Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 18
August 9, 2025
Review: PARKER GIRLS #2 by Terry Moore
The naked guy’s been robbed andruns all over the hotel telling everybody about it. But there was no sign ofthis girl and now he’s been kidnapped. Whoa, the Parker Girls are tough,smack-talking chicks!
Even though they’re not in color,the sketchy drawings are still nice. Good storyline and action scenes, but Ijust wish they wouldn’t end so quickly. A good short read!
Rating:4 stars
Review: SEX Book 1 by Joe Casey
Couldn’t read the text very welland couldn’t get the story from the pictures, which were reminiscent of someold-style comic book. If you ask me, there was way too much text to read. Tooconfusing. But there were some nice action scenes and the sex was lustful.
There’s sex and violence—bothgraphic. Of course, I minded more the violence being too graphic rather thanthe sex. Didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I couldn’t get thestory. What was with the sex club and who was the scary Freddy Krugger guy?What a waste!
Rating:2 stars
Review: SEX Book 2 by Joe Casey
I guess we have superheroes savingthe city and having sex. There were some cool action scenes, but, again, I’mjust going by the pictures in all this as there was too much text at such asmall size. Wish some scenes weren’t so bloody. An okay read
Rating:3 stars
Review: SEX Book 3 by Joe Casey
The dude getting into a karatestance totally buck naked. Now there was a picture! I think we have Batgirl inhere, too. Loved the fight moves. A decent read just based on the pictures.
Rating:3 stars
August 8, 2025
Blog Tour: BLOOD IN THE SHADOWS by Hawk MacKinney
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
When marine buddy, Gulfport, Mississippi Sheriff asks Craige Ingram for help, Ingram and Buckingham Parish patrolman ‘Badger’ Thomas Boback find themselves in the summertime dogdays of the humid Gulf Coast. With crowded beaches and an undermanned staff, a routine investigation soon becomes anything but routine when indescribable body parts start showing up along the surf, in beachfront cabins, half-buried in bayou wetlands, stashed under freeway bridges, and across county lines. Craige’s search for answers to identifying victims and killer among the crowds of tourists and skin-and-sun partygoers soon makes it obvious the victims have no connection with one another—until conflicting DNA results and haunting premonitions resembling the warnings Craige’s grannie often had become part of the investigation. The jigsaw of abandoned cross-kin offspring begin a horrifying Gordian Knot tangle that threatens anyone who approaches the shadowy ancient wreck of an old mansion - an asylum from a lost time.
Read an Excerpt
During the long haint-ridden nights the craving had become scalding, nearly uncontrollable. The green-yellow eyes withdrew into darker corners of windowless rooms, as flickers of Cajun Grandmère Nana’s weathered face swirled in the mist. Everybody around knew ageless Kreyòl Cajun Grandmère Nana. Some of them truly were believers. They knew what they had seen with their own eyes, and no one was going to convince them otherwise. They’d call to her by her dead half-sister’s spook-name, Momby Bocor. In the shadows of full-moon nights, they’d mumble in a breathless cadence, “Momby Bocor. Momby Bocor. Momby Bocor,” that became more chant than phantom witch-worker. Nana’s soft Acadia dialect in her New Orleans patois gave a pleasing lilt to the dapples of moonlight, her outline sauntering the back yard beneath the sprawling sheen of the swamp magnolia’s thick leaves. Not a hair was out of place in the golden red crown circled atop her head. Her frayed sweet gum twig swizzled back and forth in toothless twitches. Time-wrinkled eyes looked, mesmerized, toward the full silvery orb. She could almost see ancient Luna rising out of the gentle watery laps of the Gulf, reflected in the ripples and washing the sandy beaches. Nana often warned her gran’chil’ Ramona about the waxing madness that came from the blinding dazzle of the full moon. Lots of folks shrugged her off as a tiddly old crone passing her unnumbered days and nights inside her own world. Yet Nana’s houseplants never got frost burned, and her early flower beds and vegetable gardens were never planted before the last freeze. Ramona didn’t shrug off her Gran’mere Nana who was sharpened by the clean brisk air spilling among the haints and steamy haunts of bayous that would stay warm until spring. Then would come the days of warm Gulf air piling into big dark thunderheads, and the offshore waters would froth into elegant capped grey plumes. He could hardly wait. Sharp mangled grubby teeth chewed the lower lip pulling it raw. Blood oozed. The wet tongue did a quick taste, fed the perpetual lust. The craving hunger was always there. With the cloudy moon it would make for a cozy night to roam so long as Richard didn’t find out. It would make for good hunting.
About the Author:
Hawk MacKinney has authored several award-winning works of fiction that include THE MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY SERIES and THE CAIRNS OF SAINCTUARIE SCIENCE FICTION SERIES. His historical romance MOCCASIN TRACE was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award.
Cross-genre character-driven plots reflect Hawk MacKinney’s southwest upbringing along the Texas and Oklahoma borders. With postgraduate faculty positions in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem.
Website: http://www.hawkmackinneyauthor.com
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Shadows-Hawk-MacKinney/dp/B0FG47PDSV/ref=sr_1_1
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August 6, 2025
Blog Tour: THE PATH OF REDEMPTION by Tom Haward
THE PATH OF REDEMPTION
Tom Haward
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GENRE: Alternate History
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BLURB:
WithGrand Protector Faust missing and Caesar dead, Senator Frigus is trying to holdthe fraying threads of the Empire together by keeping this information secret.The Empire is already fragile, and if the truth spills onto the streets of Romeand beyond, the Empire could crumble.
Faustis prisoner of the giant Bjorn Askå and his cellmate is the rebel leader,Boatman King. Abducted by Askå, they’re now part of his grand plan to rule theentire world, with the Empire his next target. Can Faust and Boatman forge analliance or are their own ambitions stronger than any desire for a truce?
Acontinent away, Bella, Maverick and the other rebels have escaped to the RIAwhere they lick their wounds from the disaster of Faust and Askå’s attack ontheir underground headquarters. They believe they have covered their tracks andhope the 35, leaders of the RIA, will equip them to take the fight to Romeagain, this time with the advantage of surprise.
OliviaKing, though, she is tired of the fight. Traumatised from being tortured at thehands of Maximus Nero and conflicted about her husband’s relentless desire tocrush Rome, she is unsure whether she has the energy to keep fighting those whohave caused her so much pain.
Withthe world and its people in turmoil, one thing is for certain: chaos remains ina world needing redemption.
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ExcerptTwo:
Maverick was told that the fight was a global spectacle, soto ensure it stayed that way and to go easy on Francesco, to prolong the fightand therefore the coverage, Maverick was also reminded that the man he wasfighting was an amateur and under no circumstances was he to kill him. Maverickthought about how he had been dragged from his family home to become agladiator, tortured by one of the most deprived men in existence in thehellscape of Aestii and then paraded around the world like an object. He decidedthe powers that be could go fuck themselves and he would fight as he wanted to.For poor Francesco, that was a mixed outcome. The negative was that withinthirty seconds of trying to show off his newly acquired sword skills he wasskewered with Maverick’s, but the positive was that he died so quickly hedidn’t feel any disappointment in his debut gladiator performance.
Marcus had watched in horror as his dad was butchered, andhe nurtured that horror for years and years so that it became pure hatred forthe man that murdered his father.
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What are some of your best writing practices?
Being a writer is all aboutdiscipline. Discipline that you will even put one word on paper and disciplinethat you will keep writing even when you doubt your ability to the point youwant to throw your laptop out of the window.
I would think discipline ofsticking to the task has been my best writing practice in the past four years.When Cinnabar Moth signed me to write a trilogy, I asked my wife if I was madto do it. It has always been my dream to write stories for the world to readand when Cinnabar showed their faith in me and offered to help me take mystories to the world, I couldn’t refuse. I signed a contract committing towrite three books in three years. After doing so I asked my wife if that waspossible and if I was stretching myself too thin. I’m a business owner and runa small business with twenty staff. It’s busy and I have a lot ofresponsibilities, but the dream of being a published author has been with mesince I was a child, so I was honoured and keen, but then worried I had agreedto something beyond my capabilities. My wife reassured me I had the skills todo it, but I needed to be disciplined.
And that’s the thing. My bestwriting practices over the past few years has been discipline anddetermination.
At the end of a work day when I amtired and I still have work to do for the business, my greatest achievement hasbeen having the discipline to keep writing through an evening. I have placedwhere I write best and I would take myself off to them to ensure I was in mymost creative space. And that helped me, even when I had major things tocontend with for work, to focus solely on the books I have been crafting allthis time. That’s what keeps writers sharp and keeps them producing goodquality stories: discipline.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Tomwas born in Essex and at 4 months old he and his identical twin were adoptedinto an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight ofHaward oyster farmers. He has a fiancée,baby daughter and a cockapoo.
Tomhas an MA in Creative Writing and has loved telling stories since he was achild, whether verbally or through prose.
ThePath of Chaos was his debut novel. He is also working on a six episode comedyscreenplay and tweets passionately about his family’s industry and thechallenges it faces.
Website:https://tomhaward.co.uk/
Twitter:https://x.com/HawardTom
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tomhawardauthor
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/hawardtom
https://www.amazon.com/Path-Redemption-Tom-Haward/dp/1962308375/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY
TomHayward will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 5, 2025
Blog Tour: WILL THERE BE WINE AND LOVE? by Whitney Cubbison
If you love European settings,wine, romance, female friendships, laughter, heartbreak, redemption, and a bitof spice, these are the books for you!
Will There Be Wine?
by Whitney Cubbison
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Austen Keller was living her dream. She landed a career-defining jobwhich moved her and her husband to Paris. Swoon! Shortly thereafter, she wasdivorced. Thud. This wasn’t the plan. Yet there she was—pushing 40 and startingover.
A decade after she’d last beensingle, Austen enters the dating scene playing by a new set of rules in adifferent language, culture, and lingerie standards. She experiences every typeof miserable first date imaginable and lives to tell the tales of Pierre theMansplainer, Simon the Snoozer, Emile the Over-Sharer, Guillaume of the GymShorts, and many more. On most dates, she struggles to get past one glass ofBordeaux without wanting to bolt. Even worse, no one chases after her when sheruns. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that whoever said French men wereromantic deserves a swift kick in the pants.
A rewarding and high-poweredcareer. Check!
Fabulous female friendships. Nailed it!
True love. Umm?
Austen continues to ask herself:Is “having it all” too much to ask?
A genuine and tragically hilariousnovel about an ex-pat woman's journey of self-discovery through a string ofdisastrous dates, relationships forged in a deep cultural divide, worldtravels, and wine. A lot of wine.
Will There Be Love?
by Whitney Cubbison
Genre: Romantic Drama
Apropulsive exploration of romantic and platonic love, commitment, sharedhistory, betrayal and personal reckoning.
Tocelebrate her fortieth birthday, Ophelia and her husband Gianluca gather anunlikely group of eight friends and lovers – some old, some new, some false,some true – for a long weekend in Ibiza. However, the idyllic villa setting maybe the only thing holding together a complicated tangle of friendship, love,and betrayal.
Among the guests is Ophelia’s old university flame, Matt, and his newgirlfriend, Austen. While Matt finds himself falling in love, Austen is holdingback, carefully protecting her heart.
Ophelia knows she loves her husband, but “love” is a word she never learned tosay, a silence rooted in a childhood tragedy. What she doesn’t know is thatGianluca has been whispering it to someone else. And when his mistress crashesthe party along with her own boyfriend, she brings a revelation that couldunravel everything.
Across Rome, Paris and Ibiza, the party guests navigate the tangled paths thatbring people together and push them apart, exploring where love begins, whereit falters, and the courage it takes to hold on—or to let go.
Will There Be Love? is the sequel toWhitney Cubbison’s debut novel, Will There BeWine?, however it can be read as a stand-alone.
Review: “In Paris, love was oxygen, andAusten was gasping for breath.”
Officially divorced from herfailed marriage, Austen was ready to start her new single life in the City ofLove. (sigh) Oh great.
Soon, she becomes involved with acharming Frenchman.
The narrative was nice and easy.Although it was quirky, it wasn’t as humorous as I thought it would be. Theoverall read, at times, felt a little too long and slow. I wished this would’vemoved a lot quicker. Basically, this was about a woman finding her groove againin Paris. It was a lot milder than I thought it would be, but it was fairlynice.
Rating:3 stars
Whitney Cubbison is a dualAmerican & French citizen living in Paris since 2009. She grew up in Texasand California and graduated from UCLA with a degree in French. She started hercareer in Communications working for high-tech PR agencies in San Francisco andeventually joined Microsoft where she worked for sixteen years, thirteen ofwhich from the Paris office. During that time, she held various internationalroles that encompassed public relations, employee communications, executivespeechwriting, and social media.
She earned her French citizenshipin early 2022 and left Microsoft that summer to focus on completing her firstnovel, Will There Be Wine?, which came out in January 2023. The story, whilefiction, was deeply inspired by Whitney’s own experiences as an ex-pat divorcéeliving in Paris and trying to navigate the cultural minefield of dating in aforeign country. A sequel called Will There Be Love? will be out on April 29,2025.
When she’s not writing, Whitneycan be found sitting in Parisian cafés and restaurants with her friends,drinking wine.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon* Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special contentand a $25 giveaway!
August 4, 2025
Blog Tour: CHRISTMAS WATCH by Petie McCarty
CHRISTMAS WATCH
Petie McCarty
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
TheWatchers Series
Fallenangels seeking parole for their betrayal . . .
Someoneis watching Rachel . . . but who? And why?
Childpsychologist Rachel Kelly has her Christmas stocking full of troubles thisholiday season, both personal and professional. Recently separated from herboyfriend, Rachel still loves him but has no idea how to win him back. Ifthat’s not enough to cause her sleepless nights, she’s uncertain how to handleher newest therapy client—a six-year-old boy who claims he talks to Watchers.And a Watcher is coming to help Rachel.
Lt.Jake Dillon has his heart broken when his fiancée Rachel, without warning,suddenly calls it quits. Yet when a stalker crashes Rachel's Christmas partyand takes her young clients hostage, Jake is the first person Rachel calls. Nowhe has a choice to make—stand back and wait for the cavalry to save her, orstep in and try to save her himself. Time is running out, and Jake may be theironly chance for rescue.
UnlessRachel's young Watcher spy is telling the truth . . .
Thisromantic suspense tale with paranormal elements is Book 2 in The Watchersseries . . . A captivating tale of small-town Christmas romance that will leaveyou looking over your shoulder and wondering, Is someone watching me?
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ExcerptThree:
“Since this isn’t our Publix, I’m assuming you stopped onyour way home from work,” Jake said when Rachel reached his side.
Our Publix? Did he even realize he’d said that?
“You’re right,” she replied. “So why are you here?”
“My apartment’s just around the corner.”
Ouch.
That simple statement shouldn’t hurt—she knew he had anapartment near here—but it still did. She nodded.
“I’ll help you out.” He gently nudged her hands off the carthandle and took over, setting his own bag on top of her stack.
Rachel paced alongside the grocery cart as they movedthrough the electronic door and felt a moment of joy that her parking spot layat the far end of the lot. She would have a few extra moments to be with him.How pitiful was that? She eased a step closer, anxious to inhale his uniquescent of soap, aftershave, and pure Jake.
He glanced over and caught her staring. Heat rushed to hercheeks, and she hoped he didn’t notice the flush.
“Jake, look out!” She grabbed the cart to stop it just shortof a car backing out.
He gave her his sexy, crooked Jake smile. “Guess I shouldkeep my eyes on the road.”
Her heart ka-thumped inside her chest. “At least until weget to the car.”
His smile went to an all-out grin.
Had she just flirted with him? Had it been that easy to getpast her trauma for a few brief minutes?
Far sooner than she would have liked, he stopped the grocerycart next to her Honda and helped stow her bags in the trunk, leaving his solebag in the cart.
“Thanks for helping me,” Rachel told him.
“I’m glad you decided to stop at this Publix tonight.”
“You are?”
“Yeah. I’m glad I got to see you.” Jake grazed a knucklegently across her cheek leaving a streak of tingly nerve endings in its wake.
“But I thought you wanted . . . I mean, I haven’t heard fromyou . . .” She cleared her throat. “. . . in a long time. I thought youmight’ve . . .”
Why couldn’t she finish a sentence tonight? Bad enough shefelt pathetic, now she sounded pathetic.
“You thought I might’ve what?”
She swallowed hard. “Might’ve found someone else by now.”
He studied her for a long moment. “After all we meant toeach other, you thought I’d go right out and grab a new girlfriend, just likethat?” His mouth tightened to a thin line.
She hadn’t meant to rile him. The last thing she wanted todo was fight with him. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed two fingersgently across his lips, wanting that sensuous mouth to smile at her again.
She startled him, and he jerked at her touch. She whiskedher fingers away. “Sorry. I don’t want you to be mad.”
His gaze trapped hers, his pupils expanding until little ofthe brilliant green remained. “There’s no new girlfriend, Rachel,” he saidgruffly.
“No?”
He slowly shook his head, his all-dark eyes tracking hers.He seemed closer than he’d been a minute earlier.
She exhaled hard. “Not yet anyway.”
He frowned.
Why had she said that?
“No, not yet,” he said flatly.
“I’m glad,” she said quickly.
Screw pride.
“Are you?”
He was definitely closer now. If she eased forward just afew inches, she could press her lips to his, feel that certain sizzle thatalways flared when their lips touched. But Jake had walked out on her. So, hismove. Still, she ached with the need to hold him, if only for a second.
“Yes. Very glad. I don’t want you to find someone else—”
His lips brushed hers into silence—sweeping gently across asthough seeking permission—the touch just light enough to make her lean in formore. He didn’t miss the movement and kissed her again, his lips settling onhers and nibbling at her lower lip.
The sensuous teasing had her knees growing weak, and shegrabbed the placket of his dress shirt to steady herself.
He didn’t miss that movement either, and he cradled hercheeks in his big palms to deepen the kiss.
Suddenly lightheaded with desire, she twisted her knucklesinto his shirt to pull him closer. She didn’t care if they were kissing infront of God and everybody. If Jake wanted to throw her down here in the middleof the Publix parking lot, she was ready. She could always shop at Winn-Dixie.
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Review: A middle school boy was beingabused at home. A school girl was trying to escape the creepy leers of herfuture stepfather. Can Dr. Rachel, a renowned clinical psychologist, help themwhile also reeling from her broken heart?
This book starts off introducingthe various characters. It takes a while to get to know them, but the readerdoes develop some form of connection with them. About a quarter of the waythrough, we meet the boy that can see Watchers—those that watch over peoplelike angels. The story seems to revolve more on the break-up between Rachel andher ex-fiancé, Jake. The read can feel rather long and slow. As you’re readingthis, you can’t help but wonder where and how these so-called Watchers areinvolved. Like I said, this can be a long story to get through. Thesecharacters basically wallow in their own problems and emotions. With all thecrying that they do, you don’t see too much progress in these characters, butyou still kind of root for them in some small way. I still didn’t get the angelangle. I guess, judging by all the religious references here, the story wasalluding to the divine possibility of there being something more “outthere”—something bigger that couldn’t be seen. Whatever the case, this was waylonger than it should’ve been. All in all, however, this was a fairly niceread.
Rating:3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt DisneyWorld—"The Most Magical Place onEarth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day andcreating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, TheCinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job towrite her stories full-time.
These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella seriestales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series,Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with hertwo previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.
Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee withher horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who madea cameo appearance in Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.
Visit Petie's web site online at http://www.petiemccarty.com orher Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty
BIO Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty
http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty
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GIVEAWAY
PetieMcCarty will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Spotlight: Evie Able, children's fantasy author
Have fun adventures with Evie Able’s multicultural children’sfantasy books!
The Bad Little Fairy
by Evie Able
Genre: Multicultural Children’s Fantasy
Jenny is a bad little fairy. She knows how to play and havefun. She's far too busy to learn the joy of being considerate. Thankfully,curiosity is the fairy of invention. With numerous full page colorillustrations and rhyming text, The Bad Little Fairy will engage pre-readers ofall cultures to imagine the magic of kindness.
Author’sSite * Amazon* B&N* ThriftBooks* Bookbub* Goodreads
The Bad Fairy Baker
by Evie Able
Genre: Multicultural Children’s Fantasy
Jenny wants to bake muffins. Baking isn’t easy, but patiencewins the day. Take a kitchen journey with the bad little fairy and bakegrain-free muffins with your kids with the recipe at the back!
Hiding Dragons
by Evie Able
Genre: Multicultural Children’s Fantasy
There is a boy, a curious boy, who just moved to the hood.If you watch close, and books aren't near, he will bemisunderstood.
Some friendships begin with discovering hidden treasures.Learn the magic of making new friends in Hiding Dragons.
Author’sSite * Amazon* ThriftBooks* Goodreads
A Story
by Evie Able
Genre: Multicultural Children’s Fantasy
**Winner of the 2025Golden Wizard Book Prize Award!**
Stories are for everyone. Follow this story through theAfrican rain forest and out to the Sahara as animals of all kinds discover thepower one story has. For 6 months and older.
Author’sSite * Amazon* B&N* ThriftBooks* Goodreads
Evie Able is the author of the Bad Little Fairy, HidingDragons and Phoenix Ashe books series and winner of the Kroger Award forExcellence in Creative Writing. Able Focuses on interweaving paranormalelements into multicultural children’s and young adult stories, creating uniqueworlds which re-conceptualize how we learn to be good people. She is a memberof the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the AuthorsGuild.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * YouTube * Bookbub * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special contentand a $30 giveaway!
August 2, 2025
Review: STRANGERS IN PARADISE #56 by Terry Moore
Nice illustrations! Liked it whenKatchoo told off that priest. An okay read.
Rating:3 stars
