Thursday, March 31, 2016

Cathy Ace's The Corpse With The Garnet Face Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 


I am so excited to have Cathy Ace here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Cathy and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join The Corpse with the Garnet Face Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Cathy!
 



The Corpse with the Garnet Face
(A Cait Morgan Mystery)

7th in Series
Genre – Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: TouchWood Editions (April 12, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1771511650
ASIN: B019O1BNX8







Synopsis

The seventh book in the Cait Morgan series, the eccentric Welsh criminologist – sleuth travels to Amsterdam to track down the murderer of her husband’s long-lost uncle.


Cait’s husband, Bud, is just as surprised to find out he has an uncle as he is to find out that Uncle Jonas is now dead. Bud’s mother insists that Uncle Jonas was a bad child — a disposition made apparent, she believes, by the large purple birthmark covering most of his face. But in a letter he left for Bud, Uncle Jonas insists that he was driven away by hatred, and entreats his nephew to clear his name.

With an old iron key as their only clue, Cait and Bud travel to Amsterdam to solve the cryptic message left by Jonas, and honour the dying wish of a long-lost relative.






About The Author

Originally from Wales, now-Canadian Cathy Ace writes the Cait Morgan Mysteries. Her series has found her criminal psychologist, foodie sleuth stumbling upon Corpses with a Silver Tongue , a Golden Nose, an Emerald Thumb, Platinum Hair, Sapphire Eyes, Diamond Hand and, now Garnet Face, a during her globetrotting. The winner of The Bony Blithe Award for Best Light Mystery in 2015, when not helping Cait solve traditional, closed-circle mysteries, Cathy’s a keen gardener, ably assisted by her green-pawed chocolate Labradors.

Author Links:

Website: www.cathyace.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cathy-Ace-Author/318388861616661

Twitter: @AceCathy

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3913679.Cathy_Ace

Purchase Links 

Amazon
B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jill Shalvis's NOBODY BUT YOU Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt, Q/A and Giveaway

 
 
I am so excited to have Jill Shavis here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt, Q/A and Giveaway.

Thanks Jill and Hachette Book Group/Forever for allowing me to join your Nobody But You Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Jill!

Guest Post

1.  What scene from NOBODY BUT YOU was the most fun to write?


Maybe when she gets seasick and nearly throws up on his shoes.

2.  If you weren’t a novelist what career would you like to try?


Well I wanted to be a singer but as it turns out, I can’t carry a tune.

3.  What book(s) are on your nightstand right now?

None, I read on my Kindle! ☺ I’m reading the latest JD Robb right now.

Excerpt

She eyed the bench a long beat but did eventually sit, perching primly as far from him as she could get and yet still be close enough to grab the bottle.

Smart woman.

She took the Scotch and drank. Her eyes watered and she coughed as she handed it to him. With a sigh, she leaned back to study the night sky. Her bared throat was slim and creamy smooth. An unexpected temptation. Remembering the flash of pain and vulnerability she’d unwittingly revealed, and that for whatever reason he’d somehow added to it, he spoke. “I’m sorry.”

She glanced at him as if she’d never heard a man apologize before in her life. “For…breathing?” she asked. “Having a penis? What?”

“You were upset because you didn’t know I was a Kincaid.”

She sighed. “That was just me looking for a reason to be mad at you so I wouldn’t…”

She bit her lower lip, clearly not wanting to go on.

But now he had to know. “So you wouldn’t what?”

“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just that I’m trying to make better choices.”

“Of which I wouldn’t be one.”

“It’s not necessarily your fault,” she said. “It’s that you’re a man.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“And I’m off men right now.”

“And on…women?” he asked with admittedly more than a little fascination.

She rolled her eyes. “I’m on no one, but thank you for proving my point on men.”

“I get that,” he said. “But being off men doesn’t seem to be making you very happy, or sound like a whole lot of fun.”

“Maybe I don’t need fun.”

He understood that. He’d felt the same way since Brett died. “What do you need?” he asked, honestly wanting to know more about her.

Instead of answering, she reached for the bottle. He waited until she met his gaze before letting go.

“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly. “Everything’s…perfect.”

“And your glass is half full,” he said. “So you’ve said.”

But he didn’t believe her. “How about a game?”

“I don’t play games.”

Now, that wasn’t exactly true. Whether she knew it or not, she’d been playing with his head since he’d first laid eyes on her. “Three truths and a lie,” he said.

She stared at him. “As in you tell me three truths and a lie, and I pick out the lie?”

“Yes.”

She considered this. “What do I get if I win?”

“What do you want?”

For the briefest of beats, her gaze dropped to his mouth.

Oh, hell yeah, he thought. Want me…

“My first boyfriend taught me that game,” she said.

“What did the winner get?”

“A kiss.”

Definitely still playing with his head… “Is that what you want, Sophie? A kiss?”

Again she stared at his mouth before dropping eye contact and wrapping that eye-stopping pink robe tighter around her body. “Do you?” she asked.

“Hell yes.”

Her gaze flew to his.

“Problem is,” he said conversationally, “if I kissed you, I don’t think I’d be able to stop.”

Her mouth literally fell open. The pulse at the base of her throat jumped. And she seemed to lose her words.

He went on. “But you should know, I don’t lose. That means you’ll have to tell me three truths and a lie.” And he’d hopefully get to know more about her.

She closed her mouth to bite her lower lip in what could’ve been indecision or excitement. Obviously he was hoping for the latter. “But hey, if you’re not sure you can handle losing, we can just forget about it,” he said.

The challenge lifted her chin and put sparks in her eyes. That’s it, babe. Show me what you’ve got.

“Bring it,” she said.








About NOBODY BUT YOU

When Jacob was injured in the war, it changed him for life. Now all he wants to do is come home to Cedar Ridge, settle in at his lakeside cabin and get some much - needed peace and quiet. But there's no peace to be had when he finds a spitfire of a woman camping out on his property. Half the time he's not sure whether he wants to spank her or kiss -- or maybe both. He's in a dark place and a dark mood, and here's this wildly hot woman who is also funny and light and may be the balm be needs to soothe his aching soul.

Sophie Marren is pretty much penniless after leaving her abusive husband. She doesn't have the money to pay rent or the slip fees for docking the boat where she's been sleeping. She was getting along just perfectly until the good-looking, brooding, I'm-too-sexy-for-myself guy moves into the lake cabin that the slip belongs to. Sure he's hot as the noon sun with those dark lens and even darker 'tude, but god forbid she tie herself to another man who's always telling her what to do. But the more she gets to know Jacob, the more she sees how willing he is to battle for her wounded heart a battle she might just let him win.





About Jill Shalvis

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

Jill’s Social Media:

Website: JillShalvis.com

FB: Facebook.com/jillshalvis

GR: https://www.goodreads.com/JillShalvis

T: @jillshalvis

IG: @jillshalvis

P: https://www.pinterest.com/jillshalvis/

Buy Links

Amazon: amzn.to/1nJOatw

B and N: bit.ly/250OcyR

IndieBound: bit.ly/22gObop

iTunes: apple.co/1TJDOYH

GooglePlay: bit.ly/1RKiLPz

Kobo: bit.ly/1QTy644

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/26635ce2312/

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Wednesday Wish List


Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks.






Rhage and Mary return in a new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a series “so popular, I don’t think there’s a reader today who hasn’t at least heard of [it]” (USA Today).

Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself.

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect — or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand — or control — the panic and insecurity that plague him.

And that terrifies him — as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities — and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from.





“With her patented page-singeing sensuality” (Booklist), the New York Times bestselling author of Mate Bond returns to the primal and passionate world of her Shifters Unbound series as a woman is lured into the shadows of a dangerous manhunt.

Wanted and on the run


For twenty years, Kendrick, a white tiger Shifter, has been the Guardian of un-Collared Shifters who spend their lives living in secret — and in fear of being shunted into Shiftertowns. When Kendrick’s group is discovered and forced to flee, Kendrick is more desperate than ever to protect them

His only salvation was in a beautiful stranger.

In a diner in the middle of nowhere, lonely waitress Addison Price has seen a lot of unusual drifters come and go, but none has ever captivated — and intimidated — her like the imposing fugitive who wields a broadsword with incredible skill. But when he risks all to protect her, Addison’s fear turns to empathy — and empathy to desire as she learns more about her savior. Soon she’s more than willing to help the crushingly sensual white tiger and his cubs in a passionate bid for freedom. Whatever the cost. 

Amos Cassidy's Lost Souls Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway




Today we're excited to share the Teaser Tour for Lost Souls, book two in the Pendragon Chronicles, which can be picked up at the pre-order price of $2.99 and, if you haven’t yet joined Jake Winters on his thrilling journey, you can pick up The Rain, book one in the series, for the limited time offer price of 99c. Pendragon Chronicles is an adult dark urban fantasy series. Lost Souls releases March 31st, 2016.

About Lost Souls:




The temperature is falling, and something evil rides the wind.


A relative calm has settled over Longbrooke since The Artist’s demise. Jake and Ivy distract themselves from their grief by keeping the coast clear of minor beasts, while Dean works to maintain

the facade that Crystal is still alive. With the festive season almost upon them, the gang want nothing

more than to creep silently into the New Year. But a storm is brewing in the sleepy little town, and Jake will soon discover that the calm before the storm can be destructively deceptive when it hits, no one will be left unscathed.






Amazon UK | Amazon US | Kobo | ibooks | Nook





Don't miss out on book one, The Rain!






On sale now for only .99c on Amazon!



About the Author:



Amos Cassidy is the pen name for Richard Amos and Debbie Cassidy. Amos is a 32 year old Diva and Cassidy a 39 year old mother of three; well, four if you include the husband. A common love of all things Joss Whedon, Urban Fantasy, and a tug of war over Jensen Ackles, brought them together, and one cold February afternoon, over nibbles and coffee, their partnership was born.


You can find Cassidy hard at work in her fortress of solitude which has eaten up the majority of her garden, and Amos...well he's still trying to get the invisibility gizmo he got off a friendly alien in exchange for a pair of earphones to work. Funnily enough he hasn't been seen around much lately.


Frequent doses of Sugary snacks, coupled with regular injections of caffeine aid in their production of a unique brand of cross genre tales. They are always writing, but are happy to take a break to chat to their wonderful readers, so drop them a line at amoscassidy.com, or just pop over to see what they're working on and they'll bust out the biscuit tin.





***


GIVEAWAY:


$25 Amazon gift card & digital copies of Aurora and Hawthorn by Amos Cassidy (INT)


Ends 4/6


Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organised by CBB Book Promotions.



Jake Winters

Star Sign: Pisces


Jake is a writer who is obsessed with tea, like seriously addicted to it, and loves to curl up with a steaming mug of it with a book by Neil Gaiman in his hand.

Although a Londoner through and through, hailing from the London Borough of Hackney Jake can’t see himself going back there in a hurry. Too many ghosts, too much heartache. No, he’ll stick to Longbrooke and enjoying the company of his new friends (and drinking copious amounts of tea).

Ivy Black

Star Sign: Virgo


Loyal friend and able to dance in six inch heels

Local bookstore owner and red headed femme fatal in her dreams! Ivy likes long walks on the beach and strawberry shortcake...okay, the strawberry shortcake bit is true.

Ivy is the kind of girl that’ll bawl you out for being a dick and then give you her last choccy biscuit to take you feel better. She loves tea , especially if Jake’s making it, and won’t say no to a slice of cheesecake.

Greg Stone

Star Sign: Sagittarius

Greg is the man! He loves working with his hands, chilling with his mates and a quiet night in with his favourite girl, Crystal; although he won’t admit they’re serious ;-)

Greg has a soft spot for Jake’s tea, Jake’s house and...well, Jake. A loyal friend and great company in a crisis, Greg is the guy that’ll give you the shirt of his back if you needed it.

Dean Moore

Star Sign: Gemini


Dean is from Sheffield, minus the accent, and in Longbrooke on Karla’s request to help out with the new ‘situation’ with his unique abilities. He is Jake’s lodger and boasts a rather interesting piece of body jewellery.

Except

Dean’s expression was cold. “That Dog isn’t a dog, is it?”

“Nope,” Jake said. This is my house! He was braced for a showdown, for a laying down of the law.

“Right.”

“Fuck this.” Ivy carefully placed the Dog down on the carpet. “Phew! That’s better. Heavy git.”

“You brought a Beast into your house?”

Jake clenched his fists and the sparks spat. “Yes. What of it?”

“Are you insane?”

“Er,” Ivy said, “it’s a bit more complicated than that. He, the Beast, helped us out.”

“He helped you out?” Dean’s voice was calm, but it irritated the hell out of Jake.

“Yeah, he helped us out. Don’t stand there like you’re the bloody boss of us, Dean. You’re not.” So

why did he also feel nervous as well as angry?

“I never said I was.”

“Just because you can mess with minds and are handy with your fists… Oh, you’re so fucking hard.

You must be the boss by default. Dean Moore, the bloody ninja master.”

“The what?”

Jake suddenly went bright red with shame. “The ninja master.”

“The ninja master?” Ivy said.

Dean smiled. “I like it.”

Jake’s cheeks burned, shame and annoyance doing a barn dance. “Look, this is my house and I want this Dog here, so I can make him better. He got injured helping us out. He’ll probably want to be out of here once he’s better anyway. I can’t leave him out there in the cold to… I know he won’t die, but,
you know.”

Dean stared at him a moment before answering. “Don’t you think he’d be safer away from you, Jake? After all, you’re the only thing in this world that can kill him.”

“Thing?”

“Don’t be so sensitive.”

Condescending bastard! “I want him to stay!” Now he felt like a child. Maybe he should stomp his feet. He shook his head. “I just need to do this.”

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

New Releases 2016 (Mar 29)



 




New Releases








The Smallest Mistake

Three went in; one came out. For five years, no trace has been found of two high-school friends who went hiking in the woods near Nashville. The third teen, Amber Ryder, was discovered at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm, head trauma -- and zero memory of the horror that put her there.

Will Put You

What started as a cold case has become a fresh hell for forensic technician Georgia Morgan. Another woman's body is found in the woods, and it leads to the missing teens' remains. But while Georgia works with Amber to try and reawaken her memories, her gut tells her the worst is yet to come.

At A Killer's Mercy

Homicide Detective Jake Bishop can't be sure whether Amber is an expert manipulator or the killer's next target. Either way, he's determined to protect Georgia. Because the deeper she digs into the past, the deadlier the secrets that emerge, and a nightmare years in the making is about to come to a bloody, terrifying end.







New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards continues her penchant for “fantastic storytelling” (RT Book Reviews) with this next heart-pumping romantic suspense novel, the tale of a brilliant ornithologist trapped on the remote Attu Island in Alaska, fighting for her life — and that of a handsome stranger—before they’re swallowed up in darkness forever.

BOOM. That’s the sound that changes everything for Dr. Gina Sullivan, a renowned ornithologist on a group research grant trip on the remote island of Attu, Alaska. When an everyday outing turns sinister at the onset of one of Attu’s infamous storms, Gina expects thunder and lightning — but what she doesn’t see coming is the small jet plane that drops out of the sky and into the water mere feet from her boat. Even more unprecedented: there’s a sole survivor from the crash, and he needs Gina’s help. But it turns out that rescuing the stranger and getting them both out of the oncoming storm is just the beginning. Because the more Gina learns about James “Cal” Callahan, he of brooding eyes and muscled frame, the more she fears — for herself, and for him.

Cal has made a career of trading on government secrets and emerging unscathed — until a routine pickup goes horribly wrong and lands him in ice-cold water. Literally. He knows the plane crash was no accident and that there could very well be an enemy force currently combing the Alaskan island ensuring there were no survivors. Now if only the arrestingly beautiful bird-watcher with the clear-blue gaze would stop watching him, well, like a hawk. Cal convinces Gina to return to base camp and help him covertly get off the island. But when Gina makes it safely back to camp and finds her entire team murdered, all bets are off, and as darkness envelops the island, she must decide: trust a man she barely knows, or go it alone and risk running straight into the arms of a killer?







Some lies never stay buried

Betsy Jakes was having nightmares, nightmares that could solve a decades-old mystery. And for someone in her small town, that meant she had to die.


When Sam Jakes returns home to help his brother solve their mother's murder, two things shake him to the core. This crime is clearly the work of a serial killer who has struck twice before. And Lainey Pickett is still in town. The woman he walked away from without an explanation years ago has just walked back into his life. She still holds a grudge — and his heart.

As Sam digs deeper into the murders and thirty-year-old secrets begin to emerge, he finds himself racing against time not only to catch a killer but to keep Lainey, the only woman he'll ever love, from falling victim, too.






Wanted: A bold adventurer who wants to travel the world from a comfortable and safe spot behind a desk that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes. A humble book and rare manuscript shop seeks a keenly intelligent investigator to assist us in our search for things thought lost, and in our quest to return lost items to their rightful owners.

Never an adventurer, no one was more surprised than Delaney Nichols when she packed her bags and moved halfway across the world to Edinburgh, Scotland to start a job at The Cracked Spine, a bookshop located in the heart of the city. Her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime, albeit a cryptic one, and Delaney can’t wait to take her spot behind the desk.

The Cracked Spine is filled with everything a book lover could want, each item as eclectic as the people who work there; the spirited and lovable Rosie, who always has tiny dog Hector in tow; Hamlet, a nineteen-year-old thespian with a colored past and bright future; and Edwin, who is just as enigmatic and mysterious as Delaney expected. An extra bonus is Tom the bartender from across the street, with his cobalt eyes, and a gentle brogue ― and it doesn’t hurt that he looks awfully good in a kilt.

But before she can settle into her new life, a precious artifact goes missing, and Edwin’s sister is brutally murdered. Never did Delaney think that searching for things lost could mean a killer, but if she’s to keep her job, and protect her new friends, she’ll need to learn the truth behind this Scottish tragedy.







The breathtaking second novel in New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost's Broken Destiny series finds Ivy and Adrian rekindling their alliance — and passion — as the struggle for the fate of the world begins.

Conquering a supernatural realm turned out to be easier than getting over a broken heart. But her initial victory has made Ivy a target for revenge, forcing her to reunite with the dangerous — and dangerously sexy — Adrian. Ivy isn't sure which will be harder: finding the hallowed weapon that will repair the crumbling walls between the demon and human realms, or resisting Adrian, who's decided that come hell or high water, he will make Ivy his.

At first, Adrian tried to resist his feelings for Ivy. Now, determined to break the curse that dooms their love, he's vowed to save her and to have her. If only he can persuade her to forgive his past sins. But defying destiny — and surrendering to the smoldering desire between them — will bring consequences and sacrifices they never imagined.

Ellen Mansoor Collier's Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post

 


I am so excited to have Ellen Mansoor Collierhere at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Giveaway and Guest Post.

Thanks Ellen and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Ellen!

SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED

by Ellen Mansoor Collier,

Author of the Jazz Age Mystery Series

“Eat, drink and be merry” dictated the mood during the Shake, Rattle and Pour era of the Roaring Twenties — never mind Prohibition. To the rebellious “Lost Generation” of the Jazz Age, the 18th Amendment passed in 1919 (aka the Volstead Act) made liquor that much more appealing, not to mention attainable.

Thanks to opportunistic bootleggers, moonshiners, and Al Capone-clones, gin mills and bars flowed with bathtub booze and home-brewed hooch. Originally created by the ancient Egyptians, cocktails not only helped to make bootleg liquor more palatable for public consumption, but stretched out a meager supply. Outrageous names added to the cocktail craze: Between the Sheets, Side Car, Fox Trot, Zanzibar, Clover Club, Palm Beach, for starters.

Contraband cocktails served as the main ice-breakers, and often the raison d’etre, of spirited soirees during the not-so-dry decade. Savvy hostesses knew that mixed drinks helped loosen up the mixed company and, with a little help from her rum-running friends, her bar was always well-stocked for making whoopee. As Cole Porter would say, “Anything goes!”

Prohibition may have padlocked the doors of the saloons and bars, yet it paved the way for a more egalitarian watering hole. Only the right card and password granted you entreé, behind unmarked doors and peepholes, into the speakeasy’s secret sect. Daring sheiks and shebas could imbibe giggle-water until they were blotto — or until the next police raid.

Speakeasies sprouted like mushrooms — dark, damp and underground. By 1925, bon vivants could make the rounds at 100,000 blind pigs in New York City alone.

Besides bars and boudoirs, cocktails played a starring role in theatres and in Hollywood. Real-life flapper and film siren Joan Crawford drank, danced and smooched with abandon in Our Dancing Daughters (1928) and its sequel, Our Modern Maidens. Scandalous! And what's a Noel Coward comedy, say, Private Lives or Blithe Spirit, without its ever-present props: the cocktail tray and “very dry martinis”?

Don't forget everyone's favorite aunt — Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame. How could she throw an all-night soiree during the so-called Dry Decade without her bootlegger’s help?

Thirsty but resourceful quaffers most likely fashioned early shakers out of Mason jars, shell casings, or whatever container was at hand. Consider this frat joke published in Cornell’s Widow during the 1920s: “Do you fellows wash your own clothes at the house?” “Heck, no.” “Well, what's that washing machine for?” “That's no washing machine. That's our cocktail shaker.”

With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, speakeasies came out of the closet, only to be reborn as chi-chi cafes and must-see and be seen nightclubs. Undaunted by the Depression, New York’s cafe society flitted from the Stork Club to El Morocco to 21. In 1935, the original Old Mister Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide was published, just in time to capitalize on this intoxicating industry.

During the 1930s, a new era of movie-making began, showcasing cocktail shakers as the au courant accessory of sophisticated Hollywood stars. These Art Deco artifacts may have their roots in Prohibition, but their popularity has spanned the decades, symbolizing carefree elegance and elan. During this Golden Age of glamour, Clark Gable and Myrna Loy were the King and Queen of Hollywood. Life was swell and swank while everyone drank, at least in the movies — and how! Depression? Who’s depressed?

Like the matineé idols and stars of the day, cocktails, and the requisite shakers, were considered de rigueur for the Smart Set. No hard liquor for these oh-so-chic creatures of yesteryear. Recall Nick and Nora Charles exchanging witty reparteé in The Thin Man movies as they sipped dry martinis—what else? Witness Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire twirling to swing bands under a mirrored ball in a glittering 1930s ballroom. Talk about putting on the Ritz!

Today cocktail shakers are no longer hidden behind closed doors, but are back in their rightful place at the bar. Elegant as an Erté etching, or just funky and fun, these colorful collectibles are meant to be displayed and handled—not just stored away like dusty museum pieces.

And on a cool night when you’re sipping a Dubonnet and the moon is a silver smile in the sky, you can pretend it’s 1925 all over again: Suddenly you're snuggling with that special someone in the rumble seat of a new Packard, singing at the top of your lungs: “In the meantime, in between time: Ain't we got fun?”

©Ellen Mansoor Collier  






Vamps, Villains and Vaudeville
(Jazz Age Mystery Series)
(Volume 4)

Cozy Mystery
Publisher: DECODAME PRESS (August 5, 2015)
Paperback: 250 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0989417082
E-Book ASIN: B0111GYYYE





Synopsis

In 1920s Galveston, society reporter Jazz Cross is in for a surprise when she attends a traveling vaudeville show with her beau, Prohibition Agent James Burton, and discovers that an old flame acts in the production. That night, they find a stabbing victim behind the Oasis — her half-brother Sammy’s speakeasy — who’s identified as an actor in the troupe. When the victim disappears and later turns up dead, Jazz must help prove that Sammy wasn’t the killer.

Meanwhile, a ring of jewel thieves is turning up all over town, robbing rich tourists of their precious gems. After a second vaudeville actor is found dead, Jazz discovers that the events behind the scenes are much more interesting than the outdated acts onstage.

To make matters worse, Sammy’s old nemesis demands that he settles a score and forces him into yet another illegal scheme. Can Jazz help solve the murders and prove her brother’s innocence — so he can escape the Downtown Gang for good?

A historical Jazz Age mystery inspired by real-life Galveston gangs and local landmarks.






About The Author

Ellen Mansoor Collier is a Houston-based freelance magazine writer and editor whose articles and essays have been published in a variety of national magazines. Several of her short stories have appeared in Woman’s World. During college summers, she worked as a reporter for a Houston community newspaper and as a cocktail waitress, both jobs providing background experience for her Jazz Age mysteries.

A flapper at heart, she’s worked as a magazine editor/writer, and in advertising and public relations (plus endured a hectic semester as a substitute teacher). She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Magazine Journalism and served on UTmost, the college magazine and as president of WICI (Women in Communications).

FLAPPERS, FLASKS AND FOUL PLAY is her first novel, published in 2012, followed by the sequel, BATHING BEAUTIES, BOOZE AND BULLETS, released in May 2013. She lives in Houston with her husband and Chow mutts, and visits Galveston whenever possible.

“When you grow up in Houston, Galveston becomes like a second home. I had no idea this sleepy beach town had such a wild and colorful past until I began doing research, and became fascinated by the legends and stories of the 1920s. Finally I had to stop researching and start writing, trying to imagine a flapper’s life in Galveston during Prohibition.”

Author Links:

Website: http://www.flapperfinds.com/

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6452242.Ellen_Mansoor_Collier

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/artdecodame/flappers/

Purchase Links:

Amazon

B&N

a Rafflecopter giveaway

R. Michael Phillips Between Good and Evil Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway



I am so excited to have R. Michael Phillips here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks R. Michael and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Good and Evil Blog Tour!

Please take it away, R. Michael!







Between Good and Evil
(Auburn Notch Mystery)
(Volume 1)

Crime – Mystery
Sunbury Press, Inc. (January 24, 2016)
Hardcover: 224 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1620066607
Paperback: 222 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1620067291
E-Book ASIN: B01B12YPTC






Synopsis

Years after the Willis Asylum closed, the secrets of its past lingered in its decaying halls as a reminder to the good people of Auburn Notch — when Evil closes a door, he also opens a window. Sheriff Promise Flynn was new to the town, and she was about to find out some windows should never be opened.

Promise Flynn is an overly impulsive Metro Detective whose disregard for procedure finally resulted in her being shot and left for dead during an investigation. To repair her bruised ego and splintered confidence she abandons the callous dark alleys of Chicago to patrol the quiet, birch-lined streets of Auburn Notch — a favorite vacation spot of her youth. For two years everything was idyllic, until the body of a young girl found in the abandoned asylum outside of town awakens the insecurities she thought her new life would insulate her from.

As the new Sheriff she begins her investigation refusing to accept the similarities between the young woman’s death and her own case, oblivious to being unexpectedly recognized and penciled in at the top of a clever murderer’s To-Do list. Her internal struggle intensifies when a discredited crime reporter from the past suspiciously arrives in town to resurrect his threadbare reputation, along with an FBI agent chasing down a lead in a cold case. Both men quickly become entangled in Flynn’s investigation and her attempts to finally put her past to rest.

Flynn reluctantly accepts the murder of the young girl might be the work of the two men responsible for her hasty departure from Chicago, but Agent MacGregor insists the evidence points to a man he’s been chasing. As the rising current of her past threatens to pull her under, Flynn finds herself unprepared for option three.







ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael is a classically trained artist turned mystery writer. By combining his creative talents with a passion for mysteries he conceived his first series — The Ernie Bisquets Mysteries. It introduced Ernie Bisquets, a retired London pickpocket who decided he was going to assist the London police with their most difficult cases — whether they want his help or not. Michael has completed 3 books in the series, and has plans for at least five additional books.

Michael travels a bit, especially to Great Britain, but also has a fondness for New England. He spent many winters in the shadow of the White Mountains, skiing and enjoying the beautiful countryside. Those fond memories are the backdrop now for the new Auburn Notch Mysteries being published by Sunbury Press. The main character is Sheriff Promise Flynn — an ex-metro detective who left a dark past and her big-city detective shield behind and moved to a small New England town. What follows is anything but therapeutic.

When he’s not painting or writing Michael is an avid antique collector, filling his current home — an 1894 Queen Ann Victorian he, his wife, and son are restoring — with an assortment of antiques from around the world. Michael also enjoys cooking, working in the garden, and playing in the yard with their two rescues, Beau and Pup.

Author Links

Website - http://www.rmichaelphillips.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/R-Michael-Phillips-104782886282707/?ref=tn_tnmn

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2995205.R_Michael_Phillips

Twitter - https://twitter.com/rmpbook

A Fifer’s Blog - http://rmichael-fifer.blogspot.com

Purchase Links

Amazon B and N SUNBURY PRESS

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/02887792300/


 




Monday, March 28, 2016

Weekly Book Reads (Mar 28)




 Weekly Book Reads


Weekly Book Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books read last week and books you plan on finishing this week.

Read Last Week:

1.  The Drafter - Kim Harrison
2.  The Cain Saga Vol. 4: The Seal of the Red Ram Part 1
3.  The Cain Saga Vol. 4: The Seal of the Red Ram Part 2

Weekly Book Reading:

1.  Dragon Soul - Katie MacAlister
2  Kiss of the Rose Princess Vol. 1- Aya Shouto
3.  Kiss of the Rose Princess Vol. 2 - Aya Shouto
4.  Kiss of the Rose Princess Vol. 3 - Aya Shouto
5.  Kiss of the Rose Princess Vol. 4 - Aya Shouto

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Library Haul 2016 (Mar 27 - Apr 2)



Library Haul

Here's the list of books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga I picked up this week at the library:

Softcover:

1.  Alone in the Dark - Karen Rose

Manga:

1.  Godchild Vols. (6 - 8) - Kaori Yuki
2.  Haven't You Heard I'm Sakamoto Vol. 2 - Nami Sano
3. The Ancient Magus' Bride Vol. 1 - Kore Yamazaki

Friday, March 25, 2016

Tessa Harris's Secrets in the Stones Blog Tour with a Spotlight

 


I am so excited to have Tessa Harris here at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight.

Thanks Tessa and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Death By Sunken Treasure Blog Tour!

Please take it away,Tessa!






Secrets in the Stones (Dr. Thomas Silkstone Mystery)
Historical Mystery
6th in Series
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Kensington (February 23, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-0758293411
E-Book ASIN: B00Y6RB0SY







Synopsis

Within the mysteries of the body, especially those who have been murdered, 18th-century anatomist Dr. Thomas Silkstone specializes in uncovering the tell-tale clues that lead towards justice.

Newly released from the notorious asylum known as Bedlam, Lady Lydia Farrell finds herself in an equally terrifying position – as a murder suspect – when she stumbles upon the mutilated body of Sir Montagu Malthus in his study at Boughton Hall.

Meanwhile Dr. Thomas Silkstone has been injured in a duel with a man who may or may not have committed the grisly deed of which Lydia is accused. Despite his injury, Thomas hopes to clear his beloved’s good name by conducting a postmortem on the victim. With a bit of detective work, he learns that Montagu’s throat was slit by no ordinary blade, but a ceremonial Sikh dagger from India–a clue that may be connected to the fabled lost mines of Golconda.

From the mysterious disappearance of a cursed diamond buried with Lydia’s dead husband, to the undying legend of a hidden treasure map, Thomas must follow a trail of foreign dignitaries, royal agents – and even more victims – to unveil the sinister and shocking secrets in the stones.





ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Since leaving Oxford University with a History degree, Tessa Harris has been a journalist and editor, contributing to many national publications such as The Times and The Telegraph. She has also acted as a literary publicist for several well-known authors. Readers can visit her website at tessaharrisauthor.com.

Purchase Links 

Amazon B and N GoodReads IndieBound

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/secrets-in-the-stones-by-tessa-harris






Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Wednesday Wish List


Please list the books/manga/manhwa/yaoi manga from your wishlist that you are hoping to add to your shelves in a comment, thanks.






The Smallest Mistake

Three went in; one came out. For five years, no trace has been found of two high-school friends who went hiking in the woods near Nashville. The third teen, Amber Ryder, was discovered at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm, head trauma -- and zero memory of the horror that put her there.

Will Put You

What started as a cold case has become a fresh hell for forensic technician Georgia Morgan. Another woman's body is found in the woods, and it leads to the missing teens' remains. But while Georgia works with Amber to try and reawaken her memories, her gut tells her the worst is yet to come.

At A Killer's Mercy

Homicide Detective Jake Bishop can't be sure whether Amber is an expert manipulator or the killer's next target. Either way, he's determined to protect Georgia. Because the deeper she digs into the past, the deadlier the secrets that emerge, and a nightmare years in the making is about to come to a bloody, terrifying end.







New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards continues her penchant for “fantastic storytelling” (RT Book Reviews) with this next heart-pumping romantic suspense novel, the tale of a brilliant ornithologist trapped on the remote Attu Island in Alaska, fighting for her life — and that of a handsome stranger—before they’re swallowed up in darkness forever.

BOOM. That’s the sound that changes everything for Dr. Gina Sullivan, a renowned ornithologist on a group research grant trip on the remote island of Attu, Alaska. When an everyday outing turns sinister at the onset of one of Attu’s infamous storms, Gina expects thunder and lightning — but what she doesn’t see coming is the small jet plane that drops out of the sky and into the water mere feet from her boat. Even more unprecedented: there’s a sole survivor from the crash, and he needs Gina’s help. But it turns out that rescuing the stranger and getting them both out of the oncoming storm is just the beginning. Because the more Gina learns about James “Cal” Callahan, he of brooding eyes and muscled frame, the more she fears — for herself, and for him.

Cal has made a career of trading on government secrets and emerging unscathed — until a routine pickup goes horribly wrong and lands him in ice-cold water. Literally. He knows the plane crash was no accident and that there could very well be an enemy force currently combing the Alaskan island ensuring there were no survivors. Now if only the arrestingly beautiful bird-watcher with the clear-blue gaze would stop watching him, well, like a hawk. Cal convinces Gina to return to base camp and help him covertly get off the island. But when Gina makes it safely back to camp and finds her entire team murdered, all bets are off, and as darkness envelops the island, she must decide: trust a man she barely knows, or go it alone and risk running straight into the arms of a killer?







Some lies never stay buried

Betsy Jakes was having nightmares, nightmares that could solve a decades-old mystery. And for someone in her small town, that meant she had to die.


When Sam Jakes returns home to help his brother solve their mother's murder, two things shake him to the core. This crime is clearly the work of a serial killer who has struck twice before. And Lainey Pickett is still in town. The woman he walked away from without an explanation years ago has just walked back into his life. She still holds a grudge — and his heart.

As Sam digs deeper into the murders and thirty-year-old secrets begin to emerge, he finds himself racing against time not only to catch a killer but to keep Lainey, the only woman he'll ever love, from falling victim, too.






Wanted: A bold adventurer who wants to travel the world from a comfortable and safe spot behind a desk that has seen the likes of kings and queens, paupers and princes. A humble book and rare manuscript shop seeks a keenly intelligent investigator to assist us in our search for things thought lost, and in our quest to return lost items to their rightful owners.

Never an adventurer, no one was more surprised than Delaney Nichols when she packed her bags and moved halfway across the world to Edinburgh, Scotland to start a job at The Cracked Spine, a bookshop located in the heart of the city. Her new boss, Edwin MacAlister, has given her the opportunity of a lifetime, albeit a cryptic one, and Delaney can’t wait to take her spot behind the desk.

The Cracked Spine is filled with everything a book lover could want, each item as eclectic as the people who work there; the spirited and lovable Rosie, who always has tiny dog Hector in tow; Hamlet, a nineteen-year-old thespian with a colored past and bright future; and Edwin, who is just as enigmatic and mysterious as Delaney expected. An extra bonus is Tom the bartender from across the street, with his cobalt eyes, and a gentle brogue ― and it doesn’t hurt that he looks awfully good in a kilt.

But before she can settle into her new life, a precious artifact goes missing, and Edwin’s sister is brutally murdered. Never did Delaney think that searching for things lost could mean a killer, but if she’s to keep her job, and protect her new friends, she’ll need to learn the truth behind this Scottish tragedy.







The breathtaking second novel in New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost's Broken Destiny series finds Ivy and Adrian rekindling their alliance — and passion — as the struggle for the fate of the world begins.

Conquering a supernatural realm turned out to be easier than getting over a broken heart. But her initial victory has made Ivy a target for revenge, forcing her to reunite with the dangerous — and dangerously sexy — Adrian. Ivy isn't sure which will be harder: finding the hallowed weapon that will repair the crumbling walls between the demon and human realms, or resisting Adrian, who's decided that come hell or high water, he will make Ivy his.

At first, Adrian tried to resist his feelings for Ivy. Now, determined to break the curse that dooms their love, he's vowed to save her and to have her. If only he can persuade her to forgive his past sins. But defying destiny — and surrendering to the smoldering desire between them — will bring consequences and sacrifices they never imagined.
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