Posted in Medical Thriller, Spotlight on April 21, 2015

Blood on the Bayou is the second book in this series set in the Big Easy by author D.J. Donaldson. The first book is Cajun Nights and the third book is No Mardi Gras for the Dead.

 

blood on the bayou

Synopsis

Hefty and quirky New Orleans Chief Medical Examiner Andy Broussard loves fine wine, gourmet food, and Louis L’Amour novels almost as much as he hates murderers. In a city as hedonistic and dangerous as it is wonderful, Andy connects the mystery dots in ways that amaze and irritate the less gifted. Fresh out of her PhD program, the sumptuous and shapely criminal psychologist Kit Franklyn regularly fends off suitors and felons, and what she lacks in experience, she makes up for in cleverness. Together, the two are unbeatable at investigating crime, corruption, and more

Something terrible is roaming the French Quarter, leaving mutilated bodies in its wake. Andy and Kit are called to investigate who—or what—is lurking in the darkness. Fueled by their desire to catch this monster, they concentrate on identifying the killer responsible for ripping out victim’s throats. As they start to close in, it becomes clear the wounds couldn’t have been forged by a human… but what about a werewolf? Has the infamous Loup Garou finally descended on the Big Easy?

Written in his unique style, Donaldson’s Blood on the Bayou combines hard-hitting, action-packed prose with brilliant first-hand knowledge of forensics and the sultry flavor of New Orleans. The result is a gripping mystery involving murder and some supernatural flare in the creole heartland.

 

goodreads-badge-add-plus

amazon buybn buy

 

About the Author

DJ Donaldson ImageD.J. Donaldson is a retired professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology. His entire academic career was spent at the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center, where he published dozens of papers on wound-healing and where he taught microscopic anatomy to thousands of medical and dental students.

He is also the author of seven published forensic mysteries and five medical thrillers. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife and two West Highland terriers. In the spring of most years he simply cannot stop buying new flowers and other plants for the couple’s prized backyard garden.

Website * Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter

 

 | 
Comments Off on Spotlight – Blood on the Bayou by DJ Donaldson @medicalthriller @shelbyhowickab @AstorandBlue
Posted in e-books, romance, Sale on April 20, 2015

stormy_surrender_project

 

Buy it Now for 99 Pennies!publishing-logo-kdppublishing-logo-pipublishing-logo-kobopublishing-logo-scribd

Synopsis for the New Hope Boxed Set:

Includes Stormy Surrender, Tempest Torn, and Under Umbrellas.

Stormy Surrender:

Visit New Hope, the small town with plenty of southern charm!

Sometimes the life you planned isn’t the one you get to live. Sometimes the pain of the past overshadows the future. And sometimes to start over you have to go back to where it all began. That’s how it was for Joe Masters. That’s how he ended up back in New Hope. And that’s why he was in his thirties and had nothing to show for his life. He needed a complete overhaul, just like his father’s old house. Instead of a fast track, he had slowed down and was on a ten year plan. These days that was more his speed. And as much as he tried to fight the inevitable, he was learning to accept and surrender.

Martha had weathered her fair share of storms in Vermont, was accustomed to the cold, both the chill in the air and the cold shoulder in her marriage, but after the miscarriage she felt like she would never get warm again. So she did the research from the laptop while sitting in front of the fireplace. She knew what she needed when she Googled ‘hope,’ she just never imagined that it would bring her to New Hope, South Carolina. She never imagined that her husband would trick her into leaving and never follow. She never imagined that a southern storm with all its force and fury could be so destructive. But after the storm, the land is washed clean. It’s perfect for a fresh start, a clean slate, and a new love.

Tempest Torn

Book Two of the New Hope Series full of small town charm and southern romance

A night of passion. A raging fire. A home destroyed.

The sun returned and Joey and Marti felt they had turned a corner in their relationship. Only when they turned that corner, they ran right into the insurance adjustor, Finn. She wasn’t just any woman, though. She was the one woman Joey always believed he’d spend the rest of his life with, but they couldn’t make it work. Soon it was obvious that she didn’t just want to adjust the value of the house, but remind Joey of the value of their relationship, and adjust his attitude about the future.

Suddenly, Joey struggles to choose between two women…one who has never and would never hurt him and one that his heart can’t let go despite the hurt. He’s not the only one with a choice to make. Never again will Marti allow anyone to make her question her own worth.

A tempest brews. A man is torn. A woman refuses to wait.

Under Umbrellas

Book Three of the New Hope Series, set in a small charming southern town

It has been six months since Marti agreed to marry Joey. Despite her history, she’s having a healthy pregnancy. They finally have her house to themselves and Joey has finished her To Do list. Life should be perfect, but it’s not. Joey is pressuring Marti to make it legal before the baby arrives, which is proving impossible since Blaine refuses to let go. Their situation is further complicated when Finn refuses to go away. Add in a town divided, a legacy to uphold, and a particularly vicious hurricane season, and then hang on.

Because life is full of storms and love means sharing an umbrella.

stormy surrender kiss teaser

tempest torn heart graphic

tempest torn comfort graphic

10999565_1824085204482648_1980079870_o

under umbrellas teaser fire

 

 About the Author

Nicole has been an author since 2011, but it was after the birth of her daughter, Kenna in January of 2012, that she was determined to make it a full-time career. As the fourth smallest preemie in the world, Kenna’s medical needs would prevent her from ever going to day care.

For fun, she spends time with those she cares about, cooks, reads, writes, and especially lives to travel. The current travel goal: visit every Margaritaville. Three down! (Eleven to go?)

Her writing can also be found on Shine, where she is a Shine Parenting Guru and an award winning Yahoo! Contributor on YourWisdom as the relationship and dating expert. In addition, she has been published by McClatchy News in their syndicated papers.

Her books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, and Smashwords in ebook, paperback, and even some audiobooks.

Newsletter Button

facebook48x48twitter48x48goodreads48x48amazon48x48

 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 | 
Comments Off on Spotlight & #Giveaway – New Hope Series box set by Nicole Andrews Moore #sale #99cents @thenicknick
Posted in Giveaway, romance on April 19, 2015

blind-date-with-a-book-week3

Four weeks of GiveAways!!!

Enter this week to win one of the following titles in eBook.

 

Week 3

 

Lies Inside, Lindsey Gray, Romance

Lies_Inside_Low-Res_Cover

How do you say goodbye to the love of your life when you are only twelve years old? Finn O’Malley and Lucy Butler had to figure out how to do just that as Finn left his home in Clarks-town, New York for Two Roads School of Music in California. Being a young talented musician, Finn thought it best for his future but wasn’t sure about leaving Lucy behind.

Now, just one semester short of graduation and a promising future at UCLA, he throws it all away to return home. This leaves his family and friends questioning why.

The Finn that has returned home is not the same boy who left. He’s broken and withdrawn. Lucy and his sister Rylan want nothing more than to bring back the Finn they know and love.

From the moment Finn reconnects with Lucy, he feels the one thing he hasn’t felt in years—hope. As Lucy starts to bring him out of his shell, Finn begins to realize what real love really is.

When his past collides with his future, how will Finn deal with the love he needs and the love he despises? Can Lucy help heal what lies inside?

 

Pieces of Broken Time, Lorenz Font, Romance

Pieces_of_Broken_Time_Low-Res_Cover

When Blake Connor returns from Afghanistan, he wants nothing more than to hide from the world. He’s plagued by the memory of his best friend’s death and the pain of his own injuries. That same friend’s dying wish is just one more burden he must carry.

Jennifer Owens had expected to get married the moment her fiancé returned from the war, but the news of his death changed everything. When an unexpected letter arrives a year later, it raises new questions and opens old wounds. Her search for answers leads her to Blake’s door-step.

Although Blake seems determined to keep her at arms’ length, Jennifer recognizes the beauty that lies beneath his scars and confronts him with the truth. Nothing will ever be the same for this broken ex-Army Ranger, but he must overcome his warped self-image and emotional scars if he’s going to be the man Jennifer deserves.

 

Unwritten Rules, M.A. Stacie, Romance

Unwritten_Rules_Low-Res_Cover

Elle is an energetic, independent woman with a successful business and new start in the big city. The bustling streets of New York are not what she expected, yet she finds the freedom ex-hilarating. One interaction at the mailboxes with her shy, strikingly handsome neighbor is all it takes to turn the strong- willed young woman into a bumbling mess.

Jonah Quinn is withdrawn for good reason; he harbors a dark secret. He lives his life in the shadows, playing his music in late night bars and hiding himself from everyone but Elle’s cat. His tattoos bear his pain while his music is his outlet, but it is his silence that keeps his shame at bay.

Can one night of passion between the two of them lead to more than casual glances exchanged at their mailboxes? Will Elle be strong enough to help Jonah with his personal demons. And will Jonah break his silence regarding a past that haunts him?

The Rules for this relationship are Unwritten. A story of longing, love, and forgiveness.

 

Hidden Threat, Sherri Hayes, Ro-mance

9258d-hidden_threat_hi-res_cover2Cali Stanton has one goal in life, being a doctor. She does not intend to run the family business. But when her father gets injured and tells her that she’s the only one he trusts, Cali finds herself behind his desk at Stanton Enterprises.

Matthew Andersen and his brother Jason have spent the last two years managing security at Stanton Enterprises. But when someone threatens the company and its CEO, challenging Mat-thew’s abilities, what seems like an easy task, becomes a big problem.

Cali and Matthew must fight their growing attraction for each other to avoid a potentially dam-aging office romance. As the threats continue, they must work together to keep the company running and discover who is behind the threats.

But when things escalate to violence and Cali becomes the latest target, things get personal. Can Matthew find the Hidden Threat before it’s too late?

 

Eight Days a Week, Amber L. Johnson, Romance/Contemporary

Eight-Days-a-Week-Low-Res-Cover

Andrew Lyons has been running from responsibility his entire life. Returning home after a cou-ple of years abroad, he finds himself jobless and living in close quarters with a sister he can barely tolerate. At her request, he searches for a job on Craigslist, but finds a room for rent in-stead. Or so he thinks.

Gwen Stone is in a lurch. With a new promotion at work and two young children at home, she’s in dire need of a caretaker. When Andrew shows up on her doorstep, she thinks he may be ex-actly what she’s looking for. When she offers him the job, he’s more than interested and she’s confident she’s made the right choice.

It shouldn’t be awkward at all.

But Andrew isn’t exactly forthcoming about his intentions, and Gwen has some secrets she’s unwilling to share. When the mom and the “manny” don’t have a clue what they’re doing, things are bound to get messy.

What do you get with two kids who don’t know how to be kids, a man who never grew up, Beatles Rock Band, and hundreds of hours of kids’ TV? A very interesting job, indeed. But when emotions get in the way, there’s more at stake than just an occupation.

Because life doesn’t have clock-out button. And neither does love.

 

Maybe, Amber L. Johnson, Ro-mance/Contemporary

Maybe-Hi-Res-CoverEmily Portman loves her job. A writer for Breakout! Magazine, she showcases up-and-coming bands. When her next as-signment takes her to Austin, Texas, she can’t wait to add the city to her map of places she’s loved and left without looking back.

Tyler Macy is stuck in a rut. Despite his exceptional talent as a musician, he has chosen to take a backseat with his band and let others grab the limelight. Wounded and mistrustful, he doesn’t appreciate his friends’ efforts to bring him back to center stage, and that includes Emily.

For Tyler to find his music again, he must accept that Emily holds the key, like she’s stolen both his heart and peace of mind. In order for them to be together, they both must learn to let go.

 

Behind the Scandal, M.A. Stacie, Ro-mance/Contemporary

Sent to the family ranch to overcome his addiction, Taylor Reese is angry and hurt. Feeling re-jected by his father and brother, Taylor throws himself into ranch life to help him forget. He struggles with his addiction, though he refuses help. But it isn’t long before it hits him hard how much his life has spiraled out of control. He begins to question every aspect of his life, and the confusion leaves him floundering and looking for something, or someone, to cling to.

Libby Karlin is cautious, wary of Taylor’s presence. His brutal honesty and lack of respect claw at her composure. Her dark past makes her reluctant to let anyone near her family, but when Taylor strikes up a friendship with her son, Libby finds herself drawn to the sadness within him. His experiences are no secret to her. She sees where his world turned upside down and offers him a helping hand. But her own secrets stay buried, locked away until a knock on her door has her gasping for breath.

Libby’s fear paralyzes her as she comes face to face with her demons and, determined to stay strong, she battles for a way out.

Could dealing with their pasts really give them a future?

 

An Unexpected Woman, Sandi Layne, Historical Fiction

An_Unexpected_Woman_Low-Res_Cover

“Put a bow around the woman you want for me, so I’ll know.”

Associate Pastor Dr. Mark Countryman is a recent transplant to North Fort Myers, Florida. Alt-hough it’s a paradise for some, Dr. Countryman has never felt more alone. As his fortieth birth-day approaches, he reevaluates his past relationships and prays that God will guard his heart so it will not be broken again. If only there was a way he could be sure of God’s will.

“God says that a man is not meant to live alone always.”

As a child, Shelley watched her mother lose the battle against breast cancer. In her late teens, she survived a major hurricane with her father while living in Southwest Florida. Now twenty-five, Shelley Roberts is a furniture repairwoman who believes in being prepared for every con-tingency while enjoying life and seizing the moment.

A random encounter throws these two people into each other’s lives. Soon after, Shelley is as-signed to do some work at Mark’s church. As they spend more time together, a relationship slowly begins to blossom, though whether they’re “friends” or “more” is something neither of them is certain of.

While growing closer to Mark, Shelley encourages him to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season—something she had to learn to do some years before. Though a woman of faith, her life’s experiences have taught her that preparation is necessary. She is enthusiastic in this be-lief, even when Mark tries to get her to relax and have faith in God’s protection.

Their beliefs will be tested when hurricane season begins in earnest and a storm grows in strength as it nears the Florida Peninsula.

 

Crossing the Line, Sherri Hayes, Ro-mance/Contemporary

e9df1-crossing_the_line_hi-res_cover

Detective Paul Daniels has spent four and a half years mourning the loss of his wife. He’s been doing his best to raise their daughter, Chloe, with the help of his in-laws. When they inform him right before Thanksgiving that they’re going to be moving over two hours away, Paul finds him-self without anyone to watch Chloe—especially when he’s called out to a crime scene in the middle of the night. Little does he know that meeting his baby brother’s girlfriend and her sis-ter, Megan, will change everything.

Megan Carson has taken a few wrong turns in her life, but she’s doing her best to get back on track. When she meets Chloe, the little girl swiftly worms her way into Megan’s heart. The op-portunity to help Paul out and watch his daughter appears to be a blessing in disguise. She quickly volunteers to be Chloe’s live-in nanny.

Everything is working well until the three of them head back to Ohio for Chris and Elizabeth’s wedding. Paul has a little too much to drink during the reception, and he and Megan end up sharing a heated kiss. When he wakes up the next day, he has a pounding headache but re-members nothing.

Megan, however, isn’t willing to forget. Over the past few months since she’s been playing nanny, her feelings for Paul have changed. He is everything she never knew she wanted, and now that she knows there might be something there, she’s going after what she wants—Paul.

 

Red Zone, Sherri Hayes, Ro-mance/Contemporary

Red_Zone_Low-Res_CoverAfter a case ended badly for Re-becca Carson, she’s losing her mind sitting around her apartment waiting on her superiors to allow her to return to work. Since she was a teenager, the only thing she’d ever wanted was to join the FBI. Now that dream was in danger.

Gage Daniels has made a pretty good life for himself. A nice house. A career he loves. As a pro-fessional football player, he’s used to getting almost everything he’d ever want with just the snap of his fingers. This includes women. A well-timed smile is usually all it takes to attract the opposite sex, especially in Nashville.

When a stalker threatens Gage, the team owner calls an old friend, Rebecca’s ex-partner Travis Hansen, to help protect his star quarterback and find the person responsible. Hansen offers Re-becca the job, and she jumps at the chance. It’s work, and it will get her out of her apartment. How bad can it be?

Posing as Gage’s girlfriend, however, isn’t as easy as it seems. The man is relentless. Rebecca must work to protect Gage while staving off his advances. She’s there to do a job, nothing more. The last thing she wants is to be another notch on a hotshot athlete’s belt.

As the stalker continues to up the ante, Rebecca finds it harder and harder to keep her distance from Nashville’s star quarterback. He isn’t what she expected in one of the city’s most notorious playboys. Now all she has to do is keep him safe until they can find his stalker, and hope she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.

 

Behind Closed Doors, Sherri Hayes, Romance/Contemporary

behind_closed_doors

Elizabeth Marshall spent the last nine years doing all the things she was supposed to do. She went to a good college. Married a man with a promising future. Elizabeth even had a nice house in a respectable part of town. There was even the promise of 2.4 kids in her future. From the outside everything looked picture perfect.

Then one night, the world she lived in came crashing down. Six months later with her husband dead and her friends gone, Elizabeth moves to the small town of Springfield, Ohio to start a new life where no one knows who she is or about her past.

Christopher Daniels enjoys the simplicity of his bachelor life. After his divorce three years ago, he swore off women. He has no desire to change that philosophy.

When Elizabeth Marshall moves into the apartment below his in the small Victorian house, she makes him reconsider the motto he’s lived by for the last three years: women are trouble. She is everything his ex-wife is not, and it doesn’t help that she is his fantasy come to life.

He is determined to resist her charms; however, when someone sends threatening messages to Elizabeth, he finds himself in the role of protector. Can he protect Elizabeth and still resist the pull she has on his body and his heart?

 

 

 

39de1-2010-12-10_giveaway-01

ENTER RAFFLECOPTER AND WIN YOUR NEXT BOOK BOY-FRIEND!

 

 

 

blind-date-with-a-bookmain

 | 
Comments Off on Blind Date with a Book #Giveaway – Week 3
Posted in 5 paws, Middle Grade, Review on April 19, 2015

boy played cats

 

Synopsis

A thought-provoking tale of one boy’s relationship with the neighborhood cat. Written for confident readers 8-11 years old, this story shows the changes brought about by simply taking a walk in another person’s shoes.

Jake is a wildly imaginative boy who thoroughly enjoys pestering the neighborhood cat with his clever games. But when the tables are turned will he still be amused? Follow along on Jake’s adventure as he discovers what it’s like to be on the receiving end of someone else’s idea of a good time.

goodreads-badge-add-plus

amazon buy

Purchase on Sellfly too

Preview the book before buying

Review

This is a quick read for me, but a book that would be a wonderful teaching took for younger children. A lesson that you should be nice to all animals because you might find yourself in their position some day.

The illustrations are beautiful and capture the story and the characters very well.

If you have young children (say 6-10), this would be a good book for them.

We give it 5 paws up

pawprintpawprintpawprintpawprintpawprint

About the Author

russell whiteheadRussell Whitehead is an author and illustrator of books for children and middle grade readers, a puppet builder and puppeteer.

Russell’s passion for writing comes from his own childhood experiences. The legends and fairytales he heard and read as a young boy sparked his imagination and inspired a lifelong love for children’s literature and fictional characters. Later he discovered the art of puppetry and embraced it as a way to bring those characters to life. He writes to amuse and entertain and to impart old fashioned wisdom in a contemporary way.

Russell resides in Griffin, Georgia with his wife Deb and their dog Dylan. When he’s not in the studio honing his craft, he enjoys spending time with family and entertaining grandchildren. He blogs about children’s and middle grade books as well as various writing and puppetry projects he’s working on.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Wattpad * Goodreads

 | 
Comments Off on Review – The Boy Who Once Chased Cats by Russell Whitehead @R_KWhitehead
Posted in Book Blast, Spotlight, Young Adult on April 18, 2015

Tour Schedule

About the Book

Sixteen year old Rhea Shah never thought that she would find herself falling for her brother’s best friend, Joy Fernandez, when they come home from college. Because she never thought that the dork who used to go to school with them would suddenly reinvent himself in college.

The only people she’s able to talk to about her absurd crush, are her best friends, Sophie and Arjav. Both of whom at first encourage, and then almost blackmail, Rhea to confess her feelings, which leaves the poor girl more muddled than ever!

Plagued with upcoming Board Examinations along with her friends’ suggestions, Rhea finds it difficult to concentrate, because she’s fallen for Joy, hook, line and sinker. In an attempt to vent to her feelings, she begins a blog, where she publishes all her songs and poems, dedicated to Joy, keeping her identity a secret.

But things do not go quite how she planned when a certain blogger named J. Fern begins to read her blog, and wishes to work with her…

Will Rhea ever confess her feelings to Joy? And will Joy find out the real identity of The Guitar Girl?

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.in / Goodreads

Meet the Characters of The Guitar Girl

Rhea Shah: 16-year-old Rhea Shah develops a crush on her brother, Robbie’s, best friend, Joy Fernandez. She adopts the alias The Guitar Girl in a misguided way to keep a hold on her feelings. Rhea cares about her two best friends, Sophie and Arjav, although the latter knows how to push her buttons. She is pretty awful at hiding her feelings.

Joy Fernandez: 18-year-old Joy is Rhea’s brother’s best friend, as well as Arjav’s cousin. He takes on Rhea as his student, teaching her how to play the guitar, unaware that she harbours feelings for him. He can be pretty dense at times – refusing to see what is really happening right in front of his eyes. He dates a rather crazy girl in college, Rosetta, who later becomes Robbie’s girlfriend.

Sophie Ghosh: Rhea’s best friend in school, who discovers her secret at the beginning of the novel and keeps encouraging her to confess to Joy about it. Initially united with Rhea on the front by finding Arjav, she begins liking him more than a friend. Both she and Arjav believe in meddling with ‘destiny’. 
Robbie Shah: Rhea’s older brother who has no idea has his sister has fallen for his best friend. He is too preoccupied with his band and his girlfriend, Rosetta, who Joy had dated before him.

Arjav: Rhea’s oldest friend, who knows her secret and wants her to tell Joy as well. He and Sophie like each other and likes to meddle with ‘Fate’. 

About the Author

Aniesha Brahma has loved writing since the age of six. She was schooled in Dolna Day School, and then pursued BA honors in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, where she went on to complete her MA in the same. Currently, she’s pursuing MPhil in Comparative Literature from the same place. Her hobbies include reading, writing, playing with her favorite pet, Pippo the cat, (and other kittens too), traveling and blogging.
She has written innumerable short stories and poems, most of which can be found on her blog and in various magazines and newsletters. Her debut novel was, The Secret Proposal, published by General Press in September 2012. She won the Editor’s Pick for Romance genre in the IndiReads Second Short Story Competition, and her story The Difference, was subsequently published in the anthology, Voices, Old & New. She has interned with www.womanistan.com and www.zapondo.com, as their content writer. She has volunteered at Hope Foundation, Kolkata, teaching the children who attend the Chetla Lock Gate Coaching Center. Aniesha also had a brief stint as a writer for the Kolkata-based travel magazine, Touriosity.

Blog I Facebook I FB Page I Twitter I Email

 

 | 
Comments Off on Spotlight – The Guitar Girl by Aniesha Brahma @aniesha0912
Posted in Giveaway, mystery, Spotlight, women on April 17, 2015

Blessed Are Those Who Weep
Eonly 9780062389404 SmallTitle: Blessed Are Those Who Weep
Series: A Gabriella Giovanni Mystery
Author: Kristi Belcamino
Genre: Fiction/Mystery & Detective/ Woman Sleuth
Release Date: April 7, 2015
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Witness Impulse
ISBN: 9780062389404
Pages: 320
List Price: 1.99 USD

~Synopsis~

San Francisco Bay Area reporter Gabriella Giovanni stumbles onto a horrific crime scene with only one survivor–a baby girl found crawling between the dead bodies of her family members. Reeling from the slaughter, Gabriella clings to the infant. When Social Services pries the little girl from her arms, the enormity of the tragedy hits home. Diving deep into a case that brings her buried past to the forefront, Gabriella is determined to hunt down the killer who left this helpless baby an orphan.

But one by one the clues all lead to a dead end, and Gabriella’s obsession with finding justice pulls her into a dark, tortuous spiral that is set to destroy everything she loves …

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | HarperCollins

Critical Praise for Ms. Belcamino

“Tense, disturbing and smart….Belcamino is a writer to watch.” — Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls

“Truly first- rate.” — Bruce DeSilva

 

About the Author

Kristi Belcamino

Kristi Belcamino is a writer, photographer, and artist. In her former life as a newspaper crime reporter in California, she flew over Big Sur in an F/A-18 jet with the Blue Angels, raced a Dodge Viper at Laguna Seca, watched autopsies, and interviewed serial killers. She is now a journalist based in Minneapolis, and the Gabriella Giovanni mysteries are her first books. Find Kristi on Facebook or on Twitter.

 Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Giveaway

Free download of the Blessed are the Dead and Blessed are the Meek. Winners must have access to Bluefire Reader and have an Adobe account to receive free download.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 | 
Comments Off on Spotlight & #Giveaway – Blessed Are Those Who Weep by Kristi Belcamino @KristiBelcamino
Posted in fiction, Spotlight, Thriller on April 16, 2015

The Logic Bomb banner

The Logic Bomb 2

Title: The Logic Bomb
Author: Scott Richard Lord
Publisher: The Logic Bomb
Pages: 264
Genre: Thriller
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle

Synopsis

Fiction collides with fact with frightening prescience in Scott Lord’s ripped-from-the-headlines techno-thriller, THE LOGIC BOMB.

In his exciting debut as a novelist, Lord, a practicing lawyer, mixes shady financial deals, organized crime, and the real-life threat of cyber warfare into an unlikely but always entertaining blend of high drama and comedy.

Lord’s hero, Tom Tresh, is a Los Angeles lawyer living on an aging sailboat while struggling to support his seven-year-old son and an ex-wife. When a friend offers him a “huge payday” if he helps with a shady deal to sell a complex but seemingly harmless computer program to a Hong Kong company, Tresh finds himself in a firestorm of intrigue, because the program is actually a powerful cyber weapon, capable of infiltrating and destroying computer systems.

Lord cites former National Security Advisor Richard A. Clarke’s 2010 book, “Cyber War,” as one of the chief inspirations for writing THE LOGIC BOMB. Lord explains that a logic bomb is a type of cyber weapon, a “virtual explosive,” that can infiltrate various systems and wreck them.

So-called “logic bombs” actually exist, says Lord, and, according to the best authorities, are already planted in U.S. software programs that run our financial, transportation, utility and – scariest of all – defense systems.

(Clarke’s book) “describes in great detail the types of cyber attacks which we are all becoming familiar with,” Lord explains. “I decided that one of the cyber weapons he describes, a logic bomb, would be an excellent `MacGuffin’ for my story. Now cyberwar is filling the news. Little did I know!”

Praise for the book

Scott Turow, author of the bestselling legal thriller PRESUMED INNOCENT, hails Lord as “a terrific writer. Read THE LOGIC BOMB.”

Kirkus Reviews praises THE LOGIC BOMB as “rife with tense scenes dominated by gleefully unpredictable characters.

amazon buy bn buy

 

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Excerpt (from Chapter 8)

My telephone rang at 5:20 a.m. When I picked up, a computer voice told me it was a collect person-to-person call from “Charles Papadoks.” I accepted. The only people who call collect these days are in jail.

“Tom, you there?” It was Charlie, of course.

“Charlie,” I yawned, “what’s going on?” There was a lot of crackling on the line.

“Tom, I’m in jail. They arrested me an hour ago, just came to my house and took me to the police station. All they’ll tell me is that a couple of guys got killed, they think I know something about it.”

I sat up in my bunk. “Did they say who?”

His voice came back through the interference, “No, they won’t tell me. But there’s a TV in here, it’s all over the news. Says it happened somewhere in the west valley, maybe near Chatsworth.”

“Chatsworth?” Naturally. “But why would they arrest you, they think you did it? That’s crazy!”

“I know,” he shouted, “completely crazy! Tom, there’s going to be some kind of lineup later this morning. They say they got someone saw me in the area. You gotta help me.”

I came fully awake. “Sure, Charlie, I’ll be there. I’ll try to find out what’s going on.”

“Tom, you think this could have anything to do with… “

“Shut up, Charlie.”

“What?”

“Just shut up. Take my advice for once.” They didn’t advertise the fact, but pay phone lines at jail are recorded. I hung up.

I turned on the television to a local station.

I could see a helicopter view of a crime scene lit up like a movie set, with crime scene tape and dozens of people milling around. The reporter was saying that two bodies were found near the old Spahn Ranch. The early morning news anchor, clearly hyped on too much caffeine, was playing up the Manson angle and the crawl at the bottom of the picture kept repeating, “Spahn Ranch Bloodbath – Manson Copycat Feared.” A police helicopter was circling overhead, and at least two news helicopters were there to cover the “breaking” news. The anchor quoted an unnamed police spokesman as saying that one of the victims had been killed with one shot in the head, and the second body had been disemboweled.

The police couldn’t, or wouldn’t, say whether the bodies had been killed in the field, or killed elsewhere and dumped in the field. An eager young reporter at the scene, dressed in a bright red leather miniskirt and a matching jacket, reported that there was a swastika tattooed or cut into the forehead of the second victim.

Smith answered his cell phone. “We have a witness, Tresh. She was walking her dog a few minutes after midnight. Says she saw someone coming from this field. Charlie’s business card was in one of the victim’s pockets.

When we called him, he told us that he’d been up here earlier, visiting a house in the area. He wouldn’t explain what his visit was about. Denies being here last night.”

“Why the quick lineup? Don’t you need time to beat a confession out of him?”

“Very funny. I’m pretty sure it’s not Charlie, but I gotta follow up. And all Charlie’ll say to us is he wants his lawyer and you’re it.

Either the old broad recognizes him or she doesn’t. I’ve got no interest in a phony ID.”

“Why arrest him then?”

“He’s a flake, Tom. I just wanted him to be somewhere I could find him.”

“How far away was she from the guy she saw, assuming it was a guy of course?”

“About fifty feet she says. She was near a streetlight.”

“What have you told her about Charlie?”

“Just that we have a man who might have been in the area, can she come down and look and see if he’s the man she saw.”

“I’d like to go to the crime scene first, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. We could use a first-class mind like yours, help us with any clues we might have missed.”

I ignored the sarcasm. “You still be there in an hour?”

“Yeah.” He hung up.

The first victim was a young man with a blond crew cut, a beatific smile, and a small red round hole in the middle of his forehead. It struck me that if you didn’t know what had happened, you might think the young man was one of those Western devotees of the Hindu religion, lost in the joy of meditation under the stars, quietly chanting his mantra as he lie still. His feet were splayed out and were clad in leather sandals. His hands were flung loosely at his sides, the way yogis do when they take the position of savasana, the corpse pose. Of course, if you looked closer, you would notice the small trickle of blood from the red spot on his forehead and the fact that he didn’t seem to be breathing. He wasn’t in a yogic trance or pose. He was a corpse.

And I knew him. His name was Chet Harris.

About the Author

Scott Richard LordScott R. Lord has been a highly successful criminal and civil trial lawyer for 35 years and is active in the practice of law with the law firm of Cohen & Lord, a P.C., located in the Century City area of Los Angeles. Scott is a devoted student of Italian language and literature. He is the father and step-father of six children and lives with his wife and children in Santa Monica, California.

Website * Goodreads * Contact

 

 

 | 
Comments Off on Spotlight – The Logic Bomb by Scott Richard Lord @Lord3154 #PUYB
Posted in Giveaway, Historical, romance, Spotlight, Time Travel on April 15, 2015

kiss the earl

Title: Kiss the Earl
Author: Gina Lamm
Series: Geek Girls Series
Pubdate: April 7th, 2015
ISBN: 9781492607823

Synopsis

A modern girl’s guide to seducing Mr. Darcy

When Ella Briley asked her lucky-in-love friends to set her up for an office party, she was expecting a blind date. Instead, she’s pulled through a magic mirror and into the past…straight into the arms of her very own Mr. Darcy.

Patrick Meadowfair, earl of Fairhaven, is too noble for his own good. To save a female friend from what is sure to be a loveless marriage, he’s agreed to whisk her off to wed the man she truly wants. But all goes awry when Patrick mistakes Ella for the would-be bride and kidnaps her instead.

Centuries away from everything she knows, Ella’s finally found a man who heats her blood and leaves her breathless. Too bad he’s such a perfect gentleman. Yet the reluctant rake may just find this modern girl far too tempting for even the noblest of men to resist…

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Amazon * iBooks * BAM * B&N * Indiebound * Kobo

***

Today we are pleased to sit down with author Gina Lamm, whose title, Kiss the Earl, is out this April. To celebrate the release of this fun time-slip novel Gina’s here to share a snippet from the book with a time-travel tip for aspiring adventurers!

“Oh for the love…” Ella scowled at her foot before letting it go and swapping positions. With her other foot atop her ankle, she inspected it. This one wasn’t as bad—a couple scrapes and bruises, but nothing like that puncture. She was going to have to be careful of that one. Who knew what kind of germs had just been invited to party in her bloodstream? When was her last tetanus shot? Had she ever had a tetanus shot? There was no way they would have any kind of vaccines available here.”

#4 – Gina’s Time Travel Tip – Stay up to date on your shots. No such thing as herd immunity way back then! And if you’ve got some antibiotics handy, keep ‘em in your purse. There’s a reason the mortality rate was so high. Don’t become a time-travel statistic!

About the Author

gina lammGina Lamm, a bellydancing, wisecracking, marshmallow-addicted geek, loves nothing more than penning funny, emotional tales of love, lust, and entertaining mishaps. Married to a superhero, she lives with her beloved family in North Carolina, surrounded by tobacco farms, possums, and the occasional hurricane. She also writes erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave under the pen name Regina Cole.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 | 
Comments Off on Spotlight & #Giveaway – Kiss the Early by Gina Lamm @GinaLamm @SourcebooksCasa #timetravel #historicalromance
Posted in Book Blast, Giveaway, Sale, suspense on April 15, 2015

ReleaseDayBlitzcover

SFebook copy

Synopsis

I’m a cold-blooded killer.

Raised that way by a man named Ryuu after I was found unconscious on his doorstep when I was ten years old.

I have no recollection of my former past, only that Ryuu took me in, raised me like a daughter, and trained me to become what I am today: a silent and deadly predator.

Behind each seductive smile is a calculated plan on how I’m going to kill my next victim.

Deadly with a gun and even deadlier with a blade, I spared no one.

Except one man…

A man who made me question everything I’d ever been told. Whose past was as mysterious as mine, and made me feel things I shouldn’t.

Grady Tanner.

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Amazon * iBooks * Barnes & Noble

About the Author

michelle congdonMichelle Congdon resides in Sydney, Australia. She enjoys reading books of all sorts of genres, watching way too many movies and TV shows (and Disney cartoons), singing out aloud to her favourite tunes, and going on adventures involving food and travel. Michelle is loud, talks a lot and shares an ever-growing list of book husbands with a friend. She has an overactive imagination, and has tried to put it to good use by sharing stories with anyone willing to listen.

Facebook * Website * Goodreads * Twitter

 

 

 

 

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 | 
Comments Off on #NewRelease Spotlight & #Giveaway – Sweet Fury by Michelle Congdon #sale @MishCongdon
Posted in Blog tour, Cozy, excerpt, Guest Post, mystery, Sale, Spotlight on April 14, 2015

Dropping the Dime Tour Banner

Droppingthedimecover

 

Dropping the Dime by Ellie Ashe

Romantic Mystery

Miranda Vaughn was once falsely accused of stealing millions, and now she’s helping others who are facing criminal charges. While being an assistant to her former defense attorney isn’t Miranda’s dream job, she’s eager to prove herself, and her first task is a simple one—protect Kathryn, a shy CFO turned informant, and help her prove that a popular real estate developer is embezzling millions from his company. But what should be a straightforward assignment is deliciously complicated when Miranda is thrown together with FBI Agent Jake Barnes, the man who saved her life, broke her heart, and then disappeared.

Beneath the neatly plotted rows of new homes lurk dark secrets, bitter feuds and a whole lot of greed. Nothing is what it appears, even Miranda’s timid client, who is hiding secrets of her own. Despite her growing distrust of her client, Miranda must protect Kathryn from becoming the target of the FBI’s investigation and protect herself from the real thief—all while protecting her heart from the sexy FBI agent she can’t seem to resist.

goodreads-badge-add-plus

99 cent special – only for a limited time !!

Kobo   Nook   iBook   Smashwords   Print     Amazon   Gemma Halliday Publishing

Thoughts from Ellie

In Dropping the Dime, Miranda’s thrown back into Jake Barnes’ life, the handsome FBI agent who saved her life in Chasing the Dollar. It’s been six months since they’ve seen each other, and I decided that Jake needed a little competition for Miranda’s affection. Enter Quinn Bishop.

Quinn’s rugged good looks are nearly enough to make a girl forget his rough history—a conviction for drug trafficking and time spent in federal prison. But if the sexy rancher were really bad news, would all of Miranda’s friends be pushing her toward him?

(excerpt)

“Mind if I join you?”

I looked up to find Quinn smiling down at me and motioned to the empty chair next to me. As he sat down, Sarah jumped up and grabbed my empty wine glass.

“I’m going to get us some more wine. Quinn, can I get you anything?”

“I wouldn’t say no to a beer.”

She smiled and hurried away, leaving Quinn and me alone in the middle of the huge crowd.

“This is quite a party.” I didn’t know what else to say, and the direct stare of his blue eyes unnerved me.

“Thank you, but my mother is the one who put everything in motion,” he said. “Are you having a good time?”

“Oh, yes. The food was amazing and everything is just beautiful,” I said.

He smiled and then held out a hand. “How about a dance?”

I hesitated. Dancing was never my strong suit unless I’d consumed a lot more alcohol. And even then, my moves were all in my head, not in my feet.

But Quinn took my silence for acceptance, and I found myself trailing behind him to the wide wooden floor, my hand firmly clasped in his. As he pulled me to him, the band broke into a ballad, and I found myself nestled up against Quinn’s chest, slowly swaying to the romantic song.

“I’m not much of a dancer,” I said, by way of an advanced apology for the damage I was about to do to his feet.

“Sure you are,” he said, taking my right hand in his and spinning us around.

With Quinn leading, I almost felt like I could dance. He gave me a crooked grin. “See, you just need to dance with the right man.”

A thrill zipped up my spine at his words. Oh, boy.

Excerpt

(what a deal you get 2 excerpts in this one post!)

One of my favorite parts of writing the Miranda Vaughn Mysteries is exploring the chemistry between Miranda and Jake Barnes, the hot FBI agent who saved her life, then broke her heart. In Dropping the Dime, Miranda and Jake are thrown together on an investigation. Miranda’s trying to protect her client, Kathryn, a whistle-blower who is working with the FBI to expose her crooked real estate developer boss. But Kathryn’s keeping her own secrets and before long, Miranda is fighting to keep the FBI from turning its investigation to the timid accountant.

Here’s a peek of how Miranda and Jake navigate those conflicts in Dropping the Dime:

“So, you’re not investigating Kathryn?” I asked.

The question hung in the air between us in the quiet kitchen. Jake reached up and put the plates away in the open cupboards, then turned and leaned against the counter.

“Should I?”

“No,” I said. “You shouldn’t. She’s a nice person who just tried to do the right thing.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t even know her.”

“I know her better than you do. She’s not a criminal.”

“She’s lying. She’s lying to you. And she’s lying to the FBI, which is a federal crime,” he said, his expression hardened.

“Kathryn is not lying!” I had nothing to back that up. “She’s smarter than that.”

“She’s just going to get herself in trouble if she doesn’t come clean with us,” he said. “Look, Finn is happy to finally nail Simon Leonidis, but I’m not looking at this as a personal vendetta. If we’re going to prosecute him, we need evidence. Not just his CFO’s suspicions.”

I knew that, but for some reason, I had a feeling there was more to it than that.

“You just don’t believe her, do you?”

He crossed his arms and I was momentarily distracted by the way his biceps flexed. I looked away quickly.

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about work,” he said.

“That’s a good idea,” I said, then paused. What else would we talk about? All of my interaction with Jake had been work related, in one way or another, starting with our first encounter when he arrested me. Was my attraction purely lust? Based on nothing of substance?

“So, how was your day?” he asked, a slight smile on his lips.

I discovered that I’d been defending a liar and uncovered a Greek tragedy. “Uh, it was fine. How was yours?”

Oh God. Was this what happened when you fell for someone based solely on looks? And a lot of adrenaline. And chemistry.

He smiled and my heart did an extra little flutter. “Well, I got to take a romantic drive in the country with a beautiful woman, then take her to dinner.”

The heat rose up my face. “You certainly spun that in a positive light.”

Jake’s smile widened. “How would you have spun it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe that I completed a successful undercover mission,” I said. “I guess I’m not as mushy as you.”

He laughed and raised an eyebrow. “Mushy?”

“Yeah, you know. Romantic. Soft.”

He was in front of me in an instant, his arms on either side, leaning in, a wall of chest covered in a snug black t-shirt backing me against the counter. I had to tilt my head back to look at him and when I did, my breath caught at the nearness. My gaze lingered on his lips, so close. So very close.

“Not soft,” he whispered and leaned in.

It had been more than half a year since I’d felt the touch of those lips, but the effect was the same. Dizzying. Electric. A tug of passion that reached from my soul. Nothing, no one, had ever made me feel like that.

“We shouldn’t do this,” I whispered.

“I know.” Jake’s voice was low and gravelly and thrilled me to the pit of my stomach.

“I told Rob there wasn’t anything between us,” I said as his lips grazed my neck, sending a shiver through me.

“The case will be over soon.”

It wasn’t his voice that caused the tremors this time, it was the words. It didn’t matter that we had nothing to talk about except for work, which we were not allowed to discuss. It didn’t matter that we were at odds. This connection wasn’t something to give up on, just because of our jobs. I’d work at the bakery for the rest of my life to keep this.

About the Author

Ellie Ashe has always been drawn to jobs where she can tell stories—journalist, lawyer, and now writer. Writing quirky romantic mysteries is how she gets the “happily ever after” that so often is lacking in her day job.

When not writing, you can find her with her nose in a good book, watching far too much TV, or trying out new recipes on unsuspecting friends and family. She lives in Northern California with her husband and three cats, all of whom worry when she starts browsing the puppy listings on petfinder.com.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Newsletter sign up

 

Giveaway

$20 Amazon Gift Card
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 | 
Comments Off on Blog Tour & Guest Post – Dropping the Dime by Ellie Ashe @EllieAshe #Giveaway #99cents