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Books For Review – Week of February 25th

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Shot to Pieces
Michael O’Keefe
Lulu Publishing
Mystery & Thrillers

SHOT TO PIECES is the story of NYPD 1st Grade Detective Padraig Joseph Durr. Durr is tasked with solving a particularly grisly gang-related homicide in Brooklyn. When Paddy catches the squeal, he is also on the verge of an emotional and psychological breakdown. Because of his penchant for self-destruction, fueled by a childhood of abuse and sexual exploitation, coupled with an ingrained sense of worthlessness and abandonment, Durr has brought his entire life to the brink of ruin. Can he hold it together long enough to solve this murder? Can he fix himself enough to be reunited with the one true love of his life and his family? Or will he implode, irrevocably destroying his career, his family and himself?

An Angel’s Redemption
Annalisa Russo
The Wild Rose Press
Romance, Women’s Fiction

Michael Vincente Cavelli would have been happy as a farmer. Instead, he has a lot on his plate. For starters, he’s the only rational Cavelli male, the one who inherited the mantle of patriarch at a young age, not only running the family’s successful dairy, but overseeing the lives of his large and unruly family. If that isn’t enough, someone is out to cripple his business. So when a redheaded siren appears at his door the morning of his sister’s wedding, he wonders about the deity’s sense of humor.

As one of the few female doctors in Chicago in 1925, Faith Truitt has something to prove, and she can’t afford to make a mistake that would destroy her career, like getting married. Everything was looking jake until Michael Cavelli opened his door that fateful morning and pulled her into the crosshairs of lies and treachery reaching back a generation—and into the whirlwind of a desire she cannot deny.

No-one Ever Has Sex at a Wedding
by Tracy Bloom
Bookouture
Romantic Comedy, Women’s Fiction

In Katy’s opinion, weddings should follow some basic rules:

1) No-one should ever have sex. Of course. The married couple has the rest of their lives for that, and the guests should be too busy partying.

2) If you are heavily pregnant (as Katy is) you should obviously not be invited to three weddings in the space of one summer. Your husband’s accident-prone best friend, your attention-seeking colleague, your 73-year-old mother’s marriage to her Spanish toy boy – all without even an alcoholic drink to make them bearable.

3) During the speeches, it should not be revealed that you had a secret one-night-stand with one of the other guests.

4) Instead of laying bets on the length of the best man’s speech, guests should not be laying bets on whether a marriage will be in ruins before the end of the meal…

But this summer, Katy is lucky enough to be the special guest at the weddings that break ALL of the rules. What could possibly go wrong?

From the no. 1 bestselling author of No-one Ever Has Sex on a Tuesday, this book will make you laugh until you cry. Perfect for fans of Nick Spalding, Marian Keyes and Gill Sims.

This Can’t Be Happening Collection – True stories, from bad to worse

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Two Henry’s
By Kevin Allison

Coming out can be awkward enough—let alone coming out in the 1970s, in Ohio, as a Catholic schoolboy. In this fearless and funny true story, the host and founder of the hit podcast RISK! shares all.

From first grade through junior high, twelve-year-old Kevin and his best friend, Ben, were inseparable. But when Kevin divulged his biggest secret, Ben froze him out. The pint-size cold war lasted two years—until they went head-to-head for student council president. Team Ben’s smear campaign began. The school took sides. And Kevin decided to run with it.

Kevin Allison’s Two Henrys is part of This Can’t Be Happening, a collection of four true stories about making the best of a worst-case scenario curated by Kevin Allison, creator of the hit true storytelling podcast RISK! Outrageous, alarming, triumphant, and sometimes embarrassing, these fearless confessionals can be read, or listened to, in one what-on-earth-would-I-do? sitting.

Identity Thief
By Rachel Rosenthal

Who would want to steal the identity of a minimum-wage employee at a children’s museum? In this harrowing real-life detective story, a woman searches for the truth, clue after startling clue.

Rachel hit the jackpot with her doting fiancé, Zach, who was starting a promising new political career at the Massachusetts State House. Then came money problems—Rachel’s was mysteriously disappearing, bank account by new bank account. She and Zach, her only lifeline, decided to play amateur sleuths. And they had to act fast. Because Rachel’s crippling paranoia was growing. She was losing more than money. She was starting to lose herself.

Rachel Rosenthal’s Identity Thief is part of This Can’t Be Happening, a collection of four true stories about making the best of a worst-case scenario curated by Kevin Allison, creator of the hit true storytelling podcast RISK! Outrageous, alarming, triumphant, and sometimes embarrassing, these fearless confessionals can be read, or listened to, in one what-on-earth-would-I-do? sitting.

The Third Man
By Mani Sheriar

What would happen if your baby’s birth father represented everything you despised and feared? In this profound and heartrending story, an adoptive mother is forced to discover the answer.

After years of infertility, Mani and her husband, David, decided to adopt. When they matched with a teen mother, they were overjoyed, until the likely birth father contested. Frank was a violent white supremacist who had no intention of relinquishing parental rights. With tenuous hope and consuming dread, Mani now had to go head-to-head with a hateful stranger. And she was totally unprepared for where it would lead.

Mani Sheriar’s The Third Man is part of This Can’t Be Happening, a collection of four true stories about making the best of a worst-case scenario curated by Kevin Allison, creator of the hit true storytelling podcast RISK! Outrageous, alarming, triumphant, and sometimes embarrassing, these fearless confessionals can be read, or listened to, in one what-on-earth-would-I-do? sitting.

Black Sheep
By Rory Scholl

An irresponsible twentysomething comic and his equally shameless grandmother join forces as proud pariahs in this dark and rowdy story of dicey family ties, kindred spirits, bad behavior, and bribery.

When Rory’s judgmental mother told him that he took after his grandma Evelyn, he took it as a compliment. The ninety-two-year-old cocktail-toting, offtrack-betting party girl was every bit the troublemaker he was. When she landed at a dead-end nursing home, Rory jumped at the chance to liven things up for bored Evelyn—with vodka, scratch-offs, bingo, and gaming. But even in this modest assisted-living casino, the risk of betrayal was a gamble.

Rory Scholl’s Black Sheep is part of This Can’t Be Happening, a collection of four true stories about making the best of a worst-case scenario curated by Kevin Allison, creator of the hit true storytelling podcast RISK! Outrageous, alarming, triumphant, and sometimes embarrassing, these fearless confessionals can be read, or listened to, in one what-on-earth-would-I-do? sitting.

Read The Entire Collection

Books For Review – Week of February 18th

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As The Flowers Bloom
Cheryl T. Long
Fiction, Urban Drama

Living in a two parent home would seem ideal, but for this little girl.

Cherish Flowers is a six-year-old child prostitute trafficked by her father, and her mother knew about it. Although severely sexually and mentally abused, she finds a way to deal with her life as it is. She takes solace in her ability to dance.

Cherish is in love with the dancing, but can she survive the daily travails of her life?

With no formal training other than her passion for dancing, Cherish has finally gotten her big break, but it might cost her everything. Unable, to put the nightmares of her past and the man that abused her out of her mind, she soon finds herself spiraling under those bright lights.

Will this flower bloom? Or will she wilt?

Bonfires of the gods
Andrew Eseimokumo Oki
Carline Fhurst Publishing LLC
Publication Date Jan 4, 2019
World Literature

In the wake of violent outbursts over the creation of a new local government area by the then military regime, two warring tribes, the Ijaws and the Itsekiris with an age-old ax to grind come head to head in a bloody and brutal battle for land ownership throwing a once peaceful and lovable city into chaos.

Set in March of 1997 in the war-torn city of Warri, Nigeria, BONFIRES OF THE GODS tell heartrending fictitious accounts of real-life experiences of people who had suffered great losses during the violent outrage. It tells a story of love and hate, of life and death, and of a quest for survival in one’s own homeland.

Then Came You
A Laws of Attraction Novel
by Kate Meader
Random House Publishing Group – Loveswept
Romance , Women’s Fiction

Aubrey Gates is the hottest divorce lawyer in Chicago, a barb-tongued stiletto with legs that go on for miles. When her cool gray eyes meet mine across the battlefield, I want her like I’ve never wanted anyone or anything. Then I remember who she is: the woman who brought me to my knees. The woman who destroyed my faith in relationships.

The woman I used to call . . . wife.

And she needs a favor from me, Grant Lincoln.

It seems my ex forgot to mention the demise of our marriage to her dear old grammy, and now we’re both expected to attend her ninetieth birthday party. In Boston. And because it isn’t already awkward enough, Aubrey and I are driving there together from Chicago. That’s more than a thousand miles of tension, heartbreak, and barely concealed lust.

A little piece of paper might say we’re over, but this road trip is the true test. I intend to get my wife back . . . and I won’t stop until “I do.”

Kate Meader’s super-sexy Laws of Attraction novels can be read together or separately:
DOWN WITH LOVE • ILLEGALLY YOURS • THEN CAME YOU

From Million-Copy Bestseller Matthew Mather – Polar Vortex

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A flight disappears over the North Pole. No distress calls. Vanished into thin air.

Mitch Matthews is a writer struggling to make ends meet when his wife’s brother Josh offers them a first-class seat on a flight from Hong Kong to New York. When his wife needs to stay behind, it becomes an opportunity for some quality daddy-daughter time with his five-year-old Lilly.

At check-in, they run into a strange Norwegian arguing with a huge Russian. A mysterious redhead is guarding a package in the business lounge. But everything is fine, until…

Within hours of Allied Airlines 695 disappearing, a massive international search is launched. Aircraft and ships are dispatched from Russia, China, America, Canada, and Norway.

How can a modern airliner simply vanish in one of the most heavily monitored places on Earth? Right in the middle of an area overflown by dozens of satellites from as many nations, ringed by Cold War-era radar and missile installations?

Reader Reviews

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “A master class of storytelling. Twists and turns and almost non-stop action set against a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end about what happened. ” New York Times and USA Today bestseller Nicholas Sansbury Smith

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Relentlessly entertaining thriller from start to finish–the story grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Thought provoking and packed with unexpected twists.” USA Today bestseller Steven Konkoly

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ “Matthew Mather is much more than just a successful writer of speculative fiction…his writing in many ways feels prescient. A wildly creative imagination, smart ideas, a gift for conversational interplay, and keen sense of timing, make his worlds come alive…traits that make Matthew’s books so poignant to a very large audience.” Grady Harp, Hall of Fame Top 100 Reviewer, Amazon Vine Voice

Buy Links:

About the Author:

Matthew Mather is the best-selling author of CyberStorm, recently acquired for film by 20th Century Fox, and the six-part hit series Atopia Chronicles. He is also a leading member of the world’s cybersecurity community who started out his career working at the McGill Center for Intelligent Machines.

He went on to found one of the first tactile interface companies, which became the world leader in its field, as well as creating a major award-winning brain training video game. In between he’s worked in a variety of start-ups,everything from computational nanotechnology to electronic health records, weather prediction systems to genomics, and even social intelligence research.

You can reach him here > Contact Matt

He works with Janklow & Nesbit as literary agents (for domestic and foreign) and with Hotchkiss and Associates for film. Please email Matthew at the email supplied above if you are interested in foreign, domestic, film or TV rights and he will put you in touch with the appropriate people.

His writing credits include CyberStorm, and the six-part #1 best-selling Atopia Chronicles series. He spends his time between Charlotte, NC, and Montreal, QC, hanging out with his bright and beautiful girlfriend Julie and their three dogs and a cat.

Translated into sixteen languages, with 20th Century Fox now developing his second novel, CyberStorm, for a major film release, Matthew Mather’s books are sold worldwide. He began his career at the McGill Center for Intelligent Machines, then started several high-tech ventures in everything from computational nanotechnology to electronic health records, weather prediction systems to genomics, and even designed an award-winning brain-training video game. He now works as a full-time author of speculative fiction.

Find Matthew Online:

New YA Fantasy Coming April 2019 – Bobby Ether and the Jade Academy

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When sixteen-year-old Bobby Ether is abducted and brought to the secluded Jade Academy in Tibet, monks teach him and other special students how to tap into their Anima—the universal energy that connects all living things. But the headmistress of the academy is secretly exploiting the students, looking for genetic triggers to create a new breed of humans with metaphysical abilities. As his powers increase, Bobby is thrust into a cesspool of conspiracy, lies, and betrayal. A jade amulet left by his clairvoyant grandfather may provide answers, but what exactly is his family’s connection to this mysterious place?

Can Bobby master his talents in time to uncover the truth? If not, his fate—and the fate of the entire Jade Academy—may be sealed.