Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Review and Giveaway: The Great Jewel Robbery by Elizabeth McKenna

Book Details:

Book Title: The Great Jewel Robbery: A Front Page Mystery Book 1 by
Elizabeth McKenna
Category: Adult Fiction, 204 pages
Genre: Cozy mystery
Publisher: Elizabeth McKenna
Release date: May 28, 2019
Tour dates: August 19-30, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 (There is no profanity. There is drinking, desire, and a kiss.)

Book Description:

Mystery with a splash of romance…Chicago Tribune reporters Emma and Grace have been best friends since college despite coming from different worlds. When Grace is assigned to cover an annual charity ball and auction being held at a lakeside mansion and her boyfriend bails on her, she brings Emma as her plus one. The night is going smoothly until Emma finds the host’s brother unconscious in the study. Though at first it is thought he was tipsy and stumbled, it soon becomes clear more is afoot, as the wall safe is empty and a three-million-dollar diamond necklace is missing. With visions of becoming ace investigative journalists, Emma and Grace set out to solve the mystery, much to the chagrin of the handsome local detective.

To read more reviews, please visit Elizabeth McKenna's page on iRead Book Tours.

Buy the Book:

Amazon.com

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My Thoughts:

What was supposed to be a weekend job of photos and reporting on the rich and famous charity auction, turns out to be more adventure than best friends Emma and Grace had bargained for.

Told from Emma's point of view we get her thoughts about the ritzy house to the guests that have arrived. I like that the author put a real human spin on the super rich. Letting us in their family squabbles and letting us see that they are human just like the rest of us and some even have financial problems.

When some very expensive jewels that were just auctioned off goes missing, everyone at the party becomes a suspect: the guests, the help, and even Emma and Grace. Grace is trying to get her boss to let her be an investigative reporter, so she talks Emma into helping her find the culprit. This is where the real fun begins and like the girls, I was not sure who could have taken the jewels. Lots of people had motive, but it was certainly hard to find out who did it.

Enter a cute police officer who keeps butting heads with Emma thus sending off some romantic sparks. However, as the search begins heating up, Emma and Grace will find they are way over their heads in this crime.

This was a cute, clean mystery that had enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. The romance was cute and did not take over the story and I really liked getting everything from Emma's point of view.

I received a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Meet the Author:

Elizabeth McKenna’s love of books reaches back to her childhood, where her tastes ranged from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Stephen King’s horror stories. She had never read a romance novel until one Christmas when her sister gave her the latest bestseller by Nora Roberts. She was hooked from page one (actually, she admits it was the first love scene). She combined her love of history, romance, and a happy ending to write the historical romance novels Cera’s Place and Venice in the Moonlight. Her contemporary romance novel, First Crush Last Love, is loosely based on her life (she eventually married her first crush)

The Great Jewel Robbery is her debut cozy mystery, and she hopes readers will like it as much as they have enjoyed her romances. Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin with her understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and a sassy Labrador. When she isn’t writing, working, or being a mom, she’s sleeping.

Connect with the author: Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

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Ends Sept 6, 2019

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Monday, August 26, 2019

Review: Deadly Intentions by Lisa Harris

To Purchase

About:

Detective Josh Solomon always believed his wife's death was the result of a home invasion. But when he is pulled into a case with striking similarities, it doesn't take long for him to realize the chilling truth—the attack that took his wife's life was far from random.

My Thoughts:

What a tightly woven suspense story that took the characters outside of their comfort zone and forced them to put their grief aside to solve this mystery.

This is another story I have read about a female scientist who believes she has someone out to get her. Possibly to maim and kill her. After a third co-worker suddenly dies, Caitlyn starts asking questions. But why is that a problem? Who is hiding something in their company and possibly higher up?

Seeking help from detective Josh Solomon, the husband of the first victim, she is aware that she is reopening his wounds. And though he would rather not walk down that memory lane again, his wife's murder case always seemed off even if they did arrest two suspects and put them away for the crime.

Little do these two know what a hornets nest they have stepped into. This was really a great suspenseful read that I highly enjoyed.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Review: Vow of Justice by Lynette Eason

To Purchase

About:

When Allison Radcliffe is killed, FBI Special Agent Linc St. John goes after her killer with a vengeance until he discovers she's been in hiding. He must put aside their unfinished business before she becomes the next victim.

My Thoughts:

Continuing on with the St. John's family stories, Vow of Justice gives us Link's story and that of his partner/love interest Allison Radcliffe. First off, the St. John's seem like a really great family even with all the pressure of the parents jobs and all five of the siblings in stressful careers. But they are a family that sticks together and has each other's backs and it is nice to see the spouses added.

This was a suspense roller coaster with all the action, secrets, and revelations that was going on. Link works for the FBI and he has more of an interest in his partner than is professional. However they make a great team until things get really personal with Allison's undercover targets and Link and his family are put in danger. Really bad things begin to happen and they are almost killed. In fact Link is told Allison is dead.

As I was reading I was not sure who to trust on their team. Some of the secondary characters seemed to be making shady decisions. Even Link and Allison felt things were off with some of the decisions that was made. This story kept me in suspense the entire time and I did not early on figure things out. Can't wait for the next St. John.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Review, Guest Post, and Giveaway: The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken

About the Book

Book: The Yellow Lantern
Author: Angie Dicken
Genre: Christian Historical/Suspense
Release Date: August, 2019

Josephine Is Forced to Spy for Grave Robbers
Step into True Colors—a new series of Historical Stories of Romance and American Crime

In Massachusetts in 1824, Josephine Clayton awakes on the table of the doctor she’s assisted all these months. She was presumed dead by all and has become the doctor’s next corpse for his medical research. Frightened, the doctor tries to kill her, but Josephine begs to be spared. A deal is struck—Josie will leave her village and work at a distant cotton mill. All the while, she’ll await her true mission—posing as a mourner to help his body snatcher procure her replacement. At the mill though, Josie is praised for her medical remedies among the mill girls, gaining attention from the handsome factory manager Braham Taylor. Yet, when Braham’s own loved one becomes the prey for the next grave robbing, Josie must make a choice that could put her dark past behind her or steal away the promise of any future at all.

What price will Josie pay for love when her secrets begin to unravel?

Click here to grab your copy.

My Thoughts:

What happens when your family is in such dire circumstances that it seems the only way out is to do the devil's work? This story is about grave robbers and the much more desperate attempts by the medical community to gain bodies to experiment on. At times both creepy and sinister, we have a young woman trapped within it all.

Josephine Clayton (Josie Clay) is trapped between a rock and a hard place. Love for her family and fellow man has gripped her into a terrible predicament. Many secrets cloud this story from the relationships of the cotton mill family, to the girls who work at the cotton mill, and of course Josie's.

This is another story based on true crimes in American history and though this story is fiction, it does highlight the crime of grave robbery that was going on at the time. My own study of the history of medicine shows me that thoughts have not always been pure in wanting to help people. Whether it is the pride of keeping archaic medicine and opinion around or the sick obsession of a physician at putting innocent people in danger and giving no thought to their lives to further their goals- both are quite scary. Hopefully we have come much farther than that? This story gives much to ponder.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Angie Dicken credits her love of story to reading British literature during life as a military kid in England. Now living in the U.S. heartland, she’s a member of ACFW, sharing about author life with her fellow Alley Cats on The Writer’s Alley blog and Facebook page. Besides writing, she is a busy mom of four and works in Adult Ministry. Angie enjoys eclectic new restaurants, authentic conversation with friends, and date nights with her Texas Aggie husband. Connect with her online at www.angiedicken.com.

More from Angie

Barbour’s True Colors Crime concept intrigued me from the very beginning. Being the daughter of a doctor and discovering the ties of grave robbing to the early medical profession, I was excited to dive deep into 19^th century Massachusetts. Grave robbing around Boston and New York was often employed by doctors desperate for medical advancement. Men and women were both involved in the procuring of bodies for doctors. Finding these accounts led me to take took a look at the current medical remedies of the time—tinctures, elixirs, and herbal concoctions. My heroine was created in the tension of a desire to heal and the desperation of medical pursuits.

Amidst these medical ties to the historical moment of 1824, something was also shifting among women in rural areas of New England. Many women were employed by newly built cotton mills (Lowell Mill was my inspiration for the fictional Gloughton Mill in The Yellow Lantern). These working opportunities for women offered an escape from their home-bound lives and the rare chance for independence. Of course, with such industrial environments, injuries, and sometimes death, would occur. Noting the accounts of these kind of fatalities in historical articles, my research came full circle.

I found three strong threads to weave into my grave-robbing story—desperate doctors in need of research, a doctor’s assistant needing an escape from her village, and a mill, not only offering that escape, but the chance at bodies for the desperate medical community.

My heroine, Josie Clay, found life in the tangle of these threads of mills, medicine, and grave robbing—all playing out within the pages of The Yellow Lantern.

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, August 15

Seasons of Opportunities, August 15

All-of-a-kind Mom, August 15

Bigreadersite, August 16

Emily Yager, August 16

Inspired by fiction, August 16

The Christian Fiction Girl, August 17

Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, August 17

Daysong Reflections, August 17

Retrospective Spines, August 18

Spoken from the Heart, August 18

Kathleen Denly, August 19

Through the Fire Blogs, August 19

Christian Bookaholic, August 19

Maureen’s Musings, August 20

For the Love of Literature, August 20

Simple Harvest Reads, August 21 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Godly Book Reviews, August 21

A Reader’s Brain, August 21

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, August 22

Betti Mace, August 22

Locks, Hooks and Books, August 22

Hallie Reads, August 23

Mary Hake, August 23

Inklings and notions, August 23

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, August 24

For Him and My Family, August 24

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, August 24

Connie’s History Classroom, August 25

Pause for Tales, August 25

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 25

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, August 26

Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 26

amandainpa, August 26

Blossoms and Blessings, August 27

Texas Book-aholic, August 27

janicesbookreviews, August 27

Back Porch Reads, August 28

Just the Write Escape, August 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Angie is giving away a grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a paperback copy of each of the books in the series!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/e71c/the-yellow-lantern-celebration-tour-giveaway

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Review: A Glitter of Gold by Liz Johnson

To Purchase

About:

When pirate wreck tour guide Anne Norris finds evidence of an undiscovered shipwreck, she seeks the help of museum director Carter Hale to uncover the truth and treasure that could save her business. But can she trust him with her secrets and her heart?

My Thoughts:

This is my favorite book by author Johnson. You cannot go wrong with a modern day story with characters who jump right off the pages and into your heart. Not to mention a shipwreck over 200 years ago and the tangible proof that washes up on shore along with a family diary that records a young woman's desperate attempt to save her brother while signing on to the ship of a well known captain. So much good stuff to savor.

Anne Norris (Bonny) has already experienced more than most young people. Her past story is a somber lesson on being careful of choosing friends and groups to belong to. Her parents were great and their love just poured through to her.

Carter Hale could have had everything handed to him if he just followed his father's life plan for him. However, Carter decided to choose his own way and by doing this reaches a turning point where both he and Anne meet. And that meeting begins a heartwarming story of love and acceptance while taking lessons from the past. I am looking forward to more in this series as each story has been very unique.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Review and Guest Post: State of Lies by Siri Mitchell

About the Book

Book: State of Lies
Author: Siri Mitchell
Genre: Suspense
Release Date: August 13, 2019

Months after her husband, Sean, is killed by a hit-and-run driver, physicist Georgie Brennan discovers he lied to her about where he had been going that day. A cryptic notebook, a missing computer, and strange noises under her house soon have her questioning everything she thought she knew.

With her job hanging by a thread, her son struggling to cope with his father’s death, and her four-star general father up for confirmation as the next Secretary of Defense, Georgie quickly finds herself tangled in a political intrigue that has no clear agenda and dozens of likely villains. Only one thing is clear: someone wants her dead too. The more she digs for the truth, the fewer people she can trust.

Not her friends.

Not her parents.

Maybe not even herself.

Click here to grab your copy.

My Thoughts:

Ok, this book WOWED me. I did not know which way it was going to go, how me as a reader was going to feel about it: I certainly had strong emotions concerning the story and I kept turning those pages as fast as I could.

Author Mitchell is a bit of a wild card author to me. I have read a few of her books and sometimes I like them and sometimes nope, all the while thinking how could she end that story like that. However, the books, the ones I liked and disliked, have all made an impression on me and they are some of the stories that have stuck with me and I have not forgotten.

State of Lies can now claim the title of my favorite book by her. It was so out of the box. There is creepiness, mystery, conspiracies, and science giving this story almost the feel of watching a Fringe episode. Like the heroine Georgie, I also was questioning everything and wondered how this intriguing novel was going to play out. This one kept me up late and getting out of bed early to finish it. I am looking forward to more fiction stories like this one.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author

Siri Mitchell is the author of 14 novels. She has also written 2 novels under the pseudonym of Iris Anthony. She graduated from the University of Washington with a business degree and has worked in various levels of government. As a military spouse, she lived all over the world, including Paris and Tokyo. Siri is a big fan of the semi-colon but thinks the Oxford comma is irritatingly redundant. Visit her online at sirimitchell.com; Facebook: SiriMitchell; Twitter: @SiriMitchell.

More from Siri

A Sense of Place I’m so excited about the release of State of Lies! Among the many reasons for my excitement is the fact that I set the story in my own home town: Arlington, VA. Here are some things you might not know about Arlington:

Arlington was originally included within the borders of Washington, DC.

Arlington isn’t actually a city – it’s a county. We’re the smallest self-governing county in the nation.

Arlington regularly takes the top spot as the most educated place in the country.

Arlington LOVES books. I count at least a dozen different little libraries in my neighborhood alone.

Our region often has a hurricane warning or two every hurricane season. Can you guess where I’ve seen the longest lines when people start to make last-minute preparations? It’s not the grocery store; it’s not the hardware store. It’s the library! (Why wouldn’t you stock up on books too?)

We host Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Marine Corps War Memorial, and the Pentagon.

We are home to the very first Five Guys hamburger joint location.

We are also home to the headquarters of over a dozen national agencies as well as organizations like Rosetta Stone and Nestlé.

People who attended our high schools include Sandra Bullock, Warren Beatty, Shirley MacLaine, Katie Couric, and Patch Adams.

The thing I love most about Arlington? Its people. Countless government contractors members of the federal workforce live here. I number them among my friends and neighbors. I’ve never met a group more dedicated, more informed, or more determined to put their expertise to good use. And guess what? My heroine, Georgie Brennan, is one of them!