Annabel Tilson is a medical student starting her first clinical rotation where she has high hopes of mastering patient care like her famous neurosurgeon father. However, she soon realizes that studying for surgery exams and taking care of patients is only part of the complex burden of her role as a surgical team member.
Grappling with a resident who hates her and a dreamy infatuation for her chief resident, she discovers an inordinate outbreak of patient mortality. But for Annabel to dig further puts her at risk of failing the rotation and ending her future career as a physician.
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Enjoy this glimpse inside.
Annabel got up and skimmed the bulky surgical textbooks on the shelf. Her paperback was a student’s condensed manual meant for studying and passing exams; it lacked the detail found in the texts in the office. She looked up burns and read an excellent dissertation on the subject. The information about the degrees of burns and complications was all there. Compared to the first two years sitting in lectures and labs, she already found the wards much more beneficial. There she could see firsthand what the textbooks were talking about so it made the material easier to understand and retain.
She lost track of the twenty minutes she spent reading and then realized she had better get to the OR. After donning a cap, booties, and a mask like she had been instructed the day before, she entered the appropriate room. The activity caught her by surprise and she was horrified at what she saw.
Author Barbara Ebel, M.D.
Barbara Ebel’s writing draws heavily from her experience as an anesthesiologist, her dealings with family court, and her interactions with people and places from around the world. As a physician, speaker, and former chemist, she sprinkles credible medicine into the background of her fiction where plots and vivid characters take center stage and her O.R. scenes shine.
She penned the Dr. Danny Tilson Novels before the Dr. Annabel Tilson Novels (DEAD STILL is Book One). Collateral Circulation was the National Indie Excellence Award 2015 Finalist for medical thrillers and Operation Neurosurgeon was the top finalist for best-selling medical mystery books in 2012. (Best Selling Books’ blog announced on PR Buzz Press Release Wire, Chicago, IL).
You may find more information about her and her books here: Blog / Twitter
In addition to her adult writing, she has illustrated and penned a children’s book series called Chester the Chesapeake. The books developed during her philanthropic visits with her therapy dog, Chester. The dog books continue to inspire adults and children alike. Along with her husband and four pets, “Doctor Barbara” lives in a wildlife corridor in middle Tennessee.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Books And A Beat.
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My Teaser for this week is from
The Madonna Of Notre Dame
by Alexis Ragougneau
Translated by Katherine Gregor
Genre: Mystery
My teaser from page 48 in the paperback.
“You know, if I don’t have my little priest to talk to, I bottle up my anger and start hitting my pals in the cafeteria. Over nothing. Over a piece of bread. Just to kill time. It’s the survival of the fittest, and the fittest isn’t always the most clever one or, as you’d say, the most Christian.”
~~~~~
Read on if you want to know more.
Synopsis
Fifty thousand believers and photo-hungry tourists jam into Notre Dame Cathedral on August 15 to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. The next morning, a stunningly beautiful young woman clothed all in white kneels at prayer in a cathedral side chapel. But when an American tourist accidentally bumps against her, her body collapses. She has been murdered: the autopsy reveals disturbing details. Police investigators and priests search for the killer as they discover other truths about guilt and redemption in this soaring Paris refuge for the lost, the damned, and the saved. The suspect is a disturbed young man obsessed with the Virgin Mary who spends his days hallucinating in front of a Madonna. But someone else knows the true killer of the white-clad daughter of Algerian immigrants. This thrilling novel illuminates shadowy corners of the world’s most famous cathedral, shedding light on good and evil with suspense, compassion and wry humor.
I’m thrilled to unveil the trailer for book two in Donna Galanti’s fantasy adventure Lightning Road series, JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM, arriving August 30th. The Midwest Book Review calls book one, JOSHUA AND THE LIGHTNING ROAD, “a heart-pounding thrill ride full of unexpected twists and turns from start to finish.” Grab book one for just $.99cents now through September 20th.
Be sure to enter the fun giveaway package at the bottom of this post that includes a paperback of book one, poster of the Lost Realm, bookmarks, and a $25 B&N gift card (U.S. only). Sign up for Donna’s Thunderclap book release campaign and help her zap the world through social media with her lightning message!
My Review
After having thoroughly enjoyed the first book, Joshua and the Lightning Road, I held my breath as I started reading this second book in the series. You just never know if you’ll enjoy it as much as the first one, if what you want to happen will happen, or whether it evokes the same emotions.
My worries were unfounded. This is every bit as good as the first book. Maybe even better, as I was already familiar with many of the character’s and this author’s world.
The action is all over the place, the character’s as engaging as ever, and adventure, danger, and intrigue abound.
Joshua is an amazing boy. He’s not fearless and that’s where his bravery and loyalty to his friends shines.
A spectacular next chapter in Joshua’s story. I’ll be watching for more.
This book is intended for a younger, middle grade audience. Don’t let that stop you mature readers from reading it and going back to your younger days, when all seemed possible and magical.
5 Stars
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ABOUT JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM:
On August 30th take the lightning road back to a world of beasts, bandits, and heroes in book two of the Lightning Road series. Join Joshua in a new fight for power in the Arrow Realm. Can Joshua and his friends conquer an unstoppable evil?
Joshua never thought he’d return to the world of Nostos but is soon called to the Arrow Realm to free his imprisoned friend, King Apollo, kidnapped as a power pawn in Queen Artemis’s quest to conquer every realm. With his loyalties divided between our world and theirs, Joshua wonders whether he alone can restore magic to the twelve powerless Olympian heirs and save all those enslaved. But when he finds himself abandoned in his quest, he fears he cannot only save those imprisoned—but himself as well.
“Fast-paced and endlessly inventive, Joshua and the Arrow Realm is a high-stakes romp through a wild world where descendants of the Greek gods walk beside you, beasts abound, and not everything—or everyone—is as it seems.” ~ Michael Northrop, New York Times bestselling author of the TombQuest series
JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM BOOK TRAILER:
EXCERPT:
A faint rumble groaned through the whistling wind.
Boom!
Thunder ripped the sky overhead.
Charlie reached the frozen pond, spinning across it. “Woohoo! I win! You Americans can’t beat us at speed!”
Lightning flashed. It zinged across the pine trees like brilliant sunlight. A seed of terror flickered inside me.
Boom! Boom!
Another flash scorched the sky.
Charlie’s smile fell to a frown as he raced across the ice, peering up into the swirling clouds.
We both knew what lightning could do.
Suddenly, sneaking outside for a moonlit sled ride before Bo Chez got home from his monthly poker game didn’t seem so smart.
The sleet turned to snow. Icicles flew off trees like glass splinters, shattering on the hard snow. As I shot toward the pond, a tree on the edge moved. Its branches swayed in the swirling snow.
It wasn’t a tree, but a girl! She stumbled through the mad flurry, arms outstretched.
“Charlie, look!”
Gusts snatched the words away as my sled hit the ice and careened out of control on the bumpy surface. The girl staggered and fell onto the pond. I twisted my sled away to avoid hitting her and smashed right into Charlie. With a yelp, he pulled me up, and we clumped toward the girl. We lifted her up, half dragging her back up the hill to the house in the pelting snow and sleet.
“Who is she?” Charlie yelled.
“No idea,” I yelled back.
He said more, but his words were lost in the wind.
My lungs burned with the cold and effort. There was only one reason someone would appear with lightning—to steal us. This girl might appear like a waif unprepared for a storm but I couldn’t trust that’s all she was.
Donna Galanti is the author of The Element Trilogy (Imajin Books) and The Lightning Road series (Month9Books). She attended an English school housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!). There she fell in love with the worlds of C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, and wrote her first fantasy about Dodo birds, wizards, and a flying ship. She’s lived in other exotic locations, including Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. She lives with her family and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse, and dreams of returning one day to a castle. Donna is a contributing editor for International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs with other middle grade authors at Project Middle Grade Mayhem. You can find her at www.donnagalanti.com.
Check out my review of Joshua And The Lightning Road, the first book in this fun adventure, by clicking on the cover below.
Synopsis
Stay away from the window, don’t go outside when it’s storming and whatever you do, do not touch the orb.
Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper’s grandpa has always warned him about the dangers of lightning. But Joshua never put much stock in his grandpa’s rumblings as anything more than the ravings of an old man with a vast imagination. Then one night, when Joshua and his best friend are home alone during a frightful storm, Joshua learns his grandpa was right. A bolt of lightning strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever.
To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark place that steals children for energy. But getting back home and saving his friend won’t be easy, as Joshua must face the terrifying Child Collector and fend off ferocious and unnatural beasts intent on destroying him.
In this world, Joshua possesses powers he never knew he had, and soon, Joshua’s mission becomes more than a search for his friend. He means to send all the stolen children home—and doing so becomes the battle of his life.
Welcome to My Monday Minis Reviews where I share short reviews of books I’ve read. For today I’ll be sharing three books.
Johnny and Jamaal
My Review
With all of the tragic recent events we’ve seen and heard on the news, this book had a timely release.
Exploring issues occurring today with interracial relationships, coping with racial injustice, and addressing the controversy of punishment fitting the crime, this book will in turn have you cheering characters on, crying out at the inequality doled out, and hoping for a happy ending.
I became quite fond of the characters. They each had a lot of emotional baggage and much to overcome, yet all of them touched me. And I wanted to mention, it’s not all seriousness . There are the fun moments too. And sports. Got a little bit of everything for you.
Having read other books by this author, I knew I’d enjoy his writing, but was a bit worried about this story. Not my normal reading, but it’s trying something new that reveals hidden gems like Johnny and Jamaal. The strong writing of K.M. Beakey captivates you, pulling you along until you reach the end. I very much enjoyed this and recommend you give it a go.
4 Stars
Synopsis
Two athletes from different planets are on the verge of greatness. Johnny’s a carefree Canadian making his mark in the NHL. Jamaal’s set to follow LeBron and Kyrie out of the ghetto. When their worlds collide, the catastrophic clash ignites racial conflict not seen since Ferguson. The incident tests the fledgling love of Johnny’s best friend Lucas and his African-American girlfriend Chantal, and sets them on a quest for truth and justice in the perverse racial landscape of 2016.
As chaos escalates across American cities, an MLK-like voice rises from the ashes. Wilbur Rufus Holmes may be salvation for Luke and Chantal, but can he stop society’s relentless descent into racial discord?
Johnny and Jamaal is awash with sports, violence and political taboo, as America’s seething dysfunction is laid bare.
Many of my friends wondered why I read this book. I have an irrational fear of spiders. Even the teeniest ones creep me out.
So, while reading The Hatching, and all the way to the end, I swear I felt something tickling the hairs on my arms, tiptoeing up the nape of my neck, and parting the hairs on my head.
A creepy crawly tale of spiders and how humanity panics and does it’s darnedest to destroy itself while trying to stop the onslaught of spiders.
One part that particularly creeped me out was when the spiders did something called kiting. They attached a strand of silk to something and let out more and more as they flung themselves into the air. Can you picture that. Looking up and thousands of the nasty beasts are falling from the sky to devour you from the inside out. Or perhaps they’ll cocoon you and drink you slowly. Yuck and yuck.
I’m surprised I didn’t suffer from nightmares after reading this book. For all of you fans of horror and monsters, I dare ya to read this one.
4 Stars
Synopsis
Deep in the jungle of Peru, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist party whole. FBI agent Mike Rich investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Indian earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. The Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. The first female president of the United States is summoned to an emergency briefing. And all of these events are connected.
As panic begins to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at Melanie Guyer’s Washington laboratory. The unusual egg inside begins to crack. Something is spreading…
The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An virulent ancient species, long dormant, is now very much awake. But this is only the beginning of our end…
Here’s the alternate cover. Which one do you like best?
Yep. This would be a good movie. The first thing I though of was some of those old black and white ones. Or maybe something along the lines of Eight Legged Freaks, which was actually scary fun.
It figures that the government caused the end of the world. They act first, never ask questions, and bang! There goes everything and everyone we know and love.
Now, a town struggles to survive as hungry mutant spiders cocoon it.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? I sure had fun, even though spiders are a phobia of mine. Perhaps it’s good for me to read about them. Maybe it’ll help me to face down those evil little monsters. Maybe not. I do know it was a thrilling read. And my heart goes out to those that didn’t survive.
Grab this book. It’s a fast thrill ride to a messy ending. Caused by the spiders, of course, not the author’s writing. That was good too.
4 Stars
Synopsis
Brian O’Gorman’s international best seller returns uncut and extended. A virus designed to control the burgeoning spider population causes them to mutate into overgrown, venomous killers. A large hoard of the spiders take over the small village of Newtown, killing all but two of its residents. Laurence Johnson and Chloe Jones have only been together one night after Laurence parted ways with his wife. They find themselves trapped in the house with no way of escaping. Their only hope is to try and stay alive long enough for the army to intervene. Lorna Johnson is on the outskirts of town with nowhere to go and the spider invasion taking control. Her only hope of survival lies with a team headed up by Doctor Michael Briggs. He has a plan to stop the invasion before it gets out of hand. But he is running out of time and he is running out of allies. If he doesn’t move quickly then mankind will face the darkest day it has ever known.
~~~~~
Here’s the alternate cover. Which one do you like best?
Welcome to the book blast for The Cat Came Back by Louise Clark. This is a cozy mystery with some clean romance that is available now!
Book Description:
Stormy the Cat, rescued by journalist Quinn Armstrong, is not what he seems.
Young mother Christy Jamieson just learned her husband, Frank, embezzled his trust fund, sold their Vancouver mansion, and ran off with a socialite. Worse, Frank’s trustees are telling Christy to let them handle it. But they aren’t doing anything, and Frank’s enemies are coming after her and her daughter.
Desperate to find Frank and fend off his enemies, Christy asks Quinn for help. His price: the dirt on Frank. But the closer Christy and Quinn get to the dangerous truth, the more convinced they become that only the one who knows where Frank is at, is Stormy the Cat.
Louise Clark is the author of nine published romance novels, including Dangerous Desires, Lover’s Knot, Pretender’s Games (Hearts of Rebellion series), and Fighting Fate. Ridgeway, a time travel novel, is part of the bestselling boxed set, Swept Through Time. In 2014 she was a quarter finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. Louise holds a BA in History from Queen’s University and a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her books have been published in fifteen countries worldwide.
The 9 Lives Cozy Mystery Series—The Cat Came Back and Cat’s Paw or Culprit?—and her Radish fiction mystery romance, Recipe For Trouble, are all set in her home town of Vancouver.
Giveaway is provided by the publisher, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.
Head on over and leave a link to your Sunday Post and hop around to visits others.
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Hello everyone and Happy Sunday!
I was missing in action for a few days this week. Went out of town to have some fun with the family. With all of the rain this week, it was good to do something besides stare out window, hoping for a peek at the sun. The sun was a no-show, but the rain sure made itself known.
We’ve had a low pressure system sitting on the Gulf Coast all week. Rain and more rain. Now and then I like a few rainy days. Maybe not this many though. LOL I did get a lot of reading in. And watched some movies I’d had waiting in my Que.
How about you? Do you enjoy rainy days? What do you do when you can’t go outside and play?
I’ll be hopping over to check out your Sunday posts so be sure to leave me your link.
~~~
New books on my shelf. Some I won, some are for review, and some I just had to have.
Only two this week! One thing good about being busy over the summer. I don’t spend quite as much money at the book store. LOL
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And here are some freebies for ya!
Click on the covers to get yours and remember to make sure they’re still free before you click that buy button.
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Books I reviewed this week. Click on the covers for my reviews.
There are three people in this affair – and two of them aren’t human…
A hidden paranormal London lies beneath our own. Escape into the supernatural world of the Blood Lifers – where vampires are both predator and prey.
1960s London. Light is a rebel Rocker Blood Lifer with a photographic memory. And a Triton motorbike. Since Victorian times he’s hidden in the shadows. Both predator and prey. His venom is deadly. He feeds on blood. Human, of course. But when he discovers his ruthless family’s horrifying secret experiments, he questions whether he should be slaying or saving the humans he’s always feared.
Ruby is a sexy but savage Elizabethan Blood Lifer. She burns with a destructive love for Light. But he’s keeping something from her. Something that breaks every rule in Blood Life. When she discovers the truth, things take a terrifying turn.
Kathy is a seductive singer. But she’s also human. Light knows his passionate love for her is reckless but he’s enchanted. Yet such a romance is forbidden. When the two worlds collide, it could mean the end. For both species.
What dark revelations will Light reveal at the heart of the experiments? Will he be able to stop them in time? The consequences of failure are unimaginable. Unless Light plays the part of hero, he risks losing everything. Including the two women he loves.
A rebel, a red-haired devil and a Moon Girl battle to save the world – or tear it apart.
Enjoy the excerpt
CHARACTER PROFILES:
A hidden paranormal London lies beneath our own…
1960s London
Light is a rebel Rocker Blood Lifer with a photographic memory. And a Triton motorbike. He’s a Blood Lifer James Dean: rough leather motorcycle jacket, studded and faded, decorated with a worn gold Ace of Spades, collar firmly turned up, over a black t-shirt, jeans and tall motorcycle boots, topped by a light brown pompadour, tamed with Brylcreem. He tried to conforming once: didn’t fit.
When and where elected into Blood Life? Victorian London.
Human name? Thomas Blickle
Favourite music? The Stones, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, Marty Wilde, Eddie Cochrane, Chuck Berry, The Animals, Them and Billy Fury and THE FOUR JAYS…Light loves his rock ‘n’ roll.
Favourite motorbike? Triton. ‘A sodding scarlet slash of beauty. 650cc Triumph twin-cylinder engine in a Norton ‘slimline’ Featherbed frame – and my bloody god.’
Favourite possession? His leather jacket. For the last 150 years, Light has always owned a ‘blinding coat’.
Favourite phrase? ‘Bollocks vampire myth…’
Who is Ruby? A sexy but savage Elizabethan Blood Lifer in crimson silk. She burns with a destructive love for Light. But he’s keeping something from her. Something that breaks every rule in Blood Life. When she discovers the truth, things take a terrifying turn. ‘Ruby. My red-haired devil, Author, muse, liberator, guide: my gorgeous nightmare.’
Who is Kathy? A seductive singer, with blue eyes and long black curls. But she’s also human. Light knows his passionate love for her is reckless but he’s enchanted. Yet such a romance is forbidden. When the two worlds collide, it could mean the end. For both species.
‘You looked like some little Moon Girl, shimmering in silver: silver-spangled trousers, plastic biker jacket, with poppers and white ankle-length boots. I would’ve blasted into space with you in a bleeding heartbeat… ’
About the Author:
Rosmary A Johns Urban Portraits
ROSEMARY A JOHNS is a traditionally published author of short stories under the name R. A. Johns. Blood Dragons is Rosemary A Johns’ debut novel.
Rosemary A Johns wrote her first fantasy novel at the age of ten, when she discovered the weird worlds inside her head were more exciting than double swimming. Since then she’s studied history at Oxford University, run a theatre company (her critically acclaimed plays have been described as “uncomfortable, unsettling and uneasily true to life”), and worked with disability charities. When Rosemary’s not falling in love with the rebels fighting their way onto the page, she heads the Oxford writing group Dreaming Spires.
This is Me. C.E. Wilson
Publication date: August 11th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction
A-SIST
Anthropomorphic Sentient Individualized Servile uniT
Rogan is a robot. More specifically, he is an Asist – a personalized humanoid servant that provides protection, assistance, and companionship for a lonely young woman living on her own in the city. Chloe is trying to get her big break, singing at bars and clubs all over the city at night while she pays the bills as a substitute teacher during the day. Ever since she activated him many months ago, Rogan has been her beautiful, dependable, obedient, dead-eyed security blanket.
One morning she is shocked when he disobeys a direct command in an attempt to please her and his dull artificial eyes flash a hint of something new. Is this the result of the adaptive Asist servility programming or is Rogan actually thinking? Can a robot think? Can a robot feel?
As Chloe struggles with these thoughts she is blindsided by the singular Niven Adams, a handsome, confident man with the voice of an angel who is everything she’s ever wanted in a boyfriend. He’s the perfect guy for her, except for one problem. Niven doesn’t approve of Asists and takes an immediate dislike to Rogan. As Niven charms his way deeper and deeper into Chloe’s heart, Rogan tries to convince her that he is more than a mass-produced disposable servant.
With Rogan doing everything in his power to prove that his thoughts and feelings are real and Niven trying to persuade her to abandon her robot and have a normal human relationship, Chloe is trapped between the two things that mean the most to her. Does she embrace her relationship with the blond newcomer, or face that her Asist’s feelings may be more than features of his programming?
What really makes a person a person?
Is it a ticking muscle inside their chest, or is it something more?
C.E. Wilson is 32 years old, grew up in Millersville, Pennsylvania, and has been living in Pittsburgh since 2009. For the first few years living in Pittsburgh, she was an English teacher. Her first book, “Oath of Servitude,” was published in 2012. In 2013, she quit teaching to be a full time author and hasn’t looked back since. She loves spending time with her daughter and husband.
Welcome to my Saturday Screams where I share reviews of all things scary. Recently I did a post asking for help in choosing the next book I should review.
You chose Pale Rider: Zombies Versus Dinosaurs. So I’ll be sharing my review today and asking you which book I should review next.
And now, without further adieu….
Pale Rider: Zombies Versus Dinosaurs #1
This is free on Amazon. Just click on the cover to grab your copy!
My Review
I like a good post-apocalyptic story. How could I resist one with zombies and dinosaurs in it.
Mind you, this takes place in modern times. No cavemen here. Civilization has ground to a halt. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain. Instead, zombies roam freely while humanity cowers, struggling to survive.
Pockets of survivors are trying to change things. They engineer these creatures, similar to dinosaurs, to help with clearing land and planting crops. Others think it’s foolish. So, of course, they fight amongst themselves.
You get the picture. Read it before. But with dinos and zombies? Don’t think so.
Gory, funny, and over the top. This may not be one that wowed me, but it kept me entertained and I read it in one sitting. Plus, the ending was left open for more and I’ll be watching to see if another chapter is released.
3 Stars
Synopsis
“I am often left to wonder why a zombie, walking around in the sun, smells better than a pooping dinosaur.”
Two worlds collide in this action novelette. Zombies have destroyed civilization. Gasoline fuel is no longer an option, but humanity must find a way to survive. In response to trying to restore our way of life, we engineer franken-monsters. Because of their small brains and massive sizes, these beasts make quick work of farming and clearing land. These large creatures are immune to the zombie virus and perform excellently in loud conditions. They are easy to train. They behave like war horses, prone to help charge in and defend our livelihood.
In honor of the past, and to help build our future, we named these creatures dinosaurs.
***
So, which book should I review next?
Turning Grace
Synopsis
**Medal Winner of the 2014 New Apple Book Awards in the E-Book Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror Category**
Life or death?
It all seems to be the same for Grace…
Some of us have been there before — falling for the hot, popular jock who just so happens to be dating the hot, popular girl in school.
Your snarky-but-always-right bestie insists you make a move, but you’re not so much into putting yourself out there.
Then it happens, and suddenly you find yourself eating a cat on your neighbor’s porch.
No? Never happened to you?
Well, Grace Watkins can’t say the same. Her hunger is growing with each day that passes and her urges are getting harder to control.
No one can explain why her body is changing, except one man.
***
Hell’s Gate: A Victorian Monster Novel
Synopsis
Uncle Howard went looking for Hell. No-one imagined he might find it.
The locals say he sacrifices girls to demons at his estate on the remote coast of Victorian Ireland. But no-one has seen him for weeks before Hope and her family arrive to visit.
Did he leave on another quixotic quest, or does he have something more dangerous than fairies living at the bottom of his garden?
I’ve read several of Wendy’s books and she’s always given me mysteries not easily solved and thrills to keep me awake.
And so it goes with….
Blue Moon
by Wendy Corsi Staub
Genre: Thrillers, Suspense Published by: William Morrow, Mass Market Publication Date: July 26th 2016 Number of Pages: 448 ISBN: 0062349759 (ISBN13: 9780062349750) Series: Mundy’s Landing #2
My Review
Chaos descends on Mundy’s Landing.
Annabelle starts to wonder if buying one of the notorious Murder houses was such a good idea. Sure, it was cheap, but with a socially challenged son and all of the lookie loos gathering outside, it’s not such a good deal.
One hundred years ago, three young girls, the Sleeping beauties, were murdered. Their bodies dressed in white nightgowns, arms crossed, and left in three different houses. They didn’t live in them. In fact, their identities were never discovered. And their deaths remain unsolved.
Now, the town overflows as people from all over crowd the streets during Mundypalooza, the 100th anniversary of the murders, hoping to solve the crime and win the large reward.
When Annabelle spies a stranger lurking in her back yard, she’s hesitant to report it as she fears the police will brush it off as just another snoop. Perhaps they’re right. But what if they’re not?
Told from several different perspectives, this was a chilling mystery and not easily solved. I had no idea who the killer was, past or present, until the author revealed it.
How Wendy told the story was a good choice, giving us insights from the killer of a hundred years ago through his diary entries, thoughts from the present copycat killer, and the desperate sleuthing of Annabelle.
Sure keeps you guessing as you flip through the pages. I watch a lot of crime shows and Criminal Minds came to mind while I read this. I used it to visualize scenes and that made it especially creepy.
Good stuff for mystery, suspense, and thriller readers. Wendy never fails to get your heart pumping and your body jumping at those strange noises outside.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub returns to Mundy’s Landing—a small town where bygone bloodshed has become big business.
Hair neatly braided, hands serenely clasped, eyes closed, the young woman appeared to be sound asleep. But the peaceful tableau was a madman’s handiwork. Beneath the covers, her white nightgown was spattered with blood. At daybreak, a horrified family would discover her corpse tucked into their guest room. The cunning killer would strike again . . . and again . . . before vanishing into the mists of time.
A century ago, the Sleeping Beauty Murders terrified picturesque Mundy’s Landing. The victims, like the killer, were never identified. Now, on the hundredth anniversary, the Historical Society’s annual “Mundypalooza” offers a hefty reward for solving the notorious case.
Annabelle Bingham, living in one of the three Murder Houses, can’t escape the feeling that her family is being watched—and not just by news crews and amateur sleuths. She’s right. Having unearthed the startling truth behind the horrific crimes, a copycat killer is about to reenact them—beneath the mansard roof of Annabelle’s dream home . . .
Purchase Links:
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Author Wendy Corsi Staub
USA Today and New York Times bestseller Wendy Corsi Staub is the award-winning author of more than seventy novels and has twice been nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She lives in the New York City suburbs with her husband and their two children.
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