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Dead Meat: Day 1 is not my first Nick Clausen storyt. Just like it says, Dead Meat is only the first day in the series, and I am super excited to see where Nick Clausen takes us.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

It’s hot as Hades, as the kids find themselves in the suffocating basement, dodging a zombie that salivates at the thought of taking a bite out of them…

Dead Meat by Nick Clausen gets creepy bad very early and time is of the essence.

OMG! Want bloody, gory, gruesome, sad, tragic, heroic and…?

Read about a day in the life of Dan, a teenager that was only delivering newpapers on a freakishly hot day when all hell broke loose in his world. I love this character!

I am drooling over the thought of reading more of this delicious series.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Meat by Nick Clausen.

4 Stars

Dead Or Alive by Jane Blythe is Book III in the Detective Parker Bell series and it is wonderful to be back with such a fabulous group of characters and to see what trouble they find themselves in this time.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Dead Or Alive by Jane Blythe starts out with a BANG…and keeps on going.

Detective Parker Bell is doing his grocery shopping, just a mundane chore we can all relate to, when he hears a gunshot and sees a car screeching out of the parking lot. Two bodies are lying on the pavement…

The characters all have their heavy baggage to bear and miscommunication abounds because of their need to protect themselves, and their secrets. Parker and Tessa are together, but she holds tight to her thoughts and feelings. It’s a good thing he has patience and so much love for her.

Wyatt is Parker’s partner, but he thinks of him as his brother. Parker has a tendency to let his emotions rule him, becoming personally involved in many of his cases. That is how him and Tessa came to be together, but that is another story.

I love Jane Blythe’s ability to put me in the middle of the suspense and danger, Darkness and their past seem to dog their every footstep.

Tessa…she is my favorite character. If something needs to be done, she feels she must do it herself. She will sacrifice everything for Parker and her friends and family. She puts herself last.

I had trouble with a few things, but as the story came together and Jane was wrapping everything up, it all became clear. I love when an author leads me down a path that trips me up and leaves me saying, AHA, I get it now.

When Parker comes up missing, she makes a deal with the devil…and that is the tease for the next book in this standalone series. I do recommend beginning at the beginning because I have loved every step of the way, but Jane Blythe recaps a lot of the past action so that you can know why these characters do what they do.

SO…What’s the cost of making a deal with the devil? Find out in Little Girl Lost.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Dead Or alive by Jane Blythe.

4 Stars

Winter Arrives by Roz Marshall is a series that is nearly complete, so don’t hesitate to pick it up if it sounds like a good one to you. This is not my first Roz Marshall book and it will not be my last.

I like this pretty cover by Alba Covers.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

It’s freezing, the heat is off, no oil in the tank, no money in the bank account…even though the story was predictable, some troubles and some romance, I quickly fell for the characters in this short episode

3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Everybody has something to hide

Jude Winters is confident in one thing – she has no idea how to run a ski school. But a missing husband and mounting bills mean she’s going to have to find out fast. The hard way.

Mike Cole has skied nearly everywhere in the world. Now it’s time to tick Scotland off his list, before he kicks the snow from his boots and carries on with his Kiwi version of walkabout.

But things aren’t always what they seem. And even wanderlust can sometimes be sated.

“Winter Arrives” is the first novella from the ‘Secrets in the Snow‘ series about a Scottish snowsports school.

Episodes 2-5 and 3 short stories are also available. The series will complete in 2015 with Episode 6.

MY ROZ MARSHALL REVIEWS

Unicorn Magic

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A feel good story perfect for the holiday season.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

A short but intense and heartwarming story that brought tears to my eyes as young and old alike come together, giving, sharing, and adding so much goodness to everyone’s life.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Joseph was a shabby imitation of Santa Clause with his Salvation Army kettle in front of a K-mart, but what no one could have guessed was that Joseph was a miracle waiting to happen. This inspiring Christmas story tells the true tale of how a group of teenage carolers changed the life of a down-and-out bum. A moving and unforgettable read!

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Every so often I will follow an email link from NetGalley and check out what’s happening. I try to limit how many books I grab at one time…you know how that is. I found some books by Joanna Schaffhousen and grabbed a couple. I would like to thank NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Joanna Schaffhausen for the opportunity to read and share them.

Amazon ‘/ Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I immediately began reading No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen after finishing The Vanishing Season. I am loving the author and her characters and eagerly begin.

We start where we left off in The Vanishing Season. Each book can stand alone, though I highly recommend beginning at the beginning, because once Ellery got under my skin, I had to know… Each mystery, in this case two mysteries, end with my complete satisfaction and leave me wanting more. Now…let’s get to it.

Ellery Hathaway is on leave because of what happened. And that you will need to find out for yourself. Even though No Mercy is Book II, Joanna Schaffhausen will fill you in on the necessities.

Reed Markham is getting a divorce. He is an FBI profiler, so for those of you who watch Criminal Minds, you can see the complications that would entail for those left at home.

I love Joanna Schaffhausen’s ability to show me Tula, Reed’s daughter. I can see the little firecracker racing around, not happy with her pigtails daddy did because they are a bit lopsided. She’s ready for mommy to pick her up, but she’s so caught up in just being, she forgot she doesn’t have any shoes on. Joanna’s ability to show me the event had me smiling as I watched her.

Ellery had never been on a date. After her abduction at fourteen years old, I can understand why. Sure, she has sex. But she uses it like a weapon. Romance? She doesn’t believe it can ever happen for her after what Francis Coben, the serial killer did to her. Even though he is in prison, so is she. He is always with her…in her mind.

Something happens. I won’t tell you what, but Reed comes rushing to her side, leaving with just the clothes on his back. He saved her once, and he is determined to not let anything else happen to her. Little does he know, trouble seems to find her…or does she go looking for it? There is no romance between them, but, I wonder….

A note…

“You really think I’m unlucky enough to attract the attention of a third serial killer?”

Imagine yourself and everything about you splashed all over the internet. You even have a Wikipedia page, telling of the horrors inflicted on you by a serial killer. People building websites devoted to you…of HIM…the trolls, the filthy, disgusting…

Even though this is fiction, it reads like a true story. I don’t know how Ellery could even step outside her home. Especially on a dark night. I don’t know if I would every leave my house again. Could you? I would have alarms on every access point, the outside lit up as if it’s daytime and, at least, ONE BIG guard dog.

When it came time for Reed to leave, his boss giving him an ultimatum, I knew he couldn’t do it. There’s a rapist on the loose, an old arson case, and someone is messing with Ellery.

I love that he cooks for her, and stays with her. He’s a good cook and it is a definite improvement over the fast food she lives on. He refuses to leave her home alone.

Joanna’ Schaffhausen’s characters are the lowest of the low and the highest of the high. They range from the pond scum that doesn’t deserve to breath air to the knight in shining armor that all children dream about.

Ellery’s need to help others makes her a target all too often, but it leads to lots of non stop action and intense mysteries. Danger lurks around every corner and even comes knocking on her door. Joanna Schaffhausen stacks mystery on top of mystery, because one isn’t enough. LOL

Reed: “I want you to stop taking chances with your life.”

Ellery: “You forget. I’m living on borrowed time.”

OMG. Joanna Schaffhausen continues to blow me away with her in your face, can’t put down, take my breath away suspense.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen.

5 Stars

The simple cover for Land of Bones by Glen Rolfe says so much….so, BEWARE!

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

As I read the short stories of Land of Bones by Glen Rolfe, filled with macabre horror, scares and screams, fright and terror, I hope for a deeper glimpse into his writing and was rewarded with a novella that left me shaking my head and saying WTH… He loves to kill his characters off in some gruesome and sad ways. Loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Land of Bones by Glen Rolfe.

4 Star

EXtinct by Ike Hamill is my X for the Alphabet Reading Challenge. I picked this up on an Amazon free day on 7.1.13.

I sure do love this cover BelleDesign.Org

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Extinct by Ike Hamill has an awesome cover, so I had to take a walk into the woods, during a blizzard to find out WTH is going on.

Robby is an intellectual young boy, always analyzing, so when the freak snowstorm hits on Thanksgiving and people began to go missing, he began questioning…everything.

Well, I’m still no sure exactly what’s going on and neither is our gang of survivors…that keeps dwindling in numbers. Vanishing into thin air, eyeballs popping our of their heads, ‘water’ devouring anything it touches…

This ragtag band keeps moving, not always forward, but sticking together, going the extra mile, doing whatever they can to save our world.

The characters come and go and at each juncture in their adventure I wonder who will vanish next. Where do they go? Who is taking them?

The world building is so richly detailed I could follow the thin blue line with them and we all know in troubled times peoples true colors are exposed.

Well, this has been one wild ride, danger around every corner and the mystery of ‘them’ hangs in every word. Good thing Book II, Instinct is ready and available, because I want to know. It looks like…so far…there are five books, so you will be seeing more of Ike Hamill’s work on fundinmental.

4 Stars

I have made a huge dent in back reviews that have been sitting, waiting…and waiting. I am close to reaching my goal for this year, the first round through my notebooks and review list. I won’t get everything done, but I am happy with the challenge and my progress.

I read Gideon on 6.2.16 and gave it a 5 star rating for this debut thriller. I love Alex Gordon’s work and can only imagine how far Alex Gordon will go in her career. I plan on being around to see.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Lauren’s fate is sealed with the death of her father. He tried to protect her, but the lure for answers about death and danger surrounding her beckons her to Gideon, where He waits.

Alex Gordon”s story takes us from Seattle, Washington, to Gideon, Illinois.

Gideon was a crossroads for evil.

HE is surrounded by woods and darkness, where the dead don’t stay dead. Have I hooked you yet?

The town’s people job was to keep the darkness from crossing over.

Could Lauren be the one to stop HIM for good? Would innocence and naivety in the ways of evil and magic win out?

From the 1800s and burning at the stake to cell phones, potions and spells, evil rises and good does it’s best to prevail.

Both good and evil characters will die, so be careful who you get attached to and be prepared to grieve for the characters taken before their time.

I was a bit slow to get involved, but once Lauren traveled to Gideon, I found the pace picking up and my need to know what happens next rising to such a high level I found it hard to put the book down.

BUT…the story is not over and I am so happy to have Book II, Jericho, here at my side, ready to crack open and see what challenge faces Lauren next. I wrote that in my notes, but I reviewed Jericho before Gideon. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. LOL

Gideon wraps up the story in a great way and I feel it can stand alone, but I rated Jericho 5 stars, so I think ,once you begin, you would have to know more.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Gideon by Alex Gordon.

5 Stars

“Too many twists and turns to easily share about this book. Nevertheless, Carr has pulled off another “hit” that kept me reading in one setting until the clues were so well together that the villain fell into our laps…or Chris’s, LOL Carr has put a lot into the book beyond the mysteries this time…Characters enjoyed chocotinis, visited book stores…and even blundered into getting engaged (the ring had been purchased 4 months ago)… But, for me, a special thank you for the political spoof at a time when politics at the national level is devastating, gave me a laugh and lightened the load of it all!” – Review by Glenda Bixler, Book Reader’s Heaven 

 

MY REVIEW

 

The Geezer Squad is back, along with the rest of the gang, and I am so happy to joining in the mystery, fun and lovin’ The family that solves a murder together, stays together. lol I am amped up, ready for some murder, mystery and laughs, with two and four legged characters combines.

 

Sometimes it is hard to write a review and this is one of those times. The words won’t seem to come, even though I loved The Last Thing She Said. There was lots of mystery and suspects, clues to follow, some lead to nowhere and others lead to more mystery.

I saw Shannon’s mystery coming and I’m eager for the investigation to begin. The Geezer Squad is called into action. They morphed from a book club to a cold case investigating team and they are very, very good at it. A bunch of retired law enforcement that hates to let the bad guy get away.

 

Sterling…well…what can I say about Sterling:

 

“Oh, what a beautiful German Shepherd!”…”And he’s wearing sunglasses!”

 

Lauren Carr’s descriptive writing brings all her characters and their worlds to life in vivid detail sometimes making me bust out in laughter, other times I am completely absorbed in the investigative details.

 

The whole Buttwrinkle thing had me LAUGHING OUT LOUD!

 

The past and present collide as the dead refuse to stay dead , and mysteries and suspects run riot through the pages. I love how Lauren Carr allows characters from her other series to make an appearance.

 

I went from curious to ticked off, to confused, to happy and laughing as I flipped through the pages, guessing and cyphering the clues.

 

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Last Thing She Said by Lauren Carr.

4 Stars

 

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE

 

MY LAUREN CARR REVIEWS

 

• Three Days To Forever
• Kill And Run
• Cancelled Vows
• Candidate For Murder
• Killer In The Band
• A Fine Year For Murder
• Twofer Murder
• Ice
• Winter Frost
• Murder by Perfection
• Crimes Past
• Spring Thaw
• It’s Murder My Son
• The Root of Murder

 

• You can see my Giveaways HERE.
• You can see my Reviews HERE.
• If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
• Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
• I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
• Thanks for visitingl!

I have been remiss in keeping up with my challenges and am now crossing off the Z for my Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge, Zombies v Ninjas by R A Barnes. I have K, Keeper of the Peace by Jennifer Malone Wright, X, EXtinct by Ike Hamill (which I am currently reading), and You Can Run by Willow Rose to finish it off. I pulled them from my Amazon free downloads. I will be squeezing the reviews in before the end of the year, because I like all my challenge books to be reviewed.

I picked this up on 9.10.15 for free and it was still FREE when I created this post.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The tile for Zombies v Ninjas made me have to pick this up. I was curious how they would come together and it happens quickly.

An island, the Undead, an evil mastermind…and ninjas, there has to be a lot of slash ’em up, rock ’em sock ’em action…and there is. Have I died and gone to…HELL?

This is a different slant on zombies and how they came to be and the ninjas are recruited to save humanity from the apocalypse.

I felt like that’s cool, oh yeah, i like that, all right, way to go, but I never felt like OH NO! OMG! Run for your lives. Watch Out.

All in all a fun read and I would continue with the series.

3 Stars

I loved Perry Prete’s Ethan Tennant series, so I was curious how he would handle these four dark tales of horror…and I think they are a complete success. Well done Perry.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The stories are short, so I didn’t have time to get lost in them, abut I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. If I had to pick a favorite, it would have to be Social Studies.

THE ELEVATOR: This was one creepy story and it had my mind wondering what was real and what was I imagining as I got lost in the dark…trapped in the elevator and in my own mind. Well done. 4 Stars

REUNION: It had been five years since his girlfriend went missing when the creature attacked and he had been back for a family reunion. Sad, frightening, but ya gotta hang in til the end because ya just never know. 4 Stars

SOCIAL STUDIES: One assignment = one grade and it took over he life. I didn’t see where this going and, wow, it was all over the place and I loved it. 4 Stars

HIGHWAY 7: Predictable, now you see it, now you don’t, but with a twist and I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Highway 7 by Perry Prete.

4 Stars

Every so often I will follow an email link from NetGalley and check out what’s happening. I try to limit how many books I grab at one time…you know how that is. I found some books by Joanna Schaffhousen and grabbed a couple. I would like to thank NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Joanna Schaffhausen for the opportunity to read and share them.

The cover definitely fits the story.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Vanishing Season is Joanna Schaffhausen’s debut novel, released in 2017…and, boy oh boy, is it a good one. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it gave me so much more.

Three people have gone missing and Ellery Hathaway knows they are dead and another will be taken very soon. Sam dismisses her warnings, but she won’t stop there. Sam is not only her boss, the chief of police, but also her lover, her married lover. I sure don’t approve of that, but as I read on, I could see how it happened. She uses sex as a weapon. That will have it’s own repercussions.

Woodbury, Massachusetts is a small town, a blink and you will miss it, with only eight police officers. I love to read of small towns, the gossip mill, and secrets that won’t stay secret. Ellery has a big one, but…

Ellery calls in the big guns, Reed Markham, an FBI profiler that had saved her from the serial killer that had taken her fourteen years ago, leaving her scarred and broken. He too has his own story. His marriage is on the rocks, but he had made a promise to her, so when she called, he came.

I love her basset hound, Speed Bump. LOL Critters always add some grins for me, and with a subject like serial killers, I need some chuckles.

The dog leapt from the vehicle with all the grace of a hippo performing a belly flop.

I have plenty of suspects, but two in particular have my attention. Even if I’m wrong, I don’t like them. LOL I do like to try and figure it out for myself as we follow clues, question witnesses, and try look for what others have missed.

There is no romance, though I know there are more books coming, so I wonder. I mean, just think about it, her body is scarred and so is her mind. She doesn’t want anyone in her house. Doesn’t want anyone touching her. And doesn’t want to share her secret. After what she’s been through, I can see why she protects herself, so who could possible get through the walls she has built up but the one person she trusts?

I am at 38% and my tension level is high, the pace is picking up, making me feel like the end is near, nut, there’s so much of the story left. I can only imagine what Joanna Schaffhausen has in store for her characters. I am lovin’ it.

I am filled with horror at the terrible things one person can do another, as the bits and pieces of Ellery’s captivity leaks out, each detail worse than the last.

Well…I didn’t see him coming. It takes a lot for an author to fool me so completely, especially near the end, but she had me eying the wrong guy until a page or two before he attacked. He was well camouflaged, but I will be on my toes with the next case, expanding my suspect list and reading between the lines.

Man oh man, I am so glad I took a chance on Joanna Schaffhausen. I had never heard of her. She kept me riveted from beginning to end and I can hardly wait for Book II, No Mercy. BRING IT ON!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of The Vanishing Season by Joanna Schaffhausen.

5 Stars