Synopsis

The last person seventeen-year-old Eleanor Livingston wants to see on the elevator—let alone get stuck with—is her ex-boyfriend Travis, the guy she’s been avoiding for five months.

Plagued with the belief that when she speaks the truth, bad things happen, Elly hasn’t told Trav anything. Not why she broke up with him and cut off all contact. Not what happened the day her father returned from his deployment to Afghanistan. And certainly not that she misses him and still thinks about him everyday.

But with nowhere to hide and Travis so close it hurts, Elly’s worried she won’t be able to contain her secrets for long. She’s terrified of finally revealing the truth, because she can’t bear to watch a tragedy befall the boy she still loves.

Praise for ELEVATED

“ELEVATED will take you on an emotionally gripping journey through the highs and lows of first love.”  ~Carolee Dean, author of Take Me There and Forget Me Not

“Poignant, raw, and intense, ELEVATED is a novel that will grip your heart and linger in your mind long after you turn the last page.”  ~Stasia Ward Kehoe, author of Audition and The Sound of Letting Go

About the Author

Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.

 Website * Twitter * Facebook * Tumblr * Wattpad * Goodreads

 

Big Money by Jack Getze

I enjoyed “Big Money” immensely. It brought to mind film noir, Humphrey Bogart – and basically good guys that get caught up in the consequences of their bad choices.
~Back Porchervations

Big Money (Austin Carr Mystery)
Publisher: Down & Out Books (January 12, 2014)
E-Book File Size: 884 KB
ASIN: B00HHAOZN4
Paperback: 218 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1937495671

Synopsis:

In this jaunty follow-up to Big Numbers, a scruffy stockbroker returns to tangle with mobsters, women and his own big mouth. The good news, as the story opens, is that the hero is in the company of a gorgeous naked lady. The bad news is that she’s pointing a shotgun at him. It’s a typical predicament for Austin Carr, a semi-shady New Jersey financial professional temporarily in charge of Shore Securities…He’s being extorted into opening a money-laundering account for local crime boss Bluefish; an auditor who was investigating his company has turned up murdered; a fetching state police captain figures he’s the key to her organized-crime probe; and his boss’s mother has been picked up for fixing her church bingo game.

Carr is continually getting into trouble over his weakness for breasts, his penchant for self-incriminating statements and his vestigial moral sensibility, which, like an appendix, makes itself felt at inconvenient times. — Kirkus Indie

About The Author

Former Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Getze is Fiction Editor for Anthony nominated Spinetingler Magazine, one of the internet’s oldest websites for noir, crime, and horror short stories. Through the Los Angeles Times/Washington Post News Syndicate, his news and feature stories were published in over five-hundred newspapers and periodicals worldwide. His two screwball mysteries, BIG NUMBERS and BIG MONEY, are being reissued by DOWN & OUT BOOKS, with the new BIG MOJO to follow. His short stories have appeared in A Twist of Noir and Beat to a Pulp. Getze is an Active Member of Mystery Writers of America’s New York Chapter.

Website * Goodreads

 

 

The Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift card
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Tour Participants

March 1 – Mystery Playground – Interview, Giveaway
March 2 – Thoughts in Progress – Interview
March 3 – Victoria’s Pages of Romance – Spotlight
March 4 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Interview, Giveaway
March 5 – Back Porchervations – Review, Giveaway
March 6 – Beth’s Book Reviews – Guest Post, Giveaway
March 7 – Storeybook Reviews – Spotlight
March 8 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview
March 9 – A Chick Who Reads – Review
March 10 – Christa Reads and Writes – Review
March 11 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review
March 12 – fundinmental – Review – Giveaway
March 13 – readalot – Review
March 14 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post
March 15 – Books-n-Kisses – Review
March 16 – – off
March 17 – Omnimystery – Guest Post
March 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – Guest Post
March 19 – Deal Sharing Aunt – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
March 20 – A Blue Million Books – Interview
March 21 – Teena in Toronto – Review
March 22 –Socrates’ Book Review Blog – Review
March 23 – Reviews By Molly – Review, Giveaway
March 24 – Jane Reads – Review, Giveaway
March 25 – Darla King Series – Interview
March 26 –  off
March 27 – Chloe Gets A Clue – Interview
March 28 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – Spotlight, Giveaway
March 29 – off
March 30 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Giveaway
March 31 – Queen of All She Reads – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway

Synopsis

Jada McLean is about to get married in nine days, when she walks in on her fiancé in a little more than a compromising position. Days later, she’s on a trip that she intends to be relaxing and a prelude to her fresh start, when she runs into the rude, obnoxious, but gorgeous Jonathan Kole.

Jonathan Kole is San Francisco’s newest District Attorney. When he finds himself deeply attracted to a stunning beauty, he has no idea that she’s about to get into BIG trouble with the law—and he’ll be the one presiding over her trial. To make matters worse, his father is the lawyer representing her in the high-profile case.

When a series of events force them together over New Year’s weekend, Jonathan’s feelings and ethics will come into question, while Jada comes to terms with the fact that she is falling for the man that will be responsible for attempting to put her behind bars… Little do they know, they’re both about to fall into a whirlwind so deep, it will send both their lives spiraling out of control.

Their First Meeting (excerpt)

The pretty, young host escorts me to a table for two near a window with panoramic water vistas. Within minutes, a server takes my order. As my café latté arrives, I can’t help but overhear a rude exchange between a man and his leggy blonde with the host that escorted me to my seat.

“Look, I reserved that exact seat yesterday,” he says.

“I apologize sir, but that seat is not available,” the host replies.

“Well, if you were doing your job in the first place, it would be available to me, wouldn’t it?”

“Sir, I’m sorry for the error, but it wasn’t written here. If you like, you can wait at the bar where I’ll be happy to serve you a complimentary beverage of your choice while you wait, or I can accommodate you at an available table now.”

I can’t help but look to see who this asshole is.  Everything about him smells of money. From the designer jeans that hug his ass, all the way to the Jaeger Reverso watch that graces his wrist. He’s hot—probably in his mid to late thirties, tall, broad shoulders, piercing grey eyes, and a head of black hair like I’ve never seen.  Ordinarily, I might have found him attractive, if only he would just shut up.

Everything he says to that poor young girl, who has tried so hard to rectify someone else’s mistake, pisses me off. He’s been nothing but rude and condescending. As I look up, my eyes land straight on his. Then I realize they’re all looking my way. I turn around to look behind me, but there is no one. Then it dawns on me that he’s arguing with the host about my seat.

My meal arrives. I mind my business, and I proceed to enjoy it. Before I know it, I see him approaching my table. I pretend not to notice and focus all my attention on my lemon ricotta pancakes before me, but within seconds, he stands beside me.

“Excuse me, my name is Jonathan Kole. Would you mind terribly if you were seated elsewhere?”

My eyes travel across my pancakes to his broad thighs, to his crotch, and to what I suspect is an extremely trimmed stomach beyond his black ribbed sweater. Then I stare into his grey eyes in silence.

“You see, my girlfriend and I met right here at this table a year ago, and I wanted to propose to her.  Here. Today.”

“Actually, Jonathan, I do mind. Seeing that I’m enjoying my meal, surely you wouldn’t mind waiting until I’m done. Or perhaps you can let that polite host, who has done everything possible to accommodate you, have you seated elsewhere.”

“Do you have any idea who I am?” he asks.

Asshole! Your name might sound familiar but who cares…

“No. You could be the king of England and I wouldn’t give a damn.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?”

“You really want to know?” I ask quietly.

He lowers his head slightly, as if he’s seriously interested.

“I am a woman who walked in on her fiancé screwing her best friend one week before her wedding, so forgive me if I’m not in a sentimental mood.”

His mouth drops open at my response.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, Mr. Kole, I’d really like to enjoy my brunch.”

His piercing grey eyes are glaring into mine. I know he’s angry. His temple pulsates as he stares at me. He walks away completely flushed.

I don’t care. Perhaps if he had been nicer to that host I would have considered his request. However, because he comes from money doesn’t give him the right to speak to people any which way he wishes.  I continue to enjoy my meal and notice him walking hand in hand to the bar with Malibu Barbie. Half an hour later, I ask for the check then purposely make him wait an additional five minutes before I leave.

On the way out, the host looks at me bright-eyed. “No one ever speaks to Mr. Kole that way, Miss McLean.”

“Well, it’s time someone taught him some manners,” I reply. I hand her a healthy tip, and I’m on my way.

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Review

Pretty good romantic suspense novel with some twists at the end that I kind of wondered if they would happen but the author does a good job of not really revealing if they will or won’t until the end. Jada and Jonathon are both strong characters so it is interesting to see them both learn to give and bend in order to make a relationship work.

While there is some suspense in the book, it really felt more like a romance novel. I would have liked there to be more tied to the mystery as to who was doing this to Jada and was it really about her or Jonathan.

Also, very long chapters. I don’t remember the total but there were only about 17 chapters for 587 pages. It could have been edited to have more so that there were better stopping places. and since I just realized how many pages were in the book, some of it could have been cut out.

We give it 4 paws

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About the Author

Rebecca Rohman is a wife and designer currently living in the Northeastern United States. She was a Sales Manager for a tourist magazine, and for many years prior, she was involved in marketing for a jewelry company, and later for a fine wine distributor.

About fifteen years ago, she started writing her first romance novel, Uncorked, just to purely entertain herself. It was not until early in 2012 when she decided to complete it and share it with the world. The story was published in February of 2013. Love, Lies & The D.A. is her second novel.

Today I’m spotlighting three books perfect for those in middle school looking for a little adventure!  Each book can be read as a stand alone but I’m sure once your child reads one of the books they will want to read them all!  These books were written by J Bean Palmer and illustrated by Melanie Therrien.

ElsBeth and the Pirate’s Treasure

ElsBeth Amelia Thistle, the youngest witch on Cape Cod, is involved in all the normal aspects of growing up. Her teacher Ms. Finch is a horror, like something out of one of those scary movies her grandmother would never let her watch. And the obnoxious Robert Hillman-Jones has it in for her.

But when Halloween approaches in the sleepy Cape Cod town, a never-quite-forgotten pirate’s treasure awakens some serious trouble. ElsBeth and her friend Johnny Twofeathers, chief-to-be of the local Wampanoag tribe, together with a cast of spirited classmates and curious magical creatures (including two troublesome fairies from the old country), must face off against dangerous outsiders — and the notorious pirate Billy Bowlegs — to restore the balance of past and present, good and evil.

Originally in print copy as The Cape Cod Witch and the Pirates Treasure, this enhanced and expanded edition includes twenty-one original, full-color illustrations.

ElsBeth and the Pirate’s Adventure

While on an innocent field trip to Boston’s historic Freedom Trail, ElsBeth and her classmates become entangled in the fateful kidnapping of another student — a young Arabian Prince.

Under the Old North Church they meet the famous freedom fighter, the pirate ghost Captain Thomas Jacques, who leads them on a daring rescue attempt across the treacherous waters to Nantucket Island. And along the way ElsBeth and her friends get a real-life lesson in fighting for freedom and caring about something bigger than themselves.

Title: The Dead Place (Ben Cooper & Diane Fry #6)
Author: Stephen Booth
Genre: Mystery
Publication Date: March 4, 2014
Publisher: Witness Impulse, an Imprint of HarperCollins
Event organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

 

Synopsis

“This killing will be a model of perfection. An accomplishment to be proud of. And it could be tonight or maybe next week. But it will be soon. I promise.”

The anonymous phone calls indicate a disturbed mind with an unnatural passion for death. Cooper and Fry are hoping against hope that the caller is just a harmless crank having some sick fun. But the clues woven through his disturbing messages point to the possibility of an all-too-real crime . . . especially when a woman vanishes from an office parking garage.

But it’s the mystery surrounding an unidentified female corpse left exposed in the woods for over a year that really has the detectives worried. Whoever she might have been, the dead woman is linked to the mystery caller, whose description of his twisted death rituals matches the bizarre manner in which the body was found. And the mystery only deepens when Cooper obtains a positive I.D. and learns that the dead woman was never reported missing and that she definitely wasn’t murdered. As the killer draws them closer into his confidence, Ben and Diane learn everything about his deadly obsessions except what matters most: his identity and the identity of his next victim. . . .

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About the Author

STEPHEN BOOTH is an award winning British crime writer, the creator of two young Derbyshire police detectives, DC Ben Cooper and DS Diane Fry, who have appeared in twelve novels set in England’s beautiful and atmospheric Peak District.

Stephen has been a Gold Dagger finalist, an Anthony Award nominee, twice winner of a Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel, and twice shortlisted for the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year. Ben Cooper was a finalist for the Sherlock Award for the best detective created by a British author, and in 2003 the Crime Writers’ Association presented Stephen with the Dagger in the Library Award for “the author whose books have given readers the most pleasure”.

The Cooper & Fry series is published all around the world, and has been translated into 15 languages.

 Twitter | Blog | Goodreads

 

The Giveaway

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Synopsis

A sonnet is penned and, lo, the Conspiracy Kid Fan Club is born. Beware. To read this sonnet is to join the Club. Membership is automatic and irreversible.

This is the story of the earliest unwitting Conspiracy Kid Fan Club members: Edwin Mars (poet), Joe Claude (billionaire), Walter Cornelius (werewolf), Muriel Cohen (chef), Ewan Hoozarmi (artist), to name but a few.

About the Author

E.P.ROSE lives in London, England, with his restaurateur wife, various daughters, a dog called Frank and a cat called Wednesday.

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Beyond Belief is the newest book in the Emily Castle series by author Helen Smith.  I have this book in my TBR pile and will get to it shortly, but this is an interesting series that I have enjoyed so far.  Definitely worth checking out next time you are looking for a mystery set in England!

 

Synopsis

When famed psychic Perspicacious Peg predicts a murder will occur at England’s Belief and Beyond conference, her science-minded colleagues recruit twenty-six-year-old budding sleuth Emily Castles to attend the event as a “future crimes investigator.” The suspected victim: celebrated magician Edmund Zenon, who plans to perform a daring stunt at the conference—and is offering fifty thousand pounds to any attendee who can prove that the paranormal exists.

In the seaside town of Torquay, Emily meets a colorful cast of characters: dramatic fortune-teller Madame Nova; kindly Bobby Blue Suit and his three psychic dachshunds; Sarah and Tim Taylor, devastated parents mourning their late son; and religious cult members Hilary, Trina, and the Colonel. Tensions rise as believers in science, the supernatural, and the spiritual clash with one another. But once a body count begins, Emily must excuse herself from the séances and positivity circles, and use old-fashioned detective work to find the killer.

About the Author

Helen Smith is a member of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, the Crime Writers Association and English PEN. She traveled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both–from cleaning motels to working as a magician’s assistant–before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel. Her work has been reviewed in The Times, the Guardian, The Independent, Time Out and the Times Literary Supplement. Her books have reached number one in the bestseller lists in the Kindle store on both sides of the Atlantic.

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The entire Fullerton Family Saga is NOW AVAILABLE!

Make sure to enter the Giveaway below and also join our Facebook Event for the Blog Tour and more chances to win prizes

 

Rachel Dennehy had a crazy thought. If she could just start over somewhere else, she could forget about her sad and tragic past and all the ghosts that chased her. When an email landed in her inbox, to tutor a difficult student whose father just happened to be the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the nation, the apple was a bit too enticing for Rachel to refuse. She moves from Texas to Beverly Hills, where she is tasked with turning around her wealthy pupil’s bad attitude. It is a bad attitude that stems almost entirely from his parents’ ugly divorce and even uglier custody battle.

That her new boss Andrew, or Drew, Fullerton is one of the handsomest and most eligible bachelors in the world means nothing to Rachel. She has absolutely no plans to ever marry or have kids of her own. Her priority is teaching nine-year-old Jonathan, who needs her guidance and her direction and… most importantly… her friendship.

Drew’s brother, Alex, however, assumes otherwise. He basically accuses her of being a gold-digging opportunist upon their first meeting. This sets the two immediately at odds, though they both have young Jonathan’s best interest at heart. Alex believes that Rachel is a “ringer,” a wholesome alternative to edge Jonathan’s socialite mother out of the running for custody, since she left Drew after her own salacious affair with a younger man. He wastes no time in telling Rachel that as long as she stays in her job, she will keep Jonathan from his real mother, and that is the driving force behind Drew’s interest.

Unfortunately the more he tries to warn her away from Drew, the closer he ultimately propels her toward her charming boss. Drew never questions her motivation or her presence because Jonathan thrives under her tutelage, and Drew is beguiled by her no-nonsense attitude that challenges him from the start.

Rachel navigates these choppy waters solely to protect Jonathan. She sees the adults in the family as self-serving; most of whom are far more interested in hurting each other than taking care of this fragile, vulnerable boy. Her heart traps her into this sticky web, despite her own history of loss and betrayal. How long will she last? More importantly, what will she be required to give to save these Fullerton men who continually tug her in three different directions?

The saga begins with the first book, titled “Enticed,” due to release in early 2014. Author Ginger Voight returns to the dream-making landscape of Los Angeles, in a new tale that throws back the curtain on the dangerous power, appeal and excess of the privileged. Only by the time this tale is done, one principle character will pay the ultimate price as they all race toward that elusive happily ever after.

 

 

The saga continues for Rachel Dennehy, the tenacious small-town teacher caught in between two compelling, powerful brothers.

****This is Book 2 in the series. Blurb may contain spoilers for Book 1.****

In Book 2 of the Fullerton Family Saga, teacher Rachel Dennehy heads back to California to save her favorite little boy from his rapid downward spiral. She feels responsible for Jonathan’s destructive behavior, knowing it was her broken promise that sent him off the rails. She moves in with Alex, a man who had been her nemesis for so long. Thrust together with the shared goal of saving Jonathan, they find more in common than they had realized.

In fact, it is Alex who comes to her rescue Drew confronts Rachel over her “betrayal.” The chemistry still burns hot between them, but Rachel cannot forgive Drew’s cruel deception. Unfortunately he is unwilling to let her go. Drew Fullerton doesn’t like to lose, especially to his younger brother. So he proceeds with his plan to win her back, using every trick in the book to force her hand, including his son.

Young Jonathan holds fast to his dream of a real family, which tears her in yet another direction. Her heart is torn between the three Fullertons, all of whom need her in very different ways. Someone is going to get hurt, no matter what she does. She struggles to do what is right, even when she finds it puts her at direct odds with what she wants.

How far must Rachel go to win back Jonathan’s trust, and protect the men she has grown to love?

 

In the third and final book of the Fullerton Family Saga, long-simmering secrets explode with disastrous consequences. The fractured Fullertons face their biggest challenges yet, and every single one must rise to their own personal challenges and beat their demons once and for all – no matter what it takes.

In the conclusion of this best-selling, highly rated series, author Ginger Voight once again raises the stakes for her characters and her readers. These characters you have grown to love (and hate) are faced with heart-wrenching challenges that will test them unlike anything they’ve experienced so far. In the end, only love can save them. It is a message of hope, family and forgiveness amidst the exciting backdrop of excess and power.

Ginger Voight is prolific author, freelance writer and optioned screenwriter. Her fiction is diverse, with novels like the edgy, coming-of-age drama DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS, and the fun family adventure for kids of all ages, COMIC SQUAD.

Having grown up reading different authors like Danielle Steel and Stephen King, Ginger has always been drawn more to story than to genre. This shows up in her various stories. Titles such as MY IMMORTAL and TASTE OF BLOOD are a delicious, heady mix of horror, suspense, and romance.

Genre romance, however, has held a special place in her heart, ever since she read her first Harlequin novel when she was only eleven. As a result, Ginger is making a name for herself writing romances of her own, starring women who look more like the average American woman rather than those traditionally represented in the size-biased American media. Her Rubenesque romances were created especially for those heroines with fuller figures, who can still get the man of their dreams if only they believe they can. Such titles include UNDER TEXAS SKIES, LOVE PLUS ONE, THE GROUPIE TRILOGY, THE FIERCE TRILOGY and PICTURE POSTCARDS.

Ginger was included in the best-selling book by Smith Magazine NOT QUITE WHAT I WAS PLANNING, featuring her six-word memoir.

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