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Thursday, September 30, 2021

Blog Tour, Character Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway for Playing Possum by Dane McCaslin

 

Animal Idioms and Other Idle Thoughts

I’m Gwen Franklin, recently retired high school teacher and business partner in 2 Sisters Pet Valet. It’s the brainchild of my best friend, who decided that I needed to keep busy once my teaching days were a thing of the past. I tried explaining to her that all I really wanted to do was read – for pleasure! – and sleep in.

 

She didn’t get it. If you’re not a reader, you probably won’t. But having four full bookcases of mysteries and no time to enjoy them is not my idea of a relaxing retirement. On the other hand, I’ll admit that we’ve had more than our share of adventure since we went into partnership.

 

Take, for instance, our last venture. It really had nothing to do with caring for pets but plenty to do with someone who was “playing possum” and hiding their true intentions. I’ll tell you one thing for sure: I will never again trust someone just because they like dogs. That is not a reliable barometer of good character, unfortunately.

 

Which brings me to what I really wanted to mention: sayings that have animal references, such as “raining cats and dogs” or “letting the cat out of the bag.” Our everyday language is peppered with comments that include animals as a reference point. It doesn’t give the animal kingdom a very good name, either. A vain person is “proud as a peacock,” while a gluttonous eater “pigs out.” And we’ve all met someone who spends their lives “in the doghouse.”

 

It makes me wonder what animals say about us. It’s probably a good think we can’t speak their language, right?

 

To read more of my latest adventure with Nora, pick up a copy of Playing Possum by Dane McCaslin. You’ll see what I mean about the dog.

About Playing Possum

 Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series 
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lyrical Press (October 5, 2021) 
 Number of Pages: 300 (approx.) 
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08SJ2VFHP 

The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Service is purring along, thanks to the entrepreneurial talents of retired schoolteacher Gwen Franklin and her bestie and business partner, Nora Goldstein. But when the fur starts to fly, they become partners in crime detecting as well . . .

At Nora’s request, Gwen is happy to accompany her to a meeting with ex-hubby #3’s lawyer. Much to Nora’s surprise—and dismay—she’s been named executor of said ex’s will. The fact that the man has been missing for years and was just declared legally dead only makes an already complicated process more so. And besides, is he really dead? What’s not a surprise is that Nora’s twin ex-stepchildren are pressing for access to their father’s dry cleaning fortune . . .

With Gwen’s assist, it’s time for Nora to do a little digging. It turns out that the twins’ catering business is failing—and that their dad’s business was laundering more than clothing. Soon, Gwen and Nora are infiltrating a long list of dirty deeds, including fraud and illegal gains. And the perpetrators are all too close to home. The police may want Gwen and Nora to stick to their own line of work, but the pair are determined to make sure the truth comes out in the wash—before someone ends up in the discard bin . . .  
 REVIEW
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for. 
 
We catch back up with Gwen and Nora, our two pet valets, in this new installment to their fun series. Things seem to going well with their business as well as their personal lives even if Gwen is worn out from chasing an escaped doggy. Then Nora gets a strange request to meet with a lawyer about something regarding one of her many ex-husbands. She is highly surprised to discover that he has been missing for years and his kids are pushing for him to be declared dead so they can get their mitts on his money. Imagine their surprise when they all find out that Nora was made executor in his will. Determined to find out what is going these two start an investigation into to things that leads to some surprising things to say the least. Makes for a fun cozy full of twists that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

About Dana McCaslin

McCaslin began a life-long love of mysteries at a very young age. She bypassed Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden and went straight for Agatha Christie, thanks to her mother’s library books. Dane is retired from a twenty-plus-year career in teaching high school and college English, and she uses her newfound freedom to read for pleasure, write mysteries, and smell the roses.

Author Links  
 
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS  
September 27 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW  
September 27 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST  
September 27 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT  
September 28 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW  
September 28 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT 
September 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT  
September 29 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT  
September 29 – Christy's Cozy Corners – GUEST POST  
September 30 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST September 30 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT  
September 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW*, GUEST POST  
October 1 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT  
October 1 – Literary Gold - CHARACTER GUEST POST  
October 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW  
October 2 – Laura's Interests – CHARACTER GUEST POST  
October 3 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
October 3 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, GUEST POST  
October 4 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  
October 4 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
 
   
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Release Blitz & Giveaway for Catch Me by Julia Crosswood

 

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Twenty-year-old Lauren Miller is a devoted sister, a rebellious daughter, and an outgoing student. Life has made her hard, forced her to create a thick wall around her. A perfect way to keep everyone at bay while it hides the broken pieces inside. 

One party. One fatal disaster. And Lauren's wall threatens to crumble to the ground. The mafia is out to get her. The urge to run has never been stronger. But this time, she’s got one huge problem.

He is six feet two inches of handsomeness, has a moody temperament and an overbearing attitude, and goes by the name Liam Ressler.

The guy is on a mission. 

And the fact is, he never fails.

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Catch Me teasers 3

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Enter the Release Giveaway HERE!

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Julia Crosswood is a teacher and a mom of two by day.

A writer and avid reader by night—or when the kids are napping.

Although writing and self-publishing her books take a lot of time, she makes sure there’s enough left to make sweet memories with her family, including lots of vacations—yet it’s never without her laptop or Kindle.

Under the influence of a serious dose of caffeine and ater a long, hard, and sweaty run—and of course a refreshing shower—Julia writes romance stories spiced with a touch of drama and a pinch of suspense.

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Blog Tour, Review, & Giveaway for Of the Lilin by Paulette Hampton

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the OF THE LILIN by Paulette Hampton Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About the Book

Title: OF THE LILIN (The Sage Chronicles, #1)

Author: Paulette Hampton

Pub. Date: August 27, 2021

Publisher: Paulette Hampton

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 317

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle

Kindle Unlimited members will be able to read this for FREE!

While dealing with depression, Sage attempts to pull herself into the light. What she finds is better left in the dark.

After the loss of her mother and her stepfather's mental breakdown, Sage Frankle agrees to move in with her aunt and cousin at the Englewood Inn. Soon, her aunt arranges for Sage to begin working through her trauma with a psychologist. As time passes, Sage finds that she is far from healing and begins to slip from reality into a realm of darkness she is unable to escape. After the arrival of her cousin's intriguing acquaintance, Sage is forced to realize she is indeed trapped, not by her mind, but by her bloodline.

 

REVIEW
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
 
Well this is definitely a different read then most others which is a good thing. We meet Sage a family friend is killed and for some reason she is a suspect. This quickly helps a spiral to depression but to make things even more strange around the same time she starts hearing and seeing things that are not there. She agrees to go live with her Aunt. Things don't stop there but instead start getting worse with missing chunks of time along with total blackouts. Add some hidden family history to the mix and we get an intriguing story that flows fairly well as is all plays out ending on a cliff hanger. Made for a rather unique read. I really liked it so I give it 4/5 stars.

About Paulette Hampton:

Paulette is an indie author who holds a Master of Arts in reading education.  Her writing inspiration stems from watching fantasy and paranormal movies, as well as her real-life experiences with mental health issues.  She hopes her readers will find humor in her stories, become curious about seeking peace through the present moment, and consider reaching out for help if they are struggling with their own issues.

Paulette loves drawing, watching a good thriller, kayaking, and eating chocolate...lots of it.  She and her husband live in North Carolina with their two cats, Linda Hamm and Bree.  Of the Lilin is the first book in her new upper YA paranormal series, The Sage Chronicles.

Website  Facebook  | Twitter  | Instagram | TikTokGoodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive an eBook of OF THE LILIN, International.


Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/6/2021

Writer of Wrongs

Guest Post

9/7/2021

Don't Judge, Read

Guest Post

9/8/2021

BookHounds YA

Excerpt

9/8/2021

BookHounds

IG Post

9/9/2021

A Dream Within A Dream

Guest Post

9/10/2021

Living in a Bookworld

Excerpt

Week Two:

9/12/2021

Review Thick & Thin

Review

9/13/2021

The Reading Devil

Excerpt

9/14/2021

@Curlygrannylovestoread

Review

9/15/2021

The Phantom Paragrapher

Review

9/15/2021

@nzgeekchic

IG Post

9/16/2021

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

9/16/2021

Rajiv's Reviews

IG Post

9/17/2021

Fyrekatz Blog

Review

Week Three:

9/20/2021

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Review

9/20/2021

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee

IG Post

9/21/2021

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

9/22/2021

I'm Shelfish

Guest Post

9/23/2021

hauntedbybooks

Review

9/24/2021

YA Books Central

Excerpt

Week Four:

9/27/2021

Jazzy Book Reviews

Excerpt

9/28/2021

Wottaread

Excerpt

9/29/2021

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

9/30/2021

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Review


Blog Tour & Giveaway for Damned by Charlene Johnson


Damned

The Circle of the Red Scorpion World Book 1

by Charlene Johnson

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

When Archangel Michael discovers a demon pierced the veil into another realm, he assigns his top warrior, Rayven Stone, to retrieve her.

Desiree Black is the fiery haired demon with stunning emerald eyes Rayven can’t resist. And the one thing he never expected to do was to fall in love.

Returning to present day meant protecting Desiree from the cruel demon leader who vows to punish her for disobeying him. What will Rayven have to do to save her?

It’s angel versus demon. Who will emerge the victor?

Goodreads * Amazon

Charlene writes Paranormal Romance and Romantic Suspense/Thrillers. She lives on a farm outside of Colville, Washington.

She's won the following books awards:

2020 Book Excellence Awards Finalist for Homecoming (Sterling Wood Series Book 1)

2020 Literary Titan Silver Award for Blown Away (The Crimes of Passion Series Book 2)

2021 Book Excellence Awards Finalist for Blown Away (The Crimes of Passion Series Book 2)

2021 Book Excellence Awards Finalist for Awakened ( Circle of the Red Scorpion Series - Book 5)

2021 Literary Titan Silver Award for Awakened ( Circle of the Red Scorpion Series - Book 5)

She is currently writing two paranormal romance series, Circle of the Red Scorpion and Circle of the Red Scorpion World, and a romantic suspense/thriller series, Sterling Wood. She also wrote a book for a multi-author romantic suspense/crime thriller series, Crimes of Passion, and several short stories for anthologies.

Books have always been Charlene's passion. She started reading at an early age and progressed to full-length books by age nine. The first supernatural book series she read was Dark Shadows, and it sparked her interest in all things paranormal, with a spicy touch of romance mixed in for good measure. She also started writing poetry in grade school and continues to do so today. Being an avid reader, the consummate daydreamer, and an incurable romantic with a Cinderella complex, she started creating her characters and storylines because she realized she had her own stories to tell. She’s traveled the world, crossed galaxies, traveled through time, and explored history on the pages of books.

Besides reading and writing, she also enjoys photography, travel, music, great movies, and Elvis.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$15 Amazon giftcard – 4 winners!