Archive for the ‘reviews’ Category

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Welcome to my Saturday Screams!

With Halloween fast approaching, I’ve amassed a bunch of creepy stories to share with you.

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Recently I showcased several books I won from Michael Phillip Cash and I asked you to help me choose which order I should review them in.

The Flip was the top choice and you can read my review HERE.

Next up is The After House.

Come on in and get your scare on!

The After House

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My Review

This was an entertaining haunting.

Remy rents a cottage for her and her young daughter, despite the protests of her parents. She needs her independence since her divorce.

It’s not long before eerie things start to happen in the house. Her daughter, Olivia, sees a ghost. Remy hears things and sees things out of the corner of her eye. And someone is stalking her.

Trying to run her business and raise her daughter, Remy has precious little time for romance. Her parents say that’s nonsense. There’s always time for love. And her mother arranges a meeting with the town mayor.

Hugh and Remy hit it off immediately. It’s like they’ve known each other forever. Someone or something doesn’t like this one bit.

Her house is ransacked, someone tries to burn down her business, and she sees something in the bushes by her house. And her ex-husband is a pain in the behind.

Will she have a happy ever after or will something put an end to her dreams, or her?

This was a lot of fun. I liked Remy and her need for independence. Her daughter, Olivia, is a precocious, charming young girl. And Hugh is sexy and smart, yet gentle and nurturing.

The ghost is another matter. He’s a mess and ornery as a snake. There’s something keeping him here, and as I read more, I began to cheer him on, hoping he’d find what he forgot.

There’s more than one mysterious otherworldly being in this story two. There are two onlookers that have their own agenda. They seem to have been involved with the characters in another book by this author, The Flip. I like that connection.

There’s also a fascinating prologue. You learn a lot about the whaling era. And you will understand the meaning behind the title. I enjoy learning some new trivia from stories. Then the story begins in the present and the connections are made later.

I enjoyed meeting these characters. Liked the mystery. Enjoyed the multiple character’s stories. And had a good feeling when I finished this book.

Not to scary. Just right.

4 Stars

Synopsis

Remy Galway and her daughter Olivia are rebuilding their life after a failed marriage in a 300 year old cottage in historic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Little do they know, another occupant is lurking in the haven of their own home. Will the After House be their shelter or their tomb?

Trailer

 

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Stop back by next Saturday for your next choice!

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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Got some pesky ghosts? Who ya gonna call? Ellie Jordan, of course.

Tis the season for some spooky tales and I’ve got a good one to share with you.

Enjoy my review of Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper
(Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #1) by J.L Bryan
Publication Date: August 27th, 2014
Genre: Adult Paranormal Mystery
 My Review
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The first thing I noticed about this book was the story takes place in Georgia. It’s supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in the south, steeped in dark stories. It’s the perfect setting.

You’ve read the blurb so you know this is about a haunted house. So I’m going to introduce you to the ghost trappers from Eckhart Investigations instead of telling you what you already know.

Retired Homicide Detective Calvin Eckhart is the owner and boss man. He needed something to do with all of those empty days and  it was an easy decision to start investigating hauntings as he had a keen interest in the supernatural.

Since he’s confined to a wheelchair and not getting any younger, he hires Ellie James to do the work for him. To determine if there is, in fact, a haunting, and then take care of that pesky ghost.

Ellie Jordan, head ghost trapper. Her job is to determine if a house is haunted, and either to get the ghost to vacate, or trap it and dispose of it in a safe place.

She’s my favorite character. Smart, determined, and gutsy, she goes places I’d never dream of entering.

But even she is terrified as the ghost turns out to be many ghosts, and the danger escalates into the physical realm.

Stacey is the newbie. Eckhart didn’t like Ellie going into a haunting investigation alone. It could be very dangerous. Stacey always had an interest in ghosts, and really wants to meet one up close. She helps set up the video equipment and monitored the cameras from outside in a van. She’s in contact with Ellie, and helps to pinpoint where a ghost might be lingering. Her enthusiasm is fun and addictive. I doubt she’ll be so eager to see a ghost after this job.

Jacob Weiss is thrust upon Ellie by the boss. Eckhart insists a psychic could be beneficial. Jacob is one of only a few survivors of a horrible plane crash and now can contact ghosts. He comes into the story closer to the end so I didn’t get to know him very well, but as this is a series, I hope to see more of him. He did come in handy though, so Eckhart was wise to use him.

Finally, the hauntees, the Treadwell family, consisting of Dale, Anna, and their young daughter Lexa. They bought a rundown mansion in an out of the way place. The only other structures on the street are some derelict warehouses and factories. They have big plans to renovate the house and turn it into a bed and breakfast. Dale came up with a great idea. They could add a sports lounge for the men, complete with a huge flat screen TV to watch the games, and plenty of beer. That would make it appealing to the husbands while the quiet holiday appealed to the wives. It’s really a good idea.

There’s just one little hitch. The house came with a ghost, a very expressive ghost. It wants just one thing…for them to vacate the premises, now!

I’d tell you about the ghosts but that would be telling you the story. I can tell you this. I don’t think I’ve experienced such an intense, nail-biting, scene as the one when these characters enter the house for the final event. If it was a movie, I’d have been peeking through my fingers.  Horror doesn’t always come with a happy outcome, so all of them were fair game to die a grisly death. That kept me reading, eyes zipping from word to word, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. I was breathless afterwards and my shoulders ached from the tension.

The author nailed it with his characters. Each almost immediately became familiar.

His ghosts were terrifying.

The plot was fun and scary and your quickly immersed in it.

And this is book one in the series, so read it now. That way you’ll be ready for the next one.

5 Stars

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Summary from Goodreads
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Ellie Jordan’s job is to catch and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia, one of the oldest and most haunted cities in North America.

 

When a family contacts her to deal with a disturbing presence in the old mansion they’ve recently purchased, Ellie first believes it to be a typical, by-the-book specter, a residual haunting by a restless spirit. Instead, she finds herself confronting an evil older and more powerful than she’d ever expected, rooted in the house’s long and sordid history of luxury, sin, and murder. The dangerous entity seems particularly interested in her clients’ ten-year-old daughter.
Soon her own life is in danger, and Ellie must find a way to exorcise the darkness of the house before it can kill her, her clients, or their frightened young child.
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Here’s a glimpse inside!

The host of creeps closed in around us. I’d heard at least three distinct voices, but there could have been more specters than that. It felt like a dark cloud of them, a cluster of ghosts that had more or less lost their individual identities, their yearnings merging into a combined pool of hunger, anger, pain, or whatever emotions motivated them to stick around instead of moving on. A “cluster haunting” is Calvin’s term for this.

We pushed through the thick, dark air and passed through another doorway. We should have seen at least one of the glowing green arrows I had drawn, but we didn’t. The darkness was like heavy, cold smoke, crushing in to choke us while we walked blindly through it.

Then the groan sounded again, followed by the other voices. They grabbed at us from every side, with hands that were invisible and insubstantial until they clawed into you. I felt icy fingers on my legs, another hand grabbing at my stomach, and another seized the back of my neck. That one made me scream.

Stacey screamed beside me, but I could barely even seen her. Pale, distended, half-formed faces rose in the darkness, their eye sockets hollow, the dark misshapen holes of their mouths wide open as if they expected to feed.

“They’re all over me!” Stacey shouted.

Since our flashlights weren’t helping much, I had to switch tactics.   I holstered my flashlight and traded it for a wireless palm-sized Bose speaker. Then I touched the iPod on my belt to activate my emergency playlist.

I held out the little speaker like a weapon toward the nearest creepy, pale half-face.

A slice of Handel’s “Messiah” blasted out at ear-crashing volume. It was the Hallelujah Chorus, one of the loudest and most potent sections of the song—I didn’t have two hours for build-up.

The hallelujahs, as sung by hundreds of voices in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir backed by a full orchestra, rang out into the lightless basement room, echoing back from the walls around us.

Ghosts in long-abandoned properties like the old asylum are accustomed to years of darkness and quiet. This is why a powerful tactical flashlight beam can jar them. So can the right kind of music. My little speaker created a wall of sound—strings, brass, and voices organized and brimming with power, the song itself glowing with religious intent. It wouldn’t harm the ghosts, but like a sudden burst of light, it might chase them away for a moment or two.

The faces spun around us, losing shape, their voices crying out in shock and surprise.

The dark cloud filling the room thinned a bit. It didn’t disperse or vanish, but suddenly we could see a bright green arrow drawn in glowing chalk.

“That way!” I said.

Stacey and I hurried. Our flashlights were blasting at full power again rather than getting absorbed by the darkness. I didn’t know how long it would take the ghosts to adapt to the powerful music filling their lair—maybe a few minutes, maybe just a couple of seconds. Then, I had no doubt, they would close in around us again, much angrier than before.

We had to get out of there before that happened.

The faintly glowing arrows guided us back to the steel fire door for the stairwell. I pulled on the handle. At this point, I half-expected the door to be stuck or locked by the specters, trapping us in the basement.

Amazon / Barnes / Kobo / iBooks / Smashwords

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About The Author
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J.L. Bryan

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on the English Renaissance and the Romantic period. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He
enjoys remixing elements of paranormal, supernatural, fantasy, horror and science fiction into new kinds of stories.


He is the author of The Paranormals series of horror novels (Jenny Pox, Tommy Nightmare, and Alexander Death) the Songs of Magic series for younger readers (Fairy Metal Thunder, Fairy Blues, and Fairystruck…so far) and other books. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Christina, their son, and some dogs and cats.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

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Click on the rafflecopter link below for a chance to win a signed print copy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Most of you know how much I love short stories and collections.

I have some fun ones to share with you today!

RJ Sullivan’s Darkness With a Chance of Whimsy Blog Tour

My Review

Short stories and collections are like a cornucopia of snacks for me.  And I binged with these.

There are ten stories in this collection. Some are flash fiction, super short. And then there are some longer ones. All of them made me ‘think.’

Since they are short stories, I can’t really say much without spoilers. Instead I’ll give you some snippets from my head.

If you were offered the chance to see inside your loved ones head and find out how they see you, if they really love you, would you? Should you?

Never, ever put on strange head gear. Especially if your father invents psychic gizmos.

Good cop, better cop? Split the difference? This was such a strange, twisted tale and my favorite in the collection.

How an infant’s memory can get so twisted out of whack. I had to laugh at the ending.

Two young lovers and a second chance angel.

A computer that makes you smart? I’ll take one, please.

Sometimes it’s better not to keep a secret.

It’s true. The past should stay in the past.

Just how big is the universe and what cause the Big Bang?

The last story and my second favorite. What you get when you cross a vampire with a…..

All of these were great. All of them made me think. While they’re short in words, those words were strongly written.

You’ll zip through this collection in no time and reach the end feeling a bit out there. Take a step into the outof.

5 Stars

Book Synopsis for Darkness With a Chance of Whimsy

Collected for the first time since their initial publications, Darkness with a Chance of Whimsy presents ten tales from the imagination of R.J. Sullivan. Thrills and chills await you, but you may also get blindsided by the absurd. This volume includes a pair of stories featuring Rebecca Burton, the mysterious investigator of R.J.’s acclaimed paranormal thriller series. Among the ten stories, you’ll find:

“The Assurance Salesman” shows five strangers more about themselves than they ever guessed.

You don’t want to venture into Daddy’s basement in “Fade.”

Rebecca Burton tries to talk someone out of a bad idea in “Backstage Pass.”

A bullied police detective finally defeats his rival in “Able-Bodied.”

A desperate father finds the “Inner Strength” to save his young daughter, “Becky” Burton.

A child seeds his aquarium with a most unusual “Starter Kit.”

A brilliant robotics engineer creates a “Robot Vampire.”

Amazon Links for Darkness With a Chance of Whimsy

Print / Kindle / B&N

 

 

RJSullivanAuthorPhotoBWAbout the author: R.J. Sullivan’s novel Haunting Blue is an edgy paranormal thriller and the first book of the adventures of punk girl Fiona “Blue” Shaefer and her boyfriend Chip Farren. Seventh Star Press also released Haunting Obsession, a Rebecca Burton Novella, and Virtual Blue, the second part of Fiona’s tale. The short stories in this collection have been featured in such acclaimed anthologies as Dark Faith Invocations by Apex Books and Vampires Don’t Sparkle. His next book due out very soon will be Commanding the Red Lotus, which collects the series of science fiction novelettes in the tradition of Andre Norton and Gene Roddenberry.
R.J. resides with his family in Heartland Crossing, Indiana. He drinks regularly from a Little Mermaid coffee mug and is man enough to admit it. www.rjsullivanfiction.com

Author Links:

Website / Facebook / Twitter

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Tour Schedule and Activities

9/28/2015 Jorie Loves a Story Review
9/28/2015 Book in the Bag Review
9/28/2015 I Smell Sheep Review
9/30/2015 Bee’s Knees Reviews Review
9/30/2015 Deal Sharing Aunt Author Interview
10/1/2015 fuonlyknew Review
10/2/2015 L. Andrew Cooper’s Horrific Scribblings Review
10/2/2015 Shells Interviews Guest Post
10/3/2015 Azure Dwarf Top Tens List
10/4/2015 Coffintree Hill Top Tens List
10/4/2015 Armand Rosamilia, Author Guest Post

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Until the next time…..

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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Night and Day
by Ann Summerville

I really liked this storyline and the characters are great.
~3 Partners in Shopping; Nana, Mommy, &; Sissy too!

With a series of twists and turns, author Ann Summerville quickly draws readers into her thrilling cozy murder mystery, NIGHT AND DAY.
~Thoughts in Progress

Page after page I became more involved with this and couldn’t wait to discover who the killer was, even though I didn’t want the book to end. And wow, when the reveal did come, I was completely blindsided! Well done Ms. Summerville.
~Lisa K’s Book Reviews

Night and Day:
A Cozy Mystery
(Pecan Valley Mysteries)
(Volume 3)

Paperback: 172 pages
Published: (May 27, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1508723967

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My Review

At first I didn’t get the authors choice of book cover art. Then I started reading the book. Aha! Quilting. Hence the title and the cover. I’m sure all of you quilters caught it right away. How clever.

I often learn some fun trivia when reading cozies. Do you know why a cowboy tips his hat with his finger? It’s to show he means no harm. With his gun hand busy, he can’t shoot ya.

Now, this wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without a little murder. That’s where Bea comes in.

A bit on the other side of 60, Bea hasn’t slowed down a bit. Especially when someone she knows is murdered and she might have been able to save her.

She’s got a few solved cases under her belt, much to the chagrin of Detective Hawkins. Her success rate seems to have cooled any chance of a relationship between them.

That’s okay. There’s another man that makes her heart go pitter patter. Except there’s a bit of a sticky widget to get around, as they have some awkward connections between them.

Even though Bea is a bit older than me, I had a connection with her. I’m no spring chicken myself and have often wondered if I really wanted a significant other in my life. Someone I’d have to care about, worry about, have under my feet. Like Bea, I enjoy watching the shows I want, when I want. If I choose to let the housework slip a bit, there’s no one to complain. I can do whatever I want in my home and no one is underfoot.

But then, like Bea, I worry about my twilight years. Do I want to be alone, with no one to care about or for me? Perhaps there’s someone out there who will help her make up her mind.

Aside from murder and romance, Bea also has to contend with a shady realtor and a surprise from her past. Someone is back in town. Someone she tickled the daisies with many, many years ago. He’s stirring the pot and about to make a mess of all of her hard work.

Something is off in Pecan Valley and Bea ends up right in the thick of things. She might have made herself a target in more ways than one.

For being an older woman, Bea sure kept her wits about her, and her intuition was spot on. It was such a joy to get to know her. And there were plenty of mysteries to go around. The author had me turning the pages, dropping hints, and keeping me wondering. One of those books that keeps you reading without pause, right up to the end.

4 Stars

Synopsis

Not all is what it seems in Pecan Valley and Bea can’t quite put her finger on what is wrong. She’s hoping Marge won’t become a permanent house guest and encourages her to look for a new home, but while they are scouting the neighborhood they end up looking for more than a house for Marge. What Bea wants to uncover is the unsavory dealings of a ruthless realtor and a murderer that might put Bea on the list of victims.

Ann

About The Author –

Ann Summerville moved from her native England to California before arriving in the Lone Star State. Her publications can be found in Lutheran Digest, Long Story Short, The Shine Journal, Doorknobs & Bodypaint, Associated Content, Trinity Writers’ Workshop newsletters and also their collection of Christmas stories.  Ann is currently working on the fifth book in the Lowenna series set in Cornwall.

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  • Author Links:

www.cozyintexas.blogspot.com

www.annsummerville.com

Purchase Link
Amazon

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I have two giveaways to share with you today.

The first giveaway is a Smashwords Coupon for an eBook copy of the first book in the series, Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

Just leave an email address so I can contact you if you win and leave a comment.

What do you think about the book? Ask the author a question. Anything!

Giveaway ends October 5th.

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The second giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Visit the tour participants below for more fun posts and chances to win!

September 19 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – Review

September 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – Guest Post

September 21 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy,  &, Sissy, Too ! – Review

September 22 – Nadaness In Motion – Guest Post

September 23 – Thoughts in Progress – Review, Guest Post

September 24 – Griperang’s Bookmarks – Interview

September 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight

September 26 – deal sharing aunt – Review, Interview

September 27 – Frankie Bow – Guest Post, Spotlight

September 28 – Omnimystery News – Interview

September 29 – fuonlyknew – Review

September 30 – Book Splurge – Review

October 1 – Lori’s Reading Corner – Guest Post

October 2 – View from the Birdhouse – Review

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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I fell in love with the characters in the P.J. Stone Gates Series.

Come on in and check them out.

Read my reviews.

And don’t forget to enter the easy giveaway!

Open Gates by D.T. Dyllin
(P.J. Stone Gates Trilogy #3)
Publication date: September 28th 2015
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
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My Review
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You finally get all of the answers you’ve been seeking, just as P.J. does.

The war is raging, many people are lost, and P.J. struggles to fulfill her destiny.

I’m going to warn you, the beginning is a shocker, it happens so fast.

P.J. is devastated. Her world is being destroyed and her heart has been shredded.

Her best friend Jenna is unavailable, so she turns to the one person who is always there, always

offering his shoulder to lean on, Khol.

How do you go on when all you love is being destroyed and taken from you?

P.J. has no idea how to continue. How she’ll find the strength to face the fight that is coming.

They’ve fought a tough battle, but things don’t look good for them. There is a clue to getting rid of the Riders and P.J. has to draw on all that she is to find the one thing that can save them all.

I got everything I was looking for in this final book.

You’ll need to set aside enough time to read this straight through. I read this in about 3 hours, but

I’m a fast reader. I also reread a few parts that really touched me.

You’ll get a huge surprise with the ending. I haven’t read one that left me feeling like this

one did for a long time, maybe never.

I read it twice, then read it again, always thinking, “How did the author come up with this ending?

Did she know when she was writing the books that the end would be this?”

I liked it. I really liked it. And I’m still thinking about it. Still wondering…..

5 Stars

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Synopsis:

P.J. Stone gets the answers to all her questions, but will she be able to handle the truth?

Bryn is gone, Jenna isn’t herself, and the world has been taken over by the alien Riders. The only constant in P.J.’s life is Khol, but even he might not be able to help pick up the shattered pieces of her existence. Will P.J. be strong enough to face her destiny when the time comes? Or will she lose everything, herself included?

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About D.T. Dyllin
DT

D.T. Dyllin is a bestselling author who writes both paranormal and contemporary romance. Anything with a love story is her kryptonite. Her obsession with affairs-of-the-heart is what first drove her to begin twisting her own tales of scorching romance.

D.T. was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Black & Gold for life, baby!) She now lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband and two spoiled German Shepherds.

(Author photo credit: Stephanie Saujon of La Photographie Nashville)

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Author links:

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I have one eBook copy to giveaway. Open Internationally.

To enter, please leave an email address so I can contact you if you win.

And leave some comment love. Tell me anything! Or ask the author a question.

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Here are the first two books in the trilogy.

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Click on the covers for my reviews.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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This is my own version of a weekly book haul and all things new on fuonlyknew.

Another fun way to share your book news and enjoy others is The Sunday Post hosted by

Sunday Post

Kimberly the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Head on over and leave a link to your Sunday Post and hop around to visits others.

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Some chit chat.

I’ve been on vacation all week!

We left Sunday for Biloxi, Mississippi and did some wining, dining, and gambling. Then on to New Orleans for more fun.

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Came home for a couple of days and then we headed to Windcreek Casino for more. Didn’t get rich but didn’t lose my retirement either. LOL I’ll be sharing pictures of our adventures on next weeks Sunday Post. So tired and sore from this trip that I didn’t have the energy to put them together for today. LOL Especially as I missed last Sunday and this is a long post.

I like to share the cover art for the books I showcase and I have a bunch today! I’ve added my affiliate links to Amazon to the book covers in case you want to go over and grab any of them.

I’ll be hopping over to check out your Sunday posts so be sure to leave me your link!

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Here are my new books for review.

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Some I grabbed just because, well, I wanted them!

Need Help? Hire a Ghost. She Cooks. Lottie Roberts is restless and lonely. She’s been sitting on her bones since the Civil War, waiting for her ticket to heaven until… Justine Hale and her family take up residence in Lottie’s two-hundred-year-old plantation house. Lottie senses in Justine a kindred spirit–filled with heartache and in reduced circumstances–which Lottie considers mirrors her own situation exactly. Yet Justine is trying to do the right thing. Else why is she burdened with a bankrupt mother without an ounce of common sense? Or an ex mother-in-law who looks like a pickled beet with a tongue sharper than a hatchet? And where is the father of the recalcitrant eleven year-old boy and the eight-year-old afraid of her own shadow? Justine needs help and Lottie is of a mind to provide it. But before Lottie can say squat and Justine even unlocks the front door, Tucker Highsmith shows up to steal her thunder. His dark eyes, lazy grin, and sexy Alabama drawl coupled with the dern braggart’s Mr. Fix-it talents just might be the answer to all of Justine’s problems. Or maybe not… Because Lottie has her own agenda, one she’s been hoping and praying for since she found her bones on a hidden staircase.

Sounded too good to pass up and it was free!

Click on the cover if you want your own copy. It’s free Sept. 25th – 28th.

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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 the last two weeks. Click on the covers for my reviews.

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Books I’ll be reviewing next week.

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What I won.

eBooks

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Print Books

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I love the book marks for WHO R U REALLY? and the HYDRA coffee mug.

And all of these books were on my wish list!

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Ink Calls To Ink by Nathan Crowder

The Angelnots by Elise Pehrson

Queen Of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Huge thanks to the blog hosts, authors, and tour organizers for these wonderful prizes.

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Other Posts on my blog this week.

Eeny Meeny Miney Moe ~ Tell me which way I should go!

Double Trouble ~ A Ghostly Demise and A Ghostly Murder ~ My Reviews and a Giveaway

She needs him. He scares her. Madison’s Song ~ Tour Review and Giveaway

Sometimes love finds you…Tag Team Review and Giveaways ~ For Nick by Taylor Dean

Will it be ’til death do us part?’ Three Days To Forever by Lauren Carr ~ My Review and a Giveaway

Spark ~ Seven Fantastic First-In-Series Novels ~ Blast and Giveaway

It gets hairier and hairier ~ Kill and Run by Lauren Carr ~ Review and Giveaway

The Demon’s Assistant Series by Tori Centanni ~ Blitz Giveaway

A tiny metal horse nuzzled her hand….The Friday 56 #79 ~ Mechanica

The Urban Legend from the past ~ Shadow Out Of The Sky by Brick Marlin

I asked and you answered! Saturday Screams ~ The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash

Zombies have rights? Hunt For The Fallen by Peter Welmerink

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Have you joined TSU yet?

Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

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Fora list of my reviews go HERE

For a list of free books updated daily go HERE

For all of my giveaways go HERE

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So, what did you get to read this week?

Got any recommendations?

I’d love to know and thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.

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Welcome to my Saturday Screams!

With Halloween fast approaching, I’ve amassed a bunch of creepy stories to share with you.

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Last week I showcased several books I won from Michael Phillip Cash and I asked you to help me choose which order I should review them in.

The Flip was the top choice, so here ya go!

Come on in and get your scare on!

The Flip

by Michael Phillip Cash

22070838

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My Review

I enjoy watching shows about flipping houses. It’s fun to watch the transformation from ugly to fantastic. If I had the money, I’d do some myself.

My luck I’d wind up in the same fix as Julie and Brad Evans.

They’re starting to get the hang of the flipping thing. Buy low, fix it up, sell for a nice profit. But Brad has his misgivings about the one Julie has her heart set on. It’s a monstrous undertaking and he’s getting bad vibes from the old mansion, Hemmings House.

Julie loves it, sees only the potential, and wants to turn it into a bed and breakfast. Brad caves and now he has to get his crew together and get the stinking trash hauled out of the place.

Weird things start happening. Doors open and shut on their own. Cold spots occur throughout the place. And Brad and the crew are being affected by the atmosphere. Something angry is rubbing off on them.

All the makings for a scary good haunted house story, right? The author delivers, giving you things that go bump in the night. You’ll meet these ghostly inhabitants and get to know their stories. I engaged with the ghosts as well as Julie and Brad and came to worry about all of them.

Welcome to Hemmings House. Where anything can happen, and does.

4 Stars

Synopsis

Julie and Brad Evans are house flippers. They buy low, clean out the old occupants’ junk, and try to make a profit. Enter Hemmings House on Bedlam Street in scenic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Too good a deal to pass up, but with an ominous secret. The old Victorian Mansion has dwellers that do not want to be dispossessed. As the house reveals it’s past, will the couple’s marriage survive The Flip?

Trailer

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Stop back by next Saturday for your next choice!

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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 Shadow Out of the Sky

The First Book of the Transitional Delusions Series

by Brick Marlin

16040387

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My Review

Just imagine…Children are changing. Changing into brutal, gleeful killers.

I’ve loved horror books and movies ever since I was young. Something about being scared by fiction gave me thrills. The creepy crawlie covers always jumped out at me from the shelves and I scoured libraries and book stores for the next big scare.

This one is disturbing. Just warning those of you who are sensitive about monster children doing terrible deeds. I often wonder, especially after watching my favorite TV show The Walking Dead, if I could pull the trigger and shoot a child. Even if I know it’s not really a child anymore and it will kill me.

Not to say these kids are zombies. Oh no. They’re something else. Something dark and evil has changed them.

BrickMarlinShadowOutofTheSky illus 2

You’ve seen those movies where you can hear a child giggling in the dark? Such a hair raising, evil thing. These kids not only giggle, they taunt, and then they attack. Not much can stop them either.

I didn’t have much time to care about most of the characters as they didn’t last long. The ones I did connect with? A couple I could care less about, not such good people anyway. I did feel sad about some that fell under the knives of the kids.

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There were some fun illustrations in the book too. I always enjoy it when the author shares their view of things.

I’d recommend this to anyone looking for some old school, edgy horror.

3 Stars

I received this book for my honest review.

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Synopsis

A scarecrow crucified on a wooden cross made from a pair of two-by-fours sits in a field of corn, placed there to frighten away birds and protect the crops. Under its straw hat large buttons pose as its eyes, placed there by child’s fingers, view something sinister in the grave sky, appearing in front of the full moon.

Twisting, it forms into a sleek black mass, peering down upon the town of Woodbury. Four demons called The Reckoning has pulled this shadow, this urban legend from the past, out of an unmarked grave to bring terror across the planet, shoving it toward an apocalypse.

Now it cuts through the air, as if it were opening wounds in flesh, peering down at the first house that it hovers over…

Amazon Links for Shadow out of the Sky

Print / Kindle / B&N

Shadow Out of the Sky is Book One of the Transitional Delusions Series

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BrickMarlinAbout Brick Marlin: Brick Marlin has been writing since he was a child. From an early age he was exposed to older horror movies. The great ones making their mark in history. He also tackled reading the likes of Stephen King, Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Dean Koontz, Charles Dickens, Harper Lee, H.G. Wells, etc. Thus, he decided to engage himself and write horror, dark fantasy and dark sci-fi, scaring readers such as his parents, his friends, neighbors, and even leaving a few school teachers scratching their heads wondering if the boy should be committed or not with his gruesome tales of terror. Short story ideas continued to visit. A book idea or two sometimes stopped by for a sit. In 2007 he decided to take a more professional approach with his work. Hence, as a member of the Horror Writers Association, already having nine books published by small presses – this you hold in your hand, constant reader, makes his tenth – nearly thirty short stories published, adding to the few anthologies and collaborations with other authors, Brick Marlin trudges onward, hoping to achieve more creations, wallowing in the brain pans of his characters, giving them the choice whether to twist the knob and enter through the Red Door, or enter through the Blue Door where a group of servo monkey badgers are consuming packages of cinnamon-flavored Pop Rock Candy with a Kung Fu Punch of caffeine.

Author Links:

Website / Facebook / Twitter

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Tomorrow Comes Media

Follow the tour for more posts.

9/21 Erin Fanning Review
9/21 Beauty in Ruins Guest Post
9/21 Wag the Fox Guest Post
9/22 Novel-ties Review
9/23 Armand Rosamilia, Author Guest Post
9/23 Deal Sharing Aunt Interview
9/25 fuonlyknew Review
9/25 L. Andrew Cooper’s Horrific Scribblings Review
9/25 Bee’s Knees Reviews Guest Post
9/25 Azure Dwarf Guest Post
9/27 Sapphyria’s Book Reviews Top-Tens List

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Until the next time…..

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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As promised yesterday, I’m now sharing my review of Kill And Run, A Thorny Rose Mystery by Lauren Carr.

More laughs with these lovable characters, both human and furry. Lots of intrigue and action too.

Enjoy my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Kill and Run

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My Review

Five women and counting… Who killed them and who’s next?

Lieutenant Murphy Thornton is assigned the case and at first finds no connection between the five murdered women. As he digs deeper, he finds iffy connections and one huge one that rocks many back on their heels.

After reading Three Days To Forever from The Mac Faraday Series, I was so excited to read this book. The Thorny Rose Mysteries are a companion series. I bumped into many of my favorite characters and this one features another fun couple.

Murphy and his new wife, Jessica, are still adjusting to married life, when all of a sudden their home is over run with guests.

Jessica’s brother, Tristan, needs a place to stay while having his place repaired after it was flooded. He brings his beloved pet, Monique, under heavy objections and much negotiation. For those of you unfamiliar with her, she’s a tarantula about the size of a dinner plate!

Now, that makes three people along with a giant spider, Murphy’s TV watching mixed breed dog Newman, and Jessica’s Shetland sheepdog, Spencer/Candi. Jessica calls her Spencer. Murphy calls her Candi. She answers to Candi.

When a connection is found between one of the murdered women and the cold case murder of State Trooper Nicholas Gates, his widow, Cameron Gates, their step-mother, comes to stay at the Thornton household.

Now, there are four people, a tarantula, and two dogs. Cameron adds to the furry mix with her opinionated Main Coon cat, Irving. She looks like a skunk, all black with a white stripe down her back from her head to the tip of her tail.

One more stray is added to the household. Izzy (Isadora Crenshaw). the young teenage daughter of one of the murdered women is brought to Murhpy’s and Jessica’s home under police protection. She’s wise for her age and quickly becomes a part of the gang. She also has a special affinity, seems to communicate with the herd of animals. They all adore her, even Monique.

Now there are five people, a giant spider, two dogs, and a large cat. How much more can one house hold.

So many connections must and do lead to deadly shootouts, stalkers, conspiracy, and cover ups.

The action is intense, the mysteries keep you engaged and eager to see how they connect, and the characters, both human and furry, keep you laughing and gasping.

The author includes a bio of each of the characters, including the animals, at the beginning of the book. I’d recommend you read them first. It just takes a few minutes and makes it so easy to follow and connect with them throughout the book.

This can easily be read as a stand alone book, but I’m betting you’ll be wanting more about Lauren Carr’s characters and will be grabbing more of her books.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Five women with seemingly nothing in common are found brutally murdered in a townhome outside Washington, DC. Among the many questions surrounding the massacre is what had brought these apparent strangers together only to be killed.

Taking on his first official murder case, Lieutenant Murphy Thornton, USN, believes that if he can uncover the thread connecting the victims, then he can find their murderer.

The case takes an unexpected turn when Murphy discovers that one of the victims has a connection to his stepmother, Homicide Detective Cameron Gates. One wintry night, over a dozen years before, her first husband, a Pennsylvania State trooper, had been run down while working a night shift on the turnpike.

In this first installment of the Thorny Rose Mysteries, the Lovers in Crime join newlyweds Lieutenant Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday to sift through a web of lies and cover-ups. Together, can the detectives of the Thorny Rose uncover the truth without falling victim to a cunning killer?

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Yesterday I reviewed Three Days To Forever, a Mac Faraday Mystery. It was my first encounter with some now much loved characters.

Three Days to Forever

You can find my 5 Star Review HERE.

Author

Lauren Carr

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Open Season for Murder is the tenth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.

In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder.

Three Days to Forever introduced Lauren Carr’s latest series detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for Kill and Run, the first installment in this series, to be released September 1, 2015.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. Visit Acorn Book Services’ website for more information.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.

She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~   Facebook

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Thanks for visiting my stop on the tour.

Make sure to stop back by tomorrow for my review of Lauren Carr’s Kill and Run too!

Enjoy my review of Three Days To Forever.

Learn more about Author Lauren Carr and her other books.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Three Days to Forever

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My Review

It’s Three Days To Forever. The countdown has begun.  Will it be Til Death Do Us Part or Rest In Peace?

Day One.

It’s three days until Mac Faraday and Archie Monday tie the knot. Family and guests are arriving at the fabulous Spencer Inn, owned by Mac.

A stalker sends a picture to Mac. It shows the man with his arm around Archie and says, “I was this close.”

The stalker ends up dead, stabbed multiple times with a knife engraved with the Spencer Inn’s initials. Mac becomes a suspect.

While in contact with the police at the scene of the crime, Mac, along with Joshua, his best man, Agnes, his soon to be mother-in-law, and Gnarly, his faithful German Shepherd, come under attack as a hit squad shoots up the place.

Joshua is shot but they all make it out alive and escape to a safe house.

And Archie’s spitting mad about the hair-do she got at the salon. Not what she wanted at all, and too late to change it before the wedding. I must tell you, she’s not being shallow. She doesn’t know about the attack yet.

Day Two.

Time to figure out who attacked and why. Did stalker, Russell Dooley, now dead, hire the hit men? He was out for revenge after Mac got his wife locked up in prison. Once she learned her last appeal failed and she’d never get out, she killed herself. Dooley blamed it all on Mac and swore revenge on him and those he loved.

Or could it be something to do with Joshua? He has a lot of secrets. Really big ones.

Or could it be something else?

The men scramble to solve the mystery while the women scramble to keep their men in line and at their appointed destinations on time.

Day Three.

Ah, it’s the wedding day.

I wonder if it will happen. Will their be wedding crashers, with big guns?

That I can’t share with you. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Wow. what a rollercoaster this was. Stalkers, black-ops, terrorists. Global connections keep you guessing as to who is doing what and why.

The character list is vast. A description of each one is provided at the beginning of the book. After reading each one, I quickly became familiar with their names and the story flew.

Aside from the violent parts of the book, there’s plenty of humor, romance, and fun pets. Especially fun is the furry Monique.

I had no idea when I started reading this book that it was the 9th book in the series, and had no trouble at all following the plots and connecting with the characters. I’ve put a face to most of them and now I want to go back to the beginning and see how they all first connected.

Lauren Carr has a few other mystery series with characters you’ll recognize. All of her books are stand alone reads so feel free to jump in anywhere you like.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

In this latest Mac Faraday Mystery from best-selling mystery author Lauren Carr, readers will embark on a rollercoaster adventure with old friends (including the Lovers in Crime team of Prosecutor Joshua Thornton and Homicide Detective Cameron Gates), but also meet new ones as Mac Faraday’s daughter Jessica Faraday and Joshua Thornton’s son Murphy Thornton join the team in the race to get the love birds to the altar!

With three days left to the year, Deep Creek Lake is hopping with holiday vacationers and wedding guests pouring into the Spencer Inn for Mac Faraday and Archie Monday’s huge wedding ceremony which is being touted as the social event of the year.

But droopy flowers and guests who failed to RSVP are the least of Mac’s and Archie’s problems when a professional hit squad hits Spencer Manor to send the groom, Joshua Thornton, Archie’s mother, and Gnarly running for their lives.

With time running out to the big day, Mac Faraday and Spencer’s small police force have to sort through the clues to figure out not only who has been targeted for assassination, but also who is determined to stop everything … FOREVER!

Author

Lauren Carr

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Open Season for Murder is the tenth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.

In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder.

Three Days to Forever introduced Lauren Carr’s latest series detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for Kill and Run, the first installment in this series, to be released September 1, 2015.

The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. Visit Acorn Book Services’ website for more information.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.

She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~   Facebook

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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