Tuesday, October 31, 2017

New Release: Hacienda Moon by Kasonndra Leigh




Gothic Romance
Date Published: 10/31/17

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Centuries ago, his ancestor fell in love with a woman cursed by a jealous witch. No one believed him until it was too late. Eric Fontalvo was determined to prove one thing... that a family curse didn't cause his father's death.

The plan was working until the day he found her...again. Suddenly his life changes forever, and he is forced to question everything he believes.

Moving into an old plantation house was just what Tandie Harrison needed to recover from tragedy. So she writes a book, a story based on a man in her dreams. There's only one problem though... the characters from her novel keep showing up on her doorstep.

And then she finds a diary written hundreds of years ago.

As if that isn't strange enough, she meets him...the man from her dream, someone who reawakens her psychic power along with something else from long ago.

Can Eric and Tandie's love destroy the force keeping them apart? Or will darkness win again?

Hacienda Moon is a new classic tale of two lovers crossing time. A seductive tale of one woman's journey to confront the demons of her past and to find the courage to face her future. It is a mesmerizing novel that explores the deepest depths of human nature, and the characters will hold and haunt you long after you have read the final chapter.


About the Author


Author of the Bestelling Lost Immortals Saga, Pathseekers and Musical Interlude Series, KaSonndra Leigh is also a mother, blogazine owner, reader, gardener, home renovator, and a slayer of undead Egyptian mummies in Tomb Raider. She believes in karma, coffee, and seriously wish that the producers of Xena would bring her favorite show ever back.

Strange things about KaSonndra: Everything. She’s weird, odd, unusual, and generally tends to make people think she swooped down from another planet. Maybe she did. Who knows? She’s also a member of the #zombiesurvivalcrew on twitter. So if you need protection from the upcoming apocalypse, don’t hesitate to call on KayLeigh and crew!

KaSonndra was born in the race-car city of Charlotte, NC, and now live in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, NC, when she’s not hanging out in Bardonia (Lost Immortals Saga setting). Most of her characters are based on people that she has met throughout her travels and adventures. People tend to stop and start conversations with KaSonndra as if she has known them her entire life. Does this freak her out? Not really. Her mom says that one day she’ll get kidnapped by one of these folks. KaSonndra’s response? She told her mom that if it weren’t for these lovely people, then she wouldn’t be able to create such fabulously romantic stories.

A few other tidbits about KaSonndra… She has watched the movie Under the Tuscan Sun almost 200 times. This is her explanation regarding her obsession. She figures that if she keeps watching the film enough times, then suddenly the house that Diane Lane lives in will magically appear in her backyard. Yes! KaSonndra has a huge imagination!


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Reading Addiction Blog Tours

Monday, October 30, 2017

Book Tour, Excerpt, and Giveaway: Dial Meow for Murder by Bethany Blake


Dial Meow for Murder
A Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery #2
by Bethany Blake
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Excerpt

              “I can’t believe you found another body,” my mother said, in a somewhat accusing tone. She paced back and forth in the mansion’s kitchen, where Piper, Moxie, Socrates, and I waited while coroner Vonda Shakes, some EMTs, and a few uniformed police officers tromped around upstairs. Needless to say, the fundraiser had come to an abrupt end when the ambulance had arrived. “And you had to do it when I’m trying to sell a house,” Mom added. “Really, Daphne!”
              “I helped you by catching Tinkleston,” I reminded her, raising my hands, which an EMT had been nice
enough to wrap in bandages. I looked like a boxer— which was appropriate. The cat had really put up a fight when I’d tried to capture him so he wouldn’t get lost in what I’d known would be inevitable excitement. I’d barely managed to carry him a few feet down the hall and secure him in the bedroom with the fireplace.
“And don’t you think it’s best that I found Miss Flynt before your big-city socialite buyer arrived? What if she’d asked to see the bathroom again? I don’t think finding a body on a house tour bodes well for getting
that ‘full asking price’!”
              “Daphne’s probably right,” Moxie said. “I wouldn’t be able to even think about the wallpaper if there was a dead person in the tub.”
              My mother gave Moxie one of her signature funny looks.
              Then the reality of Miss Flynt’s death began to sink in for me, and I suddenly felt sad.
              “Could we all stop talking about Miss Flynt like she’s an object? Or an inconvenience?” I requested. “She wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, but she did a lot for Sylvan Creek and animals.”
              “Daphne’s right,” Piper agreed. “I think, in our shock, we’re acting a little callous.” She rubbed her
arms like she was cold, although her silk shirt had finally dried, leaving behind a water stain. “And where is
this ‘buyer,’ anyhow, Mom?” she asked, taking a seat on an upholstered bench that ran the length of the bank
of windows. It really would be a lovely spot for morning tea. Then my sister checked the wristwatch she always
wore, in case her phone ever died. Which never happened. “It’s getting late.”
              “I don’t know where she is,” Mom said. “I’ve been trying to text her, to postpone, but she’s not responding. I suppose she’s still en route. Traffic between Manhattan and the Poconos can be dreadful, even on a Saturday evening.”
              That was true. A lot of city folks had weekend homes in the mountains, and the commuter route was perpetually backed up, even at odd hours.
              “I’m stepping outside for a moment,” Mom told us, tapping at her cell phone. “Reception is sometimes bad in these old houses. Maybe she’s not even receiving my messages.”
              Piper, always restless, rose again as the back door shut behind our mother. “I’m going outside, too, to
clean up.”
              Either Moxie or I—or both of us—probably should have offered to help gather up the jack-o’-lanterns and take down the chandeliers, but neither of us volunteered.
              Moxie began fidgeting with her nails, pretending she hadn’t heard Piper, no doubt so she wouldn’t miss any gossip-worthy news from the coroner or police.
              Socrates, sitting quietly at my feet, also averted his gaze.
              “Come on, Moxie,” Piper finally prompted. “I’m sure you won’t miss anything if you’re on the lawn.”
              Moxie stuck out her lower lip, like she doubted that. Then her shoulders slumped. “Oh, fine. I’ll help.”
              Piper turned to me, her eyebrows raised over her wire rims. “Daphne?”
              Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. “I need to get that,” I said, grabbing the Falling Leaves candle off the counter again. Resourceful and brave Piper had located a fuse box in the basement, but she hadn’t been able to restore the power. “It’s probably Mom’s big commission.”
              “Oh, fine,” Piper grumbled, taking Moxie by the arm. “We’ll see you in a few minutes, though, right?”
              I didn’t make any promises. I just hurried toward the foyer, with Socrates lumbering along behind
me, and opened the front door. “Welcome to Flynt Mansion . . .”
              I started to greet the visitor in a way I assumed my mother would. Then I realized who was actually standing on the porch, and the words died on my lips.
              The person waiting to come inside wasn’t speechless, though.
              “So, you’re mixed up in another possible murder,” Detective Jonathan Black said, shaking his head and marching right past me into the house. Then he looked me up and down, frowning. “And are you dressed as a

boxing witch?”

Even an experienced pet sitter like Daphne Templeton can be fooled by animal behavior: how can an adorably tiny fuzz ball named Tinkleston be capable of sudden flying leaps with cat claws bared? But human behavior remains even more mysterious, especially when Tinkleston’s owner is murdered on the night of a gala fundraiser for Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue.
Accompanied by her unflappable basset hound, Socrates, Daphne plans to take charge of Tinks the Terror and leave the crime-solving to handsome detective Jonathan Black. But while luring the prickly Persian out of hiding, she uncovers clues that might take suspicion off her own mother. Maeve Templeton already has a reputation as a killer—in real estate. How far would she go to bag Sylvan Creek’s most coveted property, the Flynt Mansion?
To expose the truth, Daphne finds herself donning a deranged clown costume on an autumnal adventure that might just be crazy enough to work—if it doesn’t get her killed.
Includes recipes for homemade dog treats!
Doggone charming from start to finish!” —Cleo Coyle, New York Times bestselling author on Death by Chocolate Lab




Bethany Blake lives in a small, quaint town in Pennsylvania with her husband and three daughters. When she's not writing, cooking for pets and people or riding horses, she's wrangling a menagerie of furry family members that includes a nervous pit bull, a fearsome feline, a blind goldfish, and an attack cardinal named Robert. Like Daphne Templeton, the heroine of her Lucky Paws Mysteries, Bethany holds a Ph.D. and operates a pet sitting business called Barkley's Premium Pet Care.



Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!




Friday, October 27, 2017

Book Tour and Giveaway: Different Not Damaged by Andy Peloquin


Different, Not Damaged
by Andy Peloquin
Genre: Dark Fantasy Short Stories

Strength from Weakness

Disability becomes Power

Some call them disabilities, but for others they are gifts:

- A voiceless child painting visions of death.
- A killer with a deadly message plagued by a burden of guilt.
- A priestess divinely empowered to absorb others' pain.
- A soldier fighting for courage in the face of fear.
- A broken warrior-priest on a mission of vengeance.
- A thief desperate to escape the burden of his memories.
Betrayed by mind or body, these people struggle to survive in a grim world that takes no pity on the weak. Yet they will discover that they are simply different, not damaged.
This collection of dark fantasy short stories will keep you turning the page as you experience life through the eyes of the differently-abled.

Pick up this uniquely heart-wrenching book today because you want to feel what it means to live with a disability.


What Readers Are Saying:

This collection of stories keeps you engrossed right through to the end. - S.S.
These stories about people trying to overcome, or at least come to terms with, the hardships of their lives. Worth the read! - T.E.

This is one of those books that leaves you wanting more. - S.S




I am, first and foremost, a storyteller and an artist--words are my palette. Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. I'm also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who just loves to meet new people and spend hours talking about my fascination for the worlds I encounter in the pages of fantasy novels.


Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion,race, or lifestyle--it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!





Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts and a giveaway!






Monday, October 23, 2017

Book Review: Downside Up by Jane Thornley

Jenna Elson has returned to London to help her Aunt Clair after the death of Uncle Dan, Clair's brother. The police have ruled it accidental, but Clair is convinced that Dan was murdered by one of their neighbors. Clair has been bound to a wheelchair since childhood and is also agoraphobic, so it's up to Jenna to investigate even if she thinks her aunt may be having fantasies.
Clair was always the impractical guardian, encouraging Jenna to escape to the rooftops and be Clair's eyes, reporting back on the world that Clair will never see. Now Jenna can use that ability to spy on the neighbors and try to find Dan's killer.
The neighbors are an eclectic group, worthy of participation in a Christie story. There's the odd painter of slasher nudes, the handsome and esteemed Shakespearean actor, the lonely old lady and her cats, and more. As Jenna eavesdrops and learns more, she becomes suspicious of the two young men her aunt has hired, one to tear up the garden and the other to instruct Clair on her technology skills. Then there are more murders though Jenna suffers a fall and a head injury which gives her partial amnesia.
 I loved the idea of a person 'roofing' as Jenna calls it. London is a perfect city for this with it's rowhouses and chimney sentinels. Dickens certainly used this idea, and I've read numerous Regency and Victorian historicals where roofs were used for passages by cat burglars and spies. This is the first book set in modern times that I've read where someone takes advantage of the aerial roadways, and it fits in perfectly here. Jenna's backstory explains her fascination with going up and about.
No one is whom they seem in this thriller. I admit I figured out the killer pretty early though I was surprised at another little twist, but the characters are very interesting and different, fun to read about. I liked how Ms. Thornley portrays Jenna's viewpoint of them as she watches them from the roofs versus once she actually starts to interact with them. She finds she has misunderstood much of what she saw from a distance which only makes the mystery more puzzling and frustrating with her mind only remembering partial flashes of what happened.
I must give a special shout-out to Mac, Uncle Dan's dog. He is just adorable and has his own place in the cast of characters.
There are two more books planned in this series and I look forward to them both, wanting to read more of Jenna's marvelous eyeprints from the roofs of London.

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Book Review: Warwick's Mermaid by Ellie Gray

Chloe MacGregor has escaped an abusive relationship with her boyfriend. She's managed to make a new life in a fairytale cottage on the edge of the sea in Whitby, England where she makes jewelry and lives with her dog, Jasper. She acquires a new neighbor, Luke Warwick, but things are complicated between them. Chloe is still nervous with men and her issues are not helped by her mother who convinces Chloe that she isn't worthy of a man. Luke doesn't want complications and Chloe is chock full of them, but he can't help his attraction to her. That's before they both find out that Chloe works as PA for the company Luke just acquired which adds in more strain to their possible relationship.
Ms. Gray is a new author for me, but I was willing to take a chance on her writing just based on the book setting of Whitby. I'm so glad I did because this is a lovely book. It doesn't gloss over the very real issues of abuse, and Chloe's lack of self-confidence almost wrecks the budding romance. How Luke handles this was very realistic and sets a firm foundation for the two of them. I especially liked the ending because of this.
There are other nice touches; Jasper is a female dog, for example, but Chloe didn't want to disappoint the little boy who named her and so kept the male name. The descriptions of Whitby, of the cottages by the sea, and the sea itself are expressive and vivid. The plot keeps moving along as there's a lot of drama both in the company they work at and just in the elements around their homes.
I look forward to reading more from this author.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

For the Heart Bundle on sale!



Morning without you is a dwindled dawn,’ Emily Dickinson

‘There is no instinct like that of the heart,’ Lord Byron

7 Tales Of Romance


Shooting for the Moon By D.H. Hendrickson

Where Dreams Are Born By M. L. Buchman

Love Karma Crossed By Prasenjeet Kumar

Flawless By Jan Moran

Second Spring By Karen L. Abrahamson, Karen L. McKee

Applegate Farm By N.W. Moors

Heart Strings By Maggie Jaimeson




Trad Tuesday - Take Me Back to the Island by Roddy Woomble


Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I was trekking around Scotland the last few weeks which was brilliant. I finished up the trip with a concert by Roddy Woomble in Glasgow. He was excellent and even sang some songs from Idlewild, but this song, in my opinion, summarizes the entire trip.