5/22/18

Taker of Lives Book Spotlight & $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

Today, we have a new thriller / suspense novel in our book spotlight!  Check out Taker of Lives, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!

Taker of Lives
by Leslie Wolfe
Genre: Thriller, Suspense

How can you outrun a killer you won’t see coming?


They are the most violent, blood-thirsty, and vicious of criminals. While hunting for them, FBI profilers call these monsters UNSUBS, short for unknown subjects of ongoing investigations. At any given time, in the United States there are more than fifty serial killers at large, preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting victims. 

Until yesterday, no one knew Florida had another serial killer on the loose. Special Agent Tess Winnettcalls this particularly elusive one the Taker of Lives.

The crimes: bewildering

After a well-known model commits suicide, Tess refuses to accept the findings and pushes for an investigation into the reasons behind the beautiful young woman’s decision to end her life. What she finds surpasses her wildest fears.

The evidence: disturbing 

Each new crime scene brings more questions than answers. While secrets are revealed, even those meant to be kept forever in the dark, Tess can draw only one conclusion: she’s not the one in charge; the Taker of Lives controls the game, the players, even the course of the investigation. 

The race: intense

With little information and even less evidence, Tess must connect the dots of a deadly scenario with a large number of potential victims. If she fails, another beautiful, young girl will die tonight, and the blood will be on her hands.

The Taker of Lives might be closer than you think. Who’s watching you sleep tonight?


**Only .99 cents!!**


Leslie Wolfe is a bestselling author whose novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. She creates unforgettable, brilliant, strong women heroes who deliver fast-paced, satisfying suspense, backed up by extensive background research in technology and psychology.
Leslie released the first novel, Executive, in October 2011. It was very well received, including inquiries from Hollywood. Since then, Leslie published numerous novels and enjoyed growing success and recognition in the marketplace. Among Leslie’s most notable works, The Watson Girl (2017) was recognized for offering a unique insight into the mind of a serial killer and a rarely seen first person account of his actions, in a dramatic and intense procedural thriller.
A complete list of Leslie’s titles is available at http://wolfenovels.com/order.
Leslie enjoys engaging with readers every day and would love to hear from you.
Become an insider: gain early access to previews of Leslie’s new novels.


Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

The Last Princess of Latara Series Spotlight & Giveaway

Today, we are featuring a middle grade/ young adult fantasy series in our book spotlight!  Check out the books of The Last Princess of Latara series, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Guardian's Nightmare
The Last Princess of Latara Book 1
by Darren Simon
Genre: Middle-Grade/New Adult Fantasy

Charlee Smelton is an average thirteen-year-old girl struggling to adapt after her family moves to San Francisco. She thinks her biggest obstacle is facing the bullies who brand her a nerd and a dweeb. She’s wrong. Her life is about to change—for the worse. First, she receives a gift of the ugliest, most old fashioned bike she has ever seen. Try as she might to ditch it in the city, she just can’t seem to escape that very mysterious two-wheeler. Then come the visions of a world across a dimensional divide, a princess in fear for her life and a dark knight pursuing her. Are they just dreams or something more? For Charlee, everything she ever thought she knew about herself soon crumbles as she starts down a path to discover her true self, and she will need that hunk-of-junk bike more than she could ever imagine. Without it, she might not be able to find the hero in herself—the hero she must become to save her friends, family, her city—the world—from an evil only she can defeat. An evil she allows into this world.



Guardian's Return
The Last Princess of Latara Book 2

A month has passed since fourteen-year-old Charlee Smelton discovered her magical abilities and faced her great aunt, Theodora, in a life or death struggle to protect Earth. A month has passed since she tricked Theodora back across the dimensional gateway that brought Theodora to Earth. Since then, Charlee—now fully aware that she is part of a noble bloodline from another world…another dimension…has grown stronger in her magic, aided by her protector, a shapeshifter sent to Earth to protect her.
But the terrible dreams won’t stop.
Theodora lives, and if Charlee’s dreams of death and fields of spilled blood are true, her great aunt has avenged herself on that world across the dimensional divide. 
Charlee knows what she must do. The fight is not over. She must travel across the gateway to the home of her ancestors and face Theodora one more time. But doing so may cost Charlee more than her life. The same medallion her great aunt desires so much—a medallion Charlee possesses—could make her just as evil as her great aunt. 
Can Charlee stave off the twisted tendrils of the medallion long enough to defeat Theodora—for good—or will evil consume her? Can she even survive so far from home? Her only hope may rest in the Lord of the Dragons, but that beast turned his back on her grandfather long ago…




Darren Simon resides in Southern California where he works as a college English teacher after a career as a newspaper journalist. His love for writing began with a love for reading when his grandmother gave him a wonderful gift—a brown paper bag filled with comic books from the 1960s and ’70s. From there, he moved on to Choose Your Own Adventure books. Eventually he discovered the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, which solidified his interest in writing epic fantasy and science fiction tales.
So far, he has focused his writing on middle grade and young adult fiction to inspire young readers just as he was inspired to read and write at a young age.
He self-published his first novel though iUniverse and immediately went on to write the second book in the series. Upon completing the second book, he decided to seek more traditional publishing. After countless rejection letters, a small independent publisher—Divertir Publishing—decided to pick up the series, a fantasy about a teen-aged girl who learns her family is actually from an alternate dimension, and only she has the power to protect Earth from a sorceress from her world—who just happens to be her great aunt. Divertir republished the first book, titled, Guardian’s Nightmare, in 2015. The second book in the series, Guardian’s Return, was released in April.
Darren has also written another series—a young adult historical pirate fantasy set in the golden age of piracy, mixing historical pirates and pirate hunters with his fictional characters in a time-traveling, swashbuckling tale. The first book in that series, The Dangerous Legacy, was published in 2016 by Tell-Tale Publishing. The second book in the series, The Deadly Waters, is due out later this year.
All his books are available at Amazon.com and Barnes&noble.com.
Darren, who lives with his wife, Sandra and two sons, Daniel and Jacob, and two crazy dogs, in the Valley, is continuing to write and develop new stories, including a young adult novel now in the hands of literary agency.




Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!

The Deadliest Sport Book Review & Giveaway

I love mysteries and historical fiction--so this novel seemed the perfect addition to my spring reading list.  Set in Ancient Alexandria, with a female lead character--I was excited to read The Deadliest Sport by June Trop.  What did I think of The Deadliest Sport?  I am sharing my review today--so, check it out and be sure to enter for a chance to win an Amazon gift card in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.


Book Title: The Deadliest Sport: A Miriam bat Isaac Mystery in Ancient Alexandria
Author: June Trop
Category: Adult fiction, 242 pages
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction

About the Book

Miriam bat Isaac, a budding alchemist in first-century CE Alexandria, welcomes her twin brother Binyamin home to fight his last gladiatorial bout in Alexandria. But when he demands his share of the family money so he can build a school for gladiators in Alexandria, Miriam explains that he forsook his share when he took the gladiatorial oath.

When she refuses to loan him the money for what she feels is a shady and dangerous enterprise, Binyamin becomes furious. Soon after, the will of Amram, Miriam's elderly charge, turns up missing; Amram becomes seriously ill; and the clerk of the public records house is murdered. Could Binyamin really be behind this monstrous scheme? If not he, who could be responsible? And is Miriam slated to be the next victim?

My Review

Readers will Venture to Another Place and Time in The Deadliest Sport.  This is the first book that I have read from this author--but, it is certainly not going to be the last.  The author does an amazing job transporting readers to an ancient time and place. Readers will feel the swish of robes, hear the character's voices, feel the twists and turns & get lost in another time and place.  Many times, historical fiction novels mix too much of our modern world with the historical content.  Trop keeps the novel setting in check and her characters and their interactions well placed and realistic.

The Deadliest Sport is a Standalone Novel.  I loved the author's writing style.  While, I picked this book up and read it without having read other books from series--I never had the feeling that I was missing anything from past character development or backstories.  Having said that--I enjoyed the author's story development and writing style so much that I do plan to read other books from this series. 

History and Mystery Fans Should Enjoy this Novel.   I did feel that I was transported back in time--but, it was to a time period of great interest to me.  While there are twists and turns as the characters move through the mystery--making it ideal for mystery lovers and there is truly an historical setting that will appeal to historical fiction fans.  Additionally, human nature and family bonds come into play making this a very well rounded historical mystery that modern readers are able to enjoy.

Would I Recommend The Deadliest Sport?  As a mother of 3 daughters--I love finding a series with a strong, intelligent, capable, realistic, lead female character.   I enjoyed the author's setting and character development--especially as a reader coming in "late" to the series.  I loved the story line and the plot twists--and would certainly recommend this book to fans of historical mysteries.   Readers will be pulled into Alexandria and into the life of Miriam--and will not want to put down the book until the story draws to a close. 


To read more reviews, please visit June Trop's page on iRead Book Tours.

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Meet the Author




June Trop and her twin sister Gail wrote their first story, "The Steam Shavel [sic]," when they were six years old growing up in rural New Jersey. They sold it to their brother Everett for two cents.

"I don't remember how I spent my share," June says. "You could buy a fistful of candy for a penny in those days, but ever since then, I wanted to be a writer."

As an award-winning middle school science teacher, June used storytelling to capture her students' imagination and interest in scientific concepts. Years later as a professor of teacher education, she focused her research on the practical knowledge teachers construct and communicate through storytelling. Her first book, From Lesson Plans to Power Struggles (Corwin Press, 2009), is based on the stories new teachers told about their first classroom experiences.

Now associate professor emerita at the State University of New York at New Paltz, she devotes her time to writing The Miriam bat Isaac Mystery Series. Her heroine is based on the personage of Maria Hebrea, the legendary founder of Western alchemy, who developed the concepts and apparatus alchemists and chemists would use for 1500 years.

June lives with her husband Paul Zuckerman in New Paltz, where she is breathlessly recording her plucky heroine's next life-or-death exploit.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest

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Ends June 2, 2018


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5/21/18

Malevolent Sadness Book Spotlight & Giveaway

This morning, we have an urban fantasy in our book spotlight.  Check out Malevolent Sadness, learn about the author & this fantasy series--and enter for a chance to win an Amazon gift card in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!

Urban Fantasy
Date Published: June 2017 (Second edition – April 2018)

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 ***Contains Graphic Violence/Adult Content***

Can a detective save a prophet from a monster?

Harry is an Army veteran who survived a childhood tragedy and tough years in foster care. Today, he’s a pragmatic and no-nonsense Homicide detective investigating the Victor Adamson kidnapping. As he digs for leads, Harry realizes he’s in the middle of a dark conspiracy, and his life is in jeopardy. His only option is to save Victor. But to do that, he must embrace the supernatural. He has to believe monsters are real. If he doesn’t, then both he and Victor may die.


Excerpts

A new terror nibbled as she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Horror crept down her spine and twisted her guts into knots. She wasn’t smiling, so why was her reflection? And the eyes were wrong. The pupils looked like they were on fire.

***

Through narrow eye slits, he could see her studying his features. Harry found her vigil unsettling. She brushed her cheek against his and made a soft purr. He was offended by her tenderness. If only he could bring himself to full alertness. But with agonizing frustration, he could only lay as still as a corpse and endure her arms around his shoulders, her heart beating against his chest, and the feel of her skin on his face.

About the Author

I'm a Paranormal/Supernatural Award Winning author who grew up in Richmond, Virginia. As a child I suffered from night terrors. Sleep paralysis leaves me with the inability to move or speak, but I sometimes see and hear unnatural things. Who wants to have nightmares about demons or ghosts? My nightmare demons aren’t always hideous. To this day, I believe true evil is seductive, even beautiful. I managed to accept my nightmare world by writing about demons who would sip your soul while giving you a kiss.

I'm just a humble writer trying to be a novelist. I've been compared to Stephen King. That's no accident. I didn't grow up trying to copy him. I wouldn’t dare. I just read most of his books and adopted his style. But seriously, if you're going to learn, why not learn from one of the best?

Am I right? Or should I say, am I write? Yeah, I know...sad humor.

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RABT Book Tours & PR

Scarecrow, Scarecrow Book Spotlight & Giveaway

This morning, I have a horror novel from John Kaniecki in our book spotlight.   I have featured science fiction / fantasy novels from this author in the past, like Dark Matters,  From Chaos to Cosmos, and most recently, I Should Have Been A Rock Star if you are interested in learning more about the author's writing.  Check out Scarecrow, Scarecrow and learn about the author.  Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.

Scarecrow, Scarecrow
Anne McFry Series Book 1
by John Kaniecki
Genre: Horror

The Scarecrow lurks in the shadows of a young girl’s frightened mind. Everywhere Anne McFry looks, she sees the face of a twisted demon that haunts her past. Escaping from the horror ridden town and going to the big city, Anne thinks she is safe from the Scarecrow. That is until it starts popping up everywhere she looks. Befriending a young man against her better judgement, she experiences a demented ride of torture as the past she is running from catches up to her. The Scarecrow is coming to collect dues, and the only payment Anne has is her soul.



John Kaniecki was born in Brooklyn, New York. Though having no memories of life there, John is proud to be called a Native New Yorker. John was raised in Pequanock Township, New Jersey. At age twenty John was baptized and became a member of the Church of Christ. Presently John resides in Montclair, NJ and lives with his wife of over twelve years Sylvia. The happy couple attend the Church of Christ at Chancellor Avenue in Newark, NJ. John is very active in outreach and teaching as part of the leadership of the congregation.




Follow the tour HERE for exclusive content and a giveaway!

5/20/18

49 Buddhas Book Spotlight & Giveaway

This morning, I have a mystery in our book spotlight.  Check out 49 Buddhas, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a copy of the book in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post.


49 Buddhas: Lama Rinzen in the Hell Realm
Lama Rinzen Mystery Series Book 1
by Jim Ringel
Genre: Mystery

49 Buddhas tells of Lama Rinzen in the Hell Realm—a realm of confusion, shifting ground, and anger.
Lama Rinzen awakens from meditation to find himself reincarnated as a detective on Denver’s Colfax Avenue. Immediately he realizes that once again he has been reborn into the Hell Realm—this time charged with finding insurance man Sonny Heller’s killer. Rinzen believes finding Heller’s killer will lead to the Sacred Dorje, which has eluded the lama for many lifetimes. By finding the Dorje, he will become a bodhisattva, allowing him to lead all sentient beings to Nirvana. But should the Dorje escape his grasp, Rinzen will be forced to suffer yet another lifetime in Hell, haunted by past demons and his failure to achieve enlightenment.
**Releasing in ebook for an Amazon Best Seller Day on May 23rd!!**

Jim Ringel writes the Lama Rinzen Mysteries, with each book set in one of the six Buddhist realms of Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animals, Humans, Warring Titans, or Gods. In each realm, Rinzen must solve a crime and learn the lesson of the realm so he may progress along his path to enlightenment. The first book of the series comes out in May, 2018.

Jim is a Buddhist practitioner who writes and explores Buddhism in his every day life. His previous works include the novel Wolf, a "sales-werewolf" noir set in a world where vanquished dogs return seeking revenge, and where salesmen sell products they cannot understand.

Jim writes the Writing Like a Buddha blog (www.WritingLikeaBuddha.com), and lives in Colorado with his Tibetan Terrier, Rascal, who is both inspiration and teacher.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads



Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
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