Review of Damsel in a Dress by Kirsten Weiss

 

I'm a total sucker for a good cozy mystery. And this one has a fun paranormal twist to it. Check out an excerpt and my book review below from Damsel in a Dress by Kirsten Weiss. It's the fifth book in the A Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series, but works as a standalone. Then check out the rest of the tour. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Bridesmaid duties can be deadly…

Maddie Kosloski has more than wedding cake on her plate. She’s managing her paranormal museum, helping her best friend Adele with wedding plans, and trying to prove that Adele’s vintage wedding dress is most definitely not haunted.

But when a bridesmaid turns up murdered, Maddie has to solve the crime to save the wedding. As her bouquet of suspects grows, and everyone’s alibis have the ring of truth, Maddie begins to doubt this wedding will go off without a hitch.

If you love laugh-out-loud mysteries, witty heroines, and a touch of the paranormal, you’ll love Damsel in a Dress, book 5 in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum series of novels. Read this twisty cozy mystery today!

Read an excerpt:

The wedding gown ghosted into my museum on a slither of plastic and a shiver of air conditioning. Since it was a paranormal museum, I should have figured that was a sign, an omen, a warning.

But all I worried about that morning was stepping on the hem of my best friend’s newly altered dress. I carried it like it was an atom bomb, arms extended, treading carefully.

File that under the had-I-but-known category.

My assistant, Leo, looked up from behind the glass counter and slid one finger inside the collar of his Paranormal Museum tee. “Yo.” His black leather jacket was slung over the back of his tall chair. A shock of his ebony hair fell forward, obscuring his eyes.

The museum’s front door drifted shut behind me, and the bell jangled above it.

“Thanks for managing things.” I draped the dress over the counter. Unpeeling the staticky plastic from my jeans, I scanned the museum, alert for disasters.

Visitors wandered between the shelves displaying haunted objects and creepy dolls. Photos of long-dead murderers gazed impassively from their frames beneath the black-painted crown molding.

“How many decks did you sell?” I bounced in my low-heeled sandals. The museum was doing better, but we needed to increase our in-store sales.

“One.”

I deflated. Bummer. Still, I’d only been gone thirty minutes.

GD, the museum’s ghost detecting cat, rose from the haunted rocking chair in the corner of the main room. It swayed beneath the ebony cat’s weight.

“How’d you get stuck with dress duty anyway?” Leo asked.

“I’ll do anything for wedding cake.” Really, I will. Also, I was a bridesmaid, and one of my bridesmaidly duties was picking up the altered wedding gown. Cruelly and unfairly, I had not been selected for cake sampling duty.

Available on Amazon

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**My thoughts**

I do love a good cozy mystery and this one has the added bonus of a touch of the paranormal. You have quirky characters, most notably the animals, who play off of each other quite well without being over-the-top. I found myself wanting to solve the mystery but also just enjoying the interactions between everyone along the way. And I definitely had some big smiling moments, just absolutely enjoying every minute of this book.

And can I just say that I never could quite get the cat's name right? GD stands for Ghost Detector, but ... lol.

This is the fifth book in the series, but works well as a standalone. I definitely want to read the other ones, because there are just enough hints dropped throughout this book to whet the appetite for more. I've read other of her works, which I also enjoyed, so I know I would also like the others.

Thank you to the author and Goddess Fish for the requested review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the author:

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/pie-town-mysteries, Tea and Tarot -https://www.kirstenweiss.com/tea-and-tarot-mysteries, Paranormal Museum- http://www.kirstenweiss.com/the-perfectly-proper-paranormal-mus-1 and Wits’ End - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-cozy-mystery-series books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-witch-cozy-mysteries, Riga Hayworth - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/riga-hayworth-paranormal-mysteries and Rocky Bridges - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/rocky-bridges-mysteries books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/sensibility-grey-steampunk-suspense series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at kirstenweiss.com

Feel free to follow her on Pinterest at KirstenWeiss - https://www.pinterest.com/kirstenweiss/

or on Bookbub - http://www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-weiss,

get in touch on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/kirsten.weiss/,

post a picture of this book to Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kirstenweissauthor/

and tag her @kirstenweissauthor,

or send her an email.

She’ll answer you personally…which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

Email: kweiss2001@kirstenweiss.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirsten.weiss/

Instagram: @KirstenWeissAuthor

Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-weiss


Book Series: Sensibility Grey Steampunk Suspense - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/sensibility-grey-steampunk-suspense,

Tea and Tarot cozy mysteries - https://www.kirstenweiss.com/tea-and-tarot-mysteries,

the Pie Town cozy mysteries - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/pie-town-mysteries,

the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum cozy mysteries - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/the-perfectly-proper-paranormal-mus-1,

the Doyle Witch - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-witch-cozy-mysteries

and Doyle Cozy - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-cozy-mystery-series mystery novels,

the Riga Hayworth - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/riga-hayworth-paranormal-mysteries paranormal mysteries.

Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Reel to Reel: Movie Mistakes From Hollywood's Favorite Films by Isla Grey

 Are you a movie junkie? I subscribe to a ton of streaming services and still have a huge DVD collection. I love watching movies and I love movie trivia. I also get a kick out of finding mistakes in them. IMDB is my friend. But now this book will have to go into the mix! It's all about movie mistakes from our favorite films. Read an excerpt from Reel to Reel by Isla Grey and then follow the tour for more! Remember to leave questions and comments along the way. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Lights, Camera, Action! From the very beginning, the world of cinema has captivated us. We have found ourselves laughing at our favorite comedies, crying when love finally comes to fruition, being beamed to other worlds or battling in the midst of action sequences. While movies might be the perfect entertainment, most have slight imperfections, mistakes, which go unseen, until they’re released and caught by the movie audience. These mistakes don’t detract from the film, and finding them are just as fun as watching the movie. For the past several years, Isla Grey has written a “Movie Mistakes” column for Bellaonline. “Reel to Reel” is a collection of some of those columns, spotlighting the fun goofs found in some of our favorite movies. Can you spot them? Grab the popcorn, sit back, and happy movie watching!

Read an excerpt:

The Notebook

There’s no question--Noah and Allie are in love. Set in two different time periods, the beginning of the pair’s relationship is shown via a notebook an older Noah reads to Allie who is suffering the effects of dementia. Can true love ever be forgotten? Here are a few movie mistakes to look for while watching “The Notebook”.

Near the beginning of the movie, the younger Allie and Noah are at a carnival. After their first encounter, Allie and another man get on the Ferris wheel. The man is holding cotton candy in his right hand. This is noticeable throughout the scene. After Noah has climbed aboard and gets Allie to go out with him, the cotton candy the man was holding is now gone.

After Noah and Allie have watched the movie in the theater, they decide to go for a walk. When they get to the traffic light, Noah tells her how he used to lie in the road and demonstrates for her. At first, Noah is closer to the center of the lane to his left. (This is noticeable in the overhead view.) During the close-up, Noah is now closer to the double lines that run down the middle of the road. This happens again when Allie joins him. At first, they are closer to the center of the lane to their left, but the next view shows them near the double lines.

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Isla Grey is from Central Virginia and at an early age developed a love of movies. She shared many Sunday afternoons watching old favorites with her grandmother that included everything from “Gone with the Wind” and “Rio Bravo” to “Titanic” and “The Mummy”. (Her grandmother may or may not have made fun of her when she covered her eyes during “Anaconda”.)

Working as Bellaonline’s Movie Mistakes editor since 2012 has given Isla the opportunity to indulge in two of her passions—movies and writing.

When Isla isn’t writing or watching movies, most of her time is spent with her ever active daughter and her band of cats. She also enjoys good music, reading biographies and ghost stories and taking quiet strolls.

www.islagrey.com

www.facebook.com/AuthorIslaGrey/

https://twitter.com/IslaGrey1

Isla Grey will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Review of Blue String (Blue Mountain #4) by Tess Thompson

 

Costume designer Teagan Lanigan only has time to love her work and the young son she’s raising by herself. But when she decides to give up the glitz and glam of the film industry for a quiet life near her family, she’ll face two unique challenges: reconciling with her estranged mother, and trying to forget her fling with a very famous country music star.

Yet when Wyatt Black suddenly appears on Teagan’s porch, forgetting him is no longer an option. The man who wooed her with sensuality and song is just a shell of himself. Fragile and depressed, he’s carrying the weight of the world on his broad shoulders, and Teagan can’t turn him away. But when the pair find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation, it will be more than just Wyatt’s troubles and the duo’s lingering feelings for each other that leave them tied up in knots.

In the fourth installment of USA Today bestselling author Tess Thompson’s Blue Mountain Series, fall in love with the thrills of a genuine small town mystery and the heartwarming redemption that can only be found in the eyes of true love.

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * BN * Google * iBooks * Kobo

**My thoughts**

Ah, finally we get to enjoy Teagan Lanigan, the only daughter of the original clan. We know that she'd had a big fight with her father before he died over her having a son with a mystery man whose identity she still withheld. She also had a very rocky relationship with her mother. Her fiery Irish temper matches her ginger locks and keeps her quite stubborn and determined.

But now she has come home from her design work in Hollywood to try to give her son some semblance of a normal childhood and to hopefully make some of the same wonderful memories that she has from her own childhood on this land.

When her birthday rolls around, she gets a surprise visit from her old flame, country music star Wyatt Black. The two of them had enjoyed a pretty intense relationship between the sheets. But they had also fallen for each other and didn't quite realize it.

One of Wyatt's concerts had been interrupted by a crazed gunman opening fire on the crowd. [You may remember this from one of Tess's other books, Missed, from the Cliffside Bay series.] Since then, he has been struggling to heal and can only think about Teagan. So he has come to see her and to hopefully win her heart as he heals his own and tries to regain his musical muse.

Teagan's concerns are that she doesn't want her heart broken if she allows herself to fully open it up to Wyatt. She is also concerned about letting her young son Chris get too attached. He needs a father, but doesn't deserve a heartbreak. 

Wyatt is determined to prove himself to Teagan, but then a couple of murders happen and everyone becomes a suspect. They find themselves involved trying to solve the murders as they also try to discover if they can really make it work.

Wyatt is going to steal your heart as he tries to soften Teagan and finds himself hopelessly attached to Chris as well. Teagan is going to work on really valuing her whole family, beyond just her son. I'm so glad we finally get to know her.

It's another great visit with some familiar friends, and meeting some new ones, in Peregrine, Idaho.

Review of Stalling for Time (Kiss & Tell #1) by Christy Hayes

 

Stalling for Time

(Kiss & Tell #1)

By Christy Hayes

What’s a girl to do when her best friend is making a huge mistake?

College sophomore Emily Dilbert has been best friends with Dylan Chamberlain since the second grade. When she finds an engagement ring in Dylan’s backpack, she panics and vows to do whatever it takes to stop him from marrying a girl he barely knows.

Dylan Chamberlain has been in love with his brother’s girlfriend, Emily, since they were kids. When his brother asks for help planning a surprise proposal, Dylan knows it’s time to bury his feelings and finally let Emily go. If only his heart would cooperate.

After her roommates fail to lure Dylan away from his girlfriend, Emily is forced to confront him directly. When she accidentally puts them in a compromising position, will Dylan reveal his long-buried feelings, or will Emily realize she’s dating the wrong brother?

Book Links:

Goodreads │ Amazon │ Barnes & Noble │ Kobo │ GooglePlay │ Smashwords

**My thoughts**

Emily and Zach have been together for five years, since they were in high school. He is two years older and a star college football player. Their relationship revolves around his devotion to the game and not as much on them as a couple. It's just the way it has always been. Zach takes Emily for granted. And she is slowly starting to realize this is not what she wants.

Dylan is Zach's younger brother and Emily's best friend. Now, why no one has acknowledged that this should be a red flag is somewhat beyond me. Then again, they had all known each other from childhood, so that may have been blurred somewhat.

Only Dylan has been in love with Emily for years. And he's crushed when Zach confesses that he's going to propose after the football season is over and asks Dylan to hide the ring for him.

And then it complicates even more when Emily accidentally finds the ring and assumes Dylan is proposing to his new girlfriend, whom he hasn't been with that long. She becomes absolutely irrational over it all, completely oblivious to the fact that she is absolutely in love with Dylan. She concocts this crazy scheme with her roommates to find out the truth about Dylan's supposed impending engagement, instead of coming right out and asking her best friend the truth. I give props to her roommates for calling her out on being childish. I also appreciate how while they pretend to go along with the scheme, they are actually setting up everyone for the truth to come out so that they can all move on.

It's the first time that I have ever spend so much of a book rooting for a breakup in the leading couple. But you know that they aren't good together and could learn a lot after the fact. Zach can learn to better manage his priorities. Emily can definitely mature. They were young with they first got together all of those years ago.

And you want each of them to find happiness. For Emily, you know it will be Dylan. She needs to be with her best friend. For Zach, we'll have to read the second book to find out how he fares.

And though the brothers have gotten themselves into a debacle that could rival Bobby and JR Ewing,  you hope that they can eventually get past it and try to repair their once close relationship.

In spite of my annoyance with the characters, I still enjoyed this book and devoured it in one sitting over the weekend. I'm eager to read the next book in the series to see what comes next.

Thank you to the author and Prism Book Tours for providing me with a requested copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review of Fifty Frogs by Tawdra Kandle

 

Vivian is sick of dating. Sick of the way guys treat her, sick of living and crying by when and if they call . . . she’s just done. When her aunt reminds her that a girl has to kiss a lot of frogs before she finds her prince--Aunt Gail says that number is fifty--Vivian decides she’s taking control of her dating life: she’s going to go on a series of first dates only, and each one must end in a kiss. She begins chronicling each date--the good, the bad and the downright unbelievable--with a plan to turn the stories into an in-depth magazine series about the realities of dating in the twenty-first century. Everything’s going along according to plan until Vivian hits a bump in her road with Frog Number Five, who doesn’t seem to understand his role in this deal. And despite Vivian’s determination to make it all the way to the big five-oh, when fate keeps throwing this same man across her path, she begins to wonder if maybe it’s time to ditch the plan . . . and kiss just one more frog.

Book Links

Goodreads * Amazon * Website * BN * Kobo * Google * Apple

**My thoughts**

After finally reading The Cuffing Season, I had to go back and reread Fifty Frogs, the book that inspired that one. (I will say that each of these does work as a standalone, but you'll enjoy reading them together.) And I loved it as much the second time around as I did the first.

Vivian has just come home from an amazing three-month writer-in-residency program where she blogged about how Millenials are doing travel differently. (And can I just say that I would like to sign up for one of these, please?) She comes home ready to pick her life up where she had left it, only to discover that it is all gone - her apartment, her parents and sister, her job, and her boyfriend. The boyfriend is probably the least unsettling, because she knew they just were not right for each other. But that comfort thing, ya know?

Cue an entire life makeover. She moves in with her mom's best friend, affectionately known as Aunt Gail, and comes up with a column idea that she think will gain her some attention. Aunt Gail tells her that you have to kiss 50 frogs before you find your prince. So she decides to try out this theory and write about it all.

She meets some of the craziest men and gets herself into some very interesting situations. According to the author, these are all somewhat based on her own daughters' stories. And let me tell you, I related to every single one of them. In fact, I think I need to write my own Fifty Frogs column.

And of course, there is a great Meet Cute scene involving a very fine specimen of a seemingly normal man named Charlie. In fact, this book is part of a multi-author series called Meet Cute. I would like to have one of him, please!

There are plenty of moments to make you smile, as well as to make you cringe in solidarity. It's a fun romantic comedy escape for an afternoon.

Read an exclusive excerpt from Black in Time (Synesthesia Shift #2) by Brynn Chapman

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the book tour for Black in Time, a YA urban historical fantasy from Brynn Chapman! I have an exclusive excerpt for you today, but be sure to also check out the rest of the tour for more fun. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Black in Time

(Synesthesia Shift #2)

By Brynn Chapman

YA Historical Urban Fantasy
Paperback & ebook, 143 Pages
April 6, 2021 by Burns and Lea Books

Patient Twenty-Nine, or Jane, is within reach of her heart's desire: a home outside of Soothing Hills Asylum, where she has been raised.

Her sister Jules wants to take her in, and a man, Mason, is deeply in love with her and wants to care for her. But before Jane can leave, she must be examined by the Board of Lunacy. Jane is still hearing voices and songs from the cornfield outside the asylum, voices and songs that tell her what she must do, and that no one else can hear. So the Board may not allow her to leave.

But the asylum is becoming more and more dangerous. Its lead alienist, Dr. Frost, has disappeared, there have been frightening sightings of a woman in white, running through the corn at night, and perhaps worst of all: lobotomized women from the asylum are turning up pregnant.

Jane is desperate to get away and go to her new home. Mason and Jules only want to rescue Jane from the asylum.

But there is a complication: for Jane, the voice in the corn calls. And she must obey.

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Read an excerpt:

I shake my head, releasing him to step away. “No. I shall not leave till we find them. I refuse to abandon Jules.”

“’Tis not safe—”

“Aibhistear, as you said. Frost is a devil. And he shall not have my sister.”

I turn my back on his angry glare and stride toward the spot where Jules vanished.

An explosion of caws and cries assaults our ears, and I hunker down.

An unkindness of ravens blasts forth from the spot, a feathered cannon-fire eruption of raven-black wings and gnashing beaks. Their blue-black bodies swoop and dive-bomb, flying in an eerily perfect circle. Encircling us both.

“What the devil?” Mason whispers. I read his lips through the din.

Precisely.

I stand and step to return to him. The flock tightens; the fluttering is so close to my head I cry out in fear.

Rage balls my hands to fists. “I am not leaving without her!” I bellow upward into the swirling revolution of feathers and wind.

A prickle of fear slithers up my spine. Speaking to birds.

If a physick were present... I would be thrust back to solitary. Or worse, deemed a witch; burned or hanged. 

My mind whispers the most staggering fate—an endless, shuffling misery, captured in a single word.

Ablation.

The procedure for the violent—iron through the eye’s orbits—which rips mind from soul, leaving behind a mere human shell.

My mind flashes to my lost friend. Kate’s unseeing eyes, her drooping mouth.

I flinch, retch, and wrap my arms around my chest, horror coursing through my veins.

But the thought of being separated from Jules—my sister, my twin, whom I have only just found after a childhood of loneliness—emboldens me. My courage blazes red-hot, and I thrust back my shoulders, inhaling deeply.

Kate would wish me to fight. Not to cower. Never to cower. I inhale deeply and sing the oldest song I can recall from my childhood. I now know it to be a composition of my mother’s; no words, merely notes.

I channel the words into the tune, see them sew themselves between the notes; the melody is the patch, my words the stitch, irrevocably binding the two together.

Where are you? Come to me. Do not forsake me, Sister.

Other Books in the Series

The Requiem Red

(Synesthesia Shift #1)

By Brynn Chapman

YA Historical Urban Fantasy
Hardcover, Paperback & ebook, 300 Pages
February 4, 2019 by Burns and Lea Books

Life for Patient 29 is full of medicated day dreams of a life outside the walls of Soothing Hills Asylum. But fantasies are not all that consume her. A monster roams the halls of the sanitarium she reluctantly calls home and three girls have been found dead. The dead girls share one common thread . . . each was 29's cell mate. As the investigation gets under way, she retreats into her mind, listening to the voices that call to her. She is endowed with the cursed gift of perception. Through it, she hears messages carried upon the notes of music, discerns words hidden among the strokes of paintings, and minds pleadings for help from the corn field outside.

Could the key to the murders lie within 29's broken mind? Mason, an orderly, does not see 29 as a lunatic and as his belief in her grows so does her self-confidence. The possibility of one day leaving the asylum seems less and less like a fantasy. But the monster has other plans for her. Leaving will not be so easy, at least not while she is alive.

(Affiliate link included.)

Goodreads | Amazon

About the Author

Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway


- One winner will receive a $20 Amazon gift card and an audiobook of HERE WALK THE DEAD

- Ten winners will receive a print copy of REQUIEM RED

US only
Ends May 5, 2021

ENTER HERE

Review of Second Chance Christmas (Turtleback Beach #3) by Rula Sinara

 

Second Chance Christmas

(Turtleback Beach #3)

By Rula Sinara

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages (Large Print)

January 1, 2021 by Harlequin Heartwarming

A beachside Christmas

Brings unexpected gifts!

A second chance. That’s what former navy SEAL Damon Woods asks for when Zuri Habib comes to Turtleback Beach with a nephew who looks just like him. After her sister’s death, Zuri believes Caden deserves to know his father—even if he did break her teenage heart. Can Damon and Zuri forgive each other and give a grieving boy the family he needs this Christmas?

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Turtleback Beach
Book 1: Almost a Bride
Book 2: Caught by the Sheriff
Book 3: Second Chance Christmas

Book Links:

Goodreads │ Amazon │ B&N │ Target │ Kobo │ BookBub

(affiliate links included above)

**My thoughts**

I've read a few of Rula Sinara's books, though this was my first in this series. This one was just as enjoyable as those, and I'm going to have to catch up on this series! This book definitely worked as a standalone.

Zuri had a big crush on Damon when they were kids. But he only had eyes for her sister at the time. Now Zuri's sister has passed away, leaving behind her son Caden, the 12-year-old son that Damon never knew he had. Caden's only wish, other than his mom's cancer going away, was to know who his father was. Now that Zuri is raising her nephew, she wants to honor that request, even though it means reopening the wounds caused by her old friend.

12 years does a lot to people. Zuri has used her intellect to propel herself upwards in her field of environmental research. She has become more comfortable in her own skin. And raising her nephew has also made her a fierce protector.

Damon had become a Navy SEAL and now trains people and dogs in water rescue. It's especially a passion of his since he lost his younger brother in a drowning accident. And now he's wrestling with finding out that he is a father and that his former love has passed on.

All three of them are raw from their losses and trying to figure out how to navigate uncharted waters. They all see forgiveness and are wary of trusting again after the perceived betrayal in those losses.

Now they're all learning how to live with these newly defined relationships in their inside-out worlds. Damon and Zuri especially need to learn how to deal with past feelings and how to maneuver the new dynamics with Caden.

Another important character is Damon's dog named Duck, who is part of his rescue team. Caden takes to Duck like a duck takes to water. [Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.] Zuri isn't too sure about dogs. But it's amazing what dogs and children can do to alter the trajectory of a friendship.

Their journey is not an easy one. There are a lot of wounds that need to heal for them and their respective families. But you're going to root for them to do it.

Bonus points for the author addressing bias based on sex and race and for the characters working to overcome this.

I received a requested review copy from Prism Book Tours. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Realm of Dragons: Fight for the Crown by L.C. Conn

 

Did somebody say dragons? Check out an excerpt from the fantasy book Realm of Dragons by L.C. Conn and then download your own copy. Be sure to follow the tour for even more and leave your questions and comments along the way. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

The Realm of Dragons is in peril from hidden plots and conspirators, which threaten not only the crown, but the dragons that are at the very heart of it.

Teagan Loinsigh, long ago banished from her magical home of dragons now lives on Earth. Her dreams and memories of the great creatures are put down to fantasies and an overactive imagination, until one day she comes across a creature so unlike any other in the land she lives in. A baby dragon.

Muniath Magaoidh, a Dragon Warden fallen so low by a failed mission, must be brought back from his despair to retrieve what is lost.

Scetis Mordha, alone in the world since he was a child. Finds himself in the middle of intrigue and conspiracy against The Realm of Dragons.

Tying them all together is a dragon. Not just a dragon but The King of Dragons.

Can these four save The Realm of Dragons?

Read an excerpt:

“This could all be settled now. Between you and me. There should be no more waste of lives. If you conquered this way, you would only be seen as a tyrant and most of those who were left would never have your respect.”

“Are you seriously suggesting that we duel to see who gets the kingdom?” Orcades scoffed at the idea.

“Yes,” Scetis replied.

“You, who have never held a sword or killed anyone. Against me, a seasoned warrior?” he looked around him as he laughed, most of the men joined in.

“That is exactly what I am proposing,” Scetis said. “Where are you?” he called in his mind to Squirt.

“Close. Don’t worry, I’ll come to your rescue,” Squirt replied.

“Easy for you to say.” Scetis sent out the thought. “So, what do you say?” he once more addressed Orcades.

“This will be the easiest fight I’ve ever won!” Orcades armour creaked as he hauled himself from his saddle.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ide asked him in a hushed voice.

“I have to, and don’t you interfere. Squirt will be helping me.”

“I have only just found you, don’t do anything stupid.”

“I have a plan,” he told her without any bravado or grin. He stepped forward to meet his opponent.

Buy on Amazon

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L.C. Conn grew up on the outskirts of Upper Hutt, New Zealand. Her backyard encompassed the surrounding farmland, river, hills and mountains which she wandered with her brothers and fed her imagination. After discovering a love for writing in English class at the age of eight, she continued to write in secret. It was not until much later in life that L.C. turned what she thought was a hobby and something fun to do, into her first completed novel. Now married, L.C. moved from New Zealand to Perth, Western Australia, and became a stay at home mum. While caring for her family and after battling breast cancer, a story was born from the kernel of a dream. The first book of The One True Child Series was begun, and just kept blooming into seven completed stories, which have garnered great reviews. She continues her career with more stories waiting in the wings to be released.


EMAIL: raindropc1970@gmail.com

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/LCConn

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ConnLoraine

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/l.c.conn

WEB PAGE: https://lcconnwriter.wordpress.com/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17714374.L_C_Conn

L.C. Conn will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Halfbreed Warrior by Bobbi Smith

 Welcome to the blurb blitz tour for Halfbreed Warrior by Bobbi Smith! If you're a fan of historical romance, check out this excerpt and then follow the tour for even more. Make sure you leave questions and comments along the way. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

It was said that only the bravest warrior could ride the phantom stallion that ran fee on the Texas plain…

The Legend of The Hawk

With Comanche blood flowing through his veins, Hawk always knew he was different. Everywhere he went, people scorned him, feared him, hated him - and he expected the same when he hired on at the Lazy S Ranch to help catch rustlers. What he didn’t expect was a woman like Randi. Her impulsive spirit and generous heart broke through his reserve and made him want to love again. But he couldn’t afford to get close to anyone. Not with the job he had to do.

The Will of the Lady

Randi Stockton grew up around rough cowboys on her father’s ranch. None had managed to win her love…until the mysterious stranger with the power to tame the legendary wild horse strode into her life. Randi knew he was a half-breed, but something about him called to her. And he was the only one who could save her from the traitor at the Lazy S. The danger lurking in the shadows and canyons threatened to draw the two apart, but Randi knew in her heart that Hawk would always be her Half-Breed Warrior.

Read an excerpt:

Jack and Hawk were riding slightly ahead of Randi as they headed out to track down the rustlers. Hawk was alert and on edge as they rode toward the entrance to Black Canyon. He didn’t know why, but for some reason he felt uneasy this morning. He’d learned early in life to trust his instincts, and he took care to study the surrounding hillsides. He looked for any sign of trouble as they rode father down the trail.

“Randi,” Hawk began as he glanced back her way, wanting to tell her to keep up with them.

It was then, out of the corner of his eye, that he caught sight of the glint of sunlight off metal, high on the hill behind them. He knew what it meant.

“Ride!” he shouted.

Fred took careful aim. His mood was deadly. Just as he started to pull the trigger, he heard Hawk shout. He began to fire.

The first shot hit Jack in the chest. He cried out and fell from his horse, laying unmoving, face down on the ground.

“Pa!” Randi screamed.

“Randi! Get out of here now!” Hawk ordered, drawing his gun to return fire.

Randi went for her gun, too, as she spurred her horse on. Hawk rode after her, looking for cover, but there was none. They were trapped. Whoever had planned this ambush had known exactly what he was doing.

“Ride for the passage!” Hawk shouted to her, knowing it was their only hope of escape.

Fred was not about to let them get away. He got Hawk in his sights, and fired. He smiled in satisfaction as his bullet found its mark. Hawk was knocked from his horse.

“Hawk!” Randi cried out as she saw him fall.

Hawk lay still on the ground. Blood from a head wound covered his face.

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About Bobbi Smith

After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982.

Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and 6 novellas. To date, there are more than five million copies of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, the USA Today Best Seller List and the Wal-Mart Best Seller List.

The rights to Ms. Smith’s books have been sold to China, France, Germany, India, Israel, Russia and Sweden. Bobbi has also written two faith-based contemporary novels – Haven and Miracles – using the pseudonym Julie Marshall.

http://www.Bobbismithauthor.com

Bobbi Smith will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Meet Marie de Trieux from The Salty Rose by Beth M. Caruso

 

If you have followed my book bogs at all, you should know by now that one of my favorite things is character interviews. So I have a treat for you today! Beth M. Caruso is here with a conversation with Marie de Trieux, the heroine from her book The Salty Rose. You'll also be able to read an excerpt before you download your own copy. Be sure to follow the tour and leave your questions and comments along the way. Best of luck in the giveaway!

Marie du Trieux, a tavern keeper with a salty tongue and a heart of gold, struggles as she navigates love and loss, Native wars, and possible banishment by authorities in the unruly trading port of New Amsterdam, an outpost of the Dutch West India Company.

In New England, John Tinker, merchant and assistant to a renowned alchemist and eventual leader of Connecticut Colony, must come to terms with a family tragedy of dark proportions, all the while supporting his mentor’s secret quest to find the Northwest Passage, a desired trading route purported to mystically unite the East with the West.

As the lives of Marie and John become intertwined through friendship and trade, a search for justice of a Dutch woman accused of witchcraft in Hartford puts them on a collision course affecting not only their own destinies but also the fate of colonial America.

Read an excerpt:

The Couvenhoven’s tavern on Pearl Street was not far from the docks and in view of incoming ships reaching their long journey’s final destination. Business was booming ever since the West India Company opened up the fur trade a couple of years before. Throngs of people poured into our little Dutch colonial port town from faraway places of Africa, Europe, and Brazil. With travelers seeking their fortunes in our frontier commodities of wild animal skins, mostly beaver pelts, the town bustled and grew.

Pieter came to New Amsterdam with his father and mother about six years after I arrived in the Dutch colony with my family. They had a little more clout than us Walloons and more money too. His mother never really liked me. She thought I was unrefined. Only briefly having known the culture of Leiden and Amsterdam in my early years, most of my formative years were spent being raised like the Natives we first encountered on Manhattan. It was no wonder I didn’t carry myself like the ladies fresh off the ships from Holland. But I had true grit. Why would a man want refinement when strength, endurance, and flexibility were more useful qualities here in the rowdy Dutch colony?

Eventually, his mother saw the attraction between us. I don’t think his parents liked it that he had a fancy for me. They thought they were much better than my family of Walloons. Their feelings did not stop our passions. The closeness of the tavern nearly every day and night made Pieter and me became all the more infatuated. His mother, an old scold, was not pleased when we flirted, but her glare couldn’t stop us. After all, Papa told me to have fun. Pieter and I were both in our early twenties and ready for an adventurous tryst. It never took us too far from the tavern.

Buy Links

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Today, we’re in 1658, talking to Marie du Trieux from Beth M Caruso’s novel, The Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam.

Thank you for your interview, Marie du Trieux. How old are you and what do you do for a living?
I am forty years old. I own and run a tavern with my husband Jan Peek in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. In your day, the city is called New York.

Can you tell us about one of your most distinguishable features?

My face is not commonplace and people do not forget it. I have dark hair, penetrating eyes and a slightly Gallic nose which reflects my Walloon heritage.

What would I love the most about you?
I do not hesitate to speak my mind. I don’t care who you are or what you do, just treat me respectfully and we will have no problems.

What would I hate the most about you? 

I’m stubborn and do not tone things down even if it is to my detriment.

Where do you go when you are angry? 

I get on a small boat and sail up the Hudson River if time permits. The scenery calms me down. However, I don’t normally have much time so I walk briskly to visit my sister whose husband owns a brewery in New Amsterdam. Sarah has a way of calming me down. Her husband Isaac’s fine beers, with their unique flavors and distinctive hops, do as well.

What is your greatest fear?
I fear separation from my family again.

Do you think the author portrayed you accurately?
Yes. She sensed me. I was very happy about it since her husband and children are my great grandchildren. We have a connection.

What is your idea of a perfect day?
My perfect day is a profitable one at my tavern. Jan, my beloved husband, is home and not out trading in the wilderness. Our favorite fiddler friend comes to play old Walloon songs at the tavern and we dance for hours. Everyone is merry and no one wants to make trouble, especially the sheriff.

Do you have children?
Yes, I have several. Nine altogether. The first son is an explorer and Native interpreter based in Beverwyck (your present-day Albany). Another one wants to run a bar near Fort Orange. Others are still with me but sadly, I lost a daughter when she was only three.

What is your most treasured possession?
My most treasured possessions are my rose bushes, the native sea roses that grow around my tavern. I am extremely protective of them. Hurting or destroying them is a sure way to cross me and get banned from my tavern forever.

If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
I’d have a family day, spending time with Jan visiting one of the trading posts slightly up the Hudson. Then, in the evening, I’d open the tavern only to friends and family for dinner and merriment one last time.

Award-winning author, Beth M. Caruso, is passionate to discover and convey important and interesting stories of women from earlier times. She recently won the literary prize in Genre Fiction (2020) from IPNE (Independent Publishers of New England) for her most recent novel The Salty Rose: Alchemists, Witches & A Tapper In New Amsterdam (2019). The Salty Rose is Beth’s second historical novel and explores alchemy in early colonial times, an insider’s view of the takeover of the Dutch colony of New Netherland, and the Hartford Witch Panic with information she gathered from previous and ongoing research. Beth’s first historical novel is One of Windsor: The Untold Story of America’s First Witch Hanging (2015), a novel that tells the tale of Alice ‘Alse’ Young and the beginnings of the colonial witch trials. She based the story on original research she did by exploring early primary sources such as early Windsor land records, vital statistics, and other documents. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Beth kayaks and gardens to unwind.

Website: www.oneofwindsor.com

Email: oneofwindsor@yahoo.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/oneofwindsor

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

Beth M. Caruso will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Dragon Queen by Rod Marsden

 

If you're a fan of futuristic science fiction, then this is one book you need to check out. Read an excerpt and then follow the tour for more. Let the author know your thoughts and comments along the way. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Mixing with your betters can get you killed. Dragons know this as does a certain maverick pilot and his researcher wife. It is possible to get thrown into events not of your own making in which you must do your best to survive. Meanwhile, somewhere not far from mainland Tasmania, there is an island named Green Maiden’s Folly. What’s it like? Is it paradise, or has it been made over into a worse destination hellhole than Devil’s Island used to be like in the 19th and 20th Centuries? On Green Maiden’s Folly, the destiny of the dragon is revealed.

Read an excerpt:

Elanora, Ronald, and Don hid behind shelving as the two robots, with their maiden officer, entered the premises. Then Elanora shook up a fire extinguisher, pressed a button, and let fly the foam directly at the face of a robot, covering the red, blinking eyes with the stuff. Ronald and Don did likewise to the other robot with astonishing results. Blinded by the foam continually being sprayed at its face, one of the machines closed down. The other, also blinded by the foam, listened for movement and took out its gun. Once the weapon was out, Elanora, Ronald, and Don were still, hoping not to be fired upon. This was not true of the maiden officer.

She knocked a fire extinguisher away from one of her mobile robots and tried to wipe the foam from its eyes. This was a bad mistake.

The robot fired and blew apart her head. Elanora and Ronald watched, mesmerized, as chunks of the maiden’s brain and skull landed on the floor, and blood spurted from where her head should have been.

Ronald was momentarily reminded of the horrors of the arena in May and so was sickened by what had happened. He moaned gently to himself. After seeing the worst of it, he lowered his eyes and shook his head to clear it. Elanora, after she had gotten over the shock of witnessing the maiden officer in such a state, also shook her head to clear it so she could continue with the mission. All this happened in a matter of seconds, but the awfulness of it would stay with Elanora, Ronald and Don a long time.

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Author Rod Marsden was born in Sydney, Australia. He has three degrees, all related to writing and history. He spent nine and a half years as a civilian clerk with the Royal Australian Navy. His proudest moments there were in the publications area.

He enjoys wildlife photography and in recent years, joined Illawarra Birders. He went on a birding expedition to the main north island of New Zealand, where he came upon wildlife unique to that country. There he also met up for the first time with correspondent, friend, and novelist Lyn McConchie. He shares his fascination with nature with his entire family, including his niece Jasmine Perala. Her pet, Kiki, is a young, female eclectus parrot and, soggy from a recent shower, is featured on Rod Marsden’s shoulder on the back cover of this book.

His stories have been published in Australia, England, Russia, the USA, and Canada. He has work in the Australian anthology Small Suburban Crimes, the American anthology Cats Do it Better, the American steampunk anthology Break Time, the Canadian anthology Morbid Metamorphosis, and in the Canadian anthology Grey Matter Monsters – Takers of Souls.

Many of his short stories, including “The Antarctic Pineapple,” have been published in Night to Dawn magazine. Undead Reb Down Under and Other Vampire Stories is a collection of his early short fiction on vampirism. Disco Evil is his first venture into the vampire novel. Ghost Dance is his first undertaking into dark fantasy involving a quest plus secret agents out to prevent demonic takeover. It has been reprinted with a new cover. Desk Job is his salute to Lewis Carroll.

His short plays, Zombie Vision, Hyde and Seek, and Smarty were well received at Cronulla Arts Theatre, south coast, New South Wales, Australia. Both his plays Smarty and Hyde and Seek made it into Sydney’s Short and Sweet contest.

He has a short story in The Twofer Compendium edited by Ruth Littner and Ann Stolinsky (2020) in which he mentions the Berry Celtic Festival, which took place every May in a farming community on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It is a festival that, unfortunately, had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus but will hopefully resume in May 2021.

Website: http://rod-marsden.id.au/

Facebook: Rod Charles Marsden | Facebook

Night to Dawn Magazine & Books LLC will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn commenter. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

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Forging Monsters, Part 1 by Annie James

 

If you like monsters and thrillers, you need to check out this excerpt from Forging Monsters by Annie James. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for even more! And best of luck entering the giveaway at the end.

A modern and beautiful Frankenstein's Monster fights for the right to carve her own destiny in the human world of New York City.

A talented young dancer tired of witnessing violent crimes against women go unpunished and takes matters into her own hands.

A young woman tries to escape her past in the anonymity of New York but finds out that she cannot escape the scars on her soul, which drives her to shocking acts of violence.

Watch for Forging Monsters Part 2, coming soon.

Read an excerpt:

“This body looks as if it has been chewed on--the edges of the throat lacerations are ragged and similar to a previous body that was brought in bearing the same type of teeth marks. A computer 3D model of the wounds on the second body, in front of me, determined the wounds to be made by the teeth of a large canine. However, The DNA test of the saliva left behind has been inconclusive.”

Dr. Violetta paused the tape recorder. “I have never seen anything like it,” she said to her assistant Andrew. “Take a look at the slide I have on the microscope. You’ll see.”

Andrew studied the cells on the microscope and wrote some notes in his typical scrawl that only he could read while Dr. Violetta started recording again.

“Cells separated from a human body die in moments. These cells scraped from the saliva on this body’s wounds have continued to divide and multiply, indicating that the cells are still living. Also, the DNA strands continually rearrange their structure without any outside influence. This is why it has proved impossible to conclusively determine which type of animal caused the damage to this body.” She stopped the recorder.

“This has to be kept out of the media,” she whispered, shaking her head in horrified disbelief.

"Where did this one come from?" Andrew asked, looking up from the microscope.

"He was found in Central Park."

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Annie is the author of the Tales of Origen series and several short stories. She lives in Kentucky with her husband and two fun-loving cats who inspired the feline characters Dirtbag and Scumbucket. She has an adult daughter who is also a writer, and a grandson. Her influences and favorite writers include:

Frank Peretti
Mary Wollencroft Shelley
Apryl Baker
Dean Koontz
Alexandre Dumas
Linda Joyce
Mary Ramsey
Lance Sheridan poetry

She has lived in New York and Louisiana and loves Cajun cooking. She has had several people tell her that she should open a restaurant, but she loves writing too much to make time for it—running a restaurant is a TON of work. She has an associate degree in Administrative Assistance, majoring in writing, and business administration.


Social media links
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Annie will award a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Follow the tour for more chances to win!

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