Monday, December 26, 2016

NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Linkup


Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley BooksCinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance |
Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings | The Brown Bibliophile

Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMieiAli - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom WannabeDeal Sharing Aunt

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x



Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Murder at Christmas (Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery #4) by Kathi Daley

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BOOK INFORMATION
  • Series: Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery
  • Paperback: 218 pages
  • Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 2, 2016)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1540302210
  • ISBN-13: 978-1540302212

Synopsis: It is the week before Christmas and the Dolphin Bay Resort where Lani works is packed with holiday visitors. There is a strange flu working its way through the staff at the resort so those who are left have been asked to work double shifts. Lani works as a lifeguard by day and a Santa's Helper at night. Things go from bad to worse when Lani finds Santa dead in the alley behind the loading dock during the big Step into Christmas event the resort is sponsoring. As it turns out Santa is really one of the seniors who participates in the same Monday afternoon bingo game as Lani and her neighbor Elva, so Elva convinces Lani to investigate along with Luke and the senior sleuthing gang we saw in book 2 in the series.

Review: A fabulous Christmas-themed edition of Ms. Daley's Hawaiian mystery series. Nothing seems to be going right for Lani....she's working long hours thanks to illness among the resort employees, then she finds a dead body and gets involve in the murder investigation, along with Elva, Luke, and the senior ladies. Meanwhile, she's trying to get in the Christmas spirit, spend some quality time with Luke, and plan a massive Christmas Eve party. During the murder investigation, Lani discovers a variety of other issues, such as robberies, missing security videotape, secrets, shadows on the videotape, and pranks.

The characters are growing and developing more in each book in this series, which keeps them interesting. The relationship between Lani and Luke is also evolving so that readers are rooting for them to work things out at some point in the future.  The author makes the setting an important part of the story as well with her detailed descriptions of the beauty of the island.

The mystery part of the story will keep readers engaged from beginning to end. There is a long list of suspects, with enough plot twists to make you totally surprised by the big reveal.

Rating: Five stars

About the author
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Kathi lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn't writing, Kathi likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese,) and garden (planting and planning not weeding). She also enjoys spending time on the water when she's not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing, the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. 
Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries. 

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

When Jesus Was A Green-Eyed Brunette: Loving People Like God Does By Max Davis #JesusGreenEyedBrunette #FlyBy

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BOOK INFORMATION
Genre: Christian living
  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Worthy Publishing (November 1, 2016)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 161795800X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1617958007
  • List price: $15.99

Synopsis: When Jesus Was a Green-Eyed Brunette weaves heartwarming and miraculous stories of Jesus showing up in ordinary people, revealing that He knows us and is fully present in our everyday circumstances, especially in our difficulties. Those hurting and weary from worn-out religion are longing for a fresh touch from the living Jesus. Best-selling author Max Davis challenges us to do more than simply receive God’s grace—we need to allow grace to soften, change, and shape us. As you read this book you will laugh, cry, and come face-to-face with the living Jesus, much like Davis did, when he found Him living in a green-eyed brunette. As Davis puts it, “Jesus is very much alive today and still does incredible things—sometimes supernatural things—through us!”

Review: I was fascinated by the title of this book, and loved reading it. I found so many great quotes throughout. Here is one of my favorites:

**Religion is man's way working hard to try to be accepted by God. True Christianity is about receiving what God has done for us and His Spirit coming inside us to have an ongoing relationship with us.**

To me, those two sentences sum up the lesson of the entire book. We need to receive God's grace, let His Spirit live within in, and let it change our entire life. Everything about us should reflect His unconditional love.

The discussion of people-pleasing and what a HUGE burden it can be truly hit home for me. I've spent pretty much all of my 55 yrs. trying to make everyone around me happy--from parents to teachers to husbands to children. Between some real life events and the things I read in this book, I think 2017 is going to be a year of real, lasting change in that area.

I highly recommend this book to every Christian--I will be personally recommending it to those near and dear to me over the next few weeks, and will gladly share my copy with anyone who has an interest in reading it.


Rating: Five stars,

About the author
 photo Max-Bio-Image_zpsrfz1hdd0.jpg Max Davis is the author of over 20 published books and has been featured in USA Today and Publishers Weekly and has appeared on The Today Show and The 700 Club. He holds degrees in Journalism and Biblical Studies and is a much sought-after speaker for churches and organizations worldwide. He and his wife, Alanna, live on 50 beautiful acres in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.



BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Feliz Navidead (Santa Fe Cafe Mystery #3) by Ann Myers

Feliz Navidead

by Ann Myers

on Tour November 20 - December 31, 2016

Synopsis:

Feliz Navidead by Ann MyersHolly, jolly, and downright deadly—the third Santa Fe Café mystery unwraps surprises both naughty and nice... It’s the most picturesque time of the year in Santa Fe, and Chef Rita Lafitte of Tres Amigas Café hopes the twinkling lights and tasty holiday treats will charm her visiting mom. Rita is also planning fun activities, such as watching her teenage daughter, Celia, perform in an outdoor Christmas play.
What she doesn’t plan for is murder.
Rita discovers a dead actor during the premier performance but vows to keep clear of the case. Sleuthing would upset her mom. Besides, there’s already a prime suspect, caught red-handed in his bloodied Santa suit. However, when the accused Santa’s wife begs for assistance—and points out that Celia and other performers could be in danger—Rita can’t say no. With the help of her elderly boss, Flori, and her coterie of rogue knitters, Rita strives to salvage her mother’s vacation, unmask a murderer, and stop this festive season from turning even more fatal.

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Christmas
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: October 25th 2016
Number of Pages: 352
ISBN: 0062382322 (ISBN13: 9780062382320)
Series: Santa Fe Cafe Mystery #3

Feliz Navidead Can Be Found on: HarperCollins 🔗, Amazon 🔗, Barnes & Noble 🔗, and Goodreads 🔗.

Review:  I recently read all three of the books in this series, and was entertained by all of them. Rita and her cohorts at Tres Amigas Cafe are a fun bunch of people, and there are a variety of other enjoyable folks around town as well.

In this book, Rita has invited her mother to come from the Midwest to celebrate Christmas in Santa Fe.  Mom wants her traditional Christmas, while Rita wants to introduce her to some traditions of the Southwest, which leads to some "discussions" between them.

When a body is discovered on opening night of the Christmas play, Rita is torn. She wants to put her sleuthing skills to work yet again, but she doesn't want to upset her mother. Will Flori be able to draw her in? Will they find the murderer before Christmas? Will Mom realize Rita has found a new home, and a new love?

The characters are very well-written, and by this point they feel like old friends. Santa Fe and its cuisine are featured prominently in the series, and each book contains several recipes from the story.  The mystery is not easy to solve, and will keep you guessing until the final reveal.

I love that Flori and the ladies of her knitting circle were "graffiti knitters," which is something I had never heard of prior to this book. Google it and take a look at what some actual graffiti knitters have been doing!

I can hardly wait for the next installment in this series.

Rating: Four stars

Read an excerpt:

Mom stopped mid-stroll, thumping one hand to her chest, gripping a hip-high adobe wall with the other. “I need to catch my breath, Rita,” she declared, rather accusatorily. I murmured, “Of course,” and issued my best good-daughter sympathetic smile. I did, truly, sympathize. At seven thousand feet above sea level, Santa Fe, New Mexico, can literally take your breath away, and my mother had flown in only a few hours earlier from the midwestern lowlands. Adjusting to high altitudes takes time. About a week, the experts say, although I’ve called Santa Fe home for over three years and still blame the paltry oxygen when I pant through my morning jog and puff under overladen burrito platters at Tres Amigas Cafe, where I’m a chef and co-amiga. I’ve even postulated that the thin air makes my thighs look larger. Lack of atmospheric compression, that unscientifically tested theory goes. The more likely culprit is my steady diet of cheesy chiles rellenos, blue corn waffles, green chile cheeseburgers, and other New Mexican delicacies. Mom took deep breaths beside me. I wasn’t too worried. If Mom was at risk of anything, it was overacting. I strongly suspected she was making a point, something she likes to do indirectly and with drama. Things Mom doesn’t like? High altitudes, dry climates, hot chiles, and disturbance of her holiday routine. I knew she wasn’t thrilled to spend Christmas away from home. My goal was to win her over, and lucky for me, I had Santa Fe’s holiday charm on my side. I leaned against the wall, enjoying the warmth of solar-heated adobe on my back. A group of carolers strolled by, harmonizing a bilingual version of “Feliz Navidad.” String lights and pine boughs decorated the porticos along Palace Avenue, and pinon smoke perfumed the air. To my eyes, the self-proclaimed “City Different” looked as pretty as a Christmas card. Once Mom got over the initial shock of leaving her comfort zone, she’d come around. I hoped . . . Mom reached for a water bottle in her dual-holstered hip pack. “Hydration,” she said, repeating a caution she’d first raised nearly two decades ago, when I embarked for culinary school in Denver and its mere mile-high elevation. In between sips, she reminded me that proper water intake was the key to fending off altitude-induced illnesses ranging from headaches to poor judgment. She tilted her chin up and assessed me through narrowed eyes. “You’re not drinking enough, Rita. I can tell. Your cheeks look dry. Your hands too. And your hair...” Mom made tsk-tsk sounds. “Perhaps a trim would keep it from getting so staticky. You do look awfully cute when it’s short.” I patted my shoulder-length locks, recently cut into loose layers that emphasized my natural staticky waves. I could use a drink. A tart margarita on the rocks with extra salt would do. My mouth watered. Behave, I chastised myself. It wasn’t even two in the afternoon, way too early for tequila. Plus, I loved my mother and her cute silver-flecked pixie cut. Most of all, I was delighted that she’d come to visit me and my teenage daughter, Celia. It was nice of Mom. No, more than nice. The visit bordered on maternal sacrifice. As far as I knew, my mother, Mrs. Helen Baker Lafitte, aged sixty-eight and three quarters, of Bucks Grove, Illinois, had never left home for Christmas before, nor had she wanted to. Mom is a retired high school librarian, a woman of card-catalog order and strict traditions, otherwise known as doing the same thing year after year. Under usual circumstances, Mom keeps our “heirloom” artificial Christmas tree perpetually decorated and stored in the garage until the day after Thanksgiving, when she takes it out, dusts it off, and installs it to the left of the living-room fireplace. She places electric candles in each front window, hangs a wreath on the door, and wraps the holly bush in tasteful, nonflashing white lights. All of her holiday cards are mailed by the twelfth of December. Food traditions are similarly strict. The Christmas Day lunch begins promptly at noon and is typically attended by my Aunt Sue, Uncle Dave, Aunt Karen, and younger sister Kathy and her family. Kathy’s husband, Dwayne, watches sports in the den, while their three kids hover between completely exhausted and totally wired from their morning gift frenzy. My mother and aunts whip up a feast of roasted turkey and stuffing, scalloped potatoes, sweet potato casserole with mini-marshmallows, Tater Tot hot dish, amazing monkey bread, Aunt Sue’s famous (or infamous) Jell-O surprise featuring celery and cheese cubes, and my favorite dish: pie, usually apple, mincemeat, and/or pumpkin. It’s a lovely meal, which I truly miss when I can’t attend. However, I also love Santa Fe and want to make my own traditions here. “That’s one benefit for your sister,” Mom said, polishing off her second water bottle. I swore I heard her stomach slosh. “The beach is at sea level.” “Yep, that’s the beach for you,” I replied in the perky tone I vowed to maintain for the rest of Mom’s visit. “Kath and the kids must be loving it. What a treat! A holiday to remember!” “I warned Kathy about jellyfish,” Mom said darkly. “Rip currents, sharks, sand, mosquitoes. . . . It simply doesn’t seem right to be somewhere so tropical for Christmas, but Dwayne went and got that package deal.” Mom’s tone suggested Dwayne had purchased a family-sized case of hives. I gave Mom another sympathetic smile, along with the extra water bottle she’d stashed in my purse. Of course she was out of sorts. Once the kids learned that they’d get to open their presents early and go to Disney World and the beach, Mom and the holiday hot dish hadn’t stood a chance. I, meanwhile, saw my chance to get Mom to Santa Fe. I employed some of the guilt she usually ladled on me, telling her truthfully that Celia and I couldn’t get away this year between my work and Celia’s extracurricular activities. Mom, the master of loving manipulation, countered with how much my Illinois relatives would miss us. I was also single, she needlessly pointed out, implying that I could easily uproot. Furthermore, I lived in a casita, a home with tiny in its very name. She wouldn’t want to put me out, she said. Mom then played her wild card, namely Albert Ridgeland, my junior prom date. Wouldn’t you know, Mom had said. She’d recently run into Albert and he was divorced just like me, and with his own successful dental clinic and a mostly full head of hair and he sure would love to catch up. Mom might be indirect, but she’s never subtle. Ever since my divorce from Manny Martin, a policeman with soap-opera good looks and accompanying philandering tendencies, Mom’s been after me to move back “home.” She sends me clippings of employment ads and monitors eligible bachelors. Peeved that Mom had dragged a divorced dentist into the debate, I went for the guilt jugular, reminding Mom that she was retired yet hadn’t visited in nearly two years. My tactic worked, possibly too well. Mom was staying for nearly three weeks—to get her money’s worth out of the flight—and I’d feel terrible if she didn’t have a good time. I looked over and saw Mom eyeing a brown paper lunch sack perched a few feet down the adobe wall. The bag was open at the top and slightly singed on the sides. I could guess the contents. A votive candle nestled in sand. Mom stepped over to peek inside. “It’s a wonder this entire state doesn’t burn down,” she declared. “Remember when your middle school band director, Mr. Ludwig, put on that world Christmas festival in the gymnasium? He almost set the bleachers on fire with one of these . . .” She paused. “What do you call them?” “A farolito,” I said, proud to show off my local knowledge. “Some people call them luminarias, but Santa Feans are very particular about terminology. Here, luminaria refers to small bonfires. Farolitos are the candles in paper bags. There are electric farolitos too. You’ll see a lot of those along the rooflines of hotels and businesses. They’re pretty but nothing compared to the real ones on Christmas Eve. You’ll love it, Mom. You’ve never seen anything like it.” Mom shuddered, likely imagining Santa Fe bursting into a spontaneous inferno rather than aglow with thousands of flickering lights. I decided not to tell her about the amazing three-dimensional paper lanterns I’d once seen soaring above the adobe city, lifted by the energy of the candles burning inside them. I needed to work on Mom before I exposed her to flying flames or peppers for breakfast. Mom was rooting around in her hip pack. “I thought I had a granola bar. This time change and the lack of air are making me light-headed. You need to keep eating too, Rita.” Eating, I always had covered. I also had a better idea than a squished fanny-pack snack. “It’s the holidays, Mom. Let’s get some pie.”
Ann Myers

More About Ann:

Ann Myers writes the Santa Fe Café Mysteries. The first book in the series, Bread of the Dead (2015), introduced café chef and reluctant amateur sleuth, Rita Lafitte. Rita and her friends stir up more trouble in Cinco de Mayhem (March 2016) and Feliz Navidead (October 25, 2016). Ann lives with her husband and extra-large house cat in southern Colorado, where she enjoys cooking, crafts, and cozy mysteries.
You can find Ann online on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AnnMyers.writer/; and her website http://www.annmyersbooks.com/
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Tour Participants:


Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Ann Myers and HarperCollins. There will be 5 US winners of one (1) set of CINCO DE MAYHEM and BREAD OF THE DEAD by Ann Myers. The giveaway begins on Noveber 18th and runs through January 3rd, 2016.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

Monday, December 19, 2016

NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Linkup


Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley BooksCinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance |
Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings | The Brown Bibliophile

Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMieiAli - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom WannabeDeal Sharing Aunt

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x



Saturday, December 17, 2016

BOOK TOUR: Amelia's Hope by Candis Vargo

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Contemporary Romance/Women's fiction
Date Published: 11/14/16
Publisher: Fifth Ink Publishing

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Synopsis: “Even though I was decaying, Amelia was growing. It was like some beautiful symphony the way both things were happening at once.”
Sacrificing your life for your child is one of the greatest ways a mother can show her love. 

For Cara Michaels, that sacrifice was made.

At ten weeks pregnant, Cara was diagnosed with fast-acting cancer and was faced with the ultimate decision… 
That decision was to forgo life-saving treatment to ensure her child would come into this world unharmed.
Cara shares with us the last months of her life as she prepared to give birth to her child and for her husband, Joel, to parent without her.
But a husband can only handle so much before he breaks…

Grab your tissues because you're in for heartbreak.

Review: Wow, wow, wow!  This is my favorite book for December, without question. I knew from the synopsis that it wasn't going to end well, but the way it DID end totally blindsided me. 

All of the characters are realistically written and the story is beautiful. I laughed, I cried, and my heart broke. 

I have never read anything by this author before, but after this I will definitely check out some of her other genres.  I'm hoping she will write more stories like this one in the future as well.

Rating: Five stars

About the author
 photo AuthorPic_zpsly1elqlj.jpg Growing up on an old dirt road in the middle of nowhere, as a child Candis used her love for books as a way to escape reality (and her brother constantly trying to kill her--literally). She blames her love of all things Horror on being born on Friday the 13th and will always find joy in scaring her friends. 


You will find a little piece of her in every book she writes. She loves a good happy ending but isn’t afraid to keep her stories real, even if that means telling the side of a story most people are afraid to tell.

Never caring for the norms or boundaries, Candis has written several genres from Horror to Erotica.

When she's not writing or reading, she can usually be found chasing her children around or binge watching Netflix. She currently lives in Rome, Pennsylvania with her husband and three children.



Contact Information


Purchase Links

Thursday, December 15, 2016

BOOK TOUR: Don't Mess With Mrs. Sedgewick by Marie F. Martin

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Cozy Mystery
Date Published:10/11l2016
Publisher: 4-D Publishing


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Synopsis:  Roberta Sedgewick is stuck in a house that is too empty without her beloved Burton—the rat died and left her with his dog and rooms that rattle. She convinces her three golfing buddies, all in their seventies, to sell their homes and buy adjoining condos. The widows intend to spend the rest of their days golfing, gambling at the casino, and having fun. Oh, the heaven of it. But then they all hire the same maid who uncovers long-hidden criminal secrets kept by each woman. Oh, the horror of it. The reputations of their deceased husbands: a banker, a minister, and a respected farmer will be tarnished forever. Three of the widows could face jail time and the fourth fears for her life. Whatever will they do with the conniving, blackmailing maid?

Review: This is such a fun story. The main characters are four feisty widows, all in their seventies. They are golfing buddies, they buy adjoining condos (with a little friendly pressure from Mrs. Sedgewick, and they all have the same maid (also because of Mrs. Sedgewick). When the maid uncovers secrets about each woman and begins to blackmail them, Mrs. Sedgewick feels responsible. Now the four friends have to find a way to deal with the maid before she causes serious issues for all of them.


Each of the four ladies has a very distinct personality, with their own interests and quirks, but they all manage to come together in a very close-knit relationship which is totally believable.  The plot has humor, drama, intrigue and suspense to draw the reader into the story from the very beginning. 

I hope this author will continue to explore the cozy mystery genre--and I'll be reading some of her other novels in the near future!

Rating: Four stars

About the author

 photo Marie F Martin_zpsuptq7zm7.jpg Marie F. Martin is the author of an intense vow in MATERNAL HARBOR, surprising twists of a family’s past in HARBORED SECRETS, a grizzly attack and lover’s spat in RATHAM CREEK. Together her three thriller, mystery, or suspense novels have over 250,000 Kindle downloads and 613 five star reviews.
She now adds DON’T MESS WITH MRS. SEDGEWICK to her list of books.
Marie lives in a fertile valley at the base of the Rocky Mountains. She enjoys a quiet life where laughter comes easy, love easier. She invites you to join in her rich, rural memories on her website where she has posted a memoir of her early childhood and raising her family of four children.

Contact Information
Website: http://www.mariefmartin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariefmartinauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariefranmartin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6527420.Marie_F_Martin


Purchase Links

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

RELEASE DAY BOOK BLAST: Holding Out For A Zero by Heather Wardell


About the Book

"I’m doing the right thing, not feeding myself. It’s the only thing I can do, so I will do it. Gloria can somehow have the energy I don’t take in, and it will help her stay alive."

Twenty years ago, fourteen-year-old Valerie rushed off for lunch with her boyfriend instead of properly putting away a packet of balloons, and her little brother choked to death on his third birthday. In response, Valerie locked down every aspect of her life so she could never lose control like that again, and she’s still doing that today.

So when her sister Gloria is found comatose after an apparently random attack, Valerie is desperate to do something, anything, to save her only remaining sibling. But as a financial controller for a "nothing bigger than a size six" fashion designer, she has no medical background and no idea of how to help. But she has to find a way.

Since Gloria has always wanted to be a size zero, Valerie hits on food as the answer: by eating less, she will lose the weight Gloria now can’t and somehow save her sister that way. But when "eating less" turns into a frantic starvation diet to reach size zero before Gloria dies, will Valerie’s self control save her sister or destroy her own life?

Participating Blogs



About the Author

Heather is a natural 1200 wpm speed reader and the author of nineteen self-published novels. She came to writing after careers as a software developer and elementary school computer teacher and has no plans to leave it. In her spare time, she reads, walks, lifts weights, crochets, takes care of her aquarium and her cat Trinity, changes her hair colour, and plays drums and clarinet.

Links

http://heatherwardell.com/
https://www.facebook.com/heather.wardell.author
https://twitter.com/heatherwardell
http://amzn.to/2heDWQE
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32187150-holding-out-for-a-zero








Monday, December 12, 2016

Self Serve Murder (Death by Cupcake #3) by D.E. Haggerty

self-serve-murder-book-blast-large-banner-640

Book Series: Death by Cupcake, Book 3 – can standalone
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Humor
Published: December, 2016
Word count: 43,000

self-serve-murder_cover  

 Synopsis: Kristie is kind with a capital K, so it’s quite the surprise when she wakes up next to a dead man with no recollection of the previous night. Even worse? She’s naked. Kristie may be a sweetheart out to save the world, but sticking her nose into an investigation of rapes across campus makes her the target of a murderer. Before she knows it, Callie is smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation with her colleagues Callie and Anna. If that’s not enough to drive a sane person up the wall, a friend has decided he’s going to keep her safe whether she wants him to or not. And, oh yeah, he’s her man and that’s that.

Come join us at Callie’s Cakes, where murder investigations are on the menu. You are most welcome, but you may need to serve yourself as our barista Kristie is busy trying to save the world.

Warning: Although there are plenty of moments that will make you shake your head and laugh at the antics of the ladies of Callie’s Cakes, the subject matter – rape on college campuses – is very real and somewhat darker than your usual cozy mystery.

Review: This is my favorite of the three books in this story! While I loved the stories about Callie and Anna, Kristie's story just seemed to be a more realistic, emotionally charged story.

We learn more about Kristie and her life in this book...for instance, her true connection to the Youth Center (which made me love her even more). I also loved that she tried to be the voice of reason to Anna and Callie, while taking risks of her own, ignoring her own voice of reason, Tyler.

The subject matter of rape on college campuses is very timely and serious, and the author handles it very well, while working in humor at the same time.  This entire series is a well-written one with enjoyable characters.

Rating: Five stars

Buy links:
  Amazon
  Smashwords
  Barnes and Noble
  Kobo



author-photo-2016 About the author
I grew up reading everything I could get my hands on from my mom's Harlequin romances to Nancy Drew to Little Women. When I wasn't flipping pages in a library book, I was penning horrendous poems, writing songs no one should ever sing, or drafting stories which have thankfully been destroyed. College and a stint in the U.S. Army came along, robbing me of free time to write and read, although I did manage, every once in a while, to sneak a book into my rucksack between rolled up socks, MRIs, t-shirts, and cold weather gear. After surviving the army experience, I went back to school and got my law degree. I jumped ship and joined the hubby in the Netherlands before the graduation ceremony could even begin. A few years into my legal career, I was exhausted, fed up, and just plain done. I quit my job and sat down to write a manuscript, which I promptly hid in the attic after returning to the law. But being a lawyer really wasn’t my thing, so I quit (again!) and went off to Germany to start a B&B. Turns out being a B&B owner wasn’t my thing either. I decided to follow the husband to Istanbul for a few years where I managed to churn out book after book. But ten years was too many to stay away from ‘home’. I packed up again and moved to The Hague where I’m currently working on my next book. I hope I’ll always be working on my next book.

Author links:
Website: http://dehaggerty.wordpress.com
Blog: https://dehaggerty.wordpress.com/category/mymusings/
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NEW RELEASES/FREE AND BARGAIN BOOKS Weekly Link Up


Sharing the Love of Books
Enjoy our selection of New Releases / Free & Bargain Books this week

Authors please feel free to add your own books
Readers please free to add your own finds
(any genre except erotica welcome)

This weekly link up is hosted by Beck Valley Books & these awesome book loving blogs...
Monday
 Leels Loves Books | IrishdaisylovesRomance | Book Babble
Tuesday
It's My Side of Life | Celticlady's Reviews | First Time Mommy Adventures 
Wednesday
Beck Valley BooksCinnamon Hollow Reviews
Thursday
Miki's Hope | Nicki's Nook
Friday
Ebook Addicts | I Love Romance |
Colorimetry
Saturday
Totally Addicted to Reading | 3 Partners in Shopping | Angie's Angle I Create Purty Thangs | Wishful Endings | The Brown Bibliophile

Sunday
Lynchburg Mama | LibriAmoriMieiAli - The Dragon Slayer | Wondermom WannabeDeal Sharing Aunt

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author
For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author
For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date 
For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please.  Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Here is this weeks awesome selection!

Would you like to share our linkup on your site? click here
Would you like to become a weekly host? sign up here


Come back and check out the new selection every week x



Thursday, December 8, 2016

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY: Crime And Catnip (Nick and Nora Mystery #3) by T.C. LoTempio

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Crime and Catnip (A Nick and Nora Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Berkley (December 6, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425270226
E-Book ASIN: B01CZCW4ZY

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Synopsis: Nick and Nora aren’t just pussyfooting around this time as they deal with a missing person’s case and murder.While catering a gala for the Cruz Museum, Nora Charles agrees to look into the disappearance of director Violet Crenshaw’s niece, a case previously undertaken by her frisky feline friend Nick’s former owner, a private eye whose whereabouts are also currently unknown. 
 
As Nora and her curious cat Nick pull at the string of clues, they begin to unravel a twisted tale of coded messages, theft, false identities, murder, and international espionage. Nora dares to hope that the labyrinth of leads will not only help them locate the missing young woman, but also solve the disappearance of the detective. That’s if Nora can stay alive long enough to find him...

  
INCLUDES DELICIOUS SANDWICH RECIPES


Review: I'm a big fan of this series and have been since the beginning. All three of the books in this series so far are fun, easy reads.

Nick, a chubby black and white cat who adopted Nora in the first book, is once again a major part of the story, and of solving the crime.  I love that he is such a major character in this series, unlike the animals in most other cozy series. 

Nick's former owner is still missing, and the case Nick and Nora are trying to solve this time around is a missing person that Nick Atkins had been trying to find. That turns out not to be the only mystery the amazing duo has to solve, however. This suspenseful cozy involves secret codes and espionage as well as a missing person. 
As usual, Nora puts herself in danger while trying to solve the case...and Nick actually uses his claws to help her out.  I can't wait to see what other adventures these two have in the future---and if they ever find out what happened to the human Nick.

I received this book to review through Great Escapes Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

Rating: Four stars

About the author
 photo Fred Profile_zpsgu5mngnw.jpg While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – and in Spring 2017, the new CAT RESCUE mysteries from Crooked Lane! She, Rocco and company make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York. Catch up with them at www.tclotempio.com and www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com


Author Links
Where to find them:
ROCCO’s blog:
www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com
Purchase Links
Amazon        B&N
a Rafflecopter giveaway