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Books For Review – Week of August 19th

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Scott Free
By Nkosi Ife Bandele
Publisher: Crimson Cloak Publishing
Published: June 2019
ISBN: 978-1681605340 (pb)
ISBN: 978-1681605333 (ebook)
Pages: 136
Genre: Literary Fiction

Scott Free chronicles the life of a near thirty New York City filmmaker, ironically stuck working the concession stand at an upscale movie theater,, trying to negotiate his dead end relationships, too. He hops a “Greyhound $99 Special” en route to Hollywood, but in failing to reach the stars he lands on his knees, down and out in the San Francisco cleaning toilets and realizing that his life West resembles his life East as there’s really no escaping oneself.

Because of You
Drake Isle, Book 1
By Allie Boniface
Publisher: DFM Publishing
Release Date: October 15, 2019
ASIN: B07VN8LMK5
Pages: 250
Genre: Romance

Ten years ago, Piper Townsend fell to her death from the top of a fraternity house, and no one on Drake Isle has ever been the same. Blake Carter’s fraternity was scandalized. Misterion College closed down altogether. And Blake’s girlfriend, Emerson Doyle, fled the island after her best friend died and never looked behind her.

Now they’re back.

Blake’s the CEO of a multi-million dollar tech firm looking to relocate to the island. Emerson owns a yoga studio in the building he wants to buy. They haven’t spoken in ten years. They’re on opposite sides of the bargaining table.

But old flames die hard.

And the more Blake and Emerson fight both the past and each other, the more they realize that coming to terms with tragedy is their only chance of finding love again…

Tides of Time
(The Legacy Series #1)
by Luna Joya
City Owl Press
Release Date: August 20, 2019

A witchy good girl hiding secrets from her family…

Cami yearns for a regular, ho hum, average life. Or at least as normal as she can get in a family of witches. But she can’t tell her sisters about her violent ex. Or that she broke the first rule of magic to “harm none.” Yet, when her youngest sister asks for help unraveling the death of a 1930’s star abused by loved ones, Cami can’t refuse.

A reformed bad boy who doesn’t know his family’s hidden secrets…

Sam lives for his restaurant and the intrigue of digging into Hollywood history. He avoids the entanglements of relationships since even his own parents didn’t want him. But when the enchanting Cami needs his help to crack an unsolved mystery, he can’t resist. The closer they come to finding the killer, the more they crave each other. But someone is determined to stop them.

Can they solve the mystery before history repeats itself?

Books For Review – Week of August 12th

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MARI, Why I Needed to Return from the Future
By Winfried Sedhoff
Publisher: Senraan Publishing
Published: June 2019
ISBN: 978-0994609120
ASIN: B07T2WXH3B
Pages: 220
Genre: Time Travel Sci-fi Romance

What if you discovered your greatest potential for self-realization and happiness was tied to a woman living over a hundred years before you were born?

Earth, 2184 AD. Ben Ecclestone is an advanced arbitrator, trained to keep the peace and to assist others in fulfilling their most heartfelt desires. Offered the opportunity to be Earth’s new ambassador in an enlightened and distant world, Ben embarks on his first interworld mission.

Disaster strikes and his ship crashes through time and space to Brisbane, 2020 AD. Stranded in a city of skyscrapers, digitally-connected loneliness, and rampant dissatisfaction, Ben doesn’t expect to meet a woman like Mari. She is young, vibrant and passionate—with a mysterious past. He is a confirmed celibate. Together they discover a depth of connection and intrigue beyond his wildest imaginings.

Abducted back to his own era by the History Rescue Unit, Ben grasps one desperate chance to persuade another arbitrator to permit the fulfilment of his dreams. But his return to the past could unravel the time thread and threaten the lives and wellbeing of billions.

What is the secret of Mari’s true identity and origin? And will Ben bow to the greater good or reclaim a love beyond compare?

Two Journeys
By Clemens P. Suter
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1468122787 (pb)
ISBN: 978-1452323633 (ebook)
ASIN: B00531REC8
Pages: 550
Genre: Adventure, Thriller

A man left alone on earth.

Alan is visiting Japan on business. After the outbreak of a pandemic, he finds himself to be the single survivor. The viral disease has wiped away his past life: he must fear injury, loneliness and hunger. Yet, Alan decides to travel back to his family in Berlin, straight across Asia. An exciting, thought-provoking book, impossible to put down.

Praise for Two Journeys:
“Move over, Cormac McCarthy, another survivor is traveling the Armageddon road. Clemens P. Suter’s apocalyptic thriller grabs you in the first couple of pages and never lets go. The reader feels real empathy for the main character’s plight as he begins a seemingly impossible 9,000-mile trip to learn his family’s fate. The cause of the calamity is mysterious but clues are uncovered along the way causing tension to build until we reach the shattering climax. Two Journeys is not to be missed.” – G. Dedrick Robinson, author of Blood Scourge

Murder in the Corn Maze
by G. A. McKevett
Kensington Books
Release Date: September 24, 2019

The roots of the Moonlight Magnolia Detective Agency reach back to the 1980s in the little town of McGill, Georgia—where Stella Reid and her seven grandkids enjoy some spooky Halloween fun and stumble into murder . . .

It doesn’t take cash, just some good old-fashioned creativity, to turn a pillowcase into a ghost costume or a trashcan into a suit of armor. So even if she has to stick to a budget, Stella Reid always makes holidays like Halloween memorable for twelve-year-old Savannah and the rest of her grandchildren.

After joining the other townspeople for trick-or-treating and the annual parade down Main Street, Granny Reid and the kids head to Judge Patterson’s antebellum mansion, where a corn maze awaits. Most of the youngsters are too terrified to make it all the way to the middle. It’s lucky for them, because when Savannah and Granny get there, it proves to be even scarier than they expected—half buried in the mud at the center of the maze lies a human skull.

The grisly discovery uncovers a mystery that stretches back decades—and seems to be related to the long-unsolved murder of Granny Reid’s own part-Cherokee mother. After all this time, the culprit may be long gone . . . or still hiding among them. It’ll be up to Granny to dig into this Southern town’s history and a mess of old family secrets . . .

Books For Review – Week of June 17th

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Slaved
Last Chance Series, Book 2
By A.L. Long
Published: June 2019
ASIN: B07SK9B414
Pages: 80
Genre: Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense

“I could feel her heart beat
even though we were miles away”

Rescued from the only life she had ever known, Alannah Jackson learns what it means to be loved and not controlled. Finally able to let go of her past she begins a new life with the man who has shown her what love is. Faced with the truth, Alannah finds she can never escape her past or who she is. She will never love, only serve.

Roman’s love for Alannah is tested when he finds that she has been slaved by a man just as ruthless as Winston Nelson. Against his better judgement, he accepts Martin Holland’s offer to help retrain Alannah and he begins to question the love they shared. After Martin Holland makes it clear of his intentions, Roman stops at nothing to get her back. There is no room for another man in her life.

Contains adult content 18+

Vivi’s Leading Man
Durango Street Theatre, Book 1
By Emily Mims
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing Group
Published: April 2019
ISBN: 978-1948029902 (pb)
ISBN: 978-1948029896 (ebook)
ASIN: B07QWRLNMP
Pages: 237
Genre: Contemporary Romance

EXES AND OHS

The marriage was one of convenience. She had status and he had money. But… there was something there, and both of them felt it. After three years of him working long hours and her spending too much time at the Durango Street Theatre, Miguel Abonce and Vivienne Heiser called it quits. One year later, they are forced to work together to save or sell the theater. In the process they discover things they never knew about each other and they learn there’s more between them than burning up the sheets. They might really love each other after all.

Salvation Lost
by Peter F. Hamilton
Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine
Sci Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: October 29, 2019

All the best in humanity rises to meet a powerful alien threat in the sequel to Salvation—part of an all-new trilogy from “the owner of the most powerful imagination in science fiction” (Ken Follett).

The comparative utopia of twenty-third-century Earth is about to go dreadfully awry when a seemingly benign alien race is abruptly revealed to be one of the worst threats humanity has ever faced. Driven by an intense religious extremism, the Olyix are determined to bring everyone to their version of God as they see it. But they may have met their match in humanity, who are not about to go gently into that good night or spend the rest of their days cowering in hiding. As human ingenuity and determination rise to the challenge, collective humanity has only one goal—to wipe this apparently undefeatable enemy from the face of creation. Even if it means playing a ridiculously long game indeed.

But in a chaotic universe, it is hard to plan for every eventuality, and it is always darkest before the dawn.

Books For Review – Week of June 3rd

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His Final Girl
B Mine, Book 1
Brooklyn Ann
Boroughs Publishing Group
Horror, Romance

DON’T GO IN THE WOODS

Computer nerd, Wes Carpenter, dreads having to spend ten days at summer camp with the rest of his in-coming high school senior class. But when he meets strong-willed and confident farm girl, Linnea Langenkamp, everything about being away at camp improves immediately. When a malicious prank awakens an ancient evil, turning their summer romance into a bloodbath, Wes and Linnea pray they make it home alive while fighting for the survival of their classmates. With Wes’s ingenuity and Linnea’s knowledge of the forest, together they may be able to stop the killer, save the camp, and maybe even find their happily ever after on the way.

Dogs Still Know Best
Two Angels Guide Their Human Through Grief, Learning & Love
Angie Salisbury
Annibury Publishing
Nonfiction (Adult)

“Truly heartwarming and inspirational! Dogs Still Know Best is a story of love, loss, the long road to healing, and the anti-fragility of the human spirit” ~ Jedediah McClure, Best Selling Author, Myths of Christianity: A Five Thousand Year Journey To Find The Son Of God

A must-read for dog lovers and anyone who has loved – and lost – a beloved dog! In this touching sequel to Dogs Know Best: Two Dogs’ Training Guide For Humans, follow one woman’s very personal account of how two German Shorthaired Pointers sparked her spiritual journey, one that allowed her to open her heart, open her mind and in the process, receive amazing gifts, the biggest one of all being her new love, a sweet little Pointer puppy named Minnie. Along the way, there has been a lot of grief, a lot of learning and an infinite amount of love.

The result is a dramatic shift in perspective about life, grief and embracing a new way of thinking. And with all three of her beloved Pointers by her side, every step of the journey is filled with love and support. In fact, there’s a whole cheering section along for the ride!

On the other side, love is everything.

A Readers’ Favorite 5-Star review recipient.

The Seekers
by Heather Graham
HARLEQUIN – MIRA (U.S. and Canada)
Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: July 23, 2019

THE TRUTH IS SCARIER THAN FICTION

Keri Wolf has joined the crew of The Seekers, a show that searches for paranormal phenomena, as they explore a supposedly haunted old inn on the road between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. The place is famous for its warm welcome—and infamous for being the site of an ax murder rampage in the 1920s. They’ve barely begun when a very real dead body is discovered in the basement. As a nonfiction author, Keri is supposed to be the rational one, but she can’t explain a terrifying apparition that seems to be both a threat and a warning.

Former detective Joe Dunhill knows what she’s going through—the strange gift of being able to see and talk to the dead is a struggle he shares. A new member of the FBI’s Krewe of Hunters, he’s on the team investigating the disturbing death. The town is steeped in old-fashioned superstition, and the deeper Joe and Keri plunge into the dark secrets of the inn, the closer they get to a devastating truth. Will a bloody history be repeated? Or can the spirits of the past reach out to stop a killer?

Books For Review – Week of May 6th

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Change of Heart
A Seashell Cottage Book
Judith Keim
Wild Quail Publishing
Release Date Jun 11, 2019
Romance, Women’s Fiction

Emerson “Em” Jordan always wanted a Valentine’s Day wedding. But after being dumped by her boyfriend, she spends the holiday at Seashell Cottage on the Gulf Coast of Florida with Devin Gerard, a family friend who has no interest in her or any other woman and is instead concentrating on his pediatric medical practice and continuing medical missions in Costa Rica.

Em, who’s always wanted a large family, doesn’t mind his disinterest. At thirty-two, she’s decided she doesn’t need a husband to have a child or to adopt one. First, she’s going to fulfill her dream of setting up her own landscape design business in upstate New York and has promised to continue to help run her grandmother’s flower shop.

It isn’t until Em and Devin become friends that Em realizes she might want more than friendship from him. But with his work in Miami and Costa Rica and her busy life in New York, it’s out of the question until something happens that changes everything, even a couple of hearts.

Last Ticket to Paradise
Carol Ericson
Release Date: May 14, 2019
Romance

Sent to paradise to find her missing sister, she discovers a passion that burns hotter than hell… Georgette Lawson has always been the dull, practical twin…until she steps foot on the tropical island of Palumba. Desperately searching for her missing sister,

Georgette plays a dangerous game that results in whispered threats and dire warnings. One such warning comes from sexy Jake Kincaid, the main developer of the island. Now Georgette’s life…and heart are at risk.

Jake Kincaid overcame too many obstacles to allow the silly rumors of ritual sacrifice to destroy his island paradise. He wants uptight Georgette Lawson to abandon her search for her flighty twin and go home—until the danger to Georgette becomes all too real. His fight to save the island and expose its seamy underbelly becomes an even greater fight to save Georgette and and claim her as his own.

Seven Devils
City of Angels/Dead on Arrival
Steve McManus
Mystery & Thrillers

Los Angeles crime reporter Danny Kasho is working on the unsolved murders of two women when he gets a tip about a missing couple. The tip has one thing in common with his story, but to prove it Danny will have to jeopardize his career—and his life.

Ursula Ruda discovers a friend and fellow reporter is missing. Working with only a cryptic last text and a single clue to her location, Ursula follows her friend’s trail and finds a threat greater than anything she could have imagined.

From drought-stricken LA to the snowbound mountains of Northern California where a reclusive self-help guru is gathering his followers, Danny and Ursula chase separate tragedies that could dovetail with disaster.

Books For Review – Week of April 1st

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Vicious
Sinners of Saint, Book One
By L.J. Shen
ISBN: 978-0996135665
ASIN: B01NCQOPFD
Pages: 339
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Emilia

They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true.
The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares.
He is a brilliant lawyer.
A skilled criminal.
A beautiful liar.
A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover.
Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him.

Vicious

She is a starving artist.
Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom.
Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down.
She paid the price.
Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate.
That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t.
So she hates me. Big fucking deal.
She better get used to me.

Vicious a complete standalone and a part of the Sinners of Saint series.

A River Between Us
The Riverview Series, Book 2
By JoAnna Grace
Publisher: Y&R Publishing/Arrow Book Works
Published: March 2019
ISBN: 9781940460710 (print)
ISBN: 9781940460260 (ebook)
ASIN: B07PJLV5B5
Pages: 160
Genre: Romance, Sweet Romance, Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction

Holly freaks out when she and her date show up at the same restaurant as her husband-even though they’re separated. Unable to hide, Holly reveals the secrets that sent her running from the love of her life years ago. Divorce papers or wedding rings? Once Justin finds out why she ran away from Riverview, he might make that decision for her.

Without a Trace
by Carissa Ann Lynch
Harper Impulse and Killer Reads
Release Date Apr 5, 2019
Thriller
From the USA Today bestselling author of My Sister Is Missing

Lily’s gone.
Someone took her.
Unless she was she never there…

A little girl has gone missing.

Lily was last seen being tucked into bed by her adoring mother, Nova. But the next morning, the bed is empty except for a creepy toy rabbit.

Has Nova’s abusive ex stolen his “little bunny” back for good?

At first, Officer Ellie James assumes this is a clear custody battle. Until she discovers that there are no pictures of the girl and her drawers are full of unused toys and brand new clothes that have never been worn…

Is Ellie searching for a missing child who doesn’t actually exist?

Books For Review – Week of March 11th

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The Golden Hour
A Lady Evelyn Mystery
Malia Zaidi
Publisher: BookBaby
Release Date: March 26, 2019
Mystery & Thrillers, Women’s Fiction

Lady Evelyn Carlisle has barely arrived in London when familial duty calls her away again. Her cousin Gemma is desperate for help with her ailing mother before her imminent wedding, which Evelyn knew nothing about! Aunt Agnes in tow, she journeys to Scotland, expecting to find Malmo Manor in turmoil. To her surprise, her Scottish family has been keeping far more secrets than the troubled state of their matriarch. Adding to the tension in the house a neighbor has opened his home, Elderbrooke Park, as a retreat for artistic veterans of the Great War. This development does not sit well with everyone in the community. Is the suspicion towards the residents a catalyst for murder? A tragedy at Elderbrooke Park’s May Day celebration awakens Evelyn’s sleuthing instinct, which is strengthened when the story of another unsolved death emerges, connected to her own family. What she uncovers on her quest to expose the truth will change several lives forever, including her own.

With the shadow of history looming over her, Evelyn must trust in her instinct and ability to comb through the past to understand the present, before the murderer can stop her and tragedy strikes again.

Plotting for Murder
Mystery Bookshop Series, Book 1
By Tamra Baumann
Release Date: Mar 15, 2019
Mystery & Thrillers

Sawyer Davis’ new life in picturesque Sunset Cove is crumbling around her as fast as the old Victorian house she lives in. She’s a chef whose matchmaking mother has left her a puppy, a bevy of single men to choose from, and a bookshop dedicated to whodunnits. Complete with a book club of amateur sleuths who live for death. When one of the members dies just after eating Sawyer’s amazing truffle mac and cheese, Sawyer is immersed in an even bigger soup pot of trouble.

With her chef’s reputation on the line, and an uncle after her inheritance, Sawyer teams up with the sheriff who once broke her heart—whether he wants her help or not—to solve the mystery. Will past hurts, and long-buried attraction for the sheriff stand in the way of solving the crime before the murderer strikes again?

Wild Heart
Hollywood Hearts: Book 4
by Belinda Williams
Release Date: April 15, 2019
Romance , Women’s Fiction

IS HOLLYWOOD’S MOST FORMIDABLE ACTRESS A MATCH FOR THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST STUNTMAN?

Faith Martin is not having a mid-life crisis. Never mind she’s just turned forty and found a wrinkle. In need of a change from LA, Faith heads to Sonoma Valley in Northern California, only to discover the one man she never wanted to see again is living there.

Cole Cooper is more than just a handsome rancher and winemaker. He’s also a respected stuntman, and Faith knows he’s as dangerous in real life as when he’s diving from cars or throwing punches on-screen.

Then Faith receives the opportunity to star in, as well as direct, a lethal action film that could take her career to new heights. The only problem? The production team wants Cole for the job of stunt coordinator, and they’re not prepared to negotiate.

When suspicious accidents start occurring on-set, is Faith prepared to take extreme risks for the most exciting role of her career? And will those risks include endangering her heart?

Book 4 in the Hollywood Hearts series promises heart-stopping action, and is perfect for fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Victoria Dahl, Susan Mallery, and Louise Bagshawe.