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Vanishing Into the 100% Dark (Bean to Bar Mysteries)
by Amber Royer

 


Vanishing Into the 100% Dark (Bean to Bar Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Japan
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Golden Tip Press (March 4, 2025)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DT2DW97B

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Bean to chocolate maker Felicity Koerber has been invited to be part of a chocolate festival in Tokyo. It’s a big deal for a Texas gal with a chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand, so a whole group of her friends come along to support her. It’s intimidating enough to be giving a class on chocolate making with the help of a translator – she also stumbles across the scene of a murder, where a quirky group of international actors and stunt performers are making a monster movie. Felicity has already solved half a dozen murders back in Texas, so at this point her friends basically expect her to get involved – even before the young media influencer in Felicity’s group becomes the main suspect. Felicity has taken on the role of chaperone for Chloe, so she can’t imagine how she could explain what went wrong to the girl’s mother. Which gives her even more motivation to figure out the real killer.

In the meantime, things get complicated at the chocolate festival when a rival chocolate maker tries to get her disqualified from the awards competition – and claims that her amateur sleuth status is bringing undesirables into the festival. And things are even more complicated as the stress of being in an unfamiliar place brings out secrets about Felicity’s friends – and her fiancé.

About Amber Royer

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach. Her workbook/textbook Story Like a Journalist and her Thoughtful Journal series allow her to connect with writers.  Amber and her husband live in the DFW Area, where you can often find them at local coffee shops or taking landscape/architecture/wildlife photographs.  They both love to travel, and Amber records her adventures on Instagram – along with pics of her pair of tuxedo cats.  If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes.  Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing technique and all things chocolate at www.amberroyer.com.

Author Links : Website / Blog / Instagram / Facebook

YouTube / Twitter / Amazon / Goodreads

Purchase Links: Amazon / B&NKobo / Bookshop.org

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March 4 – Bigreadersite – REVIEW

March 5 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 6 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 6 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – RECIPE

March 8 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 9 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

March 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 12 – Celticladys Reviews – RECIPE

March 13 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 13 – Frugal Freelancer CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 14 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

March 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 16 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 17 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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Immortal Dark

by Shermon Kodi

 

Publication date: March 10th 2025
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

The shadows awaken as darkness falls. And these shadows have fangs.

Seventeen-year-old Bexis has survived the frozen streets of Coppejj by trusting no one but herself. With her shadow magic, she’s scraped by as a freelance thief, working for local gang lords and politicians.

But when a routine heist goes horribly wrong, Bexis is branded with ancient magic, making her the target of a bloodthirsty spirit.

Desperate for answers, she turns to an eccentric demon hunter. Together, they uncover a deadly plot by a sinister cabal, threatening to plunge the world into eternal night. As Bexis confronts her haunted past, she faces a grim choice: Embrace the shadows within, or lose everything she holds dear.

To destroy the darkness, she must first become it.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

The job is simple.

Enter the room unseen. Wait for Ajjan to distract the mark—a foreign dignitary from the south. Then acquire her handbag and deliver it to the other side of town.

No blood. No trace.

My employer was very specific about that last bit. It’s common protocol in my line of work, along with an understanding that pay will be docked by half if I’m spotted. If there’s blood, I might not get paid at all. My mark must never know I was here. Personally, I thought I’d outgrown grabbing purses in the night. But it’s an easy job, and I can use the money.

The red night moon casts the world in crimson light as I pull myself onto the third-story balcony of a slummy brothel in the west end. The window is webbed with ice, obscuring my view inside—I can only make out pale blotches of yellow light. There doesn’t seem to be any movement, but I can’t be sure the room is empty. I just have to hope the Blackbones did their job and set everything up.

I give the windowpane a shove, but it doesn’t budge. Damn. The thing hasn’t been opened in months, and it’s frozen shut. For a common thief, a frozen window stymies a job. But I’m no common thief.

I take out my trapper tone pipe, a metal cylinder with a single reed, tuned to one specific note. The reflective surface catches light from the lanterns below, illuminating my name inscribed along the side in big bold letters: BEXIS. It was a gift from my deadbeat father right before he abandoned me. It’s the last thing I have from him, and if it weren’t so damn useful, I’d have tossed it years ago.

I bring the pipe to my lips and blow. The note is inaudible, like a dog whistle, too high for the human ear to hear. But the vibration weaves through the air and seeps into my skin, where it sparks like flint on steel, and a sonorous ember catches deep in my chest. Resonance hums through my body. The ambient darkness around me shimmers with feathered lines of silver that only I can see.

A burst of power shudders through me, and I hold it within my realm of focus, like cupping a candle against a sea wind.

This is resonance trapping—the first step in performing harmonic magic. Mine is the harmony of shadow. Sparking the ember is the easy part. Trapping it is more difficult, but holding it once it’s been trapped? Well, that’s like riding an angry wolverine. If I’m not careful, I might lose control, and people could get hurt. It’s been months since that’s happened, but there’s always a chance the resonance will lash out, sending me into an episode of uncontrollable power.

Resonance quivers through my veins. I reach my hand to the glass, willing the vibration into my fingertips, and the shadows obey. Tendrils of silver swirl across my wrist and through my palm. I touch the windowpane, and the shadows run through it, seeping like oil into the hinges.

The window squeals as ice crumbles around the edges.

I shift my awareness to the space above my head. Resonance purrs in my chest as I weave gossamer strands of silver around me like a cloak. This is my greatest trick. So long as I can hold the resonance and have enough ambient shadow to work with, I can conceal myself from prying eyes. But I can’t maintain it for long; already, I can feel my energy beginning to drain as heaviness settles behind my eyes.

Best be quick now.

I heave the window open and squeeze inside.

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About Author Shermon Kodi:

Shermon Kodi is a legally blind author who finds inspiration in the quiet knolls of Chittenden County, Vermont, where the long snowy winters drive one to pair wool socks with moccasin slippers and curl up by the furnace with a pot of chamomile tea and a book about monsters in dark places doing dark things. Through his writing, Shermon seeks to explore the resilience of the human spirit, the tenacity of good people faced with hard times, and the relationships that light us up, make our hearts smile, and carry us through every storm.

When he’s not writing, Shermon spends his time thinking about writing.

He knows this is a problem— although, he contends, it’s a good kind of problem to have. Occasionally, he’ll break from his routines and really let go— sleep in till 7 AM, drink tea instead of coffee, read in the mornings, or plug in the ’07 Strat and reminisce about the days when he dreamed of being a rockstar instead of an author.

He’ll be the first to tell you: “No regrets!”

Life is funny like that.

Shermon is the author of Heart of the Valley and Songs of the Rhor, both available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Stay connected on TikTok and Instagram for updates on his latest books, behind-the-scenes insights, and creative content.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Newsletter

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Ripped Genes (Tri-Star Investigations)
by Lawrence E Rothstein

 

 


Ripped Genes (Tri-Star Investigations)
Cozy-ish Mystery/Police Procedural
2nd in Series
Setting – Greater Chicago area; Algoma, WI; Webster Groves, MO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wild Rose Press (January 13, 2025)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1509259406
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1509259403
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DLBQ4DHX

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Marko Korb is a fat, egotistical, and brilliant detective, Bosnian Jew, and a veteran of the war with Serbia. His associate, Kelan Su, is a Chinese-American woman who does most of the investigative legwork. She is a former Chicago police officer, licensed attorney, and martial arts expert. Desmond St. Clair, chef, tech expert, and former British SAS commando, joins the duo.
Alan Scanlon, a medical scientist, head of the Shabel Institute, fraudulently patented and restricted the research on the gene for the rare genetic disease, feraxia. Golda Merino, the mother of a child with feraxia and head of a group that supported Scanlon’s research, is charged with Scanlon’s murder.
The Tri-Star Investigations trio work with Attorney Cheryl Dain defending Golda. The detectives must discover the killer while negotiating Chicago’s underworld and politics.

About Lawrence E Rothstein

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I am a retired lawyer and university professor who has published in constitutional law, privacy law, political theory and labor law. Born and raised in Chicago, I am now residing with my wife and family in beautiful southern Rhode Island.  I have lived and traveled widely in Europe.  As an avid reader of crime fiction, I have always wanted to write detective novels. I consider this my third career. Venetian Bind published in May 2024 was my first Tri-Star Investigations novel. Ripped Genes is my second and I am well into my third, The Tell-Tale Art. As a lover of food and cooking, I include many scrumptious meals and some recipes in my novels and on my website.

Author Links: Webpage / Facebook / Goodreads / InstagramBlueSky

Purchase links: Amazon Kindle  – Amazon Paperback   Barnes & NobleAuthor Website  

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 27 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

February 27 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

February 28 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

March 2 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW

March 3 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

March 4 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 5 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 6 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 7 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

March 8 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 9 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 10 – Wine Cellar Library – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 11 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 12 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER GUEST POST

 

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TWIST OF TIME
by Gy Waldron
February 10 – March 7, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:
A fast-paced thriller by Emmy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer, and director Gy Waldron

Detective Sgt. Kate Flynn of the Santa Barbara Police Department is called in to investigate a gruesome decapitation and homicide. Her first clue comes from a most unlikely source: an Anglican monk and Celtic studies expert. Brother Thomas has been expecting the hand-delivery of a priceless diary of a fourteenth-century Templar Knight, but instead he finds the messenger has been murdered. Kate and Thomas are pulled deep into a centuries-old mystery with roots in medieval Europe and branches that lead to government intelligence, the Vatican, and a top-secret private lab where untold powers were being alchemized that could alter the face of humanity forever.

It’s a race against evil to uncover a plot that could lead them to centuries-old treasure-or to their own demise at the hands of a deranged tech billionaire who has nothing to lose.

With parallel quests for the truth taking place centuries apart, and a touch of mysticism, readers will be taken on a suspenseful journey with one twist after another in Twist of Time, an electrifying novel of intrigue and history.

Readers of thrillers and novels of suspense by Dan Brown, Ken Follett, David Baldacci will savor every surprise in screenwriter Gy Waldron’s fiction debut.

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller

Published by: First Fruits Publishing Publication Date: August 20, 2024 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 9798869378163

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads

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About Author Gy Waldron:
 

Gy Waldron is an Emmy Award-nominated screenwriter, producer, and director who has written chart-topping television sitcoms, dramas, miniseries, and movies. He has created three network series, including The Dukes of Hazzard, and is known for the action-comedy film Moonrunners, which he wrote and directed.He started his writing career in Hollywood working as a staff writer for legendary producer Norman Lear on hit shows such as One Day at a Time. After an eight-year run with The Dukes of Hazzard, he segued into true crime limited series. He received an Emmy Award nomination for the six-hour limited series Billionaire Boys Club, and wrote other projects, including The Menendez Brothers, Brotherhood of the Rose, Innocent Victims, and The Unabomber.His creative work for theater received an American National Theater and Academy (ANTA) Award.In 2024, Gy Waldron received a Grady Fellowship from his alma mater, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Georgia. Whether writing for screen, for the stage, or for readers around the world, Waldron is widely known for his unique blend of action, comedy, and suspense, always leaving audiences highly entertained.With a background of serving in U.S. counterintelligence in Europe, Gy (a.k.a. Gyneth) has written about the fields of intelligence and crime. Stationed in Germany in the late 1950s, he was on the KGB desk working with captured Gestapo files and monitoring CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps) operations against various Communist intelligence services during the Cold War. Additionally, he worked with American operatives in executing orders from U.S. Command.He draws heavily on his experiences when writing fiction. Prior to his career in Hollywood, Gy worked in broadcast television at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. There, he was a director of specials, sports, and documentaries. Gy worked on many civil rights documentaries and directed feeds to NBC’s Huntley-Brinkley Report that focused on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his associates.A native Southerner, he now lives in Malibu, California, in a canyon between the mountains and the ocean where he is writing his next novel, Fugue.

Catch Up With Gy Waldron: www.gy-waldron.com Amazon Author Profile Goodreads
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This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Gy Waldron. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

 

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One Night Hand Stand

by Julia Kent

 

Publication date: March 4th 2025
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Who accidentally has a one-night stand with her yoga instructor?

Yep. Me.

How did I accidentally sleep with someone, right? I know what you’re thinking. Whoops! I slipped and inadvertently inserted Tab A into Slot B.

That’s not quite how it went.

But my yoga instructor is really, really skilled with Tab A, if you know what I mean.

Slot B never had it so good.

What am I supposed to do now, as I walk into my yoga class and find the guy I ghosted this morning… there, in front of the class, perfectly aligned and grinning at me like he remembers touching all my chakras.

He’s perfect. Too perfect. He’s so perfect he’s ruining my job.

I’m an investigative reporter, working on spec for an article for a national magazine, and my job is to find all the ways this yoga chain is corrupt.

The only thing criminal here is that I can’t have him in Slot B ever again. And I would. I’d turn myself into a paper doll book if that’s what it took for more of that action.

I want him. He wants me. Nothing I do will make him back off because the chemistry is off the charts.

Except for one pesky little

We’re at cross-purposes.

I need my exposé to get the job of my dreams. He needs to sell his stake in the yoga chain before I expose the corrupt current owner.

That makes him my enemy. My nemesis. The guy I have to get around to get ahead.

And now we’re supposed to hate each other.

But who ever let that get in the way of love?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play / Print

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Enjoy this peek inside:

It’s 5:44 a.m. and there’s a naked man in my bed.

His name is… um…

His name is…

He told me to call him…

Let’s just call him by his initials.

N.M. for Naked Man.

Or for Never Mind.

Because in ten minutes, we’re going to pretend this never happened.

Pretend I didn’t go to a bar last night and have three glasses of pinot grigio, violating my strict two-glass limit.

Pretend I didn’t let my friends talk me into jumping up on stage and singing “WAP,” complete with properly choreographed dance moves.

Pretend I did not let N.M. here buy me a drink and kiss him like my tongue had developed magnets that sought out his iron tonsils.

And he most certainly did not kiss me back with a suave, athletic grace that made my body shimmer and my P, indeed, become deeply W.

Oh, no.

While technically, all of that did happen, and I invited him back to my apartment and we did the two-back nasty so many times I am pretty sure we need to invent a new prime number for it, in ten – now, nine – minutes, Mr. N.M. doesn’t exist.

My life has firm boundaries.

Speaking of firm –

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About Author Julia Kent:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. Since 2013, she has sold more than 2 million books, with 4 New York Times bestsellers and more than 21 appearances on the USA Today bestseller list. Her books have been translated into French, German, and Italian, with more titles releasing in the future.

From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men’s room toilet (and he isn’t a billionaire she met in a romantic comedy).

She lives in New England with her husband and three children where she is the only person in the household with the gene required to change empty toilet paper rolls.

She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com, on Twitter @jkentauthor, on Facebook at @jkentauthor, and on Instagram @jkentauthor. Visit her at http://jkentauthor.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Newsletter / Bookbub / Amazon

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Devious Web by Shelley Grandy Banner

DEVIOUS WEB
by Shelley Grandy
February 17 – March 14, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:
Gone Girl‘s twists, The Social Network’s scheming, and Agatha Christie’s detective sleuthing coalesce in this suspenseful mystery fiction novel set in Toronto in a mid-pandemic business environment.

When Tom Oliver, a successful Canadian entrepreneur, is offered millions from a Silicon Valley company for his data analytics business, he believes his only challenges as he considers the offer will be deciding on next steps for his company and reconciling with his aloof wife. What could possibly go wrong? Things escalate quickly when Tom is targeted by an unknown perpetrator and his inner circle of family and colleagues comes under scrutiny. Tom’s friend, homicide detective Jason Liu, strives to keep Tom safe while he investigates to find the truth. Who would want to murder a well-liked tech CEO at the top of his game, and why? A progression of intriguing plot twists takes this bingeworthy thriller through business, politics, social media, interpersonal relationships, and even equestrian scenarios. When the dust has settled literally motivations become clear, and Tom discovers that while some relationships are worthy of long-term investment, others have expiration dates.

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Praise for Devious Web:

“Writing with aplomb about a corporate world she clearly knows, Shelley Grandy has come up with a pulse-pounding psychological thriller and whodunit, with political overtones, that fully captivates. She keeps you guessing until the very end, making this an impossible book to put down.” ~ Jude Berman, author of The Die

“A truly captivating read! Shelley Grandy weaves together a web of suspense and intrigue in Devious Web, leaving readers spellbound until the final page. With its engaging plot and well-drawn characters, this book is a thrilling must-read for any lover of suspense fiction.” ~ Kelley Keehn, best-selling author of Talk Money to Me and Rich Girl, Broke Girl

“A thrilling and well-crafted read that will captivate fans of tech-driven mysteries.” ~ Publishers Weekly BookLife Reviews

“Shelley Grandy builds a complex story packed with twists and turns. Tension, characters, and connections are so well-constructed that even savvy murder mystery readers won’t see many of these developments coming.” ~ Midwest Book Review

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller

Published by: SparkPress Publication Date: October 15, 2024 Number of Pages: 272 ISBN: 9781684632749 (ISBN10: 1684632749)

. Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub | Simon & Schuster

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Enjoy this peek inside:

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Chapter 1
TOM AND LAWRENCE—JULY 29, 2021

The pandemic had not been kind to Lawrence Cameron, at least not to his waistline. As The Big Guy strode across the restaurant to join him for dinner, Tom could easily see that Lawrence had packed on a few more pounds while working from home. Toronto’s legendary finance guru and media commentator had earned his nickname for his investing prowess, but now the term was even more suitable for the six-foot-two-inch, 250-pound influencer.

When Tom stood to greet him at their table, Lawrence gave him his usual whack on the back and the now customary COVID-19 elbow bump. Even though Tom had played football in high school and was himself six feet tall, he always felt dwarfed by his main investor and personal mentor. Maybe it was also because of the gap in experience between them, as Lawrence was twenty years older. “Tom, how’s my favorite entrepreneur doing?” Lawrence asked while settling into the comfortable leather banquette reserved especially for him by the manager of ONE, the see-and-be-seen restaurant adjacent to the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville enclave. “Good, thanks, Lawrence, but crazy busy with all that’s going on with the business, as you can imagine,” Tom responded. “No doubt. And I bet you never thought that seven years in, you would have brought Pellucid so far!” Lawrence said. Tom agreed as he reflected on how truly surreal it was that the data analytics software company he had founded— Pellucid—was valued at over US $200 million, and a Silicon Valley company was now proposing an acquisition. To have hit that milestone at the age of thirty-eight is honestly mind-blowing, Tom thought. “I’m looking forward to hearing your updates today, Tom, but given that Grace just put me on a no-frills diet, I’m definitely ready to dive into this menu before we get started,” Lawrence joked. Tom smiled, knowing that Lawrence’s second wife, Grace, did her best to keep her husband’s life—and his weight—balanced. He knew Lawrence would be eyeing the restaurant’s signature lobster spoons as an appetizer and something carb-heavy and definitely not on Grace’s diet plan for the main course. While Lawrence ordered for them, Tom admired the contemporary styling of the chic restaurant. It’s the little things everyone missed during the restrictions of the pandemic, like being able to get together with friends or enjoying this kind of ambience, Tom thought. Yorkville, with its high-end boutiques and elegant hotels and restaurants, was where Toronto’s elite dined and shopped. It wasn’t part of Tom’s typical day-to-day, but he and his wife, Miriam, sometimes had drinks at ONE’s expansive bar because the art gallery she curated was just around the corner. After the waiter had filled their glasses with a Chianti Classico wine, Lawrence leaned forward and spoke quietly so other diners wouldn’t overhear. “So, what about the acquisition? What’s the latest from Crystal Clere?” he asked. Tom confided that the California artificial intelligence company’s CEO had confirmed he would be offering US $250 million in cash and stock to acquire Pellucid. The next step would be for Tom to receive a letter of intent formalizing the offer, and then Pellucid’s board would have until September 15—about six weeks—to decide whether to approve the sale. “I’m open to the offer, which is certainly substantial, but I still feel a bit reluctant, Lawrence. I always envisioned taking Pellucid to an IPO on the TSX and Nasdaq myself. On the other hand, it’s hard to turn down a huge payout from a well-established company like Crystal Clere that’s a great fit for our software,” Tom said. “Not only that, Tom, but as they say, timing is everything. The pandemic has shown you never know what kind of economic climate you might encounter just when you’re ready to take the company public. Sometimes it’s good to take a profit and focus on the next opportunity,” Lawrence said, as he nodded to acknowledge a couple of people passing by their table who obviously recognized the Big Guy from media interviews. “That’s a great point, especially after everything we’ve seen over the last year, from market volatility to the January 6 insurrection,” Tom agreed. “It definitely creates a more opportunistic mindset.” “And of course, I wouldn’t object if my investment in Pellucid netted out to a nice-sized return,” Lawrence quipped. “Ha, I’m sure!” Tom replied. “Well, for now, Winston is earning his CFO pay and then some, working through the due diligence to address all the financials, and Crystal Clere’s CEO and I are in discussions ensuring we’re well aligned. But so far, I can say that I like what I see. And that’s important because if we sell, they’ll probably want me and possibly a couple of my senior team to commit to working for a year or so as part of Crystal Clere.” “Yes, it’s pretty standard for the acquiring company to want at least the CEO to stay on for continuity,” Lawrence agreed. “Overall, you’ve got this, Tom. Working through the process, making sure you have all the information up front, and doing the due diligence is the right approach. Then when you have all the facts and feel comfortable, I’m sure it will be easier to make your final decision. And, of course, whatever direction you decide to take, the board of directors must be onside with it as well.” Tom nodded agreement as Lawrence twirled some of his impressively presented main-course seafood linguini onto his fork. “Okay, so fill me in on Patrick,” Lawrence said. “I know you were having some issues with him last time we talked. How did that net out?” Tom sighed. It had been a tough situation to manage. Five years before, Tom had met Patrick McGowan at the stable where they both boarded horses and had soon hired Patrick to be his business development manager. The two men were close in age but had vastly different personalities. While Patrick’s Irish flair and direct manner with prospects had proven helpful in building the business, his proclivity for partying had created problems. Tom shared with Lawrence that he’d had no choice but to fire Patrick and, after a contentious final meeting with him, he suspected their friendship had been permanently shattered. “That’s unfortunate, Tom,” Lawrence said. “But eventually Patrick’s shenanigans would have attracted attention and reflected badly on Pellucid. I know you hate being tough on people, but didn’t he lose an investor for you when he missed a key meeting?” Tom indicated that had indeed been the last straw and agreed he had run out of options when it came to keeping Patrick on his payroll. The two men lingered over coffee and liqueurs while reviewing Pellucid’s latest quarterly results, upcoming sales pipeline, and the company’s case study currently in development at Tom’s father-in-law’s business in North Carolina, one of Tom’s biggest early-stage clients. “Are you staying here in Yorkville tonight or at your place?” Tom asked as he and Lawrence concluded their business. “Next door at the Hazelton,” Lawrence replied. “Grace and I have been living up north at the cottage during the pandemic, and I’m more comfortable playing tourist here in Yorkville rather than rattling around our big house in Rosedale without Grace.” Tom chuckled at Lawrence’s candor and, as always, admired the close relationship Lawrence had with his wife. The two men parted ways, with Lawrence going to the bar for a final nightcap before turning in and Tom heading for home. *** Excerpt from Devious Web by Shelley Grandy. Copyright 2024 by Shelley Grandy. Reproduced with permission from Shelley Grandy. All rights reserved.

 

 

About Author Shelley Grandy:

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Shelley Grandy

Shelley Grandy is a Canadian communications professional whose journalism degree from Ottawa’s Carleton University fueled a career that started in newspapers and progressed to a high-tech company, Nortel. She subsequently founded Grandy Public Relations Inc. and has supported tech sector clients in Ontario and Quebec for the past fifteen years. You can find her at the boarding stable with her horses, Chancey and Briosa. Shelley lives in Trenton, Ontario, Canada, with husband Roy, Husky dog Luka, and cat Otto, and within spoiling distance of her granddaughters, Emilia and Olivia Oulds.

Catch Up With Shelley Grandy: www.ShelleyGrandy.com Goodreads

 

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Chasing Shadows

Cat Jameson

 

(The Wild Rose Press)
Publication date: March 3rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Annie O’Toole is St. Louis Public Defender, passionate about fighting for the underdog and determined to prove herself as the badass trial lawyer she knows she can be. Getting assigned to defend the kid charged with shooting billionaire businessman, Michael Grayson, is a big step up for her career. At least until the hot guy she seduced at the Justice for All Ball shows up at her office in response to her deposition subpoena. Turns out the sexy stranger who introduced himself only as ‘Mick’, the guy she’s been fantasizing about since slipping away while he slept — is none other than the billionaire himself, Michael Grayson.

She’s horrified. He’s furious. He thinks she set him up. She thinks he’s an arrogant ass in a Savile Row suit. Sparks, intrigue, and bullets fly in a mix of swoon and suspense as the two battle each other, the bad guys, and an off-limits attraction neither can ignore. When the evidence leads back into Michael’s inner corporate circle, the two are plunged into a world of international intrigue, corporate espionage, and murder — with a side dish of unresolved family drama as Annie is forced to turn to the only expert in corporate intrigue she knows, her own uber-wealthy, estranged grandmother. Now all she has to do is solve the case, escape her grandmother’s plans to take over her life (again), and save her client, her career, and the man whose lifestyle she despises . . . and whose touch she can’t forget.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Michael wouldn’t have been surprised to see actual sparks flashing from her fingertips, given the effect of her touch on his skin. He pulled her against him, his hands sliding down over her hips to cup her ass, drinking in the feel and smell of her. But without her heels, she barely reached the middle of his chest. He grabbed her hand and led her to the bed.

“Climb up,” he ordered. “I want you at eye level.”

She laughed. “I’m not that short.”

He wrapped a fist in her tousled curls and pulled her to him. Bending his mouth to her ear, he sunk his teeth into her earlobe. She jumped.

“Get on the damn bed,” he whispered into her ear.

She scrambled onto the bed.

“Much better,” he murmured.

He ran his hands up her thighs until his fingers brushed the tiny swath of lace beneath the shimmering fabric of her dress. She inhaled sharply as he slid his fingers between the lace and the silk of her skin. He loved the way her breath hitched at his touch. He slid the lace slowly down her legs.

“I think you just stole my turn,” she breathed, her palms on his shoulders as she stepped out of the thong.

“Royal prerogative. The prince makes the rules— and can change them.” He let the lace fall to the floor and ran his fingers lightly back up her legs, enjoying the subtle shifting of her body in response to his touch.

“Don’t princesses get to make rules too?” she murmured, her eyes closed. “Or am I Cin—”

He pressed his fingers to her lips, cutting her off mid-syllable. “Sin is exactly what you are…temptation incarnate.”

Her lips curved. “My, you do credit me with extraordinary powers.”

He brushed his lips beneath her earlobe. “How would you feel about turning those extraordinary powers over to me for the night?”

She opened her eyes. It appeared to take a bit of an effort. “Hmm?”

“Are you amenable to being my royal subject for the night?”

She stilled. A beat of silence stretched between them.

“Depends on what you mean. Are we talking ‘safe word’ kind of subject?” she finally asked.

He smiled. “No safe word required.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that because you are the serial killer I suspected and I’m going to die no matter what?”

He clicked his tongue. “Damn. Shouldn’t have used my credit card to pay for this room. What was I thinking?” His hands moved to her waist, and he kissed the hollow of her neck. “Looks like I’ll have to let you survive the night after all.” He traced a slow finger down to where her cleavage disappeared in the fabric of her dress. She shivered. His pulse kicked up a beat.

“So?” he asked again.

She shot him a half-apologetic look. “I’m not a very compliant person.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, but that’s what makes it interesting. Stepping out of your comfort zone heightens the experience.” His fingertip slowly circled first one nipple, then the other, through her dress.

Her eyes fluttered closed. “You make it really hard to think straight.”

He stepped back, lifting his hands up in the air. “Far be it from me to confuse the decision-making process. Take all the time you need.”

She shot him an exasperated look, then bit her lower lip, considering him. Finally, a half-smile flitted across those lips. “What the hell—so long as no safe words are required—long live the prince.”

His cock saluted her decision. Affecting a calm neither he nor his anatomy felt, he moved away from her and sat in the chair by the window. Crossing one ankle over his knee, he took his sweet time perusing her, his gaze raking her body. She fidgeted.

“Stand still,” he ordered.

She froze.

He let the tension build for a long minute, then said. “Take off your dress. Slowly.”

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About Author Cat Jameson:

Cat Jameson is a writer of contemporary romance novels packed with equal parts suspense, snark, and spice. A native Missourian, she moved to St. Louis to attend law school, sure only that she didn’t want to practice criminal law or be a trial lawyer. So of course, she became a career criminal defense lawyer who spent decades teaching trial techniques to other criminal lawyers around the country. (“We make plans. The gods laugh.”)

Cat spent most of her legal career in St. Louis and the city features prominently in her books, as does her experience in criminal law. Today, she resides in Columbia, Missouri — ‘the middle of the middle of flyover country’ — where she is deep into her second act as co-owner of a metaphysical bookstore.

When not writing, shopkeeping, or playing with grandkids, Jameson is most likely to be road-tripping with her best friend and business partner in a ten-year-old van named Woo — stopping at every bookstore and thrift shop along the way, loading up on things they do not need and have no room for.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook

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Some buried secrets are better left unearthed.

The Unforgetting

by Bonnie Traymore

Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense

Ten years ago, Reagan’s friend died in a tragic accident.

 

But what if it wasn’t an accident?

 

The morning after a raging college graduation party, we found Lanie Martin
lying at the bottom of a ravine, her neck snapped in a fatal fall. And I’m not
proud of what came next.
Before we called the police, we covered ourselves. Cleaned up from the blow-out
at Ella’s cabin in the Adirondacks the night before. Got our stories straight.
Ella begged me not to tell the police what I saw. She insisted that it was an
accident—and we all went along. What did I know? I was plastered that night,
and large chunks of that evening are missing for me.
But now, in my postpartum state, memories are starting to return, and I can’t
help but feel that they might be connected to the soul crushing depression I’ve
been experiencing. Is it guilt? Or do I know more than I think I do?
So when I receive Ella’s invitation for a ten-year reunion at her family camp—a
gathering of remembrance and healing, she’s calling it—I know I have to go.
Are the memories I’m struggling to recover the key to my moving on? To being
able to take care of my infant son and stay married to the perfect man?

 

Or are they a death sentence for me, too?

 

 

“The Unforgetting is a great read filled with tension on every
page, stunning twist after twist, and a mind-blowing ending that you’ll never
see coming. Highly recommended!” – R.G. Belsky, author of the Clare
Carlson series.

 

The Unforgetting is a riveting, twisty, slow-burn atmospheric
thriller that will delight and disturb, in the best possible ways. Highly
recommended.” Douglas Corleone, international bestselling author of Falls
to Pieces

Amazon
* Bookbub
* Goodreads

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PROLOGUE

Ten Years Earlier

The crackling flames feel close.

Too close.

The heat licks my face.

“She’s gonna fall in,” I hear someone say.

Not me.

They can’t be talking about me.

Because I’m floating.

Floating people can’t fall.

Gyrating to the rhythm of the blaring music, I want to be one with the flames. They dance in a way I envy, shooting up and down in sharp angles, casting shadows over the partiers, giving them a ghoulish look. Some of the people I know. Many I don’t. We twist and writhe and merge with the music.

Nirvana. 

So fitting. 

The smell of burning wood permeates my nostrils, mixing with reefer and patchouli oil. Embers float down like sparkling rubies in the twinkling night sky. A red-hot one lands on my shoulder. I bat it off, singeing the hairs on my hand, but I don’t flinch.

This is what the afterlife must feel like. When you become a bodiless bundle of energy, no longer tethered to the corporal world, free to roam around the atmosphere.

A blood-curdling scream comes from…somewhere.

Something bad is happening.

But we don’t stop.

We can’t stop.

We keep dancing and laughing and soon the flames are too hot and it’s not fun anymore and I think maybe, just maybe, that was my scream I heard in the woods.

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Bonnie Traymore is the award-winning, Amazon best selling
author of page-turner mystery/thrillers that hit close to home. Her books
feature strong but relatable female protagonists. The plots explore difficult
topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological
disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood
from time to time. She’s an active status member of International Thriller
Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon
* Goodreads

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The Case of the Christie Conspiracy

A Detection Club Mystery

by Kelly Oliver

 


The Case of the Christie Conspiracy: A Detection Club Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – London, England
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Boldwood Books (February 16, 2025)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1836175469
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1836175469
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DFXWPCFP

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Agatha Christie is about to embark on a new, gripping murder case. But this time, she’s not the author – she’s a suspect…

1926 – Christie is a darling of the literary circuit and the most desired guest in London’s glittering social scene. She can often be found at meetings of the Detection Club – where mystery writers come together to share ideas, swap secrets and drink copiously. But then a fellow author’s initiation ceremony takes a gruesome turn, and one of the group ends up dead. Now, Agatha is no longer just the creator of great mystery plots – she’s a player in one.

And when Agatha disappears the day after the murder, she’s widely assumed to be guilty. Only Eliza Baker, assistant to the Club’s enigmatic secretary, Dorothy Sayers, is interested in investigating the case. But in a world where murder is the ultimate plot device, can Eliza piece together the evidence and find the killer before it’s too late?

About Kelly Oliver

Kelly Oliver is the award-winning and bestselling author of four mystery series: The Jessica James Mysteries (7-book contemporary suspense); The Pet Detective Mysteries (3-book middle grade); The Fiona Figg Mysteries (9-book historical cozies).

The Case of the Christie Conspiracy, the first in her new series The Detection Club Mysteries just came out (February 2025).

Kelly is Distinguished Emerita Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. And currently, she is the Immediate Past President of Sisters in Crime. To learn more about Kelly and her books, go to www.kellyoliverbooks.com.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / BookBub / Twitter/X / TikTok / Instagram

 Purchase Links

Amazon US –   Amazon CA   – Amazon AU  – Amazon UK   – Barnes&Noble   – Kobo

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 17 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

February 18 – The Mystery of Writing – AUTHOR GUEST POST

February 19 – Frugal Freelancer – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

February 20 – Wine Cellar Library – SPOTLIGHT

February 20 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 21 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

February 21 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

February 22 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

February 23 – CelticLady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 24 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 26 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

February 26 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

February 27 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

February 27 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

February 28 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

February 28 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST

March 1 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

March 2 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

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A Side Dish of Death (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
by T. C. LoTempio

 

A Side Dish of Death (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing (February 25, 2025)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DW4JDTH5

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When a celebrity chef is murdered, Shell McMillan has to cook up a plan to trap the killer of a man for all seasonings . . .

With adopt-a-cat month in full swing in Fox Hollow, pet shop owner Shell McMillan decides that hosting a night of murder mystery dinner theater will be a fun way to raise funds for the cause. But she didn’t realize that the celebrity chef she’d hired for the event would turn out to be a tyrannical snob, or that her scoundrel of an ex-fiancé would turn up with his own shady agenda. Still, the show must go on, and as the lighthearted plot on-stage unfolds, the scene off-stage turns decidedly darker when the chef is found murdered.

Rather than question an entire roomful of possible suspects, Shell determines that looking into the victim’s past will lead her to the culprit more quickly. What she finds is that the chef had left behind a disreputable past and a trail of disgruntled people, including a long string of women he’d wronged and a host of others who may have been out for revenge. But as Shell closes in on the killer, the killer is closing in on her. And she’s discovering that while too many cooks can spoil the broth, being a murderer’s next target can really ruin your appetite . . .

About Toni Lotempio 

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While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic.  She and her cat pen the Nick and Nora mystery series originally from Berkley Prime Crime and now with Beyond the Page Publishing.  They also write the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries and the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger Mysteries, also available from Beyond the Page.  A new series, Cozy Bookshop Mysteries, debuts from Severn House in July. Catch up with them at ROCCO’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com, or her website, www.tclotempio.net

Social Media Links: Webpage / Blog / Facebook

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NKoboSmashwords

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 25 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT  

February 26 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST  

February 27 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST

February 28 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 1 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 2 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

March 2 – Celticladys Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 3 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 3 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

March 4 – Angel’s Book Nook – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 6 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

March 7 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 8 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

March 9 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

March 10 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT

 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.