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Review: Against Such Things

1/29/2021

2 Comments

 
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Against Such Things
By Rachel K. Baldwin
Genre: Memoir, Substance Abuse Recovery
 
Synopsis
 
If you are born into ineffable darkness, could you even comprehend the light?

Take one-part volatile home life, two-parts haphazard nomadic existence, zero-parts social connection, and shake well. Our protagonist's only constant is unpredictability: that, and the charismatic, fundamentalist hammerings from the pulpit.
​

But when a sheltered child goes nuclear? Just pray you are FAR from the exclusion zone.

Can a toxic cocktail of compounded trauma, spiritual warfare, and an unfettered nosedive into addiction be overcome? Join Rachel on her passage through the underworld as she searches for the means to reassemble her splintered psyche while wrestling Against Such Things.


Review

There are a lot of experiences we will only ever be able to chip away our understanding to because we read or hear it from someone who experienced it firsthand. That is how I felt as I red Rachel K. Baldwin's Memoir Against Such Things. I'll start off repeating what Baldwin does in her first section - beware of the triggers. This book should be read by everyone - but only if you are in a mentally- and emotionally-ready place to absorb all that you are about to hear. The triggers are for abuse and addiction.

​Baldwin takes us on a journey throughout Against Such Things that involve pivotal moments in her life. Each representing a fraction of what has led her to become who she is - our experiences, after all, shapes who we become. In the case of this memoir, it is separated into sections that helps the reader go along for the ride in the birth and growth of a person - in all meanings of the words. 

Against Such Things was a gripping, page-turning of a read that managed to break my heart, but still left me feeling hopeful. And grateful. Grateful for my own experiences. Grateful to where life has led me. This is truly an inspirational story of heartache, trauma, and recovery.  
2 Comments

Book Spotlight: The Kingdom Under Siege

1/11/2021

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The Kingdom Under Siege
By Steven Szmyt
Genre: Sci Fi/Fantasy 
 
About the Book
 
The pieces have fallen after the battle at Elm Hills and the Kingdom’s two biggest foes, the Prominent Order and the Wanderers, have regrouped to plan their retaliation.  With help from unlikely sources, the Kingdom’s hierarchy is threatened as it also uncovers one of the boldest coups it has ever faced.
 
Meanwhile, a key young potential has fled from the Kingdom which has created a ripple effect of dangerous events that the Wolf King must navigate through. As Anne learns more about werewolf lore an unusual ally is revealed. She must also overcome the greatest deception she has ever encountered, a deception that will have every Kingdom member questioning its own.
 
This powerful lycan syndicate must unleash all of its might to survive or the future of the Kingdom will finally lie in the hands of its enemies. Even if the Wolf King and his soldiers can endure, these historic events could change the future of the Kingdom as they know it.
 
Author Steven Szmyt blends the modern era and familiar locations with ancient legends and warm characters to make you wonder, “What if werewolves existed?” Follow the continuing tale of the Wolf King as he defends his Kingdom against rival wolf packs while keeping his ancient society hidden from human civilization.
 

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About the Author
 
A native New Englander, author Steven Szmyt lives in Portsmouth New Hampshire with his wife and two daughters.
 
Inspired by the writings of Stephen King, J.R.R Tolkien and Clive Cussler, he attended Notre Dame College then transferred to the Maine College of Art where he honed his artistic creativeness.  
 
After a few other ventures, Szmyt focused on writing. Starting many stories but never completing, he became frustrated. One cold winter evening, he experienced a brief but vivid dream. He got out of bed, fired up his computer and started typing.  His wife woke up a few hours later to find him working feverishly over a growing manuscript. During the next several weeks, he wrote tirelessly before and after work.  
 
“The story just wrote itself, I was compulsive, I wanted to know where it was going to lead me,” he says. The work he was doing would become his first novel, “The Kingdom.”
 
Steven is an avid cyclist and is frequently found on the roads surrounding Portsmouth.  He plays piano and drums, and is learning guitar along with his youngest daughter.  His passion is rescuing Doberman Pinschers. 
 
Book Two: The Kingdom Under Siege, promises to give readers an intriguing re-entry, a dramatic delve into darker areas of the story, and breathtaking ending to Book One: The Kingdom.  
 
Links
 
Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08Q6SVN1P?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860
FB: https://www.facebook.com/steven.szmyt.1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/molyoy
Website: http://www.stevenszmyt.com/about.html
B & N:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-kingdom-steven-szmyt/1126122012
​​

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Book Blitz: The Hart of Darkness

6/12/2018

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Hart of Darkness (The Hart Series, Book 1)

By S.B. Alexander
Romantic Suspense
Releasing June 12, 2018
 
Synopsis
The road to love is paved in the dark. 
Former gang member Dillon Hart abandoned the streets to join the US Merchant Marines. He feels his life is finally on track until he returns home to discover that his sixteen-year-old sister is missing. With his younger brother in jail and his older brother living a life of crime, it’s up to Dillon to find Grace. After four years of searching, a phone call from a morgue gives him a lead that he can’t pass up. Enlisting the help of a cutthroat reporter may be his only hope.
Crime reporter Maggie Marx has just the right mix of grit and sex appeal to get anything she wants, even the darkest stories on the street. Growing up in a gang, she had her fair share of setbacks and obstacles. When Dillon Hart seeks her help, she’s more than ready to take down the street's biggest enemy. Her actions could help her exact revenge or land her in the belly of the beast.
As Dillon and Maggie team up to search for Dillon’s sister, they aren’t prepared to find what lies ahead. One family is torn apart. Another is brought together. Hearts are shredded, secrets are uncovered, and love takes on a whole new meaning.
Intended for audiences 18+ Strong language and sexual content.

About the Author

S.B. Alexander is a bestselling romance author of the Maxwell Series. Her books are filled with stories that tug at your heart, and are filled with romance, drama, action and suspense. As much as she loves to write, she also loves to read. Some of her favorite authors growing up were Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe. She stills enjoy reading Stephen King. In fact, she loves most genres, although in the past three years she has gravitated toward the romance genre, which is when she started her journey to write her first book. Her motto: write what you love to read. 
 
Aside from writing, she’s a huge sports fan, in particular, baseball. Since she hails from New England, she is a diehard Red Sox fan. She’s also a navy veteran and former math teacher, loves white powdered donuts, and handbags. Her husband calls her the bag lady. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing golf and hanging out with friends and family.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbalexander.authorpage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SBAlex_author
Website: http://sbalexander.com/
 
AMAZON: http://sbalexander.com/wwskAZ
B&N: http://sbalexander.com/4tfwbn
GOODREADS: http://sbalexander.com/hodgoodreads
​

The author is giving away a $100 Amazon GC
​to one lucky reader!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Excerpt
 
I parked two blocks from a sea of red and blue flashing lights. I grabbed my bag, hopped out of my car, and ran up to the crowd that had gathered around.

I sidled up to an older lady. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t even look my way. Instead, she lifted up on her tiptoes to see over others’ heads. “Word is the cops are in a standoff with some gang.”

My internal radar was firing on all cylinders. “What gang?”

She clutched the robe she was wearing. “Not sure.”

I plowed through the throng to get a better view. Some protested as I wiggled my way up to a man in blue, whose name read Miladin on his uniform shirt. I knew some cops but not him.

Police cruisers and unmarked cars littered the street on the other side of the police barricade.

I flashed my reporter credentials. “I’m here to see Detective Ted Hughes.” I scanned the men in blue and some in plain clothes. Ted was tall, lanky, and sometimes hard to miss with his thick mustache that was similar to the actor Tom Selleck’s. I did another once-over and spotted Rick. He wasn’t as tall as Ted, but he was husky, compliments of the gym he lived at during his off-duty hours.

Officer Miladin narrowed his dark eyes. “Civilians are not allowed past this barrier.”

“I work for the paper, so let me through.” I knew working as a reporter held no clout to get me into an active police scene, but most cops knew I was close to Ted.

Officer Miladin stabbed a finger at another police barrier along the sidewalk in front of the brick homes that lined the street. “The media is over there.”

I didn’t budge from my spot. “You’re new. Aren’t you?”

Miladin’s voice dropped an octave. “I said over there.”

I huffed and decided it wasn’t worth arguing. Ted would only kick me out anyway.

I spotted Deidre, a news reporter for CBNT, a local station in the city. If anyone had a lead, it would be Deidre. She was relentless in her hunt to get the big story. I was about to make my way over to her, when a shot rang out through the humid night.

People screamed and scattered.

The cops took cover behind their vehicles.

I managed to duck behind one of many cars parked along the curb. The lady in the robe joined me, breathing heavily, while the crowd scattered to take cover.

Then silence ensued.

I slowly peeked through the car window, when the lady in the robe nudged me.

She pointed a red-painted nail toward the driveway of the house across from us. “Look.”

A girl with bold red hair darted from the back of the house, setting off the motion sensor.

Miladin, who had abandoned his position, edged along the base of the house and down the driveway. He said something into his radio, when the redhead climbed the chain-link fence.  

Considering the girl was running, I suspected the cops didn’t have the house completely surrounded. Or if they did, then their attention wasn’t on the girl.
​
The crowd seemed to be holding its breath.
 
0 Comments

Review

2/24/2017

2 Comments

 
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​Dreamslippers Series Boxed Set
By Lisa Brunette
Genre: Mystery, Female Sleuths, Romantic Suspense


5-STAR REVIEWS FOR BOOKS IN THE SERIES…

“This might possibly be a ‘great book.’” - Sharon E. Leighton, a reader in Canada, on CAT IN THE FLOCK

“Lisa Brunette’s FRAMED AND BURNING is a brilliant, suspenseful whodunit…” - Anthony Award-winning writer of the Inspector Chen series, Qui Xiaolong

“The plot runs deep, and the characters are both quirky and interesting. This is a total whodunit mystery that will keep you on edge until the very end!” - Sage Adderley, on BOUND TO THE TRUTH

SERIES OVERVIEW

What if you could ‘slip’ into the dreams of a killer? This family of PIs can. They use their psychic dream ability to solve crimes, and that isn’t easy. 

In Cat in the Flock…
Following a mother and girl on the run, apprentice dreamslipper Cat McCormick goes undercover inside a fundamentalist church. Is its enigmatic leader guilty of domestic violence? Did his right-hand man really commit suicide?

In Framed and Burning…
It was supposed to be a much-needed vacation in Miami, meant to snap Cat out of a persistent depression. But when her great uncle’s studio goes up in flames, killing his assistant, Cat must find out who’s really to blame.

In Bound to the Truth…
The dreamslippers don’t quite trust their client. Did Nina Howell really fall under the spell of a domineering, conservative talk show host—as her wife claims?

PLUS explore Amazing Grace’s back story in the bonus story found ONLY in this boxed set!

For readers who enjoy strong female leads, quirky, well-developed characters, and a dash of dating drama with their mystery. Fans of J.A. Jance, Mary Daheim, and Jayne Ann Krentz will love Cat and “Amazing” Grace!

Review

You know - I'm a fan of mysteries. Actually, I need to review more mysteries. 

But I digress (in the first sentence, already!).

Mysteries are best when they are complex and slowly unraveled. Well, taking it a step further is the first of the Dreamslippers series where Cat goes into people's dreams to unravel the mysteries. Cat is an apprentice, so it's a great way to start a series to have a protagonist the reader can at least semi-identify with. Unless, of course, you ARE a dreamslipper (and if you are, message me!). 

This particular book involves going in to do detective work in a fundamentalist church. Now, maybe it's just my psychology-cult-knowledge-loving mind, but this was particularly intriguing for me. Maybe it will be for you too?

Through some fantastic storytelling, we are plunged into this world of dreams and curiosity. Cat is wonderful and real in that she makes mistakes, but keeps moving forward. Also, the idea of detective work including psychic abilities is just plain awesome. I definitely recommend this book (and series) for fans of Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Brigs, and Karen Marie Moning. 

About the Author

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Lisa was born in Santa Rosa, California, but that was only home for a year. A so-called "military brat," she lived in nine different houses and attended nine different schools by the time she was 14. Through all of the moves, her one constant was books. She read everything, from the entire Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mystery series to her mother's books by Daphne du Maurier and Taylor Caldwell. 
 
A widely published author, game writer, and journalist, Lisa has interviewed homeless women, the designer of the Batmobile, and a sex expert, to name just a few colorful characters. This experience, not to mention her own large, quirky family, led her to create some truly memorable characters in her Dreamslippers Series and other works, whether books or games.
 
Always a vivid dreamer, not to mention a wannabe psychic, Lisa feels perfectly at home slipping into suspects’ dreams, at least in her imagination. Her husband isn’t so sure she can’t pick up his dreams in real life, though.
 
With a hefty list of awards and publications to her name, Lisa now lives in a small town in Washington State, but who knows how long that will last…
 
Follow Lisa online:
Twitter: @lisa_brunette
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LisaBrunettePage1
www.lisa-brunette.com 
On Amzon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7EKJB8
​

a Rafflecopter giveaway
2 Comments

Book Blitz: The Art of Sage

12/29/2016

0 Comments

 
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The Art of Sage
Cruz Brothers Bk 2
by Melanie Munton

Synopsis

With death came new life.
She was my new life.
And I would never be able to let her go.

Social work was never an easy job but somebody had to do it. Fortunately for kind-hearted and tattooed Sage Tucker, she wanted to do it. Day in and day out she saw kids who reminded her of her past and she needed to do everything in her power to give them the help that she never received when she was young. The more kids she helped, the more layers she thought she could shed of her dark childhood. But nothing ever worked. She was haunted by her memories, consumed by her anger. She slowly felt herself slipping further down into a hole, one she didn’t know if she would ever escape from.

Art made sense to Mason Cruz. Keeping his hands busy was his therapy. Being able to do both at his auto body shop was his sanctuary. Despite everything he had to overcome in his life, he had finally made something of himself and was where he wanted to be professionally. With every car he painted and every motorcycle he restored, he could keep the demons inside his head at bay. He just wished he was as good at repairing his soul as he was at repairing vintage fenders.

Sage had never felt so exposed than when she was around the smooth and charming Mason. Talking to him made her feel like she was under a microscope, but maybe that was exactly what she needed. Nobody had ever wanted to understand her like he did. Nobody had ever cared enough to ask and she had never cared to share.

And now she knew why.

Because she knew that whenever Mason learned everything about her, heard all of her darkest secrets, he would never want to look at her again.
​

About the Author

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Traveler. Reader. Beach-goer. St. Louis Cardinals fan. Pasta-obsessed. North Carolina resident. Sarcastic. Bit of a nerd. 

Author of the Cruz Brothers, Possession and Politics, and Timid Souls series, Melanie loves all things romance, comedies and suspense in particular because it's boring to only stick to one sub-genre. From light-hearted comedies to sexy thrillers, she likes to mix it up, but loves her some strong alpha males and sassy heroines. 
Sign up for her newsletter to read exclusive excerpts and teasers from her latest projects! 
www.melaniemunton.com 

https://www.facebook.com/melaniemuntonauthor/

https://twitter.com/melanie_munton


​Amazon - http://bit.do/cSEwt
Goodreads - http://bit.do/cSEwB 

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