Book Tour: Bump and Grind by @LDMorris with my #review and a #giveaway

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: March 27, 2018

Henry Stanton, newly arrived in the small beach town of Spoonbill Point, Florida, has a five-year plan to establish his business and achieve the security and prosperity he grew up lacking. Daisy Bishop is a sassy single mom with a dream of making her part-time job of dancing in throwback burlesque shows her full-time career. Their first meeting, at one of Daisy’s shows, is a disaster when she winds up fracturing her ankle. The encounter is captured on video by a friend of Henry’s and goes viral online. The unwelcome notoriety causes Daisy to be fired from her day job and brings Henry and her together once again. She and Henry have an undeniable attraction, but his past, her son, and her meddling, crazy ex complicate matters. First in the “Viral Videos” series.

Book Review

 I was completely immersed in this story from the get-go. 

The characters were probably my favorite part. I really enjoyed each of their stories. I didn't feel like anyone was out of place or didn't fit. 

The plot was smooth and I liked the way it flowed from chapter to chapter.  The romance had a sweet build up. A quick and easy read and overall great Romance.

And might I add a gorgeous cover?

About the Author

Jessica Martyn is the pen name for Amazon bestselling romance writer Linda Morris. Unlike her down-to-earth alter ego, Jessica can eat all the carbs she wants without gaining weight and is best known perhaps for her dazzling sense of style and her witty repartee at cocktail parties.

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Book Tour: The Blood of a Rose by @toddthiede with my #review

Mystery/Thriller

Date Published: February 2018

Jesse Fairlane is missing. Max Larkin and Special Agent Michaels are unsure if this is related to a recent case involving human trafficking or something else. On top of trying to locate his partner, Max has to make a decision as to whether he leaves Rockton to work with the FBI or stays to become captain at the local police department. As Larkin, Michaels, and the other detectives work furiously to find Jesse before it's too late, Max finds himself despairing they'll find her alive. He struggles to maintain his relationship with Veronica and trying to be a friend to Jesse's girlfriend, Melissa, all while following a maze of clues to Jesse. 

Book Review

This novel is the epitome of what a Mystery should be. It will keep you guessing the entire way through. Just when you think you have something figured out, you will be shocked and surprised.

Wow, this one really delivers in many areas. It really was a fast paced mystery. I was really hooked from the get-go and wanted so bad to know where things will end up.

There are some graphic details throughout the novel that wont be for the faint of heart. 

This is a novel for fans of Mystery and Crime Novels alike. 

About the Author

Perhaps you wouldn't characterize the Finance Manager of your local automobile dealership as an Amazon best-selling author--until you get to know Todd Thiede. He has worked for the past decade at Elmhurst Toyota, but Thiede is in the driver's seat as the writer of a murder mystery series featuring his hero Detective, Max Larkin. "Time Killer," which Kirkus Reviews deemed "a fast-paced thriller" that will "keep crime and thriller fans wrapped up in its twisting plot, fast pace and memorable detective,", "Lies To Die For" (which reached No. 1 on Amazon in the "Serial Killer" category), Miss Me? (3rd in the series) and Slashtag (4th in the series) are available via Amazon Kindle.

Go to www.toddthiede.com for more info on Todd and his books.

According to Kirkus reviews (the toughest book reviewer in the business):

A fast-paced thriller centered on a brutal, time-obsessed serial killer.

The expression "killing time" rarely means murder, but here, the victims of a serial killer must pay for time they've wasted, often with both their money and their lives. In a brutal scene from the opening chapter, an entire family is murdered after a stranger invades the family's home and accuses the patriarch of wasting his time. Veteran cop Max Larkin is on the case. Unfortunately, he's also been assigned a new partner; though she's green in the field--she has "very sad eyes" and prays upon arriving at the first crime scene--she gives the hardened old detective a new perspective he never knew he needed. But as the serial killer claims more victims, a pattern emerges that neither Max nor his new partner can ignore. With brisk pacing, Thiede's debut brims with action, violence and, occasionally, emotion. Though the book takes a while to find its heart, procedural fans will feel right at home. Larkin feels like a guy worth rooting for, despite filling the shoes of the beaten-down, grizzled, old loner cop trope a little too well. His interactions with his new partner, plus the twists and revelations regarding his past, give him enough of a pass to get readers invested in the story

and looking forward to his next outing. Larkin's story doesn't break any boundaries, but it'll keep crime and thriller fans wrapped up in its twisting plot, fast pace and memorable detective. Plenty of shock value and a charismatic, if formulaic, male lead.

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Blitz: Shamanism in the 21st Century by August Lageman #inspirational #selfhelp

Inspirational / Self Help

Date Published: 6/26/17

Publisher: Jan-Carol Publishing, Inc.

This book grew out of the first seven years of August Lageman’s practice as a shaman. The book shows how the teachings of the Four Winds Society actually work with clients. In addition, August kept an open mind and integrated tools and insights from other forms of healing such as reiki and Holographic Healing. This book demonstrates how a person with a rocky childhood can heal from early wounds with the help of skilled shamans. August writes from his heart. You will learn how a shaman needs to be ready for the unexpected.

About the Author

August had a career as a pastor, a college teacher, and a psychotherapist. He served in the military for over twenty-nine years and did enlisted service in the US Marine Corps in the early sixties. Then August was commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserves and National Guard, serving both in the reserves and on active duty. He retired with over twenty-nine years of service as a full colonel in 2003. August trained as a shaman in the Four Winds Society, graduating in 2010.

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Book Tour: Mister Big by Harvey Havel #fiction #bookreview #giveaway

Sports Fiction

Date Published: March 1, 2018

Publisher: Lulu Publishing

In this novel, DeShawn Biggs is as formidable as his name suggests. At 6-feet-5-inches and 300 pounds, DeShawn seems headed for the NFL. Indeed, a football career is regarded as an inevitability for the young man in his native Albany. While most NFL–bound seniors head off to play college ball after they leave high school, DeShawn’s abysmal math grades—and the fact that his parents can literally no longer afford to feed him—result in the giant lineman attending an elite Connecticut prep school for “grade thirteen.” After an emotional farewell to his parents, who are purposefully removing themselves from his life for good—“You’ve got to use your God-given talents to make a life for yourself,” says his father, “and you cannot do that with your mother and me in the way of that life”—DeShawn is left alone among the white, wealthy student body. Sticking out like a large sore thumb, DeShawn attempts to walk the fine line between what is expected of him and what will not be tolerated. A cheating scandal gets him expelled but not before he secures a place at Montgomery Southern A&M, a football power that will set him up to advance to the NFL. DeShawn eventually gets his shot at the big leagues, but his trusting nature and penchant for making bad decisions dog him throughout his career. Each time, the stakes get higher. DeShawn has always been a pawn in a game controlled by other people, but how much of his own integrity can he compromise in order to get ahead?

Review

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel. It was different than I thought it would be. Often times novels slow down and have dead moments, but Harvey Havel did a great job of keeping the readers interest throughout with this one.

The characters are very well developed. I felt like they had their issues and weren't perfect, but showed growth throughout the novel, which I always like to see. 

About the Author

Harvey Havel is a short-story writer and novelist. His first novel, Noble McCloud, A Novel, was published in November of 1999. His second novel, The Imam, A Novel, was published in 2000.

In 2006, Havel published his third novel, Freedom of Association.  He has published his eighth novel, Charlie Zero’s Last-Ditch Attempt, and his ninth, The Orphan of Mecca, Book One, which was released last year.  His new novel, The Thruway Killers is his latest work.

The Orphan of Mecca, Books Two and Three, has just been released next year as well as a book, An Adjunct Down, which he just completed.  His work in progress is called Mister Big, about a Black American football player.

He is formerly a writing instructor at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey.  He also taught writing and literature at the College of St. Rose in Albany as well as SUNY Albany.

Copies of his books and short stories, both new and used, may be purchased at www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com, and by special order at other fine bookstores.

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Her Wicked Hero

 

Title: Her Wicked Hero 

Author: Caitlyn O’Leary 

Genre: Military Romance/Military Romance Suspense

Release Date: April 17, 2018 

Cover Designer: Lori Jackson Designs 

Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC. 

ONE LOOK AND HE WAS HOOKED

A photograph.  A feeling. A knowing.  That’s all it took for Dante “Zed” Zaragoza to realize his fate was intertwined with a woman he’d never met.  Now it was up to him to find Marcia Price and bring her home safely.  Thankfully for Marcia he’s temporarily part of the Black Dawn SEAL team, who are on the hunt to locate eleven people whose yacht had gone missing in the South China Sea.  A photograph means she’s alive…for now. 

SHE NEEDED A HERO

Marcia Price realized she was in the hands of a monster as she was dragged deeper and deeper into the jungle. She wanted to give up so many times but dammit, no matter what, she would survive this even if it almost killed her.  And maybe, just maybe, the universe would send her a hero. 

HE’LL MOVE HEAVEN & EARTH

Zed’s blood turned to ice the moment he found out the history of the man who had Marcia in his grip. He wasn’t just a sociopath, he’d been trained as a SEAL.  And that was only the beginning.  Zed would need every tool in his arsenal if he and Marcia were going to get out of there alive…

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Caitlyn O’Leary is an avid reader, and considers herself a fan first and an author second. She reads a wide variety of genres, but finds herself going back to happily-ever-afters. Getting a chance to write, after years in corporate America is a dream come true. She hopes that her stories provide the kind of entertainment and escape that she has found from some of her favorite authors.

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Book Tour: Wolf Moon by @stevemorris999 with my book #review #horror

Post-Apocalyptic / Horror

Date Published: 1 April 2018

Publisher: Landmark Media

Werewolves run wild in London. Riots grip the city as vigilantes and protesters take to the streets.

The Prime Minister is determined to contain the disease before it spreads further. She fights back ruthlessly with all the tools of government at her disposal.

But Leanna’s plans are only just beginning to unfold. The leader of the werewolves and her army of Wolf Brothers are already one step ahead of the authorities.

And for the ordinary people caught up in the conflict, daily life becomes a fight for survival.

WOLF MOON injects an original and exhilarating new twist into the werewolf genre.

Book Review

This novel had a powerful main character and a powerful underlying perseverance. I liked the way the author set up the novel and the history he made sure to give the reader so that they came to understand the situation.  

I felt like everything really flowed smoothly and led to an easy read. There are definitely some darker moments throughout, so not for the faint of heart. A wonderful Horror!

About the Author

Steve Morris has been a nuclear physicist, and a dot com entrepreneur, and is now the author of the Lycanthropic werewolf apocalypse series. He lives in Oxford, England.

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Book Tour: Take Back the Memory by @austin_sam001 #review #giveaway

Women's Fiction w/ Romantic Suspense Elements

Date Published: December 7, 2017

Publisher: AuthorSuite Books

Paige Lyman, an accomplished psychiatrist, is on the verge of madness but she doesn't know it yet. The madness begins when she gets it into her head to write her memoirs. As her brilliant mind assembles bits and pieces of her life for the book, ugly skeletons, long forgotten in the closet, begin to rear their heads.

It had all begun with a simple act of love. And love, for her, was a blond-haired Irish boy named Bill, so when Bill abandoned her for priesthood the world around her collapsed. Seized by a different passion—vengeance—she seeks her proverbial pound of flesh in the beds of various priests...

But that is before she meets Stern W, a medical researcher, who sweeps into her life like a hurricane and marries her, and they live happily ever after until he dies in a helicopter crash and she discovers the startling truth about who he really was.

Take Back the Memory is the saga of her compelling backward journey through her own life on a psychotherapist's couch.

Review

First off, I really like this cover. I believe it captures the intensity of the character and the barrage of emotions it takes you through. 

Secondly, I loved the writing ability and emotion that Augustine Sam was able to evoke in me. From the ups and downs that Paige had to go through, to her heartache and path to each decisions she made, I really felt it come through the pages. 

A beautiful journey that shows that everyone has their issues and that it isn't impossible to come back from things or repair relationships, it just takes work.

About the Author

Augustine Sam is a journalist by profession, a novelist by choice, and a poet by chance. A bilingual writer and an award-winning poet, he writes, not only hard news but literary works as well.

Fascinated by the written word even as a kid, he fell in love with poetry the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once. He was the winner of the Editors’ Choice Award in the North America Open Poetry Contest & his complete poetry collection, Flashes of Emotion, was a Finalist in the International Book Award Gala. His poems have been published in international anthologies, including "Measures of the Heart" & "Sounds of Silence."

Augustine is also the author of Black Gold and The Conspiracy of Silence which was awarded a Readers’ Favorite 5-star seal.

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Book Tour: Overweight to Fighting Weight by @AJWatson_ #review #nonfiction #selfhelp #giveaway

Non-fiction. Weight loss and health

Date Published: 8 December 2017

Looking to lose weight but everything has failed? Discover the physical and mental aspects of becoming a much healthier you, written by someone that dropped 80kg!

Get the weight loss system written by someone that went from zero exercise and over 175kg, to a multiple time Australian and Pan Pacific martial arts Champion.

AJ Watson has shed 80kg in his journey and for the first time shares how he did it, and what needed to change mentally and physically to achieve his goals.

This book will teach you how to:

·        understand weight loss issues

·        figure out nutrition labels

·        learn how to set goals

·        improve your motivation

·        boost your willpower

·        structure your exercise

·        become a better version of you.

AJ Watson’s approach tackles the issues from multiple angles giving a much greater level of success than diet alone. Treat yourself to a wealth of knowledge and kick those extra kilos goodbye.

AJ discusses his physical and mental states throughout his journey, and how he combated multiple challenges to attain results. Because he has been there, AJ understands the thought process of overeating, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and low self-esteem. His successes as a martial artist, coach and author are traced back to the struggle out of his lowest point.

Now you can benefit from that struggle as well.

Grab your copy today.

Book Review

I love the authenticity AJ Watson brought to the table. It takes a lot to just put it all out there and let everyone in on your hardest times.

I found this novel really thought-provoking and enlightening. 

Superb writing from Watson and a compelling story while also being informative and helpful to others. 

About the Author

AJ Watson (Tony to his friends) lives with his wife Barbara in the great state of Victoria, Australia.

AJ is a certified Life Coach and continues to expand his skills to assist others not only duplicate his successes but to clear any mental barriers people place upon themselves.

Tony has obtained a Bachelor of Computing and although he has a love of technology, he can’t help dreaming of worlds with vicious creatures and powerful metaphysics. He uses this imagination to write sci fi/fantasy novels.

Tony is an experienced martial artist competitor and instructor, having won multiple national gold medals and assisting others to do the same.

In his spare time, among other things, Tony dabbles in computer graphics and GMs many role play games with his family and friends.

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