Once Upon a Lie by Michael French- BOOK SPOTLIGHT 

Posted on April 14, 2016 by fredreeca

  

Once Upon A LieBy Michael French

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

 

Once Upon a Lie is about two strangers who become unlikely friends, only to unintentionally put each other’s life in jeopardy. Jaleel Robeson, a gifted, eighteen year-old black man, falsely accused of murdering his father in a small Texas town, is on the run. He assumes a new identity in 1980s Los Angeles as a successful student on his way to college. Alexandra Baten, a restless sixteen year old while girl, lives in a privileged Toluca Lake family but feels trapped by her parents’ values. One weekend, she rides her bike into a run down neighborhood, meeting a young black man selling lemonade. Thus begins a friendship between opposites, at least on the surface, but they learn they have more in common than they imagine. Told from each character’s point of view in alternating chapters, we become involved in a gripping tale of two Americas where discontent and violence always lurk under the surface. When they erupt, no one is safe. Once Upon a Lie is both a family drama and a crime drama, as well as an exploration of interracial love, mother-daughter relationships, and redemption through courage.

 

Author Bio

   
 

Michael R. French graduated from Stanford University where he was an English major, focusing on creative writing, and studied under Wallace Stegner. He received a Master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He later served in the United States Army before marrying Patricia Goodkind, an educator and entrepreneur, and starting a family. In addition to publishing over twenty titles, including award-winning young adult fiction, adult fiction, biographies ad self-help books, he has written or co-written a half-dozen screenplays, including Intersection, which has won awards in over twenty film festivals. He has also had a long business career in real estate, living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His passions include travel, collecting rare books, and hanging with friends and family. He describes his worst traits as impatience and saying “no” too quickly; his best are curiosity, taking risks, and learning from failure.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelRFrenchAuthor

Twitter: twitter.com/mfrenchauthor

Website: http://www.michaelrfrench.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-French/e/B001ITYVES 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27181442-once-upon-a-lie

 Connect with the novels two main characters online

Alex Baten

Facebook: http://bit.ly/Alexbaten

Twitter: http://bit.ly/AlexBatenTW

 

Jaleel Robeson

Facebook: http://bit.ly/JaleelRobeson

Twitter: http://bit.ly/JaleelRobesonTW

 

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Wake Me Up by Justin Bog 

Posted on April 10, 2016 by fredreeca

   


Wake Me Up

By Justin Bog

Genre: Literary Fiction, Crime, Family Saga, LGBT

A FATHER IS HAUNTED BY HIS PAST — HIS WIFE LIVES HER LIFE IN A RIGID SHELL — THEIR SON, UNTETHERED, DISCOVERS THE SECRET THEY SHARE WITH DEEPIKA, A VISITOR TO THEIR TOWN.  

“I see all of these people. They’re living and breathing and acting on their basest impulses. I lay in a coma. They live. I hover over all of them, all at once. I can see my body, motionless, wired up, adrift. And I can find out why this happened. This is my story and I won’t remember any of it when—if—I wake up. But I’ll try to remember—I’ll try damn hard.” 

Middleton , MONTANA—OCTOBER 2004—AN ELECTION YEAR

A small college town’s populace is tied, complicitly, to the brutal attack of a teenage boy by four of his classmates. Soon, heated rumors of a possible hate crime surface. Injustice is a hungry beast.

While Chris Bullet remains unresponsive in a coma, his skull shattered, he floats above dire circumstance. In this phantom state, compelled to witness his past once more, the family’s darkest secrets, hidden over generations, will be aired.

 Review

Chris is lying in a hospital bed in a coma because of a hate crime. In this strange state, he has some vivid experiences that bring on many changes.

This is a very serious subject and the author handled it exceptionally well. Chris is beaten by his peers because they think he is gay.  

This multi-layered tale takes the reader on an non stoppable, emotional ride. From the very start the story is intense and it stays that way till the very end. The characters are diverse and keep the emotion of the novel in high swing. 

Do not miss this astounding read!

I received this novel for a honest review. 

Author Bio

  

 A member of ITW: International Thriller Writers group, Justin Bog lives in the Pacific Northwest with his two long coat German shepherds, Zippy and Kipling. He is the author of the Suspense Magazine Award-winning collection, Sandcastle and Other Stories: The Complete Edition, and Hark: A Christmas Collection. Find Justin at http://www.justinbog.com and on Facebook at Justin Bog.

 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JustinBog 

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/1SwsfUv 

On B&N: http://bit.ly/1PE9fkf 

On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/20KuQLi

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Haight Ashbury layout 

Posted on April 8, 2016 by fredreeca

Haight Ashbury is a famous area in San Francisco known for the 60’s Hippy movement. Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix lhas homes on these streets. The whole area was an amazing place to visit. If you look at these pictures of the stuff in the shop windows, you will understand!  I wanted to do this layout psychedelic. I found the greatest paper at Hobby Lobby. It is tie dyed and it is glitter….love glitter…I am sure the pictures do not do the paper justice. This is also my first attempt at pocket scrapbooking and I am Hooked!!! I love it!!  

    
 
Thanks for stopping by!!! 

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Tales of Blood and Sulphur by J.G. Clay – Book Spotlight

Posted on April 6, 2016 by fredreeca

  
 

Biography

  

 J.G Clay is definitely a Man of Horror. There can be no doubt. Putting aside the reverence he has for the horror greats, such as King, Barker, Herbert, Carpenter, Romero and Argento, there is another fact that defines his claim for the title of the ‘Duke of Spook’. He was born on Halloween night. By a quirk fate, it was also a full moon that night. Co-incidence?

Here at Clay Towers, we don’t believe in coincidences.

The 41 year old hails from the Midlands in the United Kingdom, is married with one step child and two dogs that bear a strong resemblance to Ewoks. Beyond the page and the written word, he is music mad and can hold down a tune on a bass guitar pretty well. He is an avid reader and also has an enduring love of British sci-fi, from the pages of the ‘2000A.D’ comic to the televised wanderings of Gallifrey’s most famous physician. Clay is also a long-time fan of the mighty Birmingham City Football Club and endures a lot of flak from his friends for it.

 

Blurb 

Eleven Tales steeped in Blood and reeking of Sulphur 

J.G Clay takes you on a journey through the voids of Reality and into dark places where demons, mutants and inter-dimensional creatures taunt, taint and corrupt Humanity. Survival is not guaranteed, sanity is not assured and death lurks in every corner. These are the Tales of Blood and Sulphur: Apocalypse Minor; eleven twisted tales of terror and mayhem…… 

There are cracks in the skin of Reality. Some are microscopic, others are as wide as a four-lane motorway. As the fault lines increase and widen, the door to our world shines like a beacon in the darkness, a warm and inviting sight to others beyond our understanding. When They cross over into our realm, The Tales begin…… 

A gambler taking one last desperate throw of the dice. A struggling writer making an unholy alliance. An eternal being fighting to stay alive in the financial capital of India. A man burdened with a terrible town secret. The Law Enforcers who must never cry. The End of Days live and direct from the rural heartland of England. 

The blood is warm, the sulphur is burning, the tales will be told, the Apocalypse Minor is imminent! 

Links 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jgclay1973

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JGClay1

Website: http://www.jgclayhorror.com/

Available from:

AMAZON

Kindle US : http://amzn.to/1TX8Jhu

Paperback US: http://amzn.to/1CZpm7F

                         Kindle UK: http://amzn.to/1RYqLlM

Paperback UK: http://amzn.to/1KoFNKP

 

Nook (Barnes & Noble): http://bit.ly/1CUUYMd

 

And Apple iBooks

 

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House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy

Posted on April 5, 2016 by fredreeca

  
Overview

Ben and Caroline Tierney and their two young boys are hoping to start over. Ben has hit a dead end with his new novel, Caroline has lost her banking job, and eight-year-old Charlie is being bullied at his Manhattan school.

When Ben inherits land in the village of Swannhaven, in a remote corner of upstate New York, the Tierneys believe it’s just the break they need, and they leave behind all they know to restore a sprawling estate. But as Ben uncovers Swannhaven’s chilling secrets and Charlie ventures deeper into the surrounding forest, strange things begin to happen. The Tierneys realize that their new home isn’t the fresh start they needed . . . and that the village’s haunting saga is far from over.

House of Echoes is a novel that shows how sometimes the ties that bind us are the only things that can keep us whole. 

Review

Ben and Caroline are starting over with an old house in upstate New York. The plan is to restore this house and have an Inn for travelers. This old estate holds more secrets and mysteries than they plan on. 

This is unique and twisted tale. The history of the area, the history of the house, Charlie’s adventures, all of this envelopes the reader and takes hold. Are you reading a ghost story, a history story or a horror story. The author spectacularly weaves a tale full of anxiety and tension. I literally had to pause several times to take a breath. I had no idea where this story was headed. The anticipation built throughout the novel is brilliant.  

I enjoyed the setting of the house and grounds. I wanted so badly to see a picture of the house just to see if it matched what I envisioned. The characters are, I hate to use the word unique again, but they are…unique. The only reason I am not giving this a 5 star rating is the son, Charlie.  His dialogue and interactions are not consistent. One minute he almost acts too adult and the next too childish. 

I am looking forward to more from this author. If you need a thriller to keep you up at night…..THIS IS IT!!

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review 

  

Purchase here 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble


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Mercy Row Retribution by Harry Hallman

Posted on April 3, 2016 by fredreeca



  


Overview

While serving as a pilot during the Vietnam War, Gerry Amato—the grandson of Jacob Byrne, the head of a powerful North Philadelphia Irish crime family—seizes the opportunity to create a lucrative marijuana smuggling operation. It’s 1967, and under the secrecy of a classified military operation, and with the assistance of a Marseille mob that owns plantations in Cambodia, he is able to send tens of thousands of pounds of marijuana to Philadelphia every month. His grandfather’s criminal enterprise distributes the drug to a population that has developed an insatiable appetite for the marijuana. 

A rival Paris gang tries to force Amato to buy their product, which triggers war between the Byrne family and the Paris mob. From the steamy jungles of Vietnam and Cambodia to the streets of Saigon, Paris and Philadelphia, the ruthless actions of the Paris mob threaten to destroy the Byrne family. Gerry Amato orchestrates a merciless campaign of retribution against his foes in order to save himself and his family. 

In part two of Mercy Row Retribution—the third book in the Byrne family saga—it is April 1975 and South Vietnam is about to fall to the North Vietnamese communists. Gerry Amato fears that the communists will take revenge on the population, especially the children—many of whom are Amerasian—at an orphanage he supported and volunteered at during his time as a pilot. He orchestrates a rescue mission to retrieve the children and bring them to the United States. This takes him and his team into harm’s way in Thailand, across Cambodia and into war-torn Vietnam and back. The fates of 75 children and 30 adults rest squarely on Gerry’s shoulders. 

Review

This is a fast paced read! From Vietnam to the gang life of Philadelphia, it never stops! 

I love a read where I learn something. The parts set in Vietnam really hooked me. The drug trade and the big business of the underworld gangs taught me more than I needed to know! 

However, the story is a little disjointed and did not flow as well in some places Also, the dialogue is stilted. 

But, the story keeps you interested and very intrigued! 

Purchase here 

Amazon


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No Rest for the Wicked and Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boat Comes Home  by Dane Cobain Book Spotlight

Posted on April 3, 2016 by fredreeca

                                    

 Genre: Supernatural Thriller
 
Publisher: Booktrope/Forsaken
 
Cover Artist: Ashley Ruggirello
 

Book Description:
 
When the Angels attack, there’s NO REST FOR THE WICKED.
Father Montgomery, an elderly priest with a secret past, begins to investigate after his parishioners come under attack, and with the help of Jones, a young businessman with an estranged child, Montgomery begins to track down the origin of the Angels.
 
The Angels are naked and androgynous. They speak in a dreadful harmony with no clear leader. These aren’t biblical cherubs tasked with the protection of the righteous – these are deadly creatures of light that have the power to completely eradicate.
 
When Jones himself is attacked, Father Montgomery knows he has to act fast. He speaks to the Angels and organises a final showdown where he’s asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.
 

 
Book description 

 Eyes Like Lighthouses is Dane Cobain’s first book of poetry, distilled from the sweat of a thousand memorised performances in this reality and others. It’s not for the faint-hearted. 

“I’ve never seen anyone do a stream of consciousness piece as talented as that. Very impressed.” – Mark Allsard-Will, author of Saskatch-A-Man and co-founder of Cuckoo’s Nest Press 

Dane’s poetry is a multi-layered spiral of the macabre, quirky humour and disjointed imagery. Not only does he make you think, he captures the small forgotten moments of everyday life.” – Nikki Dudley, co-editor of Streetcake Magazine 

 

About the Author:

  

  

  
Dane Cobain is a writer and poet from a place you’ve probably never heard of, somewhere in England. His debut novella, a supernatural thriller called ‘No Rest for the Wicked’, was released by Forsaken in the summer of 2015. When he’s not writing books, he’s reading and reviewing them on his book blog, SocialBookshelves.com – Charles Bukowski, Graham Greene and Phillip Pullman are favourites.
 
Find him at http://www.facebook.com/danecobainmusic or follow @DaneCobain on Twitter.
 
http://www.danecobain.com 

http://www.facebook.com/danecobainmusic

http://www.youtube.com/danecobain

Posted in Book Spotlight | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Blue Bath by Mary Waters-Sayer

Posted on March 31, 2016 by fredreeca

  
OVERVIEW

Kat Lind, an American expatriate living in London with her entrepreneur husband and their young son, attends an opening at a prestigious Mayfair art gallery and is astonished to find her own face on the walls. The portraits are evidence of a long-ago love affair with the artist, Daniel Blake. Unbeknownst to her, he has continued to paint her ever since. Kat is seduced by her reflection on canvas and when Daniel appears in London, she finds herself drawn back into the sins and solace of a past that suddenly no longer seems so far away.

When the portraits catch the attention of the public, threatening to reveal not only her identity, but all that lies beyond the edges of the canvases, Kat comes face to face with the true price of their beauty and with all that she now could lose.

Moving between the glamour of the London art world and the sensuous days of a love affair in a dusty Paris studio, life and art bleed together as Daniel and Kat’s lives spin out of control, leading to a conclusion that is anything but inevitable. 

REVIEW

Daniel is a not-so-famous artist, UNTIL…..he shows the portraits of a long lost love affair. Kat and her husband attend the opening at an art gallery.  She is amazed to see parts of herself on the walls. 

This novel reminds me of Bridges of Madison County. It is very well written and the prose keeps you reading however, it is a bunch of fluff. I stayed mad at Kat most of the time. I was very dissappointed in her character as a person..and yes I am being a little judgemental. To me, she makes some very bad choices for no reason whatsoever. To me, Daniel and Kat are profoundly selfish. 

I guess any book which can elicit such a strong feeling from the reader is not all that bad! Plus, The ending was surprising. It made the whole story worth reading.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.
 

PURCHASE HERE 

Barnes and Noble

Amazon



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No One Knows by J.T. Ellison #XOXperts

Posted on March 28, 2016 by fredreeca

  
OVERVIEW

In an obsessive mystery as thrilling as The Girl on the Train and The Husband’s Secret, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison will make you question every twist in her page-turning novel—and wonder which of her vividly drawn characters you should trust.

The day Aubrey Hamilton’s husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn’t want to move on; she wants Josh back. It’s been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage—they were happy, weren’t they?—screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious yet strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?

In No One Knows, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. This masterful thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins will pull readers into a you’ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops…no one knows. 

REVIEW

Aubrey is a school teacher whose husband, Josh, has been missing for five years. The state of Tennessee finally declares Josh dead.  Aubrey cannot believe it. She feels deep down he is still alive and she cannot let go. 

Every single character in this novel is flawed and screwed up!! There is no hero or knight in shining armor. I think this is one of the main reasons this tale is so enthralling. Each character plays a unique part in the deception. 

The deceit and treachery running through this story really keep the reader riveted to the pages. Is he dead, is he alive, is he envolved in something??? The author did a great job keeping the outcome a secret. 

There were many times in the story I just KNEW I had it figured out. There were many scenerios floating around my thoughts. So, needless to say, the ending was a bit of a shocker. I had part of it figured out but not all. I am trying desperately not to give any spoilers away. So be prepared. 

A compelling tale indeed!! 

I received this novel from Simon and Schuster as an XOXpert

                                             


                                                                          

PURCHASE HERE

Barnes and Noble

Amazon

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Sister Dear by Laura McNeill GIVEAWAY!!!! 

Posted on March 27, 2016 by fredreeca

   
OVERVIEW

All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start. But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie s return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family.

As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret one that holds the key to Allie s freedom.” 


 

Author links

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LauraMcNeillBks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauramcneillauthor/

Goodreads link

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26371025-sister-dear

Rafflecopter giveaway!!

{Giveaway} Win 1 of 3 signed copies of Sister Dear by Laura McNeill

Posted in Book Spotlight, giveaway | Tagged , | 4 Comments