4.09.2018

ICE ~ Review with Giveaway, Trailer and Excerpt

Ice
A Chris Matheson Cold Case Mystery #1
By Lauren Carr

More than 20 years ago Chris Matheson was a person of interest in the disappearance of Sandy Lipton. The small town gossip blamed him and now that he's back in town with his daughters he learns that the wagging tongues and speculation never died down. Worse his daughters have started hearing the malice gossip that if true would see him serving a sentence still.

Talked into joining his late father's book club, Chris soon learns that this is no ordinary book club. Rather it is a collection of retired law enforcement officers who seek to avoid the utter boredom of retirement by working on cold cases. Drawing on the unique skill set of this group Chris begins piecing together the random and vague clues and recollections that he has from that time. But someone seems determined to keep him from the truth about Sandy and the child she was carrying.

But this small West Virginian town is hiding more than one crime and Chris is about to find himself in the midst of it. Whoever is behind this has a malevolence that makes Chris feel these crimes are related and personal. The only question is who of his old acquaintances is next on the list?

For the whodunnit mystery buff who loves ever-increasing suspense and danger, Lauren Carr's newest series offers up a big dose of both. Murder and mayhem seem to be Chris's new companions after returning home following the loss of both his wife and his father. Juggling the parenting responsibilities of his three daughters with his mother is not something Chris was expecting at this point in his life, but life isn't something that goes as planned.

And for those familiar with Lauren's other works - YES there are dogs in this book and Chris's newest Sterling just might give Gnarly a run for his money as far as crazy antics go. Sterling in a word is a HOOT and probably my favorite character. Though the pet rabbit Thor is a pretty close second - who wouldn't love a rabbit who dresses up!

I was provided a review copy of this book by the author through iRead Book Tours with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


Book Details:

Book Title: ICE by Lauren Carr
Category: Adult fiction, 380 pages
Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Police Procedural, Cozy
Publisher: Acorn Book Services
Release date: February 26, 2018
Tour dates: April 2 to 30, 2018
Content Rating: PG (It's a murder mystery and there is mild violence. Very mild swearing no F-bombs. No on-stage sex scenes.)






Book Description:

The clues for a close-to-the-heart missing person’s case heat up when Chris Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on the cold case.

When Sandy Lipton and her unborn child disappear, the court of public opinion finds young Chris Matheson guilty. Decades later, the retired FBI agent returns home to discover that the cloud of suspicion cast over him and his family has never lifted. With the help of a team of fellow retired law enforcement officers, each a specialist in their own field of investigation, Chris Matheson starts chipping away at the ice on this cold case to uncover what had happened to Sandy and her baby and the clues are getting hot!

To read reviews, please visit Lauren Carr's page on iRead Book Tours.


Buy the Book:


Watch the Book Trailer:





About the Author:



Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Now, Lauren has added one more hit series to her list with the Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries. Set in the quaint West Virginia town of Harpers Ferry, Ice introduces Chris Matheson, a retired FBI agent, who joins forces with other law enforcement retirees to heat up those cold cases that keep them up at night.

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and three dogs on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Enter the Giveaway!
Ends May 5, 2018


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Excerpt:
The department store’s parking lot was sparsely filled
and dark—much to Chris’s disappointment. He hated
going to the store late at night—not that he made a habit of
doing so.

The odds of being a crime victim increased significantly
in all-night store parking lots. The lack of police presence and
high risk people who frequented around-the-clock businesses
made them magnets for criminal activity.

After locking the car door, Chris shoved his hands deep
into his coat pockets. He laid his right hand on the small semi-
automatic that he always kept close by. With luck, he’d find
the pancake mix, grab a gallon of milk, use the self-checkout,
and return home before the roads got too slick.

The road along the river iced up fast. The Mathesons
had chains to put on their vehicles to get in and out without
relying on the state plow.

The last thing Chris needed was to be stuck on the side of
an icy road putting chains on Doris’s sedan in the dark in the
middle of an ice storm.

He wanted to go home and climb into his warm bed.

When he returned to the front of the store, Chris sighed
with relief to see that there was no line for the automated
cashiers. He hurried to one of the stations and pressed the
button to begin checking out.

“Please scan your frequent shoppers card,” the
computerized voice instructed.

Chris vacillated between saving time from searching his
pockets for his keys with the tag to save a few cents or not to.

He could hear his mother asking him if he remembered
to use the bonus card. If he did use it, she’d never ask. So, she
wouldn’t know. Yet, it was guaranteed that if he didn’t use it,
she’d find out.

With a groan, he fished through his pockets while the
automated voice nagged him to scan the card. Finally, he
extracted his keys only to find that the cashier had given up.
“Please scan your first item.”

He pressed the plastic tag onto the reader.

The cashier ignored him. “Please scan your first item.”
“After you scan my card.” Chris moved the plastic tag
back and forth across the screen to get the cashier to read the
barcode.

“Please scan your first item.”

“Come on. Scan it already.”

“Please scan your first item.”

Muttering under his breath, he dropped his keys into his
pocket and slid the pancake mix across the scanner.

“Get your hands off of me, bitch!” a shrill voice demanded
a few stations away.

“What you gonna do about it, tramp?”

Chris recognized the voice of one of the women, but was
unsure how he knew her. He peered down the row of check-
outstations. Kicking and scratching for all they were worth,
two women were engaged in a brawl. A male employee and a
security guard attempted to pry them apart by wedging their
bodies between the fighters.

A ding and instructions from the automated cashier
prompted Chris to scan the gallon of milk. It sounded like the
men managed to break up the fight.

“I’m pressing charges,” one of the women yelled. “I’m
pregnant and she assaulted me! Call the police!”

“You! Come back here!” the security guard demanded
when the other woman grabbed a suitcase of beer and hurried
out the door.

Unfastened, her worn winter coat was askew. Its hood
dropped down behind her back. Her long hair was yellow
from a bad dye job. She reeked of cigarettes and stale booze.
Chris caught a glimpse of her skeletal face before she
darted past him and out into the darkness. It was a mass of
wrinkles.

She’s kind of old to be getting into fights.

The first woman wailed about being the victim of an
assault while demanding that everyone stay to act as witnesses
in her lawsuit for pain and suffering.

At once, people scattered.

Chris tucked the box of pancake mix, wrapped in the
store’s plastic bag, under his arm and picked up the gallon jug
to head home.

Outside, he made his way down the aisle toward his
mother’s sedan. He recognized the woman from the fight
several feet ahead of him. The suitcase of beer hung at the end
of her arm. Her coat slipped to expose one shoulder.

A dark van approached from the opposite end of the park-
ing lot to catch her in its headlights.

Chris heard the swish of a van’s side doors opening. While
the vehicle quietly cruised toward them, he recognized the
silhouette of an assault rifle’s muzzle aimed out of the open
door.

Chris’s heart leapt up into his throat to gag him so that he
had to force out the word. “Gun!”
He dropped the jug. Milk splattered onto his pant leg
before Chris dove for the grassy plot of earth between two
rows of parking.

The patter of automatic gun fire was drowned out by
the woman’s anguished screams as a barrage of bullets ripped
through her body. The van’s driver gunned the engine. At the
end of the row, he spun the van around to make a U-turn and
raced down the next aisle.

Chris yanked his gun out of his pocket and sprinted
toward the far end of the parking lot. By the time the van was
gunning for the exit, Chris stepped directly into its headlight
beams. He raised the gun and aimed it at the van’s windshield.
Amused by Chris’s display of bravery, the driver pressed
the gas pedal to the floor. It didn’t matter to them if he was too
foolish to get out of their way. They had proven they weren’t
shy about taking a life.

With the van firing at him like a four-ton bullet, Chris
pulled the trigger of his gun again and again—aiming for the
dark figure behind the steering wheel. If he was lucky, he’d hit
the shooter in the back as well.

In a matter of seconds, his semi-automatic was out of
bullets.

Chris stepped to one side.

The van swerved past him. Hitting a patch of ice, it spun
from one side of the lane to the other. At the end of the lot, it
mowed down a stop sign and jumped the curb. After plowing
through an old jeep, the van rolling over onto its roof and
skidded several yards before coming to a halt.

The sparks of the metal ignited gasoline spilling from the
van’s gas tank, which had been punctured by the pole from the
sign. The van exploded—lighting up the dark parking lot with
brilliant orange flames.

Stunned, Chris watched the black smoke billowing up
into the night sky as a sheriff deputy’s police cruiser, with
its blue lights flashing, arrived on the scene. Upon seeing a
vehicular bonfire and a lone man holding a handgun, the
deputy screeched to a halt.

His partner spilled out of the passenger side and crouched
behind the open door with her weapon drawn. “Drop the
gun! Now!”

There was no point in arguing. What were they to do?
They answered a simple assault call and arrived to discover a
van engulfed in flames, a bullet-riddled body, and a guy with
a gun.

Wordlessly, Chris held out his arms with his hands and
fingers spread out. He allowed the semi-automatic to dangle
from his index finger. Slowly, he eased toward the ground
and dropped his weapon onto the pavement. As he got on his
knees, he placed his hands on top of his head and laced his
fingers together.

While her partner called into dispatch for assistance, the
deputy hurried over to pat him down for more weapons.
“I have a backup weapon in a holster on my left ankle,”
Chris told her.

“You sound like you’re no stranger to this drill.” She lifted
his pant leg to remove the thirty-two caliber semi-automatic.
“Been through this several times.”


4.07.2018

Winning Miss Winthrop ~ Review

Winning Miss Winthrop
Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope #1
By Carolyn Miller

Catherine Winthrop's world has just been upended - with her father's death, she along with her mother and sister find themselves find themselves in a new role. No longer the daughter of the estate as the lands and title have passed on to a third cousin. But to Catherine's shock the cousin that none knew would be inheriting is the very man who broke her heart years ago. To find herself in this position is most disheartening as he was the only man to pay her any attention that she returned. But years have passed with no word from Jonathan Carlew.

Jonathan doesn't relish his sudden elevation in society. For years rumors about his parentage followed him and most of society shunned him for this mark. The one lady to capture his heart was also the one to break it. Finding himself as the newly named head of the Winthrop family is not a position Jonathan sought and finding himself so close to Catherine and the disdain of the rest of the family is almost more than he can bear. But Jonathan has his father's stubborn pride and it is about to stand him in good stead as he faces his greatest pain.

As Catherine and Jonathan come to terms with their new situations they have to confront the pain that has become part of the lives. But will the grief of the past keep them from healing and a second chance? When a new tragedy befalls them will it give them the chance they both need or will it further drive them apart?

Those who enjoyed Carolyn Miller's previous Regency Bride series will enjoy this new series that begins with this book. Some of the previous series characters make appearances which allows the reader to see how their lives have progressed. Fans of Regency period books will want to pick up this one. The subtle societal expectations that can make or ruin a reputation are on full display when a trip to Bath is undertaken in the hopes of economizing the Winthrop expenses while allowing Catherine and her mother time away from their old life.

I was provided a digital review copy of this book by the publisher Kregel with no expectations of a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.


About the Book:
Years ago, the man who stole Catherine Winthrop’s heart rejected her—and she’s never recovered from the grief. Now tragedy has brought him back into her life. This time it isn’t her heart he’s taking, it’s her home and her family’s good name.
Jonathan Carlew’s serious demeanor and connection to trade, not to mention the rumors surrounding his birth, have kept him from being a favorite of the ladies, or their parents. Now, suddenly landed and titled, he finds himself with plenty of prospects. But his demanding society responsibilities keep pressing him into service to the one woman who captured his heart long ago—and then ran off with it.
These two broken hearts must decide whether their painful past and bitter present will be all they can share, or if forgiveness can provide a path to freedom for the future.
Set in the sumptuous salons of Bath, Regency England’s royal breeding ground for gossip, Winning Miss Winthrop is the first volume in the Regency Brides: A Promise of Hope series. Fans of the wholesome and richly drawn first series won’t want to miss this new set of characters—or appearances by their old favorites.

4.06.2018

Betrayal ~ Review

Betrayal
Javin Pierce #2
By Ethan Jones

Being a corrector is never easy and for Javin Pierce and his partner Claudia Aquarone easy fits nowhere in their job description. Sent in to take care of an Al-Qaeda prisoner exchange that no one wanted to see happen things go steadily downhill from the start of the operation and that's the good news. The bad news almost every other intelligence agency is determined to capture the released prisoners as well.

In a race against time, Javin and Claudia are determined to get to them first, but their mission soon goes south when their asset and safehouse are both removed from the equation. Mossad offers them a helping hand but there are strings attached that Javin isn't sure he is willing to pay. 

As they follow their targets across national borders the stakes and risks increase and Javin's list of who he can trust shrinks yet again.

Betrayal amps up the action and the last half of the book is almost non-stop as Javin and Claudia seek to stop the terrorists before they complete their mission. Just one problem they have to determine their destination and their target. With betrayal waiting around every corner Javin and Claudia just might not make it through this operation.

This is one sequel that doesn't let the reader down and improves on the first book in good measure. And don't worry the third book is soon to be released so one won't have long to wait to find out what happens next. And with the epilogue that we've been presented, believe me, you don't want to be left wondering any longer than necessary. Let's just say some intelligence agencies don't make you want to personally join up!

About the Book:

A hero, sent out as a mark. Who’s behind the betrayal?


Spies on the hunt.
A traitor in their midst.
Suspicions are high and time is short.
Who is behind the betrayal?

Spy Master Javin wants to eliminate two terrorist masterminds, but he's not the only one looking for them. When the mission suspiciously goes awry, his team is now forced into a dubious alliance with Mossad and the infamous Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard.
Pursuing the terrorists deep into hostile Saudi Arabia, they not only discover an assassination plot that could topple the Saudi kingdom, but also suspect a traitor has infiltrated their team. Who is behind this betrayal? With suspicions high and time short, can Javin and Claudia unmask the traitor and stop the assassination plot before the Middle East is plunged into an all-out war?

4.04.2018

First Love Forever ~ Book Blitz with Author Spotlight and Excerpt

First Love Forever Romance Collection
9 Historical Romances Where First Loves are Rekindled
by Susanne Dietze, Cynthia Hickey, 
      Marcia Gruver, Carrie Fancett        
      Pagels, Martha Rogers, Lorna Seilstad, 
      Connie Stevens, Jennifer Uhlarik, 
      and Erica Vetsch




About the Book:
A first love is never easily forgotten...and coming face to face with that person again can be awkward when the heartstrings are still holding on to the “what ifs.”

In settings from 1865 to 1910, nine couples are thrown back on the same path by life’s changes and challenges. A neighbor returns from law school. An heiress seeks a quick marriage. A soldier’s homecoming is painful. A family needs help. A prodigal son returns. A rogue aeronaut drops from the sky. A runaway bridegroom comes home. A letter for aid is sent. A doctor needs a nurse. Can love rekindle despite the separation of time and space?


Author Spotlight:
  Susanne Dietze: began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today, n she's the award-winning author of a dozen new and upcoming historical romances. A pastor's wife and mom of two, she loves fancy-schmancy tea parties, the beach, and curling up on the couch with a costume drama and a plate of nachos. 

You can visit her on her website, www.susannedietze.com
and sign up for her newsletter for an occasional cheery hello: http://eepurl.com/bieza5


First Things First 

by Susanne Dietze

1877 – South Texas: Texas rancher’s daughter Georgie Bridge mourned when her first love, Ward Harper, left town to study the law, but now he’s back — as opposing counsel in a case against her father.

Susanne Dietze
began writing love stories in high school, casting her
friends in the starring roles. Today,
she's the award-winning author of a dozen new and upcom
ing historical romances. A pastor's wife and
mom of two, she loves fancy-schmancy tea parties, the b
each, and curling up on the couch with a
costume drama and a plate of nachos. You can visit her on
her website,
, and
sign up for her newsletter for an occasional cheery hello:
First Things First
by Susanne Dietze
1877
South Texas: Texas rancher
s daughter Georgie Bridge mourned when her first love, Ward
Harper,
left town to study the law, but now he
s back
as opposing counsel in a case against her father.


Excerpt:
First Things First by Susanne Dietze
Wildrye, South Texas
Spring, 1977


For the first time in her twenty-three years of life, Georgia Bridge was rendered speechless.

“Georgie?”Pa removed his Stetson now they’d moved inside the courthouse vestibule.
He smoothed his gray-streaked brown curls and peered down at her, his brows furrowed. “The ledgers show missing cattle?”

She blinked in case her vision was somehow affected by the change in light, or because of the headache she’d had since studying Pa’s ledgers earlier—

Oh. Yes. The ledgers. Missing cattle. 

The matter lost its urgency at the sight of a man across the whitewashed vestibule. She blinked again. It was really him, all grown up, carrying a worn satchel and wearing a dark gray suit. Looking quite handsome in it too.

Pa's gentle touch on her shoulder drew her gaze back and jostled her tongue loose. “Ward.”

“Who?”

“Ward. Harper.”
Her childhood friend. One of her favorite school companions who, when she was fifteen or so, became her favorite companion, ever. He was at the house all the time until that day five years past. A day full of expectations and hope, until he walked out the door. 

Ward Harper had broken her heart, and while it had healed, she wasn’t sure it worked properly anymore. Even now, it thumped in her throat instead of her chest, pumping jitters through her veins and making it hard to breathe. 

A low whistle escaped Pa’s lips. 

“I’ll be. He’s changed a fair piece.”

He had and he hadn’t. His sandy-blond hair was shorter now, neater than it had ever been when
he was younger. His shoulders had broadened and stubble darkened his cheeks more than when
he was nineteen, last time she saw him. 

But those blue eyes were the same. And they widened when they met her stare across the crowded
vestibule. 

Ward’s gaze fixed on her longer than it should have, considering he
spoke with two gentlemen. She might have stared at him, too, had the mayor not blocked her view to greet Pa. 
After offering a brief hello to the mayor, she shifted position, the better to view Ward while
he talked to the fellows she didn’t recognize. 

He was back in Wildrye. For how long? When had he arrived?

Regardless, it was no wonder he found himself at the courthouse today. He’d probably viewed hundreds of trials since he went to study law at Baylor and then found an apprenticeship position
in Fort Worth. He’d enjoy today’s events, and not just because he studied law. No, he’d get a good laugh out of this ludicrous, so-called trial. 

To think, someone was suing Pa. 

Sure to be dropped immediately, this frivolous lawsuit was brought by a neighbor who hadn’t
fared as well as Pa in the financial panic of’73. Pa’s cattle ranch was thriving and his horse-breeding
business was ever growing, so more than one person thought he could try to squeeze something out of Pa, while assuming Pa wouldn’t even feel the pinch. 

Well, Pa did. Every loss hurt, not just her family, but the families who relied on Pa for employment. When Georgie found that discrepancy in the ledgers today, it looked as if the loss of stock would cost Bridge Ranch a few hundred dollars.

But folks like their neighbor Mr. Odell Norwood, who thought to make money off Pa today by quibbling over well-established water rights, clearly didn’t care about honesty or integrity.  

As the mayor moved off, Georgie bit back a harrumph. Pa’s business had grown the right way: legitimately, over time, with a great deal of hard work, patience, and care. He and Ma had been a team, building their home, family, and business together. They did not cheat their neighbors out of water, land, stock, or anything else.  

Ward should know that as well as anyone.  

Her heart plummeted from her throat to her stomach when he pulled away from his conversation and strode toward her. 

TO PURCHASE A COPY*
But folks like their neighbor Mr. Odell Norwood, who thought to
make money off Pa
today by quibbling over well-established water rights, clearly d
idn
t care about honesty or
integrity.
As the mayor moved off, Georgie bit back a harrumph. Pa
s business had grown the right
way: legitimately, over time, with a great deal of hard wo
rk, patience, and care. He and Ma had
been a team, building their home, family, and business toge
ther. They did not cheat their
neighbors out of water, land, stock, or anything else.
Ward should know that as well as anyone.



GIVEAWAY

(1) Winner will win a prize pack consisting of:
(1) one print copy of First Love Forever Romance Collection
(1) one print copy of My Heart Belongs in Mackinac Island by Carrie Fancett Pagels 
(or any other one of her released titles), 
a pair of handmade earrings** 
(**style subject to change from what is pictured), 
additional book swag
and a $20 Barnes and Noble Gift Card
(Only Gift card open internationally. All items open to US mailing addresses.) 

To Enter, use the Rafflecopter below. 
Be sure to stop at every stop on the tour for additional entries.



4.03.2018

The Miracle Season ~ The Power of Perseverance and a Movie Trailer

The Power of Perseverance

All too often we are awed and impressed by those who have a natural ability. Those who can play by ear. Who touch a ball and seem to be able to control it with nary a thought. But there are those who may not be a master that awes the masses but they have worked to conquer and call a skill their own.

Have you ever noticed the one person who can never make a basket? Well, I was such a person. The only person who could not get the ball to the hoop much less make it whoosh as fell through the net. It wasn't for lack of trying but rather a lack of hand and eye coordination, or the mere fact that I had no athletic abilities at all could have played a factor. Rather than being known as an athlete I was known for my skill as a klutz. If klutz was a skill I had it down as a natural born talent.

But one year I was determined that I would make a basket during a game. Every day after school I would sit on the ground and practice shooting. It took determination and concentration and a good bit of encouragement to keep up my attempts to better my shooting. I had my family offer tips to better get the ball to the hoop. Adjust my throw. Change my angle. It took time and effort but eventually, I was no longer the one person in school who couldn't make a basket.

Did making a basket make me a hero? No. Did it raise my status amongst my fellow students? No. But what it did do is help me to realize that everything of value takes work. And by working one learns the value of giving your all. It is a skill that can only be learned by putting in the effort. The payoff is the satisfaction that you gave your best. This is a lesson that one can share by encouraging others - that it is the effort that is made that brings the greatest satisfaction when you achieve your goal. And this sets you for future challenges - challenges that demand dedication and drive to overcome them.


The Miracle Season


In Theaters: April 6th
Synopsis: Based on the inspiring true story of West High School girls' volleyball team.  After the tragic death of the school's star player Caroline "Line" Found, the remaining team players must band together under the guidance of their tough-love coach in hope of winning the state championship.

Director: Sean McNamara
Writers: David Aaron Cohen, Elissa Matsueda
Producers: Mickey Liddell, Pete Shilaimon, Mark Ciardi,  
                        Scott Holroyd
Genre: Drama
Cast: Helen Hunt, William Hurt, Danika Yarosh, 
            Erin Moriarty
Production Company: LD Entertainment
Distributor: LD Entertainment / Mirror