09 August 2022

Wild Salvation by Alfred Stifsim Book Spotlight! @AStifsim @alfredatifsim_author

Wild Salvation

by Alfred Stifsim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Historical Fiction

BLURB:

Johnson is accused of assaulting a white woman, a deadly charge for a black man in 1876. Knowing he’ll be lynched if he stays in St. Andrews, Indiana, Johnson flees to the grassy plains of Kansas looking for the freedom unavailable to him back East. What Johnson doesn’t know is that the woman’s father is a powerful businessman determined to track him down. For a man on the run, the West seems like the perfect place for someone withdrawn like Johnson to become a new person, until a top Pinkerton agent named Cole Charles comes into town hunting outlaws.

When Cole Charles discovers Johnson is a wanted man, Johnson has no choice but

to flee again. This time he escapes to Fort Worth, Texas, where he meets a rowdy woman

named Eddie who is quick with a joke and even quicker with her pistol. Despite his lack

of experience, Eddie hires Johnson to be a wrangler on a cattle drive made up of other

black cowboys headed to Wyoming. With Cole Charles on his trail, the cattle drive will

take Johnson to confront his greatest fear when he comes face to face with Cole

Charles himself.

Excerpt

The front of the jail building was covered with wanted posters, some of them so faded it was hard to discern who was wanted and why. As Johnson pulled up with Rex sitting beside him in the driver’s seat, the picture of Jester Wells glared at them. There was a deep scar on his cheek and his arrogant smirk dared them to chase after the $250 reward. The grey clouds still hung low in the sky, threatening the return of rain at any moment. The wind picked up, blowing cool air through the town. The front door of the jail opened as Cole Charles and the marshal exited the building, rifles in hand.

“We better make this quick!” Burt yelled out the window of the coach, “I’m sure Bradley is in a hurry to get back to his cards.” To his surprise the marshal didn’t respond, opening the door to the coach and taking the furthest window seat at the back. He stared out as if he were riding off to his doom.

“What’s got into him?” Burt asked, gesturing to the marshal as Cole Charles walked past.

“I couldn’t tell you. Marshal Bradley has been real quiet ever since we got back,” he replied. He turned and walked to the driver’s seat to address Johnson, “The plan is simple. Drive east along the road, hopefully we pose an easy enough target, drawing Wells’ attention. Not too fast, the idea is to make them think you’re surrendering. We’ll be in the back lying in wait.” He turned to Rex. “Mr. Bowen you’re with us,” Cole Charles said, signaling for him to join the other men in the coach. “Remember Mr. Johnson, if things go badly, you’re on your own.” His cold eyes burned into Johnson as he said it, almost as if he wished it to happen. Then he turned and climbed into the coach.

Alfred Stifsim is a member of Western Writers of America and has published several short stories about the American West. “The Bastard of the Black Hills,” won second prize in ropeandwire.com’s 2019 short story contest, and “Max and Sherri” was included in Cowboy Jamboree Magazine’s Fall 2020 issue. His short story about Eddie, “A Night Out with the Cowboys,” was published by Close to the Bone (UK) in August 2021.

Alfred Stifsim graduated from IUPUI with a bachelor’s in American History (2014, Indianapolis).

From there he worked as an interpretive naturalist for the Indiana Department

of Natural Resources before transitioning to park maintenance. He is currently

an electrician with IBEW 481 in Indianapolis.

You can find more information at alfredstifsim.com, on

Twitter @AStifsim, or Instagram and Facebook @alfredatifsim_author.

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Salvation-Novel-Alfred-Stifsim/dp/149306424X/

GIVEAWAY

Alfred Stifsim will be awarding a $30 Amazon or

Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly

drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $30 Amazon GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

08 August 2022

A Dead Man'sEyes by Lori Duffy Foster Review!

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books (April 13, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1953789250
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953789259

Lisa Jamison has done well for a single mom who got pregnant at fifteen.
She’s a reporter at a well-respected newspaper and her teenage daughter is both an athlete and honors student. Though their relationship is rocky these days, Lisa has accomplished what she set out to do. She has given her daughter the kind of life she never had.
But all that changes when Lisa sees her daughter in the eyes of a dead man.
The cops call it a drug killing, but Lisa doesn’t believe it. She knows her ex-boyfriend was no drug dealer even though she hadn’t seen him in sixteen years. Lisa ignores warnings from her medical-examiner friend. She fails to heed barely veiled threats from the sheriff of a neighboring county. Instead, she risks her life and the lives of her daughter and their closest friend on a dangerous quest for answers.
The investigation leaves Lisa fighting for her family in a morbid, black market world she never knew existed. She learns that trust is complicated and that she, despite her cynical nature, has been blind. She trusted the wrong people and now she might have to pay with her life.

Lori Duffy Foster is a former crime reporter who writes and lives in the hills of Northern Pennsylvania. She is author of A Dead Man’s Eyes, which is the first in the Lisa Jamison Mysteries Series, an Agatha Award nominee and a finalist for the Shamus Award. Never Broken is book 2 in the series. Look for her debut thriller, Never Let Go, in December of 2022. Her short fiction has appeared in the journal Aethlon, and in the anthologies Short Story America and Childhood Regained. Her nonfiction has appeared in Healthy Living, Running Times, Literary Mama, Crimespree and Mountain Home magazines. Lori is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, The Historical Novel Society, International Thriller Writers, and Pennwriters. She also sits on the board of the Knoxville (PA) Public Library.

http://www.loriduffyfoster.com

My Thoughts

Enter Lisa Jamison, the protagonist of A Deadman's Eyes by Lori Duffy Foster. Lisa is a single mom of teen Bridget. Lisa's parents were drug addicts and once Lisa found out she was pregnant, she left home. She never even told the girl's father, Marty, about the pregnancy, plus she never told Bridget who her father is. She has a friend, Dorothy, who has helped her raise Bridget, that lives with her.

Marty is killed though in a drug deal gone bad. Now she has to find out why Marty died, plus tell her daughter about him. She knows that Marty did not do drugs and is perplexed as to why he would deal with them. With the help of the Medical Examiner, Alex, they try to piece together what happened.

Not is all as it seems, people, she trusted she can no longer trust. As time goes on, she finds that her daughter and Dorothy are in danger from the killer. She has to race against the clock and once she finds out who the killer is, it may be too late to protect her family.

This is a story that reads fast, there are likable characters and some not-so-likable. I picked up the book and it only took me two sittings to get through it. The plot was well researched, as to the proceeding of the medical examiner, and the procedures of the sheriffs' department. I think that it helped to have the author as a former crime reporter. It always helps to know what you are talking about. Plus the ending surprised me which is what a good book is all about!

I look forward to reading the next in the series. I give it four stars!

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.

The Time Between Us by Marina McCarron Book Review!

THE TIME BETWEEN US

By Marina McCarron
Publisher: Aria/Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 1, 2022
Price: $15.95; trade paperback original
ISBN: 9781801104425; 412 pages

War can be a haunting experience, but it can also provoke a range of other emotions for all that it touches, from fear and longing, to love. In Marina McCarron’s emotionally complex debut THE TIME BETWEEN US, she weaves these emotions into the fabric of her story, as well as the characters that inhabit it and its three timelines.

In 1937 when her brother Pierre brings home his friend William, sixteen-year-old Elise shows him around their village in Normandy. After he departs, a package arrives for Elise from William; a book of poetry. This sparks a correspondence between the two that deepens over the next years into romance. William and Elise arrange to meet in Paris and spend a few magical days together. But the clouds of war are forming and Elise doesn’t know when she’ll see William again.

In 2009, Lucy is left reeling by the death of the beloved grandfather who raised her. They had planned to visit France together after her college graduation. Conflicted about her life and her path forward, while also aching from loss, Lucy impulsively decides to leave Boston and take the trip alone. As she visits the World War Two landing beaches at Omaha and Juno and other sites, friendly tour guide Rob shares insights into the history of the region, and also helps her process the emotional turmoil she’s still feeling. As Lucy seeks clues about her grandmother, who died before she was born, she and Rob keep encountering into each other, as if fate has a greater purpose for them.

Hank and William met on the bus to basic training together and bonded as only soldiers can. On D-Day in 1944, William’s last request of Hank, as he lays dying on the beach at Omaha, is to take care of his girl, and Hank vows to honor his friend’s dying wish. But keeping that pledge will be complicated than Hank realizes. He returns home and sets about building a life, but his promise haunts him and he feels more needs to be done to truly fulfill his vow.

The war and its memories linger for all the characters, even in peacetime. As the stories of Lucy, William, Elise, and Hank intertwine, McCarron provides a study in contrasts. A haunting, gripping novel, it is through how the characters interact, and how destiny intervenes, that THE TIME BETWEEN US shows its emotional power.

MARINA MCCARRON was born in eastern Canada and studied in Ottawa and Vancouver before moving to England. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Publishing degree. She has worked as a reporter, a freelance writer, a columnist, and a manuscript evaluator. She loves reading and traveling and has been to six of the seven continents. She gets her ideas for stories from strolling through new places and daydreaming./ THE TIME BETWEEN US /came to her as she stood at Pointe du Hoc on a windy June day and asked the magical question, what if...?

My Thoughts

This is a dual timeline story about 16 yo Elise in 1937 France. Her brother Pierre brings home a friend, William. William is from New England and is in France to fight As Elise and William spend more time together, they fall in love. As time goes by, Elise finds out that William has died in action. She is visited by William's close friend Hank. Elise and Hank's story is told in alternating chapters. Elise is doomed to live in the past.

In 2009, Lucy who is Hank's granddaughter goes to France to find out more about the past that Hank never spoke of. It is bittersweet for her as Hank had often talked about taking Lucy with him to see the battlefields one last time. Unfortunately, he didn't live long enough. Lucy was raised by her grandfather as her parents died in a car crash, she was the only survivor.

While in France, Lucy meets Rob, an American who is a tour guide and tours the beaches from the battles. He is a good guide for her, with his help she is able to learn more about her grandfather and who Elise was, and her short relationship with William.

The story progresses swiftly, we learn about Elise and her troubled relationship with her mother and brother. Hank, promised William that he would look after Elise, even going as far as to marry her and move her to the US. They have a child, who never really gets to know his mother as she can't escape her past. Hank as a single parent raises his son, but still never talks about the war years which has frustrated Lucy.

This novel was so good and so much of a tear-jerker, I have not cried over a book in a long time. I always believe that an author has done a great job when it reduces me to tears. Such a bittersweet story and the intertwined lives of William, Elise, Hank, and Lucy. The descriptions of the war years were spot on and how the people on both sides of the ocean managed to continue with their lives.

I give this book 5 stars, which I don't often do, but I loved it!

I received a copy for review purposes only.

High Ground (High Mountain Trackers, #3) by Freya Barker Book Blitz! @freyabarker #preorder

Title: High Ground (High Mountain Trackers, #3)

Author: Freya Barker

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: August 8, 2022

Cover Designer: Freya Barker

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.

Not much has gone according to plan for mechanic, Pippa Freling, recently. With lots of bridges burned behind her, she decides to stick close to her sister and give Montana a try.

Things are looking up when she joins a local group of animal activists, buys an auto shop for a steal, and even tries her luck with the opposite sex. But it doesn’t take long before her hopeful new future is derailed once again.

This time permanently.

Maintaining tight control is the stronghold in Sully Eckhart’s life. It served him well during his years in special forces and has kept him out of trouble since. But his self-restraint stretches only so far whenever he finds himself faced with the one woman who has the ability to shake his determination. A woman he’s tried to avoid for months—since the first time she shook his resolve—but who now finds herself in the middle of a serial murder case.

However, when she not only ends up a person of interest to the FBI, but firmly in the crosshairs of a killer, he has no other option but to stick close.

And give up all control.

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | NOOK | KOBO |

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories. With forty-plus books already published, she continues to create characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We've Read All Year Award for "Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, and Finalist for the 2020 Kindle Book Award with “When Hope Ends”, Freya spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

Get book 1 High Meadow for $2.49 with a Kindle Deal

AMAZON

Pre Order the rest of the series!!

AMAZON

A Killing in Costumes (A Hollywood Treasures Mystery) by Zac Bissonnette Book Tour and Giveaway!

About A Killing in Costumes

A Killing in Costumes (A Hollywood Treasures Mystery)
Cozy Mystery – LBGT
1st in Series
Setting – California
Crooked Lane Books (August 9, 2022)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1639100865
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639100866
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09LH99ZCM

Stardom fades fast when you’re on the line for murder, in this debut cozy mystery perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Jenn McKinlay.
Jay Allan and Cindy Cooper were soap opera stars in the late ’90s, a wholesome young husband-and-wife duo who combined musical talent with humor and charisma. When the truth about their sexual orientations came to light, their marriage and TV careers ended, but decades later they have remained friends. Together, they open Palm Springs’ chicest movie memorabilia store, Hooray for Hollywood–but no customers and dwindling finances spell trouble.
A Hail Mary arrives in the form of Yana Tosh, a ninety-year-old diva of the silver screen who has amassed a valuable collection of costumes and props and is looking to sell. But first, Jay and Cindy have to beat their competition, a vice president from a mega-auction house with ten times their resources. And when he winds up dead, they become prime suspects in the murder.
With their freedom and livelihoods on the line, Jay and Cindy desperately need to clear their names. There are plenty of other potential suspects, but they’ll have to solve it soon before they’re forced to trade in their vintage costume collection for two orange jumpsuits.
About Zac Bissonnette