Author Archives: Kristin

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Perfect Odds by LaShanta Charles (Giveaway)

21 November, 2018 12:17 am , 5 Comments ,

Perfect Odds
by LaShanta Charles
Publisher: Imani Ink
Publication date: Nov. 6, 2018
Genre: Romance

Calista Brenner refuses to let go of her past. She had her entire life figured out…except, maybe that was only in her mind. Being stood up for her own wedding should be a clue. Regardless, she’s determined to fix this. She just needs a plan and if there’s one thing she’s good at, it’s planning. It doesn’t matter that she’s a whirlwind of clumsy chaos. All she has to do is stay away from the gorgeously irritating Jayce Cranston and her wedding-her life-will be back on track. That’s exactly what she wants. Right?

Jayce Cranston has somehow let himself be bamboozled. One minute he’s enjoying his quiet existence in his home in the outskirts of Buffalo, NY and the next he’s dealing with a beautiful alcoholic and her penchant for trouble. And with business manager out of the office, he has to actually . . . deal with people. Surprisingly, the little ball of clumsiness is making that task so much easier to handle.

Neither of them could have guessed that Calista’s past would decide it wants to be her future and will stop at nothing to make that a reality. Could she accept that maybe her carefully laid plans weren’t as careful as she thought? Will Jayce be able to show her that he’s worth a chance and, together, their oddities can be perfect?

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Romance , Tagged:

Review: Spectacle by Rachel Vincent

19 November, 2018 7:49 am , 3 Comments ,

Spectacle
(Menagerie #2)
by Rachel Vincent
Publisher: Mira
Publication date: May 30, 2017
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:

When their coup of Metzger’s Menagerie is discovered, Delilah and her fellow cryptids find their newly won freedom brutally stripped away as they are sold into The Savage Spectacle, a private collection of “exotic wildlife.” Specializing in ruthless cryptid cage matches, safari-style creature hunts and living party favors, the Spectacle’s owner, Willem Vandekamp, caters to the forbidden fetishes of the wealthy and powerful. At the Spectacle, any wish can be granted—for the right price.

But Vandekamp’s closely guarded client list isn’t the only secret being kept at the Spectacle. Beneath the beauty and brutality of life in the collection lie much darker truths, and no one is more determined than Delilah to strip the masks from the human monsters and drag all dark things into the light.

 

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Posted in: Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Review: Pirate’s Passion by Lisa Kessler

16 November, 2018 12:45 am , 4 Comments ,

Pirate’s Passion
(Sentinels of Savannah #2)
by Lisa Kessler
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication date: Nov. 12, 2018
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Samuel Keegan used to man the wheel of the Sea Dog over 200 years ago, but these days he’s the front man of a southern rock band. Rum and women are plentiful, but his world is changing rapidly now that his crew is back together searching for the Holy Grail to break their curse. But the quest leads him to a historian with raven hair and a wicked smile. She holds all the answers, but she could also spell death for them all.

Dr. Charlotte Sinclair works for the Maritime Museum in Savannah, an expert on ancient pirate wrecks. When a government agent requests her help in a top-secret investigation, she discovers not only is the Holy Grail real, but the lead singer of her favorite band is actually the immortal pilot of the Sea Dog crew.

The search for the Grail opens some dark secrets better left hidden, and Charlotte’s life might depend on one Pirate’s Passion…

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: Knocked-Up Cinderella by Julie Hammerle

12 November, 2018 10:23 am , 11 Comments ,

Knocked-Up Cinderella
by Julie Hammerle
Publisher: Entangled: August
Publication date: Nov. 12, 2018
Genre: Romance
Rating:

I’m a walking contradiction.
School principal who liberally drops the F bomb.
Fiercely independent yet willing to auction myself off for charity.
Serial monogamist who’s down for a no-strings one-night stand.

Except now I’ve gone from one-working-ovary to co-parent in the time it took a stick to turn blue.

F. Bomb.

Ian Donovan may be a richer-than-hell venture capitalist, but he’s no Prince Charming ready to sweep me off my feet. Good thing I don’t need him. I’ve been doing fine on my own for forty years, and I’m not about to start changing that now.

Ultrasounds, swollen feet, midnight cravings? Bring. It. On.

But why is it when you finally swear off men, you meet one who’s too sexy—and determined we can make it work?

F. Bomb.

 

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Posted in: Romance

Review: The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston

9 November, 2018 12:18 am , 4 Comments ,

The Lying Woods
by Ashley Elston
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: Nov. 13, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Rating:

Owen Foster has never wanted for anything. Then his mother shows up at his elite New Orleans boarding school cradling a bombshell: his privileged life has been funded by stolen money. After using the family business, the single largest employer in his small Louisiana town, to embezzle millions and drain the employees’ retirement accounts, Owen’s father vanished without a trace, leaving Owen and his mother to deal with the fallout.

Owen returns to Lake Cane to finish his senior year, where people he can barely remember despise him for his father’s crimes. It’s bad enough dealing with muttered insults and glares, but when Owen and his mother receive increasingly frightening threats from someone out for revenge, he knows he must get to the bottom of what really happened at Louisiana Frac–and the cryptic note his father sent him at his boarding school days before disappearing.

Owen’s only refuge is the sprawling, isolated pecan orchard he works at after school, owned by a man named Gus who has his own secrets–and in some ways seems to know Owen better than he knows himself. As Owen uncovers a terrible injustice that looms over the same Preacher Woods he’s claimed as his own, he must face a shocking truth about his own past–and write a better future.

 

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Posted in: YA Suspense , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Memory of You by Jamie Beck (GIVEAWAY)

7 November, 2018 12:20 am , 3 Comments ,

The Memory of You
(Sanctuary Sound #1)
by Jamie Beck
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publication date: Oct. 30, 2018
Genre: Romance

When Steffi Lockwood returns to Sanctuary Sound to start over, she has no idea she’ll also get a second chance with her first love.

Steffi Lockwood has survived more than most. Recovering from an assault, she returns to her coastal Connecticut hometown to rebuild her life the best way she knows how: with her hands. But starting a remodeling business with one longtime friend puts her in the middle of a rift with another. Worse, being hired by her ex-boyfriend’s mother forces her to confront old regrets.

Public defender Ryan Quinn wasn’t shocked when his wife left him, but he was floored when she abandoned their daughter. With his finances up in the air, the newly single dad returns to his childhood home in Sanctuary Sound. The last person he expects, or wants, to see working on his family house is Steffi Lockwood—his first love who shattered his heart.

Although Steffi and Ryan are different people now, dormant feelings rekindle. But when Steffi’s secrets begins to surface, will it bring them together…or tear them apart for good?

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming

5 November, 2018 8:30 am , 9 Comments ,

The Vegan 8
100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less
by Brandi Doming
Publisher: Oxmoor House
Publication date: Oct. 17, 2018
Genre: Vegan Cookbook
Rating:

Five years ago, popular blogger Brandi Doming of The Vegan 8 became a vegan, overhauling the way she and her family ate after a health diagnosis for her husband. The effects have been life-changing. Her recipes rely on refreshingly short ingredient lists that are ideal for anyone new to plant-based cooking or seeking simplified, wholesome, family-friendly options for weeknight dinners. All of the recipes are dairy-free and most are oil-free, gluten-free, and nut-free (if not, Brandi offers suitable alternatives), and ideally tailored to meet the needs of an array of health conditions. Each of the 100 recipes uses just 8 or fewer ingredients (not including salt, pepper, or water) to create satisfying, comforting meals from breakfast to dessert that your family—even the non-vegans—will love. Try Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins, Fool ’Em “Cream Cheese” Spinach-Artichoke Dip, Cajun Veggie and Potato Chowder, Skillet Baked Mac n’ Cheese, and No-Bake Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cake.

 

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Posted in: cookbook , Tagged:

Review: Umbertouched by Livia Blackburne

2 November, 2018 12:01 am , 6 Comments ,

Umbertouched
(Rosemarked #2)
by Livia Blackburne
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: Nov. 6, 2018
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

The mission was a failure. Even though Zivah and Dineas discovered a secret that could bring down the empire, their information is useless without proof. Now, with their cover blown and their quest abandoned, their only remaining hope is to get home before Ampara brings the full might of its armies against their peoples.

As Shidadi and Dara alike prepare for war, Zivah and Dineas grapple with the toll of their time in the capital. After fighting alongside the Amparans against his own kin, can Dineas convince the Shidadi—and himself—where his loyalties lie? After betraying her healer’s vows in Sehmar City, can Zivah find a way to redeem herself—especially when the Dara ask her to do the unthinkable? And after reluctantly falling in love, what will the two do with their lingering feelings, now that the Dineas from Sehmar City is gone forever? Time is running out for all of them, but especially Zivah whose plague symptoms surface once again. Now, she must decide how she’ll define the life she has left.

Together, healer and warrior must find the courage to save their people, expose the truth, and face the devastating consequences headed their way.

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Painless by Marty Thornley (GIVEAWAY)

31 October, 2018 12:34 am , 10 Comments ,

Painless
by Marty Thornley
Publisher: Self-Published
Publication date: Jan. 12, 2018
Genre: Physiological thriller, Horror

The debut psychological-horror novel from author Marty Thornley is a page-turning ride, a front row seat to a clinical trial gone horribly wrong.

For Greg Owens, this was supposed to be a chance to end years of back pain and escape his reliance on pain pills. If it all worked out, he could maybe even get back the life he left behind as the pills took control.

Instead, as the patients are cured of their physical pain, they encounter a different sort of pain building inside them – obsessive thoughts, depression, self-destruction. The side-effects grow worse, and the suspense ratchets tighter. The patients want answers and violent revenge, setting them on a collision course with a crazed doctor, determined to protect his life’s obsession.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt, Horror, Thriller

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

29 October, 2018 8:17 am , 10 Comments ,

Stalking Jack the Ripper
(Stalking Jack the Ripper #1)
by Kerri Maniscalco
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson
Publication date: Sept. 20, 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Rating:

Presented by James Patterson’s new children’s imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion…

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story’s shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

 

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Posted in: YA Historical Fiction, YA Suspense