Posts Tagged ‘giveaway’

Peek Inside And Giveaway ~ Dark & Lovely Mermaids by Julie Catherine

Posted: June 20, 2024 in Excerpt, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, Romance
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Dark and Lovely Mermaids

by Julie Catherine

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(Broken Mermaids, #2)
Publication date: June 11th 2024
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Mermen. Monsters. And a lot of Manipulation. An at-odds prisoner (merman) and warden (mermaid) are about to set off to cross the deep ocean and end up running for their lives. Dive into the twisted waters of Dark and Lovely Mermaids, a forced proximity, enemies to lovers paranormal romance where the love is deep and the ocean is wild.

Ellara Merme made a bad deal. To save her friends and human sweetheart, she agreed to become a sea-slave, the lowest class in the mermaid world. It’s hell on earth, at the bottom of the ocean. A terrible choice. The only decision that’s worse, is the choice she’s about to make.

The leader of the mermaids has offered her an out: Deliver the merman prisoner to Neptune’s army and all will be forgiven. No problem. Should be an easy mission. Except…

… the deep ocean is full of sea monsters itching to make the mermaid their next meal.

… plus she might be catching feelings for the merman she’s supposed to be delivering. Could he possibly be so charming? Or are there other manipulations at play?

With danger crashing with every wave, Ellara has to decide: should she stick to the plan and save herself from sea-slavery? Or dive headfirst into the waters of romance? Can she outsmart the ocean and resist the merman’s charms? Or will she end up making an even worse bargain to survive?

Dark and Lovely Mermaids is a thrilling, loyalty-testing, romantic underwater adventure full of monsters, natural disasters and an army of mermen—an underwater story so enchanting you won’t want to come up for air!

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“Who should go? Among us, there is a mermaid brave enough, wise enough, and strong enough to do this task? To journey alone. To finish what must be done. To save our kingdom from Poseidon’s spy work. Ellara Merme.”

Petra thrust me forward and lifted the hand she still held in a victorious pose.

All of Merme erupted in whoops and cries.

I plastered a foolish smile upon my cheeks.

All this adoration was for me? What a joke.

I was a hoax standing here, paraded out to the town, in my new silver hair. They were acting like I was some sort of savior, but in reality I was just a jerk they could blackmail into completing the task. So desperate to become a Fert, I’d risk my life.

“Smile,” Petra hissed.

“I am smiling.”

“Bigger.”

A hollow grin pushed up the corners of my lips. I tried to hide the terror behind my eyes. Petra swooped me forward ’til I was side-by-side with Quinn. The leader held up my other arm. I tried not to faint.

“Ellara Merme is our courageous warrior, our mighty Merme.” Quinn said. “She brought the terrible merman’s presence to the attention of the Pause. Ellara brought him down in the fight during the storm. She has killed a Portrayan Kingfisher Crab, manipulated human women into becoming her friends, and she has bedded hundreds of men.”

How about one. The day after my transition was over.

I wanted to vomit in my own mouth.

At best, these claims were a wild twisting of the truth. At worst, the city of Merme had just been pacified with lies. And promises that couldn’t come true. Somewhere in the crowd, I imagined Blonde craning her neck, rolling her eyes. Quinn was making me out to be some sort of super woman. It couldn’t have been farther from the truth. But the women of Merme didn’t care. They just wanted to be safe.

“Ellara Merme was blessed by Abigailya, the sea witch. In fact, the sorceress bestowed on her the magical third eye.”

Which I still didn’t know how to use.

“She defeated a clever water nymph. All by herself.”

I couldn’t stand it anymore. My eyes searched for Blonde. I started to shake my head, no. Petra’s fingernails dug into my palm.

“Play along,” the rainbow-woman hissed. I tightened my smile.

“Ellara Merme is the perfect woman for this mission. A vital soldier. A master mermaid. A linchpin in the success of Neptune’s war. And we will win.” A less experienced orator might have shouted that from the rafters and beaches, but Quinn knew better than that. “We will win,” she whispered, it came out like a shiver. An ear-worm in the brain of every young mermaid. “We will win.” She repeated. Then, finally, she brought the mighty point home. “We. Will. Win!”

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About Author Julie Catherine:

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Julie Catherine is an author, screenwriter and playwright.

Website / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter

 

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Framed For Murder ~ A Pine Cove Mystery by Marla A. White

Posted: June 20, 2024 in Cozy Mystery, Excerpt, giveaways
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Framed For Murder (A Pine Cove Mystery)
by Marla A. White

 


Framed For Murder (A Pine Cove Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – California
Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (June 17, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 284 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D18C415T

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After a life-changing injury, Mel O’Rourke trades in her badge for bed sheets, running a B & B in the quirky mountain town of Pine Cove. Her peaceful life is interrupted when an old frenemy, the notorious and charismatic cat burglar, Poppy Phillips, shows up on her doorstep, claiming she’s been framed for murder. While she’s broken plenty of laws, Mel knows she’d never kill anyone. Good thing she’s a better detective than she is a cook as she sets out to prove Poppy’s innocence.

The situation gets complicated, however, when the ruggedly handsome Deputy Sheriff Gregg Marks flirts with Mel, bringing him dangerously close to the criminal she’s hiding. And just when her friendship with café owner Jackson Thibodeaux blossoms into something more, he’s offered the opportunity of a lifetime in New Orleans. Should she encourage him to go, or ask him to stay? Who knew romance could be just as hard to solve as murder?

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“Excuse me, is that your car parked out front?” She struggled to maintain a polite tone.

 

The woman’s head snapped toward her, her perfect lips making a surprised little ‘o’ before breaking out in a broad smile. She removed her wireless earbuds, blasting classical music across the room. A swipe to her phone silenced them, and she got to her feet in a fluid motion, stepping toward her with the grace of a ballet dancer. “Officer O’Rourke, how good to see you,” the woman gushed in a lilting British accent. “Or should I just call you Mel?”

 

“Poppy?” She was too astonished to squeak out more.

 

“In the flesh.” The lithe woman beamed but stopped short of wrapping her arms around Mel in an enthusiastic hug. So many questions rattled around in her pre-coffee sluggish brain, but she blurted out the most obvious one first.

 

“How did you get in here?” She’d locked the front door after the posted eight o’clock closing time last night. The guests all had keys to their own cabins or rooms and had instructions to call if they needed her after eight. The safety protocol was a habit she’d stuck to religiously after finding a murdered man sitting in a chair right across from the one vacated by her…nemesis? Acquaintance? She shook her head, unable to put a label to their relationship.

 

“Well,” she purred, her brown eyes sparkling behind long fake lashes, “I drove up early this morning and it was too cold to sit in my car until your eight a.m. opening time.” She gestured to the sign in the window stating lobby hours. “So I let myself in. I knew you wouldn’t mind.”

 

Poppy Phillips was a thief. A notorious cat burglar, sometimes called “The Ghost” by social media outlets and more whimsical members of the public. Many police forces had been chasing her for years, including the LAPD. They knew she’d committed a multitude of crimes, but never found the evidence to make the charges stick, until last year. Mel, hot on her heels in pursuit after a daring robbery, got within an arm’s length from grabbing her with the stolen items on her person when the thief nimbly jumped from the roof of the building they were running across, over an alley, to land on the one next door.

 

Mel tried to follow, but slipped and slammed into the side of the building instead. With her partner too far away to help, she clung to the rooftop by her fingertips until they cramped from the strain. She started reciting the Hail Mary for what she thought would be the last time when two strong, slender arms pulled her to safety. It was Poppy. She could have kept going and escaped, but she came back to save Mel’s life.

 

As they both collapsed to the roof, breathless and laughing at the absurdity of the situation, she cuffed herself to the thief and arrested her. Rather than lashing out and trying to escape, she just sat there and laughed some more. It was almost insulting how chill she was about the whole thing. But, since one rescue deserved another, she convinced the prosecutor, a member of her extended family, to drop the charges in light of services rendered. So what was she doing here?

 

Making a mental note to change the lock and check into a security system to prevent another surprise visit from potentially less amiable thieves, she persisted. “Yes, but what are you doing here? In Pine Cove?” She narrowed her eyes at the intruder. “Are you on the run?”

 

Poppy’s eyes grew wide in a nearly convincing guise of innocence. “No,” she huffed with the perfect blend of indignation and hurt feelings, “why would you say such a thing?”

 

“Experience?”

 

After mulling her statement over for a moment, the Brit gave her a crooked grin. “You got me there but seriously, after our run in on the rooftop and you managed to keep me out of the nick, I got to thinking, is this what I really want to do with my life? So, I decided to turn over a new leaf. When I heard about your lovely B&B, I says to me-self, ‘Poppy, that’s the ticket. Go work for your old pal Mel.’ And here I am.” She spread her arms wide like a magician who had performed a trick and awaited her due applause.

 

Mel scrubbed her face with her hands. “This is too much conversation before coffee.”

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About Marla A. White

Marla White is an award-winning novelist who prefers killing people who annoy her on paper rather than in real life. Her first full-length mystery novel, “Cause for Elimination,” placed in several contests including Killer Nashville, The RONE Awards, The Reader’s Favorite, and finishing second in the Orange County Romance Writers for Romantic Suspense. Originally from Oklahoma, she lived in a lot of other states before settling down in Los Angeles to work in the television industry.  She currently teaches at UCLA Extension and gives seminars about the art of script coverage. When she’s not working on the next book, she’s out in the garden, hiking, cheering on the LA Kings, or discovering new craft cocktails.

Fun facts
Something readers might find interesting about this book:

The quirky Babbling Brook Bed-and-Breakfast is loosely inspired by the Silver Pines Lodge in Idyllwild. Highly recommend staying there if you’re even in that neck of the woods.

A fact about me that readers might find interesting:

I share Mel’s nearly debilitating fear of heights. Well, not to the same extent, I can climb a set of stairs, but looking down more than a few flights? No way 😀

There’s a scene where Mel does a singing bowl session. I’ve done that and honestly, it’s pretty cool!

I accomplished the dream of becoming a published writer in my late fifties after helping other writers craft their stories for thirty years.

Social Media Links: Twitter/X / Instagram / Facebook / TikTok

  Goodreads / BookBub / Amazon / Substack

Purchase Links
Amazon – Barnes and Noble – Apple Books 

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The Maker Of Worlds by David Litwack ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: June 19, 2024 in Excerpt, giveaways, New Adult, YA Fantasy
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The Maker of Worlds

by David Litwack

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Publication date: May 22nd 2024
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Young Adult

If you had the chance to remake the world, what kind of world would you choose?

When tragedy strikes Lucas Mack’s young life, he desperately yearns to escape its sorrow, and takes an improbable leap through the mythical maelstrom. Rather than splashing down on the far side like his neighbors, he’s transported to a magical realm where he has the power to redefine not only who he is, but the world in which he resides.

As he stumbles about trying to find his way, he meets Mia, an equally troubled fellow pilgrim. With the help of a mystical guide and an aging wizard, they navigate the enchanted land while learning to control their newfound powers. Yet this realm is more complex than they expected, with seasoned sorcerers who’ve been corrupted by the sinister side of magic.

Limited by natural law and seduced by magic’s power, they are tested as never before. Will the gift of magic bring renewed hope or drive them to the edge of the void?

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

In the light of pre-dawn, and in my half-awake state, no difference struck me at first, other than the chill waters deeper than expected, soaking the rolls of my trousers. Out of the mist on either side, giant evergreens loomed graceful as usual, rising until their tops blurred. The view so distracted me that several heartbeats passed before I realized the change.

Perhaps I was still sleeping in my bed, for where the channel to the west lake should have been, a broad flood plain spread. The water had washed over the banks and crept inland for a hundred paces, leaving the trees the only witness to what once had been dry land.

Beyond the trees, nothing.

Nowhere a dock or a mooring, not so much as a hint of early morning smoke rising from a chimney. Nowhere the cottages of Queen’s Hill. Nowhere houses at all. As I gaped, the edges of branches shimmered as if undecided whether to remain intangible or become real. In a panic, I realized the folly of this quest. Better to return to a safer, albeit gloomier life, to go back through the portal at once.

Behind me, the maelstrom still swirled, a fleeting comfort as it had started to recede. While I stared at the last link to my old world, the orb diminished, shrunk to a size I could cover with my hand, and then to that of the tip of my thumb. Before I sloshed more than two steps closer, it winked out.

Now, to the north and the south, nothing showed but water. I stumbled to shore, my movements causing the slightest wake in the surface, which lay so still I could make out my astonished features in the reflection.

I’d spent much of my young life with Addy, like a mate sailing across a forever lake. She’d been with me through calm and storm. I’d yearned to find renewed hope on this side of the gateway and return home to a new life, yet now the gateway, like Addy, had vanished.

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About Author David Litwack:

The urge to write first struck at age sixteen when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the wild night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by the northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter’s editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process — and without prior plan — becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned.

David now lives in the Great Northwest. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

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Sorry, Knot Sorry ~ An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteryby Lois Winston

Posted: June 19, 2024 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways
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Sorry, Knot Sorry (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery)
by Lois Winston

 


Sorry, Knot Sorry (An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
13th in Series
Setting – New Jersey and New York City
Independently Published (June 4, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CXTY8D76

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Magazine crafts editor Anastasia Pollack may finally be able to pay off the remaining debt she found herself saddled with when her duplicitous first husband dropped dead in a Las Vegas casino. But as Anastasia has discovered, nothing in her life is ever straightforward. Strings are always attached. Thanks to the success of an unauthorized true crime podcast, a television production company wants to option her life—warts and all—as a reluctant amateur sleuth.

Is such exposure worth a clean financial slate? Anastasia isn’t sure, but at the same time, rumors are flying about layoffs at the office. Whether she wants national exposure or not, Anastasia may be forced to sign on the dotted line to keep from standing in the unemployment line. But the dead bodies keep coming, and they’re not in the script.

Craft tips included.

About Lois Winston

USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Lois Winston began her award-winning writing career in 2006 with Talk Gertie to Me, a humorous novel about a small-town girl in Manhattan and the mother bent on bringing her home. That was followed by the romantic suspense Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception. Lois wrote her first mystery thanks to a conversation between her agent and an editor looking for a crafting-themed cozy series. Thus, was born the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” The series now includes thirteen novels and three novellas. To date Lois has published twenty-two novels, five novellas, several short stories, one children’s chapter book, and one nonfiction book on writing, inspired by the twelve years she worked as an associate at a literary agency. Learn more about Lois and her books at http://www.loiswinston.com.

Author Links: Website / Newsletter / Goodreads / BookBub

Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers blog /  Booklover’s Bench blog /  The Stiletto Gang blog

Purchase Links 

Amazon   Kobo     Nook    Apple Books

(Paperback and Hardcover links available 6/4/24)

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Clover Covered Corpse ~ A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery by Jackie Layton

Posted: June 18, 2024 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways
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Clover Covered Corpse: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
by Jackie Layton

 


Clover Covered Corpse: A Texas Flower Farmer Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Texas
Publisher: ‎ Level Best Books (May 28, 2024)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CX2YH996

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Emma Justice never imagines working at the farmers market on a normal Saturday morning will lead to her second murder investigation. When two friends becomes suspects in the latest small-town murder, she’ll help prove they are innocent by tracking down the real killer.

Houston Turner, the successful owner of Texas BBQ Hut, is a hard man and has made many enemies in his life. Revenge, greed, and hatred are some of the motives Emma must sift through to catch the killer. Seeds of suspicion from family, friends, and employees leaves Emma digging for real clues instead of stumbling through the rocky soil of deceit and lies.

About Jackie Layton

Jackie Layton is the author of cozy mysteries with Spunky Southern Sleuths. Her stories are set in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina. She lives on the coast of South Carolina where she enjoys walks on the beach and golf cart rides around the marsh. Reading, gardening, and traveling are some of her favorite hobbies. She always keeps a notebook handy to write down ideas for future stories. Be careful what you say around her, because it might end up in a book.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Facebook / Pinterest / Twitter-X 

Instagram / TikTok / Goodreads / BookBub

Sign up for Jackie’s newsletter: https://bit.ly/2WOPe42

Purchase Link – Amazon

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Elephant Safari by Peter Riva ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: June 18, 2024 in Excerpt, giveaways, thriller
Tags: , , ,
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Elephant Safari by Peter Riva Banner

ELEPHANT SAFARI
by Peter Riva
June 24 – July 19, 2024 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:
A MBUNO & PERO THRILLER

A documentary team hiking through East Africa collides with a gang of deadly poachers, in this gripping adventure by the author of Kidnapped on Safari.

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Years of filming, extreme dangers, and daring rescues have taken their toll on documentary producer Pero Baltazar and his team. To relax and reconnect with the East African wildlife they love, Pero organizes a walking safari for him, his camerawoman Nancy Breiton, and their elite guide Mbuno Waliangulu. Still, Pero has trouble truly disconnecting from work. When the team comes across a herd of elephants making their annual migration north of Lake Rudolf, Pero decides the team will film their journey from Kenya into Ethiopia along the Omo River. What begins as a peaceful trip quickly turns into a chaotic nightmare as the trio crosses paths with a crew of poachers whose ivory sales are financing terrorists. The three are determined to protect the endangered herd from slaughter, and Mbuno enlists the help of local tribesmen. But the corruption of ivory poachers has deep roots that stretch to UN refugee camps, Chinese gangs, and the Iranian elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Faced with overwhelming odds, the trio must now rely on Pero’s contacts in the CIA, as well as Mbuno’s skills in the bush, if they hope to ever return from this excursion alive . . .

Praise for Elephant Safari:

“If you’re in the mood for an African thriller series to add to your summer reading pile, Peter Riva has got you covered. Riva’s impressive career has provided him with plenty of inspiration for his novels, which he writes as a form of relaxation.” ~ The Lakeville Journal and The Millerton News “Many readers will enjoy this story for its fast pace, engaging characters, and insights into world politic. I particularly loved the depth of knowledge about the natural history and ecology of the East African landscape. This may be a thriller but it’s also an important book about the killing of elephants for their ivory tusks.” ~ Sharman Apt Russel- John Burroughs Medal winner

ELEPHANT SAFARI Trailer:

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Book Details:

Genre: Action and Adventure Thriller

Published by: Open Road Media Publication Date: January 30, 2024 Number of Pages: 302 ISBN: 9781504085335 (ISBN10: 1504085337) Series: The Mbuno & Pero Thrillers, 4 | Each is a Stand-Alone Novel

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | BookaMillion | Goodreads | Open Road Media

Enjoy this peek inside:
In modern Kenya and most of East Africa, elephant were dying out, Mbuno knew this and lamented. His chest ached for them. Gone were the innumerable small herds of his youth, mostly replaced by farms, settlements, human sprawl, and tourist attractions. What elephant remained had their age-old pathways and migration routes blocked, stopped, fenced, and constantly monitored. White men came and collared them, watched them on scopes, darted them, sampled them, and even shot them when they became a nuisance to farmers with cash. What elephants modern man did not manage in parks were easy prey for poachers. The days of the Liangulu hunter were over. Mbuno knew this, accepted this, and did not mind even half as much as he mourned the passing of the realm of the elephant. All of Africa had once been the realm of the elephant. As the largest beast, immune to the normal prey and hunter battles going on all around, the elephant set the pace of the land, fertilized the forests, cropped the prairies, and paved the migration routes that all the migratory species followed. In times of drought, their superior intelligence showed where water could be found and even taught man to dig in dry riverbeds for a boundary layer of precious liquid. They created mud holes for mud baths to keep the insects at bay, used also by Cape buffalo and rhino. Over the millennia, they brushed aside acacia thorns and baobab saplings with equal ease creating the open plains. And, in time, Africa’s rhythm resounded to the beat of their feet and their migratory timekeeping. Without the elephant ruling the land, the land fell into the discordant rhythm of the upright apes and began to fracture. Mbuno had known the last best years of the elephant’s realm and, sadly, was now witnessing the fall of Africa’s harnessing stability. Without the elephant to freely roam, the balance of nature would be broken, herds would grow to enormous size in protected parks and, outside that protection, devoid of traditional hunters, herds could be led by weak leaders who would fail to protect them from ivory hunters. Mbuno had heard this had happened before. At the end of the slave and ivory trade, in 1911 there were fewer elephants than now and the herds were only brought back from extinction by White Hunters—led by Teddy Roosevelt—using farm and ranch husbandry methods – culling every senile cow and bull. Young, vibrant, herds repopulated the migration routes. But now the elephant and Mbuno’s tribal way of life were both threatened once again. Mbuno looked back to make sure Pero and Nancy were crouched, waiting a few hundred yards away as he instructed. He then inched closer to the worrying herd, prone again, a sharp stone rolling under his hip painfully. He dared not move quickly, the bush above him would vibrate. He stopped any forward movement as he spotted feet, the small grey feet of a baby elephant, a mtoto. One foot had an encircling, red, puss-oozing sore. Behind the mtoto’s feet stood the mother. Mbuno could see the way the weight was shifting on both mother and child that the mother was soothing the young one who would be in pain. Silent pain, the sign of a strong herd leader. Or a very frightened herd, one that is being hunted. The mtoto’s sore had been caused by a wire snare that had probably dropped off. Mbuno had seen this far too often. Now Mbuno felt compelled to do something, not just observe. It was now a matter of honor, duty, and common ancestry, not to mention his responsibility for the safety of his safari charges. Mbuno’s mind made decisions quickly. In the bush, life and death were often just moments apart. Soundlessly, moving no bush or twig, he retreated the way he had come, donned his pants only, and set himself into a running crouch. It was his usual hunter’s pace, swift, determined, and ready for a change in direction. Circling the place where he knew the herd to be, he stayed four hundred yards away at least. Starting downwind and determinedly coming full half circle until he announced his presence to their sensitive noses, he tested their resolve. When he was sure they had smelled him, he knew there was real danger here because there was no charge, no bellowing threat, no foot stomp. The elephants could smell that he was only one man and also that he was a man of the bush. As Mbuno had feared, they clearly had a more dangerous enemy threat nearby, for they did not give themselves away. He continued his crouching circling run, sweating from adrenaline and the jini of the hunt. For he was hunting, but not elephant. When he was three-quarters the way around his circle, he sensed, and then diving behind a fallen log on his stomach, he saw the men just outside the forest’s edge. One was sitting on a pickup truck’s hood and two stood in the flatbed. They wore no uniform. The man sitting was dressed as an Arab with a face scarf and camouflage trousers and bush shirt. He had binoculars but no gun. And two standing tribesmen looked like Pokot, Mbuno thought–northern, violent Maasai cousins. Hunters, not cattlemen. The two tribesmen had black rifles with yellow wood stocks and foregrips. Mbuno knew AK-47s when he saw them. Mbuno had seen these types of poachers before. They snared a baby and, in its squeals, it attracted the herd; close and closer until the slaughter would be efficient, deadly, machine gun rapid. Standing behind a tree trunk on tiptoe, peeking out, Mbuno saw the panga (machete) on the flatbed tailgate, unsheathed, its 12-inch blade glistening, freshly sharpened. The back of the truck held two freshly drawn tusks; the brown blood still not yet black. The herd had been running and not just because of the mtoto. Mbuno did not hesitate, did not reason, did not moralize. In the bush, the law of the land was kill or be killed. These men had killed, wasted the life of elephant, wanted to slaughter the rest, and were dishonorable. He saw them as little more than wanyama—vermin—to be stopped. Without altering his run, he circled behind the pickup and approached them from behind, soundlessly, before the men could even know he was coming. *** Excerpt from Elephant Safari by Peter Riva. Copyright 2024 by Peter Riva. Reproduced with permission from Peter Riva. All rights reserved.

 

 

About Author Peter Riva:

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Peter Riva

Peter Riva has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe, spending many months spanning thirty years with legendary guides for East African adventurers. He created the Wild Things television series in 1995 and has worked for more than forty years as a literary agent. Riva writes science fiction and African adventure books, including the Mbuno & Pero thrillers. He lives in Gila, New Mexico.

Catch Up With Peter Riva: www.PeterRiva.com Goodreads BookBub Instagram – @peterriva_author Facebook – @peter.riva

 

 

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Peek Inside And Giveaway ~ Private License by Kevin R. Doyle

Posted: June 17, 2024 in Excerpt, giveaways, Mystery
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Private License organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Kevin R. Doyle will award a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Private License

by Kevin R. Doyle

 

 

Genre: Mystery

Synopsis

All Lorie Jones wants is a little help with her divorce. Some extra information, a bit of ammunition to take into court against her no-good husband. And when she hires the biggest and best investigation firm Kansas City has to offer, that’s exactly what she gets. But after their operative wraps up Lori’s case, he decides he doesn’t want to move on, and Lori soon realizes that she’s got an even bigger problem than she had before, one that threatens her privacy, and maybe even her life.

It’s up to Sam Quinton, one-man detective agency, to take on the largest firm in the business, and as Sam digs into the background of Lori’s harasser, he soon finds something bigger, and much more dangerous, than one overzealous guy who just can’t let go.

 

Enjoy this peek inside:

They wore blue jeans, sneakers, and tee-shirts, the blond wearing navy blue and the brown-haired guy wearing bright red. Both wore their tee-shirts hanging out, and the shirts looked a size or two too big for them.

“How you doing?” the blond one asked me.

“Up to now, not bad,” I said.

The blond man continued, “Like to talk to you if you don’t mind.”

“And if I do mind?”

The two glanced at each other before turning back to me. “Going to talk to you anyway.”

I flicked my head towards the second man. “He have a voice?”

“Let’s say I’m the spokesman here, okay?” The blond tensed his arms and chest to show me he was in charge.

“You know,” I said, “flexing your muscles doesn’t do a whole lot when your shirt’s too big. You can either show off the muscles or conceal your weapons, but not both at the same time.”

Both men made involuntary hand motions towards their left hips, then caught themselves.

I smiled. “See what I mean?”

“We need to talk,” Blond repeated.

“No, you mean you want to talk. Just like I want to sit here and finish enjoying my breakfast, which isn’t going to happen if I have to take time to bounce you two bozos out into the street.”

“You think you can do that?” the brown-haired guy finally spoke up.

“Not sure,” I said. “But if you guys keep bothering me, I’m going to do my best to find out. And whether I succeed or not, it’s going to cause a ruckus, which I’m guessing your sergeant isn’t going to like too much.”

About Author Kevin R. Doyle:

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A retired high-school teacher and former college instructor, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of four novels in the Sam Quinton mystery series, all published by Camel Press. He’s also written four crime thrillers, including And the Devil Walks Away and The Anchor, and one horror novel, The Litter, along with numerous short horror stories published in small magazines over the years. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award for Best First PI Novel, and the fifth in the series, Private License, will be out in August of 2024.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Goodreads

Buy Link: Amazon

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Shakti Of The Illuminated Lotus by Luki Belle ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: June 17, 2024 in Dark Fantasy, Erotic, giveaways, Supernatural
Tags: , , ,
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Shakti Of The Illuminated Lotus organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Luki Belle will award a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Shakti Of The Illuminated Lotus

by Luki Belle

 

 

Genre: Erotic Supernatural Dark Fantasy

Synopsis

In a fictitious, mysterious, and futuristic Earth, the Western and Eastern continents are poised to become entangled in an ancient holy rivalry and epic battle.

The enigmatic and powerful king of Asukhas rules over the technologically, scientifically, and militarily advanced Western Continent, closely guarding his blissfully ignorant population of captive humans.

The golden-haired spirit, Ahankara, is suddenly released from captivity in the void and unleashes a powerful reptile upon the world’s oceans.

Associate professor of philosophy Anjali Valpolicella seeks psychotherapy from renowned Western psychologist Dr. AlexanDRA, and their therapy sessions may reveal an important secret to possessing the much-coveted Trident of Kumarun.

In Shakti of the Illuminated Lotus: A Dark, Erotic & Futuristic Fantasy for Adults oceans roil as factions doggedly compete in a dark and erotic quest to find the Trident, hidden by the Eastern continent’s divine panthers for centuries. The fate of the World teeters on the brink. Who will possess the Trident? Do they want to use it to gain access to the holy realm of Juwala, or will they use the Trident to destroy the realm and take command of military forces of unimaginable power?

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Monologue Part 1

Did you know that you are a descendant of the Asukhas? You are both holy and unholy, human, and divine, gifted in profound ways that lie dormant in your being awaiting the touch of Shakti to ignite the fire of the Asukha in you! Yearn not for the blissful abode of Juwala, the place of eternal happiness, behind the deep blue sky, for in Kumarun’s realm you will revolt for what you are which is an Asukha in body, spirit, mind and in your thirst and hunger for self-enlightenment. You are beast and you are divine, never forget that!

The Rise of Asukhas

It now comes to the story of your ancestors, dear reader. You hailed from the Spirits of Illumination and from the once holy teachers of Juwala, Vrishaaktan, Balaktaan and Golikdan. After the separation from Kunjahl and Ahankara, the three teachers and seventy-seven Spirits of Illumination suffered for months, fighting their uncontrollable hunger for flesh. The impact of Trishna upon them was severe but through the unholy powers, which they had acquired in the caves of the ocean, after banishment from Juwala, these beings resisted being destroyed by Trishna’s essence. They all went into hiding, afraid of themselves and of what they were becoming. The terror of their unholy selves was fearful. The powers that they were gaining overwhelmed these once holy beings. Unable to provide solace and comfort to each other, the three teachers parted ways, seeking out dark places on earth to hide and suffer.

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About Author Luki Belle:

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Luki Belle works in the media industry. Listening avidly to stories from diverse cultural fiction books read to her by her extended family, storytelling was a fixture from early childhood. Pouring over magnificent and enchanting illustrated books in her family’s library, Luki was drawn to the mythology of South Asian Indians, Greeks, and Romans. These diverse mythologies were her strongest inspiration when, many years later, she started penning the first outline for her debut novel, Shakti of the Illuminated Lotus.

Author Links: Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook

Purchase Link: Amazon

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The Hubble by Cindy Kehagiaras ~ Spotlight And Giveaway

Posted: June 16, 2024 in Contemporary Romance, giveaways
Tags: ,
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The Hubble

by Cindy Kehagiaras

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(Tennent Surf, #3)
Publication date: June 26th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Kelly, aka Katia, and more alias’ is ready to leave her job as the cyber specialist for an international clandestine group of “fixers” and return to her hometown in Orange County, California, and her first love, Brad Tennent. She’d only met him once eight years ago; her hacking experience allowed her to follow Brad over the years and learn exactly what kind of girls he liked. Blonde, flirty and ditzy. And that’s exactly who she will become. She needn’t have bothered with the dye job, spray tan, and dumb act. He was smitten at their first meeting with the weird goth girl, her bossy opinions, and her stunning lips and cheekbones. He’d compared every woman to her for eight years. Brad, known as the pretty boy heir to The Tennent Surf Company, lets everyone in his life make decisions for him. He spent his days surfing, dating many women, and partying. But meeting the strange, judgmental girl years before and her insistence that he could do anything he put his mind to made him question his entire life.

“The Hubble” is the third book in The “Tennent Surf” series, PREQUEL to “The Perpetual” and “The Dasher”.

Goodreads / Amazon

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About Author Cindy Kehagiaras:

“The Perpetual,” my over 40-second chance romance, has won the coveted “Stiletto Award” by Contemporary Romance Writers in the Mid-length Contemporary Romance category.

BIO: My writing journey began after my 50th birthday, and the pandemic lockdown allowed me to write. Some of my stories have haunted my dreams for decades. When the characters shouted day and night, I knew I had to write about them. These days I love to read and write stories about second chances with GenX characters in over 40, later in life, and mature steamy romances.

My previous lives have been in advertising, fashion, and small business owner. I’ve made it my life’s ambition to push through the challenges of dyslexia to consume novels, poetry, and articles and tell my stories.

A proud native Californian, I live in Hermosa Beach, CA, with my husband of 17 years, two beautiful kids, and two spunky-rescue kitties.

Please find me on all social media platforms.

https://linktr.ee/cindykehstories

 

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Cindy is giving away a copy of The Hubble on Goodreads!

Enter to win here!

Giveaway ends June 29th.

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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Peek Inside And Giveaway ~ Every Scar Tells A Story by Rayna York

Posted: June 15, 2024 in Contemporary Romance, giveaways, YA
Tags: , ,
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Every Scar Tells a Story

by Rayna York

 

Publication date: June 15th 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

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They say time heals all wounds, but they never mention the scars left behind.

Serena McNeal, outgoing and ambitious, is ready to escape her small town as soon as she graduates high school. Knox prefers to live in the shadows, finding comfort in his anonymity. As their worlds collide and the ghosts of Knox’s troubled past resurface, more than their newly-created bond will be tested. Because now, every decision made could be the difference between sharing a future together or facing a reality where neither one survives.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Summer… I can’t help but smile. This one will be like no other. High school will be over, and I’ll be heading off to college in the fall. I’m so ready to leave this small town behind.

It’s not a bad place to live, but I’m psyched to move to an actual city where the downtown is larger than a four-block radius. And I’m eager to get my career started. Working probably isn’t what gets most eighteen-year-olds jacked up, but I know the direction I want to go, and I’m motivated to get there.

Hayden walks ahead of me without a backward glance, unlocking his early graduation gift—a shiny, new black Mustang. The jackass is sulking.

Reaching for the handle, I happen to look left and catch sight of a herculean figure walking on the sidewalk toward me. His head is down, face mysteriously shadowed by a hooded sweatshirt pulled low over his eyes. Somehow, he must sense me staring because he stops and snaps his head up, then looks around like I’m blocking his path and isn’t sure what to do about it.

“Are you coming?” Hayden says over the roof of his car with a tinge of annoyance.

“Yeah, sorry.” After opening my door, I glance back. The stranger is walking at a brisk pace across the street.

After we’re both seated in the car, he says, “Do you know that guy?”

“No, but I think I startled him.” I pull the seatbelt across my chest and secure it.

“Well, it seems like you did.” He starts the car with a vroom. “Is there something I should know about?”

“No.” My heart races at the aggressive sound of the engine. “I’ve never seen him before.” I’m still plagued with nightmares and struggle with other people driving, all because of the accident I was in with my father when I was thirteen. Hayden knows this.

The drive to my house is silent, and I wonder about the sudden awareness I had back at the restaurant. Am I really going to break up with him? I doubt he’s ever been dumped before. The guy is high school royalty. And it’s going to mess up our friend group, not to mention our plans for prom in two months. Maybe I’m being too hasty this time. I mean, aside from occasional insensitivity, the escalating moodiness, and the increase in his drinking, what’s really wrong with him?

Yeah, aside from all that, my brain shouts back at me.

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About Author Rayna York:

Rayna York grew up with hippie parents who liked to adventure. Where change was the norm, books were her constant—a way to escape. As an adult, many careers came and went, but writing has always been her passion. Her contemporary, coming-of-age love stories are often inspired by dreams, which she captures in her notebook with barely an eye open. When she’s not hidden away in her writing shack, Rayna enjoys playing pickleball, losing herself in a good book, or watching a movie.

Website / Facebook / TikTok / Instagram / Goodreads

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

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