Archive for the ‘reviews’ Category

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I am so excited to share my reviews for The Adelheid Series.

Please bear with me as the post is a bit long! LOL

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Titles: Cameron’s Law / When Forever Died / Voracious / Written All Over Her / Disposable People
Series: Welcome to Adelheid
Author: Mia Darien
Genre: Paranormal Suspense
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Cameron’s Law
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My Review
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Right from the start you are thrust into the action.Her name is Sadie Stanton and she owns the Stanton Agency, where she serves all things preternatural. When Cameron’s Law was passed, making all supernatural beings citizens, Sadie saw the opportunity and offered her services for paranormal investigations. She’s perfect for the job, after all, she’s a vampire. While helping a client in the graveyard, a crazed woman runs up and stakes Sadie. As quickly as she appeared, she ran away.  Lucky for Sadie, the woman didn’t know her anatomy. It hurt like hell, but healed quickly. And the night is still young. Following proper procedures, she files a complaint and has the bad luck to have her complaint taken by Detective Johnston, a shifter. There is no love lost between these species and he is being a jerk, or is she just reading him wrong. He definitely gets under her skin, and as her receptionist, Madison, said, “He was tugging on her pigtails.” Soon enough, Sadie has to deal with Johnston again. It appears that young vampires are attacking werewolves and this could have an adverse affect on the new law.  Sadie wants to avoid that at all costs and begins to work closely with Detective Johnston. They need to see who or what is behind this before there is an all out war between the vampires and the werewolves.There are so many awesome characters in this book. Each one, even the ones with only small roles, stand out as individuals and their voices are strongly written.My favorites are Sadie and Dakota. Can’t wait for you to meet Dakota. If you think Sadie is tough, wait until to see Dakota in action. She is a hunter and even Sadie isn’t sure of just what she is, maybe something shifty or fae.The author left me wondering about that in this first book.I also really liked the view of Sadie’s everyday life while being a vampire, her normalness.“It was a standard evening. I showered and dressed, had breakfast and checked to see if I had any messages. After that, I ran a few errands, which were ultimately very banal. Just like all the other myths, being a vampire did not automatically make your life exciting or glamorous, and you didn’t come equipped with servants. Vampires still had to do things like go to the bank, buy food and do their laundry.”Of course, her breakfast must have been some type of blood and her day started after dark. I wonder what the grocery stores are like, having to stock edibles for all types of supernatural beings.There are more attacks and the race is on to solve this case before all hell breaks loose.You’ll meet some very interesting characters, good and bad.

You’ll get to see how Sadie interviews demon summoners, and lawyers for her agency, which was a fun way for the author to introduce new characters.

And you get to meet Dakota, the bounty hunter from hell. Still not sure what she is.

I had a really fun time getting to know the characters of Adelheid, the largest supernatural community in all of New England.

For a not so long book, this one is packed full of back story mysteries, budding romance, lethal investigations, and a look at the politics of a preternatural town.

A great beginning to this series which the author wraps up nicely, but hints at answers to some lingering questions, which leads you to the next book.

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5 Stars
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 Synopsis

Vampires are people, too.

Cameron’s Law has made all supernatural creatures legal citizens, and the boy next door has suddenly become the werewolf next door. With Sadie Stanton, vampire and one of the public faces of the legislation, calling the little town of Adelheid, Connecticut home, it can’t help but be a focal point for these once mythical beings.

But when vampires start attacking werewolves without provocation, Adelheid draws the attention of those that would seek to have Cameron’s Law repealed and would send the preternaturals back into the shadows they used to hide in, but without the safety of their anonymity and their law.

Can Sadie keep the city’s two biggest species from descending into chaos and war before it brings all of them to harm? And can she do it when she herself gets thrust into the spotlight?

 
 
When Forever Died
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My Review
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I love it. This book features Dakota, bounty hunter extraordinaire. She is one of my favorite characters.Dakota hunts the NHF, or Non-Human Form creatures. She’s the one police call when they can’t handle a particular supernatural being. Cameron’s Law may have made all preternaturals citizens, but just like humans, you get your bad seeds and that’s when they call Dakota.Dakota now kind of works for Stanton at her agency. She has a long way to go to be a team player and she’s kind of scary.She’s working a case for Myles Bail- Bonds. A fight ends in death and the vampire, wanted for manslaughter, has bolted.Then she gets a phone call to come down to the police station. The Captain has a case he needs help with.It seems he needs an ancient, a vampire over 1000 years old, found and brought in.Dakota doesn’t usually work more than one case at a time, but she’s intrigued. She’s never hunted an ancient before.And Detective Moore, the visiting detective, has caught her eye. When she learns the detective is looking for a mysterious being, the name slaps her in the face. She’ll need to stay close to Moore in order to monitor her hunt for this being, which happens to be Dakota’s sister.Someone is following Dakota, things are heating up, people are being torn apart, and bodies are disappearing.What I really enjoyed about this second book, is Dakota finally opens up, as much as she can, and tells what she is, or thinks she is. She starts to let others in, to trust a few people, to get this ‘friend’ thing.The authors flashes you back into time so you can see Dakota’s origins and why she is like she is. You also meet her deadly sister. Not someone you are going to like at all.The writing is so fluid. The characters and situations feel normal, not fictional. You forget they can’t really exist and just go with it.All I’ll say about the ending is it left me grinning.And, of course, wanting more.

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5 Stars
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Synopsis
 

Forever is a long time.

The life of a hunter is a lonely one. Perhaps more for Dakota than others in her line of work. Not only is she better than anyone else at chasing down the things that go bump in the night, but her past chases her with the same tenacity.

She’s built walls around her solitary existence and that’s the way she likes it, but the past never sleeps. When she’s hired to hunt an ex-lover for murder, it’s just the first in a string of memories that will bring Dakota’s past, present and future into a collision course.

And when she agrees to take on a second case and hunt down an Ancient, a vampire over one thousand years old, it unleashes circumstances onto that collision that will shake the foundation of everything she’s built and force her, for the first time in a long while, to look to others.

Can she survive it, like she’s survived these past four centuries? Or will the weight of it all finally crush her?

 
 
Voracious
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My Review
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D is a reluctant vampire. He is lured by a mysterious and beautiful woman to a vampire bar. He really should have known better.I guess a few too many drinks left him with his guard down. He hates fangs, his name for vampires, and certainly wouldn’t have let this female turn him into one.Their night of passion ends with a quick snap of his neck and now he’s that thing, a fang.D is haunted by a dark hunger, has been for a long time, and now he has a hunger even greater, a hunger for blood.As he gets the hang of it, of being a fang, he feels the need to find out why Ceille did this to him, why she thought he could help her. So he returns to the scene, to the vamp bar 5, and asks the owner, Quintus, what Ceille’s story is.What Quintus tells him leaves him hanging. Ceille was beheaded by another vampire. She is now truly dead.When he turns Cassandra, a young woman dying after being attacked, he has a new bunch of problems. She can’t be left on her own, like he was, and he is her sire, he is responsible for helping her adjust.There is something special about Cassandra, something that draws vampires to her. D takes her to the vampire coven lead by Jade. They will help her adjust and learn to control her abilities.Now, a vampire is after him and her and he has no idea why. Too bad Ceille is dead for good, but maybe, just maybe, she can still tell him what he needs to know.What I liked best about D is how at first, he came off as callous, as a drunk wandering aimlessly through life.Then, when he’s turned into the thing he despises, only then does his humanness come out. That’s when I started to like him, to pull for him.Dakota makes a boisterous appearance, as does Sadie, Johnston, and several other characters from the first two books.I like that you could read these as stand-alones, but why would you want to. You can get all three books individually at a very affordable price, or you can get all three stories in one book!

I read one book each night and had a fun time doing it. I never had to wait for the next release and all of my favorite characters made appearances, like old friends stopping by to visit.

I caught myself wishing there was a town like Adelheid, a town of supernaturals and humans living side by side. I think I’d like it there. Who knows, maybe there is.

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5 Stars
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Synopsis
 

Sometimes, life doesn’t begin until after you’re dead.

Days stretch out in a series of predictable steps. A to B to C to A. Work. Friends. Life. But for some people, it’s not enough. It’s not enough for D. Possessed of a ravenous hunger for more, he’s at a loss for how to find it.

Until he meets Cielle. She’s everything he’s looking for: new and exciting.

And a vampire, which he’s less crazy about.

But when “new and exciting” Turns him, D is forced into an undead life he never anticipated. Trying to adjust to this new existence is hard enough, but he’s about to get more than he ever bargained for.

Will it be enough to sate his hunger?

 
 
Written All Over Her
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My Review
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There are two story lines in this book.In the beginning, a young woman is talking to you, the therapist, about what happened to her when she was abducted and terrorized for eleven months.Her name is Detective Nyck Marlowe, but she’s just Nyck.The other is solving a series of murders who’s killer leaves a signature like the one Nyck is wearing.You’ll flash back and forth, but never in the middle of a chapter. There is no interruption and the glimpses into her psyche are very helpful in understanding her actions and reactions during this case.Thee victims all resemble her and the killer leaves the telltale scars of vines upon their bodies.Nyck insists it can’t be the same killer, as the one who brutally tortured and scarred her face and body is long dead.But as the bodies continue to pile up, she begins to wonder. Could there have been an accomplice? No, she’s sure the killer worked alone. Could they have killed the wrong man? No, he was caught red-handed.Nyck doesn’t believe in coincidence, so who is killing these girls, why do they all resemble her, and how does he mark them?These are just some of the questions Nyck has. She has to revisit her dark past, face the memories head on and, with the help of her partner, Detective Vance Johnson, a shifter, catch this killer before more young women die.The thing I love the most about Mia Dariens Adelheid series, is that each book is written about a character you have met in the other books. You get to know the back story about the character and learn what makes them tick.Nyck is complicated. She has the responsibility of caring for her younger sister Ana, who has Down Syndrome, and has her good days and bad days. Then she has to deal with her own issues from when she was brutalized and nearly killed. Now she has to deal with a killer that just might be the very person who left the trail of scars on her body.

Any ordinary person would buckle under the pressure. But Nyck is strong and determined, while also being nurturing and vulnerable.

With her and her sister being pretty much the only humans living in Adelheid, she somehow feels safe there. Cameron’s Law, giving supernatural beings the same rights as humans, has made Adelheid the largest community of all kinds of beings, from vampires, to shifters, and others.

You get to see some familiar characters from other books in this series. That always makes it more genuine and entertaining for me. I get to see what’s up with them and Mia is great at bringing them into the picture in just the right moments.

With each book I read in this series I think, this is the best one, this is my favorite character. Then I read the next book, and think the same thing!

I wonder who I’ll think is my favorite next?

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5 Stars
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Synopsis

One word can change the story of your life forever.

Abduction. Torture. Surrender.

Eleven months from her adolescence have framed thirty-one years of Detective Nykk Marlowe’s life. Despite the trauma of her past, and the unique physical scars it left her with, she’s built a career as a detective for the Adelheid Police Department.

Her personal life might only consist of caring for her sister and a pet rabbit, but she accepts that.

She accepts that she’ll never be able to be like “normal” people, even the supernatural ones. As long as she can keep the past where it belongs, she’s okay.

But when the body of a teenage girl shows up with the same scars that Nykk sees in the mirror every day, her “okay” life gets turned upside down and she’s forced to confront the past she’s been looking away from for sixteen years.

And when it turns out there’s already more than one victim, the pressure’s on to stop the killer before any more girls are tortured, mutilated, and murdered.

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Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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Disposable People

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My Review

It’s been a while since I read the first four books in this series but everything came rushing back thanks to references to past events. Mia kept them brief and placed them perfectly to not interrupt my reading enjoyment.

I’ve had such fun with this series and couldn’t wait for Detective Vance Johnston to have his own story.  His rough and tumble relationship with Sadie, a vampire, was such fun to read and I’ve been curious how that was going.

It looks like things are going great between Sadie and Vance, despite her reservations about the weretiger. He knows she’s got a thing about her being a vampire and him being a shifter. About her immortality and watching him grow old. But he’s not given up on her. There’s hope and they are happy.

Vance becomes involved in a double homicide with preternatural elements and his happy world falls apart.

This was so suspenseful. Vance’s homicide investigation lead to his kidnapping. He’s put in a situation that goes against everything he believes in. Forced to do things he has no control over was gut wrenching.

I felt so bad for Vance. He’s a cops cop and a good man. His agony over what he’s forced to do is hard to read. His guilt is heavy even though it’s not like he had a choice.

His sensitivity for the others trapped with him along with his faith that his friends will rescue him revealed a softer side, one usually saved for Sadie, and had me hoping along with him.

As with her other books, Mia deals out the mystery, drops you into the action, and has you crossing your fingers and toes for a happy ending.

Some of the characters from the other books make an appearance. The one I wanted the most, Dakota, didn’t actually feature in this story but the mere mention of her name caused a ripple throughout the story. Actually, she scares me. She has that affect. LOL

I just love this series and hope to read more about Adelheid and keep in touch through further books.

5 Stars

Synopsis

Even Adelheid has a dark side…

Detective Vance Johnston has a lot going for him. He’s got good friends, a job he likes, gets to play tiger every now and then, and is getting ready to propose to his long time girlfriend, Sadie Stanton. Things are looking pretty good.

That is until a shocking turn of events sends him into a case at the last minute that threatens not just everything in his life, but his life itself. Thrust into the seedy underbelly of the preternatural organized crime world, Vance is trapped, a prisoner to the entertainment and money of a darkness threatening to undermine Adelheid.

But he’s not alone. Not just in the prison he’s kept in, but on the outside too. He just has to hang on until help comes, but that’s going to be anything but easy as his own beast within is used against him.

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GOODREADS / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

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Born a Connecticut Yankee in nobody’s court, Mia Darien grew up to brave snow and talk fast. She started reading when she was three and never looked back, soon frequently falling asleep with a book under her cheek. (Something she still does, though these days it’s her Nook as often as a paperback.)At eleven, she discovered “Night Mare” by Piers Anthony and entered the world of grown-up fantasy fiction and it was all over from there. She started writing at fourteen, then met vampires as a teenager and the concept for what would become Adelheid was soon born. Epic fantasy remains her first love, but she enjoys writing whatever stories come to mind in any genre.Now she loves both writing and helping her indie community with her freelancing. A geek till the end, she enjoys role-play by email games and World of Warcraft when she has the time. Married to her very own Named Man of the North, she lives with him, their mini-tank (also known as their son) and pets, who usually act more childish than the child.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

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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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iRead Book Tour Logo Medium

How could I resist this book. I adored the first one and couldn’t wait to find out what these two galactic friends were cooking up next.

It’s a wild, fantastical adventure of galactic proportions.

Please enjoy my review and check out the spectacular illustrations and cover art.

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Book Title: Aoléon The Martian Girl: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Saga – Part 2: The Luminess of Mars, written and illustrated by Brent LeVasseur
Category:  Middle-Grade, 90 pages
Genre: Science-fiction and Fantasy
Publisher: Aoléon Press
Release date: February 23, 2015
Available for review in:  PDF
Will send books: Internationally
Tour dates: February 2015
Content Rating: G
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Aoleon  2.
My review
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This is the second book in this series and I won’t reveal anything the blurb doesn’t tell you so there will be no spoilers.
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Our young co-conspirators, Gilbert and Aoleon,  are becoming fast friends and having a blast on Mars. I wish I could be there. It looks and sounds like such fun.
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The space ships flit by overhead and the streets are crowded. To keep his identity from the martians, Aoleon has Gilbert paint his skin blue and cautions him to not draw attention to himself. Her parents are nervous about having a Terran (human) in their home but any friend of Aoleon’s is welcome.
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After getting to know these two characters, it came as no surprise they couldn’t stay out of trouble for long.
They are plopped into the middle of a resistance and Gilbert notices something strange going on with the Luminess, the Luminon’s mate. Ah, the plot thickens.
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It’s no longer fun and games for these two as they run from the Mars leaders and their Paladin Guards.
As with the first book, this one is filled with exciting illustrations that leap off the pages with spectacular colors. They are almost 3-D and such fun.
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Some things are different yet similar on Mars as on Earth.
The pets are odd and I’m still trying to figure out if they are supposed to be dogs and cats.
There are gangs on Mars just waiting for an opportunity to rob you blind. And there are bullies too. Gilbert gets to meet Aoleon’s tormentors up close and personal like.
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Spaceships zoom by overhead displaying advertisements., kind of like how New York City uses their buildings.
And there’s pizza! It’s not the same as ours, but not too bad according to Gilbert. They call it a Galact Platter and it looks like pizza to me.
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Gilbert gets a surprise when he learns the martians fear us  humans. They are mind readers and, as such, can’t tell a lie.  When the Luminess reads Gilbert’s mind he also reads hers. I see why they might fear us. No secrets stay secret for long.
Something’s brewing on Mars and the target is Earth and our cows.
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Let’s hope Aoleon and Gilbert are up to the task.
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I enjoyed this second adventure as much as the first and will continue reading the series to it’s conclusion. A whole lot of fun and such amazing art work. I hope to one day have these as print books so I can really enjoy the illustrations. And while this is a book for young readers, adults will love it too.
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5 Stars
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Book Description:

Aoléon and Gilbert receive a special mission from PAX, a wanted criminal and leader of the Martian resistance movement to investigate the Luminon of Mars, who he suspects is planning an invasion of Earth to steal its milk cows. Gilbert has an encounter with the Luminess (the mate of the Luminon) and discovers something strange about her during a procession, and the duo are chased by the Royal Paladin Guard. 

At Aoléon’s home, Gilbert meets Aoléon’s family, her sister Una, mother Phobos and father Deimos as well as her overzealous pet Zoot. He is also introduced to Bizwat, a covert operator and Procyon Commando, who uses his Saturn Pizza delivery job as a cover. 

Gilbert then gets to visit the Martian Space Academy (Aoléon’s school) where he encounters Aoléon’s nemesis, Charm Lepton and her friend Quarkina, as well as receiving a history lesson on the Martian people by Plutarch Xenocrates. After class, Gilbert and Aoléon get to train in zero-G and Gilbert is treated to a Psi-ball match between Martian Space Academy and Martian Science Academy.
Buy the Book:
Pre-order your copy today!

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Buy The Martian Girl Song!
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Aoleon 2 Single Album

Another World – Single

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes
 
Meet the Author:
Aoleon 2 Brent LeVasseur

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Aoléon: The Martian Girl

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Aoleon

The Martian Girl

Part One

Aoleon 2 The Martian Girl PART 1

My Review

This story is so fast paced I was dragged along like the flying cows. When you read it you’ll get the thing about those cows.

Gilbert is woken up from another weird dream . This one about killer robots. In no hurry to return to that dream, he goes over to look at the night outside through his telescope.

Spotting strange lights in his neighbors farm, the one where the strange crop circles kept appearing, he slips out to investigate and literally bumps into adventure, in the form of Aoleon, a martian girl

The bright lights also catch the farmers eye and he discovers Gilbert and Aoleon, the martian girl, chasing them to her ship where they take off to the skies.

It’s a laugh riot as Aoleon pilots her baby blue space craft around the world, giving Gilbert the ride of his life while she dodges the USAF fighter jets that pursue them.

I received this book in my dropbox and chose to read it there. The illustrations are black and white on my kindle and don’t do them justice.

Excellent descriptions compliment the exciting illustrations, so brilliant in colors they explode off the pages.

Young and older readers alike will be enchanted by Gilbert and Aoleon and this authors world.

I understand there are four more adventures in this saga and an iTunes album.

I plan to follow these adventures. You’ll wish you had a friend like Aoleon, and envy Gilbert as he explores his dreams of space.

An out of this world delight.

5 Stars

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Aoleon 2 Extra Image

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I hope you enjoyed the adventure and

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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Happy Valentine’s Day ya’ll!

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I didn’t do much for the holiday. I spent it reading and watching movies with my son.

You’d expect me to read or watch some romantic stuff, but nope, I binged on science fiction and horror. From fiction to non-fiction. And everything in between.

My eyes are blurring as I type this. LOL

Did you do anything special? Did your Valentine bring you gifts, flowers, or candy?

What’s the best Valentine’s Day you ever had?

Now that you’re on sugar highs from all that candy, let’s talk books!

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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22397047  16193991  22725812

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New ones just because!

On my Kindle

16109210  22637998  24926112

Print Books

7912007  13154933

  17787513  21538202

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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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Books I’ll be reviewing next week.

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What I won.

I did win a few giveaways but will wait until they arrive to share them with you.

Some will be a surprise even to me!

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Fun news from around the web!

Over on Booktopia Blog, Andrew shares a fun Lego Take on Fifty Shades of Grey

Cait @ Paper Fury talks about authors that inspire her.

Carmel @ Rabid Read has a question on her post – Are you a seasonal reader?

Over on Herding Cats, Anna talks about When is it okay for an author to comment?

There’s a discussion @ Novel Heartbeat – Don’t be afraid to be yourself in your review.

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Other Posts on my blog this week.

A Giveaway Celebrating the Release of Heart Search : Betrayal

Cover Reveal ~ Out From Under ~ A Pea Pod Girls Investigations

Monday Minis Reviews #37 ~ A Zombie Combat Field Guide

Teaser Tuesdays #101 ~ Night Carnival

My Favorite Corpse ~ How many times can you lose a dead body?

Final Stand by Rose Garcia ~ Highlight and Giveaway

Valentine’s Day is Murder ~ Cost Mystery Tour Review

Friday Cover Reveal and Giveaway ~ Joshua and the Lightning Road by Donna Galanti

The Friday 56 #52 ~ My Pet Yeti

A Giveaway Celebrating The Kingdom Within and Friends For Life

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Have you joined TSU yet?

Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

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For all of my 2014 reviews go HERE

For a list of free books 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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This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry.

 I have some exciting news to share with you about Dinosaur lake II.  Read on to learn how you can win some books!

After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental for more and check out her review. Two chances to win!

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Dinosaur Lake II

Dinosaurs Arising

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

22017707

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My Review

Here we go again. Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore thinks its over. They killed the dinosaur and he’s pretty sure they destroyed all of the eggs. But when strange things start happening in the park, when another ranger has to fight off a large creature to save some visitor’s, it looks like it’s not over.

Things go from bad, to horrific when one of the trolleys, full of tourists, is attacked by something huge, like the thing in the park, yet larger, and it has wings.

It looks like Henry will have to do battle with dinosaurs again, and he’ll have help from his rangers, along with some soldiers and his son-in-law.

Winged gargoyles, that’s what they look like, but much larger.

They are breeding. They fly and are no longer confined to Henry’s beloved park. They are hungry and they need food for their offspring. The park and surrounding towns become their feeding ground.

No one is safe.

I couldn’t wait to read this after finishing the first book. I love books and movies about dinosaurs, especially when they appear in modern times.

There’s so many things Kathryn does really well in her stories. Let me explain.

She gives you authentic characters. They have their flaws, foibles. You like them or you don’t.

When the town sheriff scoffed at the idea of dinosaurs, refused to believe they exist even after the town gets attacked, I could picture him. Standing there, shaking his head, a sneer on his lips, a posture of superiority. I figured he’d get eaten.

And this is my favorite thing she does. She kills off her characters. You don’t want to become too fond of them, but with some you will. And just because they may survive a first encounter, don’t count on them surviving a second one. I’m not saying the sheriff died. I’m not saying they all die. But I wouldn’t want to be in any of their shoes when the dust settles.

The author also doesn’t waste any time getting the carnage going. She quickly drops you in the middle of the mayhem and scares the bejesus out of you. The story never slows down. The suspense and dread builds and builds, and knocks you on your butt. You’ll want to look away, but you won’t be able to. You’ll have to keep reading, find out what happens.

Let’s get to the monsters now. They are just that, monsters. They may be dinosaurs, but they’re unlike the ones from history. They’ve evolved, are very different. I like that Kathryn chose to liken these dinosaurs to gargoyles. The first thing you think of when flying dinosaurs are mentioned is Pterodactyl’s. But not these. They are giant gargoyle like things. And they are blood thirsty, cunning, and relentless. They never stop coming for you.

Every book Kathryn writes is like this. She never lets you down. All of her characters, strong or weak, are genuinely written. We may scoff at their actions, but they are theirs not ours. It’s important to remember that.

And the action and suspense are almost immediate and it’s always a mad dash to the end. Usually with lots of people screaming. LOL

I loved this every bit as much as the first book. I missed some characters that didn’t survive the first one. Loved some of the new ones. I know I shouldn’t have. Lots of people die. But that’s what made this so good. It was unpredictable and the idea of where the creatures came from was plausible. That’s what really creeped me out.

This is everything I hoped for from the author and now I’ve just finished the third book. Holy hell, it’s awesome too!

5 Stars

~~~~

Synopsis

Prehistoric creatures have again invaded Crater Lake National Park
…and this time there’s more than one.

DINOSAUR LAKE II: Dinosaurs Arising
by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for thirteen years now and thought the days when he’d had to fight a rogue dinosaur that lived in the caves below the lake were long over.
Until one of his park rangers, to save a visitor’s life, is in a deadly struggle out in the woods with a new breed of dinosaur worse than the last one. It’s as big as a man, but this one is a young one. And growing.
Then more of the creatures begin to show up everywhere, threatening people and destroying the tranquility and safety of his beloved park.
A tourist trolley filled with fifteen people is snatched up off the crater’s rim by another version of the younger one…but this one has grown into a giant with fangs, claws and a deadly tail.
And this one has wings.
Ugly Gargoyles, Henry calls them.
For this one isn’t alone.
They’re flying beyond the park’s boundaries into the neighboring towns.
So Henry, with the help of his son-in-law, a paleontologist named Justin, and a band of brave park rangers, and a few good soldiers, must not only protect his park and his people from monsters once more but find their lair and destroy it and them before the creatures kill again.

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 Dinosaur Lake

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.

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My review

Enter at your own risk. There be a huge freakin dinosaur here.

I love books with creatures in them. This one has a dinosaur. A dinosaur that tasted humans and put them at the top of its list. We may be noisy, what with all the screamin, but we’re oh so tasty.

Chief Ranger Henry Shore likes to get out from behind his desk. He enjoys taking out tours now and then. The park is his love and he jumps at any chance to get out there.

The threat of an earthquake has him concerned. It’s predicted they’ll be hit with a major one, and if the tremors he feels are any indication, it could be soon. The rumors of a giant creature seen in Crater Lake make him pause. Maybe the earlier earthquake released something from the caverns under the lake.

When a couple of the boat captains from the lake tours go missing and all that’s recovered are their shattered boats, Henry begins to believe in the rumors. And when a group of campers are attacked, people are missing, blood and bits of gore are strewn around, and a trail of shattered trees leaves a huge trail to the lake, Henry has no choice but to believe the witnesses testimonies of a gigantic monster, a dinosaur, that attacked and ate their friends.

The creature has come on land and is ranging further and further from the lake to find the tasty morsels he craves and needs. No one is safe and Henry wonders how far the evacuation should go.

Henry has big problems. Will it go into the towns? Where is its lair? When will it strike again and how the hell can he stop it? He wants his park back. With the help of fellow rangers and one strange ex- FBI agent who deals in the unusual, he takes the fight to the monster and many die.

Dinosaur Lake starts out tranquil and quickly becomes a nightmare. When the creature discovers how tasty we are, it wants more. It’s intelligent and cunning and likes to play with its food.

I can’t imagine what is scarier, knowing it’s going to eat you, or having it play cat and mouse with you before crunching you between its giant teeth. A couple of the munching scenes had me squirming, feeling so sad for the victims. I knew they were goners.

The author slowly builds the terror, lulling you and then springing out at you, just like the creature.

Some characters I liked got killed off. Some survived. I kept fearing the worst as the pages flew by. I know the author has to kill off some of the characters, but I wish I could’ve saved a couple. This definitely makes for emotional and suspenseful reading.

Great writing, an awesome creature, likeable and diverse characters, chaos and terror. Everything I require in a creature feature.

Five Stars for Dinosaur Lake

~~~

Dinosaur Lake III

Infestation

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

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Reviewing soon!

Synopsis

Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore has dealt with and fought real live dinosaurs at his beloved Crater Lake National Park for over six years. With the help of his rangers, a few brave FBI friends and army soldiers he’d been victorious over a prehistoric lake creature and years later some particularly fiendish, and clever, specimens of the flying variety. He and his newspaper publisher wife, Ann, thought their park was finally rid of the monsters and they could reclaim their tranquil life in a place they cherished. Not so. For suddenly across the park new and even more malevolent mutant species of dinosaur begin to appear and create havoc, attacking the park’s visitors and threatening its peace. And this time the primeval scourge isn’t confined to just their park. The creatures have moved into the nearby towns, across the western United States and up into Canada. They are so much more aggressive, smarter and hungrier than any that have come before and the infestation is spreading further and faster than Henry and Ann can even imagine. This time there’s no easy way to defeat the dinosaurs. There’s too many of them and they’re too devious. This time it’s full out war and the victor will someday claim Earth.

~~~

About Author Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Photo_black_capSince childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-three years ago now, and have had twenty-two (nine romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance, two thrillers, and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last six novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels and Spookie Town Mysteries are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire–Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

*Click here to check out Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s.

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forge, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire,

Witches, The Nameless One short story, The Calling, All Things Slip Away, Egyptian Heart,

Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, Before the End: A Time of Demons, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Scraps of Paper, Dinosaur Lake, Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and the just released Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation.

Kathryn’s Links

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-Meyer-Griffith/579206748758534  

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/889499.Kathryn_Meyer_Griffith

 

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I have one eBook and one audible book of Dinosaur lake II to give away thanks to Kathryn!

This can be read without having read the first book.

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

“The dinosaur is about to eat you. You have two choices, stand and fight, or run like hell. If you choose to run, there’s only one place to go, into the park. And that’s where the dinosaurs are. If you choose to fight, it’d be pretty hard to take down a dino. So which is it, fight or run?!

Giveaway ends February 28th.

This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry at fundinmental.

Now hop on over to fundinmental, check out Sherry’s review, and enter for another chance to win  HERE.

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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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Valentine’s Day is Murder
by Carolyn Arnold

It ‘s a mystery fast to read but very exciting, set in a beautiful place like Jamaica: splendid sea, fantastic beaches, tempting cocktails and lots of sun.
~LibriAmoriMiei

This was a quick, enjoyable read. Fast paced, beautiful setting of Ocho Rios, Jamaica,
~Tea and A Book

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Valentine’s Day is Murder
(McKinley Mysteries series Book 8)

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Cozy Mystery
E-Book File Size: 527 KB
Print Length: 117 pages
ASIN: B00OO729NQ

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My Review

The story takes place in exotic Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I’ve always wanted to go there, but until I do, I’ll visit vicariously through this fun cozy mystery.

Sean and Sara will soon be celebrating their One year Anniversary and this will also be their first Velentine’s Day as a married couple.

Their plans will have to be put on hold when they receive a phone call from Meredith, their dear friend Jimmy’s new girlfriend, that he’s disappeared. They drop everything and fly to Ocho Riosto find him.

Sara and Sean are both former police officers and now own their own private investigation company and put these talents to work as soon as they land. All is not sunny and welcoming in Jamaica and they have to move fast to save Jimmy, protect Meredith, and stay alive themselves.

When I reached the finale and discovered the culprits, it came as a complete surprise. I’m wondering if their story was told in a previous book from this series.

This is the eight book in the McKinley Mystery Series but I had no trouble reading this before the other books. The author focused on this mystery and introduced the characters in a way that made them quickly become familiar and easy to engage with.

Sean and Sara are still in the newlywed mode and share some sweet moments. They are a bit gushy with their endearments, hence the mention of the newlywed mode.

I came away from this happy with the ending and eager to go to the beginning and get to know the characters better. To explore how they came to be where they were in this book.

A fun, fast read, that will bring me back for more of this series.

4 Stars

~~~

Synopsis

From bestselling author Carolyn Arnold…
Strap in for an adventure that will take you to the beautiful island of Jamaica and have you wanting a piña colada.

Jimmy finally takes a vacation–and a chance on love–only to be abducted. His female companion originally thinks he had cold feet about their relationship, but Sean and Sara know there’s more to it. Jimmy isn’t the type to just up and disappear, let alone leave a lady stranded.

Setting out on their private jet, Sean and Sara reach the tropical paradise of Ocho Rios, Jamaica with sightseeing as the last thing on their minds.

With a gold coin being their initial tie to Jimmy’s kidnapper, Sean and Sara even speculate about the involvement of pirates. Yet as the hours pass, and there’s no word from Jimmy’s captors, Sean and Sara will need to figure out the real motive before it’s too late.

With help from their friend, Adam, back in Albany, the pieces come together and not a moment too soon.

8th in the Amazon Bestselling McKinley Mystery Series

Enjoy this glimpse inside!

From Chapter 4

Pineapples & Alibis

 

“There was no answer in her room. She may be out by the pool.” The front desk clerk lowered the phone’s receiver and gestured toward a wall of windows that faced a pool, and, beyond that, the sea.

“Thank you,” Sean said.

“No worries.” The clerk smiled and flipped some papers over that she had been working on when they had approached her to call up to Meredith’s room.

Tourists, clad in bathing suits in a spectrum of colors, dotted both the poolside and the beach. It had Sara wishing all she and Sean had to do was enjoy the scenery.

The sun was beating down, the warmth all-encompassing, but thankfully, the humidity wasn’t extreme. Sara still wished to slip out of her dress to reveal the bikini she wore underneath. The thought of the rays kissing her skin was almost too much to dismiss from her mind.

She scanned the horde of vacationers and spotted Meredith lying out on a lounge chair. She sat up as if she sensed Sara watching.

“There she is, Sean.” Sara nudged her head toward Meredith.

“She doesn’t look too upset, does she?”

Sara put a hand on Sean’s shoulder. “We’re not going to assume she’s behind this.”

He stayed put. “She’s not behind this and yet she’s new to his life and he’s never gone missing before.”

“We promised on the flight we would give her the benefit of the doubt, unless something came up to convince us of her involvement.”

“I’m starting to rethink that decision.”

“If Jimmy trusted her—”

“Yes, then we should too.”

“That’s right.” Sara pressed her lips, hoping she conveyed more conviction than she felt at times—this being one of those times.

rgb Valentine is Murder Final Paperback

~~

Purchase Links

Amazon ~ Amazon UK ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iTunes ~ Kobo

 

Carolyn Author Photo 2013 ColorAbout This Author

CAROLYN ARNOLD is the bestselling author of the Madison Knight series, the Brandon Fisher series, and the McKinley Mysteries. Her love for writing dates back to her teen years, but her passion was reignited in 2006 when a fellow employee said “tell me a story.” Since then Carolyn has never looked back.

Her writing has since been compared to New York Times Bestsellers such as JD Robb, Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton, Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen, and more.

Carolyn was born in 1976 in a rural town of Ontario, Canada, and she currently lives with her husband and two beagles in a city near Toronto.

For more information on the author visit https://carolynarnold.net/

 

Tour Participants

January 15 – Michele Lynn Seigfried’s Blog – Spotlight

January 16 – Marie’s Cozy Corner – Spotlight

January 19 – The Gal in the Blue Mask – Spotlight

January 20 – Jane Reads – Spotlight

January 21 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Spotlight

January 22 – LibriAmoriMiei – Review

January 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Spotlight

January 25 – A Blue Million Books – Spotlight

January 27 – Christa Reads and Writes – Spotlight

February 1 – Tea and A Book – Review

February 5 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Spotlight

February 6 – Babs Book Bistro – Spotlight

February 9 – Community Bookstop – Review

February 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Spotlight

February 11 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Spotlight

February 12 – fuonlyknew – Review

February 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – Spotlight

February 14 – Brooke Blogs – Review

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

 

 

I’ve got a really fun cozy to tell you about.

This is the first book in the series and there are three more. All of them are quite short but loads of fun.

This first book is free so check out the links after my review to grab your copy.

My Favorite Corpse

A Skullduggery Inn Cozy Read #1

by Kathy Carmichael

15828866

 

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My Review

 I knew I had to read this book when I learned the setting for the story was my hometown. How cool is that!

Ashley, the owner of the Skullduggery Inn, is a girl after my own heart. She’s a huge book fan and named the rooms in her inn after her favorite authors. My mother stayed at The Marriott Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Her favorite movie is Somewhere In Time and she got to stay in the room they used for the movie. There are references to books and movies laced throughout the story.

The story takes place in Fairhope, Alabama, on Mobile Bay. Ashley hurries down to the bay when she hears there’s a Jubilee. A Jubilee is when the small fish, crabs, shrimp and such swarm to shallow waters due to low oxygen in the bay. This only happens in two places in the world. Here and in Japan. I’ve been to several and you can literally wade in and scoop up some good eats.

That is Ashley’s plan until her excitement is shattered when she reaches down and stops just short of grabbing a human foot, which is still attached to a body. Panicked, she looks around for someone to help her when one of her guests,Trevor Stone, happens along. She sends him to notify the authorities and waits for his return. And she waits. And waits.

Finally she gives up and returns to the inn, where she finds Trevor sound asleep. He says he never saw the body so maybe she was mistaken.

When the police arrive she leads them to the spot where she found the body and all that’s there is a piece of driftwood. The officer is convinced that’s what she saw and mistook for a dead person in the dark. But Ashley knows better.

With nothing else she can do about it, she hurries to get her fresh catch ready to serve up to her guests later that night. Opening a pantry door she discovers come kittens.  The mother cat slips outside and she rushes to catch her. Stumbling through the woods she steps through to the beach and what does she find. Sitting on a bench is the dead guy from the night before. He’s still dead and starting to smell ripe.

I really enjoyed the scenes with the kittens. It made me think of the restaurant owners on the causeway that takes you across Mobile Bay. They work with the local veterinarians to capture, vaccinate, and spay or neuter the cats before setting them loose again. This keeps them healthy and the population under control.

The cat coalition and restaurant owners work together to feed the cats. There are many dangers for them on the causeway. Snakes and alligators. They are not your friendly house cats. They’re feral and wise. I’m sure some slip through those traps and surprise the owners with their kittens.

Back to the scene of the crime. There’s no cell service so she has to return to the inn to call the police and once again, when they arrive, the body is gone. Ashley is in the middle of something strange and will get to the bottom of it one way or another.

This was such a good mystery, funny with a hint of romance. It was made more fun as I recognized a lot of the places described in the book. I knew the location of The Skullduggery Inn and the place where Ashley first saw the body in the bay. I often went fishing there with my brother.

Now, when I go there, I’ll be thinking of this book and looking for dead bodies. LOL

I should tell you, this is a short story, a teaser for more books to come. You are left hanging out to dry, but the ending is still a good one. I’ll be diving into more of this series.

4 Stars

~~~

Synopsis

Novella. My Favorite Corpse centers around Ashley Sands, the owner of a mystery-themed inn located on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. An amateur sleuth, Ashley finds a corpse washed to shore at her inn’s private beach. She must learn what happened before her guests begin checking out. While Ashley’s mystery weekend guests usually enjoy the occasional dead body, they prefer the never-previously-animated kind.

~~~

FREEBIE ALERT!

This is a free download on Amazon right now. You can get a copy HERE.

~~~

About The Author

Kathy Carmichael


Award-winning author, Kathy Carmichael, writes mysteries, women’s fiction and romance. Her 2009 release, HOT FLASH, was named by the American Library Association’s BOOKLIST as one of the Top 10 Romance Fiction titles for 2009. Her latest release (and her first mystery novel), DIARY OF A CONFESSIONS QUEEN, received a starred review from BOOKLIST.

She lives on Florida’s west coast, along with her husband, two not-so-wee sons, 2 black cats, and a bevy of dust bunnies.

Kathy loves talking with readers and other writers. She’s a popular guest lecturer at libraries, bookstores and writers’ conferences.

Despite rumors to the contrary, she has never been recruited by the CIA or the other CIA (Culinary Institute of America).

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

Other books in the series.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

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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 Tease for this week is from

Night Carnival

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

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My Tease is from 63% in the eBook.

They couldn’t touch or hurt me; they couldn’t hurt anyone anymore, trapped and helpless as they were in their purgatory life. But they were with me always.

My Review

Ever since I watched the movie Something Wicked This Way Comes I’ve been drawn to stories that use the carnival as their location.

What’s scarier than the barker’s hollering and badgering you to try their games, enter their tents. And the clowns with their white face paint and yellow teeth. I’ve never liked clowns.

Now imagine a night carnival run by supernatural beings, vampires and shifters. They’d give you quite a show and some visitors would never go home again.

After losing first her husband and then her mother all in one month, Angela is now facing the rest of her life alone. Sitting in her mothers empty house, she hears the sound of calliope music. The music of a carnival. But it’s the wrong time of year for one. It speaks to something deep inside her, drawing her out into the chilly night, through the woods, to a small carnival that shouldn’t be there.

Dominic, a vampire and owner of the carnival, calls to Angela. He’s been waiting a long time and it’s time for her to really start living. His call brings her to the carnival and the wonders of his life.

This is a very short story but also very fulfilling. The author did an excellent job of making me familiar with the characters quickly. The choice of the night carnival was great too. What an ingenious way for the supernatural beings to blend in. People expect the strange there. And the atmosphere is creepy and intense.

An enchanting yet macabre tale of soul mates and happy “forever” after.

4 Stars

~~~

Synopsis

Walking among the eerie assortment of skill-game booths and tattered tents she’s strangely drawn in by the eerie calliope music and the mesmerizing inhabitants of a carnival the likes she’s never seen before. The carousel is alive with demonic steeds flashing their hooves and neighing silently to the moon. There are wraith like luminescent creatures lurking in the shadows along the midway and the Ferris wheel, aglow with thousands of twinkling lights, moves without human hands to control it. The strange animals, lions, tigers and elephants, in the main ring have no human trainers, are much larger than they should be, and seem to float. Then there are the sad-faced clowns who manipulate the crowds with only their glittering eyes and thoughts. They and the other carnies are vampires. One–ancient and powerful, their leader Dominic–has been waiting for her for a long time…to make her his forever. He offers her what she’s never had before. Love. A place to call home. But is she willing to give up her humanity for this creature of the night? Is she willing to join her life to his and live among the vampires, shape shifters and ghosts of the traveling carnival for eternity? Could she be happy as one of them? Is she willing to die for him? (The short story Night Carnival was a *Finalist* in the 2011 Just One Bite Anthology Contest at All Romance eBooks.)

~~~

I’ve read several of Kathryn’s books and she is a prolific writer. My goal is to eventaully read all of her stories. You’ll be seeing her books on my blog a lot this month as I have more of them to share with you and a special event coming up this Friday. There will be giveaways and reviews. Be sure to stop back by.

~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Photo_black_capSince childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-three years ago now, and have had twenty-one (nine romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance, two thrillers, and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last six novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels and Spookie Town Mysteries are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire–Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

*Click here to check out Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s.

Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:

Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forge, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire,

Witches, The Nameless One short story, The Calling, All Things Slip Away, Egyptian Heart,

Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, Before the End: A Time of Demons, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Scraps of Paper, Dinosaur Lake, Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and the just released Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation.

Kathryn’s Links

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathryn-Meyer-Griffith/579206748758534  

http://www.authorsden.com/kathrynmeyergriffith

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/889499.Kathryn_Meyer_Griffith

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Welcome to My Monday Minis Reviews.

I won this book in a giveaway. And the author even sent me crayons!

Yeah! A coloring book for us big kids.

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For today I’ll be sharing The Zombie Combat Field Guide

A Coloring and Activity Book

for Fighting the Living Dead

by Roger Ma

22522046

 

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My review

This is one for all zombie fans. And if you believe the zombie apocalypse will happen this is a must for your survival kit.

Roger Ma has included a bunch of survival tips, with pictures, to help you when the apocalypse happens. I learned fairly early on that I was not very prepared. I’d be an easy meal.

There are pages showing how to train, how to get in shape. It takes a lot of strength to take down a zombie.  And the agility skills are a must if you choose to dodge and run for it. That would be best for me. But he also includes these handy tips on how to take advantage of anything close to you and make it a weapon of opportunity. You’d be surprised what would slow down a or take down a zombie.

There’s even a section for parents on how to protect your children. You can become a momma bear in no time.

I’m saving the fun quizzes and the coloring for when The Walking Dead’s new season starts this month. I’ll need some visuals to get the colors right. I have my colored pencils sharpened and ready. And I’m curious how I’ll score on those quizzes too.

So, are you ready? You might think so. I suggest you add this to your survival kit and read it often. Your life may depend on it.

I won this book in a giveaway. Thanks to the tour host and Roger Ma.

I feel safer already!

5 Stars

~~~

Synopsis

The Zombie Combat Manual provided potential zombie fighters with comprehensive instructions on how to do battle in the inevitable outbreak of an undead plague. However, even the most comprehensive advice is useless without study and practice.

Thus, the Institute for Undead Combat Studies has created an essential field handbook to help combatants of the walking dead hone their fighting skills, ensuring maximum preparedness for the zombie apocalypse. This interactive guide includes:
Detailed technique illustrations, anatomical diagrams, and zombie combat drawings you can color
Puzzles and brain exercises to help remember key combat terminology
Work pages on making the right choices during an undead outbreak
and much more!
Anyone can become an effective warrior against the walking dead. Make sure you’re ready to fight when the time comes—or prepare to join the zombie horde…

~~~

Author Roger Ma

Roger Ma

Roger Ma specializes in hand-to-hand combat against the undead. He is the author of The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead. His new book, The Vampire Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Bloodthirsty Undead, focuses on surviving an attack from a hunting succubus. He is the founder of the Zombie Combat Club and the Vampire Combat Club, organizations that focus on battling the undead without the aid of a firearm. He was recently featured as a zombie expert on the History Channel documentary “Zombies: A Living History.” He currently trains in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He lives in Brooklyn, NY

Find him on Amazon.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse?

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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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It’s time for another Sunday Post!

The sun is shining, it’s warming up to be a beautiful day, and “I’m Alright.” stretching photo: stretching stretching.gif That song is stuck in my head!

Do you remember the gopher in Caddy Shack? The battle between that furry pesky rodent and Bill Murray cracked me up. I have to share a few favorite scenes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR0sWU1HzTE

I have watched this movie so many times and I still laugh so hard I almost pee my pants. LOL

I’ve got some awesome books to share with you today. But first lets talk about review ratings.

The other day I was talking with my sister and she asked me a question I’ve been pondering myself. It’s about the Amazon review rating system. You know they changed how the ratings work, what the stars mean. Their rating description doesn’t reflect mine on my blog and my sister asked, do I give a book 5 stars on Amazon when I gave it 4 stars on my blog.

I mostly review books on my blog that I really like. So my ratings are between 3 and 5 stars. A really good book gets a 4 star rating from me but Amazon’s description for a 4 star rating doesn’t coincide with mine. It’s like I need to give it 5 stars to show how I felt about it. So far I use the same star rating as on my blog but each time it bothers me.

The question I have today is, do you change your ratings when posting on Amazon?

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 because!

On my Kindle

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Print Books

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From the library.

These are some rereads. This series is why I first started reading cozy mysteries and began my love affair with them!

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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 cover for my review.

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I know! Only one this week.

I had several others ready but decided to wait as I had a lot of tour posts this week.

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Books I’ll be reviewing next week.

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What I won.

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Not the greatest picture but it would have covered the whole table if I spread out all of these goodies!

I won this big box of awesome swag from a giveaway on Angela Roquet’s Website.

Thanks for the lovelies, Angela!

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Fun news from around the web!

On Happy Indulgence, Jeann has a fun Chatterbox: Do you remember book specifics?

Ron from Painting With Light talks about, Why Review Your Own Blog?

On A Daydreamer’s Thoughts, Faye talks about review books.

Carmel at Rabid Reads wants to know if you ever peek at the endings?

At Lola’s Ramblings she asks: Do you Reply to Review Requests?

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Other Posts on my blog this week.

Three Two One ~ Blast Off! Giveaway Blitz for JA Huss and her Steamy Romantic Suspense

Teaser Tuesdays #100 ~ One More Day ~ What If Tomorrow Never Happens

Game on for…Ultimate Prey by Kristine Mason ~ Blurb Blitz and Giveaway

Blitz Giveaway ~ Rescue me ~ Second Chance Ranch Series by Catherine Mann

Find Me Trilogy ~ Paranormal Romance Blitz and Giveaway

Friday Cover Reveal and Giveaway ~ Summer of the Oak Moon

The Friday 56 #51 ~ The Promise

Skeletons ~ Everyone Has One ~ Tour Review

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Have you joined TSU yet?

Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

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For all of my 2014 reviews go HERE

For a list of free books 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.

Skeletons Banner

Thanks for stopping by for my stop on the tour for Skeletons by Kenneth Buff.

I have some scary good stories to share with you.

Enjoy my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

I forgot to mention!

You can get this FREE on Amazon HERE for a limited time!

Skeletons

by Kenneth Buff

Skeletons cover

My Review

I’ve become hooked on short stories and collections and these are some good ones.

I’m going to break it down a tell a little about each one and then give an overall rating.

And Then There Was Only Us

They say sometimes psychopaths will be drawn to each, like a shared sickness. These two lovers find a portal to other dimensions and take their killing games to a new level.

They enter a dimension and torture and kill their other selves.

“You wouldn’t believe the shock on their faces the first time they saw us. You wouldn’t believe the pleasure on ours.”

Sooner or later something has to happen. The fun stops being fun, at least for one. Then what?

This was the first story and pretty horrific. Twisted psyches and a lust for pain and blood doesn’t make for happy ever after. Even killing yourself gets old.  I kept waiting for one to turn on the other.

Re – Tailoring You

2PM. Punch the clock. Work. Punch out. Go home. Repeat.

The man is stuck in his dead end job at All-Mart, the store that has, “Everything you need.” Days, weeks, months, years pass in a blur, and he dies a little each day.

It didn’t come to him all at once. But gradually he realized the other employees were acting strange. They stopped talking. Some of his co-workers noticed too. They started calling them the pod people. I guess that’s from the movie, The Body Snatchers. I called them The Stepford Clerks.

Knowing its becoming dangerous, the group that hasn’t changed split up, trying to reach others like them. Trying to warn them and make their escape.

But, like with all good horror stories, it’s not going to be easy.

I kept waiting for Bruce Campbell to jump on a counter with his boom stick and shout, “Shop Smart. Shop All-Mart!”

Mom’s House

When Henry’s mother dies, Alice knows she has to go with him. She’s all out of excuses for not going to that house. Who would want to. They siblings claim they commune with the ghosts that haunt that place. What would Alice have to say to them?

The funeral is over and the days pass. Alice waits for them to go through their mothers stuff, but soon gets bored. They sit at the breakfast table every morning relating the ghostly visits they had the night before. Felling left out, she takes Henry’s advice and goes for a walk.

Something, a niggle of doubt, causes her to sneak back and peek in the window. They are sitting around laughing, not packing things up.

When Alice confronts them, things get ugly. Then dangerous. It seems Henry had a big secret. One about why he truly brought her there.

This one creeps up on you. Then the secret is revealed and the action kicks in. Alice didn’t strike me as tough or resourceful, but she fooled me. Let’s hope she fools them too.

The Second Coming Of Cortes

He’s come! Jesus has come to Pike’s Peak in Colorado.

It came straight from Jesus on the TV. He appears, inviting all the people of Colorado to climb to the top of Pike’s Peak, to be received by him and enter heaven. There’s a catch. They only have three days to get there.

Brian and Karen drag their son, Alex, to the greatest show on earth. He scoffs at this person. Would Jesus pull a stunt like this? Why Colorado and Pike’s Peak? Why only three days?

His parents are bound and determined he make the climb with them, but Alex wants nothing to do with it. Can he hold out or will he be dragged kicking and screaming to the top of the peak? And who or what awaits them there?

This was creepy. I’d be with Alex. I hardly think Jesus would appear on TV telling us to come to him. Yet again, modern times call for modern measures. Who knows.

You can imagine how bad it gets. All those frenzied people crawling over each other to get to the top, to Jesus and heaven.

It became a bloody mess, people crushed or shot to death. Makes you wonder how they ever thought those actions would get them anywhere but a fast drop to Hell.

The Decoder

Everyone is required to use their decoder until noon. Most of them keep it on until the mandated shut off time of 4 PM. But not him.

He can’t wait for noon so he can shut of the decoder. When it’s on, by the time you think about what you are going to do, it’s done. Time flies by in a blur.

A normal day for him is work, then home. Mow the lawn, do laundry, vac and dust, maybe paint the walls. It’s only 11:30. Imagine watching time crawl while everything you do flies by.

Noon. Done. Decoder off. He sits down to work on the book he’s writing. It’s a good story. Opposite from his, where the decoder slows time down.

I got dizzy just reading this. I’ve seen some movies where they show a person standing still while everything rushes by in a blur of shapes and colors. That’s how this story felt.

I felt the man’s  book was about his wish. Perhaps he should write a story about no decoders at all.

All of these were good. I don’t usually play favorites but several scenes in re-Tailoring You got my blood pumping.

For most of you, all of these will creep you out.

Scare a few minutes off your life.

Or at least give you some nightmares.

Horror is as horror does.

4 Stars

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BLURB:

Skeletons, everyone has one, and in this collection of dark short stories they’re scratching their way to the surface for the world to see. In Skeletons you’ll meet a man who confesses his secret time traveling fetish, a cashier who investigates the eerie behavior of his retail co-workers, a torn lover who travels to her boyfriend’s haunted retreat, a teenager who’s town undergoes some unusual changes, and a father who’s personal time is moving a little too fast.

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Excerpt

And Then There Was Only Us

I’m not sure how it started. I know it was me that showed her the portal, but I can’t remember whose idea it was to start killing them. I believe it was hers, but I honestly don’t remember anymore. That’s part of using the portal. You go in too many times and it fries your brain. I couldn’t even pretend to know how many times we’ve gone in. I just know that each time we go back we kill them a new way. That’s one thing I do know. I could lie to you and tell you I didn’t enjoy it, but I did. No woman in the world is kinkier than my Stephanie. Once I showed her the portal, it didn’t take long for her to change the way we dealt with the doubles. Prior to our trips, I had always just waited till my double used the portal before exploring the past. That way there would only be one of me. Steph changed that. You wouldn’t believe the shock on their faces the first time they saw us. You wouldn’t believe the pleasure on ours.

We took full advantage of the fact that no one would ever know about their disappearances.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

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Kenneth Buff was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. He moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma in 2007 to attend Oklahoma State University. He graduated in 2013. He currently spends his days working as an elementary special education teacher and his nights at Aspen Coffee, writing his next novel.

 

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Amazon 

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