Blog Tour & Review: 100 Proof Stud by A.J. Lape

Good versus Evil

by A.J. Lape

Who I decide to make a villain/hero in my novels is a very organic thing for me–not in the nuts and granola, Birkenstock sense (hehehee)–but it’s all about making changes and adjustments as you go. Like all writers, I go into my head and let the characters take over. Sometimes I get afraid of what they say, and then I get afraid to write it down, and at times I wonder, Is it okay to print what these people do because some of it is straight-up horror show and so soulless it’s like Dante’s outer circle. I guess it comes down to how comfortable with good, right? But sometimes you don’t know what “good” truly is until you compare it to its polar opposite.

I have one character that I write, Ivy Morrison, who is classic mean-girl–from her all-white, in-your-face ensemble, to a rockin’ body, and a face that looks like Barbie. Poison Ivy was hard for me in the beginning. I didn’t want her to throw mean barbs at Darcy or her friends because I wanted to jump on the page and punch her lights out myself. But at the end of the day, I thought, pretty girl + mean girl x teen jealousy = high school. I couldn’t get around diving into the meanies of the meanies and show a true depiction of what high school life can be like without letting Ivy be, er, poison.

The same thing goes for my villains. Once it is revealed to me in the writing process what a character is like, then the crime sort of goes hand in hand. Oftentimes I will write a character one way, and then in the back of my mind I’ll hear this little voice that says, He or she may do bad things, but there’s more to this character than meets the eye. When that happens, the backstory will unfold, and I will decide how much I will tell the reader in that particular book. Why? Because I may want to bring that character back, give them a larger part, or maybe even redeem them. Or perhaps they will always be victim of their flaws and just can’t get out of their own way. Whatever the case, when you are writing, you have to embrace “the truth.” You can’t sugarcoat a personality–or put lipstick on a pig–and have a reader walk away with a believable character. The pig will still be the pig.

About the Author:

A. J. Lape’s Darcy Walker Series broke into the Top 50 books in Teens Literature & Fiction within 36 hours of its release. It has spent numerous weeks in the Top 100 in Mystery Series and Teens, Mysteries & Thrillers Categories as well as being one of the Top Rated in its genre. A self-proclaimed neurotic and troublemaker at heart, a perfect day for A. J. consists of writing, watching her kids play sports, drinking Coke, then lounging in her pajamas by 8PM.

She lives in Cincinnati with her husband, two feministic daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola, with a lifelong love affair with bacon. She studied English, Journalism, and Political Science at Morehead State University and left the business world when her daughters were born. Her love for suspense and a good story was born from watching Mystery Science Theater with her sister during childhood. That and any B movie with comedic undertones they could get their hands on.

When she’s not riding that razor-thin line between creativity and insanity, she likes to read, watch too much cable TV, or cheer like a banshee at her daughters’ sporting events. She’s a huge hometown sports fan and loves to watch the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds whenever she can.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Sometimes life smacks you right in the kisser with a whole lot of ohhhh craaaaap.

Just ask Darcy Walker.

100 Proof Stud picks up four months after No Brainer’s cliffhanger ending, and Darcy discovers the aftermath pales in comparison to the crisis her heart is in. All of a sudden it’s raining men, and this teenage heroine’s personal life turns her inside out.

Before she can sort out her feelings, she chases a spray-painting vandal and stumbles upon a case of identity theft right in her own backyard. Darcy jumps into the fray headfirst to prove she can hang with the big boys.

But it’s not just to hang…nope, she’s chasing reward money.

Tapping her band of misfit brothers for help, she turns Valley upside down trying to unearth the criminals. Problem is, the cloak and dagger goes high-octane, and she raises the bar on “crazy” in the process.

Bullets ring out…dead bodies appear…and Darcy rubs shoulders with the ultimate sociopath. In the midst of murder and mayhem, will she finally follow her heart or build a fortress of lies around it? Will she even get the chance?

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of 100 Proof Stud

Review (3.75 Stars): Darcy was an interesting character and this is one of the few young adult mystery series that I have read so far. She was a wise-cracking young heroine who always ended up in the middle of trouble and I was amazed at some of the scenarios that she found herself in. Reminded quite a bit of the Stephanie Plum series. There is definitely a lot of humor in this book but I recommend reading the first book, Grade A Stupid, to get acquainted with Darcy and the people in her life before starting 100 Proof Stud. Fun series that will have you laughing out loud until the very end.

June 4, 2014May 25, 2014

Kimberly reviews Heat by Jamie K. Schmidt

TITLE: Heat
SERIES #: Club Inferno #1
CHARACTERS: Mallory & Max
AUTHOR: Jamie K. Schmidt
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/03/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
On the run from her abusive fiancé, ER doctor Mallory Bryant arrives at her sister’s Connecticut resort desperate for a place to restore balance to her life. But Couture is more than a haven for the rich and fashionable. Beneath its elegant facade is an erotic playground where dominants and submissives play out their fantasies. At first, Mallory is wary of Max Spencer, the martial arts trainer acting as her bodyguard—until he introduces her to passion so intense she wants nothing more than to surrender to his touch.

As one of Couture’s most skilled doms, Max enjoys taking Mallory to the limits of pleasure. It’s a dangerous proposition, and as their sensual games draw them into a relationship beyond the boundaries of pupil and master, Max starts spiraling out of control. But when Mallory’s violent past catches up with her, Max knows what he must do: draw her closer than ever before, even if it means risking a surrender of his own.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Everyone seems to have jumped on the “If you liked Fifty Shades you will love this book” bandwagon and most times I end up not liking them much or they are just ok but this book was different. I really enjoyed this story. I liked how the characters had an instant connection, but Max was not willing to rush Mallory. So many times I call the men in these stories “diamonds in the rough” but Max is just a diamond. He is beyond sweet and understand. He has a heart that women would love. I think I might have even fallen a little in love with him.

Mallory is strong in her own way too. At first I wasn’t sure if she would play the victim the whole time but she didn’t. Yes she had some times that she broke down but they were times you can imagine a real woman would fall apart. She is certainly the type of woman I would want to be friends with.

There were a couple of minor things like I got a little tired of Mallory comparing David to Max “David and I would have kissed and gone to bed but Max had something else in mind” type thinking. And the ending seemed a little abrupt. Yes there was a epilogue but it still seemed to just end. I would have liked a little more. But I guess we will catch up with Mallory and Max in the next in the series and I can’t wait.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

June 4, 2014May 25, 2014

Kelly reviews Deeper Than Need by Shiloh Walker

TITLE: Deeper Than Need
SERIES #: Secrets & Shadows #1
CHARACTERS: Noah Benningfield & Trinity Ewing
AUTHOR: Shiloh Walker
PUBLICATION DATE: June 3, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Trinity Ewing—she’s new in Madison, and her one goal is to put her old life behind her. She’s made mistakes. A lot of them. She’s done everything short of selling herself to stay alive and provide for her son. Now she’s just looking for a place to put down roots and call home. The old ramshackle house on the banks of the Ohio River seem to be the perfect place. It needs work—a lot of it.

A former minister, Noah Benningfield now works as a carpenter. He hasn’t entirely lost his faith, but he has lost himself. Which is exactly how he likes it. He doesn’t want to find himself, because then he’d have to look at the many ways he failed. Working with his hands is easier. Or so he thinks. He hasn’t ever had a job where he uncovers a skeleton, though. Not until now.

He can’t help but wonder…are these the remains of Lana, the girl he’d loved in high school? Losing her had all but destroyed his life back then, a life he has only now pieced together. Even as he deals with the turmoil of that, there’s a new turmoil, one caused by Trinity—she’s everything he won’t let himself have, and everything he realizes he wants.

Life becomes even more complicated when a ghost from the past blows back into town… Bethany Sutter—one of the last people to see Lana alive all those years ago.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts Deeper Than Need is the first full length novel in Shiloh Walker’s new Secrets & Shadow’s series. Just like the pre-quel novella’s, Deeper Than Need is shrouded in mystery and a lot of unanswered questions. Most of those questions revolve around one night. A night that changed the lives of so many people. A night that left so many questions. But unlike the novella’s I didn’t find myself as drawn to these two characters.

Noah & Trinity are thrown together under terrible circumstances. Yet, they find a way to cope. They both have demons from their pasts that they are ashamed of. Yet, the have learned to live again. The biggest questions is will the ghosts of the past keep them apart or bring them closer together.

This was a good story and Shiloh does a great job of keeping you guessing as to the why’s, who’s, and how’s. I just didn’t feel the connection to Noah that I would have liked. I am not sure what it was, because Noah is a good guy. But other then that this was a good read. If you are suspense fan you will enjoy this book .

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Shiloh Walker in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

June 3, 2014June 3, 2014

An exclusive excerpt of THERE’S WILD, THEN THERE’S YOU by M. Leighton

There’s Wild, Then There’s You

The Wild Ones #3

Amazon| B&N

He’s someone she can’t trust…She’s someone he thinks he knows…Violet Wilson is a wallflower. Shy, serious, and accident-prone, she’s got a bad habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The night she’s forced to pose with her friend might just be the worst time of all—that’s when she meets Jet Blevins. She knows better than to get involved with someone like him, but he touches her in ways she never expected, neverwanted before.On the outside, Jet is a typical rocker, an arrogant lead guitarist who unapologetically lives a wild lifestyle. But on the inside, he’s battling demons and using the stage to escape the troubles of his past and the addictions of his present. Until the night he sees Violet standing at the back of the room. She brings his life into focus. She knows his secrets. She’s the girl he can’t forget, and the one thing he craves more than his addiction.But can they ever hope to have a future when their very foundation is nothing but lies?

Excerpt Four

There’s a burn behind my eyes as I slide behind the wheel of my car. I knew there was a good chance she wouldn’t even talk to me, hear me out. And, although she did, I can see that she can’t forgive me. At least not now. Just the thought of her never forgiving me is what’s making my gut churn, my heart ache, and my eyes burn. It’s eating me up inside, not being with her, thinking that I’ll never be with her.

But what are my choices? I can’t really see that I have any. I’ve told her the facts, apologized to her, and asked for her forgiveness. Even told her that I loved her in a roundabout way. But none of it mattered. I didn’t know if it would. I had hoped, but I knew it was a long shot.

Now, I should just walk away. She’s made her choice, and I ought to respect it.

Only I can’t.

I can’t live with her choice. I can’t live with her unforgiveness. I can’t live without her.

So what the hell am I supposed to do?

That question rings through my head all the way back to my father’s place in Summerton where I have to go to pick up some stuff I’d left there.

It’s when I pull into the driveway, thinking of Violet when I see the place where she was dropping off her dad that day, that I realize there is something I can do. I can love her from a distance. I can do things for her, make her life better and happier, without her ever having to know. But I’ll know. I’ll know that, somewhere, she’s smiling and feeling a little happier, and that I might’ve had a small hand in it.

And as long as I can make her happy, make her life better (even without me in it), that’ll have to be enough.

A little about M. Leighton:

New York Times and USA TodayBestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a native of Ohio. She relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she can be near the water all summer and miss the snow all winter. Possessed of an overactive imagination from early in her childhood, Michelle finally found an acceptable outlet for her fantastical visions: literary fiction. Having written over a dozen novels, these days Michelle enjoys letting her mind wander to more romantic settings with sexy Southern guys, much like the one she married and the ones you’ll find in her latest books. When her thoughts aren’t roaming in that direction, she’ll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.

Visit my website: http://www.mleightonbooks.com/

June 3, 2014June 2, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Tempest in a Teapot by Amanda Cooper

Why Teapots?

By Amanda Cooper (aka Victoria Hamilton)

How many people will wonder why I am writing a series centered around teapot collecting? I thought I would have a go at answering the question before I am asked.

First…about tea and me. I can only speak for myself, but drinking tea is about much more than just enjoying hot beverage. There are emotions and feelings tangled up with the ritual that have never, for me, been a part of my enjoyment of coffee. Coffee is for rushed mornings, a get-down-to-work straightforward brew. Tea is for afternoon; work is almost done and I need something to usher me gently from work to enjoyment.

How did I start drinking tea, you ask? At the modest home of my very English paternal grandmother there was always a Brown Betty of very strong tea on the hob, which in modern parlance is the stovetop. The tea stayed on all day long and became as dark as pitch. Conversations took place at the kitchen table over endless cups of that incredibly strong brew; as a small child I suppose that seemed a very ‘adult’ thing to do.

My first cups of tea were mostly milk and sugar warmed with a few tablespoons of hot tea from the pot, but it was tea, and I felt so grown up! My maternal grandparents gave me a milk glass teacup just fitted to small hands, and some English neighbors down the road brought back a very special tea mug from England for me; I was never actually allowed to use it, but it was mine! It has the Pied Piper on it, is English china, and I still have it in my china cabinet, a treasured piece.

But the beginning of the ritual was the teapot and ever since, I’ve loved them. For a collector there is a world of fascination in the teapot realm. You can go from rare antiques to kitschy figurals in the blink of an eye. There are teapots for animal lovers in the shapes of elephants, cats, birds, and more. Consider the delicate beauties adorned with different chintz patterns, or admire silver teapots with Bakelite handles for the china or silver connoisseur. In fact there are so many types of teapots that collectors build museums to display them and folks travel for miles to marvel. Usually the museum aspect starts with a personal collection and ends with overabundance and the need for more space.

But why so many kinds of teapots? You don’t see figural coffee pots. For me the answer lies in the drink itself. Coffee is a ‘hurry up and consume’ potion; get some energy quick, drink it down! Tea is a ‘sit down and visit’ tonic. Tea encourages long gossip sessions with intimate friends, or dreamy afternoons with a book. Coffee is a fuel; tea is pleasure.

Coffee mugs have witty sayings or company logos and coffee pots are strictly utilitarian, for the most part. You can get coffee pots in china patterns to fit your set, but the coffee pot is a skinny long necked afterthought addition to the elegant set consisting of teapot, sugar bowl and creamer.

All in all, teapots blend a piquant measure of tradition, custom, memory and joy into a fragrant and bracing brew. I don’t have room to collect as I would wish, but the teapots I do have are displayed with pride.

I hope readers enjoy the Teapot Collector Mystery series just as much as I am enjoying writing them, and that they will read with a hot cup of tea at the ready, to sip and savor.

About the Author:

Amanda Cooper is the pseudonym for bestselling mystery author Victoria Hamilton. She writes the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and the Merry Muffin Mysteries as Hamilton, in addition to the Teapot Collector Mysteries as Amanda Cooper. Cooper’s long time love of mystery novels started at age twelve when her mom handed her an Agatha Christie book and said ‘Read!’. Thousands of novels later Cooper is still reading. And writing.

But besides those two favorite pastimes, Cooper also enjoys collecting vintage kitchenalia, old books, teacups, teapots and other ephemera. Perfume is her secret addiction. She likes to cook, hates to clean, and enjoys time spent with friends chatting over wine or tea. She loves crafts, loathes boredom, and her guilty pleasure is ‘reality’ TV, which she knows is largely fake but enjoys anyway.

Cooper thinks that people are the most interesting study of all, and more than anything, she loves to hear from readers, not just about her books but about anything and everything.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Tucked away in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York is the charming town of Gracious Grove, where time moves slowly, gossip spreads quickly, and the scones are to die for…

When her fashionable Manhattan restaurant goes under, Sophie Taylor retreats to her grandmother’s cozy shop, Auntie Rose’s Victorian Teahouse, where serenity is steeped to perfection in one of her many antique teapots. The last thing Sophie expects is a bustling calendar of teahouse events, like her old friend Cissy Peterson’s upcoming bridal shower.

Not everyone is pleased with the bride-to-be’s choice of venue—like Cissy’s grandmother, who owns a competing establishment, La Belle Epoque, and has held a long-simmering grudge against Rose for stealing her beau sixty years ago. Tensions reach a boiling point when Cissy’s fiancé’s mother dies while sampling scones at La Belle Epoque. Now, to help her friend, Sophie will have to bag a killer before more of the guest list becomes a hit list…

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Tempest in a Teapot

Review (4 Stars): Tempest in a Teapot is a great start to this new mystery series. Sophie Taylor has come home to Gracious Grove to spend time with her loving grandmother and decide what to do next with her life after her restaurant failed. Being back in Gracious Grove has brought back a lot of great memories for Sophie and she made it back in time to help celebrate her old friend’s upcoming nuptials. But when the bride’s future mother-in-law ends up dead at a family gathering, Sophie finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. She must find the killer soon before her friend’s wedding is derailed permanently.

I liked Sophie and I thought that she was a very interesting character that was trying to pick up the pieces after her restaurant failed. I loved her interactions with her grandmother and learning all about her grandmother’s teahouse. The mystery was interesting yet slow in parts but still very enjoyable. This is the first book in the series and I’m sure everything will pick up in the second installment. Can’t wait to read what is next for Sophie and her grandmother in Gracious Grove.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Tempest in a Teapot. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by June 10th, answer me this question in the comments:

What is your favorite tea or coffee drink?

June 3, 2014May 25, 2014

What releases the week of June 2nd? Check here!

Happy Release Week!!!!

Check Out These Great Reads That Come Out This Week!

And there are so many more to choose from.

Just click on a link to see what books are available.

June 3, 2014June 3, 2014

Book Spotlight & Review: A Shiver of Light by Laurell K. Hamilton

I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. Legal name Meredith Gentry, because “Princess” looks so pretentious on a driver’s license. I was the first faerie princess born on American soil, but I wouldn’t be the only one for much longer…

Merry Gentry, exprivate detective, now full-time princess, knew she was descended from fertility goddesses, but when she learned she was about to have triplets, she began to understand what that might mean. Infertility has plagued the high ranks of faerie for centuries. Now nobles of both courts of faerie are coming to court Merry and her men, at their home in exile in the Western Lands of Los Angeles, because they will do anything to have babies of their own.

Taranis, King of Light and Illusion, is a more dangerous problem. He tried to seduce Merry and, failing that, raped her. He’s using the human courts to sue for visitation rights, claiming that one of the babies is his. And though Merry knows she was already pregnant when he took her, she can’t prove it.

To save herself and her babies from Taranis she will use the most dangerous powers in all of faerie: a god of death, a warrior known as the Darkness, the Killing Frost, and a king of nightmares. They are her lovers, and her dearest loves, and they will face down the might of the high courts of faerie—while trying to keep the war from spreading to innocent humans in Los Angeles, who are in danger of becoming collateral damage.

Amazon/B&N

About the Author:

Laurell K. Hamilton’s is a paranormal thriller writer and is a regular on the New York Times Bestseller List through titles in her two series Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter and Meredith Gentry: Fairy Princess/Private Eye. The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, published by Penguin Group under the Berkley Books imprint, spans 17 novels, including Skin Trade, released earlier this year. With over 6 million copies in print worldwide and available in over 16 languages, there is no end in sight for Anita, the professional necromancer and licensed vampire executioner.

Marvel Comics has worked closely with Hamilton to adapt her books in the Anita Blake series into comic book medium with a stunning amount of success. The first installment of the graphic novel, Guilty Pleasures, was released in July 2007 and was the number one best selling graphic novel for that month.

The Meredith Gentry series published by Ballantine Books features Meredith Gentry as a part-human, part-fey private investigator. Under orders from her aunt Andias, Queen of the Unseelie Court, Meredith is in a race to become pregnant and ascend the throne before her cousin Cel does. The cost of failure will be her own life and that of those who follow her. The next Merry book, Divine Misdemeanors, will debut December 8th, 2009.

Laurell Hamilton resides in St. Louis County, Missouri, with her husband and partner Jonathon Green, her daughter, and their pug. Her education includes degrees in English and biology from Marion (now Indiana Wesleyan University.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of A Shiver of Light

Review (4.5 Stars): Laurell K. Hamilton is one of my absolute favorite authors and I have always been a huge fan of her Anita Blake/Merry Gentry series. Most of us thought that Merry’s series ended with Divine Misdemeanors because Ms. Hamilton hasn’t written anything about these characters since 2009. When I heard that she was coming out with A Shiver of Light, I was so excited to see what was in store next for Meredith and the men in her life.

At the beginning of A Shiver of Light, Merry is at the end of her pregnancy and we discover that she will be delivering triplets instead of twins as we first believed. I liked seeing this different side to Merry’s character due to motherhood and how the birth of these babies changes her relationship with the men in her life. Having children changes everything and Merry isn’t the only affected by these little ones.

While Merry and her clan are adjusting to the new additions in their family, Merry is hit with the information that her Uncle Taranis wants visitation rights for the children because he believes that one of the babies is his. Merry was already pregnant when Taranis assaulted her but now has to prove through genetic testing that Taranis isn’t the father of one of her children. Taranis is a dangerous man and if he can’t prove that one of the children are his, he is capable of losing everything. Now, it is up to Meredith and the men in her life to protect their own from the people that are out to destroy them.

I think that A Shiver of Light was definitely worth the wait and this book made me happy and heart-broken all at the same time. I won’t give too much away but I have to say this was a great addition to the series and the ending definitely left me speechless.

June 3, 2014May 25, 2014

Kimberly reviews Gimme Some Sugar by Kimberly Kincaid

TITLE: Gimme Some Sugar
SERIES #: Pine Mountain #2
CHARACTERS: Carly & Jackson
AUTHOR: Kimberly Kincaid
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/03/14
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Out of the frying pan. . .and into the fire!

Desperate to escape the spotlight of her failed marriage to a fellow celebrity-chef, Carly di Matisse left New York City for a tiny town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The restaurant she’s running these days may not be chic, but in Pine Mountain she can pretend to be the tough cookie everybody knows and loves. Until she finds herself spending too much time with a way-too-hot contractor whose rugged good looks melt her like butter…

Jackson Carter wasn’t looking for love. But he’s not the kind of man to walk away from a worksite—or from a fiery beauty whose passionate nature provides some irresistible on-the-job benefits…

It’s the perfect temporary arrangement for two ravenous commitment-phobes, except that Jackson and Carly keep coming back for seconds… and thirds… and fourths..

REVIEW:
This is the second in the series but it can be read as a stand alone if you have not read the first one. It took a little while to get into this book for me. I had a hard time connecting to Carly for some reason. She was a little off putting in the first book and isn’t in this one so I am not sure why I had the problem but I did. Once I reconciled who she was I was able to enjoy her. Now Jackson I liked right away. He is a sweet guy and his friendship with Shane is adorable. And how could it be more perfect than a man who loves to eat hooking up with a chef? But there is more to them.

I enjoyed the story even if it was a bit cliche’ but then again it is a romance so it is not like I expected something different. It just seems like the whole “he can’t love because his dad was a jerk” is overdone sometimes. Luckily while that is the case in this story it is not the main thing.

This is a great summer read. Sitting on the beach needing an enjoyable read that doesn’t tax the brain but is still fun is perfect for this story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

June 2, 2014June 1, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Thread End by Amanda Lee

I’m so excited to welcome Amanda Lee to Books-n-Kisses today. I love her Embroidery Mystery series and I am excited that she is here to talk about her new release, Thread End.

1. Tell me about your new release.

In Thread End, Marcy is about to have the rug pulled out from under her, She can’t wait to see the new exhibit at the Tallulah Falls museum on antique tapestries and textiles, including the beautiful kilim rugs. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to alarm when, the day after the exhibition opens, she discovers a dead body behind her store, the Seven-Year Stitch, wrapped in a most unusual fashion. Also, readers will get to meet Ted’s mother for the first time! 🙂

2. Where did you come up with the idea for the series?

Actually, the idea for the series was my editor Jessica Wade’s. She said she’d love an embroidery series set on the Oregon Coast and gave me some of the details she wanted in place, and I went with it. From there, the series has pretty much taken on a life of its own!

3. What inspired you to write mysteries?

I’ve always loved mysteries. I read the Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, and Trixie Belden series when I was young, and then I graduated to many of today’s greats (too many faves to mention them all by name). I think it’s such fun to put all the pieces of the puzzle into place and to come up with various scenarios that would lead more than one person to want the victim out of the way. “What if…?” and “Why..?” are some of the juiciest questions to answer.

4. What is the most interesting/strange thing you had to research for your book?

For this particular book, I was researching the types of museum exhibits I might find in an Oregon coast museum. Since I’m on the east coast, I started out with online galleries from actual museums. Then I searched for prominent Oregonians who might’ve lived near our fictional Tallulah Falls. I found a toymaker named A.C. Gilbert who was most famous for inventing the erector set. However, he also invented and sold (very briefly) the U-238 Atomic Energy Lab in the early 1950s. It came with three low-level radioactive sources, a Geiger counter, and a book that explained uranium prospecting. The government offered kids a ten-thousand-dollar-prize if they could successfully mine uranium! And we think some of our kids’ toys are dangerous!

5. What are you working on now?

I’ve just sent the first draft of Wicked Stitch, the next book in the embroidery mystery series, to my editor. In Wicked Stitch, Marcy and the gang participate in a Renaissance Faire. I’m also working on a new novella in the Myrtle Crumb mystery series written under the name Gayle Trent. The novella is titled Soup..er…Myrtle and the story focuses on Myrtle’s attempt to discover who’s stealing people’s identities at the soup kitchen where she’s volunteering.

6. Are there any authors or books that have influenced you to become a writer?

I would say Victoria Holt and Mary Higgins Clark. I read them both growing up, and they simply enchanted me with the stories they wove.

7. Favorite TV show guilty pleasure?

I have to admit to having more than one. I enjoy Rizzoli and Isles, Justified, Bates Motel, Psych, Perception, Reign, Once Upon a Time, Grimm…

8. Last book that you read?

I’m currently reading Bare it All by Lori Foster, Upstairs at the White House, by J.B. West, and Welcome to Your Brain, by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang.

9. Favorite food/drink while writing?

Diet Coke! 🙂

About the Author:

Amanda Lee, also writing as Gayle Trent, is a full-time writer living with her family in Southwest Virginia. She writes the embroidery mystery series as Amanda Lee and writes the cake decorating series and the Myrtle Crumb series as Gayle Trent.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

Jennifer’s Review of Thread End

Review (4.5): This is a delightful mystery series that will keep you entertained by all its plot twists and snappy dialogue. Thread End is the seventh book in the series and each new book seems to be better than its predecessor. In this one, Marcy is excited to see the new textile exhibit at the Tallulah Falls Museum and after the grand opening, she finds a body behind her shop wrapped in a textile rug from the exhibit. Now, she must investigate the clues and find the killer before they take another victim.

I love this series because each mystery is well-written and fast-paced which makes it easy to follow along even if you haven’t read the rest of the series. Marcy is a great character that you can instantly connect to and I enjoyed following her on this textile mystery. Thread End is a great addition to a wonderful cozy series and I’m looking forward to reading Wicked Stitch.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Thread End. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by June 10th, leave a question or comment below for Amanda:

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Engaged in Murder by Nancy J. Parra

I have Nancy J. Parra here today to discuss her new book and first in a new mystery series, Engaged in Murder.

It used to be that a fellow in love would ask the girl’s father for her hand. Then he would buy a ring and over a candlelit dinner, he would get down on one knee and ask her to marry him. With advent of video these simple proposals became grander and grander. Suddenly there were proposals at half-time at basketball and football games. Proposals from Santa’s knee. Flash mobs singing and dancing their way into the heart of the woman. In fact, I have a Pintrest board of cool proposals where you can see some of the fun and crazy ways that men plot and plan to ask a woman to marry them. I often thought how fun would it be to help men plan these proposals.

When I had the opportunity to write about an amateur sleuth who planned extravagant proposals I jumped all over it and Pepper Pomeroy was born. Pepper is a tall, thin red head who would like to consider herself perfect, but knows better. She was recently “down-sized” from her job as an event coordinator for a downtown Chicago Hotel/conference center and is facing a dwindling savings account and the idea that she may have to live with her parents again at age thirty.

Her younger sister, Felicity, on the other hand is practically perfect. She is shorter and blond and curvy in all the right places. And Felicity’s long time boyfriend, Warren Evans, has come to Pepper with a request. Could she plan an extravagant proposal for Felicity? Who but Pepper would know Felicity better and understand what she might think would be her dream proposal.

With not much else to do Pepper agrees and happily helps Warren plan a jet setting proposal for Felicity. The proposal goes off with just one hitch. Right before Felicity arrives Pepper discovers a man passed out in the woman’s bathroom at the tiny airport where Warren is popping the question. In a decision that would prove to haunt her, Pepper decides to let the authorities know about the drunk guy after Warren and Felicity jet off to an exotic weekend. The proposal goes so well that Warren tells Pepper she should start her own business event planning proposals and Perfect Proposals is born.

As she waves good-bye, Pepper remembers the guy and calls the police only to discover that there has been a murder and Warren is suspect number one. Now Pepper feels she must prove Warren’s innocence to save her sister from a lifetime of grief. What Pepper learns is that it’s not easy catching a killer and she must trust her instincts if she wants to save the day.

To see some of the proposals I’ve pinned as well as possible bridal gowns and bridesmaids dresses follow me on Pintrest at http://www.pinterest.com/nancyjparra/

About the Author:

Best known for writing “…strong stubborn heroes and plucky heroines who aren’t afraid to go toe to toe with them,” (Shelley Mosley, Booklist Magazine), I currently have 12 books published-two made the top ten list and a total of five were given starred reviews by ALA’s Booklist.

Praise from readers and booksellers made All Fudged Up – by pen name Nancy Coco a 2013 National Bestseller. Thank you! I’m very excited to bring you three books in 2014 and 2015 as the three series heat up.

Website/Twitter/Facebook

There’s no planning for murder…

Event planner Pepper Pomeroy is making the most of her current unemployment by arranging a surprise for her sister, Felicity. Warren, Felicity’s boyfriend, plans to lure his lovely lady into a private jet, propose, and whisk her away on a romantic vacation. He just needs Pepper to handle all the fine details in order to make it the perfect proposal—and it is. Everything goes so well when Warren pops the question that he suggests Pepper do this sort of thing professionally.

But before she can get her new business off the ground, there are some disturbing questions. Like who’s the dead guy Pepper finds in the ladies’ room of the jet hangar? Is it possible Felicity’s high-flying fiancé has been hiding more than the engagement ring? Pepper’s not married to the idea of having a criminal in the family, so in order to protect her sister, she takes off in pursuit of a killer…

Amazon/B&N

Jennifer’s Review of Engaged in Murder

Review (4 Stars): This is the first book in a new mystery series and it definitely holds a lot of potential. Pepper is trying desperately to make ends meet after losing her job so she doesn’t have to move back in with her parents. She agrees to help her sister’s boyfriend plan the perfect engagement aboard his private jet and soon encounters a dead body in the bathroom of the airport. Pepper then finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation while trying to establish her new business of engagement planning which she seems to be exactly what she needed. She also needs to help find the true killer before her sister’s fiance’ is charged with the murder and all her dreams go up in smoke.

I liked Engaged in Murder but it took me a while to warm up to the character of Pepper. The mystery started off a little slow but then picked up the pace and was an enjoyable start to this cozy series. I loved Pepper’s family and some of their scenes with her had me laughing out loud and were a great addition to the story. Engaged in Murder is a good start to the series and I’m hoping that things will pick up in the second book because these characters definitely have a lot of potential.

Giveaway

I’m excited to give away a copy of Engaged in Murder. This giveaway is for US Residents only. To be entered in the drawing by June 10th, please tell me your engagement story:

June 2, 2014May 25, 2014

Kelly reviews Branded by Laura Wright

TITLE: Branded
SERIES #: The Cavanaugh Brothers #1
CHARACTERS: Deacon Cavanaugh & Mackenzie Bryd
AUTHOR: Laura Wright
PUBLICATION DATE: June 3, 2014
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In the small town of River Black, Texas, sits the Triple C—a working cattle ranch that sustains the town. But it also holds painful memories and shocking secrets for the Cavanaugh brothers…

When the Cavanaugh brothers return home for their father’s funeral, they discover unexpected evidence of the old man’s surprising double life—a son named Blue, who wants the Triple C Ranch as much as they do. The eldest son, Deacon, a wealthy businessman who couldn’t wait to leave the ranch and move on with his life, is looking to use his powerful connections to stop Blue at any cost. He never expected the ranch’s forewoman, Mackenzie Byrd, to get in his way.

Mac knows Deacon means to destroy the ranch and therefore destroy her livelihood. But as the two battle for control, their attraction builds. Now Deacon is faced with the choice of a lifetime: Take down the Triple C to feed his need for revenge, or embrace the love of the one person who has broken down every barrier to his heart.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts Full disclosure at 16% in to the book I really really really dislike Deacon Cavanaugh. He is a total pain in the arse. But there is so much more to Deacon then meets the eye. He may be a cold-heart, take no prisoners business man but deep down he is still a cowboy at heart. It did take the whole book for Deacon to win me over. And it was most definitely a wild ride. Mackenzie really makes him work for both her forgiveness and love.

Mac is one tough chick. She may have suffered just as much as the Cavanaugh family, but she was able to find the silver lining in the storm that she called her childhood. But all that changed when Everett passed and now Mac is fight to keep the only thing she knows. Her home.

This was a good beginning to Laura Wright’s new series. As I said before Deacon really had to work hard to win me over. And I am still not sure I am totally in love with him. But his little brothers that might be a different story. I am very much looking forward to learn more about James & Cole.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

June 1, 2014June 1, 2014