Posts Tagged ‘giveaway’

The Nick Bancroft Mysteries by Bob Liter ~ Spotlight and Giveaway

Posted: July 21, 2020 in giveaways, Romance, suspense
Tags: , ,
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for the Nick Bancroft Myseries organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Bob Liter will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And be sure to click on the tour banner to see the other tours on the stop.

Nick Bancroft Mystery Series

by Bob Liter

 

 

GENRE: Romantic Mystery/Suspense

Synopsis

IN THIS “GRIPPING” MYSTERY THRILLER SOMEONE TRIES TO BURN NICK BANCROFT ALIVE, BEATS HIM SENSELESS, USES HIM FOR TARGET PRACTICE AND WORST OF ALL HIS BELOVED CHICAGO CUBS DISAPPOINT HIM AGAIN! SOMETIMES A PI JUST CAN’T CATCH A BREAK! BUT WHEN HIS CLIENT IS A SEXY NUDIST, NICK BANCROFT WILL PUT UP WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING!

When a sexy nudist hires him to protect her from whoever is threatening her life, Nick Bancroft becomes the target. Someone tries to burn him alive, beats the hell out of him and, since that didn’t run him off, uses him for target practice. Meanwhile, two people are murdered, Nick’s true love, Maggie Atley, is more than somewhat perturbed by his relationship with his client, and a mysterious club seems to hold the answer. Nick survives an exciting but still losing season by his beloved Chicago Cubs, a vicious attack by a couple of huge dogs and eventually puts the finger on the bad guys.

 

Nick Bancroft Mysteries, written by Bob Liter

I’m an ex-newspaper reporter who inherited a run-down, one-man detective agency. My name is Nick Bancroft. I used to do investigation work occasionally for a friend Jimmy Jackson, who left me the business and stuck me with an office on the top floor of an old building in the wrong end of town.

I would have refused the inheritance, but I was sick of working where news had been converted to entertainment. And, besides, Jimmy had paid six months’ rent in advance for the office with a small apartment attached. Since I inherited the business I have helped solve a murder and got some press as a result.

In a small town like Centrel City, you can find bribery, graft, kickbacks, political influence peddling, criminal cover-ups, and sometimes murder. Now when I get involved in a case, there usually is a story I can sell to the upstate Chicago Times. I didn’t expect to make a living as a private investigator and freelance reporter, but I was wrong … sort of. It beats making money for someone else and it leaves time for my almost favorite sport of bowling and my passion for the Chicago Cubs.

It’s all in a day’s work; I can be tough enough when I have to be. On the other hand, I can be soft for the ladies, especially for an on-again off-again lover, Maggie Atley. Nothing is ever as it seems and I don’t quit until I find the answers. My name is Nick Bancroft.

 

Blurb #1 – Book One

Murder by the Book, written by Bob Liter

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Nick Bancroft inherits a rundown detective agency and embarks on a new career as a hard-boiled detective. When date rape drugs show up in Centrel City, so does reporter Nick Bancroft. The drugs are discovered at two different murders with sex etiquette books left at the scenes. Nick is hired by the first victim’s father, Ramsey Sinclair, to find the killer. A Chicago detective, Miss Faustine, is also hired by Mr. Sinclair to work “closely” with Bancroft. His focus is interrupted when he begins a love affair with receptionist, Maggie Atley, from a neighboring office.

Bancroft is banking on solving the murders and selling the story to the Chicago Times. As the case unfolds there is enough danger, drama, and deception to fill a book. Nick finds few things are as they seem and in his enthusiasm he becomes the target of a shooter and also the target of charming Maggie Atley’s affections.

 

Blurb #2 – Book 2

August is Murder, written by Bob Liter

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A sexy nudist hires Nick Bancroft to defend her from threats on her life; Nick volunteers to provide 24-hour protection. Now, he is the target and August becomes even hotter when someone tries to burn him alive. Nick is not one to turn tail and run, especially now with two murders and Lady Godiva to protect. Nick’s true love, second only to the Cubs and bowling, Maggie Atley, is more than somewhat perturbed by the arrangement with his beautiful client.

After weeks of investigation there are still unanswered questions. Who are the bad guys? What does a mysterious club have to do with the murders? Can Nick survive another losing season by his beloved Chicago Cubs? Is this the last inning for Nick and Maggie?

EXCERPT

The first time they tried to kill me I was asleep. My office and apartment were on the third floor of a nearly abandoned building. My own coughing jarred me awake. I rolled to a sitting position from the sweat-wet bedding and continued choking on hot, acrid air. The sweat was no surprise. My air conditioner had quit. But this was more than August heat in Centrel City, Illinois.

A flip of the light switch near my bed did nothing to alleviate the darkness. I went to hands and knees and felt around until I found my pants and shoes, sat against the bed, squirmed into the jeans. Heat from the floor threatened to roast my rump.

“Don’t panic, Nick,” I said aloud. Should I try to save anything or just get the hell out? My files, I had to save my case files. I crawled into the office, stood, and pulled out the top drawer. I felt my way to the office door and opened it. A swish of even hotter air swept against my face.

What about Maggie? She might be in the office on the second floor. It was well past midnight. Why would she be there? I assured myself she was not. She was the reason why I now had a stray cat and a cracked heart. What about the cat? Any cat that came and went when the office door was locked wouldn’t be trapped in that old building.

 

Blurb #3 – Book 3

Death Sting, written by Bob Liter

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After an intimate breakfast together, while reading the paper to Maggie, Nick is baffled by a headline: Female Body Found Covered with Stings: The Sheriff Calls the Death an Accident. Free-lance reporter and private detective, Nick Bancroft, doesn’t believe it and is drawn to the case like a bee to honey. He learns the victim lived in a home for young unwed mothers who work as waitresses and hookers at a nightclub.

 Murder suspects include an alcoholic handy man, the man and wife who operate the home, a nightclub operator and his henchman, and a sheriff’s deputy. Everyone is trying to stop Nick’s investigation, including federal agents.

Even when he and his earthy lover Maggie survive being dumped in a deep lake with weights tied to their ankles, Bancroft is unwavering in his pursuit of the truth. Will Maggie and Nick’s romance sink or swim before the case is solved?

 

Blurb #4 – Book 4

Point of Murder, written by Bob Liter

POINT OF MURDER (A Nick Bancroft Mystery Book 4) by [Bob Liter]

 

Nick Bancroft, a former investigative reporter, enjoys a mundane existence in Centrel City operating a one-man detective agency. He supplements his pauper’s wages selling news stories to the Chicago Times. In a small apartment, Nick and his roommate Maggie, share frivolous romantic lovemaking and the responsibility of feeding a stray cat that adopted them. On the surface it seems picture-perfect.

The bed of roses ends abruptly when Nick’s destitute young friend, Bobby Scalf, is found murdered with a blunt six inch spike in his head. Nick becomes a suspect when the second murder victim is discovered in the abandoned building where the boy lived.

While Nick tries to find out who killed the boy, he uncovers a web of corruption involving the town council, the school board, the police chief and the local newspaper publisher. Nick survives several attempts on his life, and that of his stormy lover, before nailing the killer and exposing the town’s secrets. Solving the town’s problems may not be enough to solve the problems festering between Maggie and Nick. Is it really over?

 

Blurb #5 – Book 5

And the Band Played On, written by Bob Liter

And the Band Played On (A Nick Bancroft Mystery Book 5) by [Bob Liter]

 

Freelance reporter and sometime private detective, Nick Bancroft, is tough enough when he has to be. On the other hand, he can be soft for the ladies. That’s how he ends up at an outdoor band concert, with Maggie, a librarian, divorcee, and his very talented lover. Nick is front row center to witness the murder of a well-connected private secretary of an important political figure.

It doesn’t earn him any points with the cops that he is on the scene before them, and it doesn’t earn him any points with certain influential politicians that he won’t get off the case. Not only is Nick drawn into the dirty details of the crime, someone is trying to kill him. During the investigation, Maggie and Nick come face to face with the events surrounding 9-11. Will the final case break their spirits and crumble their love, or will they emerge stronger and committed to life together?

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Robert T “Bob” Liter (1923-2008) was born in Hartley, IA to Charles and Hazel Liter and grew up in Des Moines, IA.  His sisters June and JoAnn, joined the family before the decade was over. Bob was a U.S. Navy veteran, and was honorably discharged after two tours of duty, one tour in World War II and the other tour in the Korean War. A Graduate from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, he earned his degree in journalism, and married Lillian in 1950.

What Happened Next

I came along 9 months later; my name is Martie. I was soon followed by my sister Jeannie and two brothers, Jeff and Ron.

Later in Dad’s journalism career he worked as a copy editor for the Peoria Journal Star, Peoria, IL until his retirement. Through the years he was also a writer. Early in his sideline career he was published in various True Confession magazines. When Dad retired to take care of Mom he continued to pursue his passion for writing. Much of his work has been available since 2002 in EBook format.

 

First Five Novels Available On Amazon NOW

It is my honor to introduce new readers to the Bancroft Mysteries where the character Nick Bancroft has an uncanny resemblance to my Dad, Bob Liter with his wit and bodacious gutsy approach to life.  Then there is Nick’s on-again off-again lady, Maggie Atley, who is just like Mom, Lillian Liter, in the way she deals with a self-proclaimed “male chauvinist piggy.”

While Nick solves mysteries in the fictitious, but very real, community of Central City, IL he still finds time for his love-hate relationship with bowling, and his avid undying passion for the Chicago Cubs and Bears.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

Purchase Link: Amazon

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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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

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey ~ Review and Giveaway

Posted: July 18, 2020 in giveaways, reviews
Tags: ,
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The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey Banner

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The Crushing Depths

by Dani Pettrey

on Tour July 1 – 31, 2020

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My Review

Even though this is the second book in the series and I hadn’t read the first, I easily came to know the characters and their roles in each other’s lives. It’s a rather large cast as Rissi and Mason are part of the Coast Guard team assigned to investigate a questionable death aboard an oil rig. Some evidence points to murder and an environmental activist group falls under suspicion. Or it could be someone connected to the rig with their own hidden agenda.

The investigation has barely begun before it becomes apparent it was no accident. The helicopter transporting Rissi and Mason to the rig crashes and it appears to have been sabotage. In such an isolated location, with so many suspects and a hurricane looming closer, it’s a race to solve the case before more people die.

I had an enjoyable time trying to figure out what was really happening and who was behind it. Rissi and Mason quickly became my favorite characters. They shared the same scars from growing up in an abusive foster home and lean on each other as things get dangerous. I liked all of the other characters too. Each had baggage and something to offer and I wanted so much for them to be safe and find happiness.

This had a mystery or two that was not easily solved and evolving relationships that kept me intrigued and hopeful. It was so easy to read and I finished it in one sitting. And I’d definitely like to continue with the series and see how these characters get along in life.

4 Stars

 

Synopsis:

 

When an accident claims the life of an oil-rig worker on the first drilling platform off the North Carolina coast, Coast Guard investigators Rissi Dawson and Mason Rogers are sent to take the case. Tensions surrounding the oil rig are high and the death has everyone on edge. Environmental activists are threatening to do whatever it takes to stop the structure from being completed, while rumors are being whispered about ancient curses surrounding this part of the ocean.

Mounting evidence shows the death may not have been an accident at all. Was he killed by one of the activists or, perhaps more frighteningly, a member of his own crew? Rissi and Mason have to sort through not only a plethora of suspects, but also their own past and attraction to each other.

Just as the case seems like it’ll break open, worse news arrives. A tropical storm has turned their way and soon they’re cut off from any rescue–and right where the killer wants them. It’s a race to discover his identity before he eliminates the threat they pose.

 

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Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

Published by: Bethany House

Publication Date: June 30th 2020

Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 0764230859 (ISBN13: 9780764230851)

Series: Coastal Guardians #2

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Goodreads

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Read an excerpt:

Chapter One

Late September Thirty-eight miles off North Carolina’s coast Greg Barnes clinked along the grated metal steps, his boot heels rasping with each shuffle as he headed topside for a much-needed breath of smoke. Thrusting the door open with a resounding creak, he stepped out into the night air. A litany of protestors’ chants mimicked the shrill whining of cicadas. He glanced at his watch. 1930. Didn’t those eco-nuts ever give it a rest? As if the cursed rig wasn’t enough—they had the dang relentless protestors going practically day and night. Exhaling, he rubbed his thumb along the smooth surface of the tarnished gold lighter in his pocket. His tight muscles seized, making his movements stiff. He shook his head. Those people needed to get a life. Edging around the far corner of the main separator facility, he pressed his back against the structure’s cool outer wall. Generators whirred across from him, finally drowning out the clatter. He scanned his surroundings and exhaled in relief. Finally, alone. His leg twitched. Just one drag . . . maybe two. It’d been an awful day, and that was the gentleman’s way of putting it. With unsteady hands, he pulled the plastic-wrapped pack from his shirt pocket. It crinkled beneath his hold and the sweet scent of tobacco wafted beneath his nose. He tamped the cigarette in his palm and slid it between his cracked lips. Just one drag. Tugging the lighter from his pocket, he flipped it open, then rolled the pad of his thumb across the ignitor. A spark flashed and fire roared, hissing over him in a sizzling cascade of torment.

Chapter Two

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina Rissi Dawson sat at the long table on Dockside’s waterfront deck, gaping at Mason Rogers. He turned to look at her, his green eyes illuminated in the bright pole lights lining the wooden structural beams. She averted her eyes as heat rushed up her throat, spreading across her cheeks. He’d caught her staring again. Embarrassment drenched her. It’d been three days since his arrival, and she still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact he was actually sitting next to her. The boy she’d had the biggest crush on as a teen was back in her life. And on her Coast Guard Investigative Service team. He handed her the basket of hush puppies the restaurant served instead of bread to start everyone off. His hand brushed hers with the movement, and her heart fluttered. “Thanks,” she said, keeping her gaze fixed on the red basket as she pulled two balls of fried cornmeal from it. She plopped the still-warm puppies onto the round plate to the right of her Coke. Get it together, girl! The whir of a boat’s motor dropping to an idle sounded over the deck’s edge. A teen jumped out of the white outboard and onto the pier, tying her up to the cleat. Rissi loved living in a place with a boat drive-thru. Noah raised his glass of iced tea. “Everyone . . .” The team lifted their glasses in response to their boss’s prompting. Noah dipped his chin. “Welcome, Mason. Happy to have you on board.” The team clinked their glasses together, even Caleb who sat brooding to her left. Observant as he was, there was no chance he missed the way she looked at Mason. In recent months, he’d developed feelings for her, so it wasn’t surprising he’d bristled at Mason’s arrival—especially after learning she and Mason shared a past, though he didn’t know the half of it. Only that they spent time in a children’s home together for a handful of months as teens. The opening riff of “Sweet Home Alabama” emanated from Noah’s jean pocket. He hitched up as he extracted his phone. “Rowley,” he answered. “Yes?” Standing, he headed down the ramp toward the restaurant’s pier. “Rockfish tacos,” the waitress said, placing the plate in front of Rissi. The sweet, tropical scent of the mango slaw swirled in the air. The waitress handed out plate after plate to each of them, setting Noah’s burger at his spot while he continued to pace the pier. Caleb bit into his Carolina BBQ pork sandwich, the scent of vinegar wafting in the night’s gentle breeze. Finn Walker did the same with his crab cake sandwich. He and Noah, who was from Maryland, had argued for months over which state had the best crab cake. Finn had been convinced it was North Carolina, right up until Noah had crab cakes flown in fresh from Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore. It took two bites for Finn to concede the win. “Sorry about that, folks,” Noah said, retaking his seat. “Everything okay?” Emmy Thorton asked. Rissi looked forward to seeing the quirky angel every day at the station. “Rissi, Mason.” Noah lifted his chin in their direction. “I’ve got an assignment for you.” Her and Mason? They’d worked a case his first day on the team, but Finn had joined them for most of the investigation. This would be the two of them . . . alone. A mixture of elation and fear sifted through her. “Great.” Mason set down his lemonade. “We’ve got a death out on the Dauntless.” “The offshore oil platform?” Mason asked, swiping a drop of lemonade from his bottom lip. Stop staring, girl. So he’s jaw-dropping gorgeous. So you share a past. Still, staring is plain rude. Despite not having a mother to teach her, Rissi knew or, at least had come to learn, her manners. Noah laid his napkin across his lap. “You two need to determine if the death was an accident or if foul play was involved. Helo is leaving from Textra Oil’s copter hub in forty-five. I need you both on it.” Mason pushed back from the table. “No problem.” “Great,” Noah said. “You’ll be joining the head of operations, a commercial diver, and the deceased’s replacement on the company copter.” Rissi took one last bite of her taco before setting it down. She dabbed the corner of her lips with a napkin. “They aren’t wasting any time in replacing the deceased.” “The deceased’s name is Greg Barnes. I talked to the head of operations, Bob Stanton, and he said they needed to replace him ASAP.” “Must be an important position.” She reached for her glass and took a final sip. “You’d think,” Noah said. “But Bob said the main reason they need to replace him fast is they’ve been working with a skeleton crew.” Mason’s brows pinched as he stood. “Why?” “Several guys didn’t show up for their three-week rotation transport out,” Noah said, popping a fry in his mouth. “I know why they didn’t show up for that copter ride out there.” Tom Murphy leaned toward them from his table situated to their right. “Why?” Mason asked, moving around to the back of Rissi’s chair. He held it out for her as she stood. She glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. “Thanks.” He nodded. Tom, one of Wrightsville’s most colorful fishermen, crooked his index finger, drawing them in. “That rig’s cursed.” “Cursed?” Caleb chuckled. “You can’t be serious?” Tom waggled his finger. “It’s no laughing matter, young man.” “I’m sure it’s a good story, Tom,” Rissi said. No reason not to be polite. “But I’m afraid we’ve got to catch a copter ride.” Tom shrugged and turned back to his food. “It’s your lives at stake.” “What do you mean?” she asked before they passed his table, unable to stem her curiosity. “You’ll see.” He smiled, his right incisor missing. “Henry’s curse is real.” “Henry?” Why was she letting herself get sucked into this? Tom let out a high-pitched chuckle. “Oh, you’ll learn all about Henry.” “Shall we?” Mason said, gesturing to the wooden ramp leading down to the gravel parking lot. Excusing themselves, they moved down the ramp. Mason leaned in. He smelled of the ocean and warm spice. He whispered, “Did that guy seriously just cackle?” She nodded, strangely curious about the old man’s ghost story. “I thought people only did that on Scooby-Doo.” She let out a slip of laughter. “I wouldn’t be laughing,” Tom called after them as they rounded the ramp on his side of the deck. “You two be careful out there, you hear? It’s a dangerous place to be. Just ask the men on board.” *** Excerpt from The Crushing Depths by Dani Pettrey. Copyright 2020 by Dani Pettrey. Reproduced with permission from Dani Pettrey. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

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Dani Pettrey Praised by New York Times best-selling author Dee Henderson as “a name to look for in romantic suspense,” Dani Pettrey has sold more than half a million copies of her novels to readers eagerly awaiting the next release. Dani combines the page-turning adrenaline of a thriller with the chemistry and happy-ever-after of a romance. Her novels stand out for their “wicked pace, snappy dialogue, and likable characters” (Publishers Weekly), “gripping storyline[s],” (RT Book Reviews), and “sizzling undercurrent of romance” (USA Today).

Her Alaskan Courage series and Chesapeake Valor series have received praise from readers and critics alike and have appeared on the CBA, ECPA, Publisher’s Weekly, and Amazon #1 bestseller lists. Dani has also been honored with multiple awards, including the Daphne du Maurier Award, two HOLT Medallions, a Christy Award finalist, two National Readers’ Choice Awards, the Gail Wilson Award of Excellence, and Christian Retailing’s Best Award.

Catch Up With Dani Pettrey: DaniPettrey.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

 

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

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Death By Windmill by Jennifer S. Alderson ~ Spotlight and Giveaway

Posted: July 18, 2020 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways
Tags: ,
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Death By Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder In Amsterdam

A Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series

by Jennifer S. Alderson


Death by Windmill: A Mother’s Day Murder in Amsterdam
(Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher: Independently published (May 16, 2020)
Paperback: 218 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8646330070
Digital ASIN: B0843K7HNQ

A Mother’s Day trip to the Netherlands turns deadly when a guest plummets from a windmill. Was it an accident or a murder? For Lana Hansen, the answer will mean freedom or imprisonment for someone close to her…

 

Wanderlust Tours guide Lana Hansen and her mother, Gillian, haven’t seen eye to eye in over a decade, ever since Lana was wrongly fired from her job as an investigative reporter. So when Lana’s boss invites Gillian to join her upcoming Mother’s Day tour to the Netherlands, Lana is less than pleased.

 

What could be worse than spending ten days with her estranged mother? Lana is about to find out…

 

The tour begins on a high note when the majority of guests bond during their visit to the Keukenhof flower gardens and a cruise around the picturesque canals of Amsterdam.

 

Despite her initial reservations, Lana thinks this might be the best group she had ever led. Until she discovers one of her guests—a recent retiree named Priscilla—is the person who destroyed her career in journalism.

 

All Lana can see is red. But circumstances dictate that she figure out a way to lead the tour, make peace with her mother, and not murder her guest. She doesn’t know whether she can handle the pressure.

 

Lana needn’t worry. Shortly after their fight, Priscilla falls off the balcony of a historic windmill at Zaanse Schans. Was she pushed or simply careless? The investigating officers suspect murder—and topping their suspect list is Lana’s mom!

 

Can Lana save Gillian? Or will her mother end up spending the rest of her days in a Dutch prison?

 

About Jennifer S. Alderson

Jennifer S. Alderson was born in San Francisco, raised in Seattle, and currently lives in Amsterdam. After traveling extensively around Asia, Oceania, and Central America, she moved to Darwin, Australia, before settling in the Netherlands. Her background in journalism, multimedia development, and art history enriches her novels. When not writing, she can be found in a museum, biking around Amsterdam, or enjoying a coffee along the canal while planning her next research trip.

Jennifer’s love of travel, art, and culture inspires her award-winning mystery series—the Zelda Richardson Mysteries and Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mysteries—and standalone stories.

Author Links: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / BookBub

Purchase Links – Amazon 

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 13 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW  

July 13 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

July 14 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

July 15 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

July 17 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW

July 17 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

July 18 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW

July 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

July 20 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT

July 21 – Book Club Librarian – REVIEW  

July 21 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 22 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

July 22 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 23 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW

July 23 – Diane Reviews Books – SPOTLIGHT

July 24 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW

July 25 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

July 25 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

July 26 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

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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

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Leash by Brett Schumacher ~ Spotlight and Giveaway

Posted: July 17, 2020 in giveaways, horror
Tags: ,
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Leash and Other Short Horror Stories
by Brett Schumacher
Genre: Horror
From “Creepy Ghost Stories” YouTube channel,
Narrator and Writer Brett Schumacher.
LEASH And Other Short Horror Stories is a
horror anthology of thirteen short creepy, scary and sometimes
gruesome monster stories. These hair-raising stories will make your
mind tingle and your paranoia kick into over-drive.
This chilling set of frighteningly strange and weird stories are tales of
the unexpected, of deceit and of unspeakable beings that hide in the
recesses of the mind and the shadows of dark forests.
Including:
A tale of a gas station attendant and the creature that stalks him in
a storm like he had never witnessed before. The newly found journal
entry of Robert Tolliver’s nightmarish dreams that ravage his life
after a horrific accident in the swamps of Louisiana. A butcher’s
child was created of steel and blades used to cut meat. A story about
a new embalming fluid with a terrible side effect. The tale of a man
and his friends on a camping trip, A leather collar and a vile beast
that reigns over a pile of corpses. Plus many more.
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S79 The Horror in the Swamp
by Brett Schumacher
Genre: Horror
★★★★★ “S79 has a super fun plot. You’ve got swamps, abandoned military base,
science experiment gone wrong, conspiracy theories, urban legends,
pitch dark atmosphere, snakes, gators, rednecks, revenge, and a
pretty epic creature.” – Aimee M. – Goodreads
From “Creepy Ghost Stories” YouTube channel,
Narrator and Writer Brett Schumacher.
Salesman and father Robert Tolliver’s life
is about to change. He was traveling through Louisiana and a few
missed turns, a few hours later, he finds himself facing a horrible
fate. All Robert knows is that he is stuck in an abandoned military
bunker in the wild swamps of Louisiana. There is something stalking
his every move, a scary horror unlike anything he has ever seen.
S79 The creature in the Bunker, The Horror Novel of the Swamps.
Will Robert survive the living nightmares and make it back home to his
wife Julie and his daughter Lillie? Will he uncover a bigger horror
mystery that the small town of Montegut had been hiding for years?
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Horror Writer and Narrator for the “Creepy Ghost Stories” YouTube
Channel. Brett has a deep love for horror with a particular interest
in Isolation and Cryptid based stories.
Follow the tour HERE
for special content and a giveaway!
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Larceny At The Library by Colleen J. Shogan ~ Spotlight and Giveaway

Posted: July 15, 2020 in Cozy Mystery, giveaways
Tags: ,
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Larceny At The Library

A Washington Whodunit

by Colleen Shogan


Larceny at the Library (A Washington Whodunit)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Publisher: Epicenter Press (July 14, 2020)
Print Length: 202 pages
ISBN-13: 9781603818353
ASIN: B0863MN6TP
GoodReads Link Coming Soon

Congressional staffer Kit Marshall is excited to attend a historic event displaying the contents of Abraham Lincoln’s pockets the night he was assassinated at the Library of Congress. The next day, a senior librarian is dead and several invaluable artifacts are missing. Kit’s husband Doug discovers the body and immediately becomes a suspect in the death and theft. Kit springs into action once again to figure out who is responsible for the crimes. Her sleuthing takes her to the DC Public Library, the National Portrait Gallery, Ford’s Theatre, and the most ornate, beautiful rooms at the Library of Congress. At the end, Kit must put her own life on the line to retrieve her most valuable possession, which goes unexpectedly missing as she hunts down the killer.

About Colleen J. Shogan

Colleen J. Shogan has been reading mysteries since the age of six. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American politics at several universities and previously worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer in the United States Senate and as a senior executive at the Library of Congress. She is currently the Senior Vice President of the White House Historical Association.

Colleen is a member of Sisters in Crime. “Stabbing in the Senate” was awarded the Next Generation Indie prize for Best Mystery in 2016. “Homicide in the House” was a 2017 finalist for the RONE Award for Best Mystery. “Calamity at the Continental Club” was a 2018 finalist in the “best cozy mystery” at Killer Nashville. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Rob and their beagle mutt Conan.

Author Links: Facebook / Twitter / Website / Goodreads

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

July 15 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW  

July 15 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT

July 16 – Christa Reads and Writes – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 17 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

July 17 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

July 18 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

July 19 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST

July 20 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

July 20 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

July 21 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 21 – Ruff Drafts – REVIEW

July 22 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

July 22 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW  

July 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 23 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

July 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

July 24 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

July 25 – Here’s How It Happened – SPOTLIGHT

July 26 – Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST

July 26 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

July 27 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

July 28 – Jane Reads – GUEST POST

 

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Beautiful, Frightening, And Silent by Jennifer Anne Gordon ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: July 14, 2020 in giveaways, horror, Supernatural
Tags: , , ,
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Beautiful, Frightening And Silent organized by Goddess Fish Pomotions.

Jennifer Anne Gordon will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Beautiful, Frightening, And Silent

by Jennifer Anne Gordon

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Synopsis

Adam, a young alcoholic, slowly descends into madness while dealing with the psychological scars of childhood trauma which are reawakened when his son and wife die in a car accident that he feels he is responsible for. After a failed suicide attempt, and more group meetings that he can mention. Adam hears a rumor of a Haunted Island off the Coast of Maine, where “if someone wants it bad enough” they could be reunited with a lost loved one. In his desperate attempt to connect with the ghost of his four-and-a half year old son, he decides to go there, to Dagger Island, desperate to apologize to, or be condemned by, his young son. Adam is not sure what he deserves or even which of these he wants more. While staying in a crumbling old boarding house, he becomes involved with a beautiful and manipulative ghost who has spent 60 years tormenting the now elderly man who was her lover, and ultimately her murderer. The three of them create a “Menage-a-Guilt” as they all come to terms with what it is that ties them so emotionally to their memories and their very “existence”.Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent is a poetic fever dream of grief, love, and the terrifying ways that obsession can change who we are.

 

Enjoy this peek inside:

Though it is only the latter half of the middle of November, the sun sets early on this day. The storm rolls in, like soldiers in a battle, they fill this melancholy sky with letters to loved ones that will never be sent. This battle is one that is doomed on all sides. Could there possibly be any survivors, from a battle so hard fought? Anthony knows better than to fight it, he gives in, and he lets the dark come. The clouds grow heavy with guilt, broken promises, and half remembered dreams. It washes over this part of the island, blanketing it in a thick fog. He looks outside and realizes that if fear had a singular look, it would look like this sky, during these last ebbing days of his life. It is the manic gray light of a New England sky as it finally gives itself in to darkness.

If there really are things in this house, his house, things that are dead, that walk alone in the dark, he can’t feel them now. They too must have to eventually sleep. They are hunkered down waiting for the storm as it makes its slow crawl out from under the bed anxious to reach its hands up and touch your bare skin as you drift off to sleep.

The surrounding air has a hollowness.

The surrounding air has a holiness.

The wind outside makes a sound like ice singing on a frozen pond, as the first frozen crystal shards begin to fall from the sky. The pitter-patter against the house sounds like a child running wild after too much sugar. He wonders where the dead ones go when they suddenly grow quiet. He finds their absence unsettling. He scans the floor for small saltwater puddles. He reaches through the air for the cobwebs made of long sinewy red hair. He strains his ears for the incessant whispering in his mother’s room, and now he waits to hear a toy fire truck making its rounds through the upstairs bedrooms.

There is nothing, only the heaviness of silence, as he sits quietly. He strains his ears to hear what is happening underneath the sounds of wind and ice. He wonders if things are waking up underneath the stained sheets in the room that was once his mother’s.

About Author Jennifer Anne Gordon

Jennifer Anne Gordon is a gothic horror novelist. Her debut novel, Beautiful, Frightening, and Silent broke presale records with her publisher (Breaking Rules Publishing) and has received critical acclaim. Her second novel, From Daylight to Madness, is set to be released in late summer 2020 and is the second in her “Dagger Island” series.

She had a collection of her mixed media artwork published during spring of 2020, entitled Victoriana: mixed media art of Jennifer Gordon
Jennifer is one of the hosts of Writer Someday, to Author Today, as well as Prose Garden, she is also a book reviewer and contributor to HorrorTree.com, as well as the Creator and Host of Vox Vomitus, a video and podcast on the Global Authors on the Air Network.

Jennifer is a pale curly haired ginger, obsessed with horror, ghosts, abandoned buildings, and her dog “Lord Tubby”.

She graduated from the New Hampshire Institute of Art, where she studied Acting. She also studied at the University of New Hampshire with a concentration in Art History and English.

She has made her living as an actress, a magician’s assistant, a “gallerina”, a painter, and burlesque performer. For the past 10 years as an award-winning professional ballroom dancer, performer, instructor, and choreographer.

When not scribbling away (ok, typing frantically) she enjoys traveling with her fiancé and dance partner Roman Sirotin, teaching her dog ridiculous tricks (like ‘give me a kiss’ and ‘what hand is the treat in?’) as well as taking photos of abandoned buildings and haunted locations.

She is a leo, so at the end of the day she really just thinks about her hair.
Her novel as well as her art collection are available on Amazon.
For more information and benevolent stalking, please visit her website.

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Excerpt and Giveaway ~ Dream Phaze: Germination by Matt Watters

Posted: July 13, 2020 in giveaways, Science Fiction
Tags: ,
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Welcome to my stop on thevirtual book tour for Dream Phaze: Germination organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Matt Watters will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.Don’t forget to enter!

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Dream Phaze: Germination

by Matt Watters

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Synopsis

Everyone dreams.

All Saxon Zynn wanted to do was dream, not for himself, but for everyone. Back in 2037, Saxon stated, ‘Dreaming is a reality to be experienced.’ A decade of research later and his Dream Immersion technology is poised to become the major entertainment medium of the 21st century, but will unforeseen obstacles prevent him from achieving his purpose?

Dream Phaze is about the inception of engineered dreams and the evolution of indulgence. Set at the crossroads of alternative realities in the near future, it plunges into a world where every human desire, no matter how heroic or evil, can be fulfilled… dreaming just became an adventure.

 Enjoy this peek inside:

‘Is that achievable, Saxon?’ Walt asked.

Saxon sat silent for what seemed like minutes. Everyone waited for his response. Responsibility sat heavily upon his face as he wiped sweat from his top lip. His decision would either propel the project at breakneck speed or keep it on the existing timeline. ‘We still have months of testing but…possibly. We’ll have to cut a few corners, increase content production, but we’ll have the bare bones ready for a limited soft launch.’

‘You may not want to hear this, darling, but there are benefits from this unexpected situation. The media gaze has shifted away from Tremaine Group issues and focused on ZynnComm. We can feed this media storm and whip it up into a hurricane of public anticipation. The speculation on social media is nothing short of phenomenal. ZynnComm is trending worldwide; we can’t buy this sort of publicity,’ Margo added.

‘Okay,’ Walt sighed. ‘Then it’s agreed. I know this isn’t how you wanted the project to play out, Saxon, but I agree with Alfred and Margo, we need to move quickly on this and bring the release forward. Alfred, ramp up all unit production, and Margo, instruct PR to organise a few controlled leaks through the usual channels. We need to capitalise on this.’ He turned back to Alfred. ‘Tell Chen from security I want his report on yesterday’s meeting by tomorrow.’

‘Yes, Walt,’ Alfred answered.

‘Saxon, you need to light a fire under your content teams.’

‘Will do.’

‘Have you decided on the name for our retail distribution division?’ Walt asked.

‘Lucid,’ Saxon answered.

‘That was my choice too,’ Walt concurred. ‘The two of you need to stay put for the next week or so while marketing leaks the imminent product launch,’ he suggested to Saxon and Margo. ‘Ah, and Margo, we’re going with Gerber Global Advertising as our exclusive partner for product placement in experiences. Your negotiating and recommendation was spot on, thank you.’

‘GGA will be very lucrative for ZynnComm,’ Margo assured them.

‘Users still have the final choice if they want advertising, correct?’ Saxon asked Margo.

‘Of course. Ad free experiences will attract a slightly higher premium.’

About Author Matt Watters:

Matt lives in Sydney, Australia and works as a course developer and writer in the Community Services sector.

‘This narrative began as a short story in 2014. Over subsequent years it evolved through several plot, character and title iterations until Dream Phaze emerged as an episodic series published online in 2018. These episodes, collectively known as Germination, are now an ebook.

Dream Phaze – Imagination, the second ebook in the series, will be released in September 2020.

Matt is a member of the Australian Society of Authors and Alliance of Independent Authors.

Dream Phaze website / Buy On Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

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Carnal Knowledge by Rachael Tamayo ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: July 11, 2020 in giveaways, thriller
Tags: ,
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Carnal Knowledge

by Rachael Tamayo

on Tour July 11 – August 14, 2020

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Synopsis:

 

What do you do when you know you’re on a serial killer’s hit list?

Six women are dead, and Wren Addison is the next victim on the SMS Killer’s list—or so she’s been told after waking in a pool of blood with no memory of the events that have transpired.

Newly separated and struggling to start her life over after her husband’s infidelity, Wren tries to remember what happened to her, but nothing is adding up as more horrors unfold around her. With her life on a timer and the murderer taunting her, she realizes there is nothing typical about this serial killer.

Wren is pushed to the edge as she dances between knowing she’s likely to die and fighting to be the first to survive. As the truth starts to emerge, she rises to the challenge and decides not to go down without a fight.

Someone is going to die, and she’s determined it won’t be her.

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Genre: Psychological Thriller

Published by: Tangled Tree Publishing

Publication Date: July 11th 2020

Number of Pages: 301 ISBN: 9781922359124

Series: A Deadly Sins Novel, #2 || Stands Alone

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

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Read an excerpt:

You really don’t know how you feel about some things until they happen to you. You can guess. You can pretend you’d be strong, that you’d stand on the rooftops and shout your indignation as you shake your fist to the skies, but those are only guesses. Hopes. What we think we know about ourselves. They say no one ever really knows anyone. I think it’d be a safe bet to say that we don’t really know ourselves either. You think you do. The “Oh, I’d never do that! Look at how she’s acting. If I were in her shoes….” but you don’t. No one does. I said the same things to myself when I walked out on my husband, Ricky, months ago. Those thoughts went through my head as I closed the door behind me for what I told myself was the last time. I wouldn’t let myself cry as I said goodbye to him, only feeling the first tears fall when I heard the click behind me, the locking of the door to what used to be our home together. When he didn’t chase me and beg me to stay. I wept in that moment, wondering how much pain a person could take. Over the days that followed, it faded into something more akin to numbness as I found an apartment and got a new checking account. As I arranged to find movers to get my things while he was at work, all while thanking God that we had no children. Now I find myself in that place once more, though for an altogether different reason. Something has happened to me, something that leaves my body sore and my head feeling as if I have a hangover. These are the moments that tell you who you really are, leaving you exposed to your own darkness. I found that out about myself. No one ever imagines themselves in this position. You’re not prepared. No amount of self-defense can prepare you for the shock that is the next morning, waking up in a bloody mess, knowing you’ve been sexually assaulted. I can’t even say it out loud. I won’t. I refuse to do it. It makes it real, and I don’t want it to be real. I want it to be some horrible nightmare that I can wake up from. But it’s not. It’s the middle of the night. I’m sitting on the floor of my shower, the water finally not running pink anymore. My face feels puffy from crying as I carefully wash the wounds, the soap burning. I wince and then stand up before the water turns cold. Sitting here won’t accomplish anything. I look down at the mark on my left breast, swollen and purple. The definite outline of teeth, broken skin, tender to touch. It’s not the only place I’m hurting, but it’s the only one I can easily see. The only one I can’t really hide from. It’s a slap in the face, a calling card from someone I can’t remember. A face that won’t ever haunt my dreams. So, what do I do now? It’s about 4:00 a.m. Do I call someone? The police? My friend Lily? My husband? Maybe Alex? Surely she would believe me. I blink away tears, dipping my head back into the hot spray to wash the blood out of my hair. No, I won’t tell anyone. It’s too embarrassing. Too humiliating. This big foreboding thing happened to me. What they warned us all about. My drink was tampered with, and someone hurt me. I broke the rules, and I got this for it. I should have listened, I suppose. I feel sick knowing what someone did to me while I was asleep. Or was I? Maybe I did fight and just can’t remember. I’d fight, surely. I wouldn’t just lie there and take it, right? The thought gives me some minimal sliver of peace, like passing through the eye of the hurricane—you know it’s not real, not the end, but you relish it just the same. By the time I get out of the shower, I realize I haven’t really slept. My alarm will go off at seven for work so I can catch the bus and be on time for the morning meeting. I could get three hours of sleep before that, maybe. I shut off the water, suddenly a bit afraid. Knowing someone was here gives me the creeps. Makes me wish I’d gotten that gun Ricky tried so hard to get me to agree to, the one I refused. I wouldn’t give in, fearing some horrible accident. He kept his locked up, and I never bothered to learn to shoot. He begged to teach me, tried to get me to hold his Glock to “get the feel of it.” Nope. Now I regret it. In the months I’ve lived here, I haven’t been afraid to be on my own until now. Someone got to me. I’m without defense in my own home. *** Excerpt from Carnal Knowledge by Rachael Tamayo. Copyright 2020 by Rachael Tamayo. Reproduced with permission from Tangled Tree Publishing. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Author Rachel Tamayo

Rachael Tamayo International Amazon bestselling author Rachael Tamayo is a former 911 emergency operator and police dispatcher. After twelve years in those dark depths, she’s gained a unique insight into mental illness, human behaviour, and the general darkness of humanity that she likes to weave into her books. A formerly exclusive romance author tried her hand at thrillers in her award-winning novel, “Crazy Love,” and loved it so much that she decided not to turn back. Born and raised in Texas, Rachael lives in the Houston area with her husband of almost fifteen years, and their two young children.

Catch Up With Rachael Tamayo: RachaelTamayoWrites.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

 

 

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Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

 

 

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Oops, My Bad by A.C. Pontone ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: July 10, 2020 in Adult Fiction, comedy, giveaways, Romance
Tags: , , ,
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Oops, My Bad
A.C. Pontone
Publication date: July 6th 2020
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Synopsis

The rules were simple—don’t fall for the handsome vet. Oops! Some rules are meant to be broken.

The light turned red and suddenly my whole life changed. I found myself lying in the middle of the street with two little yellow eyes staring at me.

Then he appeared. Logan. Tall, sexy, built. I’d prayed that Superman would show up to save me, but Logan’s even better. Except that he seems more interested in saving the cat I almost ran over.

Since I can’t pay the vet bills for my unwelcome new guest, I’m forced to accept a job in his veterinary clinic as a receptionist. Not a great fit for someone who’s known since childhood that all animals have it in for her. And Logan seems to be more on their side than mine.

Of course, there’s nothing that says I can’t also unfurl my claws and be a sex kitten for the hot veterinarian. He’s got just one rule: don’t get emotionally involved.

Simple, no?

Not when the damn test comes back positive.

What can I say? Someone’s in trouble . . . and it’s not the cat.

Oops, my bad.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Only 99¢ for a limited time!

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Enjoy this peek inside:

I hate orange. I hate the cold. And I hate this stupid scooter.

Don’t get me wrong; usually I’m a sunny and positive person, but right now, with my butt frozen and a nose that’s redder than Rudolph’s, my positivity has vanished. Died. Disappeared. Been sucked into a big black hole. Or maybe been flushed down the toilet like the dead goldfish you have to quickly replace in order not to traumatize your little brother.

Not that I ever did that, you understand. Okay, maybe something like that might have happened once—or actually, ten times. I mean, it’s not my fault those dumb goldfish kept coming up to the surface with their creepy little mouths open. I thought they were hungry! Later I realized they’d decided on their own to put an end to their miserable little lives when they realized the grave error they’d made ending up in a bowl on a shelf above the dining-room table in the house where I also happened to live. So many tiny red Samurai soldiers committing seppuku, except with food instead of swords.

It was even kind of poetic. Except for the ending, where all that poetry ended up flushed down the toilet. The life of a goldfish is truly miserable. After the tenth suicide, my parents threw in the towel, something I would probably have done after the first one, and confessed to my little brother the tragic fate of his beloved pet.

I’m pretty sure he threw a thank-God-she’s-gone party when I finally left home to go to college. Now he has a whole aquarium full of multicolored fish. Oddly enough, none of them have ended up in the toilet.

Anyway, going back to the things I’m not happy with in my life, the color orange is probably first on the list. I mean, in what universe would a sane person willingly wear orange clothing? Stranger still, who came up with the idea that a pizza-delivery person should dress like a carrot that’s been regurgitated by Bugs Bunny? I admit I’ve looked worse, though. The Little Caesar’s uniform probably isn’t even one-tenth as hideous as the chicken costume I had to wear to advertise the chicken wings sold by—wait for it—El Pollo Loco! Quite an original idea, you must admit—dressing up as a chicken to promote the wings at Pollo Loco. Needless to say, I was fired before the end of my first week.

Anyway, now I’m a new version of myself. Now I’m a pizza-delivery person with a frozen ass and a stupid orange hat under my helmet. But as long as it pays the bills, I guess I can’t complain.

I have one last delivery to make and then I can finally go home, burrow under the covers, and sleep like a rock. If I manage to keep this job long enough to pay off my overdue bills, maybe in a couple of months I’ll even be able to take a shower with hot water! Or eat something that isn’t Cup O’Noodles. My mouth is watering already at the mere thought of getting to savor some real food. Maybe I can even splurge and buy myself a bottle of wine. I can already imagine myself lounging in my teensy bathtub submerged in bubbles, sipping a glass of Two-Buck Chuck.

With this comforting image in mind, I twist the accelerator and continue down Madison Avenue. The streets are almost deserted because there’s a blizzard blowing in right now, but the rich snobs on the upper East Side still want their pizza. They don’t care about the poor pizza delivery people, even though it’s January, for fuck’s sake, and cold as a witch’s tit.

What the fuck are they ordering pizza from Little Caesar’s for anyway? If I had enough money to afford an apartment in one of the most expensive areas of Manhattan, I would never order pizza from a place like Little Caesar’s. I’d have my own chef and eat delicious gourmet dishes every night. Shit, just thinking about food is making my stomach growl and my mouth water.

With a sigh, I accelerate even more. I’m not going to worry about speed limits on a night like this. Not that this scooter can go very fast anyway. At least I have my own transport—that is, during my shift. If I get a good tip on this last delivery I’ll go home on the subway. Otherwise I’ll walk from the pizza place to my apartment in East Harlem. Five blocks on foot, in January, at night, in New York City. The thought sends a shiver down my spine, literally.

Don’t make that face. I know I don’t exactly live in the most upscale neighborhood, but by this time you should have gotten the idea that I’m . . . probably poorer than the homeless man I just passed, sleeping on Fifth Avenue. The only difference is that I have a roof over my head—as long as I manage to keep this job, anyway.

I roar, or rather, putt up to an intersection. The light’s red, but there’s no one on the street and I really, really want to get this damn pizza delivered on time and possibly get a nice tip, so I floor it. Wouldn’t you know it, at that very moment a car appears out of nowhere. I jerk the handlebars and swerve, somehow managing to avoid crashing broadside into the door of the expensive SUV and becoming a large meatball squished against the window. There must be some invisible superhero watching over me.

The driver of the vehicle honks, shorthand for Look where you’re going, stupid bitch! Under other circumstances I might even apologize, but I really need that tip. So I turn my back on the big black SUV and putt-putt away.

The cold is making my eyes water and the scooter tires are skidding on the icy road. Right when I think I’ve finally arrived at my destination, two small yellow eyes suddenly appear out of the darkness right in front of me. I scream at them—to no avail, since the little beast doesn’t move. Instead, it sits down in the middle of the street and begins to lick a paw. Of course I’m driving too fast, and when I try to brake, I lose control and skid. Though I try to steer in the direction of the skid, I lose my balance and fall. I can’t tell if I hit the damn cat or not. All I know is that there’s a big rip in my uniform pants at the knee. I’m afraid to look; I’m pretty sure there’s a bad cut there as well. One side of my body is pulsating with pain, but at least my helmet served its purpose and protected my head. I’m alive, thank goodness, but I don’t see the cat anywhere. I can’t have the death of that poor feline on my conscience as well when I’m already haunted by the specters of those ten goldfish.

I feel tears pricking my eyes. I didn’t want to kill him! I’m not an animal-hater, really! I have nothing against them. They’re the ones that hate me. Still on the ground, the scooter lying on top of my leg, I begin to sob.

Then I hear it. A little meow right behind my head. It sounds mocking, contemptuous. The stupid cat is making fun of me. He’s safe and sound, while my ass is probably one big black bruise and I’ve got at least a dozen other scratches and bruises. “Aaarrgghh!” I scream like someone possessed. I have to get this fucking pizza delivered if I want to keep my job.

I need a miracle. Where’s Superman when you need him? I look around me and notice to my horror that the pizza box has opened up and spilled its contents onto the icy New York streets. Maybe if I can manage to get up and move my ass fast enough, I can shove it back into the box without anyone noticing that the bell peppers have flecks of asphalt on them.

Slowly and painfully I move the scooter off my leg. I can’t feel my toes, but I’m sure that’s more because of the cold than the accident. As I prepare to hoist myself to my feet, I see that the idiot cat has decided to sit down on top of the pizza. It starts to lick off the cheese, its little muzzle turning bright red from the tomato sauce. I realize I’m well and truly fucked.

Superman, where are you when I need you?

As if by magic, I’m suddenly bathed in light. A post-Christmas miracle? Either that or I’m dead, and this is the light at the end of the tunnel everyone talks about. Fuck, I’m going to die like a cat squashed on the highway, I think, because I know neither of those two possibilities describes what’s really happening. A hysterical laugh bursts from my chest. The irony of the situation doesn’t escape me as I sit there watching the car bear down on me. After all, I am lying in the middle of the street in the heart of New York City—what else did I expect?

Then something totally unexpected happens. I say a silent thank-you to my horrible orange uniform. I hate it, but I have to admit, it’s got the visibility of a neon sign in the darkness. I hear the sound of brakes, followed by a car door slamming shut. Turning my head to look, I blink and my jaw drops.

Oh. My. God.

It’s taken twenty-two years, but He finally heard my prayers.

He’s here! Superman is here!

Okay, maybe I hit my head and didn’t realize it. I must have hit it really hard because I could swear that standing before me is the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. Besides Superman, of course. This guy’s hotter than all the Marvel and DC superheroes put together.

“My hero,” I whisper as tears begin to fill my eyes and my heart rate accelerates.

“Poor kitten, are you okay?”

“What?” I guess I don’t mind that he’s already using a pet name for me, but isn’t it a little soon? I mean, we barely know each other.

His large green eyes rest on mine and he runs a hand through his thick dark-blond hair. A small wrinkle appears in the middle of his forehead and his eyebrows draw together.

Is he worried about me? My heart beats wildly as a dumb smile appears on my face. I can’t quite decipher the expression on his face, though. Is it fear? Concern? I blink a few more times, trying to focus. Then the truth dawns on me. He’s not concerned about me, he’s really pissed off at me. Superman . . . I think sadly.

“What the hell?” he barks suddenly. His voice is deep and masculine, one of those voices that makes you melt as soon as you hear it. “Be more careful next time!”

My eyebrows rise so high they collide with my hairline. “Are you talking to me?” I stammer, looking around like an idiot as if someone else might be there. Of course there’s no one. It’s just him, me, and the stupid cat. The cat that at this precise instant is rubbing itself against the ankles of my hero. What the fuck?

I watch as he bends over and tenderly gathers up the little monster in his big, capable hands. I’ve never hated anyone as much as I hate that cat right now. He strokes it, then lifts it up and examines it carefully. The crease in his forehead deepens. Taking a deep breath, he holds the cat tighter, turns around, and heads back to his car.

“You can’t just leave me here!” I yell after him. He ignores me. My tears are threatening to spill over now. He opens the gate of his SUV and carefully puts the cat inside.

Then I hear him fiddling around with something. I close my eyes. What’s the point of looking? I just lost my Superman to a cat.

“Can you get up?” His voice is severe. I blink and see him standing in front of me again. So now he’s finally worrying about my health. I glower at him, cross my arms, and nod. “Well, come on, then.” My jaw drops again. “Hurry!” he barks over his shoulder as he heads toward his car.

“No!”

He stops, one foot in midair. “No?” He turns back toward me. It’s clear he wasn’t expecting that answer. His frown deepens. “Would you prefer that I call the police?” he says challengingly. At the word police the blood freezes in my veins.

“Um, what?” I stammer, hoping I’ve heard wrong.

“I’m sure they’ll have something to say about the fact that you were speeding and running red lights. Oh, and that you hit a poor animal on the street.”

“I didn’t hit him!” I reply indignantly.

He shakes his head and exhales an impatient sigh. “You’re either coming with me or I’m calling the police.”

For a few minutes we engage in a Mexican standoff. I feel like I’m confronting one of those alpha males I’ve read about in my romance novels. I know that the first one to look away will be the loser. I have to be strong.

He raises an eyebrow in a silent challenge. He’s clearly telling me I’ve already lost. The fact that I suddenly sneeze, getting snot on the collar of my uniform shirt—as if I hadn’t humiliated myself enough already—proves that it’s not my fault I can’t win. The universe is clearly against me.

Heaving a defeated sigh, I wipe myself clean—so elegantly—using the sleeve of my jacket. I see him wrinkle his nose in disgust, then look away. He turns around again and heads for the car. “Let’s go,” he orders.

With a snort I throw my arms in the air. “All right,” I say peevishly as I pull myself to my feet, staggering a little for dramatic effect. I feel like a fragile little fawn entering the big bad wolf’s cave. And yes, I know I’m an idiot. “Wait a minute, I can’t leave the scooter here!”

He stops again and slowly turns back to me. I can see a vein pulsing angrily in his neck. I swallow. Maybe I can leave the goddamn scooter here. But then Mr. Animal-lover passes me without a word, walking over to my scooter. He plucks it up off the road as if it weighs nothing and heads for his car again.

“Anything else, your Highness, or do you think you could finally get into the fucking car?” he asks, his tone curt as he maneuvers the scooter into the back of the SUV.

“Um, I don’t think it will close now,” I babble, pointing at the back gate of the SUV. All I earn for my concern is another annoyed look.

“Get. In. The. Car.”

I hasten to the passenger side and climb in. A glance behind me shows me the cat is in a carrier in the middle of the back seat. It seems weird that a guy would just drive around with a cat carrier in his car, but I’m too intimidated to ask him why.

From the corner of my eye I see that he’s left the back gate open. I told him it wouldn’t close! My lips curve into a small smile of triumph—which rapidly morphs into a grimace of terror when Mr. Animal-lover climbs into the driver’s seat.

“Fasten your seat belt,” he barks in his usual tone which is somewhere between a dog growling and a lion roaring.

I swallow. My palms are sweating and the hairs on my arms slowly rise. I must have hit my head really hard, though, because instead of curling up in the corner of the seat and beginning to cry—something I’m quite good at—I turn toward him, raise my eyebrows and ask, “Are you always this much of an asshole or is it just me?”

I see his jaw go rigid, but he doesn’t respond. Instead, he turns the key, presses on the accelerator, and we drive off. With an irritated snort, I look out my window and watch the city lights slide by. All this time waiting for my very own Superman only to discover that he’s actually a complete asshole.

Author Angela Camilla Pontone

 

Angela Camilla Pontone is a USA Today bestselling author. She lives in Italy, in a town between Rome and Naples. She’s been an avid reader since childhood. She prefers romance, but will gobble up pretty much anything that’s available. She’s always loved history and literature, so she obtained a Master’s Degree in the fields of Italian and Romance Languages, Literatures and Philology, Historical and Musicological Studies, Latin Languages and Literatures, Ancient History, and Archaeology.
Camilla’s secret desire was always to be a writer, but she never had the courage to pursue her dream until her life experiences led her to seek a way out of reality. Now, her dream is to continue to create great stories that her readers will love.

For all the latest news about her books and events, sign up now at https://my.sendinblue.com/users/subscribe/js_id/3t1ws/id/3 to receive Camilla’s newsletter.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook Page / Facebook Group / Instagram / Bookbub

 

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Book Blast and Giveaway ~ Never Enough by Kristina M. Sanchez

Posted: July 8, 2020 in giveaways, Romance
Tags: ,
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Never Enough organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Kristina M. Sanchez will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Never Enough

by Kristina M. Sanchez

Synsopsis

At thirty-seven, Valentin Belmonte returned to his mother’s house with his tail between his legs. No surprise there. His life had been a long line of bad choices, failures, and trouble. Also returning home, freshly graduated and on the hunt for a job, was Mina Toussaint, the orphan Val’s mother and stepfather had taken in when he was already grown. She’d been the only person who’d ever really liked him, but he’d screwed that up a long time ago.

Mina’s adoptive family had treated her like the perfect princess and little girl they always wanted. Val was the only one who’d ever seen her for who she really was; she’d never wanted to be a princess. But after what happened when she was sixteen, she thought she hated him. Now, six years later, things were different. She wasn’t the child she’d been when she got so angry. The trouble was that Val hadn’t changed. He still saw her.

Frankly, he saw too much.

Check out this peek inside:

Mina was coming in the opposite door from the garage, fast-food bags in hand. He stopped. She stopped. They stared at each other.

Christ.

She’d been sixteen the last time they were face to face, her furious and him trying to explain why he had to leave. He’d come home for Christmas once, three years ago, but she’d made an excuse to go home with one of her friends for the holiday break instead.

Running into her wasn’t what stunned him, though. That was expected. What wasn’t expected was, well…

She was stunning. Smoking hot. She was all hourglass curves; plump, perfect breasts; and straight brown hair sticking out from under a beanie. She had her glasses on for once, and that did things to him. His body, his blood, sparked with an awareness that was familiar—he was a red-blooded man, after all—and yet foreign.

About Author Kristina M. Sanchez

Kristina M. Sanchez began her life-long love of writing as a small, insomniac child, making up stories about Bugs Bunny to occupy herself when everyone in the house was asleep. She lives now in Southern California with two cats and an enchanting hurricane—err—toddler. An enchanting, smarty-pants, bewildering toddler. Kristina is an asexual, happily single mother by choice. You might think that’s a weird kind of person to be writing romance novels, but the best science-fiction writers have never been to space, so there you go.

Author Links: Twitter / Facebook / Amazon / Website

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

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

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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