Book Review: AMBER ALERT by Sara Schoen

Title: Amber Alert
Author: Sara Schoen
Category/Genre: Young Adult Thriller
My Star Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Blurb:
  Anna was taken...

Taken from her home to live out a sick game that a guy has been playing for the last ten years.

With no certainty that anyone is looking for her, and seemingly hours away from home, she's forced to play housewife with a man that has had twelve other 'wives'.

Each of them now dead...

With 12 rules and the obvious exits blocked, from the previous girls attempts to flee. Is Anna's only way out to play along and become a 'loving wife'? Or will she die during the chase?

Would anyone even know what happened to her?

Or would she be labeled as a runaway?

And where is she in the first place?

Mature Content Warning. Recommended for ages 17+ due to violence and sensitive subject matter.

My Review:

It's pretty obvious this book was written by a very young, inexperienced author. At first, the rumblings of every editor I've ever worked with screamed at every typo, comma splice and passive sentence that glared at me from the page, but as I went on the authors voice stood out and became part of the book's charm. The story reads exactly as it is: a young adult novel written by a young adult. This is a gripping, thrilling tale. I could. not. put. it. down. There was no sleep to be had until I found out how things would turn out for Anna. Granted, maybe some of the particulars should have been fixed. For example, when a rape victim emerges from the middle of the woods, they aren't going to allow one of the officers to just take her home because his daughter is attached to her. No, they're going to take her underage behind to the hospital. I can forgive the mistakes though, simply because I was so engrossed by the story itself. I'm not surprised this book was picked up by a publisher, it deserves recognition for the emotional attachment is demands. That said, I'm a little surprised a publisher put it out there with out taking the time to run it by an editor (or three, as the publishers I write for do). Bottom line: Talented author, book needs polishing. 

Blog Tour: THE SIREN WAKES by J.A. Hayman

 Title: The Siren Wakes

Series: The Sleeper Series #1

By: J.A. Hayman

Publication Date: August 10, 2016

Publisher: Clean Reads

Genre: SciFi/Thriller

Alex wakes in a field with no recollection of how he got there. He is accused of lying about his identity by the police and told his memories are false. He is forced on the run by the corrupt government or face almost certain death. Alex is led on a journey of self discovery, searching for the truth behind the sickness which plagues the country and searching for the truth behind his identity.

Who can you trust.. when you can’t trust yourself?

Amazon US - http://amzn.to/2buCMAS

Amazon UK - http://goo.gl/I674lz

Amazon CA - http://goo.gl/SZD69P

In the corner of my eye I spotted something behind Terry. There was a man. A man walking by. He looked just like me. It was like looking in a mirror, and my mind struggled to comprehend how this could be possible. He glanced at me before scurrying off into the stairwell. I stood up in a daze and walked to the corridor. Terry protested, but I just ignored him. I reached the empty stairwell perplexed. Feeling inexplicably drawn to the man, I ran out into the stairwell. I felt like I had to find out why he looked just like me; was this some sort of bizarre prank? The man was gone. I looked down the middle of the staircase, but he wasn’t there. I sprinted up the stairs toward the roof, leaving Terry floundering in the stairwell entrance, unsure what to do. My footsteps thudded as I paced upward, anticipating what could be happening, but when I threw open the roof door, I found the roof to be empty. There was no way the man could have gone anywhere else, but he simply wasn’t there. Terry caught up to me. “You...okay there, man?” he said, panting. He wasn’t the most interesting man I knew; however, he was kind, which meant he was decent friend material, not to say I wouldn’t ditch him if someone else swooped into my desolate life. I was confused. I was sure I had seen someone a moment ago, but no one was out on the roof. I gave a nervous laugh, scratching at my palm. “I thought I saw something.” Giving him a meek look, I returned to the stairwell. Maybe I was just tired and seeing things. Could have I fallen asleep for a moment and dreamed it? It’s hard to determine a dream from reality; in a dream everything seems to make sense, only upon waking do you realize the absurdity of it all.

Native to the UK, I was born in the Garden of England in the early 90s. I was creative from a young age, always wrapped up in my own world and fantasies. I was a big reader from a young age, reading Les Miserables and Lord of the Rings while I was still in primary school. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel a lot in my youth, from Hong Kong to Houston I experienced the world and gained a greater perspective of the world outside my small woodland village I grew up in. In secondary school I was told I was too cynical to be a writer and was put off writing for many years. Instead I pursued a degree in Physical Geography, gaining my Masters degree in late 2015. University gave me time to really discover myself as a person. Allowing me to pursue my passions and dreams to their fullest. I want to share my stories and ideas with the world. As a child I hungrily devoured fiction and now I will help feed the minds of others.

Social Media Links Facebook - www.facebook.com/JAHaymanWrites Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15600421.J_A_Hayman Website - https://james-hayman-kawa.squarespace.com Twitter - @JAHaymanWrites

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: WOLF ROAD by Beth Lewis

Title: Wolf Road
Author: Beth Lewis
Category/Genre: Young Adult Thriller
My Star Rating: 5/5

Goodreads Blurb:
 True Grit meets The Road in this postapocalyptic psychological thriller--narrated by a young girl who has just learned that her adopted father may be a serial killer, and that she may be his next victim.

In the remote wilds of a ravaged land, Elka has been raised by a man who isn't her father. Since finding her wandering in the woods when she was seven, he has taught her how to hunt, shoot, set snares and start fires--everything she needs to survive. All she knows of the world outside is gleaned from whispers of a cataclysmic event that turned the clock back on civilization by a hundred and fifty years and reduced governments and technology to shambles, leaving men at the mercy of the elements--and each other.

Everything changes when Elka learns that the man she has been calling father is harboring a terrible secret. Armed with nothing but her knife and her wiles, she decides to escape his clutches and sets out on a long journey to the frozen north in the hope of finding her long-lost parents.

But as the trail of blood and bodies grows in her path, Elka realizes that daddy won't be letting his little girl go without a fight. If she's going to survive, she'll have to turn and confront not just him, but the truth about what he's turned her into.

My Review:
I've been on a thriller kick as of late, and Wolf Road tops the cake.  If I had an award to give Beth Lewis for the best book I've read all year, I'd give it to her in a heart beat.  What an amazing journey written through the eyes of a young girl brought up to be wild.  I loved everything about this story.  It's written in a very deep point of view, right down to the southern, uneducated dialect.  The unique writing style took me about a chapter to get used to, but it lent so much to the book.  I honestly felt as if I was living the terrifying adventure through Elka, not like I was on the outside looking in.  Beth broke all the rules with this one, going so far as to start the book with the ending.  She took a lot of risks, and it paid off BIG TIME.  I can't say enough great things about it.   

**I received this book for free by Blogging For Books in exchange for a honest review**

Book Tour: Poor Boy Road by James L. Weaver

Poor Boy Road, Jake Caldwell Book One by James L. Weaver   Genre: Thriller Publisher: Lakewater Press Date of Publication: March 21, 2016   ISBN 978-0-9944511-2-5 ISBN: 978-0-9944511-3-2 ASIN: B019X3WELC Number of pages: 251 Word Count: approx. 78,000

Cover Artist: E.L Wicker

 

Blurb

  As a mob enforcer, Jake Caldwell is in the dark business of breaking kneecaps and snapping bones. But each job sends him one step closer to turning into the man he swore he’d never become—his violent and abusive father. Leaving the mob is easier said than done. When his boss offers a bloody way out, Jake has no choice but to take it, even if it means confronting ghosts of old.   Arriving in his Lake of the Ozarks hometown, Jake has two things on his mind: kill ruthless drug lord Shane Langston and bury his dying father. What he doesn’t expect is to fall in love all over again and team up with his best friend Bear, the Sheriff of Benton County, to take Langston down. Racing through the countryside searching for Langston, the web of murder, meth and kidnapping widens, all pointing toward a past Jake can’t escape and a place he never wanted to return—Poor Boy Road.        

Excerpt

  “Open the door, Carlos,” Jake said, pounding the door twice. No answer, but the shadow wavered as if its owner was uncertain if it should stay or run. Jake sighed and stepped back. With his good leg, he exploded forward, driving his heel above the knob. The lock assembly collapsed against the splintered wood and the door burst open. Carlos cried out as the door cracked his face, his wiry frame collapsing to the floor. He landed on his ass, holding his nose. Blood poured through his fingers and onto his stained, white T-shirt. Jake entered the apartment to the stench of cigarettes and fried onions, and shut the remains of the door behind him. Carlos pushed back toward a kitchen stacked with crusted plates and glasses, his wide eyes fearful. Jake tucked the Glock in his waistband and picked up a dented baseball bat leaning against a bookcase covered with dead plants. He held it with both hands, testing the weight. Thirty-two ounce aluminum fat barrel. He walked to Carlos and tapped him hard on the leg with it. “Where’s your daughter?” Jake asked. The last thing he wanted was a little girl to run in screaming. It happened before. “Hospital.” “Still?” Carlos nodded. “They can’t figure out what’s wrong.” “Sorry to hear it,” Jake said. He didn’t wish that kind of heartache on anyone, but Keats wasn’t paying him as a shoulder to cry on. “The two grand. Where is it?” “Ain’t got it. No insurance and the damn hospital’s sucking me dry.” The bat burned in Jake’s hands. He didn’t want to, but his orders were to liberally apply a blunt object to Carlos’ legs if he didn’t have the money. There would be hell to pay otherwise. He raised the bat, white knuckling the handle. “Please, Jake,” Carlos pleaded, tears rolling down his weathered cheeks. “It’s my little girl, man.” The brief howl of air and hollow thunk of metal meeting bone echoed in his head, a ghostly sound from long ago. The excruciating pain would rip through the man’s body, so intense he would shred his vocal cords from the screams. He knew because he dealt this punishment too many times in the past. He could feel it because he was once on the receiving end. As the bat barrel wavered and Carlos sobbed, Jake’s cell phone vibrated for the fifth time in twenty minutes. Like the previous four times, he silenced it. He glimpsed a picture on the kitchen counter of Carlos and his daughter. Eight years old, cute as hell in a white dress with a daisy in her thick, black hair. What would happen to her if Jake broke her daddy’s legs? What would Keats do to him if he didn’t? His cell vibrated again. Jake tossed the bat on the floor. It clanked toward the busted front door and he yanked the cell from his pocket, checking the number. 660 area code. Home, if there was such a place. He needed to think and the call provided as good a distraction as any. Jake answered with his left hand and pulled the gun out with his right, training it on Carlos. “Dad’s dying,” Janey said. His sister’s first words to him in a year. Like he was supposed to give a shit.  

About the Author:

James L Weaver is the author of the forthcoming Jake Caldwell thrillers Poor Boy Road and Ares Road from Lakewater Press. He makes his home in Olathe, Kansas with his wife of 18 years and two children. His previous publishing credits include a six part story called "The Nuts" and his 5-star rated debut novel Jack & Diane which is available on Amazon.com. Author note: a handful of the raters are actually not related to him. His limited free time is spent writing into the wee hours of the morning, playing parental taxi cab to his kids' sporting endeavors, and binge watching Netflix. You can read his blog at weaverwrites.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @WildcatJim2112.   Blog: https://weaverwrites.wordpress.com   Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28121043-poor-boy-road   Twitter: https://twitter.com/WildcatJim2112   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/James-L-Weaver-1561520517509056   Tour giveaway, enter HERE!   1 copy of Poor Boy Road and swag pack   3 ebook copies of Poor Boy Road

Cover Reveal: Scarred by Vengeance by Valia Lind

COVER REVEAL 

3

2

1

.

.

.

SCARRED BY VENGEANCE

Author: Valia Lind

Series: Titanium #2

Genre: YA Thriller

~ SYNOPSIS ~

This is the mission: Save. Protect. Destroy. 

Everything in Anastasia’s world came crashing down when the one person she decided to trust failed her. On the run, now more than ever, she’s trying to piece together the life she doesn’t remember. With Blake still missing, she sends the rest of the family away, hoping to keep them out of danger. But being alone is a lot harder than it used to be and she blames herself for allowing Logan into her heart. He’s gone now and she must let him go. Even though her perfect memory continues to play out the time they’ve spent together, much like a broken record. 

But Anastasia has no time to dwell on the mistakes of yesterday; her mission isn’t over. Kallos Enterprises continue their experiments, as the death rate goes up, and Anastasia has no choice but to fight. However, she’s not as cold blooded as she used to be and that proves to be a problem when the people she cares about are once again put in danger. With her strength—and memory—failing and Blake’s time running out, Anastasia must tap into parts of herself she never knew existed, hoping that in the end, it will be enough to save them all.

Add to Goodreads

~ RELEASE DATE ~

March 24, 2015

~ COVER DESIGNER ~

Regina Wamba with Mae I Design

https://www.facebook.com/MaeIDesignandPhotography

~ TEASER ~

I try to stay off the grid. The run down hotel I’m at right now has no Wi Fi, no cable TV, no computers in the lobby. I paid cash and they let me chose a room on the other side of the building, away from the front. 

I had to leave Chicago, even for a little bit. I didn’t go far, but the pressure of the big city was getting to me. I felt like I was being watched on every corner. At least here, I can hide away until my wounds have stopped bleeding. 

I lay down on the bed, stretching out my sore muscles. It’s been three days. 

I should be better by now. 

I should be getting back to work. 

I should be hunting those bastards down. 

But I can barely breathe without my ribs protesting in pain. I hate feeling this helpless. The ever present rage within me burns hotter and hotter. Each passing moment, my mind runs over all the ways I’ll make Foster pay.

~ Titanium Series ~

 PIECES OF REVENGE, Book #1 

Read the first 3 chapters on Wattpad | AMAZON

~ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ~

Valia Lind

Author. Photographer. Artist. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Valia Lind always had a love for the written word. She wrote her first full book on the bathroom floor of her dormitory, while procrastinating to study for her college classes. Upon graduation, she has moved her writing to more respectable places, and have found her voice in Young Adult fiction. You can visit her online at https://valialind.wordpress.com or follow her on twitter, where she spends way too much time, @ValiaLind.

Social media links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

~ GIVEAWAY ~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~ Tour Host ~

HEA Book Tours, PR & More: http://heabooktours.blogspot.com/

TAINTED WATERS by Maggie Thom: Blog Tour

Title: TAINTED WATERS
Author: Maggie Thom
Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Blurb:

He didn’t commit suicide but who’s going to believe her...

Frustrated at being fired from her latest job and overwhelmed by her consolatory family, Sam decides to move to the family’s cabin at the lake. A place she hasn’t been since her dad committed suicide there, twenty years before. Or did he? Snooping is something she’s good at but someone seems to be taking offense to her looking too closely at what has been happening at the lake. What she discovers is shocking. Now she must uncover what’s real and what’s not. All that she learned growing up, may be false.

Keegan, who has recently moved to the area to finish his latest book, is also trying to find out if his grandfather, who’d passed away ten years before, died of natural causes or was murdered? The descendants of the four families, who own the land around the lagoon, are dying off.

Since Sam and Keegan are the only ones questioning the deaths, they find themselves working together to seek the truth. Are people being murdered? Who would benefit from their deaths? Why would there be barricades and armed guards at the north end of the lake? To stay alive, Sam and Keegan must find the answers and convince others, before more people are killed... including them.

Amazon † Barnes & Noble † Smashwords † Kobo † iTunes

Blurb:

The man’s lips were still moving so she assumed he was still talking but she couldn’t hear any of it. It was as he yanked his hand back that she got a good look at him. Or at least part of him. Her eyes widened in recognition. He pulled her to her feet.
    “It’s starting to sink in.” The sound that came out of his mouth was the coldest, hardest, ugliest sound she’d ever heard. She wasn’t sure if it was meant to be his laugh but whatever it was, it sent chills through her body with sonic precision.
    “Steele. How you making out with her friend?”
    He stepped back and to the side, giving Sam a good view of the rest of the room. It was a large area; the outside walls were steel with the interior walls being drywall. Instantly she knew she was in the Quonset. And there wasn’t really much option for escape. Two men stood by the door and one man was standing in front of someone tied to a chair, whose face looked like it had been fed through a meat grinder.
    Blood ran down over his lips and dripped off his chin. From the bright red color of his shirt and the dark stain on his jeans, she’d have guessed he’d taken quite a beating. She bit hard on her lip to prevent herself from giving in to the urge to scream. She couldn’t stop herself though from closing her eyes. It was one thing for her to die, it was another to have dragged someone else into it. Her head snapped back as her hair was grabbed viciously. She glared at the man who had her at his mercy.
    “Don’t like seeing lover boy hurt? Well if you want to keep him from getting any more of a beating, you’ll tell me now what you know? And who you’ve told?”
Sam glanced at the man sitting motionless in the chair. His arms were tied behind him, his legs tied to the chair. Keegan? Oh my god. What have I done?
    She was thrown forward, landing hard on her knees. His meaty hand grabbed the back of her neck. If she had to die, she was okay with that. But Keegan didn’t have to.
    “Can I have a glass of water and I’ll tell you what I know.” She rasped out, embellishing her dry mouth. Her voice was so deep, throaty that even she didn’t recognize it.
The fact that she saw the fist coming saved her from at least one punch. She fell backwards narrowly being missed. The boot that followed though was too fast and unavoidable. She grunted in pain as she rolled away and flipped onto her butt.
    “I know that there is something happening at the lake. I don’t know what. But something. Something bad. I’ve never considered myself–”
    This time the punch connected, sending her sprawling backwards. Her last thought was, so much for saving anyone, Sam.
    The next thing she became aware of was being lifted by her neck and dangled in the air. Well that and the intense pain of being beaten up and being choked. Air was rasping through her airways like a veteran with emphysema.
    “You ready to talk?”
    She didn’t hear anything come out of her mouth but he seemed to be satisfied with her response because she was dropped, sprawling on the hard cement floor, gasping for breath. She flipped over onto her butt and scooted back, her mouth going before she even knew what she was going to say. “I know that this lake is called GOOM Lake, which is the last name of all the original owners. I’m sure you’d have liked to have been one of them but aren’t but I get a feeling you’re related or something. You want revenge or maybe you’re just filled with hate. I don’t know. I do know that there isn’t much information on you anywhere. I’m sure that anyone who would talk about you isn’t able to.” The whole time she was babbling, she was trying to determine who was in the room, were there any weapons she could grab and what were her chances of getting out alive.

About The Author

Maggie Thom

Award winning author, Maggie Thom, took the challenge and leapt off, leaving a fulltime, twenty year career in management, to write full time. After publishing her first suspense/thriller book Captured Lies, October 2012, she published her second novel, Tainted Waters, April, 2013. Tainted Waters went on to win 2013 Suspense and Thriller Book of the Year through Turning the Pages Magazine and Captured Lies won book of the Month through LAS Reviews (February 2014). She published her third novel, Deceitful Truths (The Caspian Wine Series - Book 2), March 2014. An avid reader and writer her whole life, she decided to break the monotony of wishing to be an author by making it happen. She is a wholehearted nature lover and likes nothing better than to take a book, hike to a remote spot by a river or waterfalls and read. Married to her best friend, she is learning that humor, love and patience help her navigate her way through her twins’ teen years. Her motto: Escape to read and Read to escape. "Maggie Thom writes a fast paced thriller laced with romance that keeps the reader interested and on edge!" InDtale Magazine

Website † Twitter † Blog † Facebook † Google+ † Pinterest † Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THREE LITTLE LIES by Melissa Wolff: Blog Tour

Presented By:

Title: Three Little Lies
Author: Melissa Wolff
Audience: Young Adult
Genre: Thriller
Formats: E-book and Paperback
Publisher: Melissa Wolff
Cover by: Janine Fourie
Editor: Emily Hendricks
Pages: 260 pages
ISNB: 978-1499159882
Date Published: June 4, 2014.

It is the summer of 2012. The sky is blue, the ocean is crisp, and six young women are missing, including Madison Porter.
At the disappearance of her best friend, Amber Swanson falls into a spiral of destruction. She smokes, drinks and gets caught stealing. Her parents don't know what to do with her, so she is sent to live with her half-sister, Rebecca, in Virginia.
Ethan Hunter lives by the saying ‘blood is thicker than water’; even when his mother up and left him. At sixteen, he’s torn between holding on to the only family he has left and forging his own path for the future. He secretly plans his escape from his small, southern town.
The two lives collide and, as Amber puts the pieces of her best friend’s disappearance together, she and Ethan are thrown into a whirlwind of secrets, deceit, and murder.

Goodreads / Amazon

“Amber!” My eyes snapped open and I looked around wildly. Cold sweat beaded my forehead and my hands were shaking. My wooden leg wasn't next to me but my sister and Jacob were. Jacob held crutches and handed them to me as our eyes met.
“Thanks,” I muttered, forgetting for a moment that I didn’t like him. “Why are you screaming at me?”
“Because you were screaming yourself,” Rebecca said. “You must have fallen asleep and you started crying out.” I sat up straighter. Not this again I thought. The doctor said the pills would take care of it.
“How bad?” I asked. “What did I say?”
“I couldn't understand you,” Rebecca admitted. “But it sounded pretty bad. Is everything okay?”
“It's fine,” I said sharply. There was no way that I was going to tell Rebecca about the dream. “I'm fine.”
“There's no reason to be so angry Amber,” Jacob said. “Your sister is just trying to help.”
“I said I'm fine,” I snapped. “She's not trying to help as much as trying to get on our father's good side. She was always the goody two shoes...daddy's little princess. If her perfect reputation wasn’t at stake, she wouldn’t give a damn about me.”

 

 

1. Sugar We’re Going Down – Fall Out Boy

2. Don’t Speak – No Doubt

3. With Me – Sum 41

4. Flagpole Sitta – Harvey Danger

5. Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet

6. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs – Fall Out Boy

7. Wannabe – Spice Girls

8. Jumpin, Jumpin – Destiny’s Child

9. We’ve Got Tonight – Glee Cast Version

10. Wrecking Ball – Miley Cyrus

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

 
Melissa Wolff was born and raised on Long Island. This is her second self-published young adult novel. She is also a writer for LIB Magazine and has been featured on Patch.com as well as the Post Pioneer.


Website / Independentauthornetwork / Facebook / Pinterest / Goodreads / Linkedin / Instagram /Google Plus / Twitter / Amazon




Tour Schedule - Two Month Blog Tour for Three Little Lies by Melissa Wolff from June 23 to Aug 23, 2014.

June 23

Coffee Books & Art - Promo, Playlist, Dream Cast & Top Ten

http://sarityahalomi.blogspot.com/

June 24

Our New Generation for Reading - Promo

http://jessica13bridgers.blogspot.com/2014/06/three-little-lies-by-melissa-wolff.html

June 25

3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! - Promo

http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com/2014/06/three-little-lies-by-melissa-wolff-blog.html

June 26

Deal Sharing Aunt - Promo & Author Interview

http://dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/2014/06/three-little-lies-by-melissa-wolff.html

June 27

Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom - Promo & Top Ten

http://bookyramblingsofaneuroticmom.blogspot.co.uk/

June 28

Bound 2 Escape - Promo

http://www.bound2escape.com

July 1

A Cauldron of Books - Promo & Dream Cast

http://acauldronofbooks.info

July 2

Read It Write - Promo

http://mbernsen.blogspot.com

July 3

Angels with Attitude Book Reviews - Promo & Author Interview 

http://angelswithattitudebookreviews-joelle.blogspot.com

July 4

The Idle Musings of a Writer's Mind - Promo

http://theidlemusingsofawritersmind.blogspot.com

July 7

The Phantom Paragrapher - Promo

http://www.thephantomparagrapher.blogspot.com

July 8

Night Owl Reviews - Promo

http://www.nightowlreviews.com/V5/Blog

July 9

Bajgajka Loves Books And Giveaways - Promo & Dream cast

http://bajgajka.blogspot.com

July 11

The Avid Reader - Promo & Dream cast

http://the-avidreader.blogspot.com

July 12

Crazy Beautiful Reviews - Review

http://www.crazybeautifulreviews.blogspot.com

July 13

Fiction Dreams - Promo & Author Interview

http://www.fictiondreams.com

July 14

iHeart Books by MiLo18 - Promo

https://iHeartBooksbyMiLo18.blogspot.com

July 15

Book Hostage - Promo

http://bookhostage.wordpress.com/

Undercover Book Reviews - Promo & Review

http://undercoverbookreviews.blogspot.com/

July 16

Eclipse Reviews - Promo, Character Interview, Playlist & Dream Cast

http://www.eclipsereviews.weebly.com

July 17

Portals to new Worlds - Promo, Playlist & Dream Cast

http://authorkarenswart.blogspot.com

July 19

For The Love of Books - Review

http://ftlobblog.blogspot.com/

July 21

Book Talk Review - Promo

http://www.michelle808205.blogspot.com/

July 22

Breny's Book Obsession- Promo & Dream Cast

http://brenysbookobsession.blogspot.com/

Books, Brownies and Barkers - Review

http://booksnbrownies.com

July 23

Sinful Reviews - Promo

http://www.sinfulreview.wordpress.com

July 24

The Whispering Pages Book Blog - Promo & Playlist

http://thewhisperingpagesbookblog.blogspot.com/

July 25

The Book Fairy Reviews - Promo, Review, Playlist & Dream Cast

http://thebookfairy1.blogspot.com/

July 26

Sassy Southern Book Blog - Promo & Review

http://sassysouthernbookblog.blogspot.com/

July 28

Bookworm for Kids - Review

http://www.bookwormforkids.blogspot.com

July 29

Fuonlyknew ~ Laura's Ramblins And Reviews - Promo

http://fuonlyknew.com

The Page Princess - Promo & Dream Cast             

http://www.thepageprincess.com

July 30

For The Love of Books - Review

http://ftlobblog.blogspot.com/

July 31

Movies, Shows & Books - Promo & Review

http://moviesshowsnbooks.blogspot.com/

Aug 1

Read That - Promo

http://www.sookie72.wordpress.com

Aug 4

Book Hostage - Promo

http://bookhostage.wordpress.com/

Aug 5

Once Upon a YA Book - Promo & Top Ten

http://onceuponayabook.blogspot.com

Aug 6

Books, Authors, Blogs - Promo & Dream Cast

http://therightbook4u.blogspot.com

Aug 7

The Book Enthusiast - Review

http://www.thebookenthusiast.net

Aug 8

A One-click Addict's Book Blog - Promo & Review

http://aone-clickaddictsbookblog.blogspot.com/?zx=d1de3b7206157a58

Bound 2 Escape - Promo

http://www.bound2escape.com

Aug 11

Fictional Rendezvous Book Blog - Promo

http://fictionalrendezvousbookblog.blogspot.com/

Aug 14

TTC Books and more - Promo & Playlist

https://www.facebook.com/TamsBookBlog

Aug 15

Pretty Girls Read Books - Promo

http://opinionatedperson.wordpress.com

Aug 18

Cajun Book Lover - Promo, Review

http://www.cajunbooklover.blogspot.com

Aug 19

Tammy's Tea Time - Promo, Review

http://tammysteatime.blogspot.com

Aug 20

Sweet Treat Reading Reviews - Promo

http://strreviews.blogspot.com/

Aug 22

Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews - Promo

http://devilishlydeliciousbookreviews.wordpress.com/

Aug 23

Dalene's Book Reviews - Promo, Review & Playlist

http://dalenesbookreviews.blogspot.com

SAVAGE SUMMER by Ruth Bainbridge: Blog Tour w/ Excerpt

Title:  SAVAGE SUMMER

Author: Ruth Bainbridge

Category/Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb: 

“When life gives you lemons … be sure to spit the pits out of that lemonade you’re making. Otherwise you’ll choke.” – Curt Savage

The past year has not been a good one for Curt Savage. Depressed over the death of a loved one, he’s gone into hiding, becoming entirely too comfortable with saying that he’s in the Witness Protection Program. But the urge to find that elusive killer puts his MIA status on hold. With the help of his new buddy Mike, he delves into the murky world of tracking down a killer — and uncovering who poisoned a neighbor’s dog.

SAVAGE SUMMER is the first in the Curt Savage mystery series. Going from former cop to private dick, he represents a new kind of detective—the reluctant kind. As his best bud Mike puts it, “Private investigation just got Savage.”

Purchase on Amazon

 

Excerpt: 

The phone jarred me out of the fantasy. I awoke suddenly, shielding the light that assaulted my eyes. The odor of Ruthie’s perfume was everywhere.
“Ruth?” I called out. Disoriented, I reached out to her side of the bed, expecting her to be there. It took me several more seconds to realize that she was dead.
“Hello,” I started. The gravel in my throat demanded that I clear it once or twice.
“I’m responding to the ad about Ruth Warwick’s murder.”
 Those words officially woke me up. More effective than any cup of coffee, the voice synthesizer disguised the caller’s identity, but the point was that someone had finally phoned. Ever since I’d been dispensed with as a suspect, I’d placed small pennysaver ads in papers published in both Pennsylvania and Ruthie’s home state of Connecticut. Somebody knew something, but I hoped this wasn’t some clown trying to get the reward money from punking my ass.
“Yes, go ahead. I’m listening,” I replied as I ran for a pen and paper. I wanted to be ready, but all I heard was static and heavy breathing. I guessed that it was “all about the money” time. In a second, they’d be asking for the details of how to collect. I figured I’d beat them to that particular punch. “Look, if you’re worried about the reward, the $10,000 will be released when it leads to the arrest of the person, or persons, responsible.”
“I don’t care about the money. There are bigger things going on.”
“What? What do you mean? What things?”
“In due time, Savage.”
“You know my name? How—“
“Inconsequential, don’t you think? Right now, all I can say is this—Ruth was having an affair.”
The click of the receiver on the other end told me the call was concluded. Shocked by the accusation, I stared at the phone, still in my hand. In a million years, I’d never expected a call like that. I collapsed in a chair, trying to think things through. I concluded it had to be a joke perpetrated by someone that thought I hadn’t suffered enough. I slammed the phone back into its stand and took my shower. My stomach was in knots. I was upset that someone was trying to put things in my head about the woman I still loved.
 

About The Author

 Ruth Bainbridge

Born in the idyllic, sleepy town of Ithaca, NY, Ruth Bainbridge has been a lover of mysteries for her entire life.

Ever since a child, she has consumed detective stories at regular intervals, becoming enamored with all the superstars of crime. She loved nothing more than to match wits with the likes of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Thomas Pitt, Lord Peter Wimsey, Richard Jury and Edward X Delaney, becoming inspired by their brilliance. Hoping to emulate her writing idol’s achievements in dreaming up such characters, she started composing her own short stories.

However, life interfered with her plans of becoming the next hopeful to try a life of crime—on paper at least. Devoting herself to her marriage and the raising of four children, the empty nest syndrome gave her the impetus to return to her first love—murder.

SAVAGE SUMMER is Ms. Bainbridge’s debut novel. It introduces Curtis Owen Savage into the world of ink and fury. Savage is engaged and about to be married when the brutal murder of his fiancée sends the world crashing down around him. Depressed, he isolates himself to better deal with the pain, but his beloved Ruthie won’t leave him alone. Haunting him with her presence, he becomes obsessed with finding her killer, and making him pay for taking her away.

With the help of a quirky friend and an old colleague, he takes his first steps, but the poisoning of a next door neighbor’s dog lands him his first case—and into a new profession. Hired as a private detective, he navigates through a complex series of clues to discover why someone attempted to kill the black Pomeranian. In the midst of trying to track down the motive, he receives his first anonymous phone call from a phantom who insists he knows secrets about his fiancé’s death. Dubbing the caller Dr. Shadows, the tidbits scattered become the breadcrumbs that lead Savage down a dark rabbit hole that was never meant to be discovered.

Her next planned project is MURDER MOST FOWL. Alex “Trout” Matthews, is a former NYC detective. Now retired, he moves to the town of Portsmith, Idaho so he can focus on his one passion—fishing. But as Ruth puts it, “Murder rarely leaves an inquisitive mind alone for long.” He soon finds himself pulled back in the stream of things and knee-deep in mystery.

Author Website  † Facebook † Twitter † Author Blog