Blog Tour (Review): The Tide Watchers by Lisa Chaplin (ARC) #HistoricalFiction #TLCBookTours @Morrow_PB

Title: The Tide Watchers
Author: Lisa Chaplin
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (HarperCollins)
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
In the winter of 1803, one woman stands between Napoleon and the fall of Great Britain

The free-spirited daughter of an English baronet, Lisbeth defies convention by eloping to France. When her husband abandons her, she must find a way to survive and be reunited with her young son, who is in the care of her mother-in-law.

A seasoned spy known as Tidewatcher, Duncan apprenticed under Lisbeth's father and pledged to keep his mentor's pretty daughter safe—a promise complicated by the wily Napoleon Bonaparte. The British believe he is planning an attack, and Duncan is sent to search for signs of invasion on the French coast—where he draws dangerously close to adventurous and unpredictable Lisbeth.

A sensational new invention may shift the tide of a French victory. A brilliant and eccentric American inventor named Robert Fulton has devised a deadly weapon that can decimate an enemy's fleet. To protect English ships, Tidewatcher must gain control of Fulton's invention and cross enemy lines . . . but he cannot do it alone. Left with no other options, he enlists Lisbeth's help in outwitting the American inventor and uncovering Bonaparte's secret plans.

Going undercover for the handsome and duty-bound spy, Lisbeth risks her freedom and her life as she navigates double agents and submarine warfare to outwit the greatest military tactician in history. The only question is . . . who can she trust?

My Review

Before I get good and started on my review for The Tide Watchers, which I enjoyed very much, I have an issue that I want to address in romance and some historical fiction. Can we please ease up on the rape scenes that allow a woman to be saved for whatever reason? I mean, seriously, I know it happened all the time historically and even now, but its use as a plot catalyst (or whatever) in fiction is getting out of hand. I almost DNFed a really good book because of it. Please and thank you. (Rant over.)

Blog Tour (Review): Love is Red by Sophie Jaff #Thriller #Mystery #AdultLit @TLCBookTours

Title: Love Is Red (Nightsong Trilogy #1)
Author: Sophie Jaff
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: May 12, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
Redefining the thriller's tale of the hunter and the hunted, This electrifying, hypnotically beautiful debut spins dark suspense and literary fantasy into a mesmerizing story of survival.

Katherine Emerson was born to fulfill a dark prophecy centuries in the making, but she doesn't know it yet. However, one man does: a killer stalking the women of New York City, a monster the media dubs the "Sickle Man" because of the weapon he uses to turn his victims' bodies into canvases for his twisted art. People think he's the next Son of Sam, but we know how he thinks and how he feels...and discover that he is driven by darker, much more dangerous desires than we can bear to imagine. He takes more than just his victims' lives, and each death brings him closer to the one woman he must possess at any cost.

Amid the city's escalating hysteria, Katherine is trying to unknot her tangled heart. Two very different men have entered her previously uneventful world—handsome and personable David, alluring yet aloof Sael—and turned it upside down. She finds herself involved in a complicated triangle...but how well does she really know either of them?

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Katherine and the Sickle Man, Sophie Jaff's intoxicating narrative will pull you in and hold you close. As the body count rises, Katherine is haunted by harrowing visions that force her to question her sanity. All she wants is to find love. He just wants to find her.

Ablaze with fear, mystery, and possibility, Love Is Red is the first book in the Night Song trilogy. With this unforgettable novel—one that combines the literary and the supernatural, fantasy and horror, the past and the present—Katherine's moment of awakening is here. And her story is only just beginning.

Praise for Love is Red

“The writing in this debut thriller is evocative and, simply put, gorgeous. Jaff does an amazing job at conveying all five senses at every moment…. The lush language and intricately fleshed-out characters make this a series — and author — to watch.” — RT Book Reviews

“The excitement (and there’s plenty of it) comes from the serial killer’s creepy, second-person accounts of his moves and from watching the cat-and-mouse game with Katherine... Frightening.” — Booklist

“The kick of this ridiculously entertaining book is the haze of delirium it creates in the reader’s brain... Jaff’s woozy supernatural saga is effectively scary and great fun to read.” — New York Times Book Review

My Review

The great thing about reading adult literature, I get to learn things about myself, as well as visit the worlds within the novels that I read. What I learned about myself in Love is Red is that it is extremely difficult for me to read about anything to do with sexual violence. Making it even worse (or better, if it doesn't bother you), is that Jaff is a tremendously talented writer who is able to pull you into each scene - good, bad, and ugly.

Cover Reveal: After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson

Title: After She's Gone
Author: Lisa Jackson
Publisher: Kensington
Cover Reveal Organizer: Pump Up Your Book!
Release Date: December 29, 2015
In this explosive new thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson delves into the deep bond between two sisters and their shared dream that becomes a harrowing nightmare of madness, hatred and jealousy...

Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother, former Hollywood actress Jenna Hughes. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon, and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented—and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie—and Allie is missing.

Police discover that the last call to Allie’s phone came from Cassie, though she has no recollection of making it. Instead of looking like a concerned relative, Cassie is starting to look like a suspect—the jealous sister who finally grew sick of playing a supporting role. As the tabloids go into a frenzy, Cassie ends up on a Portland psych ward. Is she just imagining the sinister figure who comes to her bedside, whispering about Allie—a visitor of whom there is no record? Is someone trying to help—or drive her mad?

Convinced she’s the only one who can find Allie, Cassie checks herself out of the hospital. But a sudden slew of macabre murders— each victim masked with a likeness of a member of Cassie’s family—makes Cassie fear for her safety and her sanity. The only way to end the nightmare is to find out what really happened to Allie. And with each discovery, Cassie realizes that no one can be trusted to keep her safe—least of all herself...

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google Play | Kobo


About the Author

Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Publisher: Crown (Random House)
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

My Review

On the day of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne discovers that his wife Amy is missing. Told in alternating points of view, a stressed and frazzled Nick depicts quite the different story about his marriage than Amy’s telling diary entries. While Nick’s story is told mostly in the present (flashing back to explain bits and pieces of his wife’s relationship with his dying mother and woman-hating father), Amy’s diary starts in the past and moves to catch up to the present day action. As the story unfolds, the reader learns quite a bit of history about the less-than-perfect marriage through both unreliable narrators. When the police get involved and find evidence of foul play, it is up to the reader to discover what happened to Amy and decide whether or not Nick is involved.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Betrayed by Heather Graham

Title: The Betrayed (Krewe of Hunters #14)
Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
SLEEPY HOLLOW ISN'T SO SLEEPY ANYMORE…

One night, New York FBI agent Aiden Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream—an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he's sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard's gone missing there.

Maureen—Mo—Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She's actually the one to find Richard…or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aiden, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait—the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that's as intense as it is unexpected...if they live long enough to enjoy it!

My Review

You can read my review of The Hexed (Krewe of Hunters #13), HERE.

The Betrayed is my second Heather Graham novel and the latest in her Krewe of Hunters series. While the writing and pace are good, the characters don't have as much drawing me to them as those in the previous novel. However, being as the murders in the story are centered on Sleepy Hollow, it was a fun read for the month of October.

Review: Winterkill by Kate Boorman

Title: Winterkill
Author: Kate Boorman
Publisher: Amulet Books (ABRAMS)
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Acquired Via: Around the World ARC Tours
Emmeline knows she’s not supposed to explore the woods outside her settlement. The enemy that wiped out half her people lurks there, attacking at night and keeping them isolated in an unfamiliar land with merciless winters. Living with the shame of her grandmother’s insubordination, Emmeline has learned to keep her head down and her quick tongue silent.

When the settlement leader asks for her hand in marriage, it’s an opportunity for Emmeline to wash the family slate clean—even if she has eyes for another. But before she’s forced into an impossible decision, her dreams urge her into the woods, where she uncovers a path she can’t help but follow. The trail leads to a secret that someone in the village will kill to protect. Her grandmother followed the same path and paid the price. If Emmeline isn’t careful, she will be next.

My Review

I'm not really sure what to make of Kate Boorman's debut novel, Winterkill. It's all over the place story-wise, but at the same time, I couldn't put it down. There was so much suspense that I was tempted on more than one occasion to skip to the back of the book because I wanted to know so badly what was in the woods. (I didn't.) Emmeline carried Winterkill, as she was such a fascinating character.

Blog Tour (Review and Giveaway): The Night Visitor by Dianne Emley

Title: The Night Visitor
Author: Dianne Emley
Publisher: Alibi (Random House)
Release Date: September 16, 2014
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
In bestselling author Dianne Emley’s chilling new paranormal thriller, a beautiful woman’s romantic past comes back to haunt her in the form of an otherworldly visitor seeking justice.

Gorgeous and successful, Rory Langtry seemed to have it all. Daughter of a movie star and sister of a supermodel, Rory was engaged to sexy artist, Junior Lara. But her bright future went dark one terrible, bloody night that left her sister dead and the accused murderer—Junior—in an extended coma.

Now, five years later, Rory appears to have put the past behind her. She has a wonderful new fiancé and heads a successful cosmetics company. Yet dark secrets threaten. Across town, Junior lies close to death but before he departs he seeks to clear his name.

It starts with a feeling. It turns into a vision. Soon Rory is having sensations that only Junior could experience—from the horrifying to the erotic. Then she learns details about the awful night that only Junior could know, newfound knowledge with potentially fatal consequences. When another act of violence rocks her family, Rory plunges deeper into the unsolved mystery, led by an inexplicable visitor to a dangerous time and place where all will be revealed at last. But until then, Junior will not let her go.

My Review

I chose The Night Visitor because I thought it was going to be a creepy paranormal mystery given the name and the synopsis. I thought that there was going to be a ghost that showed up at night in Rory's dreams, which would have been creepy and spooky. After I realized that there would be no ghost stories, I was disappointed.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Hexed by Heather Graham

Title: The Hexed (Krewe of Hunters #13)
Author: Heather Graham
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Release Date: July 29, 2014
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
A PLACE OF HISTORY, SECRETS… AND WITCHCRAFT

Devin Lyle has recently returned to the Salem area, but her timing couldn't be worse. Soon after she moved into the eighteenth-century cabin she inherited from her great-aunt Mina—her "crazy" great-aunt, who spoke to the dead—a woman was murdered nearby.

Craig Rockwell—known as Rocky—is a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI's team of paranormal investigators. He never got over finding a friend dead in the woods. Now another body's been found in those same woods, not far from the home of Devin Lyle. And Devin's been led to a third body—by…a ghost?

Her discovery draws them both deeper into the case and Salem's rich and disturbing history. Even as the danger mounts, Devin and Rocky begin to fall for each other, something the ghosts of Mina and past witches seem to approve of. But the two of them need every skill they possess to learn the truth—or Devin's might be the next body in the woods…

My Review

Have you guys ever read anything by Heather Graham? I haven't before The Hexed, and part of why I didn't is 1) I don't read a lot of crime drama, and 2) my grandmother reads her books. Huge mistake on my part! I'm also glad that I didn't see the business of this being the thirteenth book in the Krewe of Hunters series, because this novel stands alone (as far as I'm concerned), and I would have missed out on a fantastic book! The Hexed has a lot of suspense, a little bit of paranormal, a bit of romance, and a ton of awesome.

Excerpt (Giveaway): Light Up The Night by M.L. Buchman

Title: Light Up the Night (The Night Stalkers #5)
Author: M.L. Buchman
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Trisha O’Malley rebelled against her affluent family by joining the U.S. Army’s secret helicopter regiment, the 160th SOAR. Now a Chief Warrant Officer, she found her toughest fight yet in the pilot’s seat of an MH-6M attack helicopter.

William Wallace Bruce is an undercover CIA agent who doesn’t trust the military. But when the Horn of Africa is threatened by Somali pirates, Trisha flies out to recover ships and hostages…including one very ungrateful Will. Everything about Trisha triggers his mistrust: her elusive past, her wild energy, and her proclivity for flying past safety's edge. Even as the heat between them turns into passion's fire, Bill and Trisha must team up to confront their pasts and survive Somalia's pirate lords.

Excerpt

Trisha looked up at Billy. His narrowed eyes revealed that he was indeed totally perplexed.

It was perfectly clear to her, and she just figured out that meant she was too damn stupid to live. She shrugged to herself, feeling the warm weight of his large hands still resting on her shoulders.

Well, stupid is something I'm really good at, she had to admit to herself. With one foot she shoved the door to her cabin closed until the latch clicked. Then putting a hand on either side of his neck, Tricia pulled his face down to hers.

Blog Tour (Review): Help for the Haunted by John Searles

Title: Help for the Haunted
Author: John Searles
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Paperback Release Date: June 15, 2014
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
A Boston Globe Best Crime Novel of the Year
An Entertainment Weekly Top Ten “Must List”
Winner of the American Library Association’s Alex Award
Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist starred reviews

Sylvie Mason’s parents have an unusual occupation: helping “haunted souls” find peace. After receiving a phone call late one snowy night, they are lured to an old church on the outskirts of town, where Sylvie falls asleep in the car and is awoken by the sound of gunshots.

Orphaned on that night, Sylvie comes under the care of her reckless, distant older sister, still living in the rambling Tudor house that guards the relics of her parents’ past. As she pursues the mystery of their deaths, Sylvie’s story weaves back and forth between the time leading up to the murders and the months following, uncovering the truth of what happened that night—and the secrets that have haunted her family for years.

**Book clubs that sign up to chat with John Searles about Help for the Haunted could win a tote bag of books for each member of their book club! Find out more details about John Searles’ goal to speak to a book club in each state of the United States over at Book Club Girl!**
My Review

I don't remember signing up for the blog tour for Help for the Haunted. I mean, the book arrived at my house, and the tour date was on my calendar, but I don't have the slightest idea when it happened. I could go through my email and find out from the tour organizer, but that requires effort. Yet, despite my enormous brain fart and my subconscious somehow coming forward to put me on a tour, reading Help for the Haunted was one of the better decisions that I've ever made.

Release Week Blitz (Excerpt & Giveaway): Betrayed by Rebecca York

Title: Betrayed (Rockfort Security #2)
Author: Rebecca York
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: July 1, 2014
There is a spy in S&D systems who is leaking top-secret information that could lead to extreme disaster. It's up to Shane Gallagher to uncover the mole and set things right.

Systems analyst Elena Reyes had no intention of stealing company secrets until her brother's life was threatened by the cruelest of mobsters. When Elena finally confesses her deeds to Shane, he's ready to do everything he can to keep her out of danger. But will Shane's help be enough to protect them, or will his good intentions leave them all for dead?

Excerpt

Elena had never thought about seducing a man. She wasn’t even sure of her moves. But she knew that Shane wanted her, even if he wasn’t prepared to admit it. She also knew he felt protective of her, which was probably part of the conflict he must be feeling.

Blog Tour (Review): The Heiresses by Sara Shepard

Title: The Heiresses
Author: Sara Shepard
Publisher: Harper
Release Date: May 20, 2014
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
You know the Saybrooks. Everyone does. Perhaps you've read a profile of them in People or have seen their pictures in the society pages of Vogue. Perhaps while walking along that choice block on Fifth Avenue, you've been tempted to enter the ornate limestone building with their family name etched into the pediment above the door.

The only thing more flawless than a Saybrook's diamond solitaire is the family behind the jewelry empire. Beauties, entrepreneurs, debutantes, and style mavens, they are the epitome of New York City's high society. But being a Saybrook comes at a price—they are heirs not only to a dizzying fortune but also to a decades-old family curse.

Tragedy strikes the prominent family yet again when thirty-four-year-old Poppy, the most exquisite Saybrook of them all, flings herself from the window of her TriBeCa office. Everyone is shocked that a woman who had it all would end her own life. Then her cousins receive an ominous threat: one heiress down, four to go.

Was it suicide . . . or murder? In the aftermath of the tragedy, the remaining heiresses—Corinne, the perfectionist; Rowan, the workaholic; Aster, the hedonist; and Natasha, the enigma—wrestle with feelings of sadness, guilt, and, most of all, fear. Now they must uncover the truth about their family before they lose the only thing money can't buy: their lives.

The Heiresses is a whip-smart mystery that simmers with the wicked sense of humor and intrigue that made Sara Shepard's number one New York Times bestselling Pretty Little Liars series a must-read, must-watch phenomenon.

My Review

Oh dear Bob, The Heiresses... What can I say? I've never read anything by Shepard before, but I was sold on the premise alone. (I found out the author's bio and stuff later.) Was it what I expected? Oh yes, and so much more. Drama, betrayal, mystery, and hot mess fills this book as well as any daytime soap opera or copy of Star. The Heiresses is delicious, delicious trash, and I loved every second of it.

Blog Tour (Review): The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose

The Collector of Dying Breaths Tour Schedule
Welcome to my stop on international-bestselling author M.J. Rose's virtual tour for The Collector of Dying Breaths that is running from March 3 – May 30.



Title: The Collector of Dying Breaths (The Reincarnationist #6)
Author: M.J. Rose
Publisher: Atria Books (Simon & Schuster)
Acquired Via: Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
Release Date: April 8, 2014
From the internationally bestselling author, a lush and imaginative novel that crisscrosses time as passion and obsessions collide.

Florence, Italy—1533:

An orphan named René le Florentin is plucked from poverty to become Catherine de Medici’s perfumer. Traveling with the young duchessina from Italy to France, René brings with him a cache of secret documents from the monastery where he was trained: recipes for exotic fra­grances and potent medicines—and a formula for an alchemic process said to have the poten­tial to reanimate the dead.

In France, René becomes not only the greatest perfumer in the country, but also the most dangerous, creating deadly poisons for his Queen to use against her rivals. But while mixing herbs and essences under the light of flickering candles, René doesn’t begin to imag­ine the tragic and personal consequences for which his lethal potions will be responsible.

Paris, France—The Present:

A renowned mythologist, Jac L’Etoile—trying to recover from personal heartache by throw­ing herself into her work—learns of the sixteenth-century perfumer who may have been working on an elixir that would unlock the secret to immortality. She becomes obsessed with René le Florentin’s work—particularly when she discovers the dying breaths he had collected during his lifetime.

Jac’s efforts put her in the path of her estranged lover, Griffin North, a linguist who has already begun translating René le Flo­rentin’s mysterious formula. Together they confront an eccentric heiress in possession of a world-class art collection, a woman who has her own dark purpose for the elixir . . . for which she believes the ends will justify her deadly means.

This mesmerizing gothic tale zigzags from the violent days of Catherine de Medici’s court to twenty-first-century France. Fiery and lush, set against deep, wild forests and dimly lit cha­teaus, The Collector of Dying Breaths illuminates the true path to immortality: the legacies we leave behind.

My Review

One of the first review books that I ever received was The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose (you can read my review HERE), which was a wonderful read because it is so uniquely written. The Collector of Dying Breaths has the same lovely writing style and carries on with the characters I liked so well in the previous books. (Seduction falls between The Book of Lost Fragrances and The Collector of Dying Breaths, though each can be read as standalones.)

Review: Night Diver by Elizabeth Lowell

Title: Night Diver
Author: Elizabeth Lowell
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Release Date: April 8, 2014
Acquired Via: Publisher
New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell plunges into the adventurous and deadly world of underwater treasure hunters in a heart-stopping tale that superbly combines atmosphere, action, romance, and suspense.

After a family tragedy, Kate Donnelly left the Caribbean behind forever. But a series of bad management decisions has left her family's diving and marine-recovery business drowning in red ink. Now her brother pleads with her to come back to the island nation of St Vincent. Without Kate's financial expertise, the iconic treasure-hunting enterprise started by her grandfather will go under. Unable to say no to the little family she has left, Kate heads back to the beautiful and terrifying ocean that still haunts her nightmares.

Holden Cameron was addicted to the adrenaline rush of active duty—including narrowly surviving an underwater explosives accident. The last thing the former British military diver wants is to babysit a family of thieves on a tropical island—even if they are the world-famous Diving Donnellys. But in his new civilian job, Holden must investigate the suspicious activity surrounding a Donnelly dive to recover treasure from the ancient wreck of a pirate ship.

When equipment, treasure, and even divers begin to disappear, Kate and Holden form an uneasy alliance to uncover the truth. But the deeper they plummet into the mystery, the closer they come to each other. Soon they are sharing their deepest fears and darkest secrets—and a combustible chemistry too hot to ignore.

My Review

I'll admit - I went into Elizabeth Lowell's Night Diver with not a little trepidation. I don't read a lot of romantic suspense, and what I have read makes me turn my nose up like the book snob that I am. However, being over adult services at my library branch requires me to be a more diverse reader, whether I like it or not. Luckily, I enjoyed Night Diver very much once the hormones of the protagonists got under control.

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Diabolist by Layton Green

The Diabolist Blog Tour Schedule



Title: The Diabolist (Dominic Grey #3)
Author: Layton Green
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Acquired Via: Pump Up Your Book! Tours
Release Date: June 4, 2013
In this gripping thriller, the bizarre murder of a Satanic priest in San Francisco draws Dominic Grey and Viktor Radek, private investigators of cults, to the scene. Witnesses claim a robed figure, seemingly able to appear and disappear at will, set fire to the priest. When the leader of another Satanic cult in Paris dies under similar circumstances, the case only grows stranger… and more dangerous.

Convinced that a charismatic New Age prophet is behind the murders, the investigators undergo a perilous journey into the world of the occult as they try to penetrate the prophet’s inner circle. From the catacombs of Paris to London’s nefarious East End, from the haunted walls of York to a monastic fortress in the Sicilian wilderness, the case plunges Viktor and Grey into a vortex of black magic, ancient heresies, and the dark corners of their own pasts.

The Diabolist is a chilling novel that not only pulsates with action and suspense, but also mines a trove of fascinating historical, philosophical, and paranormal research to probe some of our closest held beliefs. From the opening pages to the astonishing conclusion, this latest installment in one of today’s most original new thriller series is not to be missed.

My Review

Reviews of Previous Books:

The Egyptian (Will's review)

It is a rare and excellent thing to find a novel that you feel like has been written expressly for you, and Layton Green's The Diabolist is just that. I would like to blame my co-blogger, Will, for my not reading Green's previous work and call him a rat-faced, monkey sniffer for it, but that would not be fair because he did try to get me to read them. (You know what it's like to have been behind on your reading for, oh, say, two years, right?) Because of Will's love for Green and Green being such a nice guy, I jumped on the opportunity to review The Diabolist. And let me tell you, it was a pleasant surprise for me.

Blog Tour (This or That & Giveaway): Fool's Game by Heather Huffman

Tour Schedule



Title: Fool's Game
Author: Heather Huffman
Publisher: Booktrope
Blog Tour Organizer: Book Nerd Tours
Release Date: June 24, 2013
At the request of the U.S. Government, Caitlyn O’Rourke faked her death years ago, only to be reborn as the Cat—a deadly black-ops agent tasked with working for the shadowy organization Chameleon and doing the jobs that can’t be done in the light of day. Now, on the verge of taking down a notorious drug lord and rescuing a captured Chameleon agent, Cat is targeted for assassination…from within. But who’s making the call, and why? As she attempts to uncover answers and stay alive, Cat finds herself working alongside Cody Kingsley, the mysterious senator who broke her heart and betrayed her long ago. Along with an inner circle of fellow agents, Cat and Cody must untangle the web of lies that surrounds them before it’s too late. From the sultry streets of New Orleans to a secluded plantation in Ecuador to Washington, DC, Cat must elude an agent hell-bent on her destruction while figuring out how high up the ladder the conspiracy reaches. At the same time, she must work through her tumultuous and conflicting emotions where both Cody and fellow agent Galloway—who may or may not have her best interests at heart—are concerned. A thrill ride of emotions, suspense, and action, Fool’s Game intertwines matters of the heart and survival …and the only thing certain is that Cat will never be the same.

This or That

Writer’s block or excess of ideas with no paper/computer handy?
I’ve had both happen, but I’ll take the excess of ideas any day!

Handwritten or typed?
I used to handwrite my books first, but I have an abnormality in my hands that makes handwriting kind of painful if it do it for very long, so I type now. Now I’m in the process of moving to voice recognition software to keep up with the typing!

The Brothers Grimm or Disney?
Disney with a splash of Brothers Grimm

Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia?
Narnia all the way. It’s one of my favorite series of all time.

eBook or physical copy?

Cover Reveal: Nadia's Obsession by Charles D. Martin

Title: Nadia's Obsession
Author: Charles D. Martin
Publisher: Chaney-Hall
Cover Reveal Organizer: JKS Communications
Release Date: August 2013
Nadia's Obsession continues the story of a young Russian woman as told in Charles Martin's first novel, Provocateur. A Brief prologue enables readers to jump right into the his second novel, if they have not read the first. Martin's fascinating protagonist was born an orphan and had a troubled desperate early life, but was blessed with superior intelligence and beauty. She escaped her impoverished circumstances coming to America through a mail-order-bride program. In America, she became involved with an ex-CIA agent named Olga and, as part of her unique enterprise, is catapulted into a thrilling and dangerous life filled with suspense, intrigue and sexual tension. This second novel steps up the pace of intrigue and sexual intensity as Nadia and Russoff, the Russian oligarch, clash again in a battle of wits. A new romance emerges and takes its twists and turns and the reader experiences new aspects of the gamesmanship between the sexes. Charles Martin once again holds us spellbound and leaves us wanting more.

Check out the free preview of Nadia's Obsession through NetGalley starting Tuesday, July 16!


About the Author

Cover Reveal: Darkest Day by Emi Gayle

Title: Darkest Day (The 19th Year #3)
Author: Emi Gayle
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Target Audience: Young Adult
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: January 6, 2014
Mac Thorne’s time as a Changeling is coming to an end.

It may have taken eighteen years, but Mac did finally manage to do what the Council wanted: she chose a teacher and renounced the in-between.

There’s just one last step. She must say goodbye to her human. Forever.

After being challenged in every way possible, Mac leaves what she thought would be the easiest task for the last possible moment. As midnight on July fourth draws near, though, she hasn’t found a way to give up Winn Thomas.

Nor does she want to.

With time running out, Mac stands at a literal crossroads.

Choose Winn, and she’ll be stripped of the only family she’s ever known—vampires, dragons, and her favorite demon. Even her own mother. Accept her position on the Council and rule as an equal to her twelve peers, and she’ll forget Winn ever existed.

Independence and freedom have never before been so limiting.

In this final chapter of the 19th Year Trilogy, it’s time for Mac to decide.

Responsibility? Or Love?


About the Author


Emi Gayle just wants to be young again. She lives vicariously through her youthful characters, while simultaneously acting as chief-Mom to her teenaged son and searching for a way to keep her two daughters from ever reaching the dreaded teen years.

Ironically, those years were some of Emi's favorite times. She met the man of her dreams at 14, was engaged to him at 19, married him at 20 and she's still in love with him to this day. She'll never forget what it was like to fall in love at such a young age — emotions she wants everyone to feel.




Find Emi Online
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

Tour Schedule
She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.
Title: The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Acquired Via: Itching for Books Blog Tour
My Review

The Rules for Disappearing is probably one of my favorite contemporaries that I've read. While I am not usually drawn to the genre, I chose to read and review this novel because the author, Ashley Elston, is from my area. I read the book well before it's time on my reading schedule because I was a bit curious about the writing style, and I like glancing at the first page when I'm scheduling myself a certain amount of reading time. The next day, I had finished the book.

Cover Reveal: Crossroads by Jonathan Lister

Title: Crossroads (A Demos City Novel)
Author: Jonathan Lister
Genre: Thriller/Suspense, Werewolf
Age Group: Adult
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: November 4, 2013
Werewolf. Bar bouncer. Dad. Standard traits for any self-respecting, reformed criminal, living under the radar in Demos City. For Leon Gray, normal is what he wants—for himself and his not-yet-changed teenage daughter.

Playing bodyguard to crusading reporter David Hastings would totally ruin Leon’s peace, especially since Hastings has hired killers on his trail, pros who know how he takes his espresso in the morning, and where Leon lives.

The payoff, though, would fill up Shauna’s empty college fund, and in a battle between opportunity and ordinary, money wins. He just has to keep Hastings alive long enough to cash the check.

If only he didn’t have to save his daughter, too.

As a budding wolf, she’s piqued the interest of a local pack Alpha—one Leon knows will steal Shauna right out from under him the first chance he gets.

Leon isn’t about to give up on his daughter or Hastings, and will fight for both longer than it took Demos City to see werewolves as equals to humans.

He can only hope it doesn’t take a thousand years.


About the Author


Jonathan Lister is a full-time writer with work appearing in outlets of USA Today, The Houston Chronicle and many others. A graduate of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, he’s waited an unspeakable amount of tables en route to having the career he wants, and the ability to the tell stories he loves. Crossroads is Jonathan’s first book-length work of fiction. He currently lives in the Philadelphia area and continues to drink too much coffee.



You can keep up with Jonathan on his Website, Facebook, and Goodreads!