Promo Blitz: The Last Dance by Kierney Scott

Blurb: American born Prima Ballerina Georgina Fairly made a mistake that could destroy her. Saving her career means selling her soul to the Russian government. Now a spy who uses her body to lure men and secure their secrets, Georgina is tasked with seducing Roman Zakharov, the most dangerous Oligarch in Russia.

Roman Zakharov a man with a past as ugly as his disfigured face. An assassination attempt left him horribly burned, but the scars go deeper than the frightening exterior. Jaded and cruel, Roman lets Georgina into his world but only to punish her and teach the pretty dancer that no one crosses Roman Zakharov. He will show her what it means to be used. And he will teach her to beg.

Universal Buy Link: https://t.co/iMV8ajGQ12

About the author: American born Kierney Scott, lives in Edinburgh, Scotland with her kilt wearing husband and their daughter. When she is not writing, she is reading or drinking tea or spending far too much time on social media. She is fluent in Spanish, and by that she means she knows all the words to La Bamba. She loves hearing from readers. You can contact her on Facebook or Twitter.

Links:

Website: http://kierneyscott.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Kierney_S

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Blog Tour Review for Lost in Static by Christina Philippou

I’m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for Lost in Static by the lovely Christina Philippou. There was a certain sense of overlap when I was reading this as it follows first year university students and I was in my first weeks of university myself but thankfully it didn’t feel like busman’s holiday.

Blurb:   Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else’s side of the story.

Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe?

Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it. Juliette thinks nobody knows hers. All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself.

They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person’s version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices. And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence…

Lost in Static is the gripping debut from author Christina Philippou. Whom will you trust?

Links:

Lost in Static is available from, amongst others, Amazon UK, Amazon US, and direct from the publisher, Urbane Publications.

My Rating: 5/5

Review: As I’ve said above I read this book while starting my own university course which proved to be interesting timing. As a psychology graduate I’ve always had an interest in the way people think and view their world and this book gives us an insight to exactly that. The story starts immediately after a dramatic event has occurred near the end of the first year at university but doesn’t tell us what that event was. The story then goes back to the first day of people arriving in halls of residence for freshers week and then continues through the three university terms. We follow the thoughts, plans and emotions of the four main characters and get introduced to other relevant characters as they affect the lives of the main ones, namely Ruby, Callum, Juliette and Yasmine.  As the story unfolds we see how different events affect everyone differently and how they all have varying perspectives on what has happened or what someone else has said. Through the course of the three terms we see the characters change and develop and how the slightest misunderstanding can have serious consequences.

It was fascinating to see what the characters said and how it affected the others and what happened in response to that. The four main characters all had their own voices and were quite distinct from each other which is not an easy thing to achieve and is even more impressive when you realise this is a debut novel.

The story switched between each character at various points but because their names were at the start of their section there was no confusion as to who it was.  It was very interesting to see the story develop and although some parts of it were repeated so that we could see the different responses to the same comment or event the repition was never boring or tedious and actually brought more depth and understanding to the story and the characters.

Anything else I say will either repeat what I’ve already said or give away too much of the story so I will finish with this. This is an incredibly well-crafted story which is gripping and enthralling, when I read this I was sucked into it and the time just disappeared. If you are looking for a story that will make you think then this is definitely worth checking out. This is an exceptional story from a debut author and I would highly recommend it.

Many thanks to the author for letting me have a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Author Bio:

Christina Philippou’s writing career has been a varied one, from populating the short-story notebook that lived under her desk at school to penning reports on corruption and terrorist finance. When not reading or writing, she can be found engaging in sport or undertaking some form of nature appreciation. Christina has three passports to go with her three children, but is not a spy. Lost in Static is her first novel.

Christina is also the founder of the contemporary fiction author initiative, Britfic.

You can connect with Christina on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google+.

Cover Reveal: Her Last Breath by J.A. Schneider

So thrilled today to be able to reveal the cover for the amazing sounding Her Last Breath by the fabulous J.A. Schneider.  I also have an extract from the beginning of the book just to pique your interest so without further ado, here is the promised cover………..

 

 

Her Last Breath, the second psychological thriller by J.A. Schneider, is due for release on October 21st.  Her Last Breath is the second thriller – after Fear Dreams – featuring highly intuitive NYPD detective Kerri Blasco.  Here’s the blurb to whet your appetite…

A chilling psychological thriller about a woman caught between two men…
Mari Gill wakes to horror in a strange apartment next to a murdered man, and can’t remember the night before. Accused of murder, she feels torn between her husband, a successful defense attorney, and a mysterious, kind man who wants to help. Can she trust either of them – or even her friends? Detective Kerri Blasco battles her police bosses believing Mari is innocent…but is she?

It begins in horror…

Mari Gill’s hand felt sticky.

That was the first thing to trouble her, still clinging to the safe, solid darkness of sleep. Next came pain in her head, a different kind of pain from the other thing, so she squeezed her eyes shut, dreading the day…

…but the stickiness bothered.

Involuntarily, she felt her fingers open and close.

Something was wrong there, in her hand. She squinted open; peered at it.

Red.

Her palm was smeared dark red.

She blinked. Saw more red smear on her forearm, then the torn cap sleeve of last night’s black dress, then the sheet under her arm, stained with…

“Huh?” Her eyes grew wide before her mind processed it.

Thrashing onto her back, Mari saw bloodied sheet reaching halfway up the torn front of her dress, and then saw an arm. A man’s arm, faintly blue and blood-smeared – and with a cry her whole body practically flipped from the bed. “Oh God!”

She hit the floor hard and then scrabbled back up, gaped wildly and saw him. Her shocked vision jumped and saw two then one then two of him on his back, eyes closed, mouth open dribbling caked blood. She froze; gasped. Couldn’t take in air seeing his black hair, his chest hidden under a tent of bloodied sheet.

“Mister?”

A high, involuntary whisper. Mari’s heart rocketed but she felt compelled; jerked out a hand and pulled away the sheet.

Under it a knife, its handle long and black, protruding from his chest.

“Oh God!” Her scream got it out but used up breath as she spun on her knees, recognizing the new trouble. Where was her handbag? What was this place? Who was that guy?

Her bag, her bag…she crawled over hardwood and a man’s flung jacket and hit a cold, metal pole. Something crashed down on her, crashed to the floor but she crawled more, over broken shards with her breath coming harder, wheezing high like a small, dying animal.

Where, where…? She gasped and scrabbled.

There.

Her bag, way under a desk. How could it be under a desk? She was always so careful to keep it close but no time to think, she was upon it, fingers fluttering getting it open, her cries a child’s high mewling as she dug past her phone – no time to call – found her inhaler, got her fingers around it then saw it fly from her and skitter through an open doorway.

“No…”

Wheezing harder she crawled toward it, the little white plastic thing that meant life or death to her. Her chest heaved, and heaved again. Her vision blurred and she couldn’t pull in air. She made it through the door onto a wider floor, was inches away with her hand reaching desperately.

Then her vision darkened and she collapsed, crying; lay her cheek down on the polished cold hardwood. From far away she heard a crash. Her eyes closed. She lay, her fingers stretched futilely toward the inhaler. Her desperate wheezing stopped.

Running feet. Someone’s hands on her, strong hands. “Lady! Omigod, lady!”

From deepest, dying sleep she felt herself raised up; heard a voice, urgent, telling her to breathe, breathe – “Please, lady!”

She felt hard plastic pushed through her lips. Felt the little blast of life, then a man’s warm stubble press his lips on hers. He was breathing her. Two good breaths and then holding her, rocking her.

Her eyes stayed closed as she heard him call 9-1-1…

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J.A. (Joyce Anne) Schneider is a former staffer at Newsweek Magazine, a wife, mom, and reading addict. She loves thrillers…which may seem odd, since she was once a major in French Literature – wonderful but sometimes heavy stuff. Now, for years, she has become increasingly fascinated with medicine, forensic science, and police procedure. Decades of being married to a physician who loves explaining medical concepts and reliving his experiences means there’ll often be medical angles even in “regular” thrillers that she writes. She lives with her family in Connecticut, USA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blog Tour Review: Margaritas and Murder by CeCe Osgood.

Margaritas & Murder
By author CeCe Osgood
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release Date: September 9th 2016

Blurb:

Stephanie Plum meets Bridget Jones in this hilarious yet suspenseful cozy mystery featuring Sunny Truly, a brand-new apprentice private investigator in Austin, Texas.

When a long ago childhood friend is found dangling in a tree—with a dead man in her apartment—Sunny is hired to prove the friend innocent of murder. Frumpy, earnest and stubborn, Sunny goes undercover as a glam-girl to ferret out suspects at the club where her friend worked. With the aid of her wise-cracking boss, Cleve Haylock, and swoon-worthy police detective John Rock, Sunny uncovers an ugly secret with deadly consequences. Will Sunny be the next victim?

Buy the Book:

AmazonUS

AmazonUK

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

Review:  As a fan of the Stephanie Plum novels I found the description of this book quite interesting and decided it was definitely worth a read.  While this book is not as good as the majority of the Plum books (a few were quite poor) it certainly has the same light, quirky quality to it that I enjoyed in those. 

Sunny Truly is an interesting character whose reasons for becoming a trainee P.I. are revealed during the course of the story.  She tries but doesn’t always achieve her desired outcome and that makes her a very realistic and likeable character. The other main characters are also good and well written, you can certainly understand what they bring to the story. As for the less important characters, while there was nothing wrong with them I did feel there were too many of them. The story had a tendency to get a little overcomplicated with them on one or two occasions but they were minor and didn’t detract from my enjoyment.

I definitely enjoyed this book, it was light and funny and was easy to pick up again if it had been left for a few days. There was a definite Bridget Jones element to Sunny’s exploits which added an extra layer of fun to the story. For a debut novel this was a very good one and the first in the Sunny Truly series.  While there is room for improvement the author is already off to a good start with this story and, I believe, future books have the potential to be even better than this one. 

Definitely worth a try if you like Bridget Jones, Stephanie Plum or any light-hearted crime novel with an endearing but imperfect lead character. I look forward to the next one. 

 

 

About the Author:

CeCe Osgood

Bio:

CeCe Osgood lives in Texas after many years in LA working in the film industry. Her writing career includes magazine articles and screenplays as well as being a freelance story analyst (main client HBO). She also has had two screenplays optioned.
Being a novelist has been her lifelong dream, and now it’s becoming her reality. She loves red wine and hates pretzels.

CeCe’s first novel, THE DIVORCED NOT DEAD WORKSHOP, a chick-lit romantic comedy was awarded a Crowned Heart by InD’tale magazine.

Find her here:

www.ceceosgood.weebly.com
Facebook
Twitter
GoodReads
Amazon Author Page

Check out all the stops on the Tour:

Sept 10th

Enrayn – Book Review

Hello…Chick Lit – Book Promo Post

Sept 11th

Cafinated Reads – Book Excerpt

Gin, books and blankets… – Book Review/Author Q&A

Sept 12th

Steamy Book Momma – Book Promo Post

Writing Pearls – Book Review

Novelgossip – Book Review/Excerpt

Sept 13th

Judging More Than Just The Cover – Author Q&A

Sylv all about books and films – Book Promo Post

Christa Reads and Writes – Book Review/Guest Post

Sept 14th

Cynful Books To Read – Author Guest Post/Promo Post

He Said Books or Me – Book Review/Excerpt

Sept 15th

Grass Monster – Amazon/GoodReads Book Review

One More Chapter – Book Review

Sept 16th

BookLoverWormBlog – Book Review

Turning Another Page – Book Review/Author Q&A

Sept 17th

JenaBooks – Book Review/Excerpt

Book Lover in Florida – Book Review/Excerpt

Tour arranged by:

Blog Tour: Guest post by Helen Phifer, author of The Girls in the Woods

As many of you will know, from a previous blog post, I’m starting university this month (yesterday in fact!) so while I was very keen to read this book I knew I would be too busy to fit it in.  However, I am able to bring you a guest post from Helen about how she started writing.  I love the sound of this book and am definitely adding it to my tbr pile and I hope you will feel the same once you’ve read this post.

Guest post: So You Want to Write a Book

Since I’ve been writing I’ve had a few people ask me how to write a book and I wish I could give them the magic answer, but it’s not that easy.

Writers often say to write what you know which is good advice. I wanted to write a story for me and I didn’t particularly know much about ghosts or serial killers. I love a good spooky story, but I couldn’t find the type of novel that I was looking for, despite spending hours browsing through the books in Waterstones and WH Smith. Which were the two biggest book shops where I live, this was in the days before Amazon. So I decided that I was going to write one for myself. I knew exactly what I loved reading and once I’d started to write it I realised that there must be plenty of other people who would also enjoy reading this kind of story.

If you have an idea for a story like I did with my debut novel The Ghost House then write down your ideas, everything about it that makes you think I have to tell this story. I’ve always written bits and pieces over the years, but I had no idea where to start writing a full length novel. I think that you have to be in love with reading in order to write a book. I know that if I hadn’t been such a voracious reader, I wouldn’t have had the slightest clue where to start with chapters and plotting. It helped me enormously when it actually came down to writing my story.

I sat down with a notepad and wrote out a list of my main characters, who was the story about, what was going to happen, why was it going to happen, who was my leading character or protagonist, who was my baddie, my killer, my antagonist and why was he my killer, what had happened to him to make him want to murder girls in such a horrific way? I ended up with quite a few sheets of A4 paper.

Then I began writing out a rough outline/plot of what I wanted it to be, it wasn’t very detailed because I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen, but it had the basics on it. Some people can just sit down and write a novel without a single page of plotting and that’s brilliant, in fact I tried this myself for my next book The Good Sisters which is due out in October.

However I prefer to plot, I love post it notes and have them colour co-ordinated stuck on the wall above my desk with a couple of sentences for each chapter. It keeps me going when I get to the middle and things start to get a bit tough, some days the words flow without having to even think about them and some days they don’t. Make the most of the days that they do, write down as much as you can. I find if I’m stuck the best thing to do is to sit and think about what I have so far and what needs to happen next. Sometimes it can take a couple of days for me to come up with what I need, so don’t put pressure on yourself and don’t stress about it. I’ve been stuck and woke up in the middle of the night with the perfect ending and had to get up and write it all down before I forgot on a couple of occasions.

The Ghost House took me eight years to write, edit and feel confident enough to send off to agents and publishers. I did however have five young children, so writing for me was something that I had to squeeze in whenever I had a spare moment and this wasn’t very often. At the time I was writing it I never felt rushed or stressed out about it because this was my story that I was writing for my only reader which was me.

So get the first draft of your story written, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you. The main thing is to never give up on it, keep plodding away and before you know it you’ll reach twenty, thirty, fifty, eighty thousand words. The main thing is to get it all down and don’t worry about spelling or punctuation. You can go back and fix that on your second draft. You might be desperate to be published, but unless you have actually written your novel it’s not going to happen.

Good luck and trust me if I can write then so can you, I’d love to hear about your experiences or if you have any questions you can find me on.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Helenphifer1/

Twitter   https://twitter.com/helenphifer1

Or over at my website www.helenphifer.com

Helen x

 

Blurb: Don’t go into the woods. Because you’re in for a big surprise…

In an old album there is a beautiful Victorian photo that captures three young sisters, staring silently at one another. Only the trained eye can see the truth hiding in plain view. One of the sisters is already dead.

Annie Ashworth is currently off duty. With her baby bump growing fast, she is under strict instructions to stay away from police work and look after herself, especially as she has a history of leading danger right to her door. So when her police officer husband, Will, is called to the discovery of a skeleton buried out in the local woods, Annie tries to keep out of the investigation. But as another body is discovered and her own niece suddenly goes missing, staying away just isn’t an option.

As Annie is soon to discover, a picture really does tell a thousand stories. But which one leads to a killer?

The gripping new detective thriller that will haunt you

Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28217989-the-girls-in-the-woods?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Girls-Woods-Annie-Graham-Book-ebook/dp/B0175WV0FE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472813259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+girls+in+the+woods+helen

 

About the author:

Helen lives in a small town called Barrow-in-Furness with her husband and five children and has done since she was born. It gets some bad press, but really is a lovely place to live. Surrounded by coastline and not far from the beautiful Lake District. She has always loved writing and reading, she loves reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Unable to find enough scary stories to read she decided to write her own.

Her debut novel ‘The Ghost House’ was published by Carina UK in October 2013 and went on to become a best seller along with the rest of the Annie Graham series. The Secrets of the Shadows, The Forgotten Cottage, The Lake House and The Girls in the Woods. Her next book The Good Sisters which is a stand alone, ghost story is released on the 13th October 2016.

Author links:

Website: www.helenphifer.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/helenphifer1

Facebook: www.facebook.com/helenphifer1

Review of Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb

Blurb:  Nature versus nurture…
 
The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. Within seconds, three people were dead at Central Park’s ice skating rink. The victims: a talented young skater, a doctor, and a teacher. As random as random can be.

Eve Dallas has seen a lot of killers during her time with the NYPSD, but never one like this. After reviewing security videos, it becomes clear that the victims were killed by a sniper firing a tactical laser rifle, who could have been miles away when the trigger was pulled. And though the locations where the shooter could have set up seem endless, the list of people with that particular skill set is finite: police, military, professional killer.

Eve’s husband, Roarke, has unlimited resources—and genius—at his disposal. And when his computer program leads Eve to the location of the sniper, she learns a shocking fact: There were two—one older, one younger. Someone is being trained by an expert in the science of killing, and they have an agenda. Central Park was just a warm-up. And as another sniper attack shakes the city to its core, Eve realizes that though we’re all shaped by the people around us, there are those who are just born evil…

My Rating: 4.5/5

Review: This is the latest in the long running In Death series featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her  husband Roarke.  I started reading this series years ago but only got as far as book 4 and then stopped although I can’t remember why. I recently jumped back into them around book 39 and am absolutely loving them.

This story focuses on a sniper in New York who is killing people in an apparently random fashion but one which Eve believes is not as it seems.  It starts with 3 people murdered at an ice rink but why, was there an intended target and if so, which one or more of the victims was it? These questions puzzle Eve and the brilliant Detective Peabody until there is another shooting and things start to become a lot clearer. While the story starts off at a fair pace it quickly gathers speed until you are racing along with Dallas and Peabody and having to put the book down occasionally so that you can have time to breathe!

I zipped through this book in just over a day and what a day it was. All of the usual characters were there and all were as well written as always. The only disappointment in the story was that we see less of the supporting characters than usual. However the speed at which the murders were carried out means that they don’t have the same involvement as they normally would so while disappointing, it is understandable.

I love this series and this book is an excellent addition to it. Despite my comments above the character interaction in the detective’s office and at Dallas’ home remains; as does the wonderful relationship between Dallas and Peabody who are easily my favourite detective partnership.  These interactions and relationships are part of what makes these books brilliant and I’m enjoying watching them develop as the series progresses.

If you’re already a fan of the series you won’t be disappointed in this book. If you haven’t read them before this is not a bad place to start with, you won’t know the history of the characters but it will still be an enjoyable read and a good introduction to the series.

I received an advanced copy of this from Netgalley and this is my honest review.

 

Blog Tour Review: Tempting Isabel by Rissa Brahm

Blurb: Luck. Lust. Love.

Wedding planner Isabel Ruiz is cursed. Her hometown of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico agrees, considering her tragic track record. Alone and loveless, she creates fairy-tale weddings for others. Her only distraction? The occasional anonymous fling. So to avoid further tragedy, her rule, one–night–only, is never broken…

Until Zack.

Self-made millionaire Zack James is in town for his brother’s wedding, when a sudden spell of depression hits. Maybe burned out by his fast and luxurious lifestyle? Not even his two female companions hold any interest.

That is, until he meets Isabel.

She humbles and captivates him, reigniting his thirst for life. With her, Zack feels more alive than ever. To his delight—and her dismay—they share a deep bond, a sensual connection, and one mind-bending night.

Zack must have her – to complete him. And Isabel must escape him – to save him.

Their game of catch and chase leads to lust-turned-love. For Isabel, it’s fate’s cruelest joke. But Zack won’t quit, positive he’s the cure to her curse. Can he convince her to risk everything with him? Or will it all go south…in paradise.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29409739-tempting-isabel?ac=1&from_search=true

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search/ref=x_gr_w_bb?keywords=9781944557027&index=books&linkCode=qs&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21

 

My Rating: 3.5/5

Review: This book is a different genre from the one’s I normally read but it is one I’ve dabbled in in the past and so is not completely new to me. It’s also most definitely an adult read so not for anyone under 18.

While I don’t stray far from my usual genres these days the blurb for this novel intrigued me, it suggested a different type of story to the ones I’ve read in the past, something where the relationship and characters was more focused on than any sex scenes and I was right. This story gave us two main characters, Zach and Isabel. Isabel I liked despite her having some qualities that irritated me, she was proud of what she had acheived, despite some tragedies and had worked hard for the life she had built for herself. Zach was more annoying. He was nice up to a point, he definitely had good qualities and would probably be someone you could have a laugh with but he was also a self-confessed womanizer (not my type) and didn’t show a lot of respect for Isabel’s choices and decisions. That said, he is definitely someone you want around when you need support or protection.

The story itself was good, Zach is in town for his brother’s wedding and meets Isabel though things don’t go smoothly. However, they cannot avoid each other completely as Isabel is the wedding planner for his brother’s wedding. This leads to all sorts of issues with Isabel, Zach, his family, his soon to be sister-in-laws family, the list goes on. Throughout this they meet and talk and discover that there is a bond between them that Zach won’t let go of and Isabel tries to ignore.  

Overall I enjoyed reading this book.  I did find it a little long and felt some things were drawn out a bit more than necessary, one of which was one of the sex scenes which I thought was a bit long and a bit too descriptive. Those points aside this is a good debut novel and I would be interested in reading more of this authors work.

 

About the author: Contemporary romance writer Rissa Brahm grew up in New York and has since lived in all four corners of the United States, and beyond. e beautiful paradise of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico—the core setting of her hot & heartfelt debut series, Paradise South—is Rissa’s most recent and beloved home.

When not chained-by-choice to her MacBook, she is embarking on out- door adventures with her husband and little girl, laughing to tears with a good rom-com, eating amazing Indian food with something chocolate for dessert; reading good, hot scorchers in bed; biking, long walks, and yoga; zoning out to killer music from across the decades and the globe; and getting lost only to discover a new exciting route home again. You can connect with Rissa on Facebook, Twitter or by email any time by heading to www.RissaBrahm.com.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rissa_brahm

 

Giveaway: to enter click on the link below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bf63305799/?