Archive for the ‘reviews’ Category

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Another fun cozy series from Joyce and Jim Lavene.

I love their books and always grab them when I can.

Enjoy my review of this fun cozy.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Fatal Fairies
(Renaissance Faire Mystery Book 8)

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Cozy Mystery
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Print Length: 181 pages
ASIN: B00X8DUQ3W

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My Review

I’m sure you noticed, but just a warning, this is the 8th book in the series and there may be spoilers.

I’ve not read the other books in this series myself. I’m slowly working through all of these authors books and this is one I haven’t started yet. I couldn’t resist reading this one though.

Imagine going to bed happily married to the man of your dreams and living the life you always wanted. Then you wake up with the wrong man in your bed and nobody remembers your life. It’s all topsy turvy wrong.

That’s what happened to Jessie Morton. One stupid wish in the heat of the moment blew up her happy world and landed her in a mess.

All she wanted was to celebrate the first anniversary of her marriage to Chase Manhattan. But he’s the Renaissance Faire Village Bailiff and when a fairy is murdered she doesn’t want him on the case. A wish that he was no longer bailiff so they can sneak away changed everything.

The fun begins when Jessie must get Chase on the murder case so he can solve the murder. Then things will go back to the way they were and she can have her Happily Ever After.

Shouldn’t be too tough. But that’s an understatement.

To set the record straight, the murdered fairy was really a person in costume. I got a big surprise when it was revealed their were real fairies, witches, and even fairy godmothers in the village. How cool is that?

After some initial confusion while I acquainted myself with this world and the characters, I settled in for a fun mystery and some laughs.

I just knew it wouldn’t be as easy as Jessie thought it would be and the fun was watching her scramble to get people to help her, to convince them she wasn’t crazy, and to solve the murder.

You can read this and enjoy it without having read the other books in the series, but if you’re like me, you’ll want to know how it all began. I plan to go back to the beginning and find out.

4 Stars

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Synopsis:

When a fairy named Apple Blossom is found dead in the Good Luck Fountain at Renaissance Faire Village, Jessie Morton makes a wish she lives to regret–that her husband, Chase Manhattan, is no longer the Village Bailiff. She doesn’t want him to look for the fairy’s killer and ruin their plans to go away for their first wedding anniversary.

Trapped in a timeless ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ experience, Jessie is transported to a different Village to face the consequences of her wish where Chase isn’t the Bailiff, and he’s not married to her.

Jessie’s fairy godmother who granted the wish tells her that she must find a way to make Chase fall in love with her again, and they must discover who killed Apple Blossom, if she ever wants to go back to the life she knew.

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joycejimAbout These Authors

Joyce and Jim Lavene write award-winning, bestselling mystery fiction as themselves, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant. They have written and published more than 70 novels for Harlequin, Berkley, Amazon, and Gallery Books along with hundreds of non-fiction articles for national and regional publications. They live in rural North Carolina with their family.

 

Author Links

 

 

Website / Facebook / Amazon / Twitter

 

Purchase Link
Amazon

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow the tour for more fun stops!

Tour Participants

July 7- Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview

July 8 – fuonlyknew – Review

July 9 – Books-n-Kisses – Review

July 10 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Guest Post

July 11 – dru’s book musings – Guest Post

July 11 – Community Bookstop – Review

July 12 – deal sharing aunt – Interview

July 13 – A Chick Who Reads – Review

July 14 – Escape With Dollycas – 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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Murder On The Bucket List. Tell me, don’t you love that title!

I sure do. And it was such a fun romp with these characters.

Come on in and enjoy my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway to win your own print copy!

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Murder on the Bucket List

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Series: A Bucket List Mystery (Book 1)
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Midnight Ink (July 8, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0738745091

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 My Review

I love my cozies and am always looking for a new series and author.

This one was such a blast.

I loved these ladies and it was double fun because these characters are on the other side of 60 and 70 years old.

You wouldn’t know by the shenanigans they got into. Especially the skinny dipping. A few of them were all for getting it checked off their bucket lists. But a few were afraid to drop their robes and expose those bodies to view. They might all be good friends, but some things should remain unseen. It was funny how some hemmed and hawed and just plain stalled the disrobing.

I think several of them issued huge sighs of relief when, while checking the pool shed for chemicals, the door was opened and out plopped a dead guy.

Hey, that’s one that needs to be checked off a bucket list too. Solve a murder.

Whether they like it or not, all of the ladies are involved in this mess and the fun begins as they poke their little noses where they don’t belong.

I was reading the scene about the crime scene tour to my mother and we got the giggles. I’d try to read more, glance over at her, and we’d bust out laughing again. A whole lot of laughs in this book.

I felt like I knew these ladies. My mother and her friends are so much like them. I can only hope I’m that spry, determined, and nosy when I get their age.

More than one mystery here, lots of colorful, quirky characters, and a few things thrown in to spice it up, Murder On The Bucket List has everything I require in a fun cozy.

I’ll be following these ladies through this series. I wonder what mess they’ll stumble into next.

4 Stars

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Synopsis

The septuagenarian women of the Summer Ridge Bridge Club have gathered in secret late one July night to check skinny dipping off their bucket list. But as Francine observes, the jittery members seem more obsessed with body issues and elaborate preparations than actually stripping down and getting in the pool. A pungent smell emanating from the pool shed provides a perfect distraction. When a dead body flops out, it’s an answered prayer for Charlotte, since the first item on her list is to solve a murder.
Unfortunately for Charlotte and Francine, before they can discover who really killed the man, they must negotiate neighborhood tours of the crime scene, press coverage of their skinny dipping, an angry Homeowner’s Association, a disastrous appearance on Good Morning America, media offers sought by a hungry publicist, and a clever killer.

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Tony & Liz

About The Authors
Elizabeth Perona is the father/daughter writing team of Tony Perona and Liz Dombrosky. Tony is the author of the Nick Bertetto mystery series, the standalone thriller The Final Mayan Prophecy (with Paul Skorich), and co-editor and contributor to the anthologies Racing Can Be Murder and Hoosier Hoops & Hijinks. Tony is a member of Mystery Writers of America and has served the organization as a member of the Board of Directors and as Treasurer. He is also a member of Sisters-in-Crime.

Liz Dombrosky graduated from Ball State University in the Honors College with a degree in teaching. She is currently a stay-at-home mom. Murder on the Bucket List is her first novel.

Author Links

Purchase Links:

Amazon / B&N

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I have one print copy to giveaway.

US Only

To enter, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question:

“Do you have a bucket list?”

Giveaway ends July 15th

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Follow the tour for more fun posts

July 6 – Back Porchervations – Review

July 6 – readalot – Review

July 7 – fuonlyknewReview, Giveaway

July 8 – Babs Book Bistro – Review, Giveaway

July 8 – dru’s book musings – Guest Post, Giveaway

July 9 – View from the Birdhouse – Interview, Giveaway

July 9 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway

July 10 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy,  &, Sissy, Too ! –  Guest Post, Giveaway

July 11 – Frankie Bow – Spotlight

July 12 – Melina’s Book Blog – Review, Giveaway

July 13 – Carstairs Considers – Review, Giveaway

July 13 – A Blue Million Books – Interview

July 14 – Bunny’s Review – Review

July 15 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Guest Post, 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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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

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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!

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My Teaser for this week is from

Morrigan’s Shadows

by Michelle Barclay

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My Teaser from page 14 in the Paperback.

Stop the dreams? She had never thought of that as one of her goals. She was here to stop the anxiety attacks, the unreality, the discomfort upon waking  and the insomnia. She liked to sleep. She didn’t mind the nightmares. Of course, she had never told Doc that. She was afraid it was weird to feel unafraid by the things she saw.

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My Review

I liked how this book started.

Morrigan is talking to her shrink about her nightmares. Or is she’s not talking about them. I don’t think she wants them to go away.

Morrigan feels more at home, safer, in her nightmares than in the real world. The monsters are known to her. She knows she’s dreaming.

In the real world, she’s plagued by fears and anxiety attacks. She has no control.

Now things have gotten real messed up for her. Morrigan isn’t sure if her nightmares are dreams or something else, something that might be real.

The winged man appeared in her waking world.  Now no place is safe for her.

The first part of the book introduces you to Morrigan through her talks with her shrink. As the story progresses, you’re pulled into her nightmares. That’s where things get real interesting.

I was so wrapped up in Morrigan’s world I was down to about 10 pages left before I realized it. Then it hit me. The end was near. And there was no way those last few pages were going to give me an ending. At least not a complete one.

I was right. There was one messed up cliff hanger. I was mad at first. Not at the author. She really zinged me with the hanger.

I was mad at myself. I won this book in a giveaway. Whenever I win a book, I go to different sights and check it out, along with the author. I didn’t do that this time or I might have known this wasn’t a stand alone and would have been prepared. The book arrived in the mail and I packed it for a weekend getaway. That it was part of a series caught me by surprise.

I enjoy a series. It’s when I have to wait too long for the next one that I get irked. Often, it’s too long before the next book and I’ve moved on to something else. While the next book in this series isn’t written yet, I’ll be watching for it.

 I’m not happy about being left hanging, but that won’t stop me from giving this a high recommendation to all who like dark fantasy and psychological horror. The wait for more will be worth it.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Morrigan’s sleep is plagued with horrors. Afraid the vivid nightmares of her sleeping life will drive her insane, she sticks to a daily routine that comforts her until one day, she decides to change it. Through a series of traumas and encounters that claw at the seams of sanity, Morrigan finds herself confronting reality and it is not what she expected. Journey through Morrigan’s nightmares as they seep into her waking world and threaten to destroy the only peace she has ever experienced.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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William Johnstone ACS, TU and Them Banner

William W. Johnstone is a prolific author,  with a whole lot of books in his lineup.

Known for his Western’s many don’t know he also writes horror.

When I was browsing his titles, I was surprised to discover that I have some of them on my bookshelves. They have those scary good covers you can’t resist when you spot them on a shelf.

I haunt my local used book store just for these.

So how could I not read these three? Can’t wait to tell you about them, so enjoy!

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Title: A Crying Shame
Author: William Johnstone
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Format: Kindle 

A Crying Shame

My Review

This was wicked creepy. I love creatures with my horror and you get some new ones in this story.

I tried to visualize them and came up with a cross between a bigfoot from the movie Sasquatch and the vampire creatures in Priest. Probably not even close but that’s scary enough for me.

I know the blurb mentions these monsters emerging from the swamp to kidnap human females and impregnate them. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But the author manages to pull it off, giving you a believable enough explanation for their actions and how it works.

That’s not even the tip of the iceberg. These creatures have super strength, are savage, and hungry. And we are on the menu.

Great characters too. Lots to like. And so many to pity when the creatures really get cranked up. A horror story wouldn’t be good without some killing off of likable characters and there’s some of that for sure. Don’t count on your favorite making it to the end. Lots don’t. This is home invasion on a whole new level.

For all of you horror fans, come and get it!

5 Stars

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Each night they emerged from the murky depths of the swamp to claim another victim—a lovely, innocent, fertile female who would be carried off in huge hairy arms and plunged into a nightmare world of terror. Her screams would echo in the darkness. Her face would contort in the throes of horror and pain. But once taken, each became a mother of an unholy child, a link in the chain of madness and evil, a spawn to carry on the devil’s name!

A Crying Shame is available for pre-order at  Amazon, B&N,  Kobo and Google Play

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Title: The Uninvited
Author: William Johnstone
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Format: Kindle

The Uninvited

My Review

It starts with a little spill. Just some toxic junk. No big deal.

Until that stuff changes something. Creates something new and deadly.

If you hear the clicking, it’s already too late.

Another scary good story from this author with more creatures. I can’t tell you what they are. I can tell you they appear from out of nowhere,  strip a body down to the bare bones in the time it takes to say, Oh sh#t!, and vanish just as quickly.

No place is safe. As the town is slowly cut off from the rest of the world, the reports of missing animals and people rises and more dessicated bodies are discovered.

Once again, this author gave me horror the way I like it. Creatures, a desperate struggle to survive, and no guarantees that your favorite characters will still be standing at the end.

5 Stars

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It was like any other spring day in the quiet, peaceful community of Lapeer Parish, Louisiana. But for Sheriff Vic Ransonet it was the beginning of a nightmare. People were disappearing without a trace. Animals were being eaten right down to the bone. Lush fertile fields of crops were being stripped bare. But the sheriff knew the evil that lurked in the barns, sheds, and homes of the sleepy parish. He had seen the creatures with his own eyes. He had heard the clicking of their jaws, the signal that they were on the move to feed their ravenous appetites. And if he couldn’t stop them, then every man, woman, and child would die, and Lapeer Parish would be wiped off the map.

The Uninvited is available for pre-order at  Amazon, B&N,  and Google Play

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Title: Them
Author: William Johnstone
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Format: Kindle

Them

My Review

Them. They came from far away, another world. Not pretty to look at. Just an ugly glowing brain thing.

They have a plan. A truly horrific agenda.

Jake’s father beats him at the drop of a hat. Hates him, actually. His peers torment him. His teachers look on, smirks on their faces.

No wonder there’s something dark, demented hidden deep inside Jake. When he stumbles upon one of Them, he finds a friend. Someone he can talk to, well, telepathically he can. Someone who cares.

All it asks in return is his help to bring others to Earth. What could be the harm in that?

Well, a lot. Jake may be hiding his dark desires for revenge from Them, but they are hiding something too.

I felt sorry for Jake. His father hates him, as do his peers. He only has a few friends. They are in the same boat. Perhaps these aliens will be good for them. Or maybe not.

An evil alien invasion and psychological horror that takes you hostage.

4 Stars

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Jake Silver was a teenage misfit, a misunderstood genius who’d been cruelly tormented by his own sadistic father and others in his little Louisiana hometown. Jake was the perfect disciple for Them.

They’d come from another world; disembodied beings who understood Jake’s need for revenge.  .  .They would offer Jake the power to finally take it.  .  .All they wanted in return was his help in bringing others of their kind to Jake’s world.

It begins so slowly, so innocently, even Jake didn’t see the danger.  .  .until it was too late to realize that he had helped unleash a devastating power in the universe–and opened a gateway for a horrific struggle between mere human beings and.  .  .

Them

Them is available for pre-order at  Amazon, B&N,  and Google Play

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Author William W. Johnstone

William Johnstone

William W. Johnstone was born in Southern Missouri, the youngest of four children. Raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and well-tutored by his school teacher mother, Bill quit school when he was fifteen. He was kicked out of the French Foreign Legion for being under age and joined the carnival. But still valuing his education, he returned home to finish his high school education in 1957.

He went on to work as a deputy sheriff, did a hitch in the army, and began a career in radio broadcasting, where he worked daily on his verbal and storytelling skills for the next sixteen years on the air. Much of his knowledge of the early frontier began from listening to family experiences told to him by his Grandparents.

His love of animals is displayed in many of his books as well as finding several Huskies and Malamutes roaming freely around his home. As an avid gun and knife collector, hours of research are devoted to the types of weapons commonly used during the eras of his writings.

One little known fact, is his love for music … from “rockabilly to classical”. Bill has written and recorded several songs which may be released for his fans in the future.

He started writing in 1970, but it wasn’t until late 1979 when The Devil’s Kiss was published that William W. Johnstone became a full-time writer. Since that time he has written over two hundred books in a variety of genres including action, suspense, western, science fiction, and horror. Two of his books, Eagle Down and Dagger, were written under the pen name of William Mason.

To the true William W. Johnstone reader, he is a best-selling author admired for the great diversity in his writing talents. Though most known for his western adventures, Johnstone was also a visionary writer. His prophetic stories within his Ashes Series, Code Name Series, and his science fiction books, predicting the Gulf War and the political climate we live in today, was ahead of its time when it was written.

For More Information

Visit William’s website.

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Follow the tour for more fun posts!

June 15

Interviewed at C.A. Milson

June 16

Book featured at 3 Partners in Shopping

June 17

Guest blogging at Gothic Moms

June 18

Book featured at The Literary Nook

June 19

Interviewed at I’m Shelf-ish

June 22

Book featured at The Dark Phantom

June 23

Interviewed at Review From Here

June 24

Guest blogging at Fiction to Fruition

June 25

Book featured at Celticlady’s Reviews

June 26

Guest blogging at The Book Czar

June 29

Book featured at From Paperback to Leatherbound

June 30

Book featured at Lover of Literature

July 1

Book featured at The Revolving Bookshelf

July 2

Review of Them, The Uninvited and A Crying Shame at A Room Without Books is Empty

July 3

Review of Them, The Uninvited and A Crying Shame at FUOnlyKnew

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Until the next time….

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

I’ve read almost all of Anthony Renfro’s stories and wait anxiously for new ones.

I have a new cover to reveal for Killer Treads.

Also, Anthony has it free to download on Monday, June 29th and Tuesday, June 30th. Links to get your copy are provided below.

Let’s get to that new cover art shall we?

Ready!

Set!

Ta – Da!

Killer treads

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My Review

Hey, look at that. A tread mill, like new, for only twenty bucks. What a steal.

He’s been meaning to get in shape, get rid of that spare tire around his middle.

He should have slowed down, caught the warning signs that something was seriously wrong with the deal. Not been so impulsive.

Alas, it’s too late now, and the deal is going to cost him much more than cold hard cash.

This story teaches you to never buy something when the deal seems too good to be true.

Kind of fun, kind of gory, and I liked it.

3 Stars

A short story about a man who sees a flashy ad online advertising a twenty dollar treadmill. He buys the machine, too cheap to be scared, and realizes much to his dismay that this machine has a taste for blood. Big Bob better run like his life depends on it, because in many ways it does.

Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars: Kind of fun, kind of gory, and I liked it.

AMAZON

EBOOK:

US / UK / AU / CA

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Author Anthony Renfro

Anthony Renfro

Anthony Renfro lives in Apex, North Carolina. He is a reader, writer, runner, husband, father, and stay at home dad – one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do. He was born in Bristol, Tennessee, and is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro.

You can find him at many spots on the web, but if you really need to find his center in the social media storm it would be at his blog, apoetryjourney.wordpress.com.

Now reach out, just beyond the light, right into that big black space, and let him take your hand on a journey into cold dark places. You will be scared, and you may even be terrified, but in the end you might just find you liked the ride.

Find him on:

Blog ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

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Until the next time…..

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Welcome to my Second Quarter Update For

My Horror Reading Challenge

Hosted by Cornerfolds

Cornerfolds

Challenge Guidelines

  • This challenge will run from January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2015, and you can join at anytime.
  • Books must be read and reviewed in 2015.
  • Audiobooks, re-reads, short stories, and crossovers are fine.
  • If you’re a blogger, grab the button below and create a post or page about this challenge and your goals with a link back to this post.
  • You don’t have to be a book blogger to participate! You can track your progress on Goodreads, Shelfari, Booklikes, Facebook, LibraryThing, etc.
  • Sign up on the designated Mr. Linky below with your post, shelf, etc. and comment on this post.
  • I will make a post each month for you to link your reviews.
  • There will be giveaways at the halfway point and at the end of the challenge in December.

Challenge Levels

1-5 horror books: Running Scared
6-10 horror books: Brave Reader
11-15 horror books: Fearless
16+ horror books: Horror Hound

My personal challenge goal will be Brave Reader to start since I’m also participating in several other challenges for 2015.

Challenge Update Schedule

March 26th – First Quarter Update
June 25th – Second Quarter Update & Giveaway
September 24th – Third Quarter Update
December 24th – Challenge Wrap-Up & Giveaway

Lists To Get You Started

Best Horror Novels
Best Teen Horror/Suspense/Thrillers
Ghost Stories

I’m going for Horror Hound – 16+ Horror Books

Click on the covers for my reviews.

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11.

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Only two more to go and I could add a lot more than that!

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See you in September for the third quarter update! 

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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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

Kimba 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 sitting here at my computer for over 10 minutes and came up with zilch to talk about!

I got distracted by Big Bang Theory so I figured why not share some fun stuff from my favorite show.

Enjoy!

Here are some funny bloopers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv6eLJf_Gr8

and some favorite scenes.

I just love this show. I can watch reruns and laugh just as hard as the first time. LOL

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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New ones just for fun!

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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.

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What I’ll be reviewing next week.

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What I won.

Print books

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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.

Their coming is just the beginning…Dawn Of Destiny, EPIC Series #1 ~ My Review and Giveaway

The Star Seer’s Prophecy ~ New Release Sale and Giveaway

The Authorship Adventure Series by Ella Medler

Teaser Tuesdays #119 ~ Shadow Of Danger by Kristine Mason

The EPIC Series ~ Dawn Of Destiny and Outlaw Trigger ~ Reviews and Giveaway

The Children Of Darkness ~ Book Blast and Giveaway

#M9B Friday Cover and Chapter Reveal and Giveaway ~ Into The Dark by Caroline Patti

The Friday 56 #67 ~ Shadow Of Darkness by Kristine Mason

Reviewing Hope For The Wicked and Pennies For The Damned by Edward Lorn

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Have you joined TSU yet?

Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

tsu-logo

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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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I’ve read all of Edward Lorn’s stories. Full length and short ones. They were horror with a supernatural or paranormal element to them for the most part.

The Larry Laughlin series is horror of a different sort. The deep, dark, twisted, human behavior. The mosters that prowl these pages are human in form only. All else about them is evil with a capital E!

Check out my reviews.

Enter darkness.

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Hope For The Wicked

Larry Laughlin #1

By Edward Lorn

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Genre: Thriller, Suspense

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My Review

The title is perfect for this story. Is there hope for the wicked? Should there be? When you meet Larry and Mo Laughlin, you’ll be asking these questions.

Larry and Mo are a married couple and retired killers. They aren’t nice people. They are bad people. Bad people, that kill worse people. But I kind of liked them. Well, I liked Larry. Mo scared me. Of the two, I’d say she was the happy clam when they came out of retirement.

Their private investigation company isn’t doing that well, so when a job comes along with a two million dollar payday, they jump back into the business one last time. They should have stayed retired.

They head to Mexico to find their client’s daughter and bring her back if possible. Whether she’s alive or dead, their orders are to kill all those responsible.

Larry and Mo should have listened to their inner voices. If the money’s too good to be true, it usually is. And they find out in the most brutal, horrific way.

One thing about Edward Lorn, he isn’t afraid to take you into some of the darkest, most disturbing places. You emerge eventually, dirty, disgusted, and glad it wasn’t you.

I must warn you, this is graphic horror with sexual deviants and a whole bunch of psychopaths bent on getting their pleasure however they can. My stomach almost couldn’t take it in one particular scene.

And this was how the author got me to care about two killers. Sure, they killed people worse than themselves. They did it in cruel ways. And they enjoyed it. But they were still more likable than the other guys.

There are times when I laughed, times when I wanted to stop reading because I couldn’t take it anymore, and times when I cried. That’s some fine writing.

5 Stars

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Book Description

Sometimes, bad people do good deeds.

Larry and Mo Laughlin are retired killers turned private investigators with monetary woes. So when their handler introduces them to the Trudeaus, one final job is placed on the docket.

Jacob and Bernice Trudeau need their teenage daughter, Amy, found, and they also want the men responsible dead. Two million dollars is an offer Larry and Mo can’t refuse.

To find Amy, the Laughlins must travel to Mexico, where they are thrust into a world of debauchery so foul they will be forever changed.

One crazed pimp, a veterinarian turned doc-for-hire, and an enigmatic facility called “The Show” lie in wait for the wayward couple.

Is there any hope for the wicked?

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Pennies for the Damned

Larry Laughlin #2

By Edward Lorn

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Genre: Thriller, Suspense

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My Review

This is the second story in the series and picks up a short time later.

Larry survived Mexico. He went back to his roots. To all those bad memories of “Family Time’ with his dad. He’s not planning on killing anymore after one last job. The job, kill his father.

His father is going to be released from prison and Larry can’t stand the thought of his father out there somewhere, preying on more innocent kids. He’ll take him out and be done with it.

But life has more for Larry. He’s confronted by some unexpected visitors, his house is blown to bits, and he’s saddled with a teen age girl as his traveling companion. He’ll let her tag along until he can find a safe place for her. Then it’s a race to save his brother, because the killers will use Jaime to hurt Larry. And that’s not going to happen if he can help it.

I sometimes wonder how Larry would have turned out if he hadn’t hooked up with Mo. She is definitely the deadlier of the two. She enjoyed the killing for killings sake and I feel she stuck to only killing bad people so Larry would kill with her. If Larry didn’t kill, would she have married him? I wonder.

Larry has a little bit of humanity left in him. I don’t now how. He’s seen and done so many dark, ugly things. I tore through this story, wondering where he’d go from here. Would he keep killing? Would he take his own life? Would he find some kind of peace within himself?

Definitely not for the squeamish, this is an excellent new chapter in Larry’s life. I urge true dark horror and thriller fans to give it a go.

5 Stars

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Book Description

Ex-hitman Larry Laughlin got out of Mexico alive, but now he’s a haunted man. The final step to laying his ghosts to rest requires killing his newly paroled father. Before he can take action, though, a trio of killers break into Larry’s house, and he overhears their plan to murder his brother, Jaime, too. Old habits kick in, and Larry emerges the sole survivor. But while he’s gathering hidden funds to finance his plans, he’s ambushed by an unlikely traveling companion: a young abused teen named Brooklyn, who refuses to be left behind.

Larry and Brooklyn set out to save his brother and complete his patricidal task, but one wrong misstep drops yet another aching tragedy on Larry’s burdened shoulders. Nearly mad with his hunger for vengeance, Larry seeks his final nemesis in the heart of New York City. But what he finds will threaten more than just his life: Larry Laughlin damned himself long ago.

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Author Edward Lorn

Edward Lorn

Edward Lorn is an American horror author presently residing in the southeast United States. He enjoys storytelling, reading, and writing biographies in the third person.

Once upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he recanted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward’s teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate, as Edward had never had a baby brother.

With advice given to her by a frustrated teacher, Edward’s mother made him start writing all of his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history.

Edward Lorn and his wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only difference is, now he’s a useful one.

In January of 2012, Edward Lorn self-published his debut novel, Bay’s End. Later that year, he contracted with Red Adept Publishing to bring his sophomore effort, Dastardly Bastard, to the world. For the Halloween season, Edward published a collection of short stories entitled What the Dark Brings. His novella, Hope for the Wicked, was picked up by Red Adept Publishing and is coming soon.

Find Edward online:

Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase Links:

RAP Pennies of the Damned

RAP Hope for the Wicked

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Until the next time….

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from

Shadow Of Danger

The CORE Shadow Trilogy #1

by Kristine Mason

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My 56

“We found the first body here.” Roy pointed toward the first area sectioned off by police tape and approximately twenty feet from the road. “The other three were found deeper in the woods. Lying nearly side by side.”

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My Review

There’s nothing like a good suspense thriller to get the old endorphins pumping and Kristine delivers. I read this some time ago and recently realized I’d not written a review. I reread this in one night and it’s just as exciting the second time around.

Celeste Risinski is a clairvoyant. It’s not something she wants. It just is. She’d be perfectly happy to skip the horrific visions and nightmares that jolt her, screaming, from her sleep.

She senses something different about these dreams. A deeper, more personal connection.

The sheriff calls on an old friend from CORE,  a private investigation agency, to assist and apprehend the killer before he kills again. Ian, as owner, distances himself from Celeste because of a mysterious family history, and sends John Kain, an FBI agent, to help with the investigation.

That’s about all I can tell you without spoilers.

Let’s get to the good stuff.

The characters. The two main ones are Celeste and John.

John is wounded and bitter. He needs this case to get him back in the game. What he doesn’t need is some chick who thinks she has visions.

Celeste is learning to better control her visions. To interpret and use them more efficiently. This also paints a target on her back. What she doesn’t need is some sexy know it all FBI guy scoffing at her. Brushing aside her visions as ridiculous.

So you see what’s coming, don’t ya? Yep. These two meet. Sparks ignite. Even though they don’t much care about each other when they first meet, the chemistry is firing on both burners.

I had as much fun following this reluctant yet burning romance as I did with the murder investigation.

About that. Kristine leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow. The opening scenes are about a murder. But that doesn’t reveal who’s doing it or why.

Trying to solve the crime is like following a trail. It moves forward, sidesteps, backtracks to cover it’s steps, and jumps forward again.

There are some strong secondary characters that I’m sure will have larger roles in other books in this series. And there are some surprises and a huge secret that will be revealed.

Looking for something to keep you up into the wee hours, reluctant to stop until you reach the end? This oughta do it!

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Four women have been found dead in the outskirts of a small Wisconsin town. The only witness, clairvoyant Celeste Risinski, observes these brutal murders through violent nightmares and hellish visions. The local sheriff, who believes in Celeste’s abilities and wants to rid their peaceful community of a killer, enlists the help of an old friend, Ian Scott, owner of a private criminal investigation agency, CORE. Because of Ian’s dark history with Celeste’s family, a history she knows nothing about, he sends his top criminalist, former FBI agent John Kain to investigate. John doesn’t believe in Celeste’s mystic hocus-pocus, or in her visions of the murders. But just when he’s certain they’ve solved the crimes, with the use of science and evidence, more dead bodies are discovered. Could this somehow be the work of the same killer or were they dealing with a copycat? To catch a vicious murderer, the skeptical criminalist reluctantly turns to the sensual psychic for help. Yet with each step closer to finding the killer, John finds himself one step closer to losing his heart.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

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Hi ya’ll. Welcome to my second stop on the tour for the EPIC Series by Lee Stephen.

On Monday I shared my 5 Star review of the first book, Dawn Of Destiny.

For today I have my review of the second book, Outlaw Trigger.

Check it out.

Enjoy my reviews.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Dawn of Destiny

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My Review

I’ve been getting back to reading science fiction again. I got away from it for a while and I’ve discovered some exciting new authors and stories lately

Author Lee Stephen and his EPIC series are among them.

I’m huge on character driven novels and got everything I could ask for with Dawn of Destiny.

There’s also a lot of action and intrigue.

Several different alien species are attacking our planet. We don’t know why. Their attacks are random and sporadic. The world unites, setting up military bases all over the world. The agenda: attack, eliminate, protect.

Our very survival depends on it.

From the beginning you are drawn into story. The characters are strongly written. They all have distinctive voices. I could recognize some easily without the author even having to mention who was acting or speaking.

How these military units came together, how they learned to work together, and their personal issues were so captivating. I had a couple of favorites right from the beginning, but as new ones entered the story, I found more. I came to care about them, to celebrate their triumphs, grieve over their losses, and rage over the injustices.

I also became interested in a few of the not so nice characters. They were equally well developed and their stories were fascinating too. It was hard not to feel some empathy for a few of them. I wanted to let down my guard, as some of the characters in the book did, but I quickly remembered, this is a book, the author doesn’t promise me good things, and anything can and will happen. Boy. did it ever.

The battles were strongly written too. Watching a lot of science fiction movies made it easy to visualize these. Especially when it came to the aliens. There are two main ones and they both utilize other alien creatures as weapons. Those are  pretty scary. One scene with some necrilids was very chilling and I used the last Predators movie to see that.

And I wanted to mention the characters again. When they were first all brought together I pictured the movie Starship Troopers. It wasn’t a blockbuster movie, but I really liked it. The camaraderie of the units, their personal lives, their wins and losses, it all felt similar in Dawn of Destiny. This was the spine of this story and it was strong.

As for the ending. I got one. A good one. I knew it was the first book in the series and would leave me hanging so I wasn’t surprised by that. But it did wrap up some things and leave me wanting more. I was glad their would be more and immediately started reading the second book, which takes place three months later.

I hope you try this series. You don’t have to love science fiction to enjoy these. They read fast, and even when there’s no shooting, running, screaming, and blowing things up, there’s plenty to keep you glued to the pages.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Some men go to war for the glory. Some men go to war to escape. For Scott Remington, war is entirely different. It is a belief. It is a calling. It is a destiny. Leaving everything behind—his fiancée, his future, his life—he embarks on a mission of faith into a battle he can barely understand. This is his story. This is his war. This is only the beginning.

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Dawn Of Destiny Audio Book

Dawn of Destiny  Audio

The Dawn of Destiny audiobook project is a full adaptation of the first book in the Epic series. It’s not your typical “audiobook,” even though technically that’s what it is. When people hear “audiobook,” there’s a certain type of thing that usually comes to mind. Most likely it’s the thought of someone reading a book to them, occasionally with music playing in the background. This isn’t that.

What you’re going to hear in this project, is more of an audio “experience,” the audio equivalent of a summer blockbuster movie. Over thirty voice actors played a role in this. This is ear-splitting sound effects, bombastic music, and characters shouting back and forth in the middle of a war zone. This is unlike anything you’ve ever heard.

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Outlaw Trigger

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My Review

I crossed my fingers and toes before I started reading this book. The first book, Dawn Of Destiny, was amazing and I was wondering if the author could pull off another winner with the second book.

My worries were unfounded. This was every bit as good as the first book.

Scott Remington, the youngest man to ever receive the honorary Golden Lion, rose through the ranks like a rocket. But with all victory comes a fall. He suffers a tragic loss and loses his way.

But time waits for no man, and neither do the aliens. They step up their attacks, a rookie makes a huge error, and casualties are staggering. Scott must pull himself together fast. The men look to him for leadership, to fuel their bravery. His crushing loss has him in limbo. The rage builds. It’s all leading to a breaking point.

It’s good to be back with the gang again. Most of the characters made it through the first book and are back in the second one. But that doesn’t mean I can relax. As a matter of fact, the author quickly hit me with massive losses when a rookie made a huge mistake, sending men to their slaughter.

And there’s a lot of political maneuvering going on. That’s never a good thing, and I smelled a skunk or two.

Thoor, mysterious leader of the Nightmen, is also upping the stakes.  He’s strategically placing his men in the Eden ranks. This can only be bad.

Outlaw trigger is a lot darker than the first book. There’s more suspense, more loss, more intrigue. And a whole lot of shock and awe.

And the wild ending. I so didn’t see it coming.  One word describes it.  FUBAR!

5 Stars

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Synopsis

They say every man has a breaking point-every man. can be pushed off the edge. Scott Remington entered EDEN with the heart of a lion. He forged glory in the furnace of war. But on the heels of dawn, darkness awaits. Only when stretched to the limit will a man truly learn who he is. That limit is about to be breached. Lines will be crossed. Sides will be chosen. And faith will be put to the test. Will the righteous prevail?
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Author’s Bio:
 
Lee Stephen
Born and raised in Cajun country, Lee Stephen spent his childhood paddling pirogues through the marshes of South Louisiana. When he wasn’t catching bullfrogs or playing with alligators in the bathtub (both true), he was escaping to the world of the imagination, creating worlds in his mind filled with strange creatures and epic journeys. This hasn’t stopped.Now a resident of Luling, Louisiana, Lee spends time every day delving into the world of Epic, the science-fiction series that has come to define him as a writer and producer. Alongside his wife, Lindsey, their sons, Levi and Lawson, and their dog, Jake, Lee has made it a mission to create a series that is unique in its genre—one unafraid to address the human condition while staying grounded in elements of faith.
Connect with Lee:  Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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