Cover Reveal!

 

Hot Cover Alert

We are excited to share the #CoverReveal for Broken, by @evelynsolaauthor! Keep reading for more details about this sexy, diverse read plus add it to your Goodreads today!

Add to Goodreads → http://bit.ly/38EgoAE

Pre-Order on Amazon →  https://amzn.to/3hNpCxF

Cover Credit: Sarah Kil, Creative Studios

JULIA
I never saw Noah Weston coming. He swept into my life like an unexpected storm, but soon, he was everything to me.
Until tragedy struck.
One day I was planning the rest of my life with my soulmate, and the next I was picking up the pieces of a love so strong, it broke me apart. 
It took three years to put myself back together.
Three years until I was ready to move on.
I’ll never forget it. The day he came back.
Can lightening strike twice? Maybe, but when I look into his eyes, all I remember are the last words he ever spoke to me.
The words that left me broken.


NOAH
I loved her before I knew her name. She was more than just my heartbeat. Julia Blake was a dream too good to be true.
When real life invaded the bubble we had created, I was left a broken man.
I survived, but I was dead inside. Half the man I used to be.
The half I needed had a new life without me.
Three years later, I’m back to reclaim what I’ve lost.
I’m back for her, only she wants nothing to do with me.

#DiverseRomance #SecondChanceRomance #ComingSoon #Broken

Near You Review

Author: Mary Burton

Series: Montana Series #2

Publisher: Montlake

Release Date: April 13, 2021

Preorder Links: Amazon  Barnes & Noble

Special thanks to Montlake Publ. for an arc of this book.

In a scorching novel of obsession and revenge, New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton ignites fear in the heart of a woman targeted by a killer who knows her secrets.

This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

My Rating: 4 Chilling Hearts

Review:

Montana Highway Police Officer Bryce McCabe is enjoying a rare day off at his ranch when he's called to the scene of a barbaric and violent crime.  Someone is brutally battering women and then torching their bodies, disfiguring them to the point of making identification near impossible.  Forensic Psychologist Ann Bailey, an expert in maneuvering a serial killer's depraved mind, is called in to help navigate the case.  As she and Bryce examine the evidence,  Ann comes to the realization that a monster from her past may be involved in the murders, and yet she keeps the information to herself fearing the secret she's kept all these years could be revealed in the fallout.  Elijah Weston served ten years in prison for an arson that nearly cost Ann and her roommate their lives.  Free now, he's living in the area and apparently still obsessed with fire and stalking Ann.  Aided by some of his prison groupies known as The Fireflies, Elijah begins taunting Ann by dropping clues while hinting he knows her secret and will come to claim what's his soon.  As Bryce and Ann continue to work the case, they grow closer and Bryce realizes he'll do whatever it takes to protect Ann and her son Nate.  But he doesn't have a clue about the secret Ann hides, how high the stakes are or how far she'll go to keep the secret from surfacing.  Only one thing has become abundantly clear to Bryce . . . Ann's now become the hunted.

Near You flows at a steadily rising pace with the story unfolding and the suspense growing via the killer's thoughts and Crime Reporter Paul Thompson's crime notes.  The results are highly effective in building and maintaining momentum and ominous vibes throughout.  Readers are challenged with finding their way through the many twists and turns, red herrings and hidden secrets to uncover the identity of the killer before it's too late.  Burton is a master of disguise - of switch and bait - daring readers to join Ann in navigating the dark recesses of a serial killer's warped mind.  The resulting story is chilling, emotional and shocking.

With every Mary Burton book I read, my respect for her writing ability grows.  I'm especially drawn to her expertise in muddying the water with two or more seemingly separate plot lines before eventually interlacing them together in surprising and often shocking ways.  Near You, Montana Series book two, is another fantastic illustration of her mad writing skills as is the highly acclaimed book one Burn You Twice in which Ann and Elijah's history occurs.  While I always recommend reading series in order, the author's expertise in weaving backstory in as needed is remarkably effective.  I highly recommend Near You to fans of dark, blood chilling psychological thrillers with just a touch of romance.  

Synopsis:

Forensic psychologist and single mother Ann Bailey has joined forces with Montana Highway Patrol officer Bryce McCabe. An expert in untangling the motives of depraved minds, Ann is tasked to help solve the mystery of two murdered women doused with gasoline and set aflame.

It’s not hard for Ann to be reminded of the charismatic Elijah Weston, who served a decade in prison for arson—a crime that nearly cost Ann her life. Elijah may have been exonerated, but the connection to these rage killings is impossible for Ann to ignore. One of the victims has been identified as an obsessed Elijah groupie. Elijah has obsessions, too. Ever since Ann returned to town, he can’t take his eyes off her. And as a mother with a secret, she’s the perfect victim for an infatuated psychopath.

The deeper Ann and Bryce’s investigation goes, the nearer they get to each other and to danger. After another murder hits close to home, Ann fears a clue is hidden in her own past. Only one thing terrifies her more than the reveal of her long-held secret. It’s that the secret itself has put Ann into a killer’s line of fire.

Meet the Author:

Mary Burton, whose latest novel is Hide and Seek, loves writing suspense, getting to know her characters, keeping up with law enforcement and forensic procedure, morning walks, baking, and tiny dachshunds. She also enjoys hunting down serial killers, which she does in her New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels. Library Journal has compared her work to that of Lisa Jackson and Lisa Gardner, and Fresh Fiction likened her writing to that of James Patterson.

Mary is routinely featured among the top ten writers in Amazon’s Author Rankings for romantic suspense. Upon publication, her novels, including 2018’s Cut and Run and Her Last Word, consistently rank high on the Kindle eBooks Store Bestseller List.

Additionally, Cut and Run has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Award for Romantic Suspense. Previous recipients in this category include Nora Roberts, J.D. Robb, Tess Gerritsen, Karen Rose and Mary Jo Putney. The award will be announced at the RITA Award Ceremony July 26th in New York City during the organization’s annual conference.

A Richmond native, Mary has lived there for most of her life. Her first book was published in 2000. Her first book was published in 2000. Today she’s the author of thirty-two published novels and five novellas as Mary Burton and five works of contemporary fiction written as Mary Ellen Taylor, including 2018’s Winter Cottage. She is co-editor with novelist Mary Miley of Deadly Southern Charm, A Lethal Ladies Mystery Anthology.

A member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Novelists, Inc., and Romance Writers of America, Mary is known for creating multiple suspense stories connected by characters and/or place.

Amelia Unabridged Review

Author: Ashley Shumacher

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: Feb. 16, 2021

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Bleeding Hearts

Many thanks to Wednesday Books for an arc of this book.

Sparks fly between two teens as they grapple with grief, love, and the future in this unforgettable debut novel sure to entice fans of Jandy Nelson and Jennifer E. Smith.

Review:

The day Amelia meets Jenna at a bookstore, her life changes for the better as the two girls grow as close as sisters.  Amelia's home-life is chaotic so she welcomes frequent invitations to stay at Jenna's house.  Jenna recommends a book, the Orman Chronicles to Amelia - the story of two sisters competing in a magical world.  Amelia reads it and becomes obsessed with both the story and the author - recluse prodigy N.E. Endsley.  Upon graduation, Jenna's parents gift both young ladies tickets to a book festival where Endsley will be a guest speaker.  Amelia is over-the-moon excited.  However, things fail to go as planned and only Jenna meets the author.  Heartbroken, Amelia lashes out in anger and jealousy and Jenna leaves for Ireland with a rift between them.  When the unthinkable happens and Jenna is lost to Amelia forever, she drowns in her grief and pain and guilt.  The rosy and bright future the girls had planned together is gone.  And then, a special rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives by mail for Amelia.  Someway, somehow, Amelia knows this is heaven-sent - a gift from Jenna, and she sets out on a journey to discover the bookstore it was mailed from and the identity of the sender.  Her trip eventually leads to a mystical bookstore in Michigan where Amelia meets a strange young man named Nolan.  The relationship that develops is pure and innocent and soothing to both damaged souls, but it's partially based on secrets.  When those secrets are revealed, Amelia's world is thrown off-kilter once again.

Amelia Unabridged is a sweet, touching, heart-felt story of a young woman thrown off her life orbit by profound loss, grief, and guilt.  It's the story of a shy young man struggling to survive in a modern public world.  It's the story of two bleeding hearts daring to reach out and accept hope, forgiveness, and eventually the essence of true self, strength and purpose.  Amelia Unabridged is a beautiful love story that I highly recommend to fans of young adult.  It almost felt like a fantasy to me.  It is, without a doubt, a beautiful fairy tale.

Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They’re the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia’s father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It’s the perfect way to start off their last summer before college.

In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn’t, the two have a blowout fight like they’ve never experienced. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna is killed in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future.

When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia’s and Jenna’s fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

Ashley Schumacher's devastating and beautiful debut, Amelia Unabridged, is about finding hope and strength within yourself, and maybe, just maybe, falling in love while you do it.

ASHLEY SCHUMACHER is a young adult author with a degree in creative writing from the University of North Texas. She lives in a small town with her antisocial but lovable husband and more books than is strictly necessary. When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her belting Disney or Broadway songs, protecting her snacks from her greedy golden retriever, hand embroidering, or playing Mario Kart. Amelia Unabridged is her first novel. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

https://www.ashwritesbooks.com/

The Project Review

 

Author: Courtney Summers

Genre: Suspense Thriller

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publishing Date: Feb. 2, 2021

Preorder Links: Amazon 

My Rating: 4.5 Mind Altering Hearts

So many thanks to Wednesday Books for an arc of this book!

The next pulls-no-punches thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Courtney Summers, about an aspiring young journalist determined to save her sister from a cult.

Review:

Writer Lo Denham is left scarred for life both emotionally and physically after a car crash years ago that claimed the lives of her parents.  While she was hovering at death's door, her older sister Bea prays for her survival in the hospital chapel.  A man appears before her promising he can save Lo if Bea commits her life to the service of the Project.  When Lo finally awakes, her memories are unclear and her sister is gone.  Lo goes to live with her Aunt until her aunt's death.  Now nineteen and alone, Lo begins a mission to infiltrate and expose The Unity Project.  Although the Project is highly esteemed for its charity work and outreach program, Lo believes they are a cult holding members against their will - including her sister.  Lo becomes obsessed with getting inside and interviewing the charismatic leader Lev Warren.  Members sing his praises and once Lo meets with him under the guise of writing a magazine article, she begins to fall under his spell.  Was she wrong about Lev and the Project?  Is Lev a Villain?  Hero?  Savior?  Or is the man who stalks her dreams the devil she first believed him to be?  The longer Lo remains around Lev, the more she doubts her own feelings, judgment, and eventually . . . mind.  What's happening to her?  

As this story unfolds, readers are privy to both Lo and Bea's state of mind via both points of view and two timelines.  Short, choppy chapters serve to keep readers off-balance, feeding the volatile atmospheric setting while building suspense throughout.  Summers excels are creating dark, complex characters who are searching for something or someone to anchor them - to pull them back into reality.  In The Project, both characters and readers are challenged to find their way through a multitude of twists and turns, through a world filled with hallucinations and dreams, back to reality . . . whatever that may mean.  Dark, raw, gritty - The Project is another masterpiece by the talented Courtney Summers.  Highly Recommended to fans of young adult suspense. 

Synopsis:

"The Unity Project saved my life."

Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died, Lo's sister, Bea, joined The Unity Project, leaving Lo in the care of their great aunt. Thanks to its extensive charitable work and community outreach, The Unity Project has won the hearts and minds of most in the Upstate New York region, but Lo knows there's more to the group than meets the eye. She's spent the last six years of her life trying--and failing--to prove it.

"The Unity Project murdered my son."

When a man shows up at the magazine Lo works for claiming The Unity Project killed his son, Lo sees the perfect opportunity to expose the group and reunite with Bea once and for all. When her investigation puts her in the direct path of its charismatic and mysterious leader, Lev Warren, he proposes a deal: if she can prove the worst of her suspicions about The Unity Project, she may expose them. If she can't, she must finally leave them alone.

But as Lo delves deeper into The Project, the lives of its members, and spends more time with Lev, it upends everything she thought she knew about her sister, herself, cults, and the world around her--to the point she can no longer tell what's real or true. Lo never thought she could afford to believe in Lev Warren . . . but now she doesn't know if she can afford not to.

Welcome to The Unity Project.

Courtney Summers is the bestselling author of several novels, whose career in writing began in 2008, when she was 22. Her work has been released to critical acclaim and multiple starred reviews, received numerous awards and honors including the Edgar Award, the John Spray Mystery Award, the Cybils Award, the Odyssey Award, the Audie Award, and has enjoyed the recognition of many library, state, 'Best Of' and Readers' Choice lists. Courtney has reviewed for The New York Times, is the founder of #ToTheGirls, a 2015 worldwide trending hashtag, and in 2016, she was named one of Flare Magazine's 60 under 30. She lives and writes in Canada. Her new novel, The Project releases February 2nd, 2021 from Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Website

http://courtneysummers.ca

Twitter

courtney_s

Genre

Young Adult

Member Since

August 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/courtney

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The Survivors Review

 

Author: Jane Harper

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Macmillan Publishing

Release Date: Feb. 2, 2021

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Atmospheric Hearts

Many thanks to Macmillan for an arc of this book. #readinginsidersclub

Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets in The Survivors, a thrilling mystery by New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper.

Review:

Returning home is not always easy - especially when it dredges up unpleasant memories and secrets that are best left buried.  Kieran Elliot has returned home with his wife and child to help his mother and father move before dementia totally incapacitates Kieran's dad.  While they're home, the shocking discovery of a young woman's body on the beach raises a lot of questions while prying open old wounds left by a past tragedy and unsolved missing person case.  The small beach community of Evelyn Bay on the Tasmania coast and its residents past and present are thrown into turmoil as the two cases collide and long buried secrets leak out.  Who murdered this young woman?  Could this case be tied to a past missing girl and tragic event?

Jane Harper can always be counted on to gift readers with a highly atmospheric suspense story. The Survivors is another great example of her brilliant work.  This story is rich in setting, emotional turmoil, guilt, blame, hate and love.  The story unfolds as past and present collide like the sea crashing on the shore.  Kieran has never forgiven himself for the role he played in the deaths of his brother and friend . . . and neither have the townspeople.  Now twelve years later, another young life is gone too soon and rumors and accusations fly.  Suspense slowly builds throughout this story, moment by moment until events spiral out of control and truths come to light.  Harper expertly weaves the past and present, revealing  some discerning occurrences leading to a shocking conclusion.  The setting is alive with both beauty and ominous warnings, once again becoming a character to be dealt with in this author's story.  I can think of only a couple of other authors who can pull this off as flawlessly as Harper.  The Survivors is a highly atmospheric, heart breaking, twisted suspense story that I read from cover to cover in one sitting.  Highly recommended to fans of suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.

The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.

Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.

When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away... 

Author:  Jane Harper is the international bestselling author of The Dry, Force of Nature and The Lost Man.

Jane is a New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller, and has won numerous top awards including the Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year, the Australian Indie Awards Book of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel, and the British Book Awards Crime and Thriller Book of the Year.
Her books are published in more than 36 territories worldwide, with The Dry in production as a major motion picture starring Eric Bana.

The Eighth Detective Review

Author: Alex Pavesi

Genre: Mystery

Publisher: Henry Holt Publ.

Release Date: Aug. 4, 2020

Purchase Link: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5 Complex Hearts

Review:

Grant McAllister is a retired mathematician living alone on an Mediterranean Island.  Many years ago, he published a collection of mystery short stories and now editor Julia Hart wants to republish them.  The Eighth Detective plays out through their discussions as McAllister relays each story including his theory of requirements for every mystery.  The story that ensues is extremely clever and complex.

The Eighth Detective moves slowly, especially in the beginning, and the constant switching between stories was a bit confusing at first.  It took some time for me to settle into the flow and begin to get excited about where this was all leading - to a surprising ending.  I can't say much without revealing too much storyline, but I will say this is a unique, clever read that charges readers with figuring it all out.  A good debut author for Pavesi.  Recommended for those who love a clever Christie-like mystery.

Synopsis:

There are rules for murder mysteries. There must be a victim. A suspect. A detective. The rest is just shuffling the sequence. Expanding the permutations. Grant McAllister, a professor of mathematics, once sat down and worked them all out – calculating the different orders and possibilities of a mystery into seven perfect detective stories he quietly published. But that was thirty years ago. Now Grant lives in seclusion on a remote Mediterranean island, counting the rest of his days.

Until Julia Hart, a sharp, ambitious editor knocks on his door. Julia wishes to republish his book, and together they must revisit those old stories: an author hiding from his past, and an editor, keen to understand it.

But there are things in the stories that don’t add up. Inconsistencies left by Grant that a sharp-eyed editor begins to suspect are more than mistakes. They may be clues, and Julia finds herself with a mystery of her own to solve. 

Author:  Alex Pavesi lives in London, where he writes full time. He previously worked as a software engineer and before that obtained a PhD in Mathematics. He enjoys puzzles, long walks and recreational lock picking. The Eighth Detective is his first book.

Cry Wolf Review

Author: Charlie Adhara

Series: Big Bad Wolf #5

Genre: Paranormal Romance Mystery

Publisher: Harlequin/Carina Press

Release Date: Jan. 18, 2020

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Shifting Hearts

5 Stars to another Amazing cover!

Special thanks to Carina Press for an arc of this book via Netgalley

Agent Cooper Dayton never thought anything could be harder than solving murders. Until he had to plan a wedding.

Review:

I'll start by saying if you haven't read the previous books in this series, turn around right now and do so.  Cry Wolf will standalone, thanks to the author's expertise at including backstory, but these are character driven books and their development as well as that of the overall story arc is huge - as in do yourself a favor and read the previous books in order.  As to Cry Wolf, it's fantastic - witty, emotional, steamy . . . everything I've come to love about this series taken to a higher level.

Coop is spending the day reconnecting with family at the DC Zoo when some strange events occur culminating with him running into Park's ex, Eli, who claims he's being blackmailed and needs help.  Coop decides to open an investigation as dead "half-shifted" bodies start piling up.  When it becomes clear someone is targeting Coop, he and Park dive into the case. Things get even stranger when Neil, Coop's sorta-ex, shows up on another unconnected case - or is it?  

Readers are drawn into clashing plot lines that twist and careen, old werewolf legends about the coming of a powerful being, and the beautiful love story that is Coop and Park in Cry Wolf.  I enjoyed the expanding werewolf world and legends and the implications they have on our heroes.  The continued development of secondary characters fleshed the story out, leaving me wanting even more.  And the planning of a wedding . . . well, it was everything I've wanted as a reader and more - so emotional and heart touching. The ongoing banter that speaks of a new level of comfort between these guys balances out the scorching hot love scenes.  This book and series are a perfect combination of suspense, paranormal, urban fantasy and male/male romance.  Highly recommended!

Synopsis:

After taking down an old adversary, Agent Cooper Dayton of the Bureau of Special Investigations has earned a break. Not that planning a wedding to his sexy shifter partner, Oliver Park, is necessarily stress free, but it’s better than worrying about the ominous warning, delivered months ago, that Cooper’s life is in danger.

When he’s dragged to an event by his family, Cooper braces for an awkward evening, but instead finds himself in the middle of an ugly feud between Park’s ex and a rebel pack leader. What was supposed to be a quick outing turns into a full-blown murder investigation after the pack leader ends up dead, Park’s ex goes missing, and Cooper and Park are sent a series of disturbing wedding gifts that are somehow connected to it all.

The list of potential suspects is long, and with the bodies piling up, Cooper must turn to the one person he trusts the least: the villain he’s already put behind bars once and who has nothing to lose by lying and everything to gain if Cooper is out of the picture—for good.

About the author:

Charlie Adhara has always loved a good story and, on occasion, a bad one. After getting her degree in neuroscience, Charlie decided she’d much rather study the heart. She now writes contemporary, mystery, paranormal, queer romance. Or some assortment of that. Whatever the genre, her stories feature imperfect people stumbling around, tripping over trouble and falling in love.
Charlie has done a fair amount of stumbling around herself but tends to find her way back to the northeast U.S. After all, home is where the dog is.

https://www.charlieadhara.com