Book Review: Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich

I'm so glad I got this book. I hesitated, as I love the show and got to see it in NYC, but it's a

wonderful addition to the musical. It also stands on its own as a good story. There's a lot more backstory about Connor especially that adds to the experience and explains his motives.
I know the play was based on a real story (with changes). I really enjoyed here how the lyrics for songs were brought in seamlessly (though I think I was singing them in my head).
It's a really inspirational story. Since seeing the play, I've wished that it was more available, and this is a great way to spread it. Though I'm going to see the national tour when it comes to Boston.
Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

Well, let that lonely feeling wash away
Maybe there's a reason to believe you'll be okay
'Cause when you don't feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand

And oh, someone will coming running
And I know, they'll take you home

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you're broken on the ground
You will be found

So let the sun come streaming in
'Cause you'll reach up and you'll rise again
Lift your head and look around
You will be found

Link to Amazon

New Release: Unconfined Delusions by Angela L Lindseth

Just in time for Halloween!

Unconfined Delusions, Beyond the Threshold, contains snippets of fast-paced, twisted fiction mingled with short stories aimed to keep you on the edge of your seat. “Broken Heart” questions the morality of organ transplantation. “The Basement” corners you in a dank basement with the tools of torture openly displayed. “My Last Sixteen Hours” counts down the last minutes before execution. “Seeing Things” warns of a malignant aura wrapping its inky hands around your throat. “The Clutching” will send fingernails searching for a vein. Don’t let your guard down because the next story might bite.
The words slither across the page, feed on insecurities, and corrupt dreams. Savor the weird deliciousness but read with the lights on. The land of Happily Ever After doesn’t exist behind this cover. 

Link to Amazon

Book Review: Upon La Muerte by R. Castro

If you're looking for a suspenseful romance that also deals with Mexican-American culture, then Upon La Muerte is a book you should read. Beatrice Villareal and her family are in Mexico at her grandmother's hacienda to attend the festival of Dios de las Muertos (the days of the dead). Her cousin Sabrina who is close to Beatrice turns up missing, and the family must deal with the consequences of her disappearance.
Though she hasn't been looking for romance, Beatrice is enticed by a neighbor, Fernando Aritza, who is a wealthy businessman and horse breeder. She has her hands full dealing with her grandmother's failing health, the squabbling of her family, and her worries about Sabrina, but Fernando helps her take her mind off all this.
Their romance is a bit old-fashioned, bound by traditional Mexican values, but I found it very interesting to read about their customs. They are a very sweet couple, neither of who was looking for love and are surprised to find it under the circumstances. And of course, there is the mystery of what's happened to Sabrina and how that will impact Beatrice to keep you turning pages.
I think readers will very much enjoy this contemporary suspense romance; I know I did.

Link to Amazon

Cover Reveal: THE FALSE SERIES: False Memory (Book 1), False Hope (Book 2) & False Start (Book 3)

  

She's faking her amnesia to fool a very real killer.

FALSE MEMORY (Book 1)

Release Date:  11/13/18

Apple Books Exclusive:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/false-memory/id1387687477?mt=11

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40405827-false-memory

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/false-memory-by-meli-raine

It all started with the bereavement flowers with my name on them.

Not the best way to wake up, right? I work in a flower shop. I know a funeral arrangement when I see one.

I know a killer when I see one, too. And one is standing in my hospital room right now, straight behind the man who saved my life.

I can’t tell anyone the truth, because that’s the fastest way to really die. So I do the next best thing. I “lose” my memory.

I fake my amnesia.

Pretending not to remember a brutal attempted murder has its perks. The killer is backing down, spending less time around me, loosening the noose.

The less I claim to recall, the more my rescuer, Duff, works to help me “remember.” I hate lying to him.

But he doesn’t understand that my memory is dangerous. To me. And to him.

Fooling everyone isn’t easy. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Except it’s starting to look like I’ve been fooling myself.

In more ways than one.

FALSE HOPE (Book 2)

Release Date:  12.11.18

Apple Books Exclusive:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/false-hope/id1421994196?mt=11

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42088265-false-hope 

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/false-hope-by-meli-raine

 

FALSE START (Book 3)

Release Date:  01/15/19

Apple Books Exclusive:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/false-start/id1421999168?mt=11

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42088271-false-start

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/false-start-by-meli-raine

Author Bio:

Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them. Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.

Social Media Links:

Website:  http://meliraine.com/

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/meliraineauthor

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/meli-raine

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13536295.Meli_Raine

Newsletter:  http://eepurl.com/beV0gf

Cover reveal organized by Writer Marketing Services.

Book Review: Marshmallows & Mistletoe by Marianne Rice

When one of Maine's winter ice storms strikes, Ian Ramos and his young son Gabe are stranded at Noel Johnson's home. The power is out and the road blocked, and it's just before Christmas. Ian hopes to make this Christmas special for Gabe as the last few years have been a struggle for him and his son. Noel loves Christmas and is the perfect person to make this one special.
It's a little early, maybe, for Christmas romances, but this is a lovely story about two people perfect for each other. It's also a story about family and what makes up a family. Gabe is a doll, almost too perfect.
Marshmallows & Mistletoe is a sweet story with tender moments and funny incidents, perfect for the holidays (or anytime).

Link to Amazon

New Release: Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales

There's just something magical about cats.

Fierce hunters content to rest upon our sofas. Sweet friends but stubbornly independent. Fluffy little murder balls with jellybean toes and razor-sharp claws. It's easier to answer what cats aren't than what they are.

In this purr-fect collection, awesome authors pounce upon the challenge of the mysterious cat like the elusive little red dot it is. Curl up with sixteen stories all featuring our furry, frisky, fabulous feline friends. Inside, you'll find adorable house cats, majestic big cats, and imperious cat-dragons. You'll meet cats who are their owners' protectors, who help them find true love, and who tackle the challenges of caring for their clumsy human companions in hilarious, heartwarming, and harrowing ways. 

This fifth anthology from the Fellowship of Fantasy features new and returning authors, dedicated to giving you the best in cat-related fantasy fiction.

Now FREE!

Book Review: The Relentless Tide by Denzil Meyrick

In the latest book in the DCI Daley series, Jim Daley and Brian Scott are thrown back in time to a previous serial murder case. The 'Grab o Grannie' case took place in the early 1990s with no solution to the murders. Now an archaeological team has found the bodies of the last three missing woman buried on a hill above Kintyre.
The book switches back and forth between now and the earlier time period, but melds the two storylines seamlessly. The contrasts (and similarities) between young Jimmy and DCI Jim  are interesting, especially if you've read the rest of this wonderful series. Jim's had a rough go in the last few books though Brian seems to be doing quite well. A lot of the other characters show up, including Hamish who has words of wisdom for Jim's toddler son, and they're always fun. Even some of the 'villains' from previous books show up; I didn't think I could dislike John Donald anymore than I already did, but he manages to overcome that hurdle here.
Mr. Meyrick's writing is wonderful, whether describing the Kintyre peninsula or in the dialogue of the various characters. Here's Hamish describing the frailties of man: 'They don’t feel pain the way us poor men dae. That’s a scientific fact, Mr Daley. They’ve no’ got the same number o’ nerves in the body – same as the ribs thing. If they could feel the full force o’ a summer cauld, by Jove, they’d no’ be calling it man-flu, or whootever it is they’re saying. Quite simple: where there’s nae sense, there’s nae feeling, and that’s a fact.’
The mystery is solid; actually, there's several different crimes, both in the earlier time period and now, but the plotlines weave together seamlessly to a cohesive whole that is ultimately satisfying to the reader. Now I must wait for the next Daley book.

Link to Amazon