Straight Reading from the Library: Where Danger Lies by Donna Del Oro

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Donna Del Oro will be awarding two autographed print copies (US ONLY) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB

Based on actual circumstances, two cases prove that truth is indeed stranger than fiction as FBI Special agent, Jake Bernstein, is pulled into two apparently unrelated cases while on medical leave in San Diego. A female officer assigned to Naval Base Coronado is killed and a Muslim woman is viciously beaten and left for dead. Jake knows about seeking truth and justice amid lies and deception. He suspects something else is at work, two very different evils overlapping as two different worlds violently collide.

Meg Larsen has come to terms with Jake’s role in her beloved grandmother’s death, accepts that he has a dangerous job, and is proud of his role in thwarting terrorists who threatened countless lives. She’s willing to aid him in his investigations but not so accepting of his refusal to commit to her and give her a reason to alter her career plans.

Even as Jake arrives at a crossroads in his relationship with Meg, he must stay alert and strive to keep both of them safe. Although San Diego is sunny and picture-perfect, you never know...WHERE DANGER LIES.

READ THE REVIEW

Sexy and exciting, Where Danger Lies was a good suspenseful read. 

I haven't read any other books in this series, but I still enjoyed this book fully.  I liked Meg and Jake and was quite invested in their relationship soon after the book started.  They're in love, but someone is going to have to make a big sacrifice if they're to stay together, and (at least for the "romance" part of this book) that's the main conflict.

They're pulled into some exciting stuff, though, with a death that might be a hate crime, or might not be ... and the author litters the book with lots of clues and red herrings.  The reader isn't sure of what's up or down here, but then neither are the characters. 

There were a few things I didn't love -- but they were small and hardly worth mentioning.  I'm looking forward to seeing where the author goes in the future with this couple. 

4.5 stars

READ AN EXCERPT

“NCIs? What’s the crime, Admiral Snider?”

“Murder. One of the officers on my ship. I think an objective look is needed.”

“What happened to him?”

“Her. Lieutenant Samantha Carlton was found dead in the trunk of her car three days ago. The preliminary tox screen showed nothing, but the lab did an advanced analysis. She’d been poisoned with ketamine. Made her heart stop. She was forty-one and in excellent physical condition. Also, someone crushed her larynx and windpipe.”

“Sounds like a case of overkill.” Jake rubbed the underside of his chin from force of habit. Intriguing case but he really didn’t want to get involved. "Perhaps premeditated, but made to look like a crime of passion or rage? That’d be my off-the-cuff assessment.”

"Good, now we’re getting somewhere,” Rear Admiral Snider said. “The local cops are pushing the NCI team in one direction. Their theory doesn’t hold water, that it was a hate crime. Lieutenant Carlton was gay, but more importantly, she had access to classified guided missile codes.”

"Understood," Jake said, shaking his head. National security was at issue here. Even unofficially, he was already involved.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Donna Del Oro's dream since childhood (when she used to create her own comic books and share them with her friends) has been to write fiction. Escaping the humdrum of ordinary life always seemed to her an ideal form of self-entertainment. Better than TV and even better than some books! As soon as she retired from high school teaching (which was a suspenseful adventure in itself), Donna turned to fiction writing. Becoming a member of the RWA and Sisters in Crime has helped her to learn the craft and focus on what she needed to do to get published.

Besides writing Chica Lit, she writes romantic suspense and thrillers. Her two latest SMART ROMANTIC THRILLERS are: A BODYGUARD OF LIES, LIES IN WAIT (Book Two) and a paranormal thriller, THE DELPHI BLOODLINE. A BODYGUARD OF LIES takes place in present-day England, Ireland and Germany with echoes back to WW II. A Jewish-American FBI agent, who's fluent in German, goes undercover to investigate an elderly, naturalized American grandmother, suspected of being a Nazi spy and war criminal. LIES IN WAIT follows FBI agent, Jake Bernstein (now a member of a CounterTerrorism Task Force), to Silicon Valley. Working undercover as a Muslim biotech scientist, he is recruited to join a sleeper cell intent on terrorist activities. All three of her published thrillers remain on Musa Publishing's mystery imprint's Top Twenty Bestselling books.

WEBSITE: http://www.donnadeloro.com/
THE WILD ROSE PRESS AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.catalog.thewildrosepress.com/Donna%20Del%20Oro
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013281128112
Buy the book at Amazon.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Straight Reading from the Library: Fallen Star by Allison Morse

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Allison Morse will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB

Who killed 1940s screen goddess Gloria Reardon? Her unsolved murder hypnotized the public with its scandalous details and shocked two generations.

In this coming of age gothic tale, avid feminist and aspiring filmmaker Kate Bloom discovers long lost footage that holds the key to who murdered her grandmother. Legendary movie star, Gloria Reardon, may be dead, but friends and lovers from the Golden Age of Hollywood’s heyday are still very much on the scene, and it seems everyone has something to gain or lose from Kate’s discovery. Enlisting the youthful and brash film restorer Dylan Nichols as her closest ally, Kate becomes haunted by Gloria’s glittering past. Caught between glamorous Old Hollywood and the gritty, exciting New Hollywood of the 1970s, Kate is determined to find out what really happened to her grandmother and in the process, becomes the killer’s new target.

READ THE REVIEW

What an interesting story!  I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Part mystery, part romance and a little bit of a ghost story, Allison Morse did a great job keeping me intrigued and entertained.

A terrifying incident from the start of this story really molds Kate into the woman she becomes.  She's determined to expose the underbelly of the movie business with her documentary films, but instead becomes embroiled in the mystery of her grandmother's murder when she locates missing film from the day of her murder.  And is that grandma's ghost giving her nudges along the way?

Add in a love interest in the form of not-exactly-handsome, but somehow appealing Dylan Nichols who has a few secrets of his own, and then set it in the 1970s (I'd not realized the time period, actually, until they mentioned Dylan had directed an episode of The Partridge Family!).

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, from Aunt Lillian to the detective to Jarvis, and Kate's bestie, Natalie.  They were all unique and well drawn, and a good part of the reason I enjoyed this read.  The setting, too, was well done and believable.  I lived through the 70s and it seemed quite accurate without being overbearing.

The mystery was decently done and kept me guessing nearly to the end. The romance was a bit on the back burner, but still solid and Dylan was the perfect guy to help Kate through the problems in her past.  All in all, a solid read and an author I'd be happy to read again. 4.5 stars!

READ AN EXCERPT

Kate returned to the sealed box and ripped off the tape and flipped the lid open. Light bounced off a container with a shiny handle on top. The premonition of what it might be now solidified into something more than fantasy. Trying to remain calm, she told herself that it couldn’t possibly be what she hoped it was. It had been lost...destroyed...right?

Her heart pounded as she used both hands to lift the metal container. She undid the latches. Inside were two round 35 mm motion picture canisters.

“Lillian!” she shouted.

As she pried off the top of the first canister, she was assaulted by the pungent smell of vinegar. The film appeared brittle. She was afraid to touch it in case it turned to dust in her hands. But she had to know. With the tips of her fingers and holding her breath, she unwound a small piece of film and looked at it. There, captured in the frame, was Gloria––the costume, the set behind her…there was no mistaking it. These reels were from Emperor Smythe. It was the infamous missing footage from the day Gloria was murdered on that film set.

“Lillian! Quick, Lillian!” Kate returned the footage to the canister and closed it up.

Her great-aunt hurried back to her. “What? What is it?” Her eyes widened as she gazed at the canisters. “Is that what I think it is?” Lillian asked.

“The footage. The missing footage.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

Allison is the author of two novels: The Sweetheart Deal and Fallen Star. She lives with her husband in a house in the hills that’s filled with books.

For book club resources and to learn more about Allison and her new fiction, please visit her Website at http://www.allisonmorseauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allison.morse.16
Twitter ID: @AllisonMorseLA

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Straight Reading from the Library: Cargo by DV Berkom

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. DV Berkom will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB

Haunted by memories of an op gone bad, former assassin Leine Basso travels to Bangkok in search of a missing backpacker. With help from an old contact, she discovers the man responsible for the girl’s disappearance is connected to a violent Hong Kong triad and is the linchpin of an extensive trafficking network—both animal and human.

Making enemies isn’t new for Leine, but making one in the triad is—she soon finds herself a prisoner onboard a cargo ship headed for sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure her survival and to continue her hunt for the missing girl, she must join forces with Derek, an ivory poacher who promises to help her.

For a price.

READ THE REVIEW

Even though this is the 4th book of the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. This was the first book of this series I have read, but I enjoyed it as thoroughly as I did the last one I had the opportunity to read. I enjoyed it so much, I checked out the possibility of getting at least the first book in the series and was pleased to discover that the first three books are available, on sale, as a boxed set! I have some fun reading ahead of me to catch up on what happened to Leine Basso before the current adventure!

And, an adventure it was! What was supposed to be a fairly routine rescue attempt turned into a desperate fight for her life, as well as many others. It is non-stop and kept my attention riveted throughout the entire book. I liked the characters-- and could so see this unfolding in my mind as I read...and believe it would make an excellent movie!

There are is one scene especially that was hard to read, but it was necessary to see the cruelty that can take place in the illegal realm of ivory smuggling. Fortunately, scenes such as this are kept to a minimum and are not thrown in gratuitously just for the sake of shock value.

Now, I just need to wait for a period to sit down and begin reading the first three books, because if this one is any indication, I'm not going to want to get up for a while! 4.5 stars.

READ AN EXCERPT

This wasn’t right.

Kylie leaned over the side of the tuk tuk and gasped for air but only succeeded in choking on the thick exhaust of heavy evening traffic. The neon signs of Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy District streaked past at dizzying speed, shifting her unsettled stomach into epic nausea.

I didn’t have that much to drink.

She’d been at the bar for less than an hour, waiting with her friends from the hostel for the legendary lady boys to appear. The thought that the bartender had spiked her beer skated across her mind, but she rejected the idea. Why drug a customer who was obviously part of the backpacking crowd and wouldn’t have much money?

The motorized rickshaw turned down an unfamiliar street, heading in the opposite direction from the hostel.

“Wait—where are we going?” she asked, her breathing shallow. The words echoed in her brain, like she was standing in a hole. Slowly, she swiveled her head. Alak, the guy she’d been talking to who worked at the hostel, sat across the seat studying her closely, as though she were an insect pinned to a bug board. Frowning, she glanced in the rearview mirror. The driver was watching her, too. Dread crawled deep in her stomach, clawing at the thought that the two men knew each other, knew what was wrong with her, expected it, in fact.

I have to get out…get back to the hostel. She curled her fingers around the metal rail that surrounded the backseat and leaned toward the open doorway. I need to call Mom and Dad, tell them I’m ready to come home…

Alak grasped her arm and pulled her back. Unable to keep her grip, her fingers slid from the railing.

MEET THE AUTHOR

DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the bestselling author of two award-winning thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-ass women characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she earned a BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Several cross-country moves later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, a chef-turned-contractor, and several imaginary characters who like to tell her what to do. Her most recent books include Cargo, The Body Market, Bad Traffick, A One Way Ticket to Dead, and Yucatán Dead.

Website: http://www.dvberkom.com
Blog: http://dvberkom.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DvBerkomAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dvberkom
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/dvberkom/ Google+: google.com/+DVBerkom
Instagram: https://instagram.com/dvberkom/
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/oMUb1Z
Smashwords Profile: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dvberkom

Buy the book at Amazon, iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, or Smashwords.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Straight Reading from the Library: Stricken by Marcia Collette

This review is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marcia Colette will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB

Personal tragedy convinces half-werewolf Alexa York to get away to the town of McCormick, Pennsylvania where she’s charged with protecting Dr. Aiden Joss, physician to the supernatural community. Not only does she need the money, she needs the distraction. Unfortunately, she gets it in spades when Joss’s personal issues and a myriad of dangerously sick patients make her new job nearly impossible.

A mysterious disease is running its way through the New York Order of the Amazons and leaving bodies in its wake. The same warrior who had chosen her clan over Joss has asked for his help. Even though the disease is real, Alexa has reason to believe his ex’s sincerity is not.

Given the other numerous problems she has to deal with that are outside of her job description, Dr. Joss might be the biggest threat to his own safety. But, protecting him comes first. That’s difficult to do when his efforts to find an antidote put everyone in his remote clinic in danger, including Alexa.

READ THE REVIEW

I've read Marcia Collette before, but not this series. Still, even though this was book two, I snapped it up because I'm a fan of her writing prowess.  I wasn't disappointed.

Mostly, she lets us know the important facts from book one that we missed. I likely still didn't catch some things because I haven't read it, but mostly I didn't miss reading it (though I think I'm going to have to go back and do so, just because it sounds like a good read!).

Alexa is a hybrid werewolf, and the pack hates her for her human blood.  She's married to Matt, a purebred werewolf and it's created a lot of strife for them, but Matt's a good guy and sticks by her. Shortly before the start of this story, though, they suffer a loss that tears them apart (sort of).  As a result, Matt's only in this story for a few pages, and honestly, I missed him because I'm a huge romantic.  And that missing romance for our heroine was really the only downside to the book.

The author creates an amazing group of secondary characters here and I got attached to them all pretty quickly.  I love the idea of a doctor who only treats paranormals... certainly made life interesting for all!  Sammy and Joss and Claudia and maybe even a couple of the Amazons ... boy do I hope they show up again in future books. 

There is a whole bunch of action, and the author does a bang up job with it. I think writing a fight scene has to be one of the hardest things to do, but she handles them perfectly. Plenty of clear description and enough of the internal thoughts that I could "see" what was happening so clearly.  The mystery of who was poisoning the Amazons, too, was well handled and kept me guessing for some time.

I feel like a bit of a fan girl, but this is my second book by the author and my admiration is only growing for her.  She's got a great imagination and the skills to translate that clearly to paper.  I only hope the next book has just a little more romance for the primary character .... my soft heart craves it!

4.5 Stars!

READ AN EXCERPT

“Sounds like you’ve already given it enough thought and gave up.”

“Well, what do you propose I do, Ms. York? Put out a want ad?”

“No, but you ask around. Start with people you trust. Hell, I know one guy in Boston who might actually be interested enough to hear your proposal.” That was assuming my husband’s friend, Tate, wanted to risk being ostracized by the Boston Pack, too.

Heck, Matt wasn’t even ostracized as much as he was chased out like a putrid mutt because he’d decided to mingle with a lower, half-bred species like me. Just like Matt who was a lawyer — another skill that was hard to come by in the supernatural community — Tate was a nurse practitioner who worked in a human hospital and was as close to a doctor as the Boston Pack would ever have.

Dr. Joss sighed and started back through the clinic.

I hurried after him and touched his arm. “I’m not letting you off the hook about the drinking, you know. If you care about your patients, you won’t be falling down drunk right before they call you out to their homes. Send Sammy or Macy, but not you.”

“I’ll have you know, Ms. York, I’m able to metabolize alcohol faster than the average human.”

“Funny. Your making out with the carpet said otherwise.”

“When I care for your opinion, I’ll ask for it. In the meantime, you’ll do as you’re told or walk.”

“Finally. A sound piece of advice.”

I left him standing there.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bestselling author Marcia Colette didn’t discover her love for reading until her late teens when she started reading John Saul and progressed to works by Bentley Little, Stephen King and Laurell K. Hamilton. Her reading tastes convinced her to write paranormals where curses cause people to shift into spiders, psychotic and telekinetic mothers are locked away in attics, and murderous doppelgangers are on a rampage. Let's not forget about the hunky werecheetah coalitions who live throughout North Carolina. As long as she can make it believable, that's all that matters.

Born and raised in upstate New York, Marcia now lives in North Carolina with her mom and beautiful daughter. They’re not raising zombies in the backyard. There aren’t any hellhounds living in the den, only a rabbit and a cockatiel. So where she gets her ideas is as much a mystery to her as anyone else.

The best place to find her--when she's not stirring up trouble--is on her blog where she loves connecting with readers.

Links:
www.marciacolette.com
http://marciacolette.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/MarciaColette
www.facebook.com/marciacolette
www.goodreads.com/marcia_colette
http://www.amazon.com/Marcia-Colette/e/B002BOHDOE/
http://purplesword.com/

WIN A PRIZE

a Rafflecopter giveaway