"A
sprightly plotted thriller and dynamic characters should leave
readers eager for the sequel."
-Kirkus Reviews
The
world could be transformed if Riley can only stay alive long
enough.
Most
parents leave you a house, a car, or money when they die. Riley's mom
left her a treasure hunt with a mysterious payoff. Now everyone seems
to want a piece of Riley and her inheritance: the university, the
military, mega corporations, and Russian spies.
Riley
needs help to solve her mother's murder, and Dagger Easton's salvage
and investigation company comes to her rescue. Retired SEAL, private
eye, and leader of a diving and salvage team, Dagger promises to
protect Riley with his life. But as the value of her mother's
research becomes clear, Riley begins to believe there's no one she
can trust--not with her life, her heart, or her mother's legacy.
Joanne was born and
raised in Sherburne, New York, a quaint village surrounded by dairy
farms and rolling hills. From the moment she could read she wanted to
explore the world. During her college years, she slowly crept across
the country, stopping along the way in Oklahoma, California, and
finally Washington State, which she now proudly calls home. She lives
with her husband and Dobermans, in their home located on the Olympic
Peninsula with a panoramic view of the Olympic Mountains.
Joanne writes
romantic suspense, paranormal, mystery-thriller, supernatural
suspense, and contemporary romance. She loves to submerge herself in
the world of her characters, to live and breathe their lives and
marvel at their decisions and predicaments. She enjoys a wide variety
of books including paranormal, suspense, thriller, and of course
romance.
Joanne is a PAN
member of Romance Writers of America, (RWA), Kiss of Death, (KOD),
Greater Seattle Romance Writers Chapter, (GSRWA), Sisters In Crime
(SIC), and Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal, (FFPRWA). She served
as President of Peninsula Romance Writers, which was Debbie
Macomber’s home chapter.
Blood King Amber K. Bryant (Spirit Seeker, #1) Published by: City Owl Press Publication date: August 27th 2019 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
While the Blood King lives, no one is safe.
Sybille Esmond never wanted to inherit her family’s weird business: summoning spirits of the undead and guiding them to the afterlife. While it pays the bills, dealing with supernatural monsters comes with colossal risks, including becoming undead herself.
When tall, dark, and undead Elis Tanner, a reformed member of the soulless ever-after, invades Sybille’s life, bringing with him a possessive, disembodied ex-wife, those risks get complicated, and those complications become dangerous.
Sybille must aid Elis in confronting his jealous ex while also investigating the Blood King, a beast who refuses to die—by stake or by poison.
After a harrowing possession leaves her burned and bruised, Sybille finds herself drawing closer to the tempting Elis, who may be the only one capable of helping her kill the unkillable. With the Blood King and his legions of undead closing in, she discovers her own life is far from the only thing in jeopardy.
Unlike most of the people in attendance, Sybille Esmond hadn’t come to the county fair to watch a rodeo show or stroke the glossy fur of ribbon-winning show rabbits.
She came to be hypnotized.
Sybille stood among the selected volunteers as the would-be hypnotist, Elis Tanner, circled them, his scrutiny of his subjects aided by a flourish of his hands to the waiting crowd. Their environment presented a jarring mix, up-tempo techno music blaring like a nineties rave set against rainbow-themed carnival tents and food stands hawking deep-fried butter.
Elis raised his uplifted arms higher, mimicking a conductor about to direct an orchestra. As he closed his hands into fists, the music cut out. The crowd stopped their chatter, blueberry snow cones lowered, gazes raised as the man on the stage commanded their attention. A chill ran up Sybille’s spine.
They were ready to be entertained and mesmerized, and though Elis Tanner had yet to do either, people were already leaning forward, hushing young children, silencing their phones.
The music came on again, another driving beat. Its vibrations tickled Sybille’s toes.
She couldn’t blame the crowd for wanting to be tricked in exchange for a bit of harmless fun. Only in this case, they weren’t being tricked, not the way they imagined.
And Elis Tanner was far from harmless.
“How many of you have been hypnotized before?” He spoke with a vaguely British inflection, like someone who had lived stateside long enough that only scraps of their original accent remained. It reminded her of black and white movie actors. Cary Grant but a bit less Bristol.
A few people raised their hands, garnering a knowing smile from him. Sybille kept hers down. “The truth is, you’ve all been hypnotized multiple times. Every one of you.”
The audience shifted. Sybille remained still. Elis was right: hypnotism was no magic. Not under normal circumstances. Today’s show would present a different story, however. If he was nothing else, Elis Tanner offered the most abnormal of circumstances Sybille had ever come across.
“Hypnotism is simply another state of consciousness, no different than the ones we pass through on the way to and from sleep,” he explained to them.
He searched the audience with clear grey eyes and then turned his gaze to the volunteers, stopping at her. It was a slight hesitation most would have missed, but Sybille was determined to miss nothing. In the briefest of pauses, perhaps there lay a hint of recognition.
Or perhaps not. Either way, Sybille must tread carefully. The enraptured audience had made themselves totally vulnerable. She glanced at her fellow stage-mates. They’d been naive enough to volunteer in handing their will over to him to play with for an hour. Sybille volunteered as well, but unlike the others, she did so with full knowledge of what she was getting herself into.
The music continued to blast. Intolerably loud, it forced its way into her, her head throbbing within a wall of sound.
Elis asked the volunteers to take seats in the metal folding chairs set out on the stage. “Are you ready?” He looked at her when he said this. Eleven volunteers nodded. Sybille smiled. She was ready. It was Elis who had no idea what was coming.
Author Bio:
Amber K. Bryant is an award-winning speculative fiction and romance writer living deep within Sasquatch territory in Washington State. Her stories have gained over ten million reads on Wattpad, where she has built a world-wide fan base. She collaborated on a short story with R. L. Stine and won several contests judged by Margaret Atwood. When she isn't writing, she works as a librarian and spends time with her husband and son enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She has yet to spot Bigfoot but has faith it will happen one day. Blood King is her debut novel.
Residents of Rudolph keep the spirit of Christmas alive year-round—but their joy is threatened when a group of grinches visits the town, in the charming fourth installment of the Year-Round Christmas series.
It's the week before Thanksgiving, and Merry Wilkinson, owner of Mrs. Claus's Treasures, is preparing for a weekend reunion of her mother's college friends. But when the group of women comes into Merry's shop, Merry is met with frosty attitudes and cold hearts.
The women argue amongst themselves constantly, and the bickering only intensifies after one of the friends is poisoned. With her father's role as Santa in danger due to his proximity to the crime, Merry will need to use all of her investigative gifts to wrap this mystery up and save Santa and her favorite holiday.
REVIEW
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I just love this series!! Delany has created an adorable town when it comes to Rudolph. A small town dedicated to Christmas year round. The details are astounding really bringing everything to life as you read. Merry fits perfectly with this setting running her shop. She is gearing up for the holidays when her mom plans a reunion of her college friends. This a doozy of a group that really showcases their distinct personalities with all their bickering and squabbling. To help keep the peace mom invites Merry to join them as they go about their plans. Things are going fairly well when one of them turns up dead. As if that is not enough her Dad ends up being a suspect making it necessary for her to figure things out quick. A superbly written cozy that you will not want to put down. An amazing escape from reality for a little bit that will make you want to live there too. Delany is awesome! I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
About the Author
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than thirty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea By The Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year Round Christmas mysteries and, as Eva Gates, the Lighthouse Library series.
Coralie
was looking forward to another restful summer in her favorite
location. Her life has always been routine, and she thrives on the
quiet that her getaway location has to offer. This summer, however,
is nothing normal.
She
is about to learn that everything she thought was nothing more than
folklore is real, and it’s more terrifying in person than it is in
the books. As her world turns upside down, she must learn to navigate
a new reality and possibly resist the charms of the Sheriff of the
South, Damian Blackwood. Although she is intrigued by him, there is a
side of him that terrifies her more than she is willing to admit.
There
is something at play in the mansion owned by Mr. Blackwood. Dark
forces are teaming, just waiting for the right moment to strike.
Coralie is about to learn that she might not survive the summer and
that there are more secrets lurking that are waiting to be
discovered…
A.D.
Wayne started writing before she knew how. Always surrounded by books
and encyclopedias, she was curious about what treasures lay hidden
within each page. Wayne wrote her first novel when she was only
twelve years old and continued to come up with new spooky stories
almost every day. Her passion for vampires and history, had her
fulfill her dream of becoming an author, who would make “monster
nerds” like herself happy. A.D. Wayne is obsessed with research,
dark sciences, writing, and always learning. She has diplomas in
editing, blogging, social media, self-publishing, creative writing,
novel writing, ufology, and astronomy. She is a Paranormal Expert
by Quora standards. She has a passion for learning, and her novels
reflect her ever-growing desire to know more about ancient history
and parapsychology. She writes twisted horror stories but doesn’t
forget to add the passion.
Jude
Craig is a level-headed teacher in a Yorkshire secondary school.
Within a matter of days her professional and personal life is
shattered by a series of strange events in her house. What starts
with the sound of papers fluttering to the floor quickly escalates to
her discovering that someone has been in the house whilst she is
sleeping.
When Jude is driven out of her job and home she is
forced to discover whether she is being haunted, stalked by a pupil,
or the terrifying possibility that she is losing her mind.
Jess
Whitby lives in Yorkshire, England. She studied Communication Studies
at University and then went on to train and work as a Youth Worker.
She now works as a Therapist in Yorkshire. When she isn't working she
is busy either writing her next novel or eating her favourite food :
chips and gravy!
Phoenix Rising is book 16 in the Reed Security Series and it is suggested they be read in order.
The men and women of Reed Security are back, but after all the turmoil of the past year, how do they adapt and move forward? For some, it’s easy, but others, the past year is only the beginning of what they will have to deal with. Some of them were shot and almost died. Morgan and Chance were taken and tortured in their own respects and now must deal with the after effects. Payton was torn from her mother and spent a year and a half without her. The wives lost their jobs, and many had to run from their families and friends to keep them safe. But one thing remained the same through all of this, they are each others’ family and will do anything to help each other through. They are Reed Security, and they will rise from the ashes.
“Alexa, play Sam Tinnesz.”
I waited as it was searching and cringed when Mmm Bop by Hanson came on.
“What the f*@k? Alexa, play Legends Are Made by Sam Tinnesz.”
Alexa searched again, this time playing John Legend.
“You’ve got to be f*@king kidding me. I just want something good to listen to. Alexa, play Hold On For Your Life by Sam Tinnesz,” I said slowly, accentuating every word.
“Searching….”
And then the opening strands of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On started to play.
“F*@k it.” I sloshed back down in the water, trying to ignore the girly song that was playing while I was trying to relax. I actually found that it was working. The soothing melody had me sinking into such a relaxed state that I didn’t even notice the door opening.
“What the hell are you listening to?” My eyes flew open in surprise. Chris was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face. “Want me to get you a cocktail?”
“Actually, I’d love one,” I retorted. “I tried to get the f*@king thing to play something else, but like any woman, she just did whatever the f*@k she wanted.”
“Alright, let’s see what we got here.” He walked over to a mini fridge in the corner. I had expected to find water, but instead saw some kind of girly cooler.
“Toss me one.”
Chris popped the top and handed one to me and then got one for himself. After draining half of it, he got undressed and got in with me. “Is this weird?” he asked as he settled in.
“Sitting in the hot tub together?”
“Yeah. You know, it’s kind of like bathing together. You’re sweaty. I’m sweaty….”
I nodded. “I gotcha.” I reached over to the ledge and grabbed a bottle of body wash, pouring in a generous amount. Bubbles filled the tub and I grinned, pleased with myself.
“Yeah, that’s not at all weird,” Chris muttered. “Now we’re taking a bubble bath together.”
“But we’ll be clean,” I pointed out. “What’s worse? Sitting around in each other’s filth or sitting in soap together?”
“Soap is only clean as long as it’s in the bottle. Once it’s in the water, it’s just dirty soap.”
“It’s self-cleaning.”
“Oh, God.” Chris and I turned to see Jules standing in the doorway with Alec and Rocco. “Are you two taking a bubble bath?”
“It’s a hot tub,” I corrected. “The bubbles are just to get us clean.”
“That’s what a shower is for,” Jules pointed out.
“Hot tubs are very good for the muscles,” Rocco said as he yanked off his shirt. “I’m in.”
“Grab me another cooler before you get in,” I said.
Rocco stripped down to his shorts and climbed in with a cooler for each of us. “Ah, this is great. My body is killing me today.” He closed his eyes and then opened them, narrowing in on me. “Are you f*@king listening to Celine Dion?”
I shrugged. “You get the b*%ch to play something else.”
Author Bio:
I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.
"Let
me tell you about my day so far. I’ll begin by telling you
about waking up in my Marbella villa to find a dead girl in
my bed; about being interrogated by the Spanish police – or
hombres purporting to be the Spanish police; about learning
that I’m going to have my kneecaps shattered by the
former Chief of Staff of the Provisional IRA. That is, if he can
find me before the godfather of the Andalucian Russian mafia
hunts me down. And not only that; it’s not yet ten o’clock
and I’ve taken up smoking and have drunk half a bottle of
brandy before I’ve even had breakfast." Richie Malone is
an old-school philanderer, misogynistic playboy and writer with an
undeniable charm. Although he has yet to pen anything to attract
literary acclaim using his own name, he has made a fortune writing
pornographic novels under a female pseudonym. But now his troubles
are just beginning. He needs answers, and he needs them fast. Just
who is this dead girl? How did she get here? And why his bed? And, of
course, did he kill her? Malone finds himself caught in the middle of
a turf war between Irish racketeers, the Russian Mafia and a
Columbian cartel. And so, he loses the plot. But can he get it back
before he loses everything … including his life?
Richard
Grainger has worked as a teacher, personal trainer, restaurateur, and
journalist. His speciality is finding interest in the mundane and
making dull people and their narratives come alive.
Losing
the Plot is his debut novel and is the first in the Richie Malone
series. He is working on a second novel, Saving Dave. His first book,
The Last Latrine, is an account of his experiences in Nepal running
the world’s highest marathon.
Richard
divides his time between Marbella, Spain, where he writes, and
Wroclaw, Poland, where he enjoys Polish beer and teaches English part
time. His main interests are Rugby Union, cricket, history, and horse
riding.
Take
care what you wish for. You just might get it.
Twelve-year-old
Casey doesn’t think life could get any more unfair. Plans for her
special basketball tournament are tossed aside by her sister’s
wedding plans. She even has to be a bridesmaid now, with all the lace
and silk and—oh, the horror! All she wants is an escape, but she
never imagined she’d be swept away to a world of Mother Goose
rhymes, fairy tales, stories of Arabian Nights, and oh, by the way,
all but one fairy godmother has been kidnapped.
Casey
learns she’s been summoned as the Fable Ranger to lead the search
and rescue of the missing wish-makers. But she’s not the hero they
want. In the world of fairy tales, damsels aren’t meant to swoop in
and save the day.
Now
all Casey wants is to go home, but the veil between worlds is on
lockdown. Taking fate into her own hands, she embarks on an airship
flight to find the phoenix tears that can open her way home. Her
journey would’ve gone as smooth as the perfect layup if it weren’t
for that pesky bounty the evil Dovetail has placed on her head. But
if Casey fails, the Arabian Nights will disappear forever—and leave
her trapped in a world unraveling one fairy tale at a time.
Casey’s
short-lived return to the real world is followed by a rapid scramble
back to Lorealia to tackle Dovetail and more of his mischief. This
time, it’s a family affair — not just to save the missing
godmothers, but to rescue her sister Leslie as well.
Snow
White is now Snow Leslie, trapped in an off-script fairy tale that’s
doomed to spiral into a never ever after with the rest of Lorealia if
Casey, her father, and Charlie-boy fail their mission to stop a
war.
And
has the book finally realized it made a mistake in choosing Casey as
the Fable Ranger after all? Why is it rejecting her?
Don’t
miss this final installment of the exciting Fable Ranger duology.
Born
and raised in Little Rock, AR, Angela now calls Central Texas
home.
Reading
and writing have been lifelong passions. It was around the time she
gave birth to her forever-love, nicknamed Chipmunk, that she really
took writing seriously. After all, how could she teach her child to
follow her dreams if she hadn't tried herself?
As
a YA fantasy/sci-fi reader and author, she favors the magical,
mysterious, the darker side of life...even harbors a secret fright
for things that go bump in the night.
