11 May 2017

The Measure of the Moon by Lisa Preston Review!

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Thomas & Mercer (April 18, 2017)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1503937577
  • ISBN-13: 978-1503937574
“If you ever say anything to anyone, they all die.”
When eight-year-old Greer Donner falls off his horse in the Washington wilderness, he braces himself to face the long hike home alone. But screams pierce the darkness, and he stumbles upon a dead-end road where a man is beating a woman—nearly to death. In a moment of courage, he stops the assault, but he’s left to face the man, who turns his wrath into an ominous threat: if the boy ever reveals what he has seen, his family will pay the ultimate price. The secret Greer now carries begins his emotional unraveling.
In Seattle, Gillian Trett is a photographer with a troubled marriage and a childhood she’s trying to forget. Domestic tension mounts when her husband’s stepsister arrives. Desperate for a distraction, and a way to advance her career, Gillian throws herself into uncovering the history behind an old man’s Holocaust photo of boys in a forest. The mysterious children and the truth behind the scene haunt her—she can’t let go of the image, or of her own shadowed past.
Then a horrifying revelation entangles Gillian’s path with young Greer’s. The boy and the woman, separated by a generation and a hundred miles, each confront the terrible power of harbored secrets—not only to eclipse the truth but also to illuminate the dark, unknown dimensions of their loved ones and themselves.

Lisa Preston (1964- ) turned to writing after careers as a fire department paramedic and a city police officer. Experience in her earlier professions enhance the medical and legal passages of her fiction and non-fiction.
Her debut novel, Orchids and Stone, is scheduled for release by Thomas & Mercer in April 2016, and has been described both as a thriller and as domestic noir. Advance reviews include praise from the best-selling novelists Jo-Ann Mapson, Laura Moriarty, Kate Moretti and Carol Cassella.
Her published work includes non-fiction books and articles on animals, particularly the care and training of dogs and horses.
Away from her desk, she spends hours on backcountry trails as a runner and rider, sometimes combining her two outdoor pursuits via the obscure sport of Ride and Tie.
She lives with her husband and Malinois on Washington State's vast Olympic Peninsula.
http://www.lisapreston.com/
"If you ever say anything to anyone, they all die".

And just like that, Lisa Preston pulls her audience through the opening scene of this page-turner.  Immediately immersing us in the tale of the darkest and scariest night of Greer Donner's life, Measure of the Moon launches right into the heart of the story.

And then, with an unforeseen (and somewhat abrupt) turn, readers are introduced to a completely separate set of characters.  And so goes the story - Preston pulls characters in and out, with expert description and captivating dialogue.  It does seem, however, to get a bit confusing.  The reader is introduced to the Donner family first and then Paul and Gillian, a married couple living a few hours away.  Through them, the reader meets yet another family - the Istoks.  And through all this beautiful, haunting detail, there is a subtle nagging in the back of the reader's mind: Huh? 

Though gripping and written with enough detail to almost be able to hear ferryboats on the Seattle waterways, smell the rain and see the Needle off in the distance, it gets a little annoying that none of these stories seem to intertwine.  At least for me - I couldn't figure it out...until I figured it out. And once the connections become clear, it's easy to say that this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. 

Reminiscent of Gillian Flynn or Heather Gudenkauf in style, this suspense is a must-read. And I kind of hope you don't figure it out sooner than I did - half the fun is in not knowing...

Guest Review by Katie Kelly

Review was done voluntarily
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Sale!!



Today Only! Grab this International Best Selling Boxset for 90% off the retail price.
Only $0.99 for 4 FULL LENGTH Novels - over 2,000 pages of steamy hot romance.
Normally priced at $9.99


Grab the fire extinguishers and hang onto your panties – the Walters men are all here in one massive volume of fun! Heavy equipment’s never been sexier in a series that’ll take your breath away when Louisville’s favorite Italian family and their friends turn up the heat to scorching. It’s love, lust, and danger, Walters style!
Broken-hearted and alone, Nikki Wilkes can’t imagine that the dark, sexy guy she’s watched in the gym for years could be her knight in shining armor, but she has no idea how wounded and beaten-down Tony Walters feels. Forging a relationship seems impossible when it’s pitted against insurmountable obstacles. Friends and family join in, putting lives in danger and hearts at risk as more of the clan realize love is worth all costs. Nine lonely people against the backdrop of a steamy Southern city in the heart of the Bluegrass will prove they have the charm, European sophistication, and enough kink to turn you upside down and wrong side out. Forget those pesky Thoroughbreds – with the Walters family, you’ll get the ride of your life! Grab these amazing tales of love and danger and get started on the epic adventure today! WARNING: Strong, graphic, kinky sexual scenes and graphic criminal violence. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.
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Welterweight by Tricia Andersen Book Blitz!

Welterweight
by Tricia Andersen

Blurb
A mysterious force binds Meg Riley to the dark, mysterious werewolf Caleb Hallow. Can they put aside their differences and give themselves over to their union, or will their pasts destroy them?

Caleb Hallow doesn’t need anyone. All he needs is to dominate in the MMA cage and become world champion. His plans are derailed when he wakes up with a mysterious tattoo of his ancestors after a one night stand with his opponent’s ex-girlfriend, Meg Riley. Sharing the mark with her joins them as mates for eternity. Can Caleb deal with Meg for the rest of his life? Can he keep her safe from his past as he falls deeply in love with her? And will she stay by him when she finds out he is actually a werewolf?

It was just a fling, a chance to get revenge on her cheating ex. At least that’s what Meg Riley tries to convince herself. But the indescribable pull that draws her to the dark, dangerous Caleb Hallow tells her differently. Although she is furious when she finds the strange tattoo on her back after their night together, and even though he tells her some convoluted story about him being a werewolf, she can’t stay away from him. She can’t stop herself from falling for him. When her ex threatens Caleb’s life, how far will Meg go to save him? Will she be willing to sacrifice her life for his?

Buy Links
Smashwords: https://goo.gl/Me0crO
Barnes and Noble: https://goo.gl/psJHYL



Snippets

Meg stared, breathless, as Austin’s opponent ascended the stage, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Thick, black hair. An angular face. A full tattoo sleeve was inked into each arm. His muscles rippled with each step he took. His stride was smooth, quick, and predatory. Guys like that normally didn’t catch Meg’s attention. This one did. The mysterious force that stopped her from leaving tugged at her. It demanded that she stare at this man, take him in. She felt like a moth to the flame. She shook her head to get herself back to her senses and then pushed the margarita away. She motioned to the bartender. “Rum and Coke please.”

Caleb stopped toe-to- toe with Austin and glared him down. Austin was six feet tall. Meg had memorized his stats. This guy was at least three inches taller than him. Austin ripped the microphone from the announcer. “You need to learn some respect, little boy. I’m gonna give you a lesson in respect.” Caleb chuckled. “I didn’t realize winning was disrespectful. But then I’m often accused of being a prick. My apologies for kicking your fucking ass in three months.”

Meg pulled her mouth away from his. “Explain it to me, Caleb. Why am I here and not with him? Why is it when I look at him I’m no longer interested?” He knotted his hand in her long hair and tugged it back. His hot breath roamed her neck as he nipped at her flesh. “You don’t listen to me, do you? We’re mated.” “How are we mated? What does that mean? I want you but I’m not sure I like you.”

“Mating is not a curse, Caleb,” Littlefoot chided.
“It is to me.”
“How is having Meg as your mate a curse?”
Caleb stopped and turned around. “Because I think I’m falling in love with her. And that can’t happen.
I’ve already fallen in love once and she died because of me. So find a way to release it or I will.”



Author Bio
Tricia Andersen lives in Iowa with her husband, Brian and her three children – her sons, Jake and Jon, and her daughter, Alex. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from Kirkwood Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in Communications Media/Public Relations. Along with writing (which she loves to do), Tricia practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, coaches and participates in track and field, reads, sews and is involved in many of her children’s activities.

Social Media Sites
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Someone To Stay By B.M. Sandy Book Tour and Giveaway!


Someone To Stay
By B.M. Sandy
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult Romance
Two lovers.
Eight weeks.
One town.
Life is short - this Cassie Mills knows. In the wake of a devastating loss, she has reshaped her life, carving out a limited place for herself with her grief-narrowed perception of the world. But when Jake Mason, an elusive yet famous British actor, comes to her small Pennsylvania town with an entire movie crew to film for two months, she is asked to cater to him and his colleagues in the hotel restaurant where she works. After a strange, but memorable meeting, she tells herself she'll never see the kind and handsome man up close again. The very next night, though, he shows up again for dinner, and the spotlight is on Cassie again.
Jake Mason's career is flooded with endless Do Not Disturb signs. He's notorious for hiding during shoots; nobody seems to really know him. He's worked hard for his career, and he accepted a long time ago that privacy was a valuable commodity that he should never relinquish. Accepting a leading role in a film that places him in a small town in Pennsylvania, he is forced his first night there to attend a private dinner with nineteen of his fellow cast and crew - definitely outside of his comfort zone. But after losing his phone, he finds himself intrigued by the waitress who helps him, and begins to wonder if some sacrifices might be worth making after all.
B. M. Sandy lives in Youngstown, Ohio with her husband and her one-eyed cat child, Maia. She’s a lover of books, film, and all things imaginary. Someone to Stay is her first published novel.
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and giveaways!




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The Knowing by David Graham Promo Blitz!



Dark Fantasy, Thriller, Horror
Date Published:  March 2017

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

United by destiny, they must stand together to face an ancient evil.....
Ceri Edwards and two school friends lift the lid on an ancient book of recipes belonging to Betty Williams, a volunteer at the local hospital in Pontypridd, South Wales. Two Kansas City cops step off a flight at London Heathrow and one of them falls to the ground with a painful conviction that there's something evil in the air.
United in their destinies, Ceri and the police officers are drawn into a world where prophecies are pitted against invisible forces planning to raze London to the ground and bring down the Royal Family.
It all rests with Dai Williams, recently knighted MI5 agent and reluctant hero, to bring some order to the improbable events and to ensure that afternoon tea at The Ritz continues for another hundred years.
A great cross between Kim Newman and Ben Aaranovitch and a thrill for any fan of contemporary urban horror.
Excerpt

A decent, pot-bellied, cast iron cauldron usually sold for a hundred pounds. One that was antique and appropriately fire-tarnished doubled the sum. Use by an accredited witch—specifically a member of the Dynion Mwyn tradition—could nudge that figure into the stratosphere. That was because a well-used cauldron was believed to absorb spells into the metalwork, supposedly making incantations more effective. Debunking that idea was as fruitless as rubbishing homeopathy—particularly now that Welsh folklore remedies had royal approval and were being marketed under the Cymry Originals brand, with a crest of giant leeks crossed like swords under a flying harp.

None of that was of the slightest interest to the three girls peering into the bubbling contents of the vessel. Ceri, Dilys and Bronwen liked to imagine their Celtic magick delivered with Grimm determination and lashings of David Giuntoli whom they had already accorded the title of ‘Honorary Welshman’. He would know a good potion if he saw one and would have no time for fictional fripperies like wands. They were for stupid kids who knocked themselves out walking into the wall between platforms at railway stations. Owls were cool, though, although they were far too self-important to be used as posties.

All three would-be witches were outfitted courtesy of Georgio @ Asda. ‘Gold Witch’ was an absolute steal at three pounds—if zero carat bling rocks your cwch. They had also considered the ‘Mental Patient’ blood-spattered straitjacket costume, but Bronwen’s mum was a social worker and thought the mentally ill deserved more respect than a few pence-worth of garish polyester. A gorily-streaked, plastic meat cleaver was an optional extra and she thought it was very realistic.

It was all for show, of course. They had no need of such embellishments, but it kept their mothers happy—and, hopefully, ignorant of what they were up to. The fact that Halloween—or, more accurately, All Hallows’ Eve—was just around the corner, provided the perfect smokescreen for their activities. There was always the chance Ceri’s mum might enter the room while they were in the middle of adding an eye or two of newt, so they had the music system turned up loud and playing Super Furry Animals. Actually, newt eyes were so yesterday. They’d read that modern witchery had honed the ingredients down to essences of magic which could be bought over the internet if you knew where to look. Currently, they had no internet thanks to the stupid British government, so they’d had to improvise— after tossing salt over their left shoulders, crossing their fingers and reciting a hundred Hail Marys.


Other Books by David Graham:

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: July 2015
Horror, Supernatural, Thriller, Crime

What causes an adolescent – straight A student Brandon P Marshall – to walk downstairs naked, armed with a pair of Glocks, and go all Charles Manson on his family? This is only one in the horrifying trail of incidents that brings together Detective Sergeant Dale Franklin of the Kansas City Police Department and his poster-boy rookie, Steve Abrams. Meanwhile, across the pond, Dai Williams, in Battersea London, safe inside his improvised Faraday cage, is coming to terms with his special talents – talents that will take ‘getting-into-the-mind-of-the-killer’ to a whole new level. Al-Qaeda? Drugs Cartels? Internet freaks? David Graham’s The Screaming leaves no possibility untouched as Dai enters a bizarre and horrifying world where kids scream.

About the Author


David Graham lives in an ostensibly carbon zero house in rural Kent with his partner and cat amidst fields of maize and poly-tunnels of strawberries. Previously, he lived and worked in London as a consultant in the National Health Sservice. His previous non-fiction titles include: Medical Computing and Applications, Creative Sound and Computer-Assisted Medical Learning: Clinical Anatomy. David turned his attention to writing fiction in 2012. Since then, he has written one self-published novel (Looks Could Kill) and two traditionally published novels (Captive and Wet & Wild) under the name David Ellis. Looks Could Kill was in the Amazon Kindle Top 10 of spy thrillers and was downloaded more than 3,000 times. Captive was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. He has also written two romance novellas under the name Richard Longfellow. His horror thriller The Screaming was published by Frostbite Publishing in the US in 2014, and by Austin Macauley in the UK in 2015. His new book The Knowing is the sequel to The Screaming and is due to be published early 2017 by Urbane Publications.

Contact Links


Purchase Link




Reading Addiction Blog Tours
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Cutman by Josie Kerr Book Blitz!

Cutman 
by Josie Kerr
BLURB
The Cutman
Ryan Richards returned from Afghanistan with more than a shattered body. His heart was in tatters, too. For the three years since then, renovating houses and patching up fighters has been the only thing to quiet his demons—those foisted upon him and those he has created himself. At DS Fight Club, he has a purpose. And when he spends time with sexy trainer Junior Maldonado, he feels more like a real man than a shadow of one.

The Trainer
Injured in the Middle East while an Army Ranger, Junior shared an instant camaraderie with wounded corpsman Ryan…and more than a little bit of attraction. And although Junior has reunited with his high school boyfriend, Ryan’s haunted whiskey eyes are never very far from his mind. He knows Ryan is hurting, and wants the best for his friend.
When Junior returns to Atlanta after his second-chance romance fails, he finds Ryan careening toward rock bottom. Overwhelmed by uncontrolled physical and emotional pain, Ryan is fighting for his life…and hiding the truth. It’s up to Junior to help him see that real men come in many forms, and they are all entitled to love.

BUY NOW ON AMAZON!



Excerpt #1

“That’s right, Ryan. I’ve fucked a lot of men. A lot. But I’ve only ever made love to you. And yeah, this is scary. I get that. But I’m not going to let you run away from me now that I’ve gotten my head out of my ass, not when we’re on the verge of something great. Now, we can take a step back, we can take a whole bunch of steps back, but I’m not going to let you sabotage this.”

Ryan rubbed his face with a shaking hand, and Junior held his breath until Ryan decided to speak.

“Fuck, I thought the ‘have you ever wanted kids?’ conversation was intense.” Ryan’s gaze met Junior’s, and his lips curled up into that crooked grin of his for a brief moment before settling into a contemplative line. “So, yeah. Um, I’m scared shitless, Junior Maldonado. Okay? Scared that I’m . . . not going to be enough. For you. For myself. For anyone. But I promise I’m gonna try, okay?”

Junior reached out and caught Ryan’s hand in his. He raised it to his lips, and after giving it a little squeeze, kissed his fingers. “That’s all I could ever wish for.”


Excerpt #2

Answering the “why” had occupied Junior for most of the fourteen-hour drive from Newark to Atlanta, and he still didn’t have an answer other than he was too damn old to fuck around in a situation that just didn’t feel right. After all, he was closer to fifty than to forty and feeling every bit of his age these days. Of course, getting shot in the shoulder didn’t help with the whole “you’re only as old as you feel” thing, and truth be told, his body just wasn’t what it used to be. Three words: gray fucking pubes. Dios.

And Junior could just imagine what it looked like to Ryan when he walked into Foley’s and saw the man he’d just spent the weekend with, just opened himself up to, at their bar with a person who had made it clear that he disliked him for no reason other than there was the potential for a rivalry. Yeah, Junior could understand why Ryan was so hurt, although it didn’t necessarily excuse his pigheadedness in the truck.

But the glimpse of Ryan’s face that he caught as he glanced in the rearview mirror? The man’s stricken expression was almost enough to make Junior turn around, grab the corpsman out of the worn front seat of his old truck, and take him home so they could love all the hurt in both of their hearts away.


BIO
Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia,
a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education, but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

You can find Josie on social media at:
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ADAMANTA Season 1, Episode 2: Shafts of Kudos by T. Y. Carew & Stephen P. Scott Release Blitz!

ADAMANTA
Season 1, Episode 2: Shafts of Kudos
by T. Y. Carew & Stephen P. Scott
Read more »
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Written In Blood by Alex R. Carver Book Blitz and Giveaway


Written In Blood
Alex R. Carver
Publication date: April 4th 2017
Genres: Adult, Thriller
A peaceful village torn apart by murder, mistrust, and a desire for revenge.
When Oakhurst’s daughters begin to turn up, brutally murdered and with accusatory words carved into their skin, the residents of the small, close-knit community are unwilling to believe that one of their own might be a killer. Suspicion falls on the village’s newest resident, Zack Wild, attractive, charming, author of violent crime novels, and possessor of a dark history; he seems like the perfect suspect. As the investigation continues, the evidence against Wild mounts, but is prejudice against the newcomer affecting the judgment of Sergeant Mitchell, Constable Turner thinks so; she is determined to bring the killer to justice, no matter who it is, or what she has to do. Who will be proved right, and will they catch the killer before he can strike again?
—
EXCERPT:
The greeting that rose to his lips died there when he caught sight of the person on his doorstep. The first thing he saw was a pair of tanned legs, followed by a red micro mini-skirt that was only a little bigger than a belt, then a red top, cut low to show off the cleavage and so skin-tight he couldn’t help thinking that it must be at least one size too small. From the skirt and top his eyes took in the rest of the figure, which he liked very much – he could not remember the last time he saw someone in such a revealing outfit, at least not in person – before moving up to the face.
He quickly cut off his thoughts when he saw how young his visitor was. She had the body of a woman, but it was clear from her face that she was a teen, no older than sixteen. He couldn’t think why such a provocatively-dressed teen would be on his doorstep at any time, let alone at a quarter past two on a Friday afternoon, when he was sure she should be at school, and for a few moments he just stood there, staring.
“Hello,” he finally managed to say.
“You’re Zack Wild,” Lucy said excitedly, the last of her nerves gone now that she was there and she saw how he looked at her – the same way almost every other male did, regardless of their age.
“That’s right,” Zack agreed. He was still getting used to people reacting to him in that fashion, though he didn’t think he would ever become truly comfortable with the semi-fame that came with being a best-selling author. “And you are?”
“Lucy, Lucy Goulding, I’m a huge fan,” she declared breathlessly. Her nervousness might be gone, chased away by her usual confidence, but she wasn’t yet in complete control of herself – she was as attracted to Zack Wild as she suspected he was to her, and his looks were having an effect on her.
“Hello, Lucy,” Zack shook her hand briefly. “I wouldn’t have thought my books were the sort of thing a girl like you would read,” he said. He was not interested in such things, but his agent had provided him with a breakdown of his reading audience, which told him that it was mostly twenty to forty-five year olds that read his books.
“Oh I absolutely love them,” Lucy enthused. “I love them all. I’ve read everything you’ve written. I borrowed the first one from my dad, and just had to get the rest. Your true crime books are great, but I prefer your Inspector Deakins books. Would you sign them; I’ve brought them all with me.”


Author Bio:
Alex Carver has worked a number of jobs over the years, none of which provided the satisfaction he got from writing, and he has now given up the day jobs to write full-time. Primarily he writes crime fiction, reflecting his interest in the seedy underbelly of life, but science fiction and kids adventure have featured in his writing, with books in those genres on the long list of titles he is preparing for release.

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