Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 13
June 23, 2025
Blog Tour: FATHER OF ONE by Jani Anttola
FATHER OF ONE
Jani Anttola
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GENRE: war novel/literary fiction
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BLURB:
Maka,a young Bosnian soldier, has survived three years under siege. When the enemyforces launch their final attack on his hometown, he must escape to the hills.But traversing the vast woods is a task against all odds: to stay alive, and tofind his infant son and his wife, he is soon forced to make a desperate move.
Setagainst the harrowing background of raging guerrilla warfare and the genocidein Srebrenica, Father of One is, at heart, a story of deep humanity, compassionand love. It is the account of one man’s desire to reunite his family,separated by war, and of bonds unbroken by trauma, sustained by loyalty andtenacity. Writing in a voice that rings with clarity and authenticity, JaniAnttola lays open a dark moment in Europe’s recent history.
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Excerpt:
The old man they called Dedo died in September after atwo-day storm. The wind blew from the south, bringing sea clouds, grey andragged like used steel wool, that poured down on the valley and the gusts droverain against the window planks, making them wet and dripping, with poolingwater on the floor of the cell. Outside the camp the trees bent in the heavywind and the hayfields were flat in the rain. It was a summer storm but itwasn’t warm: the police stayed holed up in their house and grey smoke puffedfrom the stovepipe and was ripped away flatly in the wind. The cops had reducedtheir perimeter to a few that huddled in the far corners. In their olive-greenponchos the guards looked like some strange, dark-glistening mushrooms behindthe rain. Then, after the storm broke, the drizzle continued for a day and thehills were deep green and misty, and the rusty old silos of the batchingfactory stood out brightly in their crumbling yellow paint. There were pools ofwater on the paths between the barracks and tree branches blown across the yardand everything was washed out, fresh and silent.
That afternoon they were corralled into the third barrack.The hundreds of inmates stood waiting, packed in the hall now, happilysurprised by the announcement of an additional tea portion. The previous policecrew had repurposed the building as a prison canteen. On the low counter theinmates had built, a gas stove was alight. On its grate sat a fifty-litre,boiling aluminium kettle. Maka stood behind the cauldron with another inmate, aladle in hand, feeling the heat from the little blue flames that flickeredunderneath.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
JaniAnttola is a Finnish novelist and a medical doctor. In the 1990s he served inRwanda with the French military and fought in Bosnia as a soldier of theBosnian army. His works have been published in the UK and Finland. He has spentmost of his adult life abroad, working in Africa, the Middle East and theAsia-Pacific.
Authorwebsite: https://www.jani-anttola.com/
Buylinks
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Father-One-Jani-Anttola/dp/1915603986
https://www.amazon.com/Father-of-One/dp/1915603986
https://bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/historical/father-of-one/
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GIVEAWAY
JaniAnttola will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 21, 2025
Review: THROUGH THE WALL: MAILBOX MIX-UP PT 1 by Taylor Tait
It all began with moans throughthe wall, which resulted in a self-pleasure session for happily-married Ashley.Then the mailbox mix-up led to a gorgeous, dark specimen. Then he gives her themost amazing night of her life. The drama and guilt of her affair were moreenticing than the actual sex, but I was still curious to see how this ended. Anokay read.
Rating:3 stars
Review: THE RUNAWAY by R.L. Stine
Newcomer Felicia had an evil giftof moving things with her mind. She’s killed before, which was why she had torun away. Now, she’s found herself in Shadyside, where she housesits for ahouse on Fear Street, and she adjusts to a normal life in high school. But whathappens when someone finds out who Felicial really was and what she did? Canshe learn to control her powers enough to not hurt someone again? And there wasanother mystery concerning Felicia’s new friend, Zan. If Zan decides to goafter Felicia, then she better watch out, right? I love the Carrie-style elementhere! What a fierce battle in the end! A good read!
Rating:5 stars
Review: MONA’S STORY by Natalie Hothorne
A seductive entrepreneur thatstill turned heads at 50. Her adult store was soaring in popularity. She had asuccessful career and a good marriage. So why did she get wicked ideas whenlooking at the delivery boy?
This sounded like it hadpotential, but the read was just taking too long. Does Mona screw around atall? Geez, this was disappointing!
Rating:2 stars
Review: THROUGH THE WALL: NEW BEGINNINGS PT 3 by Taylor Tait
As Ashley grapples with the guiltof her exposed affair, she also learns how exciting this made her husband. Willthis lead to a new arrangement between a husband and wife? A new beginning? Thebest part about this was the sex video in the end. A fair read.
Rating:3 stars
Review: THROUGH THE WALL: LATE NIGHT PT 2 by Taylor Tait
Ashley’s husband finds out abouther cheating by hearing her and her lover through the wall. This was shocking.But mostly it was shocking how turned on he got, which led to a bout oflovemaking he didn’t know he could give. Read was okay, and I’m interested tosee how this story ends.
Rating:3 stars
June 20, 2025
Blog Tour: BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD by Sophie Jupillat Posey
BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
Sophie Jupillat Posey
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GENRE: Young adult paranormal mystery
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BLURB:
Thedead won’t leave her alone. For Cavilla, it's one case after another…
CavillaRamirez is an average Peruvian teen, tethered to the 1990s rhythm of clarinetrehearsals, dog-eared Agatha Christie novels, and low-stakes schoolyardmysteries. But when a hit-and-run claims her two best friends, her worldimplodes—and then restructures itself in a seemingly impossible and unnervingway. Her friends aren't gone. Their ghosts linger, needing her help in solvingtheir murder so that they can cross over. And it's not just them. Ghosts areeverywhere, and somehow, she's the only one who can see them.
Witha protector in the form of a god-turned-cat, Cavilla becomes a reluctant guidebetween Peru's realms of the living and the dead. Solving murders and helpingthe dead find closure becomes her new normal. But every answer she uncoverstugs loose something else: long-buried secrets about her own heritage, secretsher aunt Tia Luz would rather keep six feet under.
Andas Cavilla finds out, not all ghosts need guidance. One presence stands apart,watching her… waiting.
Andhe isn't asking for help. He wants her – or something she has.
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ExcerptTwo:
“I haven’t always been able to talk,” Rumba said in thatqueer double-edged voice. It almost sounded like Tuvan throat singing. “Butafter passing through, I met somebody. We joined as one and we travel betweenrealms.”
“Who did you merge with?” Niko asked, bounding from the bedand sitting next to me.
Rumba tottered for a bit as she went to him. Then, when shespoke, a deep voice resonated. “I am Ai-Apaec.”
When I stared at him dumbly, he resumed loftily. “Mochicangod, creator of life, protector of the Moche.”
“Why are you merged with my cat?” I asked dumbly.
“I am evolved from one of the ancient cat gods. It is anhonor to serve you.”
I raised my eyebrows. “If you’re a god, shouldn’t I beserving you?”
Niko and Angelica made shushing gestures as if I couldn’tsee them. They stared back sheepishly.
“I am a guide and guardian,” Ai-Apaec said smoothly,modulating into Rumba’s more dulcet tones.
“You mentioned realms. What realms?” I asked.
The deadened light flickered and whisked as a gale into myaccursed bathroom hallway. The always ambient darkness pulsed and hummed. Ishied away, ready to abandon everything.
Irrationality flared through me. My friends and this godwere out to kill me! The ghosts or monsters were going to get me! The hummingintensified until it reverberated in my bones, making my entrails and teethchatter. A whiff of salt, like ocean brine, reached me. The darkness fritteredaway, bit by bit, until a copper-tinged tunnel revealed itself to us, gleamingwickedly.
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Review:
Cavilla was a Peruvian teen thatcould see ghosts. In her spare time, she helps ghost with their problems likefinding their missing items. This prompted her to consider being a PI as acareer, but her aunt didn’t thing it was a real job.Somehow and in some way that Ididn’t really understand, Cavilla ends up in the realm between the living andthe dead. The realms were the most confusing part in all this. It was like thecharacter was prancing around in a hazy dream or something. I thought thisstarted off pretty interesting, but then this in-between land just muddledthings up a bit, making it harder for me to follow along. And the weird Latinphrases didn’t help either.
Story seems to pick up whenCavilla looks into the hit-and-run that killed her best friends. Ultimately,this reads like a research and how-to book for a ghost whisperer. It doesn’tquite dive into any mystery. In fact, it tries to dig into a couple of mysterieswithout digging too deep into any one. This wasn’t quite what I had in mind.
Overall, this was a fairly niceread and it’s a worth a shot for paranormal lovers.
Rating:3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
SophieJupillat Posey has an enriched passion for writing and music that allows her tocaptivate audiences with her unique style in poetry, novellas and novels. Asshe lives her life around the beauty and art and the inspiration from others,Sophie manages to create worlds that her readers will find themselves immersedin. With her passion for the arts, she has also studied music and writing atRollins College, which can be found as guiding pieces in her works. She is theauthor of several pieces, including the YA fantasy “The Four Suitors”, theshort story sci-fi collection “The Inside Out Worlds: Visions of Strange,”several bilingual children’s books and a poetry chapbook. Having lived in theUS for many years, Sophie now calls France her home, bringing more of herpassion for the arts in her books.
Bookbuy links:
https://www.amazon.com/Between-Living-Sophie-Jupillat-Posey-ebook/dp/B0DRYZJFK9
https://books.google.fr/books/about/Between_the_Living_and_the_Dead.html?id=S7gI0QEACAAJ&redir_esc=y
https://scifier.com/between-the-living-and-the-dead-sophie-j-posey-9798992234909/
https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?params=mwoqDSYuK1GHunvFYAEoQxYPq18c9osaaFPXBZFzRri
Website:www.sophiejposey.com
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/spjposey/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@spjposey
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Sophie-Jupillat-Posey-Writer-100063449271165/
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GIVEAWAY
SophieJupillat Posey will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawnwinner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 19, 2025
Spotlight: THE JOKER'S REVENGE by Nancy Beaule
Genre: Mystery
The Joker’s Revenge tests the resolve of seventeen-year-old Darci Miller in this Young Adult Mystery/Romance set at a Maine summer camp in 1972. Darci strives to be an ideal daughter to her widowed father but finds his over-protective ways unbearable. There is a dark family secret involving her late mother that she is determined to uncover. When an opportunity comes up to work as a secretary at the same summer camp where her mother worked back in the fifties, Darci jumps at the chance. She quickly discovers there is more going on at the camp than just marshmallow roasts.
A malicious prankster playing evil pranks wants something, and innocent children are getting hurt. The head chef has invented a groundbreaking machine that removes fat and calories from food, and someone is trying to steal the valuable machine, intent on getting rich and settling a score for past wrongdoings. As Darci investigates, she unearths shocking truths about her mother’s past and gets entangled in the unfolding turmoil. She is also falling for her charismatic boss, sparking conflict with the owners’ spoiled daughter.Author Bio: Nancy Beaule, the author of young adult mysteries, first captured hearts with her award-winning picture book series, "Chompy & the Munchy Bunch," which features a carrot with superpowered eyesight. Now, she presents a captivating blend of mystery and romance in her debut YA novel, "The Joker’s Revenge," inspired by her teenage years in Maine.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Nancy was an entrepreneur known for creating the Pie Saver. Her creative journey was enriched by her travels as she marketed her businesses. Today, she draws inspiration from nature and enjoys adventures with her three grandchildren near her picturesque pond in Maine, which continually fuels her compelling stories.
Purchase links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0F1W7RJZZ/
Social Media links:
Website: https://nancybeaule.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17380719.Nancy_Beaule
June 18, 2025
Blog Tour: MY BULLY, MY AUNT, AND HER FINAL GIFT by Harold Phifer
MY BULLY, MY AUNT, AND HER FINAL GIFT
Harold Phifer
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
AuntKathy made his childhood miserable—now her funeral might just set him free.
Inthis wickedly funny and deeply honest memoir, Harold Phifer revisits the chaosof growing up under the thumb of a domineering aunt who ruled with twistedwisdom and unpredictable wrath. As he plans her awkward memorial, Hal findshealing in the most unexpected place: her absence. My Bully, My Aunt, and HerFinal Gift is a heartfelt journey through trauma, truth, and the strange giftswe inherit from those who hurt us most.
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ExcerptThree:
Very few parishioners had vehicles, so she was an easychoice. However, accepting a ride from Aunt Kathy came at a heavy price.Passengers had to endure constant verbal assaults while present in her car.Even Jerry got involved in those character assassinations.
On one occasion, with both Jerry and me crammed in the backseat of Aunt Kathy’s Crown Victoria, along with a big basket of food, which wewere forbidden to touch, Aunt Kathy set out to pick up Deacon Hunter.
As soon as the old man settled in, Jerry wasted no timerepeating what he had gathered from Aunt Kathy prior to the lift. “You need toget your own car!”
Of course, Aunt Kathy tried to laugh it off and thenreplied, “Kids say the darndest things. I don’t know where my baby boy gotthat.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
HaroldPhifer was born in the rebellious South of Columbus, Mississippi. As a kid, heworked the streets, hustled the neighbors, and bused tables at bars he didn’tbelong in. After graduating from Caldwell High School, he went on to earndegrees from Mississippi State and Jackson State Universities. He became an AirTraffic Controller in Memphis, Tennessee, but after 23 years, he sought purposeelsewhere—working as an international contractor alongside soldiers in Iraq andAfghanistan. After narrowly escaping the Taliban takeover in 2021, he tookrefuge at Guantanamo Bay and resumed his writing while continuing his work as acontroller. In 2024, he returned to the Middle East, where he continues towrite about life, love, and the human spirit.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/harold-phifer-093b4091/
https://www.facebook.com/HaroldPhifer2024
https://www.instagram.com/haroldphifer2024/
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GIVEAWAY
HaroldPhifer will be awarding a $15 Starbucks gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 17, 2025
Blog Tour: LUCKY SECRETS by B.T. Polcari
LUCKY SECRETS
B.T. Polcari
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GENRE: Young Adult Cozy Mystery
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BLURB:
Collegestudent Sara Donovan is in the homestretch of graduating when a mysteriouspackage arrives with an invitation to an exclusive contest. One that willdrastically change the winner’s life. Included are unsettling photographs fromforgettable chapters in her life and a threatening note strongly suggesting sheparticipate.
Withno good options, Sara enters the contest and finds herself at a fabulousmansion up against eight formidable opponents, each with a dark secret and allracing to solve seven levels of riddles and puzzles.
Aftera contestant’s body is discovered, Sara contemplates dropping out when anotherpackage arrives, its chilling contents making clear she’s at the center of adangerous game with deadly consequences if she quits. But what it doesn’t sayis—what happens if she wins?
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ExcerptThree:
Karsh Azarian’s pretentious voice came from the end of thetable. “It would appear I am now the only courageous one going it alone.” Heheld a glass of red wine aloft in our direction, a smug grin splashed acrosshis stupid goateed face. “As it should be, I suppose. Fair play and what not.”
Across from me and next to Olivia Fantucci, ScooterJablonsky’s attention bounced between Karsh, Jimmy, and I. Then he pointed withhis half-full drink glass toward Frederick Volkov and Rod Toft, who were seatedon our side of the table to Azarian’s right. “Hey, Freddie boy, y’all beenquiet tonight. Whatsa matter, your contest off like a herd of turtles?”
Volkov fixed his hound-dog eyes on Scooter. “Quite thecontrary, Burl. Tell me, have you and Spencer made it out of your rooms yet, orare you still wrasslin’ with that devilish first clue?” Volkov finished with anamused laugh and clinked glasses with Toft. “Cheers, my friend.”
Scooter was about to blow when Spencer Fernsby insertedhimself in the conversation. “Frederick, throughout my career, I have seen yourkind come and go. Usually to prison for insider trading and fraud, I mightadd.” He raised a water glass to his lips. “My goodness, it would be quitedifficult to win the contest from a jail cell, don’t you think?”
Volkov jumped to his feet. Even from my vantage point, Icould see the blue vein throbbing in his forehead. “Are you threatening me,Fernsby?”
Fernsby smiled warmly, a contrast to his suddenly stone-coldblue-gray eyes. “That certainly wasn’t my intention. My respectful apologies.”
Jimmy whispered in my ear, “The plot thickens.”
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Topic: Please describe a compelling scene in this story andwhy it’s pivotal.
“Sara, her wild card best friend, Zoe, and her adorabledachshund, Mauzzy, find themselves entangled in a high-stakes contest ofwits alongside an array of distinctively portrayed contestants. Each characterbrings their own quirks and challenges to the table, keeping the competition asunpredictable as it is intense.” -CarolW, AuthorsReading
To give you a taste of the mystery and intrigue that is LuckySecrets, I’d like to share with you one of many compelling scenes in thestory as the plot unfolds, refolds, and unfolds yet again. So as not to riskany chance of a spoiler, I think the best scene to describe begins in ChapterFour, called “El Sueño,” and continues through all of Chapter Five, called “TheMeeting.”
Lucky Secrets is set outside Birmingham, Alabama, ina fabulous and sprawling mansion called El Sueño. The story opens with theprotagonist, college student and amateur sleuth Sara Donovan, receiving amysterious package from a law firm with two sealed envelopes and a jewelry boxholding a cut diamond worth fifty-thousand dollars.
The first envelope contains an invitation to an exclusivecontest that will drastically change the winner’s life for the better, with anorientation meeting being held in two days, leaving Sara little time to decide.
The second envelope contains “interesting” photos of Saraover the past two years plus two doctored photos with chilling implications.Included with the photos is an unsigned note strongly recommending sheparticipate in the contest, the message being clear: participate or suffer theconsequences.
The scene at El Sueño starts in Chapter Four when Sara andher best friend, Zoe Harp, arrive at what they call a “ritzy castle.” Thisearly part of the scene sets an atmosphere of extreme wealth and opulence withdetailed descriptions of the estate’s grounds, grand foyer, and music room,along with the butler who greets them at the door, the fussy Percy Pembarton.However, it also portends there is more than what meets the eye when an armedrefrigerator-of-a-man frisks Sara and Zoe and takes their phones before theycan enter the music room where the meeting will take place.
Chapter Five is a continuation of the scene and is pivotalbecause it introduces the reader to the contest’s lawyer, Creighton Winston,and the eight other contestants and their backgrounds; lays out the eightspecific ironclad rules of the contest, including it being an “all-or-nothingcontest” with only one winner; states the mind-boggling amount of money up forgrabs—a minimum of $500M; and provides some early interplay between the belowgroup of eclectic attendees.
Karsh Azarian,financial asset manager and billion-dollar hedge fund manager
Jessica Doerr,mortgage lender specializing in refinancing services for seniors
Sara Donovan,University of Alabama business major and recognized amateur sleuth
Jimmy Dougal,real estate agent specializing in high-end luxury properties
Olivia Fantucci, attorney specializing in largeclass-action and personal injury lawsuits
Spencer Fernsby, founder/CEO of the telecom giant,CLATEL Communications
Burl “Scooter” Jablonsky, owner of five car dealerships including twoluxury franchises
Rodney “Rod” Toft, cryptocurrency exchange investor andtechnology venture capitalist
FrederickVolkov, highlysuccessful financier, stock trader, and arbitrageur
Prior to introducing each of the contestants, CreightonWinston advises the group he has no knowledge of what is in each of theirsecond envelopes, only that the contest’s founder felt some of the people inthe room might have needed a little push to participate. As Winston puts it,every person was personally selected because each had a secret that needed toremain a secret. Especially from law enforcement. He ends with, “Since thewinner of the contest will become fabulously wealthy, it would seem, .”
By the end of the chapter, it is clear Sara is up againstpeople with unsavory yet mysterious backgrounds, even if not readily apparentfrom their appearances, who, like Sara, have been blackmailed to participate.
The question hanging in the air: Why?
Thank you so much to Sandra’s Book Club and Goddess FishPromotions for letting me share my book and thoughts with you all!
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
B.T.Polcari is a graduate of Rutgers College of Rutgers University, anaward-winning mystery author, and a proud father of two wonderful children.He’s a champion of rescue pups (Mauzzy is a rescue), craves watching footballand basketball, and, of course, loves reading mysteries. Among his favoriteauthors are Richard Osman, D.P. Lyle, Frederick Forsyth, and Michael Connelly.He is also an unapologetic fantasy football addict. He lives with his wife inscenic Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Website:http://www.btpolcari.com/
FacebookPage: https://www.facebook.com/btpolcari
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/btpolcari/
X(Twitter): https://x.com/btpolcari
GoodreadsProfile: https://www.goodreads.com/btpolcari
SignedCopies: www.btpolcari.com
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Secrets-Mauzzy-Me-Mystery/dp/1509261427/ref=sr_1_1
AppleBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/lucky-secrets/id6744645288
Barnes& Noble:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lucky-secrets-b-t-polcari/1147214891
Bookshop.org:https://bookshop.org/p/books/lucky-secrets/41569b963e658847
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GIVEAWAY
B.T.Polcari will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
