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!
First, 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.
Next, I reviewed Cold Comfort.
The giveaway ends Jan. 29th. Still time to enter here.
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.
Now I’m reviewing Haunting Refrain.
There’s also a giveaway. Read on to learn more.
I just love the cover art for this book. The choice of blue is perfect and the scene evokes the same feelings I got from reading the story.
She doesn’t want to touch it again. But she has to. Kate can’t ignore what she’s seen.
Hands, cold and hard, tightened around her throat, choking her. Long fingers encircled her neck, and fingernails cut into her flesh. Strong thumbs pressed into her windpipe, forced her head back. She clawed at them, tried to free herself. Blinded by the rain and the curtain of hair that covered her eyes, she couldn’t see the face above her. She fought, desperate for air. Those powerful fingers squeezed harder. The world around her dimmed. She was dying.
Kate’s always been good at finding things, seeing glimpses of where something was. She never dreamed she’d see a murder.
At the urging of her friend, Venice, she joins a parapsychology study. She needs to learn more about her gift anyway. She picks up an item and the vision takes hold.
Now she’s a witness to murder. She refuses to go to the police. They wouldn’t take her seriously. When Venice suggests they tell a friend, she reluctantly agrees, never dreaming he was a reporter.
John Gerrard smells a good story. He meets with the two women and subsequently prints his story, including Kate’s name in the article.
When the killer reads the paper, he’s stunned. After the panic subsides, he begin’s to make his plans.
He began thinking of ways to get to the women. First he would watch them, learn their habits. He wouldn’t mind watching Kate. She had a tight, sexy little body that had always appealed to him. And that hair – he bet she was a tiger.
Having no way of knowing how much Kate’s seen, he sets his plan in motion.
I really like Kate. She’s not wishy-washy and has a good head on her shoulders. She’s not like the femme fatale in the movies who ignore the warnings and go blithely on their merry way. She heeds the warnings and takes precautions. She’d better if she wants to keep that pretty head,
Her friend Venice is a riot. She’s clutzy and forgetful but she’s also caring and quirky. Though they are years apart, her and Kate are good together. It’s like they fill each others gaps. The author made Venice authentic for me. I’d like to meet her.
The suspense builds, you know it’s going to get worse, and you brace for the final confrontation. Ellis is a master at this. I found myself leaning forward towards my Kindle, like I could see ahead. I kept checking the battery to make sure there was enough juice left to finish the story.
Haunting Refrain is suspenseful, fraught with danger, and races to the finale.
4 Stars
Giveaway
I have two e-books to offer for the giveaway.
Entry is easy peasy. Just leave your email address and answer this question, “Have you ever had a psychic experience?”
This is an International Giveaway. Everyone can enter.
Contest ends Feb. 2nd.
Thank You and Good Luck!
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)
- Giveaway! Cold Comfort leaves you gasping. (fuonlyknew.com)
Laura, thank you for the gracious review. I’m thrilled that you liked it and enjoyed getting to know Kate and especially Venice–I had so much fun writing them!
You’re welcome Ellis.
You have some really wonderful characters, human and animals. They all seem so real in my mind.
It is truly your gift to be able to write, to bring people to life.
Another great post and review. This book sounds just as intriguing as the previous two. I especially like that it has something to do with physic experience. I’ve had quite a few physic visions in my life and continue to have them. It runs in my family and has been passed on to my girls.
Thanks for sharing, Laura.
I know. Ellis has a cool mind. I love the ideas she comes up with.
That’s interesting about pyschic visions in your family. Makes me think of the show Medium. I love that show.
I can imagine it is quite different in real life. I hope it is a gift:)
Janna, it runs in my grandmother’s family too, but I didn’t get it the way others did. I have to use my imagination. 🙂
Can’t think of anything offhand. I like reading books about psychic phenomenon and paranormal. I used to watch Medium. I like Ghost Whisperer too. These books sound really good.
Sherry, I’m more in your corner. This gift skipped me, and depending on what you see, I think I’m just as happy this way.
It’s never too late for something to occur:)
I only want to see happy things. I’d hate to be like Alex or Kate and see murders or violence. Nightmares!
I am very excited abt this book. There isnt much out there (that I’ve found) that have to do with this phenomena. Okay, so I have had some events in my life. I have visions that come true – I have for years and I see spirits. My sister is an empath and has moved things while my mom is able to tell you what cards a person is holding, who is on the phone (without caller ID) and various things like that. It’s a very interesting family dynamic I must say! lol
emilymarie070750@gmail.com
Among other things, my grandmother could tell the gender of unborn babies–and apparently the number. Long before ultrasound, she told my cousin she was having twin boys. The doctor laughed. Grandmother had the last laugh though. The twin boys are now grown with children of their own.
I’ve experienced deja vu before. I could swear I’ve been somewhere or done something before and I can almost know what’s coming next.
I’ve done that with places. Somewhere I’m sure I’ve never been, but it’s familiar. Interesting to think about.
I’ve read all of Ellis’s books. She has a special touch in mixing suspense and romance with amazing plots and winning characters. If you haven’t read her, do yourself a favor and order her books. You won’t be sorry.
Thank you, Polly. I’m so glad you like them. That’s always encouraging to hear.
I know what you mean Polly! And how she creates such rich, diverse characters is what will keep me coming back for more. I love character driven stories and movies also.
I’ve had more experiences than I can recount…my husband accuses me of picking words out of his head but is it psychic? Or just familiarity/coincidence/predictability? He argues not. He even got me a shirt that reads “Psychic in Training…Guard your thoughts”
Oh, well. Whatever keeps them guessing. 🙂
There’s a history of odd perceptions through my mom and her family line so perhaps it’s more gift than coincidence. I have yet to predict the lottery,so…
Ash, that could be hard to live with–for both of you. There are times when I definitely don’t want to know what my husband is thinking, although it’s often obvious. 🙂
Love the shirt:) It’s probably good that he can’t do the same, eh?
I’ve never had a psychic experience that I know of but I do feel a great ‘connection’ to family and close friends , even when we are far apart. I also love to vist historical buildings and, as well as the physical grandeur, I enjoy the sense of everything that has gone before. My imagination tends to run riot in those places!
Wendy, if psychic ability is ever going to come out, I believe it’s those connections to family and people close to you will do it.
Yes, Ellis, I am sure you are right. Our family relationships are, each one, unique. Who knows how far that can go if the circumstances are right. I haven’t yet read any of your books but, honestly, all the ones featured here look superb. I shall wait to see if I have any luck in the giveaway but either way will be adding an Ellis Vidler to my to-reads!
Thanks, Wendy. I bought The Palaver Tree. It sounds interesting, and I like stories set in Africa, from Out of Africa to Murder in Kruger.
Thanks very much, Ellis. Africa, with all its beauty and problems holds a special place in my heart. I spent many years in Zambia and Kenya. I feel honoured that you have my book, as yet my only one but I am working hard to remedy that! (is book 2 always so difficult!?) I would really appreciate some feedback in due course, Thank you again.
-Wendy
Hi Wendy! I’m so glad you came by:) I believe we have a spiritual connection to loved ones and it is psychic in nature, like knowing when someone is hurt or just thinking you need to phone them.
Ok, I really want this book. I answered the question on another review for this author, and since have researched the books. Of all the books, this one would be phenomenal to win. I would definitely review it. So, pardon of my answer is similar to the previous question.
Have I ever had a psychic experience? Well yes, I’m a psychic medium. 🙂
The most memorable one I have is assisting the sheriff’s department, coroner’s office and family with a 50 year old cold case. I helped them in ways unimaginable, and even though I was not able to find the body, I did help them with personal effects of the missing member. I gave them some pertinent information. The case is still under review, but since then, I have a strong connection with the family who comes back frequently to ask me personal questions .
Regan Vacknitz
365gratitude@gmail.com
🙂
PS… not sure what format the e copy of the book is, but I have a crappy ereader. I can only read .pdf files.
That is amazing. It must be very rewarding to be able to assist the family.
I will check with Ellis about the format and have you entered!
If you win, I’ll send you a pdf. No problem.
Beautiful!
I have never had a psychic experience, but my sister has. I find the whole concept fascinating! I’d love to win a copy….:)
00ibitz@sbcglobal.net
I find it fascinating too, but I’m just as happy to use my imagination.
I have never had a psychic experience before. I think it would be amazing to have that talent but also very scary.
Animals have strong psychic connections, often with their humans. It makes me wonder if we’ve suppressed our ability.
Me too Ellis!
I actually have had a psychic experience. I have a few ancestors who had psychic dreams (like knowing when someone was about to die) and I now dream I see my great-grandmother, whose death in 1999 shook my foundation, when someone I know is about to die. She was a psychic dreamer who would have a specific recurring dream when someone she knew would die in the next few days. Also, a few years ago, I dreamed I was in a classroom and a girl came in and said to me, “the sheriffs said to get a mammogram.” I asked what she meant and she just shrugged and repeated the message. I did go to the doctor, who found a lump and scheduled a mammogram for me. The lump was suspicious, but, thanfully, it was benign. Had I not had that dream, I wouldn’t have known because I couldn’t feel anything. I still don’t know why the message mentioned “the sheriffs.” The only thing I can think of was, with sheriffs being powerful authority figures, it would get my attention.
My email is gigilastrange@gmail.com
Wow, what a dream! Glad you paid attention and even happier it was benign. Interesting that she mentioned the sheriffs. Can you remember the girl? Her clothing or age? Was she contemporary?
She was contemporary. I remember her hair was light brown and in a ponytail. She was young, maybe early to mid 20s. As I remember her, she wore a T-shirt. She stood behind the teacher’s desk, so I assume she wore pants. My great-grandmother, who also had psychic dreams, was a breast cancer survivor, but it wasn’t her. I think she said “sheriffs” because I have an almost irrational fear of the police (must be a past life thing) and so hearing any reference to them would make me act. After the mammogram, there was the biopsy and all the worry about all of it, but I was so happy to get that lump out of me and I’ll be eternally thankful for that message.
Somehow I thought she’d be from an earlier time. But a T-shirt and contemporary time makes it more intense or believable that she meant it. I hope she continues to watch out for you.
Umm, not really, although one does feel a bit of intuition here and there. Could be a hunch/ chance.
Pragya
reviewing.shelf@gmail.com
True. Mine are more hunches and entirely inconsistent. I guess most of us have intuitive guesses now and then.
That’s how it is for me too.
Once, years ago. My husband was flying home from California. A few hours before he was due to arrive, I got a chill and just knew a plane had crashed. The feeling wouldn’t leave me, so I turned on the news. Indeed, a plane had crashed in the Everglades. Fortunately, my husband wasn’t on that plane.
I’m glad your husband wasn’t on it. But don’t you wonder how you knew there was a plane crash? It’s an eerie feeling to find out you were right about something that important.
Thanks for the great giveaway.
I have never personally had a psychic experience.
Millen.margareta@gmail.com
I hope you enjoy them in novels. 🙂 I expect it’s the better way. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
Psychic experience… hmm….sometimes I think of a person, and that that person calls or comes for a visit very same day. Am I psych? chick.library.cat@gmail.com
Unless it happens frequently, I call that intuitive thinking. But I believe there’s a great deal about the human mind we don’t understand. So who knows? What do you call it?
I have that same experience quite often.
Yes I have! It happens to me all the time. I’ll think or feel something and it’ll happen or end up being true. My mother told me that her grandfather claimed to be psychic and that’s where I get it from! 🙂
Lakeyg@yahoo.com
I know such abilities run in families. My grandmother’s family has such a streak, and one of my cousins inherited it. It’s a fascinating subject–I guess that’s why it’s often in my stories.
Mine is more like deja vu. Feeling like it’s happened before or I recognize what’s happenening while it occurs.
There are so many possibilities and things we haven’t discovered yet. Imagine how people felt the first time they heard voices on a radio–and no one was there. It was surely like magic.
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