Review- DEAD GIRL RUNNING By Christina Dodd-5*

Title: Dead Girl Running
Series: Cape Charade #1

Author: Christina Dodd

Genre: Thriller Suspense

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: HQN Books

(Apr 24, 2018)

Hardback: 336 pages

ISBN: 978-1335017437

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

I have three confessions to make:
1. I've got the scar of a gunshot on my forehead.
2. I don't remember an entire year of my life.
3. My name is Kellen Adams...and that's half a lie.

Girl running...from a year she can't remember, from a husband she prays is dead, from homelessness and fear. Tough, capable Kellen Adams takes a job as assistant manager of a remote vacation resort on the North Pacific Coast. There, amid the towering storms and the lashing waves, she hopes to find sanctuary. But when she discovers a woman's dead and mutilated body, she's soon trying to keep her own secrets while investigating first one murder...then another. 

Now every guest and employee is a suspect. Every friendly face a mask. Every kind word a lie. Kellen's driven to defend her job, her friends and the place she's come to call home. Yet she wonders--with the scar of a gunshot on her forehead and amnesia that leaves her unsure of her own past, could the killer be staring her in the face?

I've read oodles of Dodd's books over the years and this one did not disappoint. It was a good solid thriller that kept me guessing most of the book. Many neat twists that added to my enjoyment and had me sure I'd figured "it" out. Only to a small measure. This is one of those books you need to start really early on a day that you can devote your entire day/night to as you will be unable to leave it unfinished. Several reviewers mentioned a cliffhanger but I felt the ending just was a promise of more to come.
I throughly enjoyed the gothic feel of the resort and the descriptive presentation of this remote area of the North Pacific Coast. With both the mysterious past of Kellen's and trying to determine the who and why of the murder, you get a double mystery that will occupy your mind each time you lay the book down so prepare for a late night once you get solidly into this twisty tale. 

Go HERE for an excerpt of DEAD GIRL RUNNING.

Review & Excerpt Tour For NIKAN REBUILT By Scarlett Cole

Does the past ever really stay in the past? Find out in Scarlett Cole’s NIKAN REBUILT, the steamy, third standalone in her rockstar romance series, Preload. After years of no contact, Nik and first love Jenny’s connection still blazes between them. Will they have their second chance at love? Or will the weight of their past crush their future together?

Don’t know about you, but we love a great Rockstar romance. And Scarlett Cole knows how to write a great Rockstar romance. We are excited to share with you NIKAN REBUILT, book three in Cole’s Preload series. Follow the tour for reviews, excerpts, and enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card + ebook copies of JORDAN RECLAIMED and ELLIOTT REDEEMED!

Title: Nikan Rebuilt

Author: Scarlett Cole

Series: Preload #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 2, 2018

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press SWERVE

Format: Digital and Paperback

From the queen of heart-pounding, sexy, emotional romance Scarlett Cole comes Nikan Rebuilt, the next novel in the Preload series.
Does the past ever really stay in the past?                                        
Nikan can never be complete. He's got a rock group made up of the family he built for himself, more money than he knows what to do with, and a stream of groupies falling over themselves to date him. But none of them are her. The one regret that still plagues him, still taunts him with what he could have had.

Jenny is a survivor. Now running a group home after overcoming life in a cult lead by her manipulative father and watching her mother drink the poison he fed his followers, she fights to keep the light in the eyes of every boy who walks through her doors. Far from simple young love, Nik taught her to trust, showed her how good life could be. Before he formed the band. Before he became a famous rockstar. Before he destroyed it all. A chance meeting after years of no contact shows the connection still blazes between them. But will they have their second chance at love? Or will the weight of their past crush their future together?

Buy Now: Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | iBooks | Chapters Indigo

Amazon → http://amzn.to/2yIWdAw

Amazon UK → http://amzn.to/2y3oLp1

B&N → http://bit.ly/2z5msRw

iBooks → http://apple.co/2A1Sc82

Chapters Indigo → http://bit.ly/2zl2C5Q

NIKAN REBUILT Excerpt

Copyright © 2017 Scarlett Cole

Sonali Dev's A DISTANT HEART Blog Tour & Giveaway

Celebrate the Release of A DISTANT HEART! 

Infused with the rhythms of life in modern-day India, acclaimed author Sonali Dev’s candid, rewarding novel beautifully evokes all the complexities of the human heart in A DISTANT HEART. 
“Searingly asks its characters what they’re willing to do for the people they love… explores family dynamics, class issues, and many layers of guilt, hope, and determination in ways that are both distinctly Indian and universally luminous. Another beautiful, breathtaking novel from a not-to-be-missed author.” – Kirkus, STARRED Review

Add A DISTANT HEART to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get an EXCLUSIVE first look and enter the giveaway for a prize pack from Sonali that includes a $50 Amazon gift card and print copies of A Bollywood Affair and A Change of Heart!

Title: A Distant Heart

Author: Sonali Dev

Genre: Romantic Women’s Fiction

Release Date: December 26, 2017

Publisher: Kensington

Page Count: 100k

Print ISBN: 978-1496705761

Digital ISBN: B06XZR97YK

Her name means “miracle” in Sanskrit, and to her parents, that’s exactly what Kimaya is. The first baby to survive after several miscarriages, Kimi grows up in a mansion at the top of Mumbai’s Pali Hill, surrounded by love and privilege. But at eleven years old, she develops a rare illness that requires her to be confined to a germ-free ivory tower in her home, with only the Arabian Sea churning outside her window for company. . . . Until one person dares venture into her world.

Tasked at fourteen years old with supporting his family, Rahul Savant shows up to wash Kimi’s windows, and an unlikely friendship develops across the plastic curtain of her isolation room. As years pass, Rahul becomes Kimi’s eyes to the outside world–and she becomes his inspiration to better himself by enrolling in the police force. But when a life-saving heart transplant offers the chance of a real future, both must face all that ties them together and keeps them apart.

As Kimi anticipates a new life, Rahul struggles with loving someone he may yet lose. And when his investigation into an organ black market ring run by a sociopathic gang lord exposes dangerous secrets that cut too close to home, only Rahul’s deep, abiding connection with Kimi can keep her safe–and reveal the true meaning of courage, loss, and second chances.

Infused with the rhythms of life in modern-day India, acclaimed author Sonali Dev’s candid, rewarding novel beautifully evokes all the complexities of the human heart.

Available at:

Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, BAM, IndieBound, Walmart, Hudson Bookseller

Enter the giveaway for a prize pack from Sonali that includes a $50 Amazon gift card and print copies of A Bollywood Affair and A Change of Heart!

A Distant Heart Excerpt

Copyright © 2017 Sonali Dev

Blog Tour For CROSSTOWN By Loren Cooper

CrossTown

Loren W Cooper

Genre: Fantasy/SF

Publisher: Red Hen Books

Date of Publication: Nov 14, 2017

ISBN: 978-1939096029

Number of pages: 340

Word Count: 95000

Cover Artist: Red Hen Staff Artist

 CrossTown is the crossroads of possibility.

Zethus is a sorcerer―a self-described spiritual thug for hire. He makes his living in CrossTown, a place where the manyworld hypothesis of modern physics manifests itself, where possibilities and probabilities overlap.

Caught up in a web of intrigue as he investigates the death of his master, Corvinus, and pursued by agents that want to erase all knowledge of Corvinus’ work, Zethus discovers that the key to his master’s murder lies in the last project he had pursued before his death. The roots of this project lie deep in the past, at the origin of CrossTown’s fractured reality.

Once he understands the stakes, Zethus must make the dangerous journey to the cradle of history. The price he must pay to find the answers he seeks will threaten everything he holds dear―including his own humanity.

“Beware the road outside your front door, for it is all at once old friend and passing stranger.” –CrossTown

“A sorcerer explores the frontier of theoretical physics.” Publisher’s Weekly

BN     Amazon     Thrift Books     Wal-Mart     Target

Excerpt:

Roads and

streets run like veins and arteries through the beating heart of CrossTown.  Each runs through all manner of distant and

not-so-distant possibilities. 

            There's a theory in modern physics

that posits a universe for every decision we make.  Each time we choose, right or left, high or

low, vanilla or chocolate, we split into separate universes.  A vanilla me here, a chocolate me there, a

rocky road with pistachio me somewhere else, and some poor lactose intolerant

me further down the line.  The dominant

me is my subjective reality.  In

CrossTown, the probable mes collapse into the dominant wave, but all those

wandering Ways continually wash other alternate lives, lives meant to be lived

in CrossTown, up on its jagged shores.

The names of

roads are choices; the turning and branching of roads are choices; roads are physical

manifestations of their builders’ decisions…

            Everywhere,

every place and every time where man or something like him has lived, roads run

into one another, branch, disappear here and reappear over there as if they

were quantum tunneling.  They run, meet, part,

cross again, and form a bewildering Mandelbrot set of linked probabilities.

            Beware the road outside your front

door, for it is both old friend and passing stranger.

            All those choices, all hooked

together, comprise a vast sea of possibility. 

A knowledgeable traveler can ride the currents in that sea to unimagined

destinations…

            CrossTown is the crossroads of

probability.

Loren W Cooper is the author of four novels, one short story collection and one nonfiction work. He has won the NESFA in 1998 and the EPPIE for Best Anthology in 2001. He is married with two daughters. He currently lives in Cedar Rapids Iowa. Favorite authors include Zelazny, Hammet, Steakley, and Catton. Loren Currently works for Hewlett-Packard.

www.lorencooper.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/651330.Loren_W_Cooper

https://twitter.com/CrossTownauth

https://www.facebook.com/WanderWays

Vices and Virtues: An anthology of the Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Dark Virtues & Giveaway

Vices and Virtues

An Anthology of the Seven Deadly Sins

and Seven Dark Virtues

Genres: Horror, Supernatural,

Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Suspense/Thriller

 Because sometimes, the virtuous are as frightening as the sinful…

Sins will weave you into their

webs. They become the Vice you’re unable to shake. 

There are the values, taught

from birth, which ride a razor’s edge. They turn into

 Dark Virtues, a twisted

mockery of their true meaning.

Pride, envy, lust, gluttony,

anger, greed and sloth all have their place in the 

tapestry of life. They are

the Vices who lost sight of the Virtues: 

charity, temperance, forgiveness,

humility, kindness, chastity and diligence.

Enter the worlds where the tales

of the most sinful of Vices and the darkest of 

Virtues will entice and intrigue you…

…for even among the most devout

there is a dark side.

Amazon

SINS OF THE FLESH (Gluttony)

BY STACEY BROADBENT

It was a balmy Spring evening when I first discovered

 a taste for human flesh. It was a happy accident

really. After having my heart broken one too many times, 

I'd abstained from any

type of physical relationship with a man for years, 

so when one fell in my lap,

it came as quite the surprise.

EXCERPT SINS OF THE FLESH:

Throwing

caution to the wind, I slipped my feet into a pair of runners and walked down

the road, telling myself it was to clear my mind. But really, I was on the prowl

for fresh meat. Someone vulnerable—easy prey. I had to be smart about it; it

was broad daylight after all.

Every

person who walked past became a possible target. In my mind’s eye, I pictured a

computer log for each one, listing their attributes. Having limited knowledge

on the ins and outs of cannibalism, I had no idea what the perfect body type

was for consumption. Would it matter if they were male or female? Was it better

if they were lean and muscular, or was a layer of padding more flavourful? How

was I to choose?

Turns

out, I didn’t need to think about it at all. On my walk back home, I was

knocked off my feet by a man out for a jog. He’d been too busy flicking through

the playlist on his phone to see me, and by the time we’d both looked up, it was

too late. We collided, my forehead into his chin and mouth. My hands

automatically went up, pressing against his chest and sending us both bouncing

off each other, landing on our behinds. Apologising profusely, he offered me

his hand and pulled me to my feet. The impact had left a red egg on my head and

skinned my palms raw. He, however, came across a little worse for wear,

sporting a newly chipped tooth, and fat, bleeding lip. As soon as I got a whiff

of the blood on his breath, I knew, he was the one.

I

pointed to my house across the street, inviting him in to clean up while he

called the emergency dentist. It was the least I could do.

Ushering

him into the bathroom, I had him perch on the edge of the bath while I rummaged

through the cabinet for the first aid kit. I needed to knock him out somehow.

There was no way I could do this without it… unless…

About Stacey Broadbent:

Stacey lives in Ashburton, New
Zealand, with her husband and three children. An avid reader and self-confessed
book-a-holic, she has always had a love of the written word, so it was only a
matter of time before she took pen to paper and began on her writing journey.
Stacey is a multi-genre author, with books from light-hearted comedies to
zombie thrillers. She is also part of the writing duo 'The Ink Slinging
Sisters' with friend S.K. Lessner. You can often find her lurking on social
media so don't be afraid to reach out and have a chat.

Website:  http://www.staceybroadbent.weebly.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StaceyBroadbentAuthor

Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/BStayc

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorstaceybroadbent/

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cULu_f

A MILLION CLAY WOLVES (Greed)

BY AMBER K. BRYANT

Living in a squalid encampment in
the shadows of a towering city, a young woman able to endow objects with magical powers struggles with her brother's growing determination to use her
gift for his own selfish means.

EXCERPT A MILLION CLAY WOLVES :

“Do

you remember Jamey? Has a tattoo of a whale on his right arm, wears a red and

white striped tank top—Sound familiar?”

Mora nodded. “He juggled knives and guns.”

“That’s

right. Jamey is my boyfriend and we’re very happy, only… He has this crazy idea

that he should give up the troop, join the army instead. He thinks it would

provide a better life for us, but he’s wrong. This is the only life I want and

I don’t want it to change. I need you to change his mind.”

“What?” She took a step away from Dare. “I… I can’t do that!”

“You

don’t realize it, but you can. I saw it in you. The ability to endow magic. You

just needed a jumpstart, and yesterday…” she pointed to the feather, “I gave it

to you.”

Mora stared at the feather, still crumpled in her hand.

“Tell

the feather that Jamey’s place is with me. In the troop. Tell the feather it

needs to change Jamey’s mind. Go on.”

Mora

lifted the feather halfway to her face, then paused. This would never work.

Clearly circus life had taken its toll on Dare’s mental health. Or perhaps

unstable people were attracted to the quirky life the troop seemed to lead. It

was silly to give in to Dare’s demands. Then again, if she didn’t do it,

perhaps Dare would become so angry, she’d bust out of her purple corset and

become a rage-fueled She-Hulk. Perhaps the simplest way out of this situation

was to tell the feather to become a mind-changer and then get the hell out of

there.

“Fine,

whatever.” She brought the feather to her lips and blew words into it. “Change

Jamey’s mind. Make him stay. Oh!” She jumped as a tingling sensation moved

through her body, from the soles of her feet up her legs and spine, then out to

the tips of her fingers and into the feather. “What… what just happened.”

Dare’s

face went back to its friendly older sister mode. “Exactly what I thought

would. Thank you, Mora.” She took the feather back from Mora and pinned it into

her dark, shimmering hair. “Wiser people than me would tell you to be careful

with this gift of yours. Magic can be used for good or for evil. It doesn’t

care which, most of the time.”

Confused,

Mora toyed with a stray thread from the hem of her t-shirt. “But you’re… not

telling me to be careful?”

Dare

grasped Mora’s chin and tilted it so their eyes met. “We don’t find out what

we’re capable of through advice.” She gave Mora’s face a tiny squeeze and then

let her go. “Trial and error, darlin’."

About Amber K Bryant:

Amber K. Bryant is an

award-winning author and a librarian living deep within Sasquatch territory in

Washington State. She has co-authored a short story with R. L. Stine, won a

Watty for her novella UNSEEN, and won three contests judged by Margaret Atwood.

When not glued to her keyboard, Amber can be found spending time with her

husband and son, hiking, gardening, and searching in vain for the illusive

Sasquatch.

Website:  https://www.wattpad.com/user/amberkbryant

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amberkbryantauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amberkbryant

CONFESSIONS OF AN HONEST MAN (Chastity)

BY CYRIL BUNT

When I was thirteen I took my
oath, I never broke it. But apparently, I broke many others.

About Cyril Blunt:

My name is Cyril and I'm 32. I've
loved writing since I was very young and so I try to create believe lies, one
day I hope to be good enough to make a living from writing.

Website:  https://www.wattpad.com/user/cyrilbunt

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cyril_bunt

DO NO HARM (Charity)

BY J.M. BUTLER

What if someone offered you
exactly what you needed?

Ethics and vampirism hardly go together,
and Aestan has concluded he is trapped between two bad situations. A chance
meeting with his neighbor Summer changes everything as she offers the solution
to his problems. He can have her blood. She's more than happy to give it if it
keeps him from robbing blood banks or killing people. Though at first he is
relieved, he soon realizes that even what is freely given may yet have
consequences he does not desire.

Blog Tour & Giveaway For TAKEN BY A HIGHLAND LAIRD By Sky Purington

Taken by a Highland Laird

The MacLomain Series #2

A New Beginning

Sky Purington       

Genre:  Time Travel Fantasy Romance

Date of Publication:  December 18th, 2017

ASIN: B075R825PZ

Number of pages:  280

Word Count:  87,500

Cover Artist:  Tara West

The last thing Lindsay expects when she visits Milly’s home in New Hampshire is to be thrust back in time to thirteenth century Scotland days before the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Worse yet, captured by the English. Using her wits and ability to wrap men around her little finger, she survives long enough to be rescued by a band of Scotsmen. One of them, a rigid Highland chieftain determined to protect his country, rarely lets her out of his sight. A man, as it turns out, who is immune to her allure…or so it seems.

From the moment Clan MacLomain decides to save Scotland’s history, Laird Conall Hamilton knows he needs to be part of it. What he does not foresee is a beautiful twenty-first century actress crossing his path. More so, that they end up caught in an obligatory kiss that sparks an infamous battle. A kiss, as Fate would have it, that takes them on an adventure through time to both the Action at Earnside Skirmish and the Action at Happrew.

Joining first Sir William Wallace then King Robert the Bruce, Conall and Lindsay end up on a journey that will leave neither unscathed. Though determined to keep each other at arm’s length, desire simmers, reeling them ever closer. Inner demons are faced as they navigate a powerful connection neither saw coming. A bond so intense and passionate that it might very well help them defeat the enemy and save a nation.

Amazon      

Excerpt #1