Archive for October, 2024

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

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Free Computer Seeks photo and picture

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I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

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 Every Color Of The Night

by C. Yellow Robe

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Genre: Horror

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MY REVIEW

If you like a new spin on something you’ve read a lot about, this will fit the bill. I stayed up late reading from beginning to end and still not quite sure what to tag these things as.

I enjoy an underdog, a compromised character with a lot of baggage. It’s my hope they can rise above their grief or self pity, redeem themselves. Especially in the worst of times. There’s more than one character to bond with, and don’t get too fond of any of them. The author is not afraid to take them out of the equation.

I’d recommend this to horror and thriller fans. The suspense builds quickly and then it’s all out action to the bitter end.

4 STARS

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Synopsis

Like a gallon of milk forgotten on the counter and left to curdle, Ken’s life is going sour. The loss of his wife and daughter, entirely his fault, has left him shattered. In the face of such pain, he’s turned to the temporary solution many others liquid salvation. It’s all catching up to him, and life seems as if it couldn’t be any worse. And then … the world comes to an end. The newly awakened evil that follows proves that some things are even worse than the apocalypse. And these things only come out at night …

Amazon

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Click on the covers for more Thrills And Chills reviews.

     

     

     

     

     

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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.

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Cat Who Chased Ghosts organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Nic Minnella will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

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

The Cat Who Chased Ghosts

by Nic Minnella

 

 

Genre: Middle Grade Mystery / Supernatural

Synopsis

In a sleepy little town, an ordinary-looking cat hides an extraordinary secret that will transform his owners’ lives forever.

When the Thompson family inherits a dilapidated old house, their overprotected son Timmy forms a strong bond with Whiskers—a chronically lazy tabby who’s not what he seems.

As Timmy explores the house’s mysteries, a chilling discovery puts his courage to the test. With the help of Whiskers and some newfound friends, he must face supernatural forces beyond his imagination and rescue a soul in peril.

The Cat Who Chased Ghosts is a spine-tingling tale about bravery, loyalty, and the magical power of friendship (human and feline) that will thrill readers of all ages, reminding us that sometimes the most extraordinary heroes come in the most unlikely packages.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

The idea seemed to greatly amuse Jasper. His eyes now sparkled with excitement.

“Alright, count me in.” He laughed, closing his comic book. “After school, we go on the hunt. If there’s something spooky in your attic, we’ll catch it on camera.”

He lifted his hand for a high five.

“Deal.” Timmy grinned, reciprocating. Just as he began to feel the tension in his body ease up for the first time since the night before, a faint rustling sound caught his attention.

“You’ll catch what on camera?” asked someone behind them.

Both boys turned around to see Louisa standing there, her arms crossed over her Born Swiftie sweatshirt, suspicion etched on her face.

“None of your business, Louisa,” Jasper retorted.

“Still breaking into people’s homes?” she shot back.

“We’re planning a science project,” Timmy intervened.

Louisa looked at him with narrowed eyes. “A science project that needs video cameras and voice recorders?”

“We’re doing an experiment on . . . sound properties. Of different spaces,” he made up on the spot, looking over at Jasper, who nodded enthusiastically.

“Listen, we still owe you for helping us last night. If you need anything,” added Timmy, trying to defuse the tension while changing the subject.

Louisa shrugged, mollified. “I think you two are up to something. And I think I know what. But you’re right, it’s none of my business,” she said and turned away, shaking her ponytail in silent disapproval. “Just remember that some things are better left alone.”

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About Author Nic Minnella:

Nic Minnella has worked in journalism for twenty-plus years. She’s also a part-time translator and a full-time cat enthusiast. When she’s not occupied with any of the above activities, she’s often traveling to faraway places or daydreaming about them.

“The Cat Who Chased Ghosts” is her first published work of fiction, a middle grade supernatural mystery tale where a boy and his cat must confront ghosts and spirits to save their loved ones from the clutches of darkness.

Twitter

FREE TO READ ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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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.

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Hunted for the Holidays
by Deena Alexander

 


Hunted for the Holidays
Christian Mystery & Suspense
Setting – Florida
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Love Inspired Suspense (October 22, 2024)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1335980237
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1335980236
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CTKNJMRW

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Keeping out of sight

is the only way to stay alive.

When Shae Evans spots a familiar face at a Christmas pageant, she knows her witness-protection cover has been blown. Six years ago, her testimony put a crime boss away for life, but his vengeful son never stopped looking for her. Fleeing with her daughter, Shae accepts protection from former FBI agent Mason Payne—her child’s secret father. Now they’re only seconds ahead of the ruthless crime family who want Shae silenced forever. With threats everywhere, will they live to see the New Year?

From Love Inspired Suspense: Courage. Danger. Faith.

About Deena Alexander

Deena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. She recently relocated to Florida with her husband, three kids, a son-in-law, and four dogs. Now she enjoys long walks in nature all year long, despite the occasional alligator or snake she sometimes encounters. Deena’s love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night, and she now works full-time as a writer and a freelance editor.

Author Links
Webpage   Blog   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads   BookBub   Newsletter    Amazon Author Page

Purchase Links
Amazon   B&N    Kobo    Harlequin   Google Play 

Find All of Deena’s Books Here.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I have a $10 Amazon Gift Card to give away.

Entry is easy. 

Just leave a comment about the book or ask the author a question.

Giveaway ends November 5th.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

October 22 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

October 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

October 23 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

October 24 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT  

October 25 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

October 26 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 27 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – REVIEW

October 28 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

October 29 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 30 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 31 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

October 31 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

November 1 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

November 2 – Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting – REVIEW

November 3 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

November 4 – Angel’s Book Nook – AUTHOR GUEST POST

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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.

 

A BROKEN REFLECTION
by Shelly M. Patel
October 7 – November 1, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:

In the game of deception and betrayal, nothing is ever as it seems, not even murder. Secrets would be revealed in the dead of night, and lives would be changed forever. With each body count rising, Claire and Stephen began to unveil the truth, exposing the dark side of their seemingly perfect lives. In the shadows, Jessica watched from the sidelines with grave anticipation, ready to take hold of her moment. The game of cat and mouse had begun. Will Claire and Stephen be able to ride out the storm and rebuild their lives? Will Jessica seal her place next to Stephen no matter what the cost? Will the killer ever be caught?

 

 

 

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Published by: Self-Published Publication Date: October 2024 Number of Pages: 256 ISBN: 9798350963038

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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MY REVIEW

A Broken Reflection is tagged as mystery and suspense. And it proves so true.

There are multiple characters with their own points of view and boy are there a lot of skeletons in their closets. As each struggles to sort out truth from lie, people start to die.

The suspense was intense. I didn’t know who was lying, what was true and all those other who, what and why’s. If I was one to wring my hands, I would have. It was a good thing the chapters were short. It made it easy for me to power through this book so I could satisfy my curiosity and catch my breath.  The ending was so worth it.

4 STARS

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Enjoy this peek inside:
Chapter 1
Claire
It’s probably going to sound crazy to you, but I felt as though someone was watching me all the time, night, and day. You know how it is—you sense these things. Well, I did, anyway. That’s right; I could sense it. A hole the size of a crater slowly burned in the back of my head, created by their stares. By ‘they,’ it wasn’t clear who it was that watched me yet. But they were there, for sure. An eerie silence had seemed to follow me everywhere, and it was impossible to shake that feeling of someone observing from afar. Someone spying, tracking me. Knowing everything… I shook my head quickly as if it could banish the intrusiveness from my head. Damn, these wretched thoughts! I said to myself. But every time, a chill would run down my spine like icy fingertips tracing their way up and down my back. Taunting me, Poking fun at me. My eyes darted, nervously searching for any sign of movement in the crowd, but there wasn’t anyone out of place; everyone seemed totally normal. Well, except for me, of course. Okay, I’m just exaggerating, but you know how it is when you feel pursued like that. I almost dared not glance back, afraid to ask who it could be, feeling as if they were observing me again, peering in on everything like a pervert. The idea sent shivers up my spine, making the hair on my arms and back stand on end. And my gut clenched as if it would make me vomit, just that sensation of someone there, knowing everything I did, every tiny move. Initially, a tingling came to my scalp, which gradually traveled down my head and neck before settling into the back of my skull. It was the same nervousness that had pervaded me when taking my dental admission test; it was that cold bite gnawing at my gut, a feeling unwilling to go away. This was a warning, and that was clear; a terrible thing was about to occur. It was an omen, a premonition if you like. Something very bad would be coming my way. Soon. To try and regain my composure, I closed my eyes. There was little doubt that if Stephen had overheard me saying all this, he’d have me committed to a mental institution. I needed to zero down on the task at hand. So, I took a half-day off work, using it to come here. I’m all by myself now. See. Look around! Who can wish me harm? Choosing the proper dress for the charity ball hadn’t been easy either; after all, who liked wasting time wandering from store to store? I supposed some girls didn’t mind it. Some even claimed to like shopping. As for me, it was loathsome, a chore, and irritating. However, the attire had to be suitable for the occasion. The planning committee had chosen to preserve the masquerade ball theme for this year’s event. Phyllis was in charge this year, so Stephen and I wanted to show our support. I had little interest in the woman, but as Stephen often reminded me, I should “be nice, Claire.” He played golf with her husband, Bob, you see, and Bob happened to be Stephen’s long-time friend and business partner. Both were decent guys; they wanted me to back Phyllis up and ensure the event went well. It was something I had to do—according to Stephen. And Stephen was never wrong about this kind of thing, was he? But Phyllis was the kind of person who always seemed to try too hard. She needed to be liked to extremes, so she was a bit of a people pleaser, always fussing about something. It all had to be just so, just perfect. So annoying. Everyone had to love everything about her, big or small as if she would implode if you missed a moment’s flattery. Phyllis had an oblong face framed by a short blonde bob hairstyle that she thought made her look stylish and sophisticated, but to me, it smacked of desperation and made her look maternal. But despite this, people seemed to love her enthusiastic and friendly demeanor. Phyllis would pop up no matter where she went or what group she joined. “Everything all right for you, dear?” Or “Oh, your hair is lovely, dear,” she would say. Or “Wherever did you buy such a divine dress?” “Look at you,” she enthused. “Your makeup is so on point today! Very pretty, sweetie.” Ugh. Her words were creepy, all this excessive enthusiasm about every topic imaginable. I’d look around me when it happened, and the weird thing was that everyone around Phyllis looked as if they felt charmed by her efforts. But weren’t they ultimately exhausted from all the energy being thrown their way, like I was? And then there was that other thing—the other side of her. *** Excerpt from A Broken Reflection by Shelly M. Patel. Copyright 2024 by Shelly M. Patel. Reproduced with permission from Shelly M. Patel. All rights reserved.

 

 

About Author Shelly M. Patel:

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Shelly M Patel

Shelly M. Patel enjoys writing mystery books. Her first Children’s book, Jake has Dyslexia, entered the Reader’s Choice award in 2021. In 2023, she won second place in CloutBooks for the Reader’s Choice Award for her novel When Secrets Kill. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, three beautiful children, and their dog, Teddy.

Catch Up With Shelly M. Patel: BooksByShelly.com Goodreads BookBub – @shellymauthor Instagram – @shellympatel Facebook – @ShellyPatelauthor

 

 

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Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway! Click here to view the Tour Schedule  

 

Enter Now for Your Chance to Win!

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Shelly M. Patel. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

 

Can’t see the giveaway? Click Here!  

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

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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 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

.

Free Computer Seeks photo and picture

.

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

 The Fireman

by Joe Hill

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Genre: Horror / Dystopian

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MY REVIEW

With the popularity of the apocalyptic and dystopian genres, it’s got to be hard for authors to come up with something unique to bring the world to a screeching halt.

Joe Hill does a bang up job with his Dragonscale.  People become infected with the spore, their skin becomes covered in gold and black scale like stripes. They spontaneously burst into flames and are reduced to ashes. Anything or anyone near them is quickly consumed in the flames and the world burns.

It’s almost as if Mother Nature has come up with an efficient way to cleanse herself of some pesky fleas, namely, us humans.  Sure, a lot gets burnt up, but there’s no mess, no rotting corpses, just piles of ashes. Burning a forest is often done to clear away the underbrush and promote new growth.

The story begins with Harper. She’s one of those people that light up the room when they enter. A kind and caring nurse. A sweet and doting wife. She becomes infected and her husband, the man she looks up to, can no longer hide what he really is. A loser. A coward. A bully.

When Harper learns she’s pregnant and refuses to go along with their suicide pact, Jakob goes off the deep end. He joins a group calling themselves the Cremation Squad, and Harper is high on his list for eradication.

When Harper runs for her life and hooks up with the Fireman, John Rook, and goes to Camp Wyndham, things get real interesting. I love reading about group dynamics. You put a bunch of people together, their lives in danger, and all kinds of stuff happen. The ones you thought would be stand up turn out to be the worst. The meek ones turn out to be strong.

The camp seems like a safe haven. I know better. It reeked ‘cult.’ Remember what happened with the crazy religious lady in Stephen King’s movie, The Mist, when they’re all trapped in the store? Or what about the real scenario with Jim Jones. One thing you need to do is sleep with one eye open and don’t drink the Kool-Aid no matter how good it sounds.

The horror is slow building. It creeps up a little bit at a time as the world falls apart. You need to find someone you can trust. But can you truly trust anyone? People change, and not always for the good. Hope is hard to sustain. The best laid plans fall apart.

This is quite a long book, but I didn’t realize it until after I was finished. It was that good. The story flowed that easily. And I could easily have read more. With any luck, I will. The author wraps up this story but leaves it open with the characters. There’s so much more that could be told.

4 STARS

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Synopsis

From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of NOS4A2 and Heart-Shaped Box comes a chilling novel about a worldwide pandemic of spontaneous combustion that threatens to reduce civilization to ashes and a band of improbable heroes who battle to save it, led by one powerful and enigmatic man known as the Fireman.

The fireman is coming. Stay cool.

No one knows exactly when it began or where it originated. A terrifying new plague is spreading like wildfire across the country, striking cities one by Boston, Detroit, Seattle. The doctors call it Draco Incendia Trychophyton. To everyone else it’s Dragonscale, a highly contagious, deadly spore that marks its hosts with beautiful black and gold marks across their bodies—before causing them to burst into flames. Millions are infected; blazes erupt everywhere. There is no antidote. No one is safe.

Harper Grayson, a compassionate, dedicated nurse as pragmatic as Mary Poppins, treated hundreds of infected patients before her hospital burned to the ground. Now she’s discovered the telltale gold-flecked marks on her skin. When the outbreak first began, she and her husband, Jakob, had made a they would take matters into their own hands if they became infected. To Jakob’s dismay, Harper wants to live—at least until the fetus she is carrying comes to term. At the hospital, she witnessed infected mothers give birth to healthy babies and believes hers will be fine too. . . if she can live long enough to deliver the child.

Convinced that his do-gooding wife has made him sick, Jakob becomes unhinged, and eventually abandons her as their placid New England community collapses in terror. The chaos gives rise to ruthless Cremation Squads—armed, self-appointed posses roaming the streets and woods to exterminate those who they believe carry the spore. But Harper isn’t as alone as she a mysterious and compelling stranger she briefly met at the hospital, a man in a dirty yellow fire fighter’s jacket, carrying a hooked iron bar, straddles the abyss between insanity and death. Known as The Fireman, he strolls the ruins of New Hampshire, a madman afflicted with Dragonscale who has learned to control the fire within himself, using it as a shield to protect the hunted . . . and as a weapon to avenge the wronged.

In the desperate season to come, as the world burns out of control, Harper must learn the Fireman’s secrets before her life—and that of her unborn child—goes up in smoke.

Amazon

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Click on the covers for more Thrills And Chills reviews.

     

     

     

     

     

13129925     

13640644  30753752   

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

.

Free Computer Seeks photo and picture

.

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

 Snowball

by Gregor Bastianelli

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Genre: Horror / Christmas

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MY REVIEW

I love horror stories where the elements play a huge part in character survival. This one didn’t disappoint.

A bunch of motorists get stranded on a patch of highway during a snow storm. Whiteout conditions, freezing temps. I can’t imagine how bad that would be. Throw in some seriously creepy snowmen that mysteriously appear and it all goes crazy from there.

I’ve always been told that when caught in a situation like this, it’s best to stay put. Wait it out. Something forces a few of these people to seek help. Could the cabin in the woods provide that? Or was it all a lure? I couldn’t wait to find out. And when I did, what a wacky, twisted ending it was. And I have to mention that the cover is perfect.

4 STARS

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Synopsis

A group of motorists become stranded on a lonely stretch of highway during a Christmas Eve blizzard and fight for survival against an unnatural force in the storm. The gathered survivors realize a tenuous connection among them means it may not be a coincidence that they all ended up on this highway. An attempt to seek help leads a few of the travelers to a house in the woods where a twisted toymaker with a mystical snow globe is hell bent on playing deadly games with a group of people just trying to get home for the holidays.

Amazon

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Click on the covers for more Thrills And Chills reviews.

     

     

     

     

     

13129925     

13640644  30753752   

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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.

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In 1942, Major Ray
Hawkins must assemble a unit of civilians and military to keep the Nazis from
releasing a desert djinn against the Allied forces in North Africa. They will
have to employ conventional warfare and unconventional witchcraft to accomplish
the mission.

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Devil in the Desert

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Office of Supernatural Directives Book 1

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by Russell James

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Genre: Historical Horror

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It is 1942 and a
secret group within the Nazi SS is on the hunt for objects of the occult,
hoping to harvest their power for wonder weapons to win the war. Its leader,
Gruppenfuhrer Karl Weitz, has more than military might behind him. He has
recruited the Ochre Witch, an Eastern European sorceress capable of adapting
what they seize to serve the Reich’s needs.

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Only one team can stop the Axis powers from winning World War II.

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Army Major Ray Hawkins is tasked with creating the Office of Supernatural
Directives to stop these fanatics. He assembles a team that includes a female
WASP pilot, an enlisted man with a passion for language and puzzles, a
mysterious American ex-pat from the French Foreign Legion, and a young Romany
woman who will need to embrace the mystic Gypsy teachings she’s spent her life
despising.

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Their first mission unfolds in Tunisia, where Weitz and the Ocher Witch plan to
release a djinn the locals call the Devil in the Desert. It wields the power to
spread debilitating fear. If Major Hawkins and his band cannot stop the djinn,
it will sow panic among the Americans and Rommel’s Afrika Korps will crush the
invasion force. But Hawkins’ new team has many weaknesses, and Weitz and the
Ocher Witch will exploit every one of them to win.

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Ray followed General Charles Vernon into a side room where an Indian British Army captain with a full moustache and beard sat at a wooden table. He wore a Sikh turban. Ray had heard that the Sikhs were ferocious in battle. He stood up, ramrod straight and stared through Ray. Ray was a fit 5’ 9”. This towering captain made him feel small.

“Major Hawkins, this is Captain Singh. He’s going to brief you on some top-secret material. None of which you can discuss with anyone once you leave this room.”

Ray and Singh exchanged nods and the three sat down. Singh’s back never strayed from being perfectly vertical. He opened a folder.

“You are briefed on the SS organization?”

“Yes, a parallel army staffed with Nazi fanatics more devoted to Hitler than to the Fatherland.”

“They are indeed fanatics, steeped in the nonsense ideology of the Aryan master race. That includes a firm belief in the occult and supernatural, which they consider the source of their superiority, a source that ‘cross-breeding’ with ‘inferior races’ has now denied them. Hitler himself is completely taken with such ideas.”

“Lunatics believe insane things.”

“There is an entire section within the SS devoted to such research. It is called the Ahnenerbe. They have agents combing the world for phenomena that the Germans can use to create wonder weapons and win the war.”

Ray laughed. “Well, good for them wasting resources chasing ghosts and Loch Ness monsters.”

“We wish that it was a waste of time.”

Singh took out another sheet of paper. This one had a drawing of a sea creature crushing several Phoenician galleys. The enormous creature looked like a hideous cross between a sperm whale and an octopus.

“Phoenicians called it a lotan. Powerful sea creatures able to destroy ships with impunity.”

Ray had read more than his share of fantasy and science fiction tales. “The kraken myth.”

“Similar, except these were no myth.”

Singh pulled out a black-and-white picture with TOP SECRET printed along one side. Despite the grainy quality, the subject was easy to make out, though hard to believe. An octopus-like creature held aloft two halves of a submarine. Tiny sailors hung on to the canted conning tower.

“The Ahnenerbe found them, resurrected them, created them. The plan was to have the Luftwaffe attack from the sky and a combination of U-boats and leviathans attack from the sea. They would starve England into surrender during the first winter.”

Ray couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He looked up at General Vernon, who was taking it all in stride and had apparently already known all of this.

“They’re animals,” Ray said. “They’d be no match for modern weapons.”

“Not animals, supernatural creatures. Impervious to conventional weapons.”

“But England survived. How?”

“The details are classified. But I can tell you that supernatural threats require supernatural remedies. That’s the best advice I can give you.”

“Advice? Why would I need advice about this?”

“We are about to jump into this war on the ground in a big way,” the general said. “The Brits had a whole section working on rooting out the Ahnenerbe and destroying whatever technology they’ve created. We’re going to start our own similar team. General Eisenhower picked you to lead it.”

“Me? I’m an infantry officer.”

“Which gives you the leadership experience. Eisenhower liked your fitness reports and your stint as company commander of that experimental light reconnaissance company. You showed the ability to think outside the box tactically.”

“Whoever runs this operation needs to have an open mind about anything the Nazis might try to find, no matter how out in left field it might be.”

“Our men stay close to the front,” Singh said. “Ready to respond to anything out of the ordinary advancing troops come across. Sometimes those clues have sent us deep into enemy territory to intervene before things got too far along for us to stop it.”

“Thank you, Captain Singh,” the general said. “That will be all.”

“Certainly, sir.” Singh collected his papers and left the room. He closed the door behind him.

“We need a unit to do what the Brits were doing,” the general said. “Your group will be called the Office of Supernatural Directives. You’ll have vague orders that give you a lot of latitude in going wherever you need to be. But you’ll have to be low-key. I think you can appreciate that your unit is best kept secret from the public and even within the military itself.”

“Yes, sir. People would think we were crazy.”

“Worse, they might think that you weren’t, and the last thing we need is a war-worried populace also starting to panic over supernatural threats. Hell, people would never sleep.”

Ray was starting to wonder if he ever would again.

“Are you up for the challenge, Major?”

He honestly didn’t know what to say. The whole idea was so bizarre, chasing Nazis who were chasing myths. He had an important staff job in logistics now that he was damn good at. Once American troops started taking the fight to the Axis, the soldiers who kept them supplied would be the difference between victory and defeat.

“It’s a lot to take in, sir. I think –”

The door opened. General Eisenhower stuck in his head. His eyes lit up when he saw Ray.

“General, you found Major Hawkins! Superb. Captain Singh has briefed you, Major?”

“Uh, yes, sir.”

“Outstanding. Great to have you lead this new team. I know I can count on you.”

The general disappeared and the door closed.

“Looks like the General accepted for you,” General Vernon said.

“Looks like he did.”

“Head over to G1 and start looking through personnel jackets. You need to assemble a team.”

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Trucks, tanks, and more!

There are a number of vehicles the OSD team comes across during their adventures in Devil in the Desert. I did a lot of research to pick specific types that would be historically accurate to the time period. Not wanting all that research and fun facts to go to waste, I’ll share them with you here.

German Army Kubelwagen

Americans had the Jeep. The Germans has a Kubelwagen.

Ferdinand Porsche, future-father of the 911 sports car, designed this inexpensive, lightweight military transport vehicle in 1938. The Volkswagen Beetle, a promised “people’s car” that the war put on hold provided the basis. Unlike the Jeep, this was only two-wheel- drive, but it still proved tough to get stuck, even with only a 985 cc engine.

Full-scale production of the Type 82 Kübelwagen started in February 1940 and continued with only minor changes all the way until 1945. By then 50,435 Kübelwagen vehicles had been produced. Only small modifications were implemented, mostly eliminating unnecessary parts and reinforcing others which had proved unequal to the task. Prototype versions were assembled with four-wheel-drive (Type 86) and different engines, but none offered a significant increase in performance or capability over the existing Type 82, so these designs went nowhere.

This interior picture show how utilitarian the interior was, and that the body was anything but bulletproof. But it had more room and more protection from the elements that the Jeep. In fact, it was captured and re-used by so many Allied soldiers that the U.S. Army even made a field manual for its troops so they could repair and maintain one correctly.

M3 “Lee” Medium Battle Tank

As entering World War II looked inevitable, American armor dated from the last big war and was hopelessly obsolete. The stopgap answer was the M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3. It carried a 75 mm main gun mounted in the tank body, and a smaller cannon in the turret. It was relatively easy to build, relatively inexpensive ($55,000), and the main gun packed a decent punch against the armor rolling when it was first deployed in 1941.

But the design had some serious drawbacks. First, unlike every other tank in WWII, the main gun wasn’t in the turret. That meant you needed to spin the entire tank to aim the gun. There was a reason no other army had tanks like this. Other drawbacks included a high silhouette, the inability to take a hull-down firing position, riveted construction that could send popped rivets into the crew area when an enemy round hit, and poor off-road performance. But until the superior M4 Shermans arrived, this was all the Americans had. Production ended in 1942 after making 6,258 of them.

The turret was produced in two forms, one with the main gun on the right, like the picture for American standards, and one with the main gun on the left for British requirements. American tanks were called “Lee,” named after Confederate general Robert E. Lee, British tanks were known as “Grant,” named after Union general Ulysses S. Grant. Nearly a thousand M3s were supplied to the Soviet military under Lend-Lease between 1941 and 1943.

In the Pacific, where it was a match for the lighter Japanese Army tanks, the M3 did soldier on until 1945.

Opel Blitz Kfz 305 Ambulance

The OSD is not above using captured vehicles to get around, especially since masquerading as the 417th Medical Holding Battalion on paper, they can’t very well requisition one without getting unwanted attention. One of the vehicles they use is a German Army Opel Blitz Ambulance.

The Opel Blitz was the workhorse truck of the German Army. First delivered to the Wehrmacht in 1937, by the time bombing destroyed the factory in 1944, over 130,000 had been delivered. It could carry a payload of over 2.5 tons, travel up to 50 miles per hour, and had a range of over 200 miles. All this was accomplished with only a 74 hp engine. The truck was renowned for its hardiness and ease of repair.

There were literally dozens of variants of what was officially named the Kfz 305. One of these was an ambulance version that definitely saw service with the Afrika Korps in Libya and Tunisia. As these were the most likely vehicles to escape destruction in combat, it seemed a good choice to be the truck Major Ray Hawkins can get his hands on.

All the color pictures here I took at the American Heritage Museum in Stow, Massachusetts. I highly recommend a visit there to see their excellent collection of military vehicles from many time periods, but especially World War II. They even let you drive a Sherman tank.

Those are a few of the vehicles mentioned in Devil in the Desert. I hope they matched what my descriptions planted in your mind’s eye.

If you haven’t gotten a copy of this WWII horror thriller yet, head over to Amazon and get yourself one today.

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Russell R. James was raised on Long Island, New York and spent too much time watching
Chiller, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Dark Shadows, despite his parents’
warnings. Bookshelves full of Stephen King and Edgar Allan Poe didn’t make
things better. He graduated from Cornell University and the University of
Central Florida.

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After flying helicopters with the U.S. Army and a career as a technical writer, he
now spins twisted tales best read in daylight, including horror thrillers Dark
Inspiration, Q Island, and The Playing Card Killer. He authored the Grant
Coleman Adventures series starting with Cavern of the Damned and the Ranger
Kathy West series starting with Claws. He resides in sunny Florida. His wife
reads his work, rolls her eyes, and says “There is something seriously
wrong with you.”

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Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

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I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

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 The Roo

by Alan Baxter

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Genre: Horror

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MY REVIEW

 Take a long look at that awesome cover. Those eyes! Scary. And when I read it was a killer kangaroo, I was thinking, okay, that’s new. I had to read this.

It’s not a long read. A novella at about 130 pages. Don’t let that fool you. The story moves fast and you better hope you have a strong stomach. This kangaroo isn’t messing around.

There were also some well written characters. I especially enjoyed the double tough female protagonist. And the author’s descriptions of living in Australia fleshed out the story.

Crazy….. Scary….. Good ….. Stuff.

4 STARS

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Synopsis

Something is wrong in the small outback town of Morgan Creek.

A farmer goes missing after a blue in the pub. A teenage couple fail to show up for work. When Patrick and Sheila McDonough investigate, they discover the missing persons list is growing. Before they realise what’s happening, the residents of the remote town find themselves in a fight for their lives against a foe they would never have suspected.

And the dry red earth will run with blood.

Amazon

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Caught on Camera: A Camera Club Mystery
by Kara Lacey

 


Caught on Camera: A Camera Club Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Vermont
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books (September 24, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 307 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DGNDGPV4

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Blue skies and wildflowers signal the start of summer in southern Vermont, and the Stonebridge Keep it Snappy Camera Club lenses are zoomed in on…murder.

It’s been more than a year since the sudden death of her husband, and photographer Bobbie Brooks wants nothing more than to escape her grief. Fleeing her life in the city, she seeks a fresh start in the serenity of the Green Mountains. But Bobbie’s new beginning comes to a halt when she finds a member of her camera club dead beneath the village’s idyllic covered bridge. Tragic accident or something sinister? With a keen photographer’s eye, Bobbie suspects murder.

As if transitioning to small-town life wasn’t challenging enough, Bobbie’s missing scarf is found at the murder scene, making her the primary focus. Scorned by local gossips, she enlists the help of her camera club and shifts her lens from photographer to amateur sleuth. Using photos found on the victim’s camera, they waste no time setting out to catch the killer—and discover no shortage of suspects. Secrets, lies, and blackmail…Danger abounds as they close in on the killer.
Her camera holds the answers… But can she develop the clues in time to stop the killer?

About Kara Lacey

Kara Lacey is the author of the Camera Club Mysteries. Along with her husband, she lives in a tiny village nestled in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont—the inspiration for her novels. Kara is a photography enthusiast who also enjoys hiking, skiing, and getting cozy with a good book. When she’s not at her laptop creating havoc for her characters, you can find her rambling through the forest with her husband and spirited Labrador retriever, camera in hand.

Kara is a member of Sisters in Crime, Sisters in Crime-New England, and Mystery Writers of America. She is also a co-Member at Large for Vermont SinC NE writers.

Author Links: Instagram / Facebook / Website

Purchase Link – Amazon 

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS  

October 24 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

October 25 – Celticlady’s Reviews – RECIPE 

October 25 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

October 25 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 26 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

October 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 27 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

October 28 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 28 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

October 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

October 29 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

October 29 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 29 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

October 30 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – REVIEW

October 30 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

October 31 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

October 31 – Deal Sharing Aunt – RECIPE

October 31 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

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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 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

.

Free Computer Seeks photo and picture

.

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

 The Thing In The Lake

by Conor Metz

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Genre: Horror

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MY REVIEW

Creature features are among my favorites, whether movies or books. Especially books as you get inside character’s heads and found out what motivates them.

In this creepy story, you get a creature in a lake, a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. Take a long look at the cover. Yep, horribly wrong. You also get some cool characters. And it doesn’t take long for the thing to make it’s presence known. Who survives? Does anybody? And what of the creature?

This was fun. Got what I was hoping for and then some.

4 STARS

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Synopsis

What would happen if you and your friends fought a real-life monster?Find out in this action-packed thriller that’s The Creature from the Black Lagoon meets The Goonies.

Billy McGregor just wants to enjoy his summer before high school, but a creature lurks within his lake and seems to be picking off the residents one at a time. As a horror-buff, he’s quick to pick up on this and with nobody else seeming to notice, it’s up to him and his friends to take matters into their own hands.But they aren’t the only ones after the creature.A local cop realizes the several deaths are linked and an organization called SID is trying to cover it up. They have their own plans for the creature, but if they don’t capture it quickly, things could spiral out of control due to a potential for infection. A single bite or scratch will turn any person it injures into another one of its kind.It’s a race for who can deal with the creature first, but will any of them be successful against a genetically engineered killing machine?

Amazon

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Click on the covers for more Thrills And Chills reviews.

     

     

     

     

     

13129925     

13640644  30753752

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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.