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The amazing Ellis Vidler is one of my featured authors this month. Each Wednesday, I’ll be reviewing one of her fabulous books. There will be giveaways and guest posts, a whole lot of fun!

Last week I reviewed Time of Death, her newest release.

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Ooh, there are some really great characters in Time of Death. I think my favorite is Alex, no, Jax, no, Jelly. Oh, I love them all! Can’t wait for you to meet them. Go here to read my review and enter the giveaway  to win a print copy(US/Canada Only) or an e-book(International). Ends Jan. 20th.

Today I’ll be reviewing Cold Comfort.

Read on to learn about this thrilling book and to enter the giveaway.

After being dumped by her faithless fiancé, Claire Spencer has abandoned her dreams of a family of her own tucked neatly inside a picket fence. Instead, she’s plotting her solo course and settling for a quiet life as an independent Williamsburg shop owner. So how does she become a killer’s target?

Sometime security consultant Riley, burned out, disillusioned, and haunted by a young girl he couldn’t save, vows never to work with women again. But when a thug tries to kill the friend of a friend, the woman winds up in his arms, and all Riley’s plans go to hell. Knowing she’s in danger, he can’t walk away.

While dodging speeding cars, ducking bullets, and escaping through murky swamp waters, conventional Claire and freewheeling Riley struggle against their powerful chemistry—if she’s picket fences, he’s barbed wire.

Opposites do attract.

My Thoughts

My thoughts are all over the place. The beginning of this story hits the ground running and never slows down.

In the opening scene, Claire is fighting for her life when an unknown attacker tries to kill her. If not for her neighbor and his son, he may have succeeded. Claire is a petite woman and her attacker was large and determined. He only relented when he heard the neighbors rushing to her aid. His parting words, “I’ll be back, sweetheart.”

She thought she was safe. The car with the mismatched headlights wasn’t behind her. She pulled into her driveway and while climbing out of her car, the attack occurred.

After a ride in an ambulance and three stitches in her scalp, Claire is released from the hospital. She’ll have some sore muscles, a headache and some bruising. She tells the police officer that she’s seen the car following her for the last three days. She’s also had the hairs stand up on the back of her neck like someone was watching her, and she can’t shake the feeling someone’s been inside her home. Nothing is missing but her bedspread has been disturbed and she smelled traces of cigarette smoke. She thought maybe she was imagining things. She’s been through a lot.

Her mother died recently and her ex-fiancee ran off with his secretary two weeks before they were to be married. It’s not like she isn’t stressed.

The officer tells her it sounds like someone is trying to scare her, maybe a stalker. He drives her home and makes sure the house is secure before leaving. Claire hits the sack but sleep is a long time coming.

She arrives late to her Christmas shop, Mistletoe. There’s a police car out front and Mary , her assistant, rushes over to explain. Someone has been in the shop and they left something on Claire’s desk.

Who is doing this? On her desk is a dismembered doll, its little arms and legs scattered across the top and it’s head off to the side. Out of the limbless body protrudes a pencil. This is not the act of a stalker. This is something else entirely.

At Mary’s insistence, she calls Ben Riley for help. He’s what you’d call a problem -solver. At first he refuses to take her case, brushing her off as a hysterical female. Then Mary’s brother, Ray, calls and urges him to reconsider.

“”I’m asking you, Riley.”

So Riley is standing in the dark outside of Mistletoe, waiting for Claire to leave. She locks up and walks to her car, but before she can get there a car comes racing towards her. Riley tackles her out of its path and the car rushes off.

“Okay, lady. I’ll take your case.”

“The reluctant detective, I presume.”

And so it goes. The attacks keep coming, each one more serious.

Who wants her dead and why? Claire hasn’t a clue and it’s Riley’s job to find out.

Riley didn’t expect to like her, and he was damn sure she wouldn’t like him.

He was wrong on both counts. He knew he should have stayed away, but it’s already too late. He’s emotionally involved now, and he’ll protect Claire or die trying.

The mystery builds and builds as does the attraction between Claire and Ben.

I love a romance where the relationship starts out bumpy and the attraction catches the characters by surprise. These two are so different yet so perfect for each other.

The author had me hanging on every word, excited to see what would happen next. I couldn’t read fast enough. Don’t worry, I didn’t miss a thing.

Looking for a story that’ll leave you breathless? Cold Comfort barely gives you time to come up for air.

Five deep breaths for Cold Comfort!

5 Stars

Giveaway

I have one print book(US/Canada Only) and one e-book(International) to giveaway.

*To enter please leave your email address and answer this question, “Have you ever felt like someone was secretly watching you”

Giveaway ends Jan. 29th.

Thank you and Good Luck!

And on Wednesday, Jan. 23rd I’ll be reviewing Haunting Refrain and hosting yet another giveaway!

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Good intentions go awry and a newly discovered psychic gift becomes life-threatening in Ellis Vidler’s debut, Haunting Refrain. After a psychometric photographer touches a headband and witnesses, in her mind’s eye, a missing coed’s murder, and a reporter hard up for news mentions the mystery vision, the girl’s killer embarks on a new homicidal mission: he’ll do anything to keep Kate McGuire from getting him caught.

Make sure you mark your calendar. You won’t want to miss these! And don’t forget to enter the giveaways!

About the author and where to find her.

Ellis Vidler is a writer and editor. She and her guests talk about whatever comes to mind at her blog, http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com Ellis’s new suspense novel, Time of Death, will be released November 18th. Artist Alex Jenrette shares the psychic streak that runs through the McGuire family. Just as it does her cousin Kate (Haunting Refrain), that ability gets her into trouble when she draws a scene she never imagined–murder. The killer she can’t identify wants to eliminate her, but maybe help from unlikely sources will come in time. Cold Comfort, suspense with romantic elements, is set in December during the long nights before the winter solstice.  Claire Spencer owns a Christmas shop in the charming town of Williamsburg, VA. Her quiet life is turned upside down when she becomes a killer’s target. Everything she believed is a lie, but the truth is cold comfort. Her first novel was Haunting Refrain, a romantic mystery set in South Carolina, now out on Kindle. It has a touch of paranormal, and reviewers described the characters as “delightful.” Ellis published The Peeper with Jim Christopher, a retired law enforcement officer. The Peeper is a police procedural/suspense novel set in the South Carolina upstate. Tea in the Afternoon is a collection of three short Southern stories, not her usual suspense stories. Ellis is a member of Sisters in Crime. Her home is in the South Carolina piedmont with her husband, two dogs, and a collection of wildlife that shows up for breakfast.

Links

Website. http://www.ellisvidler.com

Blog. http://theunpredictablemuse.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllisVidler

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4054785.Ellis_Vidler

Click on the covers to purchase her books.

Related articles

• Time of Death Giveaway and Review (fuonlyknew.com)