Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 24
June 25, 2025
Blog Tour: KATY IN CENTRAL PARK by Ella English
Book 2 in the Kitty in the City Series
Children's BookA chapter book for ages 5–7Date Published: 06-18-2025Publisher: Crimson Dragon Publishing
Broadway’s favorite singing cat is back on the scene—and this time, she’s headed to Central Park! In Katy in Central Park, Katy is ready for a quiet day with her owner Lilian… until their picnic basket is suddenly snatched.With her best cat buddy Weasel at her side, Katy dashes through the park’s winding paths, determined to solve the mystery. But is everything really what it seems?
This charming chapter book, written and illustrated by Ella English, is full of fun, friendship, and feline flair—plus an important lesson about thinking twice before making snap decisions.🎉 Bonus alert!
At the end of the book, young readers can dive into a bundle of Did You Know? facts about Central Park.
Did you know Belvedere Castle is perched high above Turtle Pond and used to house a weather station? Or that Central Park Zoo is home to snow leopards, sea lions, and red pandas? There are over 280 species of birds in the park, and the entire park is 843 acres—that's about 640 football fields! ✨ Book launches June 18—International Picnic Day!
Celebrate by grabbing a blanket, heading to Central Park, and sharing a storytime picnic with Katy the singing cat!
Review: Katy finally reached her dream ofstardom. But sometimes being a star can be a little too much at times. Perhapsa day in Central Park with her owner would bring the relaxation she needed.Unfortunately, her fame from Broadway brought on too much commotion.
The illustrations were cute andcolorful.
In pursuit of a thief that stoleher owner’s picnic basket, Katy finds herself lost in Central Park. The readerfollows Katy on a fun cat adventure through the park. Katy will learn a fewgood lessons along the way.
A nice read and a good chapterbook for young, developing readers.
Rating:4 stars
Ella English is a British author and illustrator known for her children's books, particularly her Kitty in the City series and the Merblood Saga. She writes and illustrates imaginative stories, often with themes of dreams, adventure, and friendship. After moving from London, Ella English now lives in Baltimore, USA, with her two daughters.Contact LinksWebsiteFacebookTwitter: @authorella1BlogGoodreadsPinterestAuthor Instagram: @ellaenglishauthorPublisher Instagram: Instagram @Crimsondragonbooks TikTok: tiktok.com/@ellaenglishPurchase LinksAmazonBarnes and NoblePublisher
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Blog Tour: THE THINGS THEY DIDN'T SEE by Angela Shaeffer
Book Details:
Book Title: THE THINGS THEY DIDN'T SEE by Angela Shaeffer
Category: Adult Fiction (18 +), 358 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction, Family Saga
Publisher: Wander Lane Press
Release date: June 2025
Content Rating: PG + M: Mild profanity with some mature themes (self harm, suicide attempt)
— Publishers Weekly BookLife (Editor’s Pick)Book Description:
Raised on sunny days at Lake Koda, Jill piloted a speedboat long before driving a car. Her husband and three boys share her love for boating—until a surprise storm and tragic accident change everything.
As grief settles in, Jill and her family are drifting apart. Her relationship with teenage Jake grows strained when everything she says or does seems to be wrong. Her husband, Matt, takes Jake’s side, and even her sweet youngest child doesn’t trust her judgment.
Jake is trying to be a good kid but doesn’t know where to turn when his head and heart are constantly racing, and Matt just wants peace between his wife and son. Tensions build as they bump and bang into one another. There’s too much extra space for a family of four living in a home built for five.
Emotional and ultimately hopeful, The Things They Didn’t See is the story of a family’s love for each other clouded by misunderstandings, guilt and blame as they struggle to overcome unprecedented loss and find connection again.Buy the Book:
Amazon
B&N ~ BAM
Bookshop.org
add to Goodreads
Meet the Author:
Angela Shaeffer is a mother to four grown children, two children-in-law, and Grammy to two adorable granddaughters. She lives in Utah with her husband when they’re not escaping to Colorado’s San Juan Mountains or exploring New York City. She loves to hike, road bike and travel but also cherishes solitary hours to read and write. The Things They Didn’t See is her debut novel.
connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ goodreadsEnter the Giveaway:
THE THINGS THEY DIDN'T SEE Book Tour Giveaway
June 24, 2025
Blog Tour: THREE DOGS, TWO MURDERS, AND A CAT by Rodney Strong
Nicolette Briggs doesn't do humans.
Three Dogs, TwoMurders, and a Cat
Nicolette Briggs Mystery Book 1
by Rodney Strong
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Nicolette Briggsdoesn’t do humans.
As Wellington’s premier, and possibly only, animal detective, Nicolette mostlyinvestigates missing pets and cases of animal cruelty. So when her latestclient asks her to investigate a case of a poisoned cat, it seems right up heralley. Until a body shows up, then another, and suddenly despite her resolve tonot get involved, Nicolette is right in the middle two murder investigations.Or is it just one killer?
When someone breaks into her house and one of her dogs is injured, Nicolette’sreluctance turns to determination to not only solve this thing before thepolice, but show up her stubborn police detective brother in the process.
Along the way she has to navigate a daughter about to turn 15, a dwindling bankaccount, and a dysfunctional family that seems determined to fix her. Not tomention a killer who’s turned their sights her way.
No wonder she doesn’t do humans.
Three Dogs, Two Murders, and a Cat is the first book in the clean, cozy mysteryseries. Gilmore Girls meets Nancy Drew, with a touch of dysfunctional families,a touch of humour, and a touch of caring.
Rodney Strong quit a 9-5 job in 2016 to finally pursue hislife long dream of becoming a writer (he still has the very first play he wroteat age 6). He lives in Porirua, New Zealand, with his wife, two children, andtwo cats. When he's not writing he attempts to stay away from chocolate, runs(sometimes), reads, and enjoys spending time with his young children (whocontribute a lot to the running and craving for chocolate).
He always has a couple of projects on the go, but for now isfocusing on his series of cozy mysteries.
One of his cats likes to help with the process by sitting onthe laptop, while the other likes nesting on his shoulders (which was cute whenhe was a kitten, but now the cat is 11 years old, is less so).
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special contentand a $20 giveaway!
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.
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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.
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