Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 192
March 16, 2022
Blog Tour: THE WOODS OF HITCHCOCK by Ann W. Jarvie
The Woods of Hitchcock
(The Henrietta Series)
by Ann W. Jarvie
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GENRE: Thriller, Psychological Suspense
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BLURB:
The Woods of Hitchcock by award-winning author Ann W. Jarvie is a thriller about a psychically gifted Chicago copywriter and victim of violence who returns to South Carolina's equestrian country to solve a riddle involving murder, the metaphysical and the secrets of her eccentric family.
Suzanne Clayborn is a psychically gifted southerner working in her dream job in Chicago, which also conveniently takes her away from the ghosts of her past. But when she's nearly killed, she realizes all she wants is to return home to her eccentric family, her horse and the one place she feels safe: Hitchcock Woods, an enchanting equestrian forest in South Carolina.
But instead of finding solace, Suzanne becomes entangled in a murder spree, while stumbling upon an old manuscript, written by her sage grandmother. As she explores it, Suzanne uncovers a tome of long-buried family haunts and ancient metaphysical secrets offering healing and inspiration. She also begins to understand her unwanted psychic abilities, especially after meeting a mysterious stranger in the Woods whose ominous riddle suggests others close to her will die within the week...
Brimming with raw emotion and a trail of psychological twists, a story of hope and transformation begins to unfold. Yet with the riddle's deadline looming, Suzanne's present must ultimately collide with a violent past. Will she be able to solve her life's riddle and fulfill her destiny? Or will she die along with those she loves?
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Excerpt One:
Suzanne Clayborn woke up in darkness, mouth taped shut.
Jerking only made the ties around her wrists and ankles tighter, but it wasn’t just the bindings holding her down. Her muscles weren’t working right, like her whole body had fallen asleep. All she could do was lie there on a floor, heart pounding in terror, listening to the eerie bangs of pipes hidden somewhere behind the shadowed walls.
Her body trembled, despite an overwhelming heat, heavy and putrid, falling on her face and neck like the terrible breath of a monster. She had no memory of what had happened to her or where she was now. She only knew she was immobilized, maybe paralyzed, and every inch of her head ached. She might’ve welcomed another blackout, but the fumes were acting like smelling salts, forcing her to remain awake.
Yet she preferred consciousness—she didn’t want to die. It wasn’t that she feared the afterlife. That was actually the only good thing about the tragic accident years ago, when she was thirteen, when she’d felt her soul float away in bliss. It was the coming back that was the scary part. What she’d seen and felt when she’d woken up, and almost every day since then, could not be unseen or unfelt. It was a secret horror, her life irreversibly altered with strange, new abilities she didn’t need or want. Still, she didn’t want to die—not now, not like this—because she was struck in this dark moment with an awful knowing, a bothersome niggling in the deepest part of her soul about something important she had to finish in this life.
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Review: The story begins, clouding the scene in murky mystery. A girl: lost and unsure of her surroundings. As an empath, she’s able to feel the emotions of others. The narrative is rich and descriptive, but long and slow. You really don’t know where she’s at and you’re trying really heard to figure it out. There are some exciting scenes, but it’s mostly confusing and ambiguity.
It’s a fairly nice read altogether. The plot isn’t always clear, but I guess that’s the mystery behind it all.
Rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and twenty-five years’ experience as a writer in advertising and public relations agencies, in Chicago and South Carolina. Although it stands completely on its own, The Woods of Hitchcock is an indirect sequel to Jarvie’s award-winning debut novel, The Soul Retrieval, which received four literary awards, the highest score by Writer’s Digest e-Book Awards’ judges (5 out of 5 on all points) as well as myriad positive reviews. Jarvie currently lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona with her husband, their boxer dog and boxer mix rescue.
Website and Social Media:
The Woods of Hitchcock, A Thriller by Ann W. Jarvie, is available online everywhere, including:
Barnes and Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-woods-of-hitchcock-ann-w-jarvie/1139765258
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Woods-Hitchcock-Thriller-Henrietta/dp/0578932008/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY:
Ann W. Jarvie will be awarding a $75 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 15, 2022
Blog Tour: SWEET BITTERNESS by Tricia McGill
Sweet Bitterness
by Tricia McGill
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GENRE: contemporary romance
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BLURB:
First love can be wonderful—albeit at times tortuous. Rarely does it last, and at times is so painful it brings nothing but heartache. Often it is the girl who has a passion but in the case of twenty-year-old Tony, his feelings for seventeen-year-old Melody become what can probably be termed an obsession. An obsession that stays with him as years pass and their lives go in different directions.
Sadly, often a third party steps into the mix, diverting the course of the lives of young lovers. In Melody’s case, it is her father who shatters the hopes and dreams of this pair. Not only is Melody’s parent an overbearing and obstinate man but he happens to be an unprincipled police inspector who does not hesitate to use the power his position entitles him to exercise.
Shattered by the events that ensue, Tony takes off to the other side of the world and makes a successful life in Australia. Always the dream of returning to England and claiming his lost love stays with him. Many obstacles crop up, making his dreams seem impossible. Meanwhile Melody is left to face a loveless life forced on her by her father where escape to happiness drifts further away as the years pass.
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Excerpt One:
The local dancehall contained the usual Saturday evening crowd. For a while, Tony watched a vision of perfection as she danced—not with everyone who asked her, he noticed. The two mates he came along with had disappeared, probably gone off with the girls they danced with earlier, but Tony suddenly had no desire to hold anyone in his arms but this raven-haired beauty with the figure of a goddess. Dare he ask her—his world tilted when she accepted his offer. Above average height himself, she reached his chin and felt like a delicate porcelain doll as he pulled her as close as he dared.
After dancing without speaking, apart from exchanging names, the bandleader announced that they were taking a break, so Tony asked tentatively, “Can I interest you in a drink?” To his great delight, she accepted with a nod. “That’s an unusual name, by the way,” he commented as they stood side by side with their drinks—no fancy tables and chairs in this place. “Is it your real name or did you choose it?”
“Of course, it’s my real name, silly.” She nudged his arm. “My mum chose it, after seeing a movie where the leading lady was called Melody; she said she decided to call her daughter that, if she had one.”
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Review: It begins with Tony and how he met Melody, the girl of his dreams.
“Within a month, he was totally besotted by her charms—and a slave to her every whim.”
Everyone kept telling him that she was leading him on and using him, but he refused to listen to any of them. After seeing her manhandled by her boss, jealousy and possession start to take root. There was no question about it: she was his. Then the best time of his life turns into the worst moment when she confides that she can only marry him if he was rich. She promised that she would if Tony came back rich. But when he returned and found out that she had already married, his whole world—including his heart—shattered. He knows that the baby is his and that Melody is the one for him, so he tries to run away with her, but she never showed up. With that being the last straw, Tony leaves for good.
In this extensive prose, we see the courtship of the main characters. It would seem that Melody was one deceptive and lying shrew…until it’s revealed that Melody’s father, a cop, was abusing his power and doing everything he could to sabotage her relationship with Tony.
For years, Tony and Melody lived separate lives with her being stuck in a bad marriage and him dating someone new that doesn’t compare to the love he lost. The 2 never forgot each other.
Story has a slow and simple narrative. It’s an interesting read overall—full of drama, love, and, of course, sweet bitterness. It can be long and complicated at times. Still, turned out to be a fairly nice read.
Rating: 3.5 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Award winning author Tricia McGill spent her early days in England, and moved to Australia many years ago, settling near Melbourne. The youngest in a large, loving family she was surrounded by avid readers, who encouraged her to read from an early age, is it any wonder she became a writer. Although her published works cross sub-genres, romance is always at their heart.
Tricia’s love of animals has always shown up in her books. Tricia devotes as much time and money as she can spare to supporting worldwide conservation groups and is passionate about supporting those who do all they can to preserve our wildlife for future generations. She also volunteers for a local community group that helps disabled adults and children to connect to the internet with provided computer equipment. When people ask what she does in her spare time, she is heard to ask, “Spare time, what is that?”
https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill
https://www.amazon.com/Tricia-McGill/e/B002DBFNJC ?
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GIVEAWAY :
Tricia McGill will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
March 14, 2022
Blog Tour: SAVING LA FAMILIA by Donna Del Oro
Saving La Familia
by Donna Del Oro
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GENRE: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
A romantic suspense comedy set in Silicon Valley, a young Latina teacher, Dina Salazar, is asked by her Mexican-born grandmother to rescue her cousins from a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. After all, her stern grandmother tells her, she is the “smart one” in the family. To do so, she has to recruit help from her hated ex-fiance. What’s a girl to do when “la familia” calls?
SAVING LA FAMILIA by Donna Del Oro, about a latina teacher who's recruited by her Mexican-born grandmother to save her cousins from a dangerous Mexican drug cartel. It's a romantic-suspense comedy with many "buen dichos"!
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Excerpt One:
Grandma Gómez—”Life is like an artichoke. It takes a lot of peeling to get to the heart of things.”
How did I, in three short months, get to the heart of my Mexican-American family? It wasn’t easy, believe me. Especially since I was the family’s desgraciada. The disgraced one. Ever since I turned eighteen and had my legal name changed from Dolores—which means aches and pains in Spanish—to Dina. My namesake, Grandma Dolores Gómez, refused to speak to me or acknowledge my existence for about a year after the name change. Before that, I was simply the family brat and rebel. The know-it-all.
But you see, Grandma was the heart of the matter. And the big, dark secrets she kept closed up in her heart all got ex- posed in those tumultuous months. And before I could blink and realize what was happening, I was roped into a scheme to rescue cousins I never knew I had out of the deadly clutches of a Mexican drug cartel. Why was I chosen, you ask? Me, Dina Salazar, the desgraciada? A single schoolteacher with a long line of loser-boyfriends? How did I end up looking up the barrel of a cartel commando’s automatic weapon? Come along with me and I’ll tell you.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Donna Del Oro lives in Northern California with her husband and three cats. She taught high school and community college English classes for 30+ years and is now happily retired. When not doing research, writing novels, or reading voraciously, she travels and sings with the medal winning Sacramento Valley Chorus.
Donna is a member of Capitol Crimes, the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime in addition to the Valleyrose chapter of the RWA. She has judged RITA entries and does developmental editing on the side. Two of her novels, Operation Familia and Born To Sing, have won national and international awards.
Contact me at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donna.wierzbowski.1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3152322.Donna_Del_Oro
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Donna-Del-Oro/e/B003AUDSCY
https://www.donnadelorobooks.com/
Buy Link: The book will be free during the tour.
https://www.extasybooks.com/Saving-La-Familia
https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Familia-Donna-Del-Oro-ebook/dp/B09PN7K2S8/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY:
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveawayMarch 12, 2022
Review: QUIET GIRL IN A NOISY WORLD: AN INTROVERT’S STORY by Debbie Tung
Story is about a shy college girl that doesn’t like social situations and is happy in her own world. Her perfect date night is everybody doing their own thing—works for me. I could relate. I, too, was always the quiet one in class that likes to read rather than socialize. I’d rather party with a book than with people. Story is pretty good until you get to all the wedding planning stuff. Funny how she ends marrying an extrovert, which can be helpful as you have a buffer right there in social situations.
I kind of thing that the girl panics too much and just needs to chill out more. But she funny though.
My rating: 4 stars
Review: THE OKAY WITCH by Emma Steinkellner
Moth was a typical awkward teenager. After a couple of goofballs started teasing her, weird things started happening. Turns out she was a witch. And she couldn’t have been more excited! Her mom claimed that witch stuff was too complicated, but how can being a witch suck? It had cool illustrations. The history stuff was a little dull. And putting on a pageant about the Founders? Lame. Too much text made it hard to read and pay attention too. I like it when the pictures tell the story.
I love graphic novels and I expected to like this one more than I did.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: THE HEIRESS OF COVINGTON RANCH by Tara Ellis
The first day of Middle School doesn’t go quite as smoothly as Sam hoped, and it all ended when she found her teacher crying. But why? Curiosity compels Sam as she and her friend, Ally, dig deeper. Evidently, there was a mystery concerning a jewel heist and an old, family home.
The narrative is simple and quite engaging. This was a rather interesting mystery, even though it wasn’t too focused on it. The historical facets get a little too involved and complex, and it does take a while to get to the real truth of it.
Overall, an okay read.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: THE BEACH HOUSE MYSTERY by Tara Ellis
A trip to the beach house. Right away, this has a very slow start with a lot of pointless dialogue and unappealing narratives. The mystery doesn’t get going fast enough for me. A boring read altogheter.
Rating: 2 stars
Review: CREEPTOWN: THE FINAL INGREDIENT by Scott Charles
12-year-old Tammy has one goal: to be a celebrity chef.
After being pranked by The Circle Girls, she finds an old Halloween cookbook.
This started off well enough with all the creepy scares, but then it really slows down and you kind of get a lot of the same ‘ole stuff repeated over and over. The narrative is quite simple and generally engaging. It’s an okay read overall, but I thought it be better.
Rating: 3 stars
March 11, 2022
Blog Tour: THAT MISSED CALL by Kris Francoer
That Missed Call
by Kris Francoeur
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
Kat thought the night she met handsome, sexy Alex was just a dream. When he gave Kat his number, asking her to call him, she was over the moon. Sitting in her college dorm, hands shaking with anticipation, she wondered if he really was attracted to her. Was he just being nice to his best friend’s younger sister?
That moment… that call would shift Kat’s future in ways she never could have imagined.
Five years later, a chance encounter brings Alex back into Kat’s life. He makes it clear he’s attracted to her, but Kat isn’t the same naïve college girl when they first met. Struggling with her own attraction to Alex, she isn’t sure she can trust him.
All Alex wants is a future with Kat, but her hesitancy confuses and frustrates him. He knows there are shadows in her life, but nothing could change how he feels about her.
Will Kate be able to trust Alex with her heart and a devastating secret she’s sure will turn him away?
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Excerpt One:
“You can deny it all you want, but something is happening between us, and you know it.”
She knew he was right, and her voice was laced with panic as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees protectively. “Alex, I can’t do this. I mean, I really can’t. I’m not looking for a romance, I just need a friend- nothing more.”
“I am your friend.” He stroked her arm, seeing her eyes darken. “I’m just saying you shouldn’t rule out something more. I won’t hurt you.”
“I know, but I’m just here for a few days. If anything was to happen, it would be nothing more than a fling.”
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Review: “To coincidences. We meet again.”
That’s what happened with Alex and Kat in Madrid, then a mutual wedding brings the two back together for the second time.
The story takes a while to develop as we get each character’s view. Too many characters enter the mix and there is a lot of lengthy and descriptive narrative. There’s a nice romance that develops, but it takes a long time to develop. The writing was pretty good, and, overall, this is an interesting second chance romance with a hint of mystery to their shared past.
A fairly nice read.
Rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kris Francoeur is an author, ghostwriter, and educator who lives on her small family farm in Vermont. When not writing stories about strong women with interesting backstories, Kris loves to travel, knit, and garden.
Twitter: @KFAnnaBelleRose
FB: www.facebook.com/authorkfrancoeur
Website: www.authorkfrancoeur.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18490380.Kris_Francoeur
Instagram: @author.krisfrancoeur_aka_abr
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GIVEAWAY:
Kris Francoeur will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveawayBlog Tour: AWAKEN by Lauren Wagner
Awaken
by Lauren Wagner
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GENRE: Speculative Fiction
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BLURB:
Natalia has embraced the choice of her people. She is honored to have been chosen as their human sacrifice and will surrender her life to the Gods. She awaits the call of her people for that final moment, living a life of solitude until it’s time. But then her death is stolen from her—she is kidnapped by her own guards and forced into an eternal slumber.
Hundreds of years later—now—Natalia is woken in a world that’s completely unfamiliar. The archaeological team was not looking for her. They were looking for Estancia, the lost city of gold, and Natalia agrees to guide them.
While they journey through the treacherous jungles of Argentina, Natalia stumbles upon the alarming truth of her past. Her life’s prophecy must be fulfilled to restore balance to her people, but only she can decide whether that balance is worth her death.
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Excerpt One:
They groomed me as a child. They taught me how to look, how to listen, and even how to die. They prepared me to live entirely for others. Die for others. I am destined to be the queen of Estancia, to live in a noble house filled with my own personal court and guards sworn to protect me at all costs, right until the moment of my death. Even as they tear me from my bed in the dark of night, I must remember this is their purpose, just as much as it is mine.
“May I say goodbye to my father?” The confidence in my voice covers the fear trembling in my gut.
“No, milady. There is no time.”
The guard throws a musty cloak over my soft linen nightclothes. The stale smell overpowers the eucalyptus of the lotions on my skin, making my eyes water in disgust. I feel no better than a horse being led by the reigns.
I grip my golden slippers and run out of the house. My bare feet touch the wood of the floor and memorize the soft pitter-patter that vibrates in response. The same guard places me on top of the nearest horse. Black as midnight, silky as the hidden clothes under my cloak. My hands fumble for the reins as I lean forward and fight for my balance. I am not accustomed to riding horses.
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Question: Tell us about your antagonist:
Author Answer: Everyone loves a good villain—especially the villain himself. In Awaken, this is, in fact, the villain’s most significant flaw. He thinks so highly of himself that he becomes clouded by centuries and centuries of selfishness. He blamed Natalia for his kingdom’s sufferings and, therefore, all of his shortcomings. He vowed to take revenge because he took her lost opportunity at sacrifice as a personal insult. He took what he wanted, when he wanted, and Natalia was the one thing that had managed to escape him. He was a king, and her disappearance was an embarrassment. Ironically, the same thing that freed her from the sacrifice was his source of power. He was so blinded by power and revenge that he lost sight of what her sacrifice was initially intended for. Thus, he made choices that led him to be the reason for his kingdom’s need for Natalia and everything she represented. A chance. A future. A new beginning.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lauren Wagner’s love for reading started as a young adult after discovering her town’s public library. After carrying out piles of books at a time, and re-reading them over and over again, she discovered her love for writing. She writes fantasy and science fiction as well as post-it notes about her future stories. Awaken is her debut novel.
She grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago where she presently resides with her husband and two children. She currently teaches upper elementary students to love and obsess over written works of art.
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Lauren-Wagner-ebook/dp/B09RHCBRYP/ref=sr_1_1
Lauren Wagner's author page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/lauren-wagner/Twitter: @LoloWags
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GIVEAWAY:
Lauren Wagner will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
