The Novel Lady Interviews Author Nazarea Andrews

Okay, if I start going all fangirl here, please stop me… or hand me a glass of wine.  I can’t drink and talk at the same time and maybe the wine will calm me down.  This month we are interviewing none other than Nazarea Andrews!  (huge smile on my face)

Nazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binge watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids.

N is a self-professed geek and enjoys spending her spare time lost in her favorite fandoms and can often be found babbling about them on social media. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series.

Scherry:  Welcome N! Thanks for joining us here at The Novel Lady.  Tell us a little about yourself and your background? 

Nazarea:  Hey, thank you for having me!! Oh, about meeee…..umm. I’m a mom of three amazing kids and I have an obsession with stories. My first memories are reading with my older brothers, and my mom. I started writing when I was around 11? And never really quit. I play in a lot of different genres, but a pretty consistent theme is falling in love, and every trial and tribulation that comes along with that. 

Scherry:  What do you do when you’re not writing?  Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures? 

Nazarea:  I refuse to feel guilty about the things I take pleasure in—I figure if I feel guilty about it, I won’t enjoy it as much. But—I love binge watching TV. Spending time with my kids—they play softball so we spend a lot of time at the field. And I adore cooking, especially when I don’t have to cook.

Scherry:  When and why did you begin writing?

Nazarea:   When I was 11. I was a quiet shy kid (and adult) and writing was a way for me to find my voice. It remains my favorite way.

As we mentioned, you tend to read a lot! Which writers inspire you? 

Nazarea: Oh man. David & Leigh Eddings were my gateway to fantasy and spec fic, so definitely them. Anne Bishop, Juliet Marillier (Seriously I want to write fairy tales like she does) and Jacqueline Carey are definitely up there.

How would you describe your latest novel? 

Nazarea: It’s a fluffy romance! We haven’t announced much about it, but it’s….fun. It’s fun. And sexy. 

Scherry:  I’m anxious to read it!  What inspired you to write it? 

Nazarea: Like I mentioned, I play in a lot of different sandboxes with my writing. And I love heavy stuff (This Dark Light was one of my favorite projects and it’s very heavy) but I also really like feel good stories that make me smile. I feel like we could all use a little more of those right now, so. *shrug*

Scherry:  If you had to write this one all over again, go through the whole editing and publishing process from the beginning again, is there anything you would do differently. 

Nazarea: Probably not? I’m pretty happy with it.

Scherry: Are you a plotter and know what’s going to happen or are you a pantser that lets your characters lead the way? 

Nazarea: Little bit of both. I know general plot points, and I do have an outline, but I listen to my characters—it’s their story, I’m just helping them tell it. So if they go off plot, I generally throw the outline out and follow their lead.

Scherry:  How much research did you do for your latest novel? 

Nazarea: A fair bit. Its got a cop in it so I had a lot of phone calls to my youngest brother, who is a cop, and a lot of research into drinks.

Scherry: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever researched for one of your books? Nazarea: Pandemics and the decomposition of bodies in water. Oh, and the nuclear fallout if Atlanta were bombed.

Scherry:  Wow! Makes you wonder what would happen if Homeland Security ever confiscated your computer!  *chuckling*  How long does it normally take you to write a book?

Nazarea: About six weeks to draft.

Scherry: Thinking about the characters in your books…  Do you have a favorite?  Which one would you most like to go have a glass of wine with… or wake up next to? Nazarea: Ooh. Parker Lee is my favorite (Personal Apoacalypse and Black Hole Infection). He’s such a broken character and he tries so damn hard. Wine….I think I’d probably sit down with Gwen from GIRL LOST. She’s batshit crazy and I think she’d be fun to talk to. As for waking up next to….Finn from The World Without a Future. I mean, Ren might shoot me, but seriously? Totally worth it.

Scherry: Have you ever based your book or characters on actual events or people from your own life? 

Nazarea: No. I think the closest was—I plotted and started writing THIS DARK LIGHT about a week before my oldest brother died unexpectedly. I knew going into it the book was going to be about grief and mourning and the different ways we do that. So it was definitely not inspired by or pulled from real life, but my grief and mourning to filter into the book.

Scherry: So, say you got arrested.  What’s the most likely reason the cops are carting you off to jail?

Nazarea: Public drunkenness or public indecency.

Scherry: What is next for you?  Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?Nazarea: Fireball is coming Feb 27^th, and then some other exciting things this year. It’s a good year we’ve got planned.

Scherry: Thank you so much for joining us here at The Novel Lady!  I’m looking forward to seeing you at Coastal Magic in February!

Nazarea: Thanks so much for having me!!

If you would like to meet Nazarea Andrews in person, stop by the Coastal Magic 
Convention in Daytona Beach in February 2018.  N is one of our favorite Featured 
Authors.  For more information about #CMCon2018, check out the web page at  www.coastalmagicconvention.com.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Street Team | Tumblr | N + Arei

Here are a couple of Nazarea Andrews' recent releases.  Check out her web page for more!

When Ethan is called home for an unexpected wedding, all he can think about is the well-meaning women in his life trying to set him up with someone that will entice him to move back Texas. Settle down and get married and live a nice quiet life.
Which is why he ends up asking Spencer, his best friend and roommate, to go as his date. Never mind that they aren’t dating, that Spence is definitely not interested in dating—his sisters have heard enough about him over the years that they might buy it. 
A week at home, pretending to date a guy he’s been in love with for three years? What could possibly go wrong?

He’s at the top of the world. 
He’s rich, sought after, and in control. 
And he’s bored. 
A string of one-night stands have left Samul Charming increasingly dissatisfied. When his mother pushes him to settle down, his best friends come up with a brilliant plan: 
Audition the submissives at The Kingdom. 
The problem is, Charm knows who he wants: the only girl to challenge him, while submitting as naturally as breathing. 
But he can’t have her. 
With the entire club watching and his parents expecting him to settle down, Charm decides to settle. 
But love in the Kingdom is never simple and it is never painless. 
And Charm is about to be reminded of that. 
~
It’s the dirtiest fairy tale of all…. 
Charm. Beast. Wolf. 
Everyone in the Kingdom–an exclusive, decadent BDSM club–knows the three friends and business partners. 
But no one has ever gotten close enough to touch them. 
Sex is easy, even when it hurts. It’s all any of them wanted. 
Love is off the table. 
Love is the thing none of them ever saw coming. 
In the Kingdom, control is everything. Who wields it and who surrenders. 
But some things even they can’t control. 
Welcome to the Kingdom, where every happily ever after hurts in the most wicked of ways.

#BookReview - Silver by Ava Lynn Wood

Title: Silver
Author: Ava Lynn Wood
Genre: Romance, Women's Fiction
Release Date: December 14,2017

About the Book:

Vaughn Silver is a rock star. Every woman's wet dream. But Vaughn is tired of fake relationships and using women as nothing more than a distraction. After his latest tour, he decides it's time for a change of scenery. It's time to find out who Vaughn Silver really is and what he wants out of life. Leaving Hollywood in the dust, he tries to uncover the Vaughn Silver he was meant to be. But after months of searching, old habits die hard and the idea of finding a woman to distract him sounds more enticing than ever.

​When Vaughn meets Lorelai, however, all bets are off. She's not his usual eager distraction. She's stubborn and withdrawn and a little cheeky, but there's something deeper. Something that makes Vaughn want to be different, to be someone else. To be Kade Sterling. Kade doesn't have a sordid past. He hasn't defiled hordes of women. Kade is deserving of a woman like Lorelai, his stubborn diner girl. 

​Lorelai Margolis has lived in Sisters all her life. After a failed marriage, Lorelai knows that her sons are the only males she really needs in her life. But that all changes when Kade Sterling walks in. He's charming and funny and quite persistent. But there's a danger there, too. And mystery never led to anything good for her.

​Can their combined pasts lead them to a life of contentment or will the secrets of their past destroy any chance they have for happily ever after?

Buy Links: Amazon 
Barnes & Noble

My Review:

I have to admit that when I first started reading 'Silver' by Ava Lynn Wood I wasn't sure this book was up my alley since I'm not much of a fan for reading about rock stars. Boy, was I wrong! I loved this book and had a hard time putting it down. This is a story about a love that was meant to be! Vaughn Silver was tired of the fake people and unmeaningful lifestyle he had been enduring.  Realizing that as a recovering addict, these people were only making it harder for him to stay away from drugs and alcohol, and realizing that he was simply not happy with his life or the people around him, Vaughn takes off. He drives with no plan on where he is going but somehow ends up in a town called Sisters. After hiding out in a remote cabin for several months, he aches for some human contact. That's when he meets sweet Loralie working at a diner. And that's when Vaughn's life makes a dramatic turn.

Ava Lynn Wood created complex characters who go straight to your heart. This book made me smile and it made me cry. Any author who can get that kind of emotion out of me is an author I will watch in the future.

My Rating:

About the Author:

Ava is an insomniac who writes to calm the voices. When the voices get too loud, stories are formed. 

Ava writes under two pseudonyms - Ava Wood, her young adult pen name and Ava Lynn Wood which she uses for her Adult Contemporary novels.

Ava was born and raised in Texas but got to Florida as quick as she could, enjoying the fresh sea air and summer storms. She believes there is nothing more beautiful than an evening summer light show.

She’s married to the love of her life whom she shares two beautiful daughters and four sweet fur babies. Their marriage is the perfect “North-meets-South” pairing. 

When she’s not writing, Ava can be found chasing her children all over the county, snapping photos of any and everything, visiting one of her local theme parks, or just spending quality time with her family.

To find out the latest about Ava Wood:

Website: www.avawood.net

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorawood

Twitter: @btfl7

Instagram: @btfl7

Tumblr: @authorawood

Book+Main: @AvaLynnWood

#BookReview - Seismic Crimes by Chrys Fey

Title: Seismic Crimes (Disaster Crimes Book 2)
Author: Chrys Fey
Genre: Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Release Date: April 22, 2016

About the Book:

An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer's location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?

Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

Seismic Crimes is Book #2 in Chrys Fey's Disaster Crimes series. I have to say that this book kept me on the edge of my seat and turning those pages without wanting to put the book down even once! Chrys Fey created some amazing characters who were multi-dimensional and very likable. The heroine, Beth Kennedy, is a kick-ass, gutsy lady who teaches a self-defense class. Beth teamed up with Donovan in Book #1 when his car crashed in front of Beth's house in the middle of a hurricane.  Now here they are together again, following up on the murder of Donovan's brother.This time their investigation takes them to California where they get caught in a concrete crumbling garage when a powerful earthquake hits. Add in more bad guys with guns and you have an action-packed thriller that will keep your heart pounding. And the romance is terrific too! Hot and steamy but with all those slow simmering tingles that get your pulse racing.

Gotta say... I loved this book and I love this series!  Highly recommended!

My Rating:

About the Author:

Chrys Fey is the author of the Disaster Crimes Series. When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel. Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. www.ChrysFey.com

~Thrilling and Romantic with Heroines of Steel~

When I was a child, I looked up to strong women – Jo from Little Women, Xena the Warrior Princess, Erin Brockovich, and so many more. I wanted to be just like them, but I was a scrawny thing, shy, and a little nerdy. I felt as far from these strong women as possible. They were lionesses, and I was Dumbo. So when I started to write, it’s no wonder that my first character was my age but was everything I wasn’t. From then on, all of my heroines became what I wish I could be. Beth (from the Disaster Crimes Series) is a kick-ass self-defense instructor. I want to be as physically strong as her. Dani (from 30 Seconds) is smart, sexy, and has a great sense of humor. I want to be as attractive as her.

At the age of fifteen (a day after my birthday), I had spine surgery to correct scoliosis. Now, I have a steel rod screwed into my spine. Years after my surgery, I wrote a personal essay called Woman of Steel. I am a woman of steel, and because all of my characters are tough women, so are they. They are my Heroines of Steel. I can live vicariously through them, and so can my readers.

#BookBlitz & #Giveaway - Beauty and Beastly: Steampunk Beauty and the Beast by Melanie Karsak

Beauty and Beastly: Steampunk Beauty and the Beast
Melanie Karsak
(Steampunk Fairy Tales)
Publication date: December 6th 2017
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, Steampunk

In this tale as old as time, Isabelle Hawking must tinker a solution to a heartbreaking mystery.
When Isabelle Hawking and her papa set out from London on a sea voyage, Isabelle is thrilled. Visiting foreign courts, learning from master tinkers, and studying mechanicals is her dream. And it doesn’t hurt that the trip also offers Isabelle an escape from her overbearing and unwanted suitor, Gerard LeBoeuf.
But Isabelle never arrives. Swept up in a tempest, her ship is lost.
Isabelle survives the storm only to be shipwrecked on a seemingly-deserted island. The magical place, dotted with standing stones, faerie mounds, and a crumbling castle, hints of an ancient past. Isabelle may be an unwilling guest, but her arrival marks a new beginning for the beastly residents of this forgotten land.
See how NY Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak puts a steampunk spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Hello? Is anyone there?”
The sky overhead darkened, and in the distance, I heard the rumble of thunder.
Oh no. No, no, no.
I looked up at the sky. My head swam.
I needed to find shelter.
I turned to go back to the path, but when I did so, I didn’t see the path, nor the ring of mushrooms, nor anything else vaguely familiar.
Once more, the sky rumbled.
I felt the first of the raindrops on my head, but luckily, the thick leaves overhead sheltered me somewhat. As the storm rolled in, the forest grew dark.
I cast a glance around.
It didn’t matter which direction I went. Eventually I would find the shore once more.
Turning to head out, however, I spotted a bluish colored light in the distance. A house? A fire? A lantern? A…something.
“Hello?”
No reply.
Turning, I followed the bluish glow. I headed deeper into the forest, chasing after the light, but soon found its source. It was a mushroom. The glowing mushroom had been sitting on a rise. It had played a trick on my mind. Then I spotted another glowing fungus, then another, and another, all of which held an incandescent blue light. They grew in a straight line. Without a better recourse, and feeling half suspicious of the supernatural, I followed the glow of the blue mushrooms as the rain pattered overhead, the sky rumbling. I followed the blue lights deep into the ancient woods, aware that I was passing other sacred rings. I walked past a mound of earth, a barrow, the final resting place of some ancient person—and some said a passageway to the Otherworld—as I hurried deeper into the woods. Surely I would find the shoreline soon.
Lightning cracked overhead.
Then, on the horizon, I saw golden light. A fire? I squinted my eyes, trying to make out the shape through the trees, but my head ached miserably. Leaning heavily against my staff, I moved toward the golden colored light.
The forest thinned. The glowing mushrooms led me onward toward the glow of the yellow light in the distance. Praying to find someone—anyone—I followed along, well aware that my quick exertion had my stomach rolling. Black spots wriggled before my eyes. The line of mushrooms ended. To my shock, I’d blundered to the center of the island and found myself standing outside the gates of a castle.
I gazed up at the enormous structure. It towered over me, a black silhouette on the horizon. Light glowed through one of the windows in the upper floors. It was raining in earnest now. Not waiting a moment longer, I pushed the gate. It swung open with a creak.
It was pouring.
I leaned my walking staff against a metal bench in the perfectly manicured garden, then grabbing my skirts, I ran for the castle door. As I rushed, lightning flashed. It created an odd illusion on the bushes and flowers around me. For a moment, they all seemed to glimmer like metal under the bright light.
My temples pounded. My stomach rolled. I raced through the heavy rain to the castle door.
Hoping whoever was at home would forgive me for letting myself in, I pushed open the castle door and crept inside.
The place was eerily silent.
“Hello?” I called. “Is anyone here?”
Breathing deeply and quickly, I realized the moment I stopped that I was not well.
I cast a glance toward a roaring fireplace nearby. A chair was seated before the hearth, a glass of something dark sitting beside the seat. I heard a strange clicking sound.
“Hello?” I called again, but this time, my head began to spin. I put my hands on my hips, trying to catch my breath. I closed my eyes. Everything was twirling.
Footsteps approached.
“I-I’m sorry I let myself in but…” I began then opened my eyes.
Standing before me was a massive automaton, its silver eyes staring coldly at me.
A nauseous feeling swept over me, and my head swam. Black spots danced before my eyes.
“Pardon me. I think I’m about to—”
Faint.
But the word was lost.
And so was I.

Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, The Burnt Earth Series, The Celtic Blood Series and Steampunk Fairy Tales. A steampunk connoisseur, zombie whisperer, and heir to the iron throne, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.

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#BookBlitz & #Giveaway - A Shine That Defies the Dark by Jodi Gallegos

A Shine That Defies The Dark
Jodi Gallegos
Published by: Changing Tides Publishing
Publication date: December 5th 2017
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance

Gripping, romantic, and evocative of its time— A Shine that Defies the Dark is a spellbinding story of one woman who will stop at nothing to survive during a tumultuous time in American history.
After a six-year exile, Ophelia Breaux and her mother are overjoyed to return to the Louisiana bayou. But it seems the ghosts of the epic feud that drove them away still haunt Plaquemines Parish, and with the Great Depression sweeping the nation, the two soon find they can’t make ends meet.
Seeing no other option, Ophelia’s mother takes the drastic step of sharing her bed with the town judge in exchange for a reduced rent. The judge has had a life-long obsession with Momma, and Ophelia is desperate to end this arrangement and get her away from him.
When Remy Granger shows up, Ophelia knows it could mean more trouble—and that’s the last thing they need. Handsome and dangerous, he’s the first boy she ever kissed, and a member of the most notorious family in southern Louisiana—but he’s also got an opportunity for fast money in rumrunning. Ophelia goes all in, and it turns out she may have a knack for the business. But she’s going to have to run even faster if she wants to save Momma… dodging the cops, rival gangs, and her traitorous heart at every turn.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

The air was dense with the heat and moisture of late spring in the bayou. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked nearby, and the gentle slush of water slapped against the shore.
The trail was uneven and difficult to traverse in the dark. Dixie and I grasped at each other to keep from falling. The T-strap shoes I’d worn didn’t have a terribly high heel, but my ankles threatened to roll with every step nonetheless. I was sure Dixie’s higher heels would be the end of her if we didn’t find even ground soon.
I lifted the hem of my trumpet skirt, the material thin and ragged. It wouldn’t stand many more repairs. I didn’t want to risk it being snagged by the loose twigs that swiped at us as we followed the dark trail.
The faint sounds of zydeco music drifted on the air and made its way through the trees. A happy chirping melody from an accordion and fiddle filled the night. The tension I’d been carrying floated away with the buoyant melody. My heart began to beat in time to the scratching tempo of the frottoir, and I might have begun dancing right there had my ankles not threatened to roll yet again.
Just as I was about to declare that no moonshine was worth a forced march through gator-infested swamps, the trees opened up and I saw a barn at the edge of a pond. Yellow light seeped through the open doors and between the weathered slats. There were a few cars parked along the structure, as well as in the clearing behind it, and two horses were tied to the low-hanging branches of a tree near the door.
The Granger boys hadn’t so much set up a speakeasy as they’d taken possession of an abandoned barn and opened the doors for anyone willing to take the risk along with them.
“Look, Ophelia, it’s perfect!” Dixie laughed. She grabbed my hand and pulled me through the line of people streaming toward the doors.
I stopped short and pointed to the roof of the barn. “That boy has a gun.”
Simon Carre ambled past me. “There’s two in the trees and one over there, too.” He pointed toward the field, but didn’t stop walking.
Dixie pulled on my hand. “Claude Moret’s gang beat Tully Bishop near to death for settin’ up his own business,” she said. “The Grangers ain’t about to take that chance. Besides, the danger’s what makes it fun.”
Dixie’s enthusiasm was infectious. My reluctance was serving no purpose. As cautious as I’d intended to be during our illegal escapade, apprehension melted away as soon as I passed through the open doors. For the first time in five months, I felt like I was just a girl again. Tonight there was no sadness. My only responsibility was to enjoy life back in the most vibrant place on earth.

Author Bio:
Jodi is a YA writer, black belt, registered nurse and case manager for a busy home health agency. She lives with her husband, three sons and an evolving herd of undisciplined animals in Colorado. She has a well-earned fear of bears, but tolerates the Teddy and Gummy variety. She has been obsessed with books, both reading and writing them, for most of her life and prefers the written word to having actual conversations. The most current projected completion date of her To Be Read book collection is May 17, 2176.

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#BookBlitz & #Giveaway - The Storm by Amanda McKinney

The Storm
Amanda McKinney
(Berry Springs Series)
Publication date: December 5th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

The snow is dropping in Berry Springs… and so are the bodies...
On a pitch-black wintry night, Detective Dean Walker finds a man in the middle of an icy road, with a bullet between his eyes—a murder that is eerily similar to his father’s, which was never solved. Coincidence? No, Dean doesn’t believe in coincidences. He also doesn’t believe in love at first sight, until he meets the victim’s wife.
Psychologist Heidi Novak is hardly settling into her new mansion in the small, country town of Berry Springs, when she receives a late-night visit by the handsome Dean Walker. Seconds after learning that her husband has been murdered, gunshots explode around her and it becomes apparent that she is the next target.
With a massive winter storm looming, Dean races to find the killer and keep Heidi safe, while facing a long a list of suspects, including Heidi’s arrogant sister-in-law and a local, crusty cowboy. As the evidence mounts, Dean becomes more convinced than ever that his father’s murder is connected to the death of Heidi’s husband.
And he can’t help but think . . . will Heidi be the second love he loses to the ice-cold killer?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Dean pulled Dusty from the pen, saddled him up and jumped on.
“Alright buddy, let’s go.” He guided the horse out of the barn and into the dark night. He inhaled the cool winter air as Dusty leisurely stepped into the field.
He loved riding horses—something about it made him feel free; free of worry, free of stress. He closed his eyes for a moment and listened to sounds of the woods around him—the wind whispering through the tall pine trees, the sound of Dusty’s hooves crunching on the icy grass beneath him and the night calls of the thousand different critters that call the Ozark Mountains home. The faint smell of a fire burning somewhere in the distance tickled his nose.
Despite the picturesque surroundings, he looked into the woods and tensed. Usually, being alone on his land cleared his head and gave him a calmness that only the outdoors could provide. But, not tonight. Tonight, the woods seemed ominous in the dark night, with long shadows stretching across the field like fingers reaching to grab a hold of him.
Like someone watching him from the darkness, waiting to grab hold.
He thought of his mother, and the look in her eyes when she asked about Clint Novak. Although it wasn’t said, there was no doubt that she had been thinking the same thing he had been since he looked down at Clint’s body. Could it be the same person? The same person who killed his father six, now seven, years ago?
The thought seemed inconceivable. What was the connection between his father and Clint, and why wait seven years?
It wasn’t just the location of the bullet hole, it was just something in his gut that made him on edge about it. A sixth sense. And, obviously, something in his mother’s gut felt the same way, too.
He pulled Dusty to a stop where just seven years ago—to the day—he and his father were burning brush, right before his father was shot and killed.
He sat still for a moment. His eyes scanned the tree line in the distance—as he had done a million times—trying to put a face to the murderer who killed his father. Was it someone who knew him? Or, was it just pesky trespassers who got a little too trigger happy?
He took a deep breath and slid off the horse.
Flashbacks of holding his dead father in his arms shot like lightning through his head. His fists clenched as he paced the area.
As if Dusty knew what was going on, he bowed his head in grief, and respect for the dead.
Dean tilted his head to the sky, letting the light of the moon wash over him.
He whispered, “I’ll get him, Dad. I’ll get him.”
As tears threatened to sting his eyes, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the bottle of whiskey and took a sip. And, poured a little out for his father, as he did every year on this day.
Anger washed over him, and a renewed determination to catch the bastard that killed his father had him seething. He inhaled deeply, took another swig and looked into the woods.
He’d get the son of a bitch.
As he turned to mount Dusty, something in his gut twisted. A foreboding of something to come.

Author Bio:
Amanda McKinney, author of Sexy, Suspenseful Mysteries wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. When Amanda isn’t tending to her two beautiful boys, she’s hidden behind her computer screen crafting page-turning murder mysteries, peppered with titillating love scenes. Having been born and raised in the south, Amanda’s books are set in small, country towns and reflect southern culture at its finest.
Amanda’s debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY, was released in January 2017, followed by the first two books in the BERRY SPRINGS SERIES, THE WOODS and THE LAKE. The third book in the series, THE STORM is scheduled to be released in the Winter of 2017.

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#BookBlitz & #Giveaway - Christmas in Atlantis by Alyssa Day

Christmas in Atlantis
Alyssa Day
(Poseidon’s Warriors)
Publication date: December 4th 2017
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

The Gift of the Magi…in Atlantis
A tortured warrior…
Warrior-turned-pirate Dare is the black sheep of all Atlantis. He enraged Poseidon, the sea god, so much that Dare had to forfeit his ship and the water spirit who inhabits it. For Dare, being denied the ocean is worse than death…until he comes home to a woman who drowns him in waves of hunger more powerful than the sea. But black sheep and scoundrels can never deserve love, even during the magic of the first Christmas in Atlantis.
An artist who sees the world through song…
After the accident that killed her parents and blinded her, Lyric discovered she had a special gift—that of song sight. She now sees the world in her own unique way, and her paintings are full of light and magic. When the Atlantean warrior she’s fallen in love with takes her to his home in Atlantis, she finds a rare magical artifact that could change her world forever. Or it could deliver to Dare the thing he most desires.
Atlantis’s first Christmas is coming…
It’s the season of miracles in Atlantis. A chance to make wishes come true. And when Lyric tells her new Atlantean friends O Henry’s story The Gift of the Magi, the world—and Lyric and Dare—may never be the same.
*Warning: This book contains magic, song sight, Atlantis, Poseidon, the gift of the magi, pirates, a king and queen, sibling rivalry, a black sheep, bad boys, warriors, paranormal romance, fantasy, Christmas decorations, holiday spiked eggnog, smugglers, ancient artifacts, romance, kisses, and a happily ever after. Read at your own risk!

Goodreads / Amazon / iBooks

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EXCERPT:

“Time to close up shop.” Lyric turned toward the door, but before she even took a first step, it crashed open.
“I think I need your help,”
It was Dare; she knew him instantly. She could smell the sharp sent of wind and sky and saltwater that was uniquely his; she could pick his voice out of a thousand others.
“Dare?” She started toward him. “Are you–”
“I think I need –”
A heavy thud was the only conclusion to his sentence. He’d collapsed. She rushed over and knelt down beside him. She reached for his pulse, her fingers finding their way to the spot. His pulse was there; strong and reassuring. He was soaking wet, though; his skin was icy cold and he was shivering violently.
“Dare? Dare? What happened?”
He didn’t answer. Maybe he couldn’t answer. And of course she couldn’t see him, so she couldn’t even guess how badly he was hurt.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and told it to call Dr. Miller.
No. She pressed END CALL.
“Call 911.”
No pirates were going to die on her watch.

Author Bio:
Alyssa Day is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels filled with kissing, laughter, mystery and magic. Alyssa’s paranormal series include the Poseidon’s Warriors and Cardinal Witches paranormal romances and the Tiger’s Eye Mysteries paranormal mysteries. Her many awards include Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for outstanding romance fiction, and the RT Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Paranormal Romance novel of 2012. Her books have been translated into a zillion languages, but she’s still holding out for Klingon.
You can hang out with her on Facebook and Twitter where she talks about her rescue dogs and her future pug ranch, and her blog, where she talks openly about her struggles with depression and hosts Mental Health Check In Fridays (www.alyssaday.com/blog).
She currently lives somewhere near an ocean with her Navy Guy husband, two kids, and any number of rescue dogs.

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Book Review - A Christmas Masquerade by Melissa H. North

Title:  A Christmas Masquerade
Author:  Melissa H. North
Genre:  Fiction, Steampunk, Holiday
Release Date:  October 15, 2017

About the Book:

A Christmas Masquerade is a short story.

Kingsley Radcliffe lives every day like it is Christmas, going out of his way to help those less fortunate than himself. But when a mysterious gift arrives on his doorstep with only a riddle inside, Kingsley along with his friend Ezra and his dog, Droolious, must unravel the clues to find the mysterious Christmas riddler.

Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

Here it is the first day of December, so I thought I'd try to get in as many holiday reads as possible before all the confusion and madness starts.  A Christmas Masquerade was a delightful quick read. The story is quite short but Melissa H. North filled those pages with love, humor, goodness and Christmas spirit. This was Christmas Steampunk at its finest, and it certainly put me in the Christmas spirit. Portions of the story almost read like Charles Dickens, but with a definite twist.

Kingsley Radcliffe is a man with a heart of gold, a man who lives the Christmas spirit each and every day. When he receives a mysterious Christmas gift containing a riddle, he and his friend Ezra and Ezra's dog, Droolious (Gosh, I love that name for a dog!), embark on a scavenger hunt that takes them on a Christmas Eve adventure, stopping from time to time to provide Christmas cheer to others. No spoilers here as to where they end up, but the journey was fun and eventful and the outcome was delightful. I was sorry that this story ended so quickly because I was so enjoying reading it. Melissa H. North created a beautifully constructed world with descriptions that allowed this reader to visualize everything as if I was right there, making me feel the warmth and compassion of someone with a true Christmas heart and a bit of humor with the steampunk additives and delightful names of people and places. And that's difficult to do with such a short story! Congratulations to a very talented author.  A Christmas Masquerade was the first book I've read from this author, but I certainly intend to read more from her.

Disclosure:  A complimentary copy was provided by the author and Reader's Favorites in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

My Rating:

#BookReview - Not All Cowboys are Cruel by Angelica Hart

Title:  Not All Cowboys Are Cruel: A Baxter Homestead Romance
Author:  Angelica Hart
Genre:  Historical Romance, Western
Release Date:  August 17, 2017

About the Book:

When life has taken all you have, will there be enough left over to love?

Grace Isabella Lee is a woman on the run - from the past, from the lies, and from the ever-growing sense that she just ain't good enough to love. Matthew is a cowboy with a secret, who knows without doubt that anyone he loves will be taken from him, just as was his wife.

When Grace falls upon ruffians intent on defiling her, she all but gives up. But Matthew is her guardian angel, and soon becomes much more. Working together on the Baxter homestead, they will discover new truths - about themselves, about each other, and about the world itself.

Together, they reignite the fires of once-banked loves. Together, Grace and Matthew will find their way to safety, to happiness, and to love. 

Grace will teach him that he is more of a man than he ever thought, and Matthew will teach her that she CAN love again... because not all cowboys are cruel.

Buy Links: Amazon 

My Review:

Not All Cowboys are Cruel is a story about a young woman who has endured the worst of hardships. Desperate times call for desperate measures and Grace is forced to do whatever is necessary to allow her father and her to survive, even if that means working for the woman at the saloon. When her offer of work is rejected, Grace doesn't think her life could possibly get any harder. But it does. As she walked back to the handcart where she left her father, she is attacked by three ruffian's. That's when a lone stranger comes to her rescue. The story gets more intriguing as we discover more about the family Grace goes to work for, and as we discover who Matthew really is.

Angelica Hart tells an exciting story of hardships and hero's and how strong one young woman can be. The romance unfolded nicely but I had a difficult time connecting with some of the characters.  I couldn't quite grasp the personality of Matthew. He was frequently thinking about Grace, but was still so emotionally connected to his former wife that he actually shed tears, which made the romance with Grace slightly unbelievable. Then there was Clayton, one of those characters that you love to hate. He was just about as evil as a man could be and I could easily envision him. But I loved his mother! She was quite a character and what she had to say near the end of the story was terrific. Not All Cowboys are Cruel had a nice ending.

Disclosure:  A complimentary copy was provided by the author and Reader's Favorites in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.

My Rating:

About the Author:

Angelica Hart is the pen name of a fairly well-known author who reads a lot and writes even more. 

She lives with her family in her home in her city in her country in a world that belongs to us all.

Follow her through Twitter @AHartAuthor or on Facebook at facebook.com/AngelicaHartAuthor.

You can also sign up to be one of Angie's Friends (and get deals and free stuff!) at http://eepurl.com/cXYnXH.