Synopsis

Adriana Banovic’s 15th birthday sucked! She got fired after eight years of playing Shayanne Montgomery on the #1 soap in the country, found out that her family was on the verge of bankruptcy and worst of all, forced to return to Westwood Academy. Her only saving grace was a chance glance at dreamy mystery boy Haze Lyndon. Armed with only his picture and a determination to find him—even if it means turning Los Angeles over on its ass.

In this new adult novel you’ll meet Robin Banovic, Adriana’s father; financially challenged, dealing with the death of a family member and his brother’s disappearance. You’ll meet Savannah DaCosta aka Savi, mother/manager; Savi enjoys the life her rock star daughter Leighann has provided. When Leighann makes a choice to end her career, Savi sees it as a personal attack.

You’ll meet college boy Haze Lyndon; New to Los Angeles, Haze soon realizes how quickly money changes hands in the City of Angels. Will he return to questionable ways to survive or go back to the safety of his family in Wisconsin?

Adriana’s thoughts

I don’t think fashion has an age limit, I don’t think fashion has anything to do with how you look. I think fashion is an attitude. Two people with the exact same body type can wear the same outfit and one of them is bound to stand out. I’ll bet the more confident one would be more appealing.

Ever notice how runway models always look good even if what they are modeling is crappy? (I’m not calling names, but seriously, not every outfit should be on the runway), back to my point, they (models) walk like they own the world. Whether they feel it or not, they exude confidence. With everybody’s eyes on them and probably praying that they don’t miss a step, the last thing I’m sure they feel is confident, but they pull it off.

Whether you choose to mix Prada with thrift store, it’s all about the attitude you wear when you wear it.

What’s my personal fashion sense? I love bohemian with long loose skirts, chunky bangles, and head scarves. I usually pair that with a tank top and open toe sandals. I’m not much into brand names, I like what I like. I’m still experimenting with different styles and sometimes I’ll throw on a pair of cowboy boots and shorts and be just as comfortable. I live in Los Angeles, and cowboy boots is not an everyday fashion statement for the locals. To me it doesn’t matter, I love pushing the envelope. I wear my cowboy boots with pride.

No matter where you are or who you are, find your own style and own it.

About Adriana

Adriana Kelly Banovic is a 15-year-old ex-soap opera star. After her career ended abruptly she was forced to return to high school; the prestigious Westwood Academy of Higher Learning. Adriana is determined to get herself expelled from the celebrity obsessed school, but gets distracted by mystery boy Haze Lyndon, she also has secrets of her own and goes through great lengths to make sure Haze never finds out.

Meet Adriana in the Family Portrait series: Changes, The Banovic Siblings and Bastard’s Brew.

This book is available for FREE on Amazon, iTunes, and B&N

Synopsis

College boy Kevin Banovic’s casual affair with Savi DaCosta suited him perfectly. Things change when he finds out that Savi is his mom’s high school bestie. When Kevin tries to end their affair, Savi blackmails him. After Kevin rescues Savi’s stepdaughter, L’Wren, from her abusive boyfriend, he can’t stop thinking about her. He must find a way to handle Savi, protect L’Wren, and keep his sanity.

Bad girl Adriana Banovic is pleased with herself for getting her nemesis expelled from Westwood Academy. As feelings between her and her latest victim Haze Lyndon escalate, an unexpected rival discovers her secret and threatens to expose her. With emotions on the line, will her new rival beat her at her own game or end up another casualty of Adriana’s wrath?

Zax Banovic has it all. Tall and handsome, he’s an academic genius, with a killer smile and a heart of gold. When his best friend gets into trouble, he feels responsible and covers for him. But his best friend is not as honorable and has other plans for Zax.

The Banovic Siblings learn that blackmail is a gift that keeps on giving.

Excerpt

L’Wren entered Bacchanal Jake’s with two of her girlfriends. While their intention was to have fun and enjoy the attention of guys, her mission was to see Kevin Banovic again. She knew he worked there and, without alerting her friends to her plan, casually chose Jake’s as the hangout spot for the evening.

She hated the way they’d left things. Why did she care what he thought of her? He was just some guy—some guy who cared enough to stand up for her and got hurt in the process. She carried around immense guilt, and he’d made her feel worst when she tried to apologize. She had no idea what she was going to say to him. She just knew that she had to see him again.

They ordered drinks and found a booth. L’Wren’s eyes combed the room, her breath unsteady, her palms sweaty and her stomach in knots. Maybe he had the night off.

L’Wren’s friends noticed her distraction.

“Hey, what’s going on with you?” one friend asked.

“Nothing.” She smiled nervously.

A couple of guys came over with drinks for the girls. They began chatting them up. L’Wren was not interested. She just smiled and nodded and kept an eye out for Kevin.

Her hopes began to fade after an hour. L’Wren was about ready to leave when she spotted Kevin. She took a deep breath. The air in the room was getting tight again. She watched as he flirted with a woman at the bar. The scene reminded her of Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail, minus the bar theatrics.

Synopsis

When L’Wren’s ex-boyfriend Jeff suddenly disappears, she turns to Kevin to help her find him. With one phone call, Kevin makes sure that Jeff stays hidden and that L’Wren’s heart is broken, leaving the door open for Kevin to pursue her. But Kevin is not as free as L’Wren thinks; she is in the dark about his affair with her stepmother, Savi. Savi constantly reminds Kevin of his devious ways and uses their secret to keep him as her toyfriend.

“You don’t deserve to be loved, and you don’t deserve to be happy. You and I are the same … we’re broken inside. Everything we touch, we destroy. We don’t get happily ever after … we don’t get to ride off into the sunset. You know who gets that? L’Wren … she gets it, she gets the guy, and she deserves a decent guy.”- Savi

Kevin desires to be the man that L’Wren deserves, but before he can assume the role of white knight, he brews one last plan to get rid of Savi for good. Will L’Wren, the innocent victim in their twisted game, become a casualty?

Kevin may have sold his body to the devil in stilettos, but he’d be damned if he let her have his heart.

About the Author

I have been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I enjoy creating characters that could be your next-door neighbor, but would you want them as your neighbor is another story.

Originally from the island of Trinidad and Tobago, I moved to the United States in 1998. Since then I have been involved in the entertainment industry for over ten years.

I am an entrepreneur and advocate for women and children’s rights and I enjoy being in nature and volunteering.

I always wanted to work with Aaron Spelling because I grew up watching his shows, but he died before I got the chance, so in a way my books are an ode to him. I know he would have loved them. I tip my hat to him.

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Giveaway

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Today I am welcoming author Gillian Felix to StoreyBook Reviews.  She has a trilogy called the Family Portrait Series and each book focuses on one member of the family.  Today Gillian is filling us in on how she came up with this series.

Welcome Gillian!

The Birth of Family Portrait Novels

As a child I used to hate doing the dishes (I still do), to get out of doing them, I used to bribe my younger sister with a story if she’d do them for me. While she did them, I would pull up a chair, and tell her stories of cool American kids who lived in Los Angeles. Why LA? I don’t know, I didn’t know anywhere else, plus we used to get television shows filmed in Hollywood and everything seemed so sparkly and nice. And so the Banovic, the DaCostas and the Malone family was born.

Over the years the story has evolved, the Banovic, DaCosta and Malone kids have grown up and started families of their own. With all the family history between them I figured it would be fantastic to capture that in a story. I’d written the story from so many angles over the years and in 2010, I decided to focus on their off springs, living in the present time.

When I queried the first book to agents, I had written the main character, Adriana Banovic as a young, hot, up and coming actress making a name for herself on the Hollywood circuit. Several rejection letters later, I decided to turn it into a television series.

Made for TV

In the TV version I wrote Adriana as a 15 year-old, washed up soap star, forced to fit in at a prestigious high school. I pitched it to a couple of production companies and got interest but they wanted it to be more of a half-hour comedy format.

I had already written 2 seasons worth of material with it as a dramedy, and changing it to their format would completely change where I felt the story could go. I had envisioned a Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Beverly Hills 90210 type show. At that time I entered the pilot script into a British TV writing competition and it place in the top 10 out of 4000!

Fast forward to 2013, frustrated with Hollywood and traditional publishing, I decided to self-publish.

Birth of the novel series

I changed the pilot script into the first novel, Changes. Readers enjoyed it and expressed interest in reading more so I released The Banovic Siblings and shortly after Bastard’s Brew. The forth novel The Perfect Escape will be released later this year.

While the novel series has its funny moments, it is much darker than the script. I made Adriana an angst ridden teenage trouble maker, and bumped up her eldest brother Kevin’s character into a drug dealing bad boy, who gets himself tangled up with the wrong woman. There is still a lot of drama to come with the Banovic, DaCosta and Malone kids all leading up to the final book, where Adriana is a 21 year-old up and coming actress, who has made a name for herself in Hollywood.

I hope readers will enjoy Adriana’s journey to adulthood and stardom.

She’s back. This time no one is safe.

A skeleton is dug up at the crossing of the ways on Hanging Moor, striking dread into the heart of Old Ma Ramsgill – the elderly matriarch of the village of Thruscross. And with good reason. The eighteenth-century witch, Jennet, has been woken.

A spate of killings by a vicious black dog gives credence to her warnings and the community – in particular her family – realise they are in terrible danger.

Drastic measures are needed to contain her, but with the imminent flooding of the valley to create a new reservoir, do they have the ability to stop her and break her curse?

Excerpt

Old Ma Ramsgill continued her chanting of, ‘I bind thee, Jennet Scot, to this valley. Thee’ll do no more harm here. I bind thee Jennet Scot—’ She screamed as something knocked her down. Screamed again as her body broke. Then resumed her chant.

The storm above the valley intensified.

‘Got you now, bitch,’ Ma whispered. ‘Got you on the run – too busy celebrating your freedom, forgot what was—’ She screamed again as lightning struck nearby.

‘Missed, bitch!’ She cackled into the sudden dark as the lights went out. ‘That all you got? Terrorize my family, would you? Ha!’

Another scream as her leg was twisted and she felt – and heard – another bone break. ‘Do what you like to me – I’ve lived a long life, more than you ever did. Too late to stop me now!’

The fire flared and sparks leapt out into the room.

‘No!’ Old Ma Ramsgill screamed, louder than she had for sixty years. Sparks landed on the pile of journals and bred flames. As they took hold, Ma forced her broken body along the floor and reached out. She found her own journal, dragged it out of the inferno, beat it against the floor, then rolled on top of it to smother the flames. She passed out.

It is free on Smashwords for EPUB and MOBI :

99c on Amazon

About The Author

Karen Perkins lives in Yorkshire, where she spends her time writing and publishing as proprietor of LionheART Publishing House. She has been a keen sailor since childhood, competing nationally and internationally until the day she had both National and European Ladies Champion titles. Although she no longer takes to the water, she continues to enjoy sailing in her imagination and fiction – capsizing far less often!

She has written the novella (Ill Wind) and the full-length novel (Dead Reckoning – long-listed in the Mslexia Novel Competition 2011) both of which are number one bestsellers in Sea Adventures on Amazon.co.uk in the Valkyrie Series. Look Sharpe!, Valkyrie 3, has just been released and will shortly be followed by the short story, Where Away and the novel Ready About!.

Karen Perkins has also written the novel, Thores-Cross and the associated short story Cursed in the Yorkshire Ghost Story Series. Dark, haunting tales set in the North Yorkshire Moors about isolation, superstition and persecution, Thores-Cross follows the stories of Emma, a present day writer, and Jennet, an eighteenth century witch. Thores-Cross is a number one bestseller in British Horror on Amazon.com, and will soon be followed by the next book in the series, Knight of Betrayal. Set in both 1170 and modern day, Knight of Betrayal focuses on the four knights – Hugh de Morville, Reginald fitz Urse, William de Tracey and Richard le Bret – who broke the sanctuary of Canterbury Cathedral to murder the Archbishop, Thomas Becket. Hiding out in Knaresborough Castle, the extreme level of their medieval sense of guilt and dishonour has horrific repercussions nearly a millennium later.

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Fabulosity Reads Book Promotions is a book touring website that promotes authors and their precious works to an extensive audience using blogs, twitter, Facebook and other Social Media, with the aim of introducing them to an appreciative readership.

They offer a diverse range of both complimentary and affordable products to help the reach of your book go that much further.

Every stage actress wants fans, but what happens when one goes too far?

Emmy has the perfect life— a house on the beach, a successful career headlining the local theater, and love. But when a brutal murder brings unimaginable grief, Emmy’s world comes crashing down. As she tries to pick up the pieces, she can’t seem to avoid Josh, the new fireman in town.

Emmy does her best to fight the sizzle in her chest when Josh is near. But with the stalker still out there, terrorizing her and those she cares about, she can’t fall for anyone—especially Josh, a suspect in the murder investigation.

If Emmy allows a man to get close, it’s not just her heart she puts at risk, it’s her life.

“Cami Checketts can spin a tale like no other. Love, suspense, thrills, she has it all, and Shadows in the Curtain is no exception. What a thrill ride! I highly recommend this book. 10 stars!!”

Sherry Gammon, author of the Port Fare Series

“I’m a sucker for the exciting parts, and this book has scenes that had my eyes racing my heart to the end of each page!”

Amanda Tru, author of the Yesterday Series

Buy it in print here for only $8.63

Cami Checketts’ books Poison Me and The Colony are only $.99 for the length of the Shadows in the Curtain blog tour -August 4th – 9th.

Poison Me 

Jake Merrill was raised by his grandmother, Ruby, and her hilarious friends. After a suspicious death at the retirement home where Ruby lives, she enlists Jake and Chanel, the beautiful activities director, to help her find the killer.

But secrets Ruby has kept for decades threaten her family and the man she’s always loved but could never have. Chanel’s unstable ex-boyfriend, a presumably dead relative, and vicious criminals add to the confusion. Time is running out as Jake, Chanel, and Ruby desperately search for clues to solve the murders and fight to save those they love.

The Colony

To protect her sons from the mistakes of her past, Brinlee Trapper escapes to a secluded mountain home. But there are dangers lurking in the mountains she has never encountered. The little family is saved from injury by Jed, a mysterious hunter. Brinlee is drawn to him, but she worries about his involvement with a peaceful commune hidden deep in the mountains behind her property.

Lance, Brinlee’s attentive neighbor, has his own troubled history. Between his obvious attraction to Brinlee and his developing love for her children, Brinlee finds it more than difficult to guard her heart against this tender intrusion.

While Jed offers a life of excitement and freedom, Lance holds the key to the family Brinlee always wanted. When it comes time to choose, she learns that both men have secrets that could shatter her fledgling trust in men and the wrong decision could leave more than her heart exposed to danger.

Excerpt from Shadows in the Curtain

Timothy stuck to her side while people surged passed with compliments, hand squeezes, and the occasional hug. Emmy searched every eye, but only saw excitement from a fun performance or weariness from sitting too long. If anyone had murder in mind, he was as good at putting on a fake face as she was.

No one piqued her curiosity. Until he came. She had no clue what his name was, but the past few weeks she’d seen him almost every morning at the gym. He was much too good-looking, with his rippling muscles and deep blue eyes. She always avoided looking directly at him, though she knew that was as obvious an indicator of her attraction as staring would be. She couldn’t avoid him now.

The wide entryway, which featured plush, faded carpet and wood-planked walls, shrank as he drew nearer. The babble of the crowd faded. He reached for her hand, staring deep into her eyes. Her hand fitted itself into his like he was a magnet. Her entire body leaned toward him.

“You were amazing. So passionate.” He smiled and the room swayed.

Emmy was quite sure the passion she experienced right now had nothing to do with singing or acting. She should draw away but couldn’t force herself to. “Thank you,” she managed, embarrassed by the huskiness of her voice as she tried to catch a breath.

The crowd pressed forward, and he was forced to release her hand and move to the side. His blonde date gushed over Emmy for a second, and then they were gone.

Emmy continued greeting other patrons but couldn’t forget the allure of his blue eyes. He didn’t seem like the creepy stalker type, but she had to wonder. Could he be the one sending the notes?

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Synopsis

Not all the witch trials took place in Salem. And there are people in nearby Rachael Crossing who believe the abandoned old house in their midst has roots going back to those awful times.

Determined not to be spooked by vague rumors, Deborah Colby leases that house for the summer and when she meets Ethan Burke, she’s certain she’s made the right decision – certain her whole life has been leading her there to him.

Review

I finished this book the other day and really enjoyed it.  It reminded me of a book we read for my book club called The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane and the tie to the Salem Witch Trials and jumping back and forth in time from chapter to chapter. I really enjoyed how it went back and forth between past and present through about half the book and then was in the present (well 1982) for most of the last half and the last chapter jumped to 2022. It all tied together nicely and didn’t really leave anything hanging.

I wondered about Ethan and I was happy to see that my suspicions were correct.  Although I wonder how it could happen, but that is why it is fiction!  I felt sorry for Deborah having to deal with her sister and her rigid beliefs, but at least she learned to stand up for herself and evolved more into her own person.  There was a good mix of characters and the personalities of most held true for a small town and how it is sometimes hard to be considered one of them until you have lived there for quite some time.

I think this book is worth the read and give it 4 paws up!

About the Author

I started writing stories as soon as I learned how to put letters together to form words. From that day forward, writing has been a part of my life whether it was my first attempt at a novel in seventh grade or the little plays I wrote for my friends to perform for neighbors and family. After college, when I was busy teaching French and Spanish to high school students, I was also writing poetry — some of it in French.

After several years, I left teaching to be a full time mom, and when my two children started school, I went back to writing. To my delight I found that the muse was still there, still waiting patiently for me to come around. My first novel, Ghostfire, was published at that time. It went on to be condensed in Redbook magazine (the first paperback original the magazine had ever condensed.) Then came The God Children and The Portal. Redbook also published my first short story, which was subsequently sold to several foreign magazines. With two great kids, a golden retriever and a loving, supportive husband (whom I’d met at the beach when I was fourteen — but that’s a story for another day), I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be in my life. But fate had another plan for me, and it went by the name of “breast cancer.”

Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was that the cancer was discovered at such an early stage, but at the time it was all very overwhelming. Once I was back on my feet, I wanted to help other women who were newly diagnosed, worried and afraid. I became a Reach to Recovery volunteer for the American Cancer Society and went on to run the program for Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. A number of years later, with the help of my surgical oncologist and two other volunteers, I started Lean On Me, a nonprofit organization that provides peer support and information to breast cancer patients. When Lean On Me celebrated its tenth anniversary it no longer required as much of my time, and I once again found myself free to pursue my first love — writing.

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I’m excited to have author Darlene Deluca with us here today on StoreyBook Reviews.

Darlene Deluca writes women’s fiction and contemporary romance, and likes to explore relationships – what brings people together or keeps them apart. Her characters seem like real people with real issues that readers can relate to.

Darlene is the author of four novels. She released her debut novel, Unexpected Legacy, in January, 2013, and it advanced to the quarter-finals in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award. Meetings of Chance is a sweet contemporary romance, and The Storm Within is the first of her small-town trilogy in women’s fiction. Her most recent release, Something Good, is her third contemporary romance.

Darlene has been a reader and writer since childhood. She holds a degree in Journalism, and is the go-to person when her kids need help with an English paper, resume or essay. (Math, not so much.) Darlene started her writing career as a newspaper reporter, and later moved into corporate communications. “Writing fiction is a lot more fun,” she says. “It’s liberating. I can make up the people, places and the pertinent facts.”

She has a daughter who just graduated from college, and a son who just graduated from high school. Darlene tolerates living in the Midwest (that’s where the fam is), but when the temperature plummets and the ground turns white, she often longs for a distant sunny beach.

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The Circle of My Life by Darlene Deluca

Once upon a time there was a young girl who loved books. She read books all the time. She had many fictitious friends. Among her favorites were Betsy, Henry, Laura, Nancy, Beanie and Trixie. Her favorite places were cozy reading nooks, bookstores and libraries. She read far above her grade level. A competitive reader, she tracked with pride the William Allen White Books she read. She dashed with dizzying speed through the colors of the SRA reading exercises. She aced English. Always.

As a teen, this girl discovered Harlequin Romances and Bilbo Baggins and Middle Earth. In high school, she soaked up classics like The Grapes of Wrath and Catcher in the Rye. In college, her favorite class was, naturally, an English elective – Crime in Literature – where she was introduced to The Godfather, Crime and Punishment, All The King’s Men, and more. Words showed her the way, and so she graduated with a degree in Journalism on a fair day in May.

Years went by, and the girl grew up, got married, and got pregnant. Then what did she do? She read What To Expect When You’re Expecting and Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, and books on birth and parenting. And then she read . . . Goodnight Moon, and Put Me in the Zoo, and The Little House, and The Little Engine That Could. And she started over again with Laura Ingalls Wilder, and discovered Misty of Chincoteague. And then her children went to school and she read new classics. After all, she needed to know what her little prince and princess were reading. And so she read Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Book Thief, and many, many more. For a great number of hours she volunteered in the school library, and ran the school book fair, and so became a book Queen.

And she worked. But with literary friends, formed a book club, and always kept reading. As the years passed, she added book shelves in her house. And more book shelves. And there are books in every room of her house. At night, stories went through her mind before she fell asleep. Sometimes they’d still be there during the day. She worked a long time. Then she stopped.

And then the time came when she sat at her computer. Her fingers tapped, grazed, and poked the letters on the keyboard. Stories came to life, and the girl who loved books began writing books. Now that girl is an author.

And she still loves books. And lives happily ever after.

The End

Giveaway

2 eBook copies of Something Good.  Available for the Kindle, Nook or iPad/iphone.  Open internationally.

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Synopsis

A mistake. A blessing. A tragedy.

And now, Mandi Evans has made it her goal to fade into anonymity. Once a straight-A student with her choice of colleges, she’s withdrawn into a life that consists of two jobs, an online class, and memories. Crippled by the past, she feels unworthy of a better life – until Lane Whitmore walks into the diner where she works six nights a week.

An urban planner, Lane is looking to revitalize the rundown part of town where Mandi’s hidden herself away. He can’t help but notice this diamond in the rough as well, and what starts as simple good times grows to . . . something more.

With Lane, Mandi feels alive again, and she makes a bold decision – one that could chart her course on a path to redemption. But will keeping her plan a secret from Lane turn out to be the biggest mistake of all?

Synopsis

In the California coastal town of South Cove, history is one of its many tourist attractions—until it becomes deadly…

Jill Gardner, proprietor of Coffee, Books, and More, has discovered that the old stone wall on her property might be a centuries-old mission worthy of being declared a landmark. But Craig Thomas, the obnoxious owner of South Cove’s most popular tourist spot, The Castle, makes it his business to contest her claim. When Thomas is found murdered at The Castle shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even her detective boyfriend has to ask her for an alibi. Jill decides she must find the real murderer to clear her name. But when the killer comes for her, she’ll need to jump from historic preservation to self-preservation …

AMAZON            B&N

Review

I just recently picked up this series (after having book 1 to read for quite some time!) and I guess it says something when you speed through the first book and pick up the 2nd book right away.  I thought the second book was just as good as the first. Something I noticed in both books is that the killer isn’t someone I would have picked out of a lineup! The story is well written and I feel like I am there in the town and these characters are my friends. I like seeing Jill & Greg’s relationship continue and wonder what the author has in store for them in the next book.

We give this 4 paws up and look forward to book 3!

About the Author

USA Today and New York Times, best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and four fur babies.

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Tour Participants

July 31 – Dru’s Book Musing – Guest Post
August 1 – Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers – Guest Post
August 2 – Booklady’s Booknotes – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway
August 3 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
August 4 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review, Guest Post
August 5 – Kaisy Daisy’s Corner – Review
August 6 – A Blue Million Books – Interview, Guest Post
August 7 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Review
August 8 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Interview
August 9 – Mystery Playground – Interview,
August 10 – Community Bookstop – Review, Giveaway
August 11 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – Review, Interview
August 12 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Guest Post

I’m lucky enough to have author Lynn Cahoon join me today.  She is the author of the Tourist Trap cozy mystery series and I just finished up her first two books and am anxiously awaiting book 3!

Welcome Lynn

Thanks for having me over to StoreyBook Reviews!

As I pondered what to write this blog about, I got thinking about friendship, and family, and community. The one thing I love about writing the TOURIST TRAP mysteries, is I get to build relationships and family for my characters. Jill, my heroine, hasn’t been the most successful in relationships. So moving to South Cove, she’s looking for a sense of belonging. A sense of community.

Sometimes that’s hard to get in a new to you town. I remember being the new girl in elementary school five times. It sucks. Especially when you’re known for the rest of your school career as the girl who threw up in third grade science class when the teacher talked about the heart pumping blood.

I still get woozy thinking about the whole process.

That was my first indication that the medical field was not a good career choice. I still get light headed when people talk about how the body works. I believe it’s like electricity. I don’t have to know how it works to appreciate a light on a dark night. Or any of the ways my body works.

But back to community. South Cove, my fictional town set on the central California coast, is one of those towns where everyone knows your business. Sometimes before you do. And now that Jill is dating the local police detective, everyone is watching her, expecting her to be ‘hooked-in’ to all the gossip.

I adore the way the town is growing. Adding people, I mean characters, book by book. Some are Jill’s missing pieces to the mosaic of her life, like her Aunt Jackie. Others, as far as Jill is concerned, could just go missing. Like the guy who runs Antiques by Thomas – Josh Thomas is a whiner. And not shy to express his views to anyone within ear shot.

But that’s what happens when people live together. You take the good and the bad and figure out a way to live with both. My ex-husband never learned that. He wanted everything to be perfect or we’d have to move to the next neighborhood, where things would match his vision. Until they didn’t.

I wanted to put down roots. To have my kid go to the same school, with the same kids, until he graduated. I finally made that happen for us. Now, I live across the country in a small historic town. Our community is large, expanding, and healthy. Just like South Cove.

Community doesn’t just mean the people you live by. You can develop a community with your friends, hobbies, or job contacts. Jill’s been developing her own community of support during the last five years. And for once, she feels like she belongs.

Or she did. Until someone killed Craig Morgan. The guy she fought with, not once but twice in the days before his death.

Now she might as well wear a t-shirt that says – Suspect #1.

Lynn

About Lynn

USA Today and New York Times, best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and four fur babies.

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On today’s version of Mystery Monday, I am featuring Lynn Cahoon’s book Guidebook to Murder.  This is the first book in the Tourist Trap Mystery series AND I will have a guest post and a review of her second book, Mission to Murder a little later today (so check back!)

Synopsis

In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store–Coffee, Books, and More–open and running. So why is she caught up in the business of murder? When Jill’s elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily’s gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill–along with all of her problems. . .and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit–especially if it gets her closer to South Cove’s finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she’s on the case–and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently.

Review

This was an excellent first book in a new series. set in a small tourist town in CA, Jill runs a bookstore/coffeeshop and while having lived in the town 5 years is still considered a newbie. She befriended Miss Emily and when she finds her dead immediately suspects foul play. Of course she is right and there are a variety of suspects to choose from. Some of the characters are wacky, some are down to earth and some are just hunky!

And let’s not forget the character Sadie who makes wonderful pie! The words describing her pies made me feel like I could almost taste them.

This is a series to watch/read!

We give it 4 paws up.

SERIES: Book 1 of The Legacy Trilogy
AUTHOR: Melissa Delport
PAGES: 366 pages
GENRE: Speculative Fiction
MARKET: Adults (with crossover to the 16+ reader)
PUBLISHER: Tracey McDonald Publishers

Synopsis

One man obsessed with power.

One woman prepared to sacrifice everything to stop him.

One war that changed the world.

“World War Three lasted twelve days. Twelve days was all it took for mankind to devastate the planet and almost eradicate the human race. No victor emerged from the ashes and billions lost their lives.

We survivors lived through the bleakest of winters. A primal existence became the new order, and the little that remained of our humanity hung in the balance.

Then one man stood up and changed the world. I believed, as did everyone else, that he was the hero of our time, the man who had saved us from our own demise. His name is Eric Dane and he is the President of the New United States of America.

He is also my husband, and my greatest enemy.

I grew up oblivious to the truth, until my father found me when I was nineteen years old. He told me about the many horrifying facts that our new leader kept hidden from us. And he told me that beyond the borders the Resistance grew and fought for freedom from the oppression that Eric Dane had imposed on us.

My name is Rebecca Davis. I am twenty-six years old, and in me the Resistance has found the ultimate weapon.”

A narrative of good and evil, love and passion, right and wrong – and at the centre of the story a strong woman who is prepared to sacrifice everything for the cause she believes in.

The Legacy is an action-packed, adrenalin-inducing thrill ride which will leave you riveted long after you have turned the last page.

Amazon * Amazon UK * B&N * Kobo

About the Author

Wife and mother of 3, Melissa Delport is the author of The Legacy Trilogy and the stand-alone self-published e.books Rainfall and The Traveler.

She graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bachelor’s Degree in English in 2000

At the age of twenty-four Melissa started a logistics company (Transmax) from the spare room of her flat and built it up to two fully operational depots in Durban and Johannesburg. Now, 10 years later, she has sold her business in order to write full time.

Melissa lives with her husband and three children in Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The Legacy (book 1 of The Legacy Trilogy) and The Legion (book 2) are available now and the final book, The Legend, will be released early 2015.

An avid reader herself, Melissa finally decided to stop ‘watching from the sidelines’ and to do what is her passion.

“I was driving home from work when inspiration struck, and a storyline started unraveling in my head. For a few days it was all I could think about and eventually I realized that the only way to get it out of my head, was to put it all down on paper. I started writing, and that was that.”

Blog * The Legacy Trilogy Website * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter * Pinterest