Posted in Cozy, e-books, Monday, mystery, Spotlight on May 5, 2014

Today I’m bringing you book #8 in the High Heels series by author Gemma Halliday.  These is such a fun series and if you have never read any of these, then start with book 1, Spying in High Heels.  Also, if you are reading this on Monday, May 5th – the whole series is $0.99 (each) on Amazon and a few other sites like Kobo and Smashwords.

Today’s highlight is the newest in the series and while I haven’t read it yet, it is on my list to read hopefully this week!

 

homicide in high heels

 

Synopsis

It’s springtime in California! The flowers are in bloom, the fashion week runways are fierce, and fans of America’s favorite pastime are filling the baseball stadiums to root for their favorite team. But when the girlfriend of the L.A. Stars rookie MVP winds up dead at a chic Beverly Hills salon, it’s suddenly up to fashion designer Maddie Springer to track down the “Tanning Salon Killer.” Armed with the help of her wacky cast of friends and family, Maddie finds herself with a list of suspects that includes the cast of the reality TV show Baseball Wives, a desperate blackmail victim, and an entire baseball team! If Maddie can brave the hot dogs and cat fights, she just might be able to catch a killer…before he strikes again!

 

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Posted in 3 paws, Blog tour, Giveaway, Review, romance on May 5, 2014

Sandra Brown Banner

 

Brown_Love'sEncore_Ebook

 

Synopsis

In one reckless night, Camille Jameson’s life was changed forever: a tall, handsome stranger, an evening of romance — and enough regrets to last a lifetime. Two years later, Camille is a successful interior decorator with the opportunity to restore one of Mississippi’s proudest plantations. She arrives excited and eager to face her greatest professional challenge to date — until Zack Prescott saunters through the mansion’s front door and back into her life. He is exactly as she remembers, except for the knowing look in his eyes that reminds her of what they once shared. Now, forced to live in unbearably close quarters, Camille and Zack will discover if they have the courage to face the past — and, perhaps, build a future together . . .

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Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes

 

Review

This is a re-release of a book the author wrote in the early 80’s.  It is your usual, boy meets girl, there is a problem, somebody runs away and then they meet up again and find true love.   It isn’t a bad book but didn’t wow me like some of her other works. This is one of her earlier stories, so perhaps it was the beginning of her writing career?  I don’t think there was any editing done to the book other than the cover but I could be wrong on that too!

The upside was that the characters weren’t tied to technology (cell phones, computers) and that is always refreshing to see!  Rayburn is a kind soul and the essence of a true southern gentleman….despite his sneakiness in certain matters!  Camille and Zack are young, so that probably plays into their behaviors…when get get past your 20’s things always look different.

We give this book 3 paws

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About the Author

sandra brownSandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including DEADLINE (2013), LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011), TOUGH CUSTOMER (2010), SMASH CUT (2009), SMOKE SCREEN (2008), PLAY DIRTY (2007), RICOCHET (2006), and CHILL FACTOR, all of which have jumped onto the Times bestseller list in the number one to five spot.

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages.

Brown holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She served as the president of the Mystery Writers of American in 2012 and was named ITW’s Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads

Giveaway

Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Cover, 10 eBooks from Sandra’s Backlist (US/Canada shipping ONLY)
10 eBook copies of Love’s Encore and Eloquent Silence
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

Posted in e-books, romance, Sale, Spotlight on May 4, 2014

LOVE-banner-availablenow

 

Love Finds A Way Boxed Set

Four unconventional love stories, from popular and bestselling romance authors, each with sequels from Turquoise Morning Press.

Release Date: April 29, 2014
Category: Fiction > Women’s Fiction (Romantic Elements)
Length: Four full length novels, boxed set
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
ISBN: 978-1-62237-291-1

Ebook Price: $0.99 (Special Introductory/Promotional Price)

AMAZONKOBO | SMASHWORDS| ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS | PUBLISHER

 

BRING ME BACK by Karen Booth

“Fast-paced, sexy and altogether irresistible. A flat-out fabulous read!”–New York Times Bestselling author Celia Rivenbark

“Ms. Booth has hit a home run with this riveting story that’s full of life, trials and tribulations, joy, but most of all, love.”—5 stars and a recommended read, BlackRaven’s Reviews

“If you are a fan of drama, humor and heart with a wonderful blend of bittersweet and delicious sensuality, then you need to read Bring Me Back. I’ve added it to my absolute favorites, the ones I curl up with when I’m down and need to remember to love and laugh and believe in magic.”–5 Stars, The Book Tart
Included on the Top Ten Romances of All Time list by Patience Bloom from Harlequin. An All-Romance bestseller.

CONTENTMENT by Margaret Ethridge

“The story is honest, well told, and so sweet. I loved it.” –5 stars, Amazon bestselling author Jennifer Johnson

“You’ll want that Hollywood ending that never happens in real life. What you will get a story that is so true to real life that it’ll make your stomach twist and your heart hammer.” –5 stars, Another Look Book Reviews

“This is story-telling at its best.” –5 stars, Amazon customer review

“Have you not read Margaret Ethridge? Hop to it! Although she is a new author, her work is consistently intriguing, even while writing different romantic genres.” –Booking It
Margaret Ethridge is an Amazon bestselling author and RWA PAN certified.

 

MEANT TO BE by Karen Stivali

Best Books of 2012 – Literati Literature Lovers (Meant To Be and its sequel Holding On) Books That Rocked My World 2012 – Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews (Meant To Be and its sequel Holding On)

Meant To Be is simply an amazing story that is heartwarming and genuine, it is one that will make you believe in soul mates.” –5 stars, Jersey Girl Book Reviews

“If you’re looking for engaging, soulful characters, enough drama to take you through a myriad of emotions that entail everything from laughter to anger to crying, and enough passion to make you sizzle in all the right places, then Meant To Be is the book to read.” 5 stars and a Recommended Read, BlackRaven’s Book Reviews
Karen Stivali is an RWA PAN certified author and winner of RWA Passionate Plume 2012 and RWA Bean Pot Readers Choice Award 2013.

 

′TIL ST. PATRICK’S DAY by Holly Gilliatt

“With the author’s ease of putting words on paper, the story flows through your mind, connecting on a deep emotional level. You will find yourself hoping, gasping, shedding a tear or two and smiling with happiness as the story unfolds.” — Literati Book Reviews

“Gilliatt creates characters who you connect with… The reader is placed in the middle of these three women’s lives; you experience their ups, their downs and their own journey of self-discovery.”–BestChickLit.com

“The main theme of this novel was friendship, but it’s followed very closely by love—and not just romantic love. …It’s fantastic.”–5 stars, Pink Fluffy Hearts

 

Amazon 4.5 average rating. Goodreads 4.31 average rating.
 

 

 

 

Posted in Spotlight, Young Adult on May 4, 2014

This sounds like an interesting book as it deals with bullying and teen suicide – you can even enter to win a copy of the book!

Enjoy!

 

7 Things to Love about Anna Khonda {Book Review w/ Recipe} #bullyingisnotacceptable (via http://www.thesaturdayeveningpot.com)

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.  Full disclosure policy here. I must provide a disclaimer here … this book I’m reviewing is my sister’s. So I may be a bit biased, but I’m bursting with pride over her accomplishment. You see…

Read more …

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Posted in Book Blast, Giveaway, nonfiction on May 3, 2014

 

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Front Cover

 

Are you trying to promote your books? Are you a writer, publisher, or agent?

Promote your book with this bestselling author’s reference, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. Make your book promotion easier, and get the publicity you need from book reviewers. Learn how and where to submit your book for review. There are hundreds of new book reviewers listed in this book. Each listing details the individual book reviewer’s:

  1. Contact information,
  2. Pet peeves,
  3. Preferred genres, and
  4. Submission guidelines

Reviewers are rated for quality and influence. This new edition includes several blog tour sites and their submission guidelines. Learn how to get the exposure that your book deserves! Authors and book reviewers can sign up for alerts at: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net

*Note: This book is enrolled in the Kindle MATCHBOOK program. If you purchase the paperback from Amazon, the Kindle edition is free. The paperback has a genre index, which makes searching for accepted genres easy. The Kindle version has clickable website links (which is impossible to do in a paperback), so you can click directly to the reviewer’s site and contact page. The publisher of this book recommends purchasing the paperback and then downloading the Kindle edition for free using Amazon’s Matchbook program, and using both versions to maximize your promotion efforts.

PROMO TIP: This is a reference book with active hyperlinks in the e-book. It is easier to view and use the Kindle edition of this book on a computer using Amazon’s free Kindle app. That way, you can use the full screen to check genre preferences and submit your query right from your desktop.

 

Purchase

Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Amazon

 

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages EditorInterview with Christine Pinheiro, Editor, Defiant Press

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is a bestselling author’s promotional reference, designed specifically for authors who need book reviewers for their books.

Where did you get the idea for the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages?

At first, I did it purely out of self-interest! I wrote a nonfiction book in 2007, and I had a very difficult time finding book reviewers. It seemed like an impossible task. All of the regular outlets were closed to me—where do you go when you can’t get a review in the New York Times? Where do the “little guys” go when they need to promote their books? So I started the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages out of my own frustration. At first, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was just a big list on a simple website. I added to the list when I had spare time. Book reviewers started seeking me out, and asking to be put on the list, and it just grew from there. In 2009, I published the first “Book Reviewer Yellow Pages,” and the rest is history. The list just grew organically. Now we have hundreds of book reviewers on our list, and thousands of authors subscribe to the newsletter.

How about the book reviewers themselves, what do they get out of it?

Many book reviewers just do it for fun, and they get the benefit of free books and ARCs (advance review copies). Quite a few of them also earn money, either from sidebar advertising, blog tours, or other author’s services. There are so many self-published authors out there right now, trying to promote their books without the help of a traditional publisher, so there’s a lot of little business ventures cropping up to serve them.

Many reviewers list their “pet peeves,” is this something that the authors really want to know?

Yes! It’s the most popular part of the questionnaire—all the reviewers have their own horror stories. Sadly, many authors have terrible etiquette when they request book reviews. Many don’t take the time to even spell-check their queries, or find out if the reviewer is a man or a woman, so they can address them correctly! I used to review books myself, and it’s amazing how many times I’ve gotten a review request with nothing but a link to the book. No signature, no salutation, nothing! Why would I review your book, when you aren’t even willing to take a few minutes to send me a proper review request? We also added an “author etiquette” section to the front of the book, and that seems to help a bit.

Do Book Reviews really help sales?

They’ve helped my own book sales tremendously, and I know hundreds of authors who would say the same. Look, everyone knows that book promotion is boring work. Contacting dozens of book reviewers is time consuming, and you have to deal with rejection, but the payoff from a positive book review is enormous. That’s been the case in my own writing career. Reviews really help sales, and it’s nice to have a public testimonial that customers can refer to when they purchase. On the flip side, many of the reviewers accept ARCs and also work as beta-readers, so if you can get a few good reviewers to read through your manuscript before publication, they might be able to give you valuable feedback. I found a big plot hole in one of my novels that way—a reviewer found the problem, and I was able to fix it before the book went to publication.

Do reviewers ever drop off the list? Can authors get updates?

Yes, on our website. Reviewers get added and removed on a regular basis—and the list goes through a complete overhaul once a year. I do a formal update every April. That’s when we put out a new edition of the book, as well as update the reviewer list on the website. The abbreviated list on the website is free, and authors and publishers can sign up for updates to the list here: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net. The newsletter is also free.

Do you have any advice for authors?

Be polite to book reviewers, always. Not everyone is going to like your book, that’s just the nature of game. But publishing is a business, and it pays to be professional. It’s just like any other creative business. Reviewers are our critics, and they give us valuable feedback that we need to improve. One of the best reviews I ever received on the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was mildly negative. The writer gave me tons of feedback on how to make the book better. I followed his advice, and the book has been more profitable since. Book Reviewers really want to help authors—I’ve never met a single book reviewer that was interested in just tearing an author down. We are all in this business together!

 

For more information visit:
The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages
Website * Facebook

 

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Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Posted in fiction, Historical, Spotlight on May 1, 2014

Kraals-cover

 

Synopsis

“Shaba had washed the blade of his stabbing spear, his prized iklwa, many times already. It would be rinsed again today, with the blessings of his ancestor’s spirits, to herd the red soldiers finally from the land of the AmaZulu.”

1879 – the British army has suffered one of the worst defeats in its history at the hands of the Zulu King Cetshwayo. Now the British seek revenge and a second invasion of Zululand is about to take place.

Within the Zulu regiments charged with repelling the assault is Shaba kaNdabuko − driven by ambition to share the glory of battle, to bring honour and cattle to his family.

Meanwhile, new British soldiers are shipped out to replace those lost in the military disasters, and among them is Lieutenant Jahleel Carey, likewise also hoping that adventure will bring him a change of fortune.

But there are also always those on the sidelines of conflict, profiteers like renegade trader William McTeague.

Three men, three women, will be brought together by one of the Zulu War’s strangest episodes, and their destinies will be changed forever.

Praise for The Kraals of Ulundi: “This is well-researched and solid historical fiction – a very worthwhile project.” Adrian Greaves, Anglo-Zulu War Historical Society and author of The Tribe That Washed Its Spears.

Amazon UK * Amazon US * Kobo * Foyles UK * Waterstones

Trailer

 

About the Author

David Ebsworth is the pen name of writer, Dave McCall, a former negotiator and Regional Secretary for Britain’s Transport & General Workers’ Union. He was born in Liverpool (UK) but has lived for the past thirty years in Wrexham, North Wales, with his wife, Ann. Since their retirement in 2008, the couple have spent about six months of each year in southern Spain. Dave began to write seriously in the following year, 2009. He has now published three novels, The Jacobites’ Apprentice (2012), The Assassin’s Mark (2013), and The Kraals of Ulundi: A Novel of the Zulu War (May 2014).

Website * Twitter

Posted in 4 paws, Blog tour, Cozy, mystery on May 1, 2014

A Crouton Murder Button 300 x 225

3D A Crouton Murder Stack

Synopsis

Meet Melina Cameron. Baker extraordinaire and killer crouton maker.

When Franklin Seever, the father of Melina’s best friend BettyJo, is poisoned from eating Melina’s fresh baked croutons at a dinner party, a police investigation once again targets Melina.

But Melina has learned her lesson after finding her landlady lying in a pool of blood, and with a crusty piece of bread protruding from her mouth, just a few months ago. If there is one thing Melina is aware of, it’s that you never really know people until you break bread with them.

BettyJo’s dad, a wealthy banker, already disliked Melina before the crouton calamity. What’s he going to think of her now that his life is hanging in the balance? Out of the bread pan and into the fire for Melina as she tries to keep BettyJo from freaking out about her dad, and engages in keeping her safe from a weirdo stalker.

And wouldn’t you know it? Just when Melina’s life couldn’t get more twisted than a loaf of braided bread, the sexy Scotsman, Aidan Sinclair once again arrives on her doorstep with a smile on his face and an offer that could change Melina’s life forever.

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Review

This was a good follow up to A Crusty Murder. It is a shorter book/novella so there aren’t a ton of characters that could be the murderer and the author gives you some good clues to figure out the killer, but I didn’t think there was anything that screamed character X did it!  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next book A Focaccia Fatality that is due out the end of May.

I did learn that one of the characters, Vinnie Esposito, has her own mystery series and I think there are 5 books. Will have to check those out!

I give this book 4 paws and it is a fun cozy series to check out.

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About the Author

JM GriffinJ.M. Griffin/Dana Stone grew up in rural Maine. She relocated to Rhode Island and lives in the north western part of the state with her husband and two cats. J.M.’s first published novel For Love of Livvy, began a series of humorous mysteries featuring Lavinia “Vinnie” Esposito. J.M. has also written a romance under the pseudonym Dana Stone.

Blog * Facebook * Twitter

 

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