Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 53
September 6, 2024
Blog Tour: THE SECRET TRUTH by Barry Finlay
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Barry Finlay will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Retired investigative journalist Jake Scott narrowly avoids a collision with a speeding car on his way to a Bed and Breakfast where he plans to spend the night. Moments before his arrival, the peaceful atmosphere at the B&B is shattered by a devastating explosion, claiming the lives of five guests. While authorities initially chalk it up to a tragic gas leak, seasoned homicide detective Dani Perez can't shake her suspicions. Given her overloaded schedule, she enlists Jake's expertise to delve into the backgrounds of the deceased. As Jake pursues the investigation, he unearths a web of secrets hinting at a darker truth lurking beneath the surface of the seemingly idyllic B&B.
Read an Excerpt
The sound of a car engine starting in the distance interrupted the calm of the night. Warm rubber on pavement chirped as the car pulled away. A dog barked at the sudden sound. Oblivious to the revving engine, Jake jaywalked to the other side of the street about halfway down the block at exactly the time the car careened around the corner. The headlights bounced off the corner house and veered in Jake’s direction. A giant spotlight might as well have turned on him. For a split second, Jake stopped in mid-stride, staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed as the two brilliant headlights bore down on him at lightning speed.
Only instinct saved him. He leaped for the grassy area bordering the street as the car roared past, its engine screaming. Jake swore the driver’s front corner bumper grazed the heel of his shoe an instant before his body thudded on the unforgiving ground. First, his knees, followed by his arms, and then his face completed the maneuver. The gym bag he launched during his dive landed with a dull smack on the sidewalk.
Jake turned his head to watch the car from his prone position, but all he could tell as the vehicle raced around the corner at the end of the block was that it was big and dark. For a second, streetlights glinted off the wheel disks and reflected off the passenger side windows. Then it disappeared. He moaned and, without moving his extended arm, raised his middle finger in the general direction of the car’s path. While the car and its driver had vanished, the gesture gave him a measure of satisfaction.
About the Author:
Barry Finlay is the award-winning author of the travel adventure, Kilimanjaro and Beyond – A Life-Changing Journey (with his son Chris), the Amazon bestselling travel memoir, I Guess We Missed The Boat, the inspirational Just Keep Climbing, and five Amazon bestselling and award-winning thrillers comprising The Marcie Kane Thriller Collection: The Vanishing Wife, A Perilous Question, Remote Access, Never So Alone, and The Burden of Darkness. His new Jake Scott Mystery Series debuted with Searching ForTruth and The Guardians of Truth. He is now following that up with The Secret Truth. Barry was featured in the 2012-13 Authors Show’s edition of “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading.” He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for his fundraising efforts to help kids in Tanzania, Africa. Barry lives with his wife Evelyn in Ottawa, Canada.
Author Website: http://www.barry-finlay.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBarryFinlay
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Karver2
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 5, 2024
Book Blast: A CURVY GIRL'S HAVEN by Kristabel Reed
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Dr. Arabella Stanton is back in Havenbrook, California, seeking a break from her work with Doctors Without Borders. Exhausted and haunted by memories of the refugee camps, she finds solace in the familiar yet changed landscape of her grandmother’s old town. She plans to rest, recuperate, and plan out her next steps—until a persistent knock at her door changes everything.
Garret de la Rosa, a Navy SEAL with his own shadows from missions past, is back in Havenbrook to recover and find some peace. When a mutual friend brings Arabella to his door, he’s bleeding from an injury, and neither expects the connection that sparks between them.
As Arabella and Garret navigate their growing attraction, they also face their personal demons and the reality that their lives are on different paths. Amidst the tranquil beauty of Havenbrook, they find themselves questioning their futures and what they truly want.
Read an Excerpt
“You’re bleeding,” Arabella said and lifted his shirt. “You really shouldn’t say no.” She looked at the bandage and lifted the edges. Probably pulled stiches. “Please remove your shirt.”
Garret’s sinful stare met hers. “Usually there’s a second date before we get that far.”
“God, these two have the same sense of humor,” Tristan muttered.
Garret flashed her a grin but complied. She kept her cool doctorial composure as he lifted the gray material over his head and didn’t stare.
“When I’m working, I don’t have a sense of humor,” she shot back and examined the area. “Sit down,” she ordered Garret.
He did so without a word and she peeled back the bandage. Bandages. Plural. It looked as if a doctor taped one gauze over Garret’s stitches, then Garret added another layer. No, he added two layers.
Arabella was mildly surprised he hadn’t used duct tape.
“Yeah, popped a few stitches. I’ll need to close it up.” She gathered her supplies, the suture and thread. “So, can you tell me how you got that?” Arabella nodded to his side. “Or is this a case of ‘If I tell you, I’ll have to lock you up in a dungeon?”
His lips quirked in a sexy little half-grin, and his eyes sparkled with laughter. “It’s the dungeon.”
…
It sent a thrill of arousal through her, and her heart tripped over itself. She thought she’d imagined it earlier, but it seemed she hadn’t, even she knew when a man was interested in her. Slightly unnerved, Arabella wondered why a SEAL, a man who looked like Garret, would be interested in her.
About the Author: I’m an East Coaster with an insatiable love for pizza and movies. This love has also produced a chubby girl who thought it would be fun to write a few romances for the fuller ladies. And after a long break from writing, I decided to explore the small, California community of Havenbrook; where curvier ladies find hot guys who fall madly in love! After all, curvier girls need love too.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KristaelReed
Blog: http://kristabelreed.blogspot.com/
Buy Link for Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Curvy-Girls-Haven-Kristabel-Reed-ebook/dp/B0DBNS4L9K/ref=sr_1_1
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 4, 2024
Blog Tour: RISING MOON by Katie Groom
RISING MOON
Katie Groom
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Paranormal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Reunitedwith his mate Zoie and having taken revenge on some of his immortal enemies,werewolf Hugh has new goals for revenge and justice: Ruin the lives of hisremaining foes and end their reign.
Thepowerful Council of the immortal world has been imprisoning those who opposethem. But now, Hugh is one of the Council and perfectly poised to take theCouncil from the inside with the help of Zoie and their friends.
WhileZoie is busy working on her witchcraft—studying and practicing so that she canprotect her loved ones, Hugh probes for the secrets that have kept them inpower for so long.
Investigatingboth openly and in secret, Hugh uncovers more than just the public terror. Evenwithout the mock trials, those who disagreed with the Council often foundthemselves in the dark, lonely purgatory of being a gargoyle. Trapped and awakefor all of eternity, in a rapidly expanding graveyard that ages all who enter.
Evenimmortals have things they fear more than death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptTwo:
There was no one in the house but Zoie. Hugh had left tohandle some Council business, and, while Cade had a key, they didn’t use itunless it was an emergency. She was using the time to catch up on somereading—for pleasure.
Since effectively coming back from the dead, Zoie had beenreclassified as a missing person, but there was still some work to be done forher to get her life back. The legal red tape to bring a person back to life wasmore complicated than any of them had thought it would be. Sure, Hugh hadconnections that could forge documents, but bringing someone back to life whowas never actually dead—nearly impossible in the eyes of the government.
Between researching that and taking action on it, Zoie wasalso studying magic and practicing and getting better at her skills. It wasslow going because, to Zoie’s understanding, because she had let her powers laydormant for so long, she had to work much harder to get to the level that shewould have been at otherwise. No amount of natural skill could make up forpractice. But, sometimes, Zoie felt as if she was practicing herself to thepoint that it was having the opposite effect. It was beginning to feel like ajob. A job she didn’t want to do some days.
So between all of that and trying to figure out what shewanted to do with her life, plus balancing a life with Hugh and Silas, Zoiewasn’t left with much time for fun things. So, she was taking this rare timewhen Hugh was out and Silas was actually with him— and she couldn’t wait tohear how that went for them—to read. She had decided to go back to a simplertime in her life and read a childhood favorite: Anne of Green Gables.
Since Hugh had been technically working two jobs—his role asprofessor in the English Department and Council Member of the SupernaturalWorld—Zoie had also settled into the role of housewife, and it was anotherthing that felt like a job that she hated. She had just settled down foranother break from her tasks while the laundry was rolling around in the dryer.
Placing the bookmark on the table, Zoie curled up on thecouch with her book and a throw blanket. She took a sip of her tea and thenturned the page, engrossed in the book to the point that she didn’t even hearthe buzzer go off, signaling the end of the cycle.
What did take her out of the book was a loud argument frombehind her. It almost made her question her own sanity because she hadn’tnoticed anyone entering the house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What was the hardest part of writingthis book and how did you overcome it?
The hardest part of writing “Rising Moon” was actuallyaccepting that once I wrote it, that the end of Hugh’s story would be outthere. Accepting that I would be done with the series. Over the last fiveyears, I have gone through a lot of challenges and changes in my life, and Hugh(the main character of the Cardinal Moon Saga) has been there for me throughoutall of it. There were times during the writing process when I knew Hugh betterthan I knew myself.
In fact, while writing Rising Moon, I hit a deepdepression, and it was sometimes hard to motivate myself to do the simplestthings — even getting out of bed was a chore at times. So writing, especiallywhen I was thinking that everything I was writing was crap, was very difficult.
But there came a point when I saw a quote that saidsomething like “The first draft is just that — the very first draft.” Itreminded me that it was just getting the story out there. It didn’t matter howbad the output was — I could always rewrite it later. That’s what first draftsare for.
So once I got over my own arrogant need to put perfectthings to paper, I started writing. I started coming up with ideas, and then,between work and other commitments, I would schedule time to write. I would dowriting sprints, counting the time I wrote, rather than the words. I made itmore about getting the story out there than a total number of words.
It was when I was free-writing and I connected something inRising Moon to something that was just mentioned in the first book (Fixed Moon)that I realized that I was on to something with the story. That little ideaignited something in me, and I actually finished the draft pretty quickly afterthat.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
KatieGroom grew up in rural Pennsylvania, where she received her bachelor’s degreein Business Management from PITT and her master’s in Employment and LaborRelations from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2016, she decided to moveto Alabama in order to avoid as much snow as possible (and to advance hercareer in Human Resources).
Whenshe isn’t working, Katie enjoys reading, writing, jokingly critiquing moviesand TV, and campaigning that the plural of moose should be meese. She alsoloves to take in live music (especially Hanson) and traveling, with the goal ofreaching each of the continents. Katie’s favorite pastime, however, is spendingtime with her beloved Shih tzu, Delta.
Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/katie_writes_
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Moon-Katie-Groom-ebook/dp/B0D6NFSFJC/ref=sr_1_1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 3, 2024
Blog Tour: LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS series by Simon Yeats
LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS SERIES
Simon Yeats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Humor/Memoir
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
TheLesser Known Travel Tips memoirs are a hilarious series of travel misadventuresand dubious personal introspection by Australian author Simon Yeats, who froman early age learned that the best way to approach the misfortunes of thisworld is to laugh about them.
Simonshares his comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of livinglife as an Aussie ex-pat and having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as theSpanish Flu in 1918 or hordes of Mongols in 12th Century.
Fromhow to keep yourself entertained when unwittingly forced to watch 11 hours oflive sumo wrestling in Japan, to surviving heartbreak in India at the hands ofa French flight attendant, to 48 hours spent in Nepal that qualify as thefunniest most gut wrenching travel experience since Captain Bligh was setadrift in the Pacific, to his unsuccessful attempts at avoiding going to abrothel in Thailand. From what to do when several people converge to rob youafter midnight on a deserted Copacabana Beach, to how to save the SierraMountain Range from a wildfire outbreak due to a lack of quality toilet paper,to where not to go in Tijuana when trying to locate the origins to stories ofthe city’s mythical adult entertainment, to how to save yourself from drowningwhen caught in a storm while sailing off the California coast. From how tooutwit the Italian police while trying to find parking in downtown Genoa, tohow to negotiate exploring the Roman ruins of Plovdiv, Bulgaria while oncrutches, to how to impress the German Mafia with 80s dance moves, to how toleave a lasting impression on a crowded bar in Gothenburg, Sweden aftercombining alcohol and antibiotics.
SimonYeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinarymoments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to breaka leg, contract Dengue fever, or rupture a pancreas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptSix:
Excerptfrom How to Survive Making Yourself Look Silly While Dancing with the GermanMafia at a Bavarian Nightclub and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips
“Your nephew has been selected for the world championshipsin Plovdiv,” my dad proudly told me.
“Wow. Plovdiv, Norway?”
“Bulgaria.”
“Bulgaria, really?” I responded. “Does that still exist as acountry?”
“Apparently,” said Dad.
“Bulgaria. Rats. Why couldn't Plovdiv be in Norway?”
Keeping track of all that has gone on in the old EasternEuropean Communist block had fallen by the wayside with me. The two Germanysgot back together, and their female athletes stopped taking so many steroids,that I knew. But I rather enjoyed the Cold War era. Back when James Bondvillains were extra formidable and daunting. The Cold War gave Westernpolitical parties someone to blame for the ills in Western society. Now theyblame us, the citizens. The budget deficit, the trade imbalance, and the need forhigher taxes are all my doing, not the fault of Czechoslovakia and Belarus.
To get to see my 18-year-old nephew represent his country, Imust make my first visit behind the Iron Curtain. I have spent his entire lifeliving away from Australia. I have never seen him compete in a regatta. I donot know his favorite movie or even if he has a girlfriend. Once in his life Itreated him, and his siblings, to breakfast at the Pancake Manor in downtownBrisbane. It was a special moment for me. This is the unseen burden of being anexpatriate. I have always felt like an uninvolved, forgotten uncle.
Now I have an opportunity to change that.
I have no idea what I would be getting myself into going toBulgaria. Like eating an American ballpark hot dog. Was it safe, or was it not?But this unknown aspect of travel is also what gives me a buzz. Who knows whatunusual things I will learn, or what new things I will see? The first thing Ilearn online is that Bulgaria is notorious for its Roma population, or gypsies.The European equivalent of the traveling carnival employee.
Gypsies. Damn it. I have a history with gypsies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
SimonYeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of thenumber he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one heexpected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on theplaygrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor toalways see the funnier side of life.
Withan overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there wasnone, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories willleave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathingdeeply that the adventures he has led were survived.
Noauthor has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.
AmazonAuthor Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBNQLSPW/about
TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@authoryeats
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/authoryeats/?hl=en
BookOne: https://www.amazon.com/Brothel-Thailand-Ordering-Lesser-Travel-ebook/dp/B0CLDBSXGX/ref=sr_1_3
BookTwo:https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Mugged-Janeiro-Singing-Police-ebook/dp/B0CPCBMD1N/ref=sr_1_4
BookThree:https://www.amazon.com/Survive-Yourself-Dancing-Bavarian-Nightclub-ebook/dp/B0CR6GDDXR/ref=sr_1_2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Arandomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
September 2, 2024
Blog Tour: BRIGHT MIDNIGHTS by LS Delorme
BRIGHT MIDNIGHTS
LS Delorme
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: New Adult Paranormal Romance Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Ameliehas always been different.
Mosthigh school students find life challenging, but 17-year old Amelie has a lotmore to contend with than typical teenage angst. Ever since she turned 11,others have been irresistibly drawn to her—with tragic consequences. Her onlyescape is at night when she flies to different times and places through her“dreams”. Her life begins to change when, on one of her flights, she meetsClovis, an alluring and mysterious young man who hides a secret.
AsAmelie finds herself increasingly drawn to him, she learns his story, how itintertwines with her own and finally discovers how to live her life in the realworld. Until her own secrets are revealed to the wrong people and that worldturns upside down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptThree:
Amelie was startled out of this reverie by the sound of atwig snapping. Starting, she found herself not ten feet from a stag, staringback at her with wide black eyes. She heard a splash, and the stag was gone.When she turned, so was the boy.
A cloud covered the sun, and the wind came up. The airaround her crackled with energy. Something felt wrong. She scrambled to herfeet and was beginning to back away when the boy leaped from the water and ontothe bank just a few feet in front of her. He was crouched and “when his blackeyes met hers, she felt her blood run cold. His form was human, but there wasnothing human about his movements, or what was behind those eyes. He smiled anduttered a low growl.
Her body had her running before her brain—which was tryingto tell her all this was unreal—could stop her. She sprinted toward the manorhouse, pulling up her wretched skirts as she forced her way through the longgrass. Behind her she could hear the sounds of pursuit, but it sounded wrong.The cadence of the running didn’t sound like someone on two feet, but on four.She couldn’t see anyone, but she could see the grass being bent as somethingcame at her. The manicured grounds of the manor house were only a few feetaway.
She had just thought she might make it, and be seen bysomeone, when she was hit hard from behind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Lexy is the author of the “Limerent” novel series. She has alsobeen a travel writer and author of The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland Hong Kongand An Expat Mom’s unofficial Guide to Disneyland Paris. She is an ex rockmusician, ex science grad, recovering attorney and now an expat writer. Herlove of writing stems from an eclectic life. As a navy “brat,” she grew up invarious states across the US until her father retired to North Carolina whenshe was a teenager. As an adult, she has continued this “tumbleweed” life,having since lived in 3 countries, 9 US states, and 21 cities around the world.But, through all this change, her love of writing has been the one constant.Writing the Limerent Series allows her to use her unusual past to help createnew worlds. Lexy now lives in Paris with her husband and two very cool sons.
Website: https://www.lsdelorme.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lexyshawdelorme
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lsdelormeauthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lexyshawdelorme
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexy-shaw-delorme-357830/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lsdelormeauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexy.delorme
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
August 31, 2024
Review: WELCOME TO DEAD HOUSE by R.L. Stine
There was something strange aboutthe new house the kids moved into. Whispers and flying curtains. And ghosts?The weirdest part was the pack of kids that all claimed to have lived in thathouse. And what was up with the family dog? The kids will soon realize just howDEAD this whole town was.
A good, scary read!
Rating:4 stars
Review: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF DOMINICK DAVIDNER by Shawn Inmon
In 1999, Dominick was killed by aschool shooter. Then he wakes up in 1968 at 9 years old. Honestly, this wasn’tas good as I thought it would be. There was far too much focus on the religiousstuff and nothing really interesting about the time-travel aspect. Just aboring read!
Rating:2 stars
Review: THE REDEMPTION OF MICHAEL HOLLISTER by Shawn Inmon
Michael Hollister died once, cameback as a child, then died again. He killed his father 87 times. Why was herepeating this same moment as a child? At last, he decides to relive his lifeas a second grader. You definitely see why he kills his father so many times.Why were we getting a different story with Bertellia and Carrie?
In this reset life, Michael getsshipped to military school, where he spends most of his childhood. I stilldidn’t understand what the whole deal was with Carrie. I guess she was like aguardian angel or something.
This was a nice read in general.The life in military school wasn’t too appealing. It’s a long read to getthrough, but it’s okay to get through it if you have nothing else to read. There’sbetter out there though.
Rating:3 stars
Review: THE MANY LIVES OF GEORGIE WELLS by Michelle Files
Georgie Wells automaticallyrestarts her life in middle school. At this point, we don’t know what’s goingon in her life or why her reset has triggered. How could Georgie havecompletely different siblings now? What happened to her siblings from the previousbooks? So right away this one has our heads scratching. It seemed that Georgiewoke up in an alternate universe, which was completely different than whatwe’ve been getting in this whole series. Why did the author stray from theformula? Whatever this was, I didn’t like it. The first 3 books were waybetter. This would’ve been just as good if the author hadn’t changed thepattern.
Don’t bother with this one.
Rating:2 stars
Review: JUSTICE FOR THE MISSING BODY by Katy Pierce
An alert of a serial kidnapper ona college campus. Apparently, this guy takes them, uses them, and dumps themback to where he found them. Could Allie Grecco do something to stop this sickcreep? The best thing about this was how the investigators go undercover tolure the kidnapper at a bar. It was cool how she went all Nikita on the guy.But one thing I don’t get was: someone knew who the perpetrator was all along?The son of a politician? Looks like Allie caught the guy…so where was themotivation for the rest of this story?
This had a nice narrative andthere were some good parts here and there, but this wasn’t quite what I wasexpecting.
An okay read, but I’m not sureI’ll continue the series.
Rating:3 stars
