Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 198
January 29, 2022
Review: MY HUSBAND LIKES TO WATCH by Vivian Gunn
What can you do when your husband’s fetish was watching you screw other guys? Well, she was getting tired of being a sex slave and the abused wife. He only chance of escape was to graduate. Then she runs into an old high school teacher she had the hots for. The 2 finally give in to their desires, but how will he react when she finds out she’s married?
A quick and hot read!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: 16 NAUGHTY QUICKIES by Helen Huffrode
Not as quick as you would think. Some sentences were drawn-out and useless with incorrect grammar.
Rating: 1 star
Review: THE ULTIMATE EROTIC SHORT STORY COLLECTION Vol. 1
A break-in provokes a temporary stay for a woman and her ex-boyfriend. What could happen
A busy editor was constantly being hooked up by her matchmaker employee. Could a personal ad lead to an erotic adventure? But, first, a little preview from a hot chica tamale.
A plus-size girl gets a hot office fling.
A case of revenge sex.
Such erotic and sexy shorts! Most were pretty good.
Rating: 4 stars
January 28, 2022
Blog Tour: THE KAYLA WALSH Trilogy by Karen Randau
Nowhere To Hide
Kayla Walsh Trilogy Book 1
by Karen Randau
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
[image error]A young woman embarks on a dangerous journey to bring a killer to justice.
Kayla is newly-engaged and excited to break the news to her parents during a visit for winter break before her final semester at Princeton. As she enters her family’s living room, a home invader shatters her life forever, ruthlessly killing her parents and putting her in a coma.
Two years later, she still remembers nothing of the attack, just that she kissed her fiancé goodbye before opening her family’s front door. Her fiancé thinks she’s dead and has moved on.
A suspicious house fire convinces Kayla it’s time to dump her witness protection program to embark on a dangerous quest to bring the murderer to justice. She and her best friend Martin follow clues that take them from the mountains of Arizona to Washington, D.C., straight into the killer’s lair. Will Kayla succeed in her quest, or will she and Martin fall victim to the ruthless assassin who stole everything Kayla loved?
Nowhere to Hide is the explosive first book in the Kayla Walsh Mystery Suspense trilogy. This fast-paced read is one you won’t want to put down from beginning to end. If you like the suspense of Willow Rose and the plot twists of Kendra Elliot, you will love Karen Randau’s clever, nail-biting Kayla Walsh series.
Get Nowhere to Hide now to meet Kayla and her gang of quirky characters.
**On Sale for only .99 cents Jan 11-18!!**
No One To Trust
Kayla Walsh Trilogy Book 2
[image error]She thought she could trust him. Until she became his prey.
Devastated when she learns why and how a brutal home invader murdered her parents, Kayla and her best friend Martin follow clues through Paris and into the French countryside — only to end up in the killer's lair.
After tracking a clue to a mysteriously familiar French rural town, Kayla and Martin fight an attacker who launches Martin from a speeding train. Kayla refuses to believe he's dead and in her grieving realizes that he's become much more than a friend to her. But she knows she'll be the next to die if she gets caught at the train station, so she runs. And she keeps running, at last finding refuge in a homeless community.
Her new friends help her escape, but when she follows yet another clue, she runs straight into the grips of men who have chased her down since she left her home in Arizona.
Can Kayla and Martin survive their misplaced trust, or will they become the next victims? And will their love survive with them?
No One to Trust is the bone-chilling Book 2 in the Kayla Walsh Mystery Suspense series. Buy it now to learn Kayla and Martin's fate.
Nothing To Lose
Kayla Walsh Trilogy Book 3
[image error]He stalks her wherever she goes, but can she afford not to continue the search?
On the final leg of her journey to deliver justice to the home invader to killed her parents and put her in a coma, Kayla arrives in Australia under duress. She knows who killed her parents and why, and now she fears he'll get to her, her grandmother, and Martin before she's able to find the priceless gem he claims her parents stole. But she knows better.
What she finds in Australia cringes her, but will it gives her the evidence she needs to take down her stalker? It provides yet another clue that takes her back to the U.S.
But will she get there in time to save herself, her grandmother, and the man she loves?
To find out, buy this bone-chilling final installment, book 3 in the Kayla Walsh Mystery Suspense trilogy.
Review on Nowhere to Hide: That night, she witnessed her parents’ murder. One year later, she wakes up from a coma with a new identity—Kayla Walsh. They keep telling her it would be better if she didn’t remember the attack. But how could she hide in witness protection when there was a murderer to find?
It seems, however, that they were still out to get her.
The narrative is simple and easy to read, but it’s rather slow to progress. Sure, there was some excitement with the fire and the escape into the woods, but then it sort of levels off from there. Then we backtrack to several years before, reliving Kayla’s childhood. It takes a long time to find out anything.
This is a fairly nice read with some nice descriptions, but it just wasn’t fast enough or exciting enough for me.
Rating: 3 stars
Karen Randau authors fast-paced stories with intricate plots, lots of action, and a dash of romance, all told from the point of view of a female amateur sleuth. The Kayla Walsh Mystery-Suspense Trilogy is her third series featuring strong, independent women. Previous series include the three-book Frankie Shep series featuring a modern-day female rancher in Wyoming, and the Rim Country Mystery series, featuring a woman who loses her husband in a movie theater shooting on their thirtieth wedding anniversary. She lives in the mountains of Arizona with her multi-generational family.
Website* Facebook * Twitter * Instagram* Bookbub* Amazon* Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$20 Amazon
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Blast: INDECENT by Darcy Burke
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Darcy Burke will be awarding an ebook copy of book 1 of the Phoenix Club series, IMPROPER, to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
If Bennet St. James, the Viscount Glastonbury, doesn’t find a bride with a sizeable dowry, he’ll be in the poorhouse along with his interminable number of female relatives—all of whom he loves but are a drain on the negative fortune his father left when he died of a broken pocketbook. Desperate, he hatches a scheme to snare an heiress only to be foiled by a most vexing and alluring—and unfortunately equally destitute—paid companion.
Lady’s companion Prudence Lancaster is single-minded about finding her mother and filling in the missing pieces of her life. But a villainous viscount interrupts her plans, and his surprising charm and understanding tempts her in the most indecent ways. Soon, she’s dreaming of the future instead of wallowing in the past.
But when Bennet shares a dark secret, her hopes are dashed. For he won’t break the promise he made to his family, even if it means losing the greatest love he’s ever known.
Read an Excerpt
Prudence sank down beside him on his injured side. “Does it hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Did you lose consciousness?” she asked. “You didn’t move for a moment.”
His brow furrowed, then he winced. “I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. Everything happened so fast. All I could see was that branch coming straight down toward you. If anything had happened to you…” He closed his eyes and pressed his lips together until they whitened.
“Nothing happened, save my sudden need for a bath.”
He laughed and winced again.
“No more laughing,” she admonished.
“Then stop being witty and charming.” He opened one eye. “If you can, which I daresay you can’t.”
“Nonsense. I’ll be ruthless in my care of you.”
His other eye opened, and he regarded her with a heat that shocked and thrilled her. “Promise?”
About the Author:
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow).
They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, an older rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, and a collection of neighbor cats who hang out on the deck and occasionally venture inside. You can find Darcy at a winery, in her comfy writing chair, or binge-watching TV with the family.
Her happy places are Disneyland, Labor Day weekend at the Gorge, Denmark, and anywhere in the UK—so long as her family is there too.
Website
Reader Group Newsletter
Darcy’s Duchesses Facebook Group
BookBub
Goodreads
Amazon.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 27, 2022
Blog Tour: THE ORDER OF TIME series by Scott P. Southall
The Order of Time Series
by Scott P. Southall
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy (Mythology/Ancient History)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
About the Series
Picture two twelve-year-old fraternal twins who are like night and day. She is a smart and highly organised MMA fighter. He’s not a fighter, he’s a lover of history, art and Star Wars. Despite their differences they are one formidable team. Together Anastasia and Edward Upston travel through time and navigate ancient civilisations, angry gods and mythical monsters in their quest to protect the integrity of human history.
About The Order of Time
Anastasia and Edward Upston are eleven year old twins who are different in almost every way. Despite this they are inseparable and he best of friends. They tackle the highs and lows of sixth grade together whether they are fending off bullies at the elite Blake Academy or examining rare antiquities at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Then: life gets complicated.
They discover that their friend and mentor, Dr. Gregorian, is part of a secret society called the Order of Time. It turns out that time is not fixed, it’s a fluid continuum where changes to the past can create ripples all the way through to the present. It unwittingly falls to the twins to travel back through time to ancient Egypt where they must overcome deadly assassins, evil high priests and vengeful gods in order to prevent disaster. Together Anastasia and Edward must navigate all obstacles to preserve the past and find their way back home.
About The Order of Time and Odin’s Door The orange light bathed the snow-covered fields as the fiery globe began to dip below the horizon. It was strange that something so beautiful could signal the arrival of something so evil. One thing twelve-year-old twins Anastasia and Edward Upston knew for sure was that when mortals were caught between two bickering gods nothing good would come of it. Surviving the Viking Age may be the hardest thing they ever do, if they can…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpts From The Order of Time
Excerpt Four:
“Oh my god!” Anastasia exclaimed as she quickly unclicked the belt bag and let the blood-soaked bag fall to the ground.
She watched in terrified fascination as something writhed inside it. Anastasia kicked the bag away and tried to step backward but ran into the soldier who had pulled her clear of Ammit’s jaws. There was nowhere to go. The canvas bag ripped open and the golden dragon’s head with glowing, green eyes and red pupils emerged. The statue was alive.
The miniature Quetzalcoatl rapidly expanded in front of her eyes until his head engulfed half of the passageway. The god’s golden, serpent body was as thick as an oak tree and coiled behind him. His feathered wings were folded back as they scraped the ceiling. Quetzalcoatl was motionless as he stared directly at Anastasia with glowing, green orbs that were now the size of volleyballs.
She could vaguely hear the shouts from the soldiers directly behind her. Anastasia was completely frozen with fear.
“What in Aten’s name is that?” the general said with a mixture of fear and awe as he slowly reached for his sword.
“It has been many centuries since I have been to this world,” a deep and ancient voice rumbled inside her head.
Quetzalcoatl is inside my head. He’s talking to me directly inside my head.
“You have paid the blood price and summoned me, child. What is your need?” the voice inside her head continued.
She had no idea how to talk to an ancient Aztec god. That kind of thing was much more up Edward’s alley. Anastasia stammered before finding her voice. “Mighty Quetzalcoatl, it is I who have summoned you. There is a demon blocking our way.”
The general stopped drawing his sword halfway when he realized that Anastasia was communicating with the beast.
Quetzalcoatl remained motionless. “What is your need? Ask quickly, child, before I grow weary of this, as I am forever hungry,” the voice echoed with impatience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Scott is an American author and banking executive who lives in Sydney, Australia. He grew up in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and attended Georgetown University. While he loves his job as a global banker, his true passion is making up stories with his children. His debut novel, The Order of Time, reached #1 in its category on Amazon and was the 2021 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Children’s – Mythology/Fairy Tale genre.
https://www.scottpsouthall.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-southall-6bab5a4/
https://www.instagram.com/scottsouthallauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/scott.southallauthor
https://twitter.com/SSouthallAuthor
The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
https://www.amazon.com/Order-Time-Scott-P-Southall-ebook/dp/B07Z3XWJQ9
https://bookawards.com/book-award/the-order-of-time
https://readersfavorite.com/2021-award-contest-winners.htm#the-order-of-time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveawayBook Blast: THE DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE PRIVATE MARKET by Carine M. Schneider
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Carine Schneider will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Facebook, Uber, Robinhood: all were private companies at some point. Historically, there has been no way for investors to easily buy and sell shares in private companies. With the introduction of blockchain technology, digital securities, and decentralized financial solutions, the ability to grow the private market is on the horizon. Regulators around the world are rushing to catch up and understand how to protect investors who want to participate in this market. This book reviews the regulatory, technical, and societal challenges to open this asset class to more investors in the future.
Read an Excerpt
The market is also an asset class better known for its failure rate than for success. About three-quarters of venture-backed firms in the US don’t return investors’ capital, according to recent research by Shikhar Ghosh, a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School. Exposing retail investors to a highrisk investment opportunity calls for caution. Allowing for careful participation could have a very positive impact on the economy, create new companies and jobs, and increase the opportunity for average investors to increase their investment returns. 74 Allowing for more investment capital will also impact the amount of capital available to invest in the “innovation economy.” If investors can use a portion of their retirement savings (in self-directed IRAs or 401(k) accounts) or invest in funds that own private company shares, the increase in investment currency grows significantly. Gallagher shares his views on the present societal concerns with regard to private investments: My current perspective is that the private market is very vibrant and that technology has really helped to provide liquidity and transparency in the private market that didn’t exist historically. We reached a point a few years back where the private market was preferable, especially after the JOBS Act was passed in the United States. Investing in the private market was preferable to investing in the public market, but that trend has certainly changed over the last year due to the number of IPOs and SPAC transactions. Right now, I think there’s some more equilibrium between the public and private markets, as far as raising capital is concerned. I still think there’s a vibrant ecosystem here for the private market. It’ll be interesting to see how we will enter a new regulatory climate with respect to accredited investors here in the United States. They’ll probably be revisiting that standard and tightening it, which will limit the number of investors who can participate in the private market.
About the Author:
Carine Schneider, FGE (Fellow of Global Equity) is an experienced and well-connected leader in the private market and global compensation industry with deep experience working in consulting, technology, and financial services. She is the President of AST Private Company Solutions (AST PCS). She was named one of the 100 Influential Women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal and one of 17 “Women to Watch” in 2017 by Brown Brothers Harriman Center on Women and Wealth. Carine was formerly the President, Nasdaq Private Market and has been the founder and CEO of Global Shares, CEO of Certent, and Partner at PwC. She has also held senior level positions at Morgan Stanley and Willis Towers Watson. She was the founding Executive Director of the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP) and founded the nonprofit Global Equity Organization (GEO) where she is now Chair Emeritus, after serving as Chair for eighteen years. She 103 started her career as Manager of Shareholder Relations at Oracle Corporation where she assisted in the IPO. Ms. Schneider was born in The Netherlands and received her degree in psychology and sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world, including at President Obama’s 2016 Global Entrepreneurial Summit, and has authored various articles and chapters in industry publications. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Professional Business Women of California (PBWC). In 2019, she received the UK ProShare Award for Service to Employee Share Ownership. Amazon Author Page
Amazon
a Rafflecopter giveaway
January 26, 2022
Blog Tour: MAXWELL by Jeremy C. Gredone
Children's Book
Date Published: October 5, 2021
Publisher: Mascot Books
Maxwell is a unique children's book that celebrates the power of imagination and dreams. It’s a story about transcendence, and the extraordinary blossoming out of the ordinary. It is about the timeless and ever-expanding bond between parent and child, and the priceless lessons of love they hold for each other. While Maxwell is primarily created for children, parents will be delighted at the extras designed with them in mind. Truly something for all ages to enjoy!
- 40-page children’s book with vibrant and layered illustrations that will encourage many a reading to discover all the hidden magic within.
- Children will become part of this interactive story themselves as they are invited to take part in the “imaginative process,” creating new roles and adventures for “The Amazing Maxwell!”
- Includes a separately bound 28-page “True Story of Maxwell + Time Capsule” attached in back pocket of the book–Read the true story of Maxwell (a wild spider) as the author experienced it AND take part in your very own “Time Capsule” between you and your children–the making of a keepsake that can be handed down for generations!
Purchase Link
January 25, 2022
Blog Tour: FALL TO PIECES by Becky Flade
Fall to Pieces
by Becky Flade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romantic suspense
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Detective Alexandra Danvers is determined to bring child killer, Arthur Book, to justice, no matter the cost. Detective Xavier Knight is asked to evaluate Lexi’s fitness for duty. He fears investigating Lexi could allow a monster to walk free. Holding onto their own secrets, they launch a covert investigation into Arthur Book who could cost Lexi and Xavier their careers, including their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
Lexi woke slowly. The familiar feel of her bed, the comforting smell of her laundry detergent lingering in the sheet pressed against her face, reassured her. I’m home. I made it home. Head pounding, mouth dry and tasting like a barroom floor–or how she imagined a barroom floor would taste–and with seven-hour- old whiskey roiling in her stomach threatening to reappear, Lexi opened her eyes. A man lay snoring beside her, his head down by her feet and his well-toned, hairy body sprawled on top of the sheets. They’d lost the duvet while tangling over it in the pre-dawn hours. Lexi remembered without embarrassment picking him up at the bar and bringing him home with her, the vigorous sex she’d semi-enjoyed but couldn’t remember his name. Bending a leg, she planted a foot in his cute behind and shoved him out of bed.
“Time to go, Romeo.” Lexi stifled a laugh at the distinctively female yelp as he tumbled to the floor. The sheet puddled around her lap as she sat, but she didn’t bother with false modesty. She reached for the water bottle she’d had the foresight to leave on her nightstand and watched with disinterest as her companion stood. Guzzling water, rinsing the taste from her mouth, she assessed. He was good-looking, athletically built, and a decent lay, but dumb as a stump if memory served. Lexi had no interest in learning more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review: Lexi was a cop with survivor’s guilt, which gave her that numb feeling inside. She was given a new partner named Xavier, and their first case was a homicide—the dead body of a little boy. And the hunt for a child killer begins.
Story was well-written and captivating. The narrative was enriched with lively detail and nice sentence structure, even though they tended to be fragmented to punctuate the emotional toll, which was understandable but not always necessary. The scene descriptions and dialogue can get rather long and slow, causing the story to not move as quickly.
The stand-offish chemistry between the characters—both frustrating and endearing—undoubtedly leaps off the pages, and it gets better as it progresses.
With the romance and the action, this turned out to be a fairly nice read.
Rating: 3.5 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
When I was little I thought everyone had stories in their head. When I found out that wasn’t true and that only special people had stories to tell, I wanted to be one of the people who shared their stories with the world. Here I am, making my own dreams come true, one happily ever after at a time.
I'd love to have you visit with me at any of my virtual homes or write to me directly at beckyfladeauthor@gmail.com
http://tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Flade_Becky/
https://www.facebook.com/BeckyFlade
https://twitter.com/beckyflade
https://www.instagram.com/beckyflade/
Sign up for my quarterly newsletter & be entered for a chance to win a free book (one winner per month)! http://eepurl.com/7WDZj
Purchase links for Fall to Pieces:
Kindle US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KT3PCBY
Kindle UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09KT3PCBY
Kindle CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09KT3PCBY
Kindle AU https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09KT3PCBY
Smashwords – Fall to Pieces – a book by Becky Flade
The entries for Nook, Apple, and Kobo are not yet live
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Becky Flade will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Blog Tour: LURED BY THE GHOST RAKE by Marianna Green
Lured By The Ghost Rake
by Marianna Green
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Romance, Ghost Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
When Elda Elwood goes on a visit to her actor lover Jake Reynolds’ ancestral home, she is drawn by a portrait of his ancestor, eighteenth century rake Lord Lucas Lovegrove.
She learns the tragic story behind the viscount’s marriage to the innocent young heiress Rose Ashworth.
Elda senses that the portrait has strange powers, and that the house is haunted by Lovegrove’s predatory and sexual ghost...
And what is the secret of the sinister pagoda in the grounds?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
‘Come, my charmer.’ Fingers like icicles caressed Elda’s left hand.
She tried to pull it back under the warmth of the covers, but whoever it was kept a tight hold on it. That cold didn’t jerk her into wakefulness; she knew she was still half dreaming, and that was why she wasn’t put out that another man was in the bedroom.
Now she knew who he was. Though he had been dead for two-and-a-quarter centuries, she wasn’t alarmed. Still, she wanted to sleep, and grunted a protest.
She had been dreaming about moving through the grounds in a magical silver gilt light, and she wanted to try and drift back into that dream. Still, the melodious voice lured, though not much louder than the murmur of a rising wind rushing through a bamboo plantation.
‘You do not fear me, my sweet? Come and be mine.’
She could see him through her closed lids, seemingly both in her half-waking dream and here. This Lovegrove was like the one in the vision she had seen in the conservatory, still youthful despite his excesses.
He wore some embroidered robe of either a deep blue or bluish crimson, his form not being material enough for her to tell which. She knew it soon would be. The robe, loosely tied, was falling open, so that she could see that he was naked underneath, his bare chest revealed, the muscular definition as fine as Jake’s, the golden hairs glinting in the moonlight...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Marianna Green lives in the UK, has a geekish fascination with English Literature and History, and an irrepressible sense of humour.
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mariann33278009
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8058693.Marianna_Green
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY:
Marianna Green will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
![[image error]](https://www.silverdaggertours.com/uploads/8/2/5/5/82557464/the-kayla-walsh-trilogy-banner_orig.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://www.silverdaggertours.com/uploads/8/2/5/5/82557464/kaylawalshtrilogy-about-the-book_orig.png){kind=link}