Reviews!

I am still having a difficult time concentrating on reading a book, I hope to get back into it at some point. Still doing book promotions just not reviews Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. I appreciate all of you. Kathleen Kelly July 2024

23 December 2014

Nixon & Dovey by Jay W Curry Blog Tour!

Please join Jay W. Curry on his Blog Tour with HF Virtual Book Tours for Nixon and Dovey: The Legend Returns.

Adobe Photoshop PDF
 

Publication Date: November 14, 2014
Smashwords eBook: 369p
ISBN: 978-1-3117280-3-6
Genre: Historical Fiction
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Before he met Dovey, it was just a heated feud. Now, in the backdrop of southern antebellum slavery, it’s a deadly game of passion, murder, and revenge. Facts: In 1818 Nixon Curry became entangled in one of the most sensationalized murder/love stories in early American history. As a result, Nixon Curry became arguably the most notorious and widely publicized criminal in America’s first half century. His fame derived not from the brutality or number of his crimes but from the determination of the Charlotte aristocracy to hang him. His remarkable talents, undying love for Dovey Caldwell, and the outright audacity of his exploits made him an early American legend. Story: Set in the antebellum south of North Carolina, Nixon Curry, a talented son of poor Scot-Irish immigrants, accepts a job at a racing stable. Soon, his riding skills rival those of his mentor, Ben Wilson. The fierce rivalry becomes confrontational when Ben frames Nixon’s childhood, slave friend, Cyrus, for the Caldwell plantation fire. When both Nixon and Ben win invitations to the 1816 Race of Champions, the stage is set for an explosive faceoff. During prerace festivities, the dashing, young Nixon meets the beautiful Dovey Caldwell, daughter of the state’s wealthiest and most influential senator. Finding Nixon unworthy of Dovey’s affection, Senator Caldwell betroths his daughter to Nixon’s nemesis, Ben. The announcement sets in motion a clash of cultures, talents, and passions leading to murder, mayhem, and revenge. How far will Nixon go to have his love? What price is he willing to pay and what will be the consequences?

Buy the Book

Apple iBooks Amazon (Kindle) Barnes & Noble (Nook) Kobo

About the Author

02_Jay Curry Author Photo

Jay W Curry is a former Big-4 consulting partner, business coach, and award-winning author. When he is not coaching, fly-fishing or writing he facilitates a Vistage CEO roundtable in Houston. Jay has co-authored three internationally successful books and has won honors for both his short fiction and non-fiction work. When the heat of Texas summer arrives, Jay and his wife, Nancy, head to their Colorado home (http:/CurryBarn.com) or visit their three children and seven grandchildren. Nixon and Dovey is the first of a three-book passion to bring the 200-year-old story of Jay’s relative, Nixon Curry, back to light. For more information, please visit Jay W. Curry's website. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Nixon and Dovey Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, December 1
Spotlight at Flashlight Commentary
Friday, December 5
Spotlight & Giveaway at Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More
Monday, December 8
Guest Post at What Is That Book About
Tuesday, December 9
Review at Deal Sharing Aunt
Monday, December 15
Guest Post at Mina's Bookshelf
Spotlight at Caroline Wilson Writes
Tuesday, December 16
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Review at With Her Nose Stuck in a Book
Wednesday, December 17
Interview at Flashlight Commentary
Thursday, December 18
Spotlight at Boom Baby Reviews
Tuesday, December 23
Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Friday, December 26
Spotlight at Historical Fiction Connection
Saturday, December 27
Spotlight at Layered Pages
Monday, December 29
Review at Forever Ashley
Tuesday, December 30
Review at Book Nerd
Wednesday, December 31
Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views

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Hark, A Christmas Collection by Justin Bog Promo Blitz!



Short Stories / Christmas
Date Published: November 2014

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A beautifully written collection of short stories from critically acclaimed Pacific Northwest writer Justin Bog, Hark explores the range of emotions surrounding the holidays. From melancholy to madness, loss and despair to hope and forgiveness, these six tales shimmer with feelings, some we’d rather stuff away, that Christmas can evoke.

Within Hark–A Christmas Collection, a retired police officer faces another Christmas Eve while bitter recollections haunt his every turn, a lonely woman plans to seduce Santa Claus one Christmas Eve, a widow grows anxious as she searches for a present she misplaced and intended to send to her ungrateful sister, a woman can’t keep the images of her past–these ghosts–from haunting the life she chooses to live, a bookstore clerk and his partner join a Christmas party in Sun Valley, Idaho and are taught a lesson most un-holidaylike, and, finally, a couple portrays Mr. & Mrs. Claus in their small island town holiday festivities and face a grim diagnosis together.

Set in colorful locations around the United States, from Anacortes, Washington, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Sun Valley, Idaho, each tale focuses on people who struggle to make good choices, learn lessons, and maybe even find peace during the holiday season.

A bonus story, Poseidon Eyes, from the upcoming Sandcastle and Other Stories–The Complete Edition, is included.





About the Author

Justin Bog lives in the Pacific Northwest on Fidalgo Island. Justin Bog was Pop Culture Correspondent and Editor for In Classic Style. He is an experimental cook, a lawn mower who colors outside the lines, and treat master to two long coat German shepherds, Zippy and Kipling, and two barn cats, Ajax The Gray and Eartha Kitt’n.'

Author Links

Email: justinbog@mac.com






Buy Links

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22 December 2014

Greed Series by John W.Mefford Spotlight!




FATAL GREED (#1)

Greed knows no boundaries. 

A corporate takeover bleeds its way into a private company in North Texas. Behind the scenes, deadly deals erupt from the greed-filled hearts of a select few powerful enough to make them happen. 

What’s an employee to do? 

For one unassuming man the thought of layoffs, of losing his own job to a bunch of arrogant assholes, feels like a kick to the jewels. 

Until the day Michael Doyle’s life changes forever. 

Perverse alliances. An affair of the heart. A gruesome murder. A spiraling string of events thrusts Michael into a life-or-death fight to save a tortured soul and hunt down a brutal killer...one who lurks closer than he ever imagined. 




LETHAL GREED (#2)

Seduced by an insatiable urge to escape reality, North Texas teens are falling prey to the one weakness parents fear most—the use of illicit drugs. And North Texas is just the tip of the iceberg. With his city under siege by a series of drug deaths and a kidnapping, recently hired newspaper publisher Michael Doyle and those closest to him are sucked into a twister so toxic and destructive, no one will be the same in its wake. 

From the jagged mountains and alluring beaches of Mexico to the suburban concrete jungle in North Texas, Michael defends an entire drug-ravaged generation against ruthless killers who attack on every front possible. And just when you think the dragon has been sleighed, a vile act of cruelty threatens to shred his own family. 




WICKED GREED (#3)

What happens when Mr. Right is Everything Wrong? 

A twisted email lands at journalism outlets across the south, referencing innocent little animals, primal urges, Hollywood movie stars, and women of a certain ilk...tearing flesh from bone. The haunting note tests newspaper publisher Michael Doyle’s over-protective nature. 

Is the email just a prank from a sheltered computer geek, or a prophetic sign of a future heinous act? 

Deadly brutality swallows up one beautiful young lady after another…and it seems no one can stop it. What force is behind this chain of sadistic killings, pulling the strings, toying with pretty girls who want nothing more than to meet Mr. Right? As Michael and his team track a series of bizarre murders in southern college towns—slowly piecing together what the FBI cannot—a savage monster strikes close to home. 

The greed of the wicked pervades all who touch it—by choice or by circumstance. 




GREED MANIFESTO (#4)

Everyone needs a guardian angel—except when that angel is cloaked in vengeance, immune to human qualities of remorse or compassion, seemingly carrying a torch for justice, yet driven by a tenacious indignation. 

Set against the awe-inspiring backdrop of San Francisco and all of its fleeting secrets, Michael Doyle attempts to reboot his life, only to see death drop inches from his feet. Awakened from a seemingly catatonic state and emboldened by a spirited friendship from his past, the former journalist is compelled to chase down the truth behind a murder--and the natural beauty connected to it. 

But what he uncovers isn't what it appears to be on the surface. He discovers innocent lives around the globe are marked with a deadly price tag. 

Robbed of his memory, beaten to an inch of his life, yet unwavering in his quest to cease an act of terror, Michael races against time to pursue an enemy bound by an unspeakable cause. 

GREED MANIFESTO spins a tale so wickedly conceived, you won't believe what you've read. Until you do. 



About the Author

A veteran of the corporate wars, former journalist, and true studier of human and social behavior, John W. Mefford has been writing his debut novel since he first entered the work force twenty-five years ago, although he never put words on paper until late 2009.

John writes novels full of intrigue, suspense, and thrills, but they also evoke an emotional connection to the characters. 

When he's not writing, he chases three kids around, slaves away in the yard, reads, takes in as many sports as time allows, watches all sorts of movies, and continues to make mental notes of people and societies across the land.

John lives in Frisco, Texas with his beautiful wife, three curious kids, and a feisty fat cat. 

Learn more about John at www.JohnWMefford.com

Let's connect! Follow John on Twitter @jwmefford, or find him on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/JohnWMeffordAuthor 

The Faithful by S.M.Freedman Blog Tour!



Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist.


Synopsis

For Agent Josh Metcalf, memories are ghosts. They are blood-soaked backpacks and the smell of strawberry Chap Stick. Josh is haunted by a little girl who went missing his first summer on the force. Decades later his search has become an obsession, and he's pinned the photos of hundreds of missing children to his wall of tears. All the children had psychic abilities. All the cases went cold -- with no witnesses, no useful tips, and no children ever recovered. Until a woman gets injured trying to stop an abduction, and Josh comes face to face with his personal ghost.

For Rowan Wilson, a meteorite hunter for NASA's Spaceguard program, memories are lies. The childhood she thought she knew has been erased, leaving a black hole in its place. New recollections are flaring to life: men dressed like priests, a ranch in the mountains, mind control, and rape. Each new memory draws her closer to one of the other missing children, Sumner Macey; and to I Fidele, the underground organization for whom kidnapping is just the beginning.

For Sumner, memories have become weapons. He's sharpened each of his with surgical precision: the ranch, the doctrine, the mind-wash, and the murders. He's eager to slice at the black sludge pumping through I Fidele's heart, desperate to cripple those who stole his childhood.

To I Fidele, non-psychics are cockroaches in need of extermination, an inferior species destroying the earth. They're ready to enforce eugenics on a global scale. If they succeed, only those faithful to their doctrine will survive. Crossing several genres, The Faithful will appeal to anyone who enjoys supernatural mysteries; high-tech, edge-of-your-seat suspense flavored with paranormal elements; thrillers involving psychics, occult and high stakes action/adventure; tied up with a depth and humor usually reserved for works of literary fiction.


Where to Purchase The Faithful


The Author

S.M.'s Website / Blog / Twitter / Goodreads / Facebook Author Page / YouTube

S.M. Freedman is a top-ranked Amazon author in the Mystery, Thriller and Suspense


categories, and a member of the WorldWiseWriters group. She lives in Vancouver with
her husband, two children and a giant orange cat.

She studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and spent
years as a private investigator and business owner.

Inspired by authors of many different genres (favorites include Sue Grafton, Diana
Gabaldon, Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, Justin Cronin, Suzanne Collins and Lawrence Hill,
to name a few) she eventually turned back to her first love: writing.

The Faithful, a paperback and kindle Amazon Bestseller in both the US and the UK, and
a Quarter Finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, is her debut novel.
She's currently working on the sequel.

Follow the entire The Faithful tour HERE




Brought to you by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours



21 December 2014

Time of Death Series Book One and Two by Shana Festa Spotlight!!



Book Details

  • Series: Time of Death
  • Paperback: 198 pages
  • Publisher: Permuted Press (June 17, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1618682725
  • ISBN-13: 978-1618682727

When no one or nowhere is safe, where do you go to escape the monsters? 

In a few short days, 37 year old Emma Rossi’s hard work will finally pay off. She will don her cap and gown and graduate with a degree in nursing, but not before she loses her first patient and is confronted with a new reality. In Cape Coral, Florida, a storm approaches. The dead are coming back to life. 

And they’re hungry. 

Infection ravages the Eastern Seaboard with alarming speed while attempts to contain the spread of infection fail. Within days, a small pocket of panicked survivors are all that remain of civilization. Fighting to survive the zombie apocalypse alongside her husband Jake and their dog Daphne, Emma comes face-to-face with her worst nightmare. 

Relying on snarky wit and sheer determination, she is forced to commit atrocious acts to protect her family and avoid joining the ranks of the undead.






Book Details

  • Paperback: 226 pages
  • Publisher: Permuted Press (December 9, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1618684183
  • ISBN-13: 978-1618684189


The last two months have brought nothing but death and destruction for Emma Rossi. She survived the initial zombie outbreak with her husband, Jake, and their dog, Daphne, but the cost was steep: Sanibel has fallen.

In a world where the only constant is change, the group is pushed to their limits before reaching the gates of Asylum, a coastal stronghold in Sarasota, Florida. 

Once again, Emma must navigate an apocalyptic wasteland filled with relentless hordes of the undead and other menacing horrors that threaten her survival. 

Only thing is certain. No one is safe from what lurks on either side of Asylum's gates. Asylum may offer more than just safety. 

Sanity will be tested; and many won't live to tell the tale.




Shana Festa was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on October 17, 1976 and grew up in Northboro, Massachusetts. She currently lives in Cape Coral, Florida with her husband and two dogs, Daphne & Casey.

Shana is a registered nurse with clinical experience in mental health, geriatrics, HIV and substance abuse. In addition to her clinical background, Shana possesses over 15 years of experience with project management and data analytics.

She has been heavily involved in the collection and dissemination of the ICD-10 clinical and coding analytics across multiple projects including the NCHICA ICD-10 Pilot, the HIMSS WEDI ICD-10 Pilot and commercial testing programs.

Under her alter ego, The Bookie Monster, Shana reviews horror and paranormal books, with an emphasis on (but not limited to) zombie fiction. With a background in Psych Nursing, Shay brings her unique perspective to the online reading community.

Introducing her own zompoc story to the genre, Shana’s debut novel, Time of Death, is the first in a planned trilogy and is scheduled for release May, 2014.
 

I Love You Salvatore by Marita A.Hansen Release BLitz!





I Love You, Salvatore
The Five Families Series
by Marita A. Hansen
Publication Date: December 21, 2014

Synopsis


Santini

D’Angelo

Landi

Donatelli

Rosso

The Five Families series is a collection of standalone novels and novellas centered around different members of ruling mafia families on a famous island off the southern coast of Italy.
Every love story is important, whether it ends in a happy-ever-after or tragedy, because two people shared something so special that it made them value each other’s life more than their own. I know this is true because my life with Salvatore Santini was a beautiful love story… One that ended far too soon. But I would rather live for only one day with him, than suffer a lifetime without him. Being with Salvatore was worth a thousand deaths. Through him, I experienced heaven on earth, something very few people find. So don’t cry for me, I was truly happy. But if you can’t stop your tears, save them for Salvatore… The one I left behind. Books from this series can be read as a companion to The Santini Brothers and My Masters' Nightmare series. I Love You, Salvatore covers 26 years, chronicling Rosa's and Salvatore's love story. It's broken up into 3 parts: The Early Years (age 10-19), The Middle Years (20-29), The Final Years (30-36), with a current 2014 scene spliced through. It's from Rosa's point of view.

Purchase Links

Amazon --- 
         US | UK | CA
Smashwords --- http://tiny.cc/r644qx

Teasers





About the Author

NATIONALITY AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS: I'm a true blue Aucklander, born and bred in New Zealand. I tend to write about cultures I have connections to, such as Croatian and Maori. I would love to visit Croatia again as I have family there. However, in My Masters' Nightmare, I have started writing about Italians . My husband is part Italian and I also have a degree in Italian. SPORTS: As a teen my favorite sports were karate, badminton, and running. I also did unarmed combat and played in a touch rugby team (my gym teacher made me do the last one!) Now, I stick to coaching soccer and running. I have completed two marathons, numerous half-marathons and one 30K run. CAREER PATH: I started off as a Graphic Designer, then went to Auckland University, where I got a BA degree in Art History and Italian Studies and a post-graduate Honors degree in Art History. I worked in the Art History field, then became a full-time artist, doing commissions. I eventually lost all of my senses and gave it up to be a poor, starving writer, smh. FAVORITE FOODS: I'm vegetarian. I love pasta based foods, tofu, chocolate mousse and golden queen peaches. BAD HABITS: I'm a major procrastinator that can't seem to earn money to save myself! STATUS: Married to my high school sweetheart (which he hates me calling him). We have two kids.

Giveaway

Kill With A Borrowed Knife or Agent AI by Michael Wreford Spotlight!




Title: Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai
Author: Michael Wreford
Author’s website: http://michaelwreford.com/
Editorial review: Megan Kerr
Cover design: John Amy
Formatting: http://www.ebooksbydesign.co/
Genre: Fiction / thriller / suspense / espionage
Publisher: Self-published (April 14, 2014)
Format: eBook (mobi / epub)
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1910100-18-9 
ASIN: B00JPN99LY 

China, the eve of the September 11 attacks. A powerful cyber weapon is about to be released. Only one man can stop it … 

Journalist and SIS (MI6) contract agent George Quant arrives on the run in Beijing. Estranged from Karen, his Moscow-based handler, George is thrust into Asia’s clandestine underworld of gentleman spies, nefarious business people, and murderous Party members. With his past catching up with him, George discovers that not everyone in China can be trusted. 

At the centre of George Quant’s dilemma lie two men: investor-adventurer Pierce de Havilland, and Karen’s trusted contact known only as “Ho”. Both successful in their own right, the rivals offer diverging perspectives on China’s future. As their intentions grow clearer, George recognises that an important choice looms—adopting the life of a millionaire fugitive, or accepting the call of a higher moral imperative. 

From his initial assignment in Cambodia in the late ‘90s—between the drinks, drugs and dangerous card games—George’s high octane adventures spill across London, Moscow, and Beijing, before culminating in Hong Kong. Alarmed by Karen’s increasing demands and damaged by her unrequited love, he begins to search for a way to disentangle himself from an expanding web of deception.


THE AUTHOR

A true double agent, Michael Wreford is two authors writing as
one. The pair hold master's degrees in Chinese and International
Relations, and for ten years have worked for leading multinational
corporations, including in the banking, healthcare, and oil and gas
sectors. They have lived in Beijing, the Hague, Hong Kong, and
New York, and currently split their time between the UK and
Switzerland. Kill with a Borrowed Knife: or Agent Ai, is Michael’s
first book. It is available for purchase online.

MOTIVATION

Of the bountiful number of espionage novels currently on the market, few are set
in China and Hong Kong. While some excellent books do exist, protagonists
typically skip through the region and brush local dynamics aside. In “Agent Ai”,
Michael Wreford brings Asia’s idiosyncrasies to the fore.
Fitting around busy lives, “Agent Ai” took more than 12 months to complete and
was written on iPhones, Blackberrys and laptops at home, in hotel rooms, and
just about every mode of transport imaginable. File sharing tools including
Quickoffice and Google Drive were essential for writing on-the-go.

INFLUENCES

First and foremost, James Clavell—Noble House is our favourite read. Michael
enjoys the “older school” of espionage novelists, notably Graham Greene and
John le Carré, along with adventure writers such as George MacDonald Fraser
and Patrick Leigh Fermor. The many successful self-published novelists on
Amazon are also an inspiration.

PRAISE FOR “AGENT AI”

"If you enjoy spy thrillers and are looking for a little bit of a change of setting, you
may well enjoy Agent Ai - a thriller in the truest sense of the word."

 Crime Fiction Love

"Impossible to put down ... an amazingly well informed author"
Prof JG Ayres, Amazon
"Twists and turns as tight as the narrow back alleys of Hong Kong"

Sue Ann Vanderpool, Amazon

Amazon: author page
Goodreads: author page
Independent Author Network: profile
Twitter: @michaelwreford

Website: michaelwreford.com 

20 December 2014

The Vintner's Daughter by Kristen Harnisch Review!



Book Details

  • Paperback: 355 pages
  • Publisher: She Writes Press; New edition (August 5, 2014)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1631529293
  • ISBN-13: 978-1631529290

A captivating historical-fiction debut: ambition, betrayal and love take a spirited young woman from the verdant Loire Valley to turn-of-the-century Manhattan to the wide open spaces of California wine country

Loire Valley, 1895. When seventeen-year-old Sara Thibault's father is killed in a mudslide, her mother sells their vineyard to a rival family, whose eldest son marries Sara's sister, Lydia. But a violent tragedy compels Sara and her sister to flee to New York, forcing Sara to put aside her dream to follow in her father's footsteps as a master winemaker.

Meanwhile, Philippe Lemieux has arrived in California with the ambition of owning the largest vineyard in Napa by 1900. When he receives word of his brother's death in France, he resolves to bring the killer to justice. Sara has travelled to California in hopes of making her own way in the winemaking world. When she encounters Philippe in a Napa vineyard, they are instantly drawn to one another, but Sara knows he is the one man who could return her family's vineyard to her, or send her straight to the guillotine.

A riveting, romantic tale of betrayal, retribution, love and redemption, Kristen Harnisch's debut novel immerses readers in the rich vineyard culture of both the Old and New Worlds, the burgeoning cities of turn-of-the-century America and a spirited heroine's fight to determine her destiny.



From Kristen Harnisch

I'm the author of THE VINTNER'S DAUGHTER and drew upon my research and experiences living in the San Francisco Bay Area and visiting the Loire Valley to create the story for my debut novel. THE VINTNER'S DAUGHTER is the first in a series about the changing world of vineyard life at the turn of the twentieth century. 

I'm chef, chauffeur, laundress, nurse, shrink, shopper, and maid servant to three young children and one terrific husband by day and a novelist by night (or anytime in between when I can scribble down a flitting thought). I love Starbuck's vanilla skim lattes, dark chocolate, and inspirational stories. The intention of my blog is to encourage every mom, regardless of age, to pursue her 'creative path' by sharing stories of moms who are doing it and by chronicling the ups and downs of my own writing life. 

I have a degree in economics from Villanova University, and currently reside in Connecticut. Visit me online at www.kristenharnisch.com or follow me on Twitter @KristenHarnisch. Thanks for reading!


My Review

The Vintner's Daughter is a Historical Fiction novel that starts out in France, the Loire Valley, and the main character, Sara Thibault, who still lives at home with her family and spending her days helping her sister prepare for her wedding and working in the family vineyard. Her passion is assisting her father tending the grapes in their winery. She is very proficient  and loves what she does. Her sister marries into the Lemieux but not is all it is supposed to be. Lydia's becomes a punching bag for her husband and a terrible tragedy happens that causes Lydia and Sara to flee to America.

They arrive and end up in a convent in New York awaiting the birth of Lydia's baby. Another tragedy occurs that forces Sara to flee to Napa Valley where her plans are to purchase some land and start a winery of her own. Unbeknownst to her, she ends up on the vineyard of Phillipe Lemieux, Lydia's brother in law. The story continues from there with an instant attraction to Phillipe. Should she stay? If she does her whole world could fall apart. This is a story of betrayal, ambition and love that will definitely have you rooting for Sara as she comes to terms with her life.

I found this novel to be very readable, enough suspense and romance to keep me turning the pages. A plot that is believable and the subject matter very well researched by the author. I read it in a few sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I received a copy for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.


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