Archive for June 26, 2024

.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Dungeon Of Horrors organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

A randomly drawn winner will receive a $20 Amazon or B&N Gift Card. Don’t forget to enter.

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Dungeon Of Horrors

by Hawk MacKinney

 

 

Genre: Suspense / Horror

Synopsis

The bank’s newest Trust Officer Terri Stanley prepares the requested department’s internal audit. Finding puzzling inconsistencies and a jumble of misappropriations and unexplained offshore accounts, she follows protocol and immediately punches in the listed number for the Executor-Trustee, Craige Ingram.

Wealthy land owner/parttime PI Craige Ingram reaches the file back to homicide Lt. Grayson MacGerald after finishing a quick read-through of the preliminary forensic report from Coroner Fred Dinkins on the unexpected death of bank President Royce Sedgewicke. Dinkins’ meticulous autopsy findings verify that a massive apparent heart attack was not from natural causes, confirming what these longtime SEAL buddies suspected.

When Ingram gets a call from Terri Stanley, the bank’s attractive, newly-hired Trust Officer, wanting to discuss in confidence possible account irregularities discovered during her audit, he never imagines the twisted world of money and greed that would involve a psychopath’s trail of bloody body parts strewn along Ingram’s river property, or that Terri and her son would disappear.

Confronted by a race against time, Ingram fears that Terri might become one more on the list of dead who crossed a twisted mind bent on thrill-kills and retribution.

Enjoy this peek inside:

A testy Barry Jamison Peters sat at his desk in the bank, nervously folding and refolding a once immaculate handkerchief. At forty-two, Barry looked haggard way beyond his years—the prep school and college gridiron hunk with a perpetual chip on his shoulder long gone to flabby chunkiness, a once pleasant face now drawn. Like he’d done all his life, he waited, listening as the workday ended. The ebony-glass high rise became still and quiet as the five o’clock hired help scurried to the suburban parkway. Breaking routine attracted attention, and he sure didn’t want that.

Math whiz nerd Barry liked numbers. “You can trust numbers,” he once told a new teller. Barry didn’t mind working late; the solitude was warm and familiar. He glanced at his Carrara marble clock that graced his orderly desk. “Thirty more minutes,” he murmured.

At breakfast that morning, he played with a slice of dry scorched toast. His puffy eyes in a sagging face buried in the morning paper hardly glanced in the direction of his frumpy wife when he said, “I have to work late again.”

She tugged at the waist of her soiled sloppy nightgown. In more ways than looks, she matched him dull for dull. “What’s so different?” she said grumpily. “When you’re around, we never talk.”

In that moment his look glittered into the hate-side of disgust. She’d served him divorce papers three times, stopping when her checking account bottomed out. She never paid any of her lawyers, and the last one lost the papers in the bank’s parking deck where the idle-talk crowd found them.

At the half hour, on the mark, Barry took the elevator to the main floor. His steps quickened through the red marble foyer with its malachite green columns and tall, ornate clock beneath the enormous oil painting of the Steamship Company’s first steam locomotive. The duplicate master keys seared his sweaty palm. He unlocked the steel-barred grill into the safety deposit vault, inserted both slender keys and turned them at the same time. He pulled out the long, flat box, raised the lid, pocketed the small velvet satchel from inside, replaced the box, removed the keys and made sure the grill locked behind him. His heart drubbed faster… anxious to get to Royce’s secret place and the vintage collection of Cabernets in the cellar beneath the street. He took the elevator to the fourth floor, then the parking garage connector and the fire stairs down to the street. He scuttled across McIntosh, turned down the narrow alley with its unused railroad siding, brushed beneath the tangle of overgrown Woodbine Creeper and slipped the new key into his new lock. Once inside, he made sure the door locked behind him. The stale, dank air closed in around him. He was safe. No one could find him there.

.

About Author Hawk MacKinney:

.

Internationally acclaimed author and public speaker, Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspapers. Following graduation, he served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history and has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel.

In addition to professional articles and texts on fetal and adult anatomy, Hawk has authored several novels that have received national and international recognition. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award.

Known for his terrifying suspense and unique “Southron” dialog, Hawk has published five novels in the Moccasin Hollow Mysteries: Hidden Chamber of Death, Westobou Gold, Curse of the Ancients, Dead Gold, and Blood of the Dragonfly.

In a change of direction, Hawk has also published three books in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series: The Bleikovat Event, Volume I; The Missing Planets, Volume II; and The Inanna Phantom, Volume III.

His latest work is a series called the Moccasin Trace Mysteries. Dungeon of Horrors is the first book in the series, and the second book – Blood in the Shadows – is in development.

Website

Amazon

~~~~~

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Playtime Clothes organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Kim MacLean will award a randomly drawn winner a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Playtime Clothes

by Kim MacLean

 

 

Genre: Children’s Book

Synopsis

The young boy’s room is an undeniable mess. Did he actually clean his room, as he is telling his mom? Or do his clothes come to life and play?! They are, after all, playtime clothes. Is he learning a lesson to tell the truth and be accountable, as we all do in life? Or is it a world of make believe? It is for you to enjoy while you decide.

Enjoy this peek inside:

.

.

About Author Kim MacLean:

Kim MacLean was inspired to be creative while she and her little girls made their own fun inside their home on long, cold winter days. Her girls sat for hours painting and gluing crafts into works of art on paper. Oh, the rows and rows of finished masterpieces drying on the floor while Kim sat and wrote! And there were the hundreds of books that they read and enjoyed together that further inspired creativity and an adult love of children’s books!

Tia Bates is an artist, illustrator, and storyteller from London, Ontario. She is inspired by the beautiful illustrations she grew up looking at in children’s books just like Playtime Clothes, the first children’s book she has illustrated! Currently pursuing a master’s degree in fine art, Tia’s personal artwork is all about the stories we tell.

Purchase Links: Amazon / B&N / Book Depository

~~~~~

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.



.

 

The Prince She Kissed in Paris

by Scarlett Clarke

 

(Harlequin Romance)
Publication date: June 25th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

What happens when an architect has to work with the far-too-tempting prince she shared one magical evening with in Paris? Find out in Scarlett Clarke’s debut for Harlequin Romance!

ONE STARLIT NIGHT IN PARIS…

Architect Maddie is still thinking about her steamy kiss with a stranger when she walks into her meeting the next morning… And finds her new client, Nicholai, is that stranger and a prince! No matter how incredible the attraction, he’s now completely off-limits. He’s her boss, a dutiful royal and she’s sworn off men. But when their inevitable second kiss is caught on camera, there’s only one solution to the impending scandal—faking their engagement!

From Harlequin Romance: Be swept away by glamorous and heartfelt love stories.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

~~~~~

DEAR READER

Dear Reader,

THE PRINCE SHE KISSED IN PARIS is my debut royal romance with Harlequin Romance. Kicking off the story in Paris was a no-brainer; it was my husband’s and my first international trip together. I fell in love with the old architecture, the iconic landmarks, and just the overall feel of the city.

It was a lot easier to write the chapters set in Paris than creating the country of Kelna, although I learned so much about world-building throughout this process! Kelna was inspired by the country of Croatia, a stunning setting that is now on my travel bucket list.

I also want to give a shout-out to my incredible sister-in-law Rachel, for helping bring Madeline and her passion for architecture to life. Rachel is an architect in the Pacific Northwest and has worked on everything from museums to embassies. She was a wonderful resource on how design processes, site visits, and construction work, and let me get away with some twisting of how an actual timeline would progress!

I hope you enjoy Madeline and Nicholai’s romance. Happy reading, and have a wonderful summer!

Love, Scarlett

~~~~~

Enjoy this peek inside:

Prince Nicholai Adamović braced his arm against the balcony doorframe as the wrought iron beams of the Eiffel Tower lit up with hundreds of sparkling white lights. The display no doubt dazzled the hordes of tourists who, despite the late hour, would be thronging the Pont d’léna and surrounding streets to snap the perfect picture.

He’d seen it plenty of times, had frequently dismissed it as nothing more than a cheap trick to attract visitors and romantics.

But tonight, he, too, watched the show.

When would he have the freedom to be in his own hotel room alone again? Without security guards or press or his family lurking about?

Or worse, a wife.

The lights performed one last dance before settling into a steady golden glow. A beacon for all of Paris to look to. One of hope, history and love.

He snorted. Love was for books, movies and the occasional lucky sap who stumbled upon their soulmate. For people like him, love was not always an option. Especially when the law of his country required that he have a wedding ring on his finger before accepting the crown.

.

About Author Scarlett Clarke:

From sneaking behind the shelves of her local library to read a few pages of romance to absconding with her mom’s copy of A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss, Scarlett has loved romance for as long as she can remember. By day, she works in public relations. By night, she powers through her most hated chore (laundry) and writes sweet, contemporary romance with strong heroes and the fierce heroines who make them realize true love really is possible.

When she’s not reading or writing, she’s wrangling her two little ones while trying yet again to plant a vegetable garden, visiting her husband at the fire station, or sitting on her front porch savoring a cup of hot tea and the sight of the Midwestern countryside.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

.

.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.