Review ~ The Felix Chronicles: Freshmen by R.T. Lowe

Rating: 5/5 Starts
Author: R.T. Lowe
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: 05-20-15                  Pages: 494

Reeling from a terrible accident that claimed the lives of his parents, Felix arrives at Portland College hoping only to survive the experience. In time, however, his reality star roommate shows him there is more to higher education than just classes, shared bathrooms and bad dorm food, and Felix gradually dares to believe he can put his past behind him. But a fateful storm looms on the horizon: In the nearby woods, two hikers become the latest victims in a series of gruesome murders; a disfigured giant embarks on a vicious cross-country rampage, killing teenagers who fail his 'test'; and an ancient society of assassins tasked with eradicating the wielders of a mysterious source of power awakens after a long silence. Only one man--the school's groundskeeper--knows that the seemingly unrelated events are connected, and that an eighteen-year-old boy stands in the center of the storm.

Amazon / Goodreads

Run (Charlotte Marshall Mysteries Book 1) by Becky Johnson

Rating: 3/5 Stars
Author: Becky Johnson
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication Date: 06-11-14                  Pages:  198

A decades old mystery and a deadly game of cat and mouse will change Charlotte Marshall forever. 

Charlotte has a good life: friends, family, a successful career. Her perfect life is destroyed when research for a book and a connection from her past plunges her into the middle of her worst nightmare. On the run, with no one to trust, Charlotte begins to unravel the work of a sadistic murderer. Afraid and alone, she will learn the meaning of trust and just when to run.

Amazon  / Goodreads / Book Depository

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Mind Over Bullies: A Mob Forms by D.K. Smith

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: D.K. Smith
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publisher: Khamicom Publishing
Publication Date: 08-31-15             Pages: 380

People that feel bullied just need to toughen up. That’s what Margo Rios used to think. Margo is pretty, popular and unsympathetic to just how intense bullying can get. As a counterfeiting plot sweeps through the city of Oak View, life for Margo will change dramatically.

With a mystery unfolding, an unlikely group of heroes emerges. Bullied teens love them, the police hate them and bullies fear them. Together they will try to get to the bottom of the counterfeiting mystery while ingeniously teaching a few bullies a lesson or two along the way… that is, if the police don’t catch them first.

“Mind Over Bullies: A MOB Forms” follows the lives of several teens chronicling the emotional and psychological changes they experience as a result of their encounters with bullying. The lives of the characters play out while an elaborate counterfeiting mystery unfolds making for a fast paced, action-packed read.  

Preview the book & read the first 3 chapters here!

Amazon  / Goodreads / B&N

Review ~ Horns by Joe Hill

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: Joe Hill
Available Formats: eBook, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: 01-30-10                        Pages: 446

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with a thunderous hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples. 

At first Ig thought the horns were a hallucination, the product of a mind damaged by rage and grief. He had spent the last year in a lonely, private purgatory, following the death of his beloved, Merrin Williams, who was raped and murdered under inexplicable circumstances. A mental breakdown would have been the most natural thing in the world. But there was nothing natural about the horns, which were all too real.

Once the righteous Ig had enjoyed the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned musician and younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, he had security, wealth, and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more—he had Merrin and a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

But Merrin's death damned all that. The only suspect in the crime, Ig was never charged or tried. And he was never cleared. In the court of public opinion in Gideon, New Hampshire, Ig is and always will be guilty because his rich and connected parents pulled strings to make the investigation go away. Nothing Ig can do, nothing he can say, matters. Everyone, it seems, including God, has abandoned him. Everyone, that is, but the devil inside. . . .

Now Ig is possessed of a terrible new power to go with his terrible new look—a macabre talent he intends to use to find the monster who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It's time for a little revenge. . . . It's time the devil had his due. . . .

Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

Promo Tour & Giveaway ~ Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

 Welcome to the Before We Were Strangers Promo Tour! Today we are celebrating the release of Renee Carlino's New Adult/Contemporary Romance novel with an exclusive excerpt for you to enjoy. If you've been living under a rock somewhere and haven't yet heard of this amazing book then be sure to check out all the details below! This Promo includes a giveaway of 5 signed Before We Were Strangers posters so if you'd like a chance to win, be sure to enter!

Feature & Follow Friday (6) If I could have this animal.......

Welcome to Feature and Follow Friday, a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful bloggers, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of this blog hop is to gain followers, discover new blogs, and make new friends! What makes this blog hop different than others (and the reason I chose to link up) is that each week both hosts showcase a "Featured Blogger" ~ what a great way to get to know bloggers from different genres and areas!!

Review ~ Wash Me Away by Wendy Owens

Rating: 3/5 Stars
Author: Wendy Owens
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing 
Publication Date:  04-24-15               Pages:  280

Monsters have a way of following you.

Immersed in a new world at boarding school, Addy Buckley learns she’s not the only one with secrets. While trying to navigate the minefield of painful lies that seem to be rattling around her family’s past, she meets soft on the eyes and heavy on the heart, Napoleon Blake.

When faced with the darkness, Addy must decide to cling to her new life and friends or let the monster carry her away. The choice is hers, sink or swim.

Amazon  / Goodreads / B&N

Book Blitz & Giveaway ~ Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonders by Julianna Baggott

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Welcome to the HARRIET WOLF'S SEVENTH BOOK OF WONDERS Book Blitz! Today we are celebrating the release of Julianna Baggott's new Historical Fiction/Family Saga novel with an exclusive excerpt for you to enjoy! If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book then be sure to check out all the details below. This Blitz also includes a giveaway for 5 Hardcover copies of the book courtesy of Little Brown, and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win then make sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post!

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Her Sister's Shoes by Ashley Farley

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Author: Ashley Farley
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publication Date: 06-24-15                   Pages: 384

Set in the South Carolina Lowcountry and packed with Southern charm and memorable characters, Her Sister’s Shoes is the story of three sisters—Samantha, Jackie, and Faith—who struggle to balance the demands of career and family while remaining true to themselves.

Samantha Sweeney has always been the glue that holds her family together, their go-to girl for love and support. When an ATV accident leaves her teenage son in a wheelchair, she loses her carefully constructed self-control.

In the after-gloom of her dreaded fiftieth birthday and the discovery of her husband’s infidelity, Jackie realizes she must reconnect with her former self to find the happiness she needs to move forward.

Faith lacks the courage to stand up to her abusive husband. She turns to her sisters for help, placing all their lives at risk.

In the midst of their individual challenges, the Sweeney sisters must cope with their mother’s mental decline. Is Lovie in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, or is her odd behavior normal for a woman her age? No one, including Lovie, understands her obsession with a rusty key she wears around her neck.

For fans of Dot Frank and Mary Alice Monroe, Her Sister’s Shoes is a contemporary women’s novel that explores and proves the healing power of family.

 

Amazon / B & N

Review ~ Normal by Graeme Cameron

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: Graeme Cameron
Available Formats: eBook, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio
Publisher: MIRA  
Publication Date: 03-31-15                Pages: 304

"The truth is I hurt people. It's what I do. It's all I do. It's all I've ever done."

He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well-tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him.

What you don't know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he's carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he's holding there against her will—one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her.

This is how it's been for a long time. It's normal... and it works. Perfectly.

Then he meets the checkout girl from the 24-hour grocery. And now the plan, the hunts, the room... the others. He doesn't need any of them anymore. He needs only her. But just as he decides to go straight, the police start to close in. He might be able to cover his tracks, except for one small problem—he still has someone trapped in his garage.

Discovering his humanity couldn't have come at a worse time.

Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

Review ~ Baby Please Don't Go by Frank Freudberg

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: Frank Freudberg
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publisher: Inside Job Media
Publication Date: 05-06-15                  Pages: 332 

ALL LOCK GILKENNEY WANTS IS A FAMILY.

BUT HE’LL HAVE TO CROSS THE LINE TO GET ONE.

Lock is a dedicated investigator at Child Protective Services. An anonymous report of neglect comes in. He responds and finds the kids in good health. Lock concludes the report was a ruse, possibly part of a scheme to make Natalie Mannheim—the kids’ mother—look bad in an upcoming divorce trial. 

Natalie needs Lock’s expertise to help her win custody—and a multi-million-dollar divorce settlement. He realizes she doesn't have a prayer in court against her shrewd husband, and only Lock can help her now. 

Lock knows all about addiction, and he’s aware of the powerful hold Natalie has on him. But he can’t get her out of his head. Lock is caught between his commitment to take the high road and his burning desire to have a family. In this story of love, lust, deceit and murder, what Lock chooses to do will grab your imagination and never let go. 

Amazon  / Goodreads / B&N

Blog Tour Review ~ Women in Red by Jordan Rosenfeld

Welcome to my tour stop for Women in Red by Jordan Rosenfeld! This dark psychological thriller full of sensuous secrets & dirty lies is not for the faint of heart. This tour runs from August 12th - August 21st and includes reviews, interviews and guest posts. Visit the tour page for the complete schedule!

Book Blitz & Giveaway ~ A Killing Among Friends by Toni Morrow Wyatt

Welcome to the A Killing Among Friends Book Blitz!! Today we are celebrating the release of Toni Morrow Wyatt's new YA Mystery/Thriller/Suspense novel and I'm really excited about this one. I received my review copy last week & it sounds amazing and definitely creepy! The Book Blitz will be running from Aug 11th - 15th and will include excerpts, guest posts and Q&A's for your enjoyment. Please check out the tour page for more information and be sure to enter BOTH giveaways at the end of this post. The first is a blitz-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card (INTL). The second is a blog only giveaway for a chance to win an eBook copy of A Killing Among Friends

Feature & Follow Friday (5) ~ Endless Food Supply

Welcome to Feature and Follow Friday, a weekly meme hosted by the wonderful bloggers, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The goal of this blog hop is to gain followers, discover new blogs, and make new friends! What makes this blog hop different than others (and the reason I wanted to link up) is that each week both hosts showcase a "Featured Blogger" ~ what a great way to get to know bloggers from different genres and areas!!

Blog Tour ~ Come Sit By Me by Thomas Hoobler

Welcome to my tour stop for Come Sit By Me by Thomas Hoobler! This is a gritty, Young Adult novel that tackles the alarming, real world epidemic of school shootings. This tour runs from August 3rd - 14th with reviews, guest posts, interviews and excerpts. I've already reviewed this book on my blog which can be found here but when I contacted Kellie at Booktrope and asked if I could still participate in the tour in some way she graciously provided me a fantastic excerpt for you lovely readers to enjoy!

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Family Magic (Hayle Coven Novels #1) by Patti Larsen

 

Welcome to my tour stop for Family Magic by Patti Larsen! This is a young adult paranormal novel that won 1st place in World's Best Story contest and is published by Premiere. The tour runs August 3rd-31st with reviews as well as author interviews and guest posts. Check out the tour page for more information and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post for your chance to win a paperback copy of Family Magic!

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ The Lakeview Series by Stacey R. Campbell

Welcome to my tour stop for The Lakeview Series by Stacey R. Campbell!  This is a Young Adult/Mystery series and the tour runs from August 3rd -14th with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts. Check out the tour page for the full schedule and make sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this post!!

ARC Review & Excerpt ~ Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Author: Julia Heaberlin 
Available Formats: eBook, Paperback, Hardback, Audio
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication Date: 08-11-15                Pages: 369
Purchase ~ Amazon                               Add ~ Goodreads

I am the star of screaming headlines and campfire ghost stories.
I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans.
The lucky one. 

As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row.

Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans—a summertime bloom—just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications—that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large—Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories—and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue.

What they don’t know is that Tessa and the scared, fragile girl she was have built a fortress of secrets. As the clock ticks toward the execution, Tessa fears for her sanity, but even more for the safety of her teenaged daughter. Is a serial killer still roaming free, taunting Tessa with a trail of clues? She has no choice but to confront old ghosts and lingering nightmares to finally discover what really happened that night.

Shocking, intense, and utterly original, Black-Eyed Susans is a dazzling psychological thriller, seamlessly weaving past and present in a searing tale of a young woman whose harrowing memories remain in a field of flowers—as a killer makes a chilling return to his garden.

Blog Tour & Giveaway ~ Miss Mabel's School for Girls, The Network Series Book 1 by Katie Cross

Welcome to my tour stop for The Network Series by Katie Cross!  The Network Series is a young adult fantasy and the tour runs July 27 – August 7 with reviews only. Check out the tour page for more information. I will be reviewing all three books in the series starting today with book 1, Miss Mabel's School for Girls. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this review!