Friday, October 23, 2015

DEAD IN A PARK: B. L. Blair



Mystery / Romance
Date Published: November 12, 2015

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When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she doesn’t know he is a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his suit jacket was an exact replica of a ring that has been in Leah’s family for over a hundred years. After her home is burglarized, the sexy chief of police is convinced the ruby ring has something to do with the murder.

Leah wants to find out what happened to Donnie, but why would someone kill for a hundred year old ring? She discovers a connection between Donnie and the drug-dealing Cantono family, between the Cantono family and a jewelry appraiser, and between the jewelry appraiser and one of her own employees. Chief Griggs might be onto something. All clues lead back to the family ring.

Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer strikes again?

EXCERPT

“You didn’t know the victim?” Griggs asked when he returned his attention to me.
“I don’t think so, but I didn’t really see his face.” I paused and then asked, “Who was he?”
“We don’t know,” he replied. “He didn’t have any identification, no wallet, no keys, nothing.”
“How did he get here?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious,” I said innocently.
Griggs’ eyes were full of amusement as he looked at me, and Reddish laughed. They both know all about my curiosity. I love a good mystery. I read a lot of detective novels and try to solve the mystery along with the protagonist. Movies that feature a mystery are my favorite. If a crime makes the news, I take notes and follow along. I fancy myself a sideline detective. That trait may have been what got me almost killed just before Christmas.
“We don’t know,” Reddish answered my question. “The uniforms didn’t find any unaccounted for vehicle.”
David Reddish is a hard man to read. He has been a police officer for over thirty years and a detective for the Reed Hill Police Department for eight having moved to town from Dallas. He is a large man, attractive, with broad shoulders and flat stomach. He has skin the color of coffee with a dash cream, but it is his eyes that tell you he’s not someone you want to cross. They are hard and calculating.
“Was he murdered?” I asked softly.
“Oh, yes. It was murder,” Griggs replied.
The last time I found a body it had never occurred to me that the police would consider me a suspect. As a law-abiding citizen, I had just assumed that people knew I was innocent. My experience with the police showed me I was wrong. I looked at both Griggs and Reddish.
“Please tell me you don’t think I killed him.”
Griggs snorted. “No, we don’t think you killed him. He was taller than you, and his neck was broken. No way could you have done that.”
“It was fast and neat,” Reddish added and then turned to Griggs. “Probably someone with military or combat training.”
“Someone who knows how to kill with their hands,” Griggs said softly.
I swallowed. Candace had shot and killed two people in December and tried to kill me twice. She had been crazy, her behavior unexpected and unpredictable, which had made the situation scary. This sounded worse. A person who was calm and rational murdering someone with their bare hands was chilling. And I couldn’t forget about the weird shoe thing.
“Did you find his shoes?”
“No,” Griggs replied turning toward me.
“Why would someone want his shoes?”
“Who knows? There wasn’t much of a struggle although there were multiple sets of footprints. But all appeared to be made by people wearing shoes.” He turned away from me and back toward Reddish. “Between Leah and her dog stomping around, I doubt we’ll get any viable footprints.”
“Hey,” I said indignantly. Both men ignored me.
“Let’s keep the area secure anyway,” Griggs continued. “Send a team out to see if they can find anything. Maybe the shoes will show up somewhere else in the park.”
“Got it,” Reddish replied as he started to walk away. “See you around, Leah.”
“Bye, David,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t want to be alone with Griggs. It was awkward and unpleasant. I’m not exactly sure why he had kissed me and then disappeared from my life, but I wasn’t going to ask. I hadn’t thought he would be interested in me in the first place. Although not traditionally handsome, Griggs is an extremely attractive and sexy man. After waiting weeks for him to call or come by, I finally chalked it up to a gaffe on his part. Instead of telling me he wasn’t interested, he simply disappeared. If I hadn’t found this body, I probably would have never seen him again except in passing.
We stood there in silence for a few moments before Griggs said, “You can leave now. Thank you for your patience.”
He sounded so formal and polite. I didn’t like it. I gathered Harry’s leash, pulled him up, and started to walk away. “Well, I guess…I guess I’ll see you around.”
Griggs stepped back and let me pass. I hadn’t gotten very far before I heard him call my name. When I turned around, he was standing in the same spot with an odd look on his face. He rubbed his hand across his head and then gave me a slight smile. “It was good to see you, Leah.”
“Uh, yeah, you too,” I stuttered before we both turned and walked away.





About the Author


B. L. Blair writes simple and sweet romance and mystery/romance stories. Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens of books started. She just needs the time to finish them.

She is the author of the Holton Romance Series and the Leah Norwood Mysteries. She enjoys reading books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows. She is currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her family.

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SHORT STORIES: Thomas Ryan



Suspense/Thriller/Short Stories
Date Published: January 2014

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From Best Selling Author of The Jeff Bradley Thriller Series Thomas Ryan is a collection of suspense/thriller short stories.

Award winning thriller novelist, Thomas Ryan, is a prolific writer of short stories. Ryan’s short story’s span the spectrum of human emotions, from the creepy ‘Nightmares’, to the fun and humour of ‘The World’s Biggest Bun’. Ryan believes all good short stories should have unexpected twists and turns. Applying his thriller writing skills he manages to achieve this end and readers will find Ryan’s short story writing gripping but also easy to read. Quoting a recent review, ‘these are very intriguing, original stories, all well written and enjoyable. Ryan really gets inside his characters and makes their world our world, whatever its moral code or unwritten rules. These stories are powerful and stay with you once you've finished them.

Volume Two Was Released in February 2015 - Short Stories Volume 2”: Incudes 'John Wayne' and 'Gerry'


EXCERPT

Ruth

After hitting the kitchen floor and suffering the sickening sensation of her head bouncing off the grey slate, Ruth Deverett found her vision blurry. Squinting eyes couldn’t make out the position of the hands on the wall clock above the fridge. No matter. She knew it was six o’clock. There was no mistaking the news signature tune streaming from the television set in the lounge.
And the day?

Easy.

From the cheese and garlic aromas in her nostrils, the dish now splattered across the floor could only have been lasagna. Robert demanded she keep a strict mealtime regimen. Roast on Sunday, steak on Monday, curry on Tuesday and….

Lasagna on Wednesday.

So, Wednesday it was.

A cautious hand lifted from the tiles and drew up the rough weave of her husband-prescribed white linen apron. Tips of fingers gently patted the side of her head. A wince as Ruth encountered a newly formed lump.

Her head never used to jar this badly when it hit vinyl. She had argued with Robert against replacing the vinyl, but as usual a forceful justification of the soundness of his decision had silenced her. How fortunate, Ruth continually reminded herself, to have a husband who was so supremely confident of the correctness of his opinions.

Out the corner of her eye she caught sight of a movement. A defensive hand flew to her side. A boot deflected off her wrist and into her thigh. Needles of pain stabbed through her upper arm. She knew another blow would come and squeezed her eyes tight. She worried her wrist might be broken. How could she iron Robert’s shirt in the morning with a broken wrist? Her own fault really, she should not have tried to defend herself. Robert had repeatedly yelled at her not to do so. It only made him angrier.

She should apologise for her foolishness. After all, Robert only ever offered helpful advice.

Without opening her eyes Ruth curled into a fetal position and waited. The toe of Robert’s boot tapped against the table leg. She sensed him looking down at her, almost certainly disgusted by her weakness and deliberating his next move. This usually meant he was calming. She held her breath, guarding against sound. A groan would set him off again. She ached, but it wasn’t so bad. Not as bad as other times.

She heard the news reader introduce a news bulletin.

That meant the ad break was over. Robert would not miss the news, not on her account.

A bowl smashed against the wall. Ruth flinched. Lettuce and tomato sprinkled across her exposed calf. Shards of crockery skittered across the floor. This was a good sign. Robert only threw dishes at the wall when it was over. A final vent. Footsteps moved away from her. The sound became muffled. He’d reached the thickness of the broadloom carpet in the sitting room.

“Don’t move yet,” she whispered. “Not yet.”


About the Author


Award winning novelist, Thomas Ryan, has been a soldier in a theatre of war, he has traded in Eastern Europe, trampled the jungles of Asia, and struggled through the trials of love and loss. Armed with these life experiences Ryan turned to writing thriller novels and short stories. Ryan considers himself a story teller, a creator who has enthusiastically plunged his psyche into the world of creativity and fantasy. With the reader in mind he weaves colourful characters into the threads of his riveting storylines. Taking readers on a thrilling journey is what motivates Ryan as a writer. Find out more about Thomas Ryan and his books on his official website www.thomasryanwriter.com


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$5 Amazon Gift Card 





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Monday, October 19, 2015

REVIEW OF GHOST OF A CHANCE: Ani Gonzalez




Paranormal Romance
Date Published: October 7, 2015

EXCERPT
Gabe pushed her away and stared.
Oh yes, the hair was lighter, but the cheekbones and the eyes, those were all painfully familiar. He hadn’t seen her in years. Hell, not even at Cole’s funeral. Well, he’d noticed her there, but he hadn’t seen her. She’d been a slender figure in black with pulled-back hair, nothing like the dazzling bombshell in front of him now.
He’d watched her low-budget movie, Cannibal Clones from Alpha Centauri or something like that, but she’d been a brunette then. She’d played the alien villainess, Princess Something. Apparently, Alpha Centauri princesses wore very little clothing, or, at least, the cannibal ones did. He’d watched the movie with Cole and, as a result, spent much time staring at the ceiling trying to avoid staring at his best friend’s little sister’s bellybutton. Cole’s dad had been livid, but Gabe had been amused. It was exactly the sort of trouble he’d expect Elizabeth to get into.
But he wasn’t amused now. What was Elizabeth doing, picking up guys in Banshee Creek? Successfully picking up guys in Banshee Creek, no less.
Hell, he’d almost had sex with Cole’s baby sister. Cole’s baby sister, who he wanted to kiss more than he wanted his next breath. He tried to think of what Cole would do to him if he were here. Then he decided that he really, really didn’t want to think of what Cole would do. It would be painful. And he’d thoroughly deserve it. And yet he still wanted to kiss her.
Hell. This was hell.
REVIEW
A Teasy Kind of Romantic Comedy!!!
Actress Elizabeth Hunt has moved back to Banshee Creek and taken up selling real estate. The problem? No one wants to buy it! Who would when every house comes with its own ghosts … or poltergeist. They don’t call Banshee Creek “the most haunted town in America” for nothing. But Elizabeth plans on changing that reputation, and it starts by taking down the hunky Gabe Franco any way she can. 
A Ghost of a Chance by Ani Gonzalez is an easy-breezy-teasy kind of romantic tale. There’s plenty of flirting going on in these pages, and a cute story that casts Elizabeth and Gabe in opposing camps. They’re not supposed to be fraternizing, but it’s more fun being friends than enemies. And even more fun being lovers, but everything is conspiring against them. Then there’s Gabe’s reluctance to become involved with his departed best friend’s sister. It just seems wrong, but Elizabeth doesn’t think so.
The story is well-written and the plotline inventive. Told in a He said, She Said way, the premise adds a lot of fun and gives Ms. Gonzalez plenty of space to come up with outrageous situations. The only thing I didn’t like was the repetitious nature of some of the passages. It doesn’t happen once the story gets going, but in the beginning, it does and slows things down.
The humor works as do the characters, especially Liz and Gabe. I liked the chemistry and their personalities, and you have to for these types of stories to work. You can feel the heat and it’s only a matter of time before one of them surrenders, or will they? That’s what Ms. Gonzalez has us reading to find out.
If you want a fast-paced, easy read that’s full of romance and humor, pick up Ghost of a Chance. May the Spirits Be With You! 3.8 stars from me.
AUTHOR BIO

Ani Gonzalez loves sexy stories and quirky towns with spooky houses. She currently lives in Minnesota with her family.

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

REVIEW OF A HEARTFUL OF CHRISTMAS: Ruth Bainbridge



A HEARTFUL OF CHRISTMAS by Ruth Bainbridge
Three short stories that prove love comes in many forms. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll fall in love.

WHEN THE SNOW MELTS AWAY
Margaret Stevens is bound and determined to spend another Christmas alone. With the death of her husband ten years ago, she believes that not partaking in the holiday cheer is staying true to his memory. But her daughter and an interfering angel have other ideas when they conspire to get her to go a Christmas party being held at their local church. With their help, Margaret just might find that love truly is made in heaven. Approximately: 5,720 words

WISH UPON A STAR
Sandra Bevins is none too happy about working on Christmas Eve, but her financial situation demands it. She’s in a bind and needs extra cash to tide her over, and so she shows up at Nickel’s Diner, ready to serve turkey dinners. The young waitress has no idea that there’s a surprise in store. A kindly old customer named Kris leaves a very special tip—one that will change her life forever. Approximately: 8,625 words

FINDING THE ONE YOU NEED
Christmas is Lily Pressman’s most favorite holiday. She’s already decorated her parent’s house, and is ready to start in on them, when her brother Archer arrives home from school in the nick of time to prevent that from happening. He’s promised her a Christmas surprise, but the gift turns out to be Jim Steele, the one person in the world that she hates the most. She had a mad crush on the handsome quarterback in high school, but he had to go and ruin everything by standing her up. To make matters worse, she learns he’ll be sharing the holidays with her and her family. What’s a girl to do? Lily Pressman has no idea other than hide in her room and wait it out, but love has other plans. An angel with four legs and fur enters her life at just the right time to work a Christmas miracle. Approximately: 10,568 words


AUTHOR

I was born in the idyllic, sleepy town of Ithaca, NY, and have been a lover of mysteries for my entire life. Ever since I was a child, I've consumed detective stories at regular intervals, becoming enamored with all the superstars of crime. I loved matching wits (and still do) with Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Thomas Pitt, Lord Peter Wimsey, Richard Jury and Edward X Delaney. In fact, I was so inspired by their brilliance that I began trying to emulate my writing idol's achievements by composing my own short stories. However, life interfered with my plans of becoming the next hopeful to try a life of crime--on paper at least. I devoted myself to my marriage and the raising of four delicious, sometimes obedient children. But the empty nest syndrome happened and gave me the impetus to return to my first love--murder.

The Curt Savage Mysteries are the first series I have out. I am feverishly working on Murder Most Fowl, an Alex Trout Mystery, and Deadspeak, a paranormal detective series. To keep up with all that's happening, I'd love you to join my newsletter.


Twitter: @Ruth_Mysteries
Website: http://ruthbainbridgemysteries.blogspot.com/
Heartful of Christmas website: http://heartfullofcharistmas.blogspot.com/
 
REVIEW
Delightful!!! Just delightful!!!
The magic of Christmas is highlighted in this trio of stories. Ms. Bainbridge, one of our favorite authors, explores the perplexing nature of love, and its quixotic nature makes for some pretty unexpected twists. The only sure bet? That you’ll fall in love—just like the couples you encounter on these pages!
Ms. Bainbridge has a way with words, and these short stories are examples of her wizardry. They strike a chord that allows the heartwarming nature of the tales to shine through and it’s that infusion of emotion that keeps us reading on. The stories flow so beautifully, that it’s tempting to zip right through them, but I purposefully portioned them out because I wanted the joy to last. It’s up to you as to how you want to play it.
While all three short stores were fantastic, I especially loved WHEN THE SNOW MELTS AWAY and FINDING THE ONE YOU LOVE. WHEN THE SNOW MELTS AWAY is a three hanky read! At least! Fair warning: Keep tissues handy because some of these passages will make you breakdown and cry! Talk about touching! Yikes! FINDNG THE ONE YOU LOVE is the exact opposite in tone and it’s the perfect way to finish off the collection. I laughed so hard that I almost spilled my hot chocolate. There’s a moment in the card shop when Lily confronts the boy who stood her up in high school that’s straight up hilarious. If you need a laugh, this one’s for you! I should add that the addition of a tiny kitten acting as a furry angel got to me. Yes, it’s the one on the cover and the cat figures in very nicely with this story. If you have a soft spot in your heart for felines, it’s even more reason to love this one!!! The third story WISH UPON A STAR is darker in theme and hides two powerful messages. The first is not judging on appearances and the second is to never give up believing in Santa!!! Psssst: He’s real!!!! Believe what your parents told you and not your friends!!!    
All in all, Ms. Bainbridge has perfectly captured the exuberance of the holidays and the exhilaration of hormones running amok. If you can’t get enough Christmas, or romance, HEARTFUL OF CHRISTMAS should top your list! Request it from Santa, or better yet, hit the CLICK button and buy it yourself! Five tree-topping stars from me! 

PURCHASE LINK: 
http://www.amazon.com/Addun%C3%A9-Vampire-Trilogy-Wendy-Potocki-ebook/dp/B017RIOP1C/ref=la_B002BRGIP6_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448721560&sr=1-4 


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