DEAD GIRL by Kerrie Faye

Fiction, YA, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, 412 pages

4****

Blurb: Dying has its perks…mostly. Bullied teen, Ember O’Neill goes from the weird girl to the tyrant of her school when she is resurrected from a deadly prank. Now secretly supernatural, she dethrones the school drama queen and snags the hot new guy, but her reign is at risk when the Order, a heretical sect, sends an assassin to eliminate her. Ember must expose her powers, potentially losing all she has gained, in order to save herself and her friends as her killer closes in.

Thoughts: When I first started reading this, I thought it was just a book about a bullied teen who is having trouble with her life. Well, it is. And then some. It wasn’t until I was a couple chapters in that I realized it is much more than that, because this particular teen has powers! Another “at first” was the author talking about synesthesia and I thought she got it wrong because I know someone with this and the author’s description wasn’t right. Again… I was the one making the wrong assumption as I got farther into the story. The main character, Ember, has always been an outcast, but high school is the worst. After an abysmal ninth grade, her father spends the summer weekends camping with her and teaching her all sorts of survival techniques. But it is only after her own death—and resurrection—that she starts really coming into her own. She meets up with enemies out to kill her (again) and friends who will help her understand what’s going on, demons and angels… but who is who and why do they want her dead?

The only thing that brought this down to a 4 was the ending—or lack thereof. This is a serialized story (first part of a series) that took care of some things, but definitely left quite a few threads dangling so you know there is going to be more. Plus, some sadness in the end. Still, this book is worth the read. And I will anxiously be awaiting the next one in the series.

Recommendation: Definitely recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

A CORPSE AT THE WITCHING HOUR by Debra Sennefelder

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Halloween, 276 pages

4****

Blurb: Hope Early has to contend with ghosts, a fatal curse, and a decades-old family secret to catch a killer in the new Food Blogger Mystery . . .When her best friend’s Aunt Issy falls ill, food blogger Hope Early agrees to help him hand out Halloween candy at his aunt’s house, which is rumored to be cursed. A murder-suicide took place there a century ago, and legend has it that a woman has died there every twenty years since—on Halloween. Hope doesn’t really believe in curses or ghosts, but when all the trick-or-treaters are gone and she discovers a woman’s dead body on the front lawn, she wonders if the curse might be real after all.Then Hope and her friend discover a cache of love letters linking the dead woman to Aunt Issy’s husband years ago, and Hope is certain they’ve uncovered the motive for murder—and the police are certain Aunt Issy is their main suspect. Determined to prove Issy’s innocence and nab the real culprit, Hope starts shaking other branches of the family tree. But she forgets that Halloween isn’t the only day people hide behind masks, and if she’s not careful, Hope will come face-to-face with a ghoulish fiend who’s not afraid to kill again . . . Includes two tasty recipes!

Thoughts: This is my first read of this series. Normally, that can lead to problems because you’re missing what came earlier, but I had none of that here. Yes, reading the earlier books in the series would probably help know the relationships between the characters better, but I didn’t feel like I lost anything in the story. I pretty much knew who the villain was from the outset, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. The building of the curse was well-done and perfect for the story.

Recommendation: Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

On a working holiday in Australia’s cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer and artist is open to romance and adventure.

At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations.
Is Joe the person she thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can Jodie and Joe stop
their relationship from developing until they have answers and know if he is free to love her?

Find on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book sites.

Meryl Brown Tobin is an Australian writer who writes children’s and adults’ fiction and non-fiction, particularly on travel and the environment, poetry and puzzles for all ages. Her published work includes 20 books, including a travel book, puzzle books, blackline masters books of educational puzzles and workbooks, a children’s picture storybook and poetry books. Hundreds of her poems, puzzles and articles, scores of short stories, and some cartoons and comic strips have appeared in more than 150 magazines and newspapers in Australia and other countries, including India, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and USA.

Website

Birthdays: Joanne Kyger (1863), Allen Tate (1899), Jack Schaefer (1907), Sharon Olds (1942), Tony Hoagland (1953),  Annette Gordon-Reed (1958), Charlie Kaufman (1958), Ruta Sepetys (1967)

Jack Schaefer is best known for his western “Shane”

Sharon Olds is the 2013 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

Annette Gordon-Reed won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for History (as well as 15 other awards) for her work on the Hemings family at Monticello

Charlie Kaufman has been nominated for four Academy Awards and three of his scripts appear in the Writers Guild of America’s list of the 101 greatest movie screenplays ever written. They include “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

Quote: “The mission for the day is to encourage students to think beyond traditional career opportunities, prepare for future careers and entrance into the workplace.” – Allen Tate

“I don’t have large blocks of time to sit and write. I snatch bits and pieces when I can, which often means in traffic, on planes, or very early in the morning. I always carry paper and pen with me. I often write dialogue longhand. I’ll see a scene (as if I’m watching a movie) and the characters will just start talking. I recently wrote several chapters of my latest book while sitting on the edge of the bathtub.” – Ruta Septeys

Tip: There are a lot of writing groups on Facebook and Pinterest. Take a look around and see what interests you.

Jumpstart: I hadn’t been down to the basement in years, but I had to, because….

Birthdays: Margaret Atwood (1939), James Welch (1940), Alan Dean Foster (1946), Ellen Meister, Frances Fyfield (1948), Maggie Stiefvater (1981)

Quote: “The thing all writers do best if find ways to avoid writing” – Alan Dean Foster

Tip: Stop waiting for the perfect time (or place) to write. Just sit down and do it now. Because “now” is the perfect time to be writing.

Jumpstart: “The best teachers don’t give you the answers,” he said. “You have to…”

Untethered tells the story of growing up with a mentally ill, alcoholic father and the experience of raising a mentally ill daughter. It follows the author’s journey through multiple miscarriages and the “untethering” of minds, relationships, and pregnancies. Untethered is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit through the author’s unravelling world.

https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Deborah-L-Staunton/dp/B0C7KPR4CR

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/untethered-deborah-l-staunton/1143626892?ean=9798985467024

DEBORAH L. STAUNTON’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Pretty Owl Poetry, Six Hens, and The MacGuffin among others. Her poetry was featured at HBO’s Inspiration Room exhibit in New York City. She is a Best of the Net and two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and a finalist in the David Wade Hogue Rocket Man Poetry Award. Her poetry & short prose collection, Untethered, is the recipient of a PenCraft Best Book Award. Her children’s picture book, Owls Can’t Sing, is forthcoming from Two Sisters Press. She holds a B.S. In Education and a B.A, in Theatre Arts and lives with her husband and two children on Long Island, NY.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078311881938

https://www.instagram.com/deborahlstaunton/

https://www.deborahlstaunton.com/

THE STUFF OF MURDER: When Hollywood comes to small-town Connecticut, it should be the stuff of dreams – but when a fading movie star ends up dead, a whole different kind of stuff hits the fan.  Unity Historical Society head and antique household items – stuff! — expert Christian Shaw is on set when actor Brett Studebaker falls to his death from the pulpit in an old church. She, the “dads she should have had,” Garrett and Ed, her son Henry, who has a photographic memory and Type-1 Diabetes, and her colorful friends end up helping Assistant State’s Attorney Joe Poli in his investigation. (As does her giant tuxedo cat, Cookie, Ed and Garrett’s big red mutt Norm, and Joe’s tiny dog Cannoli!) Woodworking, embroidery, old poisons, and vintage weapons all figure in the case, which comes together in a wild scene at the Historical Society on Fourth-Grade Field Trip Day.

Buy: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKWFXQ3S

Kathleen Marple Kalb describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York’s 1010 WINS Radio, she writes short stories and novels including The Stuff of Murder, and the upcoming Ella Shane mystery, A Fatal Reception, both from Level Best Books. As Nikki Knight, she writes the Grace the Hit Mom and Vermont Radio mysteries. Her stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Black Cat Weekly, and others, and been short-listed for Derringer and Black Orchid Novella Awards. She, her husband, and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat.

Website: https://kathleenmarplekalb.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kathleen-Marple-Kalb-1082949845220373/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KalbMarple

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

Rag Lady

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

Looking for more? Contact Susie at:

Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

The nights are growing longer and the winter snows are coming—Darkenwald Castle is under siege. 

Lord Guy Blackthorne is prepared to lay down his life for his children, his wife, and all who seek his protection. But as renegades, mercenaries, and political intrigue surround his ancient family stronghold, he’s forced to stay his hand against those who would dare to attack his fortress.  As supplies and hope dwindle, Lady Vespa fears Yule will not be one of good cheer, and the children shall have no gifts this year. At least she and Guy have one another, for that she is thankful. But there are few private moments to share their love, and every endeavor to satisfy their passion is interrupted when the enemy attempts to invade the castle. On Christmas Eve, when a battle to the death begins, Guy faces his greatest challenge. Now Vespa’s wish for a happy Yule celebration turns to a prayer for her beloved’s safety.

Buy link                   https://books2read.com/u/mKVOwE

Gini Rifkin writes stories of love and adventure. Her settings include the American West, Medieval England, Victorian England, and Contemporary thriller and fantasy. When not reading or writing, she has the privilege of caring for a menagerie of abandoned animals including ducks, goats, donkeys, and cats. Born in Illinois, when struck by wanderlust, she moved to Colorado and met her husband, Gary. They shared the journey for 30 years, spending vacations canoeing, doing Mountain Man reenacting, and traveling around this great country. Although Gary has passed on, he left her with the skills to soldier on and a little bit of him lives in every hero she creates. Among other honors, she has received two excellence in writing awards from The Colorado Author’s League, and The Beverley Award from Romance Writers of the Rockies. When not reading or writing, she is trying to master the art of spinning and weaving goat hair. Her writing keeps her hungry to learn new things, and she considers family and friends her most treasured of gifts.

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FLAME AND SHADOW by AK Nevermore

Fiction, Paranormal Romance, 322 pages

5*****

Blurb: Half-daemon Envy Starr is destined to die on Midsummer’s Eve, still a virgin, on some crappy cult’s live-stream feed. With thirty days left to live, the chance to escape her fate and get some action compels her into her absentee father’s world of beautifully cultured cruelty. Once there, she’s the object of a deadly game, slated to alter the Fae realm’s power structure. Worse, the rules keep changing, and everyone has an ulterior motive, including her dae-licious guide, Brennan. Under a geas he’s desperate to break, she can’t trust him, or herself. Stupid Stockholm syndrome. But unless she can come to terms with what lies in her heart, her unlikely survival will be a fate worse than death. For her, and the rest of Fae.

Thoughts: Wow. This was not the kind of story I usually read, but once I got started, I could not put it down. The writing is witty, snarky, and comes across as if the character is sitting there in the room with you, just telling you about what happened. The world building is exceptional — though I will admit, I got a bit confused at times with the twists and turns of the plot. But the storytelling is amazing. And that makes any confusion worthwhile. This is not a sweet type of romance. There’s a lot of nasty stuff that goes down (Come on, there are demons. What do you think is going to happen?), and the main character has some serious parental issues. But the ending definitely left a smile (okay, a wry one), but a smile on my lips. 

Recommendation: If you like your stories full of demons, fae, imps, a bit of the apocalypse, elementals, and more, definitely pick this one up. You won’t be sorry. And I can see where there will be more coming. 

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”