Partners In Crime Tours

Unleashed

A Kate Turner, DVM, Mystery

by Eileen Brady

24789385

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: August 4th 2015
Number of Pages: 272
Series: Kate Turner, DVM #2
ISBN: 9781464203947
Purchase Links:

Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Goodreads

My Review

What’s not to love. A fun cozy mystery, colorful characters, sweet cover art, and the book is full of critters. I knew I had to read Unleashed.

I had a good time and met some fun characters. Dr. Kate Turner came across as professional and spunky. I could feel the authors experience in her and loved the interaction between Kate and her patients.

There were some interesting cases with her patients. The one with the potbellied pig was so funny. It’s always wonderful to read how other people are with their precious furry family members. We all hold them so dear.

The case was a pickle too. Not easily solved and fun was had ‘sniffing’ out clues and following wrong ‘leads.’ Excuse the puns:)

Oak Falls reminds me a lot of my hometown. It’s small, most of us know each other, by sight if not by name. There’s a huge animal coalition and artist colony too. And many of our veterinarians make house calls. I felt quite at home in this town too.

As for romance. I think there’s something about to happen between Kate and Luke, the sexy police officer. They’re good friends but me thinks they are both denying a sexual attraction. Could get interesting.

Love animals, mysteries that lead you down winding roads, and lots of humor? You’ll enjoy Unleashed and I urge you to give it a read.

4 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

Dr. Kate Turner is happy with her new life in Oak Falls, upstate New York. Working as a relief veterinarian at a small house-call practice, she truly enjoys helping her patients.

All that changes when client Claire Birnham is found dead, an apparent suicide. A talented artist, Claire had everything to live for: new job, Manhattan apartment, her Cairn terrier Toto. As feisty as the Wizard of Oz Toto, he and Claire were devoted. Kate can’t imagine Claire simply abandoning her pet. Was her death murder?

Questions end in the police arresting young kennel helper Eugene. The fragile friendship between Kate and police officer Luke Gianetti frays as she ignores his advice and keeps asking questions. House calls provide gossip and clues, some helpful, some not so much, as she treats her animal patients. Did Claire’s recent insurance windfall prove too tempting for her hard working and hard drinking mother? What does trouble in the art gallery where Claire worked signal? How huge a grudge did heavy metal rocker A.J. hold against high-school sweetheart Claire after she dumped him? Was Claire a threat to AJ’s rich new girl?

Dr. Kate mixes real medicine with murder as she risks her life over Claire’s death, aided by insights from a former fire investigator, aka her Gramps. Unleashed is as irresistible as Muzzled.

~~~

Author Eileen Brady

Eileen Brady

Eileen Brady is a veterinarian living in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is a wife and mother of two daughters and often has to chase her six cats and two dogs away from her laptop keyboard. The Kate Turner, DVM Mysteries is her first series.

Website / Facebook / Goodreads

~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Eileen Brady & Poisoned Pen Press. There will be one US winner of 1 Box of Poisoned Pen Press books including Unleashed by Eileen Brady. The giveaway begins on September 1st, 2015 and runs through September 31st, 2015. For US residents only.

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

Grey Daze banner

Title: Grey Daze (A Lance Underphal Mystery)
Author: Michael Allan Scott

Grey Daze cover 2

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Publisher: Independent
Pages: 306
Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Supernatural/Paranormal
Format: Paperback/Kindle

My Review

I’m sure you’ve read the thrilling excerpt for this book already. There’s no way I can describe this book any better.

I can say that, while this isn’t the first book in this series, I jumped right in and had no problems following it.

Being a fan of character driven stories, I found some strong ones here.

The main protagonist, Lance Underphal, isn’t your typical one. He’s no longer in his fifties, has a bad heart, and is still grieving over the loss of his beloved wife, who visits him from time to time..

He has met a new woman, one who might help fill that gaping hole, give him another chance at love. But first he has to solve a case. One that’s rife with unsavory characters. From deadly bikers, to corrupt police, Lance will need some friends if he’s to catch a killer and survive despite the bad odds.

The paranormal elements had me fascinated. There’s more than one ghost haunting Lance. He’s a psychic and not surprised by that. If only some of them didn’t scare the crap out of him. They aren’t all pretty and glowing when they appear, and some have their own agendas, dark ones.

The writing is excellent. I came really close to seeing the movie as I read it. Vivid detail and imagination put me in the thick of it. I got creeped out in several places. Especially at a nasty, run down house.  The author didn’t hold my hand. He made me smell the awful stench of the place. Hear the scurrying of thousands of roaches. Feel the evil presence fouling it.

There’s such a great bunch of characters too. Aside from Lance and his ghostly wife, Sonja, there’s his new love interest, Callie. She’s no shrinking violet and has her own little paranormal talents.

Then there’s Lance’s friend, Detective Frank Salmon. He’s stoic yet fierce when his friends are threatened. Reminds me Hodges from Criminal Minds. Doesn’t say much and rarely smiles unless he’s around his wife, Lacey. She’s a nurturer with lots of patience.

Can’t forget Jake Jacobs, a federal private investigator. He’s a huge bear of a man and I could just picture him and his lady friend, Laura. She’s a bit older, sassy, and such a tiny thing. I had such fun with these two.

Things get so much worse for Lance. It appears he’s being accused of the negligent death of his wife by her sister and she’s also suing him.

The bad things keep on coming and Lance just hopes his heart can take it.

I got thrills and chills, plenty of mystery, and more than one plot to follow. All made for an excellent read. You can bet I’ll be going back to the beginning of this series now.

5 Stars

Grey Daze teaser 1

GREY DAZE descends.

A fresh murder spins out of control, twisting into new realms of paranormal mystery.

Not for the faint of heart, the third in the Lance Underphal Mystery series, is an interplay of corrupt characters immersed in today’s world. Paranormal twists and fast action in movie-like scenes set the story’s mystery/thriller elements apart from the typical whodunit/serial-killer thriller.

Guided by his dead wife, a reluctant psychic finds himself on a wild ride through a criminal underworld, slamming face first into corrupt police, gunrunning bikers, and a drug addicted killer–not to mention confrontations with the dead.

Layers of plots within plots twist this new thriller into a startling climax.

Grey Daze teaser 2

~~~~~

Author Michael Allan Scott

Michael Allan Scott

Born and raised at the edge of the high desert in Kingman, Arizona, Michael Allan Scott resides in Scottsdale with his wife, Cynthia and their rescue Doberman, Roxie.  In addition to writing mysteries and speculative fiction, his interests include music, photography, art, scuba diving and auto racing.

Michael’s latest book is the mystery/thriller/suspense/supernatural/paranormal novel, Grey Daze (A Lance Underphal Mystery).

~~~~~

Until the next time…

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

641 to Paris_Banner

Jean-Philippe Blondel

on Tour September 14-18

with

The 6:41 To Paris

24796294

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Genre: Adult Fiction

Release date: November 10, 2015
at New Vessel Press

153 pages

ISBN: 978-1939931269

Website | Goodreads

My Review

I can honestly say I’ve not read a book like this before. That said, I’ll do my best to intrigue you more.

Imagine you bump into a former lover, someone you’d trusted, hoped to spend the rest of your life with. And he betrayed you so deeply.

It’s been 30 years, but the pain still festers for Cecile, the wound freshly opened by a chance encounter with Philippe on a train.

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?” This quote came to mind as I was privy to Cecile’s thoughts.

It’s one and a half hours until the train reaches their stop. Ride with them. Enter their minds. Hear what they are thinking.

Such a twisted tale. It’s one thing to imagine what someone is thinking. It’s something else entirely to read those thoughts, unguarded and almost vicious. I felt uncomfortable.  That’s when I realized how well this story worked. If the author could unsettle me with his story, then his characters came across as living, breathing people.

I read this in less time than the characters shared on their train ride. The story stayed with me a lot longer.

4 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

Cecile, a stylish 47-year-old, has spent the weekend visiting her parents in a provincial town southeast of Paris. By early Monday morning, she’s exhausted. These trips back home are always stressful and she settles into a train compartment with an empty seat beside her. But it’s soon occupied by a man she instantly recognizes: Philippe Leduc, with whom she had a passionate affair that ended in her brutal humiliation 30 years ago. In the fraught hour and a half that ensues, their express train hurtles towards the French capital. Cécile and Philippe undertake their own face to face journey—In silence? What could they possibly say to one another?—with the reader gaining entrée to the most private of thoughts. This is a brilliant psychological thriller, a high-wire act of emotions on rails, about past romance, with all its pain and promise.

express trains photo: Express trains. twgif15.gif

Check out this glimpse inside the book!

I love to hear the sound of the doors closing. It signals the beginning of an egocentric and self-indulgent interlude. For the next two hours, nothing can really happen to you. Everything is taken care of. You can decide to immerse yourself in a novel, or succumb to the trance of the music coming from your headphones. You can also vanish into the screen of your laptop, into emails, spreadsheets, numbers, reports, and establish a direct yet disembodied connection with the outside world.

I don’t do any of that. I daydream. Train journeys are rare opportunities to let go and lower my guard. Whereas in the Métro or the RER I can’t do that. I’m always on the alert.

             The seat next to me has not been taken.

It stays empty.

The train starts to move.

I’m of two minds.

On the one hand, I’m relieved. It’s true that it’s a bit weird, the closeness you get in a railroad car. You’re only a few inches away from another person, another story, and you know that in the event of a crash, your skin will mingle with theirs. And then, these SNCF seats aren’t comfortable. A little more room would be great. Room enough to stretch out and doze off, if you feel like it, all the way to the Gare de l’Est—and catch up on lost sleep. We’re all trying to catch up on lost sleep. When you’ve got a neighbor, you have to sit up straight, almost like at school, and when the conductor goes by, you almost feel like raising a finger and saying, “Present.”

But another side of me wants to protest. Why am I the only one without a temporary partner? Am I giving off the sort of body odor that immediately deters any hypothetical candidates? Am I that ugly? Do I frighten them? Intimidate them? So here I sit, the only person sitting alone in the whole car—isn’t there even some old lady who could come and keep my thoughts from going round in circles? Or some vague acquaintance I could chat with about the weather or the passage of time?

I wonder what the other passengers think when they look at me. They see a woman who is neither young nor old, fairly well preserved. A somewhat inscrutable expression, lips that could stand to be a little fuller, a deep line across her forehead, two others on either side of her mouth. Light makeup. Nicely tailored clothes. Discreet elegance. Relatively slim figure. Why isn’t she traveling first class?

For the simple reason that the 6:41 is a regional train, where the differences in comfort between first and second class are minimal. And besides, the number of first-class seats has been so drastically reduced that the half-car devoted to first is often jam-packed, while there are still empty seats in second class. Well, usually. Today the entire train is jammed. All that’s left is the orphaned seat next to me. A privilege I would not have enjoyed in first class, where I would probably be stuck next to some corpulent senior executive reeking of aftershave, who would spend the entire time calling his superiors or his underlings, in spite of the notice requesting cell phones in sleep mode.

And besides, I like to travel second class. I feel like this is where I belong. My accountant laughs at me. He reminds me that Pourpre et Lys is one the trendiest shops around. That with two stores in Paris, one in Bordeaux, one in Lyon, and projects to expand all over France, I should start getting used to the idea that I have become an entrepreneur. Someone who in the decade ahead will count for something in the business world. In spite of the crisis, or because of it, organic beauty products have a bright future—particularly when the prices are still reasonable and the emphasis is placed on respect for regional traditions and on protecting the environment. Soaps that you cut yourself. Shampoo sold in reusable bottles. Ads printed on recycled paper. Clear, concise labels on plain brown paper, with the name of the product in black, and the ingredients below. Chic and sober. My brand.

Valentine and Luc have begun to realize. Luc increasingly shuts himself away in his study. A sort of rivalry has arisen between us and he’s struggling, even though he’s known from the start that he’ll lose. Soon I’ll be earning much more money than him.

He’s been saying we have to move, we have to go back to Paris proper and leave our big house in the suburbs behind, the house with the garden where Valentine grew up. She couldn’t care less either way. She’s finishing her lycée and would rather stay with her friends for another year, but she’s already informed me that she intends to have her own studio in a lively neighborhood right in Paris next year. The forty-five minute commute to Sucy, no thanks. Luc also thinks I should stop taking the RER now, but it’s out of the question. My brand is also about reducing the executive personnel’s expenditure. Even if I know that sooner or later we’ll move back to the city; for the time being, the business is too precarious, and it could vanish in a puff of wind—poor management, competition, unrealistic ambitions. I don’t want to add private loans to professional ones. At heart I’m still a provincial banker. After all, that’s what I was trained to do. After two years of training in marketing techniques I found myself unemployed. So I got a vocational training certificate in banking. I pictured myself behind the counter in a branch in the town where I grew up. Sometimes life takes us a long way from the place we thought we were headed. Sometimes that’s a good thing.

It has taken me quite awhile.

That’s another of my character traits: I’m slow. But persevering. I thought about my project for years, when I was barely making ends meet as an administrative assistant in a financial analyst’s office, then in one of those multinationals that are all about new technologies, cell phones, computers, and consoles. I sat there watching while those gung-ho reps crushed their competitors. Then witnessed their fall a few years later. I learned how to be discreet and impeccable to a fault. To be the model employee. To serve whoever was boss: the aging ones who couldn’t keep up to speed and sat around dreaming of their retirement in the Sologne; the young ones who were working up to their first heart attack; they could be warm, icy, scathing, offhand. And I figured out how it all worked. I spent a lot of time reading, too. Books about business, accounting, marketing. Luc just laughed at me. He thought I was immersing myself in all that in order to get closer to him, to what he did every day. Because Luc is one of those aging, interchangeable, middle management execs—for a stationery company that is relocating by the hour. They don’t even have a production site in France anymore. Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland: it’s all concentrated in Eastern Europe.

Luc had his hour of glory when he was able to negotiate a schedule that would allow him to take Valentine to school every morning and pick her up in the evening, when she was small. He would chat with the other moms and with the primary school teachers. He was their darling, they were ecstatic to see a man looking after his kids. Those very same women who think it’s only natural for the mother to do it—that’s their role, after all, it’s only fair. I hate women like them—because they are mainly women; they’re the very reason clichés have such a long life.

And then, eight years ago now, everything changed. I came out with my plan. And I embellished it with an ultimatum to my husband: either you go along with it, or we split up. I let him call me every name in the book, but I knew he’d be there for me. Because he still loves me. Because he admires my combativeness. And because the project was unbeatable. The banks had already given their approval. The 2001 crisis was behind us, the 2008 crisis was still to come. And the banks felt like investing.

I have a good relationship with my husband.

Often difficult, but solid.

We’re a team.

We know each other inside out; we are perfectly acquainted with each other’s weaknesses and strengths. But we can still surprise one another. Last month, he suggested dropping everything in order to assist me if Pourpre et Lys really took off. That’s the verb he used, “assist.” With a smile, he pledged to be my vassal. I don’t know many men who are capable of doing that.

Well, by the looks of it I’m going to sit here by myself. I really don’t feel like consulting the latest figures or reading outstanding e-mails. I’ll go back to the book I bought at the station on Friday on the way down. Some sort of family saga set in northern Germany. Nothing great, but it’s restful. And that’s what I need this morning, rest. I’m on my way home from the weekend and I’m exhausted. It’s not a paradox. It’s my life.

Ah-hah, there’s a guy looking for somewhere to sit. He comes a bit closer. He stops. He glances at the seat. Hesitates. Keeps walking. Turns around again. I avoid looking at him. I can just detect his movement at the edge of my vision. For a moment I think I’ve won, that his desire for comfort is about to collide with the invisible wall of my indifference. No such luck. He clears his throat quietly, his voice is somewhat hoarse. “Excuse me, is this seat taken?” God, the idiotic phrases we say every day. I shake my head and sigh, just to let him know it really is a bother. I pull my bag out of the way and decide to look him in the face.

Oh. My. God.

About The Author

portrait de Jean-philippe Blondel

Jean-Philippe Blondel
was born in 1964 in Troyes, France
where he lives as an author and English teacher.
His novel The 6:41 to Paris
has been a bestseller in both France and Germany.

.

About The Translator

Alison Anderson is a novelist and translator of literature from French. Among the authors she has translated are JMG Le Clézio, Christian Bobin, Muriel Barbery and Amélie Nothomb. She has lived in Northern California and currently lives in a village in Switzerland.
Follow New Vessel Press on Twitter | on Facebook
Sign up to receive their latest news and deals.

***

You can enter the global giveaway here
or on any other book blogs participating in this tour.

Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter/Facebook,
they are listed in the entry form below
.

Visit each blogger on the tour:
tweeting about the giveaway everyday
of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time!
[just follow the directions on the entry-form]

Global giveaway open to US residents only:
5 participants will each win an ARC print copy of this book.

***

Click On The Banner To Read Other reviews and Excerpts

641 to Paris_Banner

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

TeaserTuesdays2014e

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~

My Teaser for this week is from

Floral Depravity

  A Bridal Bouquet Shop Mystery

by Beverly Allen

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

My Teaser from page 68 in the Paperback.

A click of claws on the floor announced Chester’s arrival. When I glanced down at him, he meowed at me. I’ve never been good at cat-speak, but he was either demanding more food or protesting the new kitten’s prime real estate.

“You jealous bud?”  I scruffed his neck and he hopped up on my lap. I was feeling the love, but then Chester’s real motive appeared. He took a swat at the kitten’s swinging tail. 

The kitten hissed then launched off my shoulders, digging her rear claws deep into my skin. She landed on the counter, then zoomed into the living room.

Chester launched next (also digging his claws deep into my thighs).

Talk about cat scratch fever!

Sorry this was a long teaser. I just know all of you cat owners could relate to this scene. LOL

I love the seasonal theme and the black cat on the cover. Perfect for the fast approaching fall and Halloween. I wish you could see my copy. The cover is much more vivid than this one, with bright oranges and yellows.

This fits in two of my book challenges.

~~~~

Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

In the latest Bridal Bouquet Shop mystery, florist Audrey Bloom creates an arrangement for a one-of-a-kind wedding, but ends up pruning a one-of-a-kind criminal…

As the co-owner of the Rose in Bloom Flower Shop, Audrey knows how to put together unique wedding bouquets, but this one takes the cake. The daughter of a local historian is getting married in a medieval-themed, hand-fasting ceremony, and Audrey is responsible for providing period-accurate blooms.

But making sure she gets her roses right turns out to be the least of Audrey’s problems. Shortly after the vows are exchanged, the father of the groom suddenly drops dead. When Audrey discovers the man’s death stems from monkshood poisoning, it’s a clear-cut case of murder. Now, faced with a suspect list that rivals the guest list, Audrey needs to root out the toxic killer…

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

stick out tongue photo: rr-sticking-out-tongue roadrunner-stick-out-tongue.gif

threads of evidence large banner640

Threads of Evidence
by Lea Wait

This book was an attention getting, fast moving story that led to a reveal like none I have read.
~Lisa Ks Book Reviews

I love the blend of past and present in this series; it gives the town and the people a depth …
~The Bookwyrm’s Hoard

Ms. Wait is an accomplished storyteller. She has a wonderful talent for weaving friendship, mystery, and romance into her books, creating characters and situations which are realistic and enjoyable.
~Book Babble

Threads of Evidence
(A Mainely Needlepoint Mystery)

18938930
2nd in Series
Cozy Mystery
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (August 25, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1617730061

goodreads-badge-add-plus

~~~~~

My Review

There are several things I look for in a cozy. Let me break these down for you.

The cover. It must be colorful and fun and have something to do with the story. The cover for Threads Of Evidence is all of those things. It’s fun, colorful and a bit spooky. Showing the antiques, the needle point, and the candle gives it a haunted atmosphere.

The title. The title is quirky and leads right into the theme of this one.

The mystery. This has more than one. I had fun reading how they connected and didn’t have clue until near the end. Then, I was wrong. You have a cold case, the accidental death or murder of a young girl in the 70s. And the attempted murder of a new resident in the town of Haven Harbor, Maine.

The town. I like small towns. Haven Harbor, Maine is just that. The author painted a pretty picture with her words and I felt comfortable there, despite the dark deeds occurring.

The characters and their names.

I’ll talk about names first. I like it when names are used that are popular in the area the story takes place. Some are quite unusual and fun to try to pronounce in my head. You get plenty in this cast.

About those characters themselves. I’m huge on character driven stories and like to have several to love and loathe. There are so many in this book, I can’t possibly pick a favorite.

Angie’s return home is anything but uneventful. She lands a job appraising the contents of Aurora, a long abandoned and fallen to ruin mansion. Doesn’t every town have one of these? She’s quickly drawn into the cold case of a young girl’s possible murder. Her previous job working for a private investigator help her in this case. She’s good at sniffing out clues and handling the local police. Let’s just hope her curiosity, like a cat’s, doesn’t require she needs nine lives.

There’s the famous actress, Skye West, who along with her handsome son, Patrick,(possible love interest for Angie?) purchased the aging mansion and are fixing it up. I believe there is more to the purchase than that. Perhaps another mystery to explore?

I could go on, but then I’d be telling you half of the story.

I read this one fairly quickly. The writing flowed easily, the characters were engaging and distinct, and the mysteries had me hooked. I needed to solve them for myself.

I was also fascinated with the old mansion. I used to spend summers with my best friend at her father’s place. He had this small cabin in the middle of nowhere. We’d find these overgrown roads and drive down them to see where they went. We found many old houses in various states of decay. Being careful, we explored them. I found a lot of interesting stuff, and often wondered about the previous owners. Why did they abandon the house and leave their stuff behind? Did something tragic happen? I often thought I felt a presence lingering. Pretty sure it was my over active imagination.

What fun it must have been for these characters to go through that old mansion. Discovering it’s past, uncovering it’s secrets.

A fun cozy, with all the material to make me happy.

4 Stars

~~~~~

Synopsis

It’s hard to imagine anything bad ever happening in picturesque Haven Harbor, Maine–until a famous face rolls into town and unthreads some very dark secrets. . .

Angie Curtis and the Mainely Needlepointers are all too familiar with the Gardener estate. The crumbling Victorian mansion, known as “Aurora,” has been sitting vacant for nearly twenty-five years–and some say it’s haunted by the ghost of Jasmine Gardener, the teenage girl who died there in 1970 under mysterious circumstances…

Harbor Haven is abuzz with excitement when Hollywood actress Skye West decides to buy Aurora and sell off its furnishings. And Angie is intrigued when Skye asks her to appraise the estate’s sizable collection of needlepoint pictures. But the more she examines the pieces, the more they seem to point toward Jasmine’s murder–and the murderer–and it’s up to her to stitch the clues together. . .

lea1

About This Author

Lea Wait lives on the coast of Maine. A fourth generation antique dealer, and author of the Agatha-nominated Shadows Antique Print mystery series, she loves all things antiques and Maine, and she’s learning to do needlepoint. She also writes historical novels for young people set in (where else?) nineteenth-century Maine. Lea adopted her four daughters when she was single; she’s now the grandmother of eight, and married to artist Bob Thomas.

http://www.leawait.com/

 

Purchase Links: Amazon        B&N             Shop Indie Bookstores

~~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

K9Blue Banner

This books sounds so thrilling.

I didn’t have time to read and review it for the tour, but I will be doing it later!

Cops, bad guys, and a magnificent K9 Police Dog. What’s not to love.

~~~

K9 Blue

Ground Zero

by Matt McCredie

K9Blue Cover

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Police dog handler Mike Winters and his furry partner Falcon love a good chase. They’ll do anything to protect the streets of Sydney, whether it’s tracking a murderer through the woods or breaking up a bar brawl. To them, it’s all fun and games until the bad guy gets hurt. And then it’s just fun.

Lately though, it seems that violent incidents are on the rise. When Mike and Falcon’s beloved commander is killed in action, Mike is determined to bring the perpetrators to justice, but he has no idea just how deep this malevolent plot runs.

A terrorist organisation has devised a plan to attack the city from all sides, and they have taken over a refuelling ship in Sydney Harbour. Mike and Falcon must use all of their wit and courage to battle the killers, expose police corruption, and, if they’re lucky, save a city from obliteration.

~~~

Check out this thrilling excerpt.

Falcon had forced a hole in the cheering crowd, persuading them to move with his loudest and most intimidating bark. A few quick snaps at the slower-moving buttocks and he was through. Mike was right behind him, and looking just as menacing with his leather-and-chain lead in one hand and a long baton in the other.

‘Jesus Christ’. One brother officer was lying under pot plants in a pool of his own blood, while the other was being strangled by one of the biggest Islanders he had ever seen, who was seemingly immune to the punches and kicks of the two door men on his back. The only damage and pain they were inflicting was on themselves as their blows bounced off his muscled exterior. It took about half a second before Mike pulled himself together.

‘Dog 26, signal one! Officer down, get everyone here now!’

The radio answered, but Mike wasn’t listening. He ran forward, which was relatively easy as Falcon was working all four legs at double overtime. He had targeted the massive Samoan and was going to take him on no matter what. Mike knew what was coming and yelled out to the bouncers.

‘Get off him, now!’

As soon as the two bouncers were clear of the action, Mike let go of the lead, releasing Falcon about five metres from his target. The Samoan looked up just in time to see a set of open jaws on a direct collision course with his face. He let go of the female cop, raising his fists in a vain attempt to punch the flying dog back to where it came from. All too late, he opened his mouth to yell. Falcon locked jaws with the Islander, driving his snout clean into the man’s mouth and clamping his jaws shut. The soft tissue inside the drunken cavity popped and tore as Falcon bit down even harder, using the strength in his powerful neck to shake the man left and right; he forced the Samoan to the ground. He couldn’t even scream in terror or pain as Falcon still filled his mouth. He moved his ham-sized hands to Falcon’s throat, not to try and force him off, but to strangle him.

Mike saw what was happening and, even though he knew Falcon could take care of himself, he took exception to this grub trying to throttle his mate. He raised his long baton up over his shoulder and swung the entire spun-aluminium shaft down as hard as he could, smashing it into the right elbow of the bulging arm. The devastating impact popped the joint, which forced his forearm down on an ugly, unnatural angle. Dislocated, it swung uselessly to his side. The blood sprayed harder from the corners of the Samoan’s mouth as he forced the deep red fluid out with his silent scream. His manic breathing forced air noisily between Falcon’s jowls and his own torn mouth.

‘Sorry, mate, just evening things up,’ Mike quipped as he saw other police wading into the crowd. They barged towards the front doors, pushing bodies aside in their frantic attempts to back up their mates.

‘I’ll take care of this idiot. You guys check on those two. And we’re going to need three ambulances.’

Mike directed the rest of the police around the scene as he leaned over Falcon and gave him his command to let go. Falcon’s broad chest and muscular front legs were splattered with a goryreminder of his emphatic victory. He stood next to Mike with his ears up and his chest stuck out with pride. His hackles were still up and massive paws firmly planted, daring anyone else to come near for the same treatment. He kept up a low, menacing growl, interrupted at intervals by a booming bark as he watched four other police officers handcuff and drag the Samoan over to a waiting ambulance. The layer of blood splattered over his chest and body only made him look crazier. Mike checked over Falcon’s body to make sure there were no injuries.

‘Jesus, mate, you really went to town on this one. Now you look like a prop from a bad horror movie.’

He took out a hose from behind the pot plants and washed the red stain away from Falcon’s black and tan fur. Satisfied with the quick rinse, he trotted him back over to their car. There was no need to yell at anyone or tell them to move. They had all seen it, and nobody wanted to take the chance of becoming the next bite bag.

~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Matt McCredie

Matt McCredie joined the New South Wales Police Force in 1992 working in Uniform and plain clothes before being accepted into the elite NSW Police Dog Squad where he spent 13 years as a dog handler. During his police service Matt was awarded two Commissioners Commendations for bravery. He has published two non fiction titles, Blue Paws (2009) and The Real Inspector Rex (2013). Matt is an accomplished public and corporate speaker and lives in Sydney with his wife and two children.

.

.

Links

Facebook

Buy Link

Amazon

NOTE: The book is only $0.99.

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

Matt will be awarding an eCopy of K9 Blue: Ground Zero to 3 randomly drawn winners.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~

Click on the banner below to follow the tour and comment.

The more you comment, the more chances to win!

Goddess Fish Promotions

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

bookshelves photo: Bookshelf bookshelves.jpg

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

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

Sunday Post

Kimberly the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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

~~~

Some chit chat.

Not much new happened in my life this week. Just lots of work. It’s been so hot and humid here. I work outside, detailing cars, and the heat just wore me down. I came home from work Friday and decided to take a nap. I went in my bedroom since my dog, Quigley, had taken up the couch. LOL

Quigley and new books 010

I laid down at 4 P.M. and woke up at 8 P.M. I slept the sleep of the dead and never even changed position! That’s how wiped out I was.

I do look forward to an easing of the temperature but don’t want to give up my swimming. So, Fall, please hold off a while longer. I can wait!

I have lots of books to share. Some new review books, a few I grabbed just because, lots of reviews, and a bunch of freebies I scoured off Amazon for you to pick and choose from. It’s a good thing I don’t grab all those freebies or my Kindle would runneth over!

I leave you with a favorite song of mine by The Rascals. Happy Sunday ya’ll!

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

~~~

Here are my new books for review.

A new one from Joyce and Jim Lavene! How could I resist!

And….

26116189

I’ll be reading and reviewing Reimburse the Universe and one other book by Lisa McDonald. I’ll share the cover when allowed.

~~~

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

26006199  26005426

~~~

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.

  25599162  22351199

   

   

   

~~~

Books I reviewed this week. Click on the covers for my reviews.

24284668  25414725  25575967

~~~

Books I’ll be reviewing next week.

25253328  24796294

18938930  24789385  25903264

~~~

What I won.

eBooks

25873276  21998522  21522121

I won Jeff Lindsay’s new book, Tropical Depression. You might recognize him by his awesome character, Dexter. The book and TV serial killer we all love!

And I won the first two books in The Preyfinder Series by Cari Silverwood. Boy, they look amazing!

Print Books

Quigley and new books 015

Aoleon The Martian Girl is a series I reviewed earlier this year. The author sent me the complete set, signed! They are spectacular!

I finally received The Drafter. So excited. And now I can start by reading Sideswiped first.

Guarded, Forbidden, and Just Say Yes were some awesome wins too. I only enter giveaways if I really want to read the books and these sure fit the bill!

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

~~~

Other Posts on my blog this week.

The Montmartre Mysteries Tour ~ Spotlight and Giveaway

Tag Team Review and Giveaway ~ Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation ~ They’re back and so very hungry!

Once Again, With Blood ~ A Vampire Satire by Larry Weiner

Can Ghosts Love? Onyx Webb ~ Review and Giveaway

Isolation ~ A Faye Longchamp Mystery ~ Review and Giveaway

A Zombie Thanksgiving by Anthony Renfro ~ A freebie for your holiday reading!

The Extraordinary Days by Polly Decks ~ Blast and Giveaway

It’s a deadly game ~ Hit ‘N Run by Lori Power ~ Guest Post and Giveaway

The Friday 56 #77 ~ Stillwater: A Jack McBride Mystery

~~~

Have you joined TSU yet?

Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

tsu-logo

~~~

Fora list of my reviews go HERE

For a list of free books updated daily go HERE

For all of my giveaways go HERE

~~~

So, what did you get to read this week?

Got any recommendations?

I’d love to know and 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

 Stillwater

A Jack McBride Mystery

by

Melissa Lenhardt

24693868

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

My 56 

“I love you too.” His throat thickened; he couldn’t remember the last time he said those words to his son. He lifted his arm full of tubes and pulled Ethan closer. “We’re going to be fine.”

~~~~~

Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

Former FBI agent Jack McBride took the job as Chief of Police for Stillwater, Texas, to start a new life with his teenage son, Ethan, away from the suspicions that surrounded his wife’s disappearance a year earlier.

With a low crime rate and a five-man police force, he expected it to be a nice, easy gig; hot checks, traffic violations, some drugs, occasional domestic disturbances, and petty theft. Instead, within a week he is investigating a staged murder-suicide, uncovering a decades’ old skeleton buried in the woods, and managing the first crime wave in thirty years.

For help navigating his unfamiliar, small-town surroundings, Jack turns to Ellie Martin, one of the most respected women in town—her scandal-filled past notwithstanding. Despite Jack’s murky marriage status and the disapproval of Ethan and the town, they are immediately drawn to each other.

As Jack and Ellie struggle with their budding relationship, they unearth shattering secrets long buried and discover the two cases Jack is working, though fifty years apart, share a surprising connection that will rattle the town to its core.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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

HitNRun banner

Welcome to my stop on the tour for Hit And Run. I have a wonderful guest post from the author and a fun excerpt to share with you.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

~~~~

Author Lori Power is here with a fascinating Guest Post about character creation.

When writing, for me, characters quickly take on a life of their own. In building the bones of the story, I may start with one idea of what I would like to see them do, but as I set their personality down on paper, this quickly changes to the point where the characters ‘lead’ me where they would actually go. The moment I try to force a scene—that is the time I block. The passage won’t work no matter how much I push for it to happen. As soon as I cut the problem, search the depths and examine the situation, often the characters will take me in the direction they need to go and flow resumes.

For instance, early in writing Mitch, his skanky behaviour was questioned by my beta readers. Did I really want him to be that blatant? Shouldn’t I tone it down a bit? One told me she just didn’t like him and wouldn’t read further.

Okay.

But as soon as I tried to ‘tone it down’ as it were, I lost of the essence of who he was. He was already a strong, tenacious, good-looking guy with a job he thrived in. His character flaw was his questionable relationships. As an established personality, he was who he was and made no excuses and in writing Mitch, I couldn’t do him justice without showing this side of him. As I moved through the story, he then carried himself potently into each scene, a well-rounded personality worthy of his devotion to the woman he loves. In allowing him to develop as he would, not forced by me, I feel the readers sees the vital changes in him, from his own point of view.

Lorna’s character developed from mesh of a lot of women I interviewed—every day, successful women—who had ‘encounters’ in their lives, which couldn’t help but shape them. But they never wore it on their sleeve. These incidents didn’t define them. It allowed them to face the struggle and tap into the resources of strength from within. These women all gave off the impression of seeming to glide through life effortlessly. Little would someone know from looking from the outside what they face on the inside to achieve this. The women are the proof of the saying everyone has a story to tell—and a good story at that!

Opposite to Mitch’s ‘love it or live with it’ attitude, Lorna presented a complicated mixture of privacy and perception. She’s layered and exposure will only happen over time. She’s a woman who finds herself often in situations despite her best efforts to steer clear. In writing Lorna, I had to always be aware of her private side and only reveal what she is comfortable revealing to this point.

~~~~~

Hit ‘N Run

Under Suspicion Book One

by Lori Power

HitNRun cover 2

goodreads-badge-add-plus

Synopsis

Determined to build a better life, and forget their past, a freak accident crashes Lorna Tymchuk and Mitch Morgan back into each other’s lives.

It’s more than a “Hit ’n Run” that needs to be taken care of at the police station. False identification, miscommunication and a past better left buried surface to plunge these recently reunited lovers into a deadly game of cat and mouse trying to figure out who the bad guys really are.

All threads pulled threaten the very fabric of their fragile relationship. Caught between desire suspicions, each must decide who to trust and how far to go to follow their instincts.

~~~~

Check out this glimpse inside the book!

“And the driver of the hearse just drove off?”

The question of why bother to complete a report if the officer was just going to recap every point, by point, blinked like a neon sign behind her lids. “No, as I wrote, right here.” She pointed to another neatly printed line on the statement. “The man got out to see if I was okay. . .”

The policeman rested an elbow on the counter and smirked. “Nice of him.”

“I guess,” she agreed, forcing a lift to her lips, putting on her best salesman face. “Listen, the man left me his driver’s license. Said an emergency called him away.”

“Emergencies can happen in the funeral business, I imagine.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers, brow furrowed. ‘so, a polite runner then?”

Inhaling deeply, Lorna forged on. “I want to talk to you about that, actually.”

The constable stared, barely blinking, so she blurted. “It’s a fake.”

“What’s a fake?”

“The driver’s license,” she confirmed through tight lips.

“How would you know?”

“I didn’t recognize him at first with the beard and everything.” Oh, God, she was rambling. Get a grip. Lorna took a shaky breath. “I know–once knew–the driver I hit. His name is Mitchell Morgan, not Michael Ward as is written here. The picture on this license,” she said moving her own hand to cover the license on the counter, “is him, but that’s not his name. This,” she paused to tap the document with her fingernail, “is a fake.”

“How can you be sure?” His murky brown eyes met hers, clearly skeptical.

She glanced at the picture again, the tips of her fingers still touching the edge of the laminated surface. How could she explain the fact she would never be able to forget Mitchell Morgan’s midnight-blue eyes? Those same expression-filled eyes with just a hint of mischief couldn’t be disguised. “I’m sure.”

HitNRun cover

~~~~

Author Lori Power

HitNRun author

Turning passion into words in print is a dream come true for Lori Power.

From Radio host (best job ever!), DJ, news reporter to newspaper journalist, like many author’s, Lori has been writing most of her life.

In writing, Lori has discovered a truism: everyone has a great story to tell. All you need to do is listen. Over the years, with all the people Lori has meet previously and daily, both professionally and personally, with an ear to the ground, readers can often find these ‘character’s’ fictionalized in Lori’s stories.

Lori’s first novel “Storms of Passion” was published by Wild Rose Press under their Champagne line, in 2014 and received a 5-star Author’s Favourite seal of approval in 2015.

Collaboration is important to improving one’s craft and as such, Lori is an active member of the Romance Writers of America, TransCanada Romance Writers, The Alberta Romance Writers Association and belongs to both a Critiquing group and a Beta Reading weekly group.

Lori looks forward to continuing to find the good story; hashing out a scene, having fun with a character and writing the story she would love to read.

Amazon Author Page

Amazon Buy Link

~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Click on the banner below to follow the tour and comment.

The more you comment, the more chances to win!

Goddess Fish Promotions

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg

Extraordinary Days new banner copy

I have a wonderful series to share with you today.

Polly Beck’s The Extraordinary Days Series.

Enjoy the excerpt.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Extraordinary Days new ThursdaysChild_Cover Large

Genre: Romance / Mystery / Thriller

NOTE: A percentage of the sales of this book will be donated to Children’s International, a not-for-profit organization very close to the author’s family’s heart. Past books in the series have benefited The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, Tuesday’s Children [a 9/11 charity], and The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

~~~~~

Synopsis

A mystery is introduced in No Ordinary Day, the first book in the Extraordinary Days series that is carried through all eight volumes and solved in the last book, Sunday’s Child: Born on the Sabbath Day, due out in January of 2017.

In the late spring of 1991, a flood and fire of historic proportions tore through the pretty resort town of Obergrande, New York, in the central region of the Adirondack mountains.

The twin disasters destroyed a large part of the east side of the town that bordered the Hudson River and Lake Obergrande.

In the aftermath, a new dam was built, and that damaged part of the town “drowned,” covered by the new, larger lake.

During that terrible flood, five kindergarten girls were trapped in their drowning school, huddled together as the water rose higher, rescued just in the nick of time. The nightmare bonded them, and three others like them, to each other for life.

These are their stories.

Extraordinary Days new ThursdaysChild_Cover Large

 

International attorney and human rights advocate Elisa Santiago believes she has life under control—an impressive career, a solid group of friends in Obergrande, and a handsome law partner for hot “car action” when she needs release. Little does she know that her entire world is about to burn down when she discovers that nothing she believes she knows about herself and

her past is true. Can the gorgeous former CIA operative, acting as her guide and guard as she returns to Colombia, the land of her birth, looking for answers, set her world on fire in a good way?

 

THURSDAY’S CHILD: Far to Go is the fifth book in the eight-book series The Extraordinary Days by breakthrough novelist Polly Becks. The first book, No Ordinary Day, tells the tale of an epic tragedy that changes life forever in a small town in the wild, mystic Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, and the mystery surrounding that tragedy.

~~~~~

Enjoy this excerpt

Present day, Sunday, September 8th, 2:11 PM

Le Mille Neuf, 1009 Rue de Bleury, penthouse, Montreal

 

The young man at the front desk in the luxury apartment building looked up in surprise at the quartet of women making their way across the lobby, carrying what looked like a variety of flowers, sweets, and boxes, chatting happily amongst themselves as every male head in the lobby turned in their direction.

An older man in the uniform of a professional driver or chauffeur was following them, his arms piled high with packages, puffing slightly.

The women, who were carrying on an intense four-way conversation between them, did not notice the attention they were garnering like magnets. They ranged in height from just over five feet to just under six, with a variety of body types, hair and skin colors ranging from alabaster to ebony, and clothing styles, all of which had some sort of bright artistry to them.

They stopped in front of the desk.

The tallest of the group, a fair-skinned beauty with gray eyes and shoulder-length brown hair atop a tall, willowy figure, smiled down at him.

“Penthouse deux, s’il vous plait,” she said politely in a perfect French accent.

The young man slid his swivel chair quickly under the desk to shield his lap from view.

“Qui appelle?” he asked in a French-Canadian accent. “Er—whom shall I say is calling?” He picked up the phone.

“The—uhm—Fivesome,” Briony Windsor, known as Sarah to her friends, said.

The young man waited for an answer, requested permission for entry and, receiving it, directed the four women to the penthouse elevator, only to discover they had started across the back lobby while he was hanging up.

They already knew where they were going.

“Has anyone heard from Sloane’s father recently?” Dr. Corinne Byrnes, a veterinarian and the second-tallest member of the group asked the others as they entered the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor.

“I spoke to him last night,” said Reverend Grace Fuller, the Associate Pastor of the Obergrande Community Church back in New York State. “He says she seems to be doing better, as long as she rests. Apparently he hasn’t been entirely successful at keeping her in bed.”

“Shocker,” mused Elisa Santiago, esq., a practicing attorney and civil rights advocate who divided her time between law on the international stage and a quiet practice back in Obergrande, the pretty Adirondack hometown of the four young women and the friend they had come to visit. At five-foot-three, she was petite, like Grace, and extraordinarily well put-together, every detail of her wardrobe perfect, just as every detail of her business and personal life seemed to be.

“Well, between us we have plenty of things to keep her amused in bed,” said Briony. “Although that’s like selling ice to penguins; Sloane has made of art of being kept amused in bed most of her life.”

“Truth,” mused Corinne as the elevator doors opened, providing a stunning view of downtown Montreal and its exquisite spires.

The four women hurried down the sunlit hallway of windows to the door where the number 2 was elegantly displayed.

Elisa pushed the doorbell.

A tall, strapping, dark-haired man with a finely-featured, neatly-bearded face opened the door a moment later.

All four women blinked in surprise.

“Dr. Marlowe?” Elisa’s voice broke the silence.

The man’s dark blue eyes blinked as well.

“Come in, ladies,” he said quickly.

The women looked at each other, then followed him into the penthouse.

“What’s he doing here?” Grace whispered to Briony. “Sloane told me they couldn’t stand each other.” Briony shrugged.

“Perhaps they’re working on the Quadricentennial?” Elisa suggested as they passed through the elegant central foyer into the open living area, a high-ceilinged room ringed with floor-to-ceiling windows.

She turned to Corinne, the only one not to have met Nathan Marlowe. “He’s a world-class history professor here at McGill and in New York at NYU, a specialist in the Adirondack Park

area and particularly in Obergrande. Sloane’s mother hired him to do the authentication and other research for the town’s four-hundredth anniversary next May.”

“Well, if her mother likes him, I can see why Sloane can’t stand him,” said Corinne. “Those two can’t agree on whether the sun is up or not.”

Dr. Marlowe was standing at the far left edge of the open sitting area, next to the door that led to Sloane’s bedroom suite.

The women and their driver, still lugging their packages, followed him.

A glorious spicy smell filled the air near the kitchen.

On their way past a recessed alcove in which a towering animal cage stood, Corinne paused and clicked softly at the sweet, melon-sized animal inside it.

“Hiya, Pfeffernusse,” she said. “You’re lookin’ good, gurrl.”

Ed Hillenbrandt, the driver, waited until she was following the other girls again, then paused in front of the cage himself.

“I still say you would make a nice hat,” he whispered.

Pfeffernusse just stared at him with her big black chinchilla eyes. Then she flicked her large ears and spun around, her white belly disappearing from view as she turned her gray-blue back to him.

“You’re not by any means the first female to give me the cold shoulder, ma’am,” Ed said as he went to join the women.

~~~~~

Author Polly Becks

Polly Becks has been making her living writing for more than twenty years, as well as working as an editor, curriculum developer, and teaching secondary-school Spanish. She has more than 350 books to her credit, mostly educational materials, as well as professionally published fiction in both the adult and YA market in a variety of genres, plus more than 30 Children’s books. She is excited about exploring the digital literature frontier and is honored to be the launch series for GMLTJoseph, LLC. – See more at: http://www.pollybecks.com/author/#sthash.pEZ6f3xO.dpuf

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Buy Polly’s Books

~~~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Click on the banner below to follow the tour and comment.

The more you comment, the more chances to win!

Goddess Fish Promotions

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

horseshoe photo: Horseshoe horseshoe.jpg