence, Casey’s team has nowhere to turn… but it’s Casey who realizes this beach will be devastatingly familiar to her partner, ex-sheriff Jericho Flynn. His wife was found murdered here years ago, thrown into the ocean alive just like Ann. But the twisted and jealous woman guilty of that crime has been in prison for years.

Days later, another woman is found drowned on the same beach, her wrists tied. Casey fears a copycat killer is on the loose, playing a deadly game with Jericho by digging up the horrors of his past.

Certain that finding a link between these women will crack the case, Casey works through the night digging into their lives and finds an old photo of the two victims at school together, smiling in their cheerleader uniforms. But cold betrayal floods Casey as she sees Jericho in the background. She’d thought it was safe to let him into her life, but he never once mentioned he knew the victims. What other secrets is he hiding?

When a coil of green and white rope is found in his garage, Casey’s whole team is convinced that the mounting evidence is stacked against Jericho. But with Casey’s instincts screaming that Jericho could never hurt anyone, it will mean risking her own career—and her life—to clear his name. If she’s wrong, she is placing her trust in a killer... but if she’s right, more innocent women are in terrible danger.

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller, with twists and turns that will leave you breathless. Fans of Robert Dugoni, Kendra Elliot and Rachel Caine will be addicted.


BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08HNJ3JNLSocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/52CV50BlFeU
Kobo: http://ow.ly/3joj50BlFap
Google: http://ow.ly/B1i050BlMq4


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title
:   Saltwater Graves
Author:  B. R. Spangler
Series:  Detective Case White #3
Publisher:  Bookouture
Genre:   Mystery/Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
Date of Publication:   December 14, 2020
My Rating:   5 Stars

In this gripping book by B. R. Spangler, Detective Casey White begins an investigation after a woman is found drowned, murdered. Not only is it immediately clear that the case of death was indeed murder, Casey sees a connection to her romantic partner, and fellow law enforcement, Jericho Flynn's wife's murder of a couple of years ago.

Not only is Casey in a race against time searching for the murderer, things are complicated in her personal life. Recently reunited with her daughter Hannah, after being kidnapped years ago. Casey is also navigating hr personal relationship with Jericho and the changes this makes to her life.

One additional layer to this intense story is who Casey is forced to communicate with about the victims currently being murdered. All of these things together worked very well to create a tension-filled story that kept me turning pages faster and faster.  I was drawn to Casey from previous installments in this series, but this book really hit me hard. There are sharp emotional edges to this story, making it a stellar read, one that brought a lot of emotions up in me. 

With a shocking conclusion, I am more than eager to read the next book in this series. I really need to see what Casey and Jericho have in store for the future.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

B.R. Spangler here. I'm a resident of Virginia along with my family, five cats, two birds, a hamster, and a lizard. During the day, I work as an engineer and spend my off hours writing, editing, and thinking up the next great story.

I split my time across pen names, writing crime thrillers, science fiction, horrors, paranormal and contemporary fiction.

Author Social Media Links:

To keep up to date, sign up for his newsletter by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://brspangler.com/sign-up/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BR_Spangler
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/authorbrianspangler/

Thursday, December 10, 2020

BLOG TOUR - How to Fail at Flirting

Title
:   How to Fail at Flirting
Author:  Denise Williams
Publisher:  Berkley
Genre:   Women's Fiction; Romance
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   336
Date of Publication:   December 1, 2020
My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

One daring to-do list and a crash course in flirtation turn a Type A overachiever’s world upside down.

When her flailing department lands on the university's chopping block, Professor Naya Turner’s friends convince her to shed her frumpy cardigan for an evening on the town. For one night her focus will stray from her demanding job and she’ll tackle a new kind of to-do list. When she meets a charming stranger in town on business, he presents the perfect opportunity to check off the items on her list. Let the guy buy her a drink. Check. Try something new. Check. A no-strings-attached hookup. Check…almost.

Jake makes her laugh and challenges Naya to rebuild her confidence, which was left toppled by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Soon she’s flirting with the chance at a more serious romantic relationship—except nothing can be that easy. The complicated strings around her dating Jake might destroy her career.

Naya has two options. She can protect her professional reputation and return to her old life or she can flirt with the unknown and stay with the person who makes her feel like she's finally living again.


BUY LINK:
https://amzn.to/3qN7jgf


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Thinking I was going into a lightweight romance, with some hot moments, turned into an emotional read for me. Naya Turner is a professor working hard at tenure, despite a seriously troubled past in her previous relationship. She has spent a few years alone, finding life easier to navigate. When her best friend and husband practically dare her to cross a few things off of a list that would make her an expert at flirting, her life changes, and not always for the best.

While at a bar one night, she decides to put things to the test and flirts with a handsome stranger. She has a checklist on her phone, and in her mind, and the guy, Jake, is perfect for what she has in mind. However, her baggage is quite heavy and things become complicated very quickly. 

Not only do things progress rapidly with Naya and Jake, there are some things in the way. The most important issue is Naya's job, so her continued relationship with Jake just might cost her everything. So, not only is Naya gravely concerned about her job, her past lands right in front of her, causing her great angst.

It is this aspect of the story that drew me the most. Her ex, Davis, was a real piece of work and it nearly broke my heart watching Naya navigate her way around her past and present. So, how will Naya handle issues at her job, her past with Davis, and most importantly, her growing attachment to Jake?

This book no doubt comes with a trigger warning due to the abusive relationship that Naya survived. The fact that it was not truly behind her brought tears to my mind more than once. I love that Jake was the kind of guy he was, but truly hoped that Naya could learn to trust again so that what they had could lead to a wonderful future. Well, I was not disappointed. I absolutely loved the conclusion of this book, although my heart was in my throat while reading it. How to Fail at Flirting is a fabulous debut novel that I will remember for a long time to come. 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Denise Williams wrote her first book in the 2nd grade. I Hate You and its sequel, I Still Hate You, featured a tough, funny heroine, a quirky hero, witty banter, and a dragon. Minus the dragons, these are still the books she likes to write. After penning those early works, she finished second grade and eventually earned a PhD in education, going on to work in higher education. After growing up a military brat around the world and across the country, Denise now lives in Des Moines, Iowa with her husband, son, and two ornery shih-tzus who think they own the house.

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

SPOTLIGHT TOUR and GIVEAWAY - The Villainous Viscount


The Villainous Viscount Or The Curse Of The Venns by Lucinda Elliot

Publication Date: February 24, 2017
Paperback & eBook; 284 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-0992736156

Genre: Fiction/Satire/Gothic/Romance


An appreciative satire of the cliches of traditional Gothic.

When Clarissa Greendale inherits the fortune of disreputable uncle she hardly knows, she does not expect to find herself forced into marriage with an aristocratic fortune hunter and wild, brawling, debauched social outcast. Still, she has always found Harley Venn set off the most unmaidenly tinglings in her; that is one consolation.

Yet neither did Clarinda expect to inherit the legacy of evil from half a century before. For the wicked if beguiling Lord Venn seems to have inherited a family curse, which, having dispatched the main perpetrators of the old crime, now moves on to their heirs, who are just as wild a set of rakes as their elders. There are rumours of violent deaths preceded by appearances from an inexorable hooded spectre, of inexplicable strikes of lightning, and of haunted mirrors.

The light-hearted Harley Venn dismisses all these as conjuring tricks. He even hires a drunken charlatan of a professional magician to prove it.

Clarinda is far from sure that there is any rational explanation. Still, it would take more than an enforced marriage to an incorrigible pugilistic libertine or persecution from malevolent spectres to damage her steely nerves and sense of the ridiculous.

This lively Gothic comedy, written as a good natured satire, gives the reader a kind and courageous heroine, a rascally but beguiling anti-hero and an authentic historical background to the delightfully over-the-top adventures, a cast of wholly believable characters, an engaging love story and many chills on its way to its tumultuous conclusion.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble



Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 7
Review at Probably at the Library

Tuesday, December 8
Guest Post at Novels Alive

Wednesday, December 9
Review at Robin Loves Reading

Thursday, December 10
Review at Jessica Belmont
Feature at I'm Into Books

Friday, December 11
Interview at Books & Benches

Monday, December 14
Review at Novels Alive

Tuesday, December 15
Review at Rajiv's Reviews

Wednesday, December 16
Review at Bookworlder
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Review at A Darn Good Read

Giveaway

Enter to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on December 16th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Villainous Viscount 


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lucinda Elliot loves writing Gothic style stories, which isn't surprising because she was brought up in a series of big old isolated houses which her parents were refurbishing (it wasn't so fashionable back then). After that, she lived, studied and worked in London for many years and now lives in Mid Wales with her family.

She loves writing about strong women to complement gung-ho males.

Her interests do include weight training and body shaping,and she was once a champion Sportsfighter, but apart from that her interests are quite geeky. Reading classic novels, conservation, gardening, and even names and their meanings (bring on the carrot juice). She loves a laugh above anything.

For more information, please visit Lucinda's website. You can also find her on FacebookTwitter, and Goodreads.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

BLOG TOUR - Mystery at the Old Mill



DESCRIPTION:

When the calm of Saxford St Peter is disrupted by a deadly fire at the Old Mill, amateur sleuth Eve Mallow finds herself investigating a most surprising mystery!

Everyone in Saxford St Peter is desperate to know more about Harry Tennant, the newcomer who owns the Old Mill. He usually keeps himself to himself, but he’s finally invited the villagers round for drinks, and Eve Mallow isn’t the only one looking forward to having some questions answered.

But two days before the party, a terrible fire sweeps through the mill, and Harry is found dead. When Eve passes the burned remains of his beautiful house, she can’t resist the call to investigate. Especially when it turns out quiet, charming Harry was living a double life as the famous advice writer Pippa Longford. Eve has to wonder what revelations were contained in the letters he received… and whether one of them was worth killing for.

Accompanied by her reliable dachshund sidekick Gus, Eve starts digging. She soon realises Harry was at the centre of a web of lives – and lies. There’s an uncle desperate to inherit, two women who thought they were his one and only, not to mention everyone who shared their darkest secrets with him. Was one of those strangers much closer to home than Harry knew? And can Eve untangle the truth before she finds herself face to face with a killer?

A completely charming page-turner, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Agatha Christie and Betty Rowlands.


BUY LINK:
https://geni.us/B08CBHCRSGSocial


Title
:   Mystery at the Old Mill

Author:  Clare Chase
Series:  Eve Mallow Mystery #3
Genre:   Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  Bookouture
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   319
Date of Publication:   December 7, 2020
My Rating:   4 Stars

MY THOUGHTS:

Eve Mallow doesn't just write amazing obituaries, her job goes further than that. In fact, she is pretty much a detective, because before she can even begin writing about the deceased she wants to get to know them in order to form a full picture of their life. By so doing, she digs deep. In the case of the current death, Harry Tennant, he happens to be a man Eve recently met. She found him to be quite a likeable guy and was rather shocked when she found out he was dead.

Just like several times before while Eve begins asking questions, she quickly learns that Harry was indeed murdered. What is more is that she discovered that he was living a double life as Pippa Longford, a famous writer. Something Harry was up to was enough to get him murdered, and Eve is determined to find out what exactly that was.

Eve will go to any lengths possible to find the answers, and relies on communication with former policeman Robin for assistance. All the while she has her adorable dachshund Gus by her side. Also, Eve has to deal with some personal matters along the way.

In this terrific addition to a delightful series, I enjoyed watching Eve successfully maneuver her way through, even though she found danger along the way. I am loving this series and am looking forward to the next installment. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Clare Chase writes women sleuth mysteries. After graduating from London University with a degree in English Literature, Clare moved to Cambridge and has lived there ever since. She's fascinated by the city's contrasts and contradictions, which feed into her writing. She's worked in diverse settings - from the 800-year-old University to one of the local prisons - and lived everywhere from the house of a Lord to a slug-infested flat. The terrace she now occupies, with her husband and teenage children, presents a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people's books.


You can find Clare's website and blog at www.clarechase.com


Author Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareChase_
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10204574.Clare_Chase
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClareChaseAuthor/


Sunday, December 6, 2020

BLOG TOUR - NET FORCE: Attack Protocol


DESCRIPTION:

The cutting-edge Net Force thriller series, created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik and written by Jerome Preisler reveals the invisible battlefield where the war for global dominance is fought.

In the wake of stunning terrorist attacks around the world, Net Force jumps into action. The president’s new cybersecurity agency homes in on a dangerous figure operating in the shadows of the Carpathian mountains. And he’s ready to strike again, using the digital space to advance his destructive goals.

But before Net Force can get boots on the ground, the master hacker and his cadre mount a devastating high tech assault against the agency’s military threat-response unit. Has a Net Force insider turned traitor? The stakes are suddenly ratcheted higher when a global syndicate of black hat hackers and a newly belligerent Russia hatch an ambitious scheme to plunge the United States into a crippling war—one that will leave Moscow and its Dark Web allies supreme.

Their attack protocol: to seize control of the Internet, and open the door for a modern, nuclear Pearl Harbor…unless the men and women of Net Force can stop them.

BUY LINKS:

MY THOUGHTS:
 
Title
:   NET FORCE: Attack Protocol
Author:  Jerome Preisler
Series:  Net Force
Publisher:  Hanover Square Press
Genre:   Action/Thriller
Format:  Kindle AR
No. of Pages:   416
Date of Publication:   December 1, 2020
My Rating:   4 Stars

In this thrilling book by Jerome Preisler, there is a new cybersecurity team in action referred to as Net Force. Criminals are more than active when it comes to the president and his people and the agents at Net Force are tasked with digital warfare.

As if what is going on in Washington, D.C. is not enough to keep people up all hours, there is something drastic taking place in Central Europe, and this begins to cast doubt on one of Net Force's members. Who is responsible for both attacks and will Net Force not only come out on top and will they be able to save countless lives?

This book was no easy read for me as it is part of a long-running series where I had not read any of the prior books. In fact, I started it over at about 30% into reading it. I am glad I did because this gave me a much better feel for understanding this techno-thriller, all while feeling the intense sense of thrilling drama from beginning to end. The action was nonstop. I will say that the characterization was a bit tough to catch on to, but once I did I was able to find myself fully engrossed in this exciting book.

I love technology so this book appealed to me and kept me in great suspense as to who the hacker could be that was possible for the events in both the U.S. and Europe. Things came to a thrilling conclusion, but not without dropping a couple of bread crumbs making me more than eager for the next installment in this series.

Many thanks to Hanover Square Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy the following excerpt:
1

Satu Mare District, Romania

The first snowfall of the season was dusting the banks of the Somes River when a catastrophic failure struck the power grid, plunging the western third of the country into darkness.

Nicu Borgos was just an hour into his midnight shift when things went wrong. An operator for Satu Mare District’s Electrica Power Distribution Center, he was tired from caring for his daughter, who was seven and sick with the flu. His wife, Balia, a sales clerk at a clothing store, was also miserably under the weather, and he had been doing his best to help her as well. But money was tight and, like him, Balia needed to work and bring in a paycheck.

The night before, she had come home from the shop, put chest rub on Angela, tucked her in, showered, and climbed into bed with her dinner untouched. Nicu normally slept until 9:00 p.m. or even a little later, but the sounds Angela was making in her room concerned him. He had lost his dear mother to the pandemic three years ago, and the outbreaks still could be vicious.

Taking no chances, he’d resolved to stay up to check on the child, poking his head through the doorway every fifteen or twenty minutes. It was a while before she settled in.

So Nicu was worn out and bleary, which might have been why he doubted his eyes when he saw the cursor suddenly drifting across his screen. The computer was networked into the energy grid, and the numbered blue buttons on its display controlled the circuit breakers for ten substations throughout the county—an area of almost seventeen hundred square miles, with some three hundred thousand residents.

The cursor landed on the switch for Substation One. Clicked. A dialogue window opened below the button:

Warning: Opening the breaker will result in

complete shutdown. Do you wish to proceed?

YES NO

Reaching for his mouse, Nicu tried to drag the cursor out of the window, thinking its driver might have developed a minor glitch. But it remained there…and slid to Yes.

He quickly swiped the mouse across its pad, wanting to move the cursor to No.

It stayed on Yes. Clicked. The dialogue box vanished, and the button for Substation One changed from blue to red.

Nicu inhaled. He had been an operator at the distribution center for half a decade and did not need to bring up a map to see the region each substation covered. The map was already in his head.

Substation One was Lazuli, a rural commune of six villages to the extreme north, near the Ukrainian and Hungarian borders. Its six thousand residents had now gone off-line. Even as Nicu registered this, the on-screen cursor jumped to the Substation Two button.

He snatched up the mouse in desperation, lifting it above the pad. It made no difference. The cursor clicked. Opened another dialogue window requesting confirmation. Went to Yes again.

Click.

Blue turned to red, and Nicu Borgos watched Substation Two go down in an instant.

“Draga meu Domnezeu,” he rasped. “My dear God.”

Substation Two was the city of Satu Mare itself. With a population of one hundred thousand—a full third of the county’s inhabitants—it was now completely dark.

Nicu tried to think clearly. During the day, the operating station would have two people on shift. There was a second computer to his left, with a separate monitor. Possibly the problem was only with his machine. If he could log in to the system using the other computer, he might prevent more breakers from tripping open.

He rolled his chair in front of it, tapped the keyboard. The computer came out of idle showing the operator log-in screen. He entered his username and password.

A Wrong Password notification flashed on-screen.

He slowly retyped the password, thinking he might have entered a wrong character in his haste.

The notification appeared again. He was locked out of the system.

Nicu sat up straight, his spine a stiff rod of tension. His original machine showed that Substation Three, which provided power to Negresti Oas’s twelve thousand citizens, was down. He glanced at its screen just in time to see the cursor move to Substation Four…the distribution station for the commune Mediesu Aurit’s seven villages. The two stations combined served more than twenty thousand customers.

He remembered that tonight’s temperature was forecast to drop below freezing in the mountain areas, and felt suddenly helpless. Whatever was causing the shutdowns, he could not deal with the growing emergency himself.

His heart pounding, he reached for the hotline to call his supervisor.

The black BearCat G3 bore north on the unmarked strip of macadam that linked Satu Mare City to the tiny farming village of Rosalvea in the Carpathian foothills. Its windshield wipers beating off fat, wet flutters of snow, the vehicle moved smoothly and quietly for a big four-tonner armored with hardened ballistic steel panels.

At the wheel was Scott Dixon of the CIA’s elite manhunting Fox Team, recently placed under operational detachment to Net Force. Kali Alcazar sat beside him. In her late twenties, she had short silver-white hair and wore a black stealthsuit and lightweight plate vest. They were standard organizational issue. A Victorian English adventurer’s belt and a vintage film-canister pendant hanging from her neck were personal additions.

“How we doing timewise?” Dixon asked.

Kali looked at her dash screen. On it was the same controller’s interface Nicu Borgos was struggling with at the power distribution center. A moment ago she had seen the circuits trip in rapid succession.

“Pickles,” she said. Using the unfortunate name given to the vehicle’s AI by its architect, Sergeant Julio Fernandez.

“Yes, K?”

“Outlier,” she corrected. Using the dark web handle she had long ago created for herself.

“Yes, K.”

“Bring up the Satu Mare power grid.”

“Yes, K.”

She clicked her tongue. Fernandez had infused the AI with one too many of his stubbornly aggravating personality traits. But the upside was that, like Julio, it was also smart, nuanced, and intuitive. She could live with it.

In front of her now, the panel on-screen was replaced by a sector-by-sector map of the region, its cities and towns numbered according to the substations that supplied their electricity. The five already off-line were black, the rest red.

She watched as a sixth went dark.

“Over half the stations are down,” she said. “Total blackout in about five minutes.”

“Bitter cold out, a quarter million people without light or heat,” Dixon said. “Women, children, seniors. All for the sake of bagging one guy.”

She glanced over at him. “The hackers—the technologie vampiri—are the local economy. The government protects them. The polizei, the citizens, everyone.”

He shrugged with his hands on the wheel. She was right. Suspicions definitely would have been raised at the syndicate’s current headquarters— the Wolf’s Lair—if they only cut power to its surrounding village.

“I get it,” he said. “Still tough.”

“Tougher than it was on New York?”

Dixon didn’t answer. Four months ago the vampiri had launched a cyberattack that left the East Coast a shambles, killed hundreds, and almost took out the President. Now his team’s pursuit of the Wolf had led them out here to the Romanian boonies, making them key players in the first fully integrated operation conducted by the various elements of America’s new Department of Internet Security and Law Enforcement. Net Force, in bureaucratic government shorthand.

He really did get it.

The BearCat rolled between the gigantic evergreens standing sentinel on either side of the road. In the rear compartment, Gregg Long, Fox Team, sat with a small detachment on loan from Task Force Quickdraw—six men in tactical gear with Mark 18 CQBR carbines strapped over their shoulders and short-barreled Mossberg 590 combat shotguns racked to the sides of the passenger compartment.

“Distance to the target?” Dixon asked after a few minutes.

This time Kali skipped the AI, tapping her computer keyboard for the GPS sat map. “Thirty-two miles.”

Dixon nodded and checked the speedometer. He was doing about fifty. So a little over half an hour.

Taking his hand off the wheel, he adjusted his earpiece and hailed Carmody on the ground-to-air.

Excerpted from Net Force: Attack Protocol created by Tom Clancy & Steve Piecznik, written by Jerome Preisler. Copyright © 2020 by Netco Partners Published by Hanover Square Press


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jerome Preisler is the prolific author of almost forty books of fiction and narrative nonfiction, including all eight novels in the New York Times bestselling TOM CLANCY'S POWER PLAYS series. His latest book is DARK WEB, the first novel in a relaunch of the New York Times bestselling NET FORCE series co-created Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik. Forthcoming in November 2020 is his next NET FORCE novel, ATTACK PROTOCOL. Jerome lives in New York City and coastal Maine.