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Monday, March 16, 2015

Three Days to Forever by Lauren Carr


 
 
 
 
 
About the Book:
 
Title: Three Days to Forever
Author: Lauren Carr
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Pages: 466
Genre: Mystery
Format: Paperback/Kindle

In this latest Mac Faraday Mystery from best-selling mystery author Lauren Carr, readers will embark on a rollercoaster adventure with old friends (including the Lovers in Crime team of Prosecutor Joshua Thornton and Homicide Detective Cameron Gates), but also meet new ones as Mac Faraday’s daughter Jessica Faraday and Joshua Thornton’s son Murphy Thornton join the team in the race to get the love birds to the altar!

 

With three days left to the year, Deep Creek Lake is hopping with holiday vacationers and wedding guests pouring into the Spencer Inn for Mac Faraday and Archie Monday’s huge wedding ceremony which is being touted as the social event of the year.

 

But droopy flowers and guests who failed to RSVP are the least of Mac’s and Archie’s problems when a professional hit squad hits Spencer Manor to send the groom, Joshua Thornton, Archie’s mother, and Gnarly running for their lives.

 

With time running out to the big day, Mac Faraday and Spencer’s small police force have to sort through the clues to figure out not only who has been targeted for assassination, but also who is determined to stop everything … FOREVER!

 

“Lauren Carr’s mystery novels are indeed one of my go-tos when I’m looking for a good whodunit.” –Reviewer: Shana Benedict, ABookVacation Book Reviews.

 

“Lauren Carr does a good job of moving the quirky storyline along nicely with an abundance of witty dialogue.  And you have no idea who the good guys are and who the bad guys are until the end." - Reviewer: Every Free Chance Book Reviews.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

  • Three Days to Forever is available at Amazon.
  • Watch the book trailer at YouTube.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
What I Thought:
 
As always, Lauren Carr delivers a thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat.  This book is a little different than her others, it deals with terrorism.  It was filled with all of Lauren's great characters in a wonderful setting. This one will keep you guessing till the end, because there are so many bad guys, you just don't know who is responsible.  This was a great installment in the Mac Faraday series.
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.



Book Excerpt:

How many years have I lived here, and I still don’t know where Archie puts the scissors?

 

After closing the drawer in the nightstand on his side of the bed, Mac gave up and twisted around to grasp the designer tag hanging from under his armpit. Hoping to not tear a hole in the new blue sweater that his daughter, Jessica, had given him for Christmas, he gave it a sharp tug.

 

The tag gave way, but the plastic “do-hickey” that kept it attached to the sweater didn’t.

 

Rats!

 

From where he was sprawled out in the center of the bed, Gnarly cocked his head at him.

 

“I don’t suppose you could bite it off without putting a hole in this sweater, huh, Gnarly?”

 

Mac studied the label he had torn off. Dolce & Gabbana.

 

Never heard of them. But if Jessica bought it, it has to be expensive, and she’ll have a fit if I put a hole in it. Mac went into the master bathroom in search of nail clippers.

 

Gnarly’s bark, and then his jump between the bed and the door, prompted Mac to forget the do-hickey hanging under his armpit. After grabbing his gun from the drawer in the nightstand, he followed Gnarly down the stairs to the two-

story foyer, out the cut-glass front door, and onto the front porch. Mac clutched his weapon behind his back. When Gnarly, sitting at his side, uttered a low growl, Mac tightened his grip and watched the sedan slowly make its way around the circular driveway before coming to a halt at the bottom of the porch steps.

 

When the elderly driver stepped out of the car, Mac placed her and the car.

 

Agnes Douglas. Archie’s mother.

 

No wonder Gnarly had growled. He never had liked her very much ... and the feeling was mutual.

 

Shoving aside his fears about the safety of Archie, his family, and their friends, Mac forced a wide grin onto his face.

 

After shoving the gun into the back waistband of his pants and covering it up with his sweater, he hurried down the steps to take the white-haired woman into his arms. Like her only daughter, she was petite. She fell two inches short of five feet tall, and Mac had to bend over to hug her. In her heavy dark blue winter coat and thick snow boots, she resembled a blue snow man.

 

Shouldn’t she be with Archie and the bridesmaids getting their hair done at the salon? Oh well, Agnes goes and does what she wants when she wants. Best not to question.

 

“Agnes, I’m so glad to see you.” Mac clasped her arm, slipped his other arm around her waist, and guided her across the slick ice, up the steps, and inside.

 

At the top of the steps, Gnarly backed away. Agnes had made it quite clear to Gnarly that he was only allowed to look at, but not touch, her.

 

“I told her that I had one of my headaches.” At the top of the porch steps, she turned to Mac. She tilted her head back to peer up at him from over the top of her glasses. She paused to look him up and then down, and then she noticed that he was wearing only his bedroom slippers without any socks. “What are you doing outside in two feet of snow and ice without boots on?”

 

“I heard you coming and didn’t want you to slip on the ice.”

 

Agnes’ head bobbed up and down while she chastised him. “Do I look like I need your help? I haven’t broken a hip yet. Archie depends on you. What good are you going to do her dropping dead from pneumonia?”

 

Unable to come up with an answer, Mac shrugged.

 

Willing Gnarly out of her way, she opened the front door.

 

“I hope you have the tea ready.” Grabbing him by the elbow, she ushered him inside. Gnarly was barely able to slip inside before she slammed the door.

 

“Actually,” Mac said as gently as possible, “I was on my way out.”

 

Her head snapped up to glare at him. “What do you mean you were on your way out?”

 

“One of my groomsmen and I have an appointment with the tailor.” Mac looked down at the tiny elderly woman who stood before him in the middle of the living room. She clasped her handbag with both hands in front of her.

 

Like a referee at a boxing match, Gnarly sat between them, looking from one to the other.

 

“Did I do something to upset you, Agnes?”

 

“I think it’s best if we lay out our ground rules before you marry Archie,” she said.

 

Sensing a battle, Mac folded his arms across his chest. He was physically setting up a barrier. “Okay, Agnes. Shoot.”

 

“To be blunt,” Agnes said in a tone devoid of emotion,

 

“I’m giving this marriage five years. Archie refuses to tell me how much you’re paying for this huge three-ring circus, but I hope you’ll think it’s worth it when you only get five years on your investment.”

 

“Five years? Investment?” Mac chuckled. “With all due respect—”

 

Agnes’ hand shot up. She shook her head. “Don’t give me that all-due-respect crap. I’ve had seven children, six boys.

 

Archie’s daddy keeled over with a heart attack when she was only five years old. Since that time, I’ve been ’round the block so much that I wore a rut in it and”—she shook her finger at him—“I learned ages ago that when someone says to me ‘with all due respect,’ they’re not giving me an ounce of it.”

 

“I don’t consider Archie to be an investment,” Mac said through gritted teeth. “And to be blunt, I don’t think you know enough about our relationship to be in a position to make any sort of prediction about the success or lack of success of our marriage.”

 

“Archie has spent the last dozen years of her life hiding out in this mansion, taking care of your mother,” Agnes said.

 

“Then, she’s spent the last few years in your bed. Now,” she glanced him up and down, “you’re a very attractive man, and I’m sure Archie wouldn’t want to marry you if you weren’t good in bed. I’m sure all of that money adds to your appeal, but there’s more to lifelong happiness than sex and money. There’s character, and marriage with a man who has no character—”

 

Mac stepped toward her. “What gives you the right to comment on my character?”

 
As if to voice his agreement, Gnarly barked.
 
 
About the Author
Lauren Carr is the best-selling author of the Mac Faraday Mysteries, which takes place in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland. Three Days to Forever is the ninth installment in the Mac Faraday Mystery series.
 
In addition to her series set on Deep Creek Lake, Lauren Carr has also written the Lovers in Crime Mysteries, which features prosecutor Joshua Thornton with homicide detective Cameron Gates, who were introduced in Shades of Murder, the third book in the Mac Faraday Mysteries. They also make an appearance in The Lady Who Cried Murder.
 
Three Days to Forever introduces Lauren Carr’s latest series
detectives, Murphy Thornton and Jessica Faraday in the Thorny Rose Mysteries. Look for the first installment in this series in Spring 2015.
 
The owner of Acorn Book Services, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, editor, cover and layout designer, and marketing agent for independent authors. This year, several books, over a variety of genre, written by independent authors will be released through the management of Acorn Book Services, which is currently accepting submissions. Visit Acorn Book Services website for more information.
 
Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She also passes on what she has learned in her years of writing and publishing by conducting workshops and teaching in community education classes.
 
She lives with her husband, son, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
 

For More Information

 

 

A Ghostly Undertaking by Tonya Kappes, Review and Guest Post

 
 
 
 
A Ghostly Undertaking: A Ghostly Southern Mystery
(Ghostly Southern Mysteries)

Series: Ghostly Southern Mysteries
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Witness (February 24, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0062374646
E-Book ASIN: B00KPVCEDU
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Synopsis
A funeral, a ghost, a murder . . . It’s all in a day’s work for emma lee raines . . .
Bopped on the head from a falling plastic Santa, local undertaker Emma Lee Raines is told she’s suffering from “funeral trauma.” It’s trauma all right, because the not-so-dearly departed keep talking to her. Take Ruthie Sue Payne—innkeeper, gossip queen, and arch-nemesis of Emma Lee’s granny—she’s adamant that she didn’t just fall down those stairs. She was pushed.
Ruthie has no idea who wanted her pushing up daisies. All she knows is that she can’t cross over until the matter is laid to eternal rest. In the land of the living, Emma Lee’s high-school crush, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, isn’t ready to rule out foul play. Granny Raines, the widow of Ruthie’s ex-husband and co-owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, is the prime suspect. Now Emma Lee is stuck playing detective or risk being haunted forever.
 
What I Thought:
 
This was a very fast read that I read in a couple of hours.  It was highly entertaining and had some laugh-out-loud moments in it.  And it is very southern, just about everyone goes by their first and middle names!  Everyone thinks that Emma Lee is crazy because she "funeral trauma", really she can just see dead people.  And the dead people she can see wants her to help solve their murders.  This book had a lot of action and a very surprising ending.  If you are looking for a whimsical, fast, entertaining, and humorous read then this is the book for you. 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review. 
 
About This Author
Tonya Kappes is a USA Today Bestselling Author.
I write fun humorous fiction, some with romance and some with a little mystery.
More than anything I love to connect with readers! I’m a huge fan of them and LOVE getting to know them. Making readers smile, and remembering not to take life too seriously is how I like to write. I’m addicted to coffee, McDonald’s Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy to keep her going!
When I’m not writing about quirky characters and even quirkier situations, I’m busy being the princess, queen and jester of my domain which includes my BFF husband,  three teenage boys, two dogs and one ornery cat.
And be sure to stalk me on Facebook,  Twitter, TSU, Instagram!
Website – http://www.tonyakappes.com/
Purchase Links
Amazon    B&N   Book Depository
 
 

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Guest Post:


Was Shakespeare really Southern, only with big words?

 



Shakespeare said: To weep is to make less the depth of grief.

Southern translation: Cry it out, Sugar.

 

Shakespeare said: Let me embrace thee sour adversity, for wise men say it’s the wisest course.

Southern translation: That which does not kill you make you stronger.

 

Shakespeare said: Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears.

Southern translation: Listen up, y’all!

 

Shakespeare said: The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief.

Southern translation: Kill them with kindness.

 

Shakespeare said: Time does not have the same appeal for everyone.

Southern translation: Bless her heart. She’s not agin’ well.

 

Who knew we southern women were so smart! We’ve been reciting Shakespeare and we didn’t realize it. 

 

When I started writing the Ghostly Southern Mystery Series, I was simply writing what I knew. I’m from a small town in Central Kentucky.

The small town life was all I knew and I was bound and determined to leave it all behind me when I was old enough to get out.

 

Boy…was that a mistake!

               

Growing up in a small town is really an amazing experience. I’m not saying small towns don’t have their share of problems, they do. But I love the entire flavor I grew up with and have been engrained in my soul, spirit, and personality.

 

There is something about a little southern flare thrown into a mystery that brings color and characters to life on the page. I wanted to bring my experience to my readers.



Saturday, March 14, 2015

Stiff Penalty by Annelise Ryan




Stiff Penalty (A Mattie Winston Mystery)
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Kensington (February 24, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-1617734083
E-Book ASIN: B00M4ASUL0
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Synopsis:
Deputy coroner Mattie Winston knows a thing or two about dead bodies. That’s why she’s on the case of Derrick Ames, a high school math teacher stabbed to death with a barbecue fork straight to the heart. Sure, she’s turned up some motives and a few suspects, but nothing adds up. Especially when the evidence points to Ames’s teenage son. Newly pregnant Mattie can’t believe it, even as her own long-estranged father may be following her. But one thing’s certain, she’d better start figuring things out fast, or a deadly perpetrator could be subtracting two more victims from the population of Sorenson, Wisconsin…


What I Thought:

I found this book a little slow at first, but it soon picked up.  The author gives plenty of background, so this series doesn't need to be read in order to be understood.  There were some laugh-out-loud moments and Mattie sure gets herself into some trouble.  Some of the trouble is in solving the murder and some is personal trouble.  A great book with a great protagonist. 

I received a complementary copy of this book for my honest review.

About This Author
Annelise Ryan is the pseudonym for the author of three suspense novels and another mystery series. She has written more than 200 published articles, worked as a book reviewer for Barnes & Noble®, and is an active member of Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She currently works as a registered nurse in an E.R. Visit her at mattiewinston.com.
 Author Links
http://www.mattiewinston.com/
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2994644.Annelise_Ryan
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N Book Depository
Tour Participants

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Icing on the Corpse by Liz Mugavero

 
 
 
 
3rd in Series
Series: A Pawsitively Organic Mystery
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (March 31, 2015)
ISBN-13: 978-0758284822
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Synopsis
Kristan “Stan” Connor is thrilled to be invited to the Groundhog Day festivities in quirky Frog Ledge, Connecticut. Her organic, home-baked pet treats are a big hit at the annual celebration, though an important guest is curiously absent . . .
When Helga Oliver, the town’s elderly historian, is found crumpled in the basement of the Historical Museum, the close-knit town is devastated. But after some tenacious digging, Stan discovers Helga was pushed down the stairs–and that this picture-perfect New England town may hide some dark secrets . . .
Stan’s dogged determination reveals Helga’s ties to an unsolved death in 1948 . . . but how does that connect to Adrian Fox, who’s just arrived in town to shoot an episode of Celebrity Ghost Hunters? Stan is going to have to be very careful in chasing down the killer–if she wants to live to see another winter . . .
Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

What I Thought:

This was a book that caught my attention and kept it.  There is more than one mystery that needs to be solved in this story.  It kept me guessing, which is what I like in a cozy mystery.  I like the setting of this series.  Frog Ledge seems like a charming town full of quirky characters.  It is also cute some of the jobs that Stan has to do for the doggies.  If you are looking for an interesting read that will keep you entertained, then this is the book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.


About This Author
         Liz Mugavero is a corporate communications consultant and animal lover from the Boston area, whose canine and feline rescues demand the best organic food and treats around. Her short stories have been published in the UK and Australia, and her essays have appeared in national publications Skirt! and Sassee Magazine for Women.
Author Links
http://www.lizmugavero.com; https://twitter.com/lizmugavero;
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475412.Liz_Mugavero;
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liz-Mugavero/329291780446231;
Purchase Links
Amazon Indie Bound B&N Book Depository

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Friday, March 6, 2015

Healing Ruby by Jennifer Westall Guest Post





About the Book:
 
Title: Healing Ruby
Author: Jennifer H. Westall
Publisher: Jennifer H. Westall
Pages: 369
Genre: Christian Historical Fiction
Format: Hardback/Paperback/Kindle
Ruby Graves, a young girl in Depression-era Alabama, faces the hardships of poverty and loss with as much faith as she can muster. At only the age of thirteen, she’s already lost a younger brother to illness, and now faces losing both her father and the boy who’s stealing her heart to illnesses as well. Armed with her beloved Scriptures, she prays daily for their healing, only to have her tender faith shattered by her father’s death.
 
Through her pain, she’s able to connect with her long-lost Uncle Asa, who’s mere presence at his brother’s funeral brings murmurs of a scandalous past involving her parents and a prominent local pastor, Irwin Cass. When Ruby discovers that one of Asa’a many secrets is an ability to heal, and that she may be next in line for the “gift,” she vows to find the faith that has eluded her so far, a faith that could mean never losing loved ones again.
 
But faith and doubt can’t reside in the same heart, not according to her father, and doubt is Ruby’s constant companion. As she struggles to find the true meaning of faith, she’s opposed at every turn by the pastor who would see her family destroyed and a community that can’t see deeper than the color of one’s skin. Through her search for a faith that could move mountains and a true understanding of her gift, can Ruby trust in a God that may require the ultimate sacrifice?
A fast-paced story that will leave readers wondering what’s next for Ruby Graves. This soulful, often poignant novel explores difficult subjects such as death, racism and religious hypocrisy, while still remaining hopeful. One of its greatest strengths is its cast of well-drawn secondary characters, including the...vengeful preacher who tries to thwart Ruby at every turn. Ruby’s unlikely friendship with a cast-out African-American woman and her child is a particularly bright spot in this often heavy novel."
-- Kirkus Reviews

For More Information

What I Thought:
 
This was a story with a great setting in an intriguing time.  Ruby is young but isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes, and what she believes is that God is a loving God who preforms miracles, not a vengeful God who punishes.  This was a refreshing read, those sometimes it was hard to read about the struggles of the characters.
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest review.
Book Excerpt:
I never meant to hurt anyone. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but in moments that pass by quicker than lightning, things just happened. That seemed to be the story of my life. Things happened before I could stop them, before I even understood what was happening. Sometimes it was my eagerness that got me into trouble—like when I’d have to help Mother with canning all the vegetables, but all I could think about was getting out of that hot kitchen, sneaking down to the creek, and burying myself in the cold water. But most times, what got me in trouble was just plain anger.
 
Like the time when I was ten, and Henry was harassing me again, and I was sick of him that day. I never understood what was so much fun about picking on girls, but that seemed to be the favorite pastime of both my brothers. Seemed to me that teenage boys could find plenty else to occupy their time with, and it would make me madder than a hornet. Maybe that was why they did it.
 
We weren’t poor back then, back before stock crashes and poverty stole the life out of folks. But we weren’t like the Doyles either—we didn’t have a housekeeper to clean up after us—and since I was the only girl, I got stuck with washing the dishes after dinner every Sunday while the boys got to run off to do heaven knows what with heaven knows who. Henry should’ve just left me alone. But he never could pass up a chance to needle me, and he slapped my behind as he dropped his plate into the washtub. I must’ve gotten madder than I ever had before, cause I don’t exactly remember deciding to do it, but the next thing I knew, the knife in my hand went sailing through the air and landed in Henry’s neck.
 
What happened after that’s still a blur. I was as horrified as Henry was, and we both stood there staring at each other in shock. I couldn’t even remember throwing that knife across the room. But there he stood a few feet away from me, a trickle of blood running down his neck and seeping into the collar of his Sunday shirt. I remember thinking that Mother would have a time getting that stain out on the washboard. She’d complain about her knuckles getting raw.
 
Henry pulled the knife out, and blood shot out of him. It hit Mother’s tablecloth, the white one with the lace around the bottom that Grandma Kellum had made for a wedding present. It hit the wall and the doorframe where Henry stood. He stared at it kind of wide-eyed for a moment. Then just as Daddy came back in the room, Henry sank to the floor.
 
 
About the Author
 
Jennifer Westall dives into Christian characters to explore her own questions of faith. Inspired by the life of her grandmother, Healing Ruby (2014) is the first in the Healing Ruby series, which delves into the mysteries of faith healing. She’s also the author of Love’s Providence (2012), a contemporary Christian romance that navigates the minefield of dating and temptation. She resides in southwest Texas with her husband and two boys, where she homeschools by day and writes by night, thus explaining those pesky bags under her eyes.
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Guest Post:

Healing Ruby is about discovering the true nature of faith. It’s easy sometimes to fall into the mindset that faith is believing hard enough that God will do something you want Him to do. If I just believe strongly enough, God will heal my child. Or if I just keep believing with all my strength that God will make this job come through, then He will. But that’s not faith; at best it’s misguided faith.
If you’ve ever read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, there’s a wonderful scene that illustrates what I’m talking about. As the Beavers are telling the Pevensie kids about Aslan, they become a bit frightened. Susan asks if Aslan is safe, and Mrs. Beaver says anyone who can meet Aslan without their knees knocking is just silly. Then Lucy says, “So he isn’t safe?”
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
There’s a huge lesson in that statement. We pray so often for safety, for our loved ones to be okay, for our lives to be better or easier. We strive to have enough faith that God will make our circumstances the way we want them. But real faith, true ABIDING faith is an unwavering belief that God is good, that his mercy in unending, and that no matter our circumstances, He holds us in the palm of His hand and cares for us.
            Bad things are going to happen. We aren’t always safe. Sometimes God even calls us into circumstances that are unsafe. Look at the lives of the apostles. They were beaten and tortured, even killed. Faith isn’t safe, and God never promised us it would be. But we can have faith that He is good, and that His ultimate plan for our lives is for our good and His glory. I hope that’s what readers comes away with after reading Healing Ruby. I hope their faith is strengthened, and that they see the goodness of God in even their most trying circumstances.