MISSING, Past and Present by Diana Jackson

 

Is life just a roll of a dice?

Following the mysterious disappearance of her husband, Dorothy Gibbons, affectionately known as Lady Pink Hat, trudged the lanes around Drumford, homeless and directionless. Alone she rolled a dice, reflecting on her life, times both painful and pleasant. She stumbled upon The Grange, which changed the course of her life. In her isolation Dot began to write …Millie, an 18th Century aspirant nun, ran away from The Grange …Jamal Hussain, a Syrian refugee and asylum seeker, was fostered under the careful wing of Dorothy until leaving school and finding work. He and his brother settled in a nearby flat until the misguided Ahmed Hussain also disappeared. With three missing people, who will discover the truth? Is Millie still haunting The Grange until her story is told?

Amazon

 

My Review:

MISSING, Past and Present is a wonderful book, with two captivating stories.

In the first we follow Dorothy’s journey as she becomes homeless following the disappearence of her husband and the arrest of her foster son. This story is told by Dorothy as she thinks back on her life, family and friends, and how she ended up in her present cicumstances.

The second story is Millie’s, which is written by Dorothy after a chance discovery of a journal in the Grange, the uninhabited house she occasionally squats in.

The book is well written and the characters are dimensional and believable… including those from Dorothy’s imagination.

MISSING, Past and Present was an enjoyable read. Both stories were fascinating and held my attention throughout.

( I received a complimentary copy of the book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.)

 

Meet The Author:

Diana Jackson now lives in Fife where she and her husband have become deeply committed to community life in Kinghorn. Diana enjoys working with the ‘Kinghorn in Bloom’ crowd, ever improving the beautiful areas of Kinghorn and Pettycur, she is a volunteer at Kirkcaldy Foodbank and also helps her husband at various Rotary events through the year. Her book, ‘The Healing Paths of Fife’ tells her story of relocating to Fife in the form of an allegory ~ a walk along the beautiful coastal path.

Until winter 2015 they lived in the heart of Bedfordshire, UK, where Diana was a teacher of English and Business Studies. Having been made redundant, (probably due to being too old at 55 years!) Diana decided to launch a writers’ collaborative publishing company and through this she is still in touch with many authors back in Bedfordshire. She took eighteen months off to settle into her new life in Scotland, but now she has taken up the mantle once more, both in writing and publishing.

Diana’s initial inspiration to write her first novel ‘Riduna’ was her great grandmother, an Alderney girl, leading to the conception of the ‘Riduna Series’. Having said this she stresses that her novels are purely fiction. She takes the reader from the mid Victorian era through to 1920 and plans a third in the series to the mid thirties.

Her other projects include compiling a memoir and writing a murder mystery, ‘Murder, Now and Then’ which was inspired by a true story ~ an unsolved murder in Bedfordshire in 1919. From Today, February 28th 2020, her new novel ‘MISSING, Past and Present’ is available, the second in her ‘Mystery Inspired by History’ series.

What links Diana Jackson’s projects? ~ Her fascination for social history, her love of research and using her imagination to create believable characters living in the periods she is studying.

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The Coven Queen by Lily Luchesi

The Coven Series Book 5

Available now on Kindle Unlimited!
Read the finale of the #1 bestselling Coven Series!

Become the witch you were born to be.

Harley Sinclair has had more than her share of heartbreak, and now she’s all alone once again, trying to hold her life together and move on from the tragedies and the losses of both the dead and the living.

However, she cannot indulge in grief over heartbreak nor death.

Bodies are being found all over London, and then one turns up in the Coven’s confines. Someone is hunting witches and wizards, and with the Coven leaderless, they are more vulnerable than ever.

In order to escape the memories haunting her, she agrees to fly to Chicago to find the source of the murders before everyone she knows is killed.

Discover the magic, mystery, and mischief in the final installment of the #1 bestselling Coven Series!

*** PLUS ***
Books 1-4 are 99c each!
The Coven Princess
The Coven Heir
The Coven Rescue
The Coven History

Excerpt:

      The man yanked Harley up from her seat, still keeping the gun on her, and pulled her across the hall, kicking open the door where Caelum was being held.
He was being held still by two men, while the one woman held a silver blade to his throat. The third man had a gun pulled on him from the corner of the room. His wrists were bright red, as was the area of his neck where the blade touched. The silver was burning him. They had figured out he was a shapeshifter.
“What are you waiting for? Kill him!” the man holding her commanded.
Everything after seemed to happen in slow motion. The woman dug the tip of the blade into his throat and moved it downward, obviously to stab his heart and kill him. Caelum gasped and closed his eyes, absolutely helpless. He looked ready to swoon from the pain.
Harley’s body began to tingle from head to toe as her magic blossomed within her, hot and angry and ready to strike as though it was a living thing.
The man holding her let go abruptly, as her magic burnt him, eyes wide as he stared at her.
She paid him no mind, however. Her eyes, and her heart, were on Caelum.
“No!” she cried, and at her word, as though it was a command, her magic seemed to break free, uncontrolled and harsh. The cuffs holding her snapped apart and fell to the ground with multiple clinks while her green magic flew out, attacking every single human in the room. As if it were a wave, it dispersed, knocking all six humans into the walls. Now not held up by anyone, Caelum fell in a heap to the ground, blood slowly dripping from his wounds.
No longer shaking and filled with brimming magic, Harley rushed forward, not checking on a single human. She kicked the knife out of the way and felt for a pulse on Caelum. It was there, they hadn’t reached his heart yet when her magic had stopped them.
“Caelum,” she whispered, feeling her hand tremble as she held her palm over his wounds. “Plaga reparo,” she cast over and over, until he was no longer leaking blood. Without saying a word, her magic went out on its own once more and shattered the handcuffs so that he was no longer burning. Gingerly, she took his hands in hers and healed the round burn marks on his wrists.
People clattered behind her and she leapt up, ready to defend them both if need be. But to her surprise, she saw Director Mancini and three other agents from the PID. Judging by the Dark energy, two of those agents were vampires.
“What happened here?” Mancini asked, looking around.
“We found the hunters’ lair,” Harley replied. “I will fill you in later; Caelum needs help. He fainted as they were trying to stab him with a silver blade.”
Mancini went down by Caelum and said, “I believe he’s simply unconscious now, but we will take him back to the PID and get a Medic to look at him. Are you all right?”
“Yes, sir,” Harley said.
“How the Hell did you knock them all out?” one of the other agents asked, nudging one of the hunters with her boot.
“I–” She wasn’t sure what to say. To admit that she didn’t have full control of her magic to the paranormal police was a bad idea.
“Never mind. Are they all alive?” Mancini asked.
“Not this one.” The other vampire agent pointed to the woman who had held the knife to Caelum’s throat. “Her skull’s been shattered.”

My Review:

*See Saturday Spotlight (January 12th).

Lily Luchesi is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of the Paranormal Detectives Series, published by Vamptasy Publishing. She also has short stories included in multiple bestselling anthologies, and a successful dark erotica retelling of Dracula.

Her Coven Series has successfully topped Amazon’s Hot New Releases list consecutively.

She is also the editor, curator and contributing author of Vamptasy Publishing’s Damsels of Distress anthology, which celebrates strong female characters in horror and paranormal fiction.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and now resides in Arizona. Ever since she was a toddler her mother noticed her tendency for being interested in all things “dark”. At two she became infatuated with vampires and ghosts, and that infatuation turned into a lifestyle. She is also an out member of the LGBT+ community. When she’s not writing, she’s going to rock concerts, getting tattooed, watching the CW, or reading manga. And drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Website • Newsletter • Facebook • Street Team • Twitter • Instagram
Goodreads • Amazon
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Lie To Me by Samantha Calcott

 

4 boys. 3 broken hearts. 2 soulmates. 1 story.
An MM, BDSM romance novel.

 
It started with detention. After all, where else are a Goth, a jock, a nerd, and a loner going to meet, let alone strike up a friendship?

Frankie didn’t mean to get detention. He had no idea his mumbled comments about the teacher’s attitude could be heard by everyone.

Taylor only wanted a quick snog with a boy in a broom closet. He didn’t expect the boy to turn tail and run, leaving him to take the punishment.

Allen pushed Joe into a locker. Joe gave him a kick in the pants. And so they both wound up in trouble.

Four disparate boys. Eight hours of forced camaraderie. And a friendship to last a lifetime. Until, of course, their hearts get involved…

Available now on Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt:

      Frankie stood up and turned Taylor to face him. His face was red, eyes bright with wide pupils. He was gorgeous. So gorgeous. Frankie bent his head and swept him into his arms, kissing both of their breaths away.
      Taylor wound his arms around Frankie’s neck and kissed back, not as soft and pliant as he usually was. This kiss came from somewhere deep in both their souls, and Frankie didn’t ever want it to end.
      When it did, he pressed his forehead to Taylor’s, still holding him close.
      “Tay?”
      “Hmm?”
      “I was thinking … this summer … I don’t want us to be ‘friends who play’,” Frankie said. “I don’t want to keep doing this. I want you, Taylor. I want to be more than a friend, more than a Master. I want to be your boyfriend. Just you and me. Exclusive.”
      He had been thinking about that ever since his birthday surprise. The sex was great, but he didn’t want to play anymore. He was ready to be serious. He wanted Taylor, only Taylor. And he wanted Taylor to want only him just as much. It was a risk he was taking. If Taylor said no, it would break his heart.
      “I — I want that, too,” Taylor said, his voice soft. “I want you, Frankie. Only you.” His hand came to Frankie’s cheek, and he could feel it trembling.
      I love you, he thought but didn’t say. Instead he leaned down and kissed his boyfriend, feeling electricity spark beneath his skin. Nothing in his life had ever felt so right, so perfect, or so wonderful before.
      “This summer, no more hiding,” he whispered. “The world will know that you’re mine … and I am yours.”

 

 

 

About the Author:

Samantha Calcott is a secret lover of romance when it’s done right, and after years of writing under another pen name in the horror and paranormal genres, she decided to dip her toe into a brand-new genre.

She’s a Chicago native who spent nearly a decade in the gritty heart of Los Angeles, where sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll reign. When not writing, she’s reading, at a concert, or cooking.

She currently lives in Arizona and also writes horror and paranormal books as USA Today bestselling author Lily Luchesi.

Find her via her newsletter, where you can receive a free ebook and get exclusive content monthly.

Prophecy of Magic

Available Now for $0.99

Dangerous fates, mysterious curses, twisted fairy tales, and doomed prophecies…

Explore new worlds in Prophecy of Magic: a collection of over twenty urban fantasy and paranormal romance novels curated especially for the genre’s biggest fans!

These stories include all of your favorite mystical creatures, from gods and angels, to vampires and fae, to shifters, demons, witches, gargoyles, and more! With so much magic involved…what could possibly go wrong?

Including stories from several New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors as well as fresh new voices in fiction you’ve yet to meet!

Prophecy of Magic will captivate fans from the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to American Gods.

Don’t miss the chance to hold magic in your hand. One-click your copy today!

Featuring stories from…

USA Today bestselling author M.R. Graham
USA Today bestselling authors Alyssa Drake and Bella Emy
Teresa Roman
Missy De Graff & Heather D. Glidewell
Leigh Anderson & Alice Wilde
Tanya Dawson
IPPY Gold Medal Winner Nikki Landis
Sidonia Rose
Kelsie Rae
USA Today bestselling author Candace Sams and Jozie Mack
C. L. Coffey & J. S. Lee
Caia Daniels & April Canavan
Joel Crofoot
Marika Ray
Anna Edwards & Claire Marta
Katherine Hastings
Savannah Rose & Amelia Gates
David Burnett
Kira Nyte
T.M. Caruana
Dylan Quinn & Daniel Cade Quinn
Calliope Bay
Sabrina Clare & Chloe Ward
Mary Duke
CR Robertson
Skyler Andra
Jo-Anne Joseph

Books2Read

A Flash of Horror by Karina Kantas

 

A Flash of Horror is a collection of short and flash fiction in the horror genre taken from Karina Kantas’s two collections, Heads & Tales & Undressed.

12 chilling and thought-provoking tales that will stay with you for nights to come.

Are you ready to delve into the dark side?

Amazon

 

Excerpt:

VIRUS

 

“Well, that’s it. Now we wait again,” Maria announced.

Phil watched her sit at a cluttered desk to scribble yet more failure notes. But his eyes did not linger. He scanned the laboratory. It might be the last time he’d see it. Beds lined the walls of the spacious room, all but hiding its sterile, white-tiled floor. “How long until we see results this time — if any?” he asked.

“Same as the others. Twelve hours.”

“That doesn’t give us much time to administer a vaccine.”

“No. And — yes, before you say it, you’re right — there’s no guarantee we’ll ever find an acceptable vaccine.”

On each bed lay a test subject. Even those that had succumbed remained, since the examination of their rotting bodies still offered the faint hope of a cure.

But Phil knew that the virus had won this war. There was no hope. Eight months of this, and nothing but 665. The committee was right.
Phil turned his face away from the rotting, deformed victims, and stared at his co-worker. It was time to tell her, although he knew how she’d react. Maria was obstinate — so certain she’d find a cure.

Phil walked to his colleague’s desk. Each step weighed heavily on him, like the weight they’d shouldered as a team these past few months. He rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Maria?” he whispered.

Her eyes shimmered. “Yes?”

Phil blinked and spoke. “The committee decided if this last trial is unsuccessful, they’ll go with 665. They’ve already begun to manufacture.”

“What? You’re joking?”

“They say there’s no more time to be choosey. It’s 665 or total annihilation.”

“Choosey! Don’t they realise what will happen? 665 has such awful side effects.”

“Sorry. Maybe choosey was the wrong word, and yes, they know the peril. I agree with them. What other choice do we have?”

“I’d rather die.”

Phil turned and looked at the bed beside him. Clear plastic sheeting did nothing to hide its demonic deformities. IT was the only way to describe this once-person. Its new facial appearance removed any identification of what sex, race or age test subject 665 once had.

More to come…

 

Author Bio:

Karina Kantas is the author of the popular MC thriller series, Outlaw, and the loved romantic fantasy duology, Illusional Reality.

She also writes short stories and when her imagination is working overtime, she writes thought-provoking dark flash fiction.

When Karina isn’t busy working on her next bestseller, she’s a publicist, author manager and VA. She’s also the host of the popular radio show, Author Assist on the Artist First Radio Network.

Karina writes in the genres of fantasy, MC romance, Young Adult. sci-fi, horror, thrillers and comedy, romance, PNR, dystopian and erotica.

Her inspirations are the author S.E.Hinton and the rock band, Iron Maiden.

You can find her on Facebook and Twitter, where she loves hanging out with her readers.

Blog • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Goodreads

Get samples from Book 1 and Book 2 of Illusional Reality duology when you sign up to Karina’s mailing list.

 

Why I wrote this book?

I never thought of myself a someone with a dark side. I always thought of my flash fictions as scifi, thriller maybe a little creepy. But then I was a guest on a podcast and the host made me realise that, a lot of what I do write does fall into the horror genre. And so I decided to take out some of the best horror flash from my two collections Heads & Tales and Undressed and make this small collection for those that don’t mind sleeping at night.
Enjoy.

 

Other Books by Karina Kantas:

Electric Eclectic book

• Toxic (Dystopian Erotica)

 
The OUTLAW series

• In Times of Violence
• Huntress
• Lawless Justice
• Road Rage

 
Collections

• Heads & Tales
• UNDRESSED

• In Times of Violence Young Adult Edition (MC romance)
• Stone Cold (YA supernatural thriller)

 
Illusional Reality duology

• Illusional Reality (YA romantic fantasy)
• The Quest (Fantasy paranormal romance)

 
Coming soon

• Broken Chains (MI5/mafia romance)
• Predator (Erotic horror)

 

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Electric Eclectic

The Magic of Stories by Karen J Mossman

 

 

In conjunction with The Magic of Stories website, multi genre author Karen J Mossman, brings you this delightful collection of short stories, poetry and flash fiction

Visit The Magic of Stories website where there will be a week long celebration of articles relating to the stories of this book.

Amazon

 

Excerpt:

 

First Sight

Joe was a homicide cop working a case. He had no idea something would happen today that would change his life. Unfortunately, it would happen when he had a mouth full of doughnut.
       Kathy awoke and as she did every morning, threw on joggers, T-shirt and sneakers, grabbed a bottle of water and headed for Central Park. She too was oblivious that today was the day when everything would change.
       The call came shortly before 6am. Joe grabbed his coat.
       A man had shot out from behind some bushes at 5.10am and grabbed a female jogger. She had no time to scream as he launched a brutal attack. It would be wrong to call him a man because no true man would do what he did.
       Joe got there in time to preserve the crime scene. “Get these people outta here” He barked. This was bad, and he was thankful they couldn’t see what he’d seen. It didn’t help when it rained.
       “Joe,” a cop in uniform approached. “We have a witness.”
       “Where?” The cop pointed to a brunette who had her hands on her cheeks. “She all right?” Joe asked.
       “She’s in shock.”
       “She sees the body?”
       He nodded.
       “Okay, get the medics to check her over then get her down to the station.”
       “Right.” The cop nodded and left.
       Kathy sat in a room full of cops working other cases. She’d been given coffee but hadn’t touched it. Today was a day she wanted to begin again. She didn’t know the something that would change her life hadn’t happened yet.
       Joe picked up doughnuts on the way back to the station. He poured coffee from the percolator in the corner, shoved a doughnut in his mouth, picked up a manila folder and headed for his desk.
       The moment, that one moment that would define their future was about to happen.
       He arrived at his desk, the doughnut still in his mouth and stopped with surprise.
       Kathy’s hair was still wet as was her tear-stained face and with haunted eyes, she looked up. For a moment – that moment, their eyes locked. Kathy touched her hair and Joe dropped the doughnut in his hand. Their fate was sealed. Joe had met Kathy.
       “The witness?” he asked.
       “The cop?” she replied.
       “Yes, ma’am. Sorry to have kept you waiting.” He offered his hand then wiped it on his trousers and offered it to her again.
       And that was it. The one defining moment that would change their lives forever.
       Of course, love, at first sight, is reserved for works of fiction. In real life, the process takes a little longer. Here, it had already been triggered.
       They say out of something bad, comes something good. Kathy’s testimony put away a killer, and the image haunted her would be eased by Joe’s gentle touch and his penchant for doughnuts.

 

Author Bio:

Karen J Mossman comes from a family of journalists with her grandfather and uncle having been newspaper editors. Further back a 2x grandfather wrote for his local paper and also published a book based on those articles. Karen is the only one to go into fiction.

An avid blogger, Karen is also book reviewer, reviewing every book she reads.
“It’s especially important to me to have feedback from my readers, I hope you leave a review when you have read this book.”

Karen lives on the beautiful Isle of Anglesey off the north Wales coast with her husband and two dogs. She has two grown up children, who were both born on the same day, two years apart.

Author Website • Magic of Stories Website
Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

 

 

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Electric Eclectic is a global marketing brand

Bonfire Heart by Audrina Lane

 

Sebastian Winter is a loner with a lot on his mind. His only escape is his photography and enjoying the peace and solitude that sailing off the coast of New Zealand brings.

Lena Cavendish is the town’s rich girl who wants to break free and follow her heart. Her father wants University and a career for his daughter, she wants to write romances. She is looking for her ‘Happily Ever After’.

Falling in love can be simple but will Sebastian’s anxiety and depression push her away, just when he needs her the most?

Find out in this coming of age story set on the North Island of New Zealand.

Amazon

Excerpt:

 
Setting off on the path behind the house he climbed the small hill to his favoured location. From the one side the town was laid out before him, the other was the rugged cliff line leading to the lighthouse. The sun was starting to turn the horizon orange, so he settled on the grass, the lighthouse in view. He watched as the light bathed its white shell pink and then orange. Taking a few shots, he waited until the sun was diving into the ocean and the colours turned to violets before dark. Then shifting into the other direction, the moon began its ascent, lighting the midnight sky with its stark white light. Once more the lighthouse was white, topped by the bright yellow light of the lamp. Sebastian loved this time of day when he got to indulge his other love after sailing. Then lying back in the grass, he closed his eyes and thought of Lena.

 

Author Bio:

Audrina lives in Herefordshire with her partner Steve and her 3 Black Labradors called Rael, Lily & Milo.

She is the author of the fabulous “Heart Trilogy Series” made up of the novels “Where did your Heart go?” “Un-break my Heart” and “Closer to the Heart”. She has also completed the first two books in the Bloodstained Heart Trilogy. These are connected to The Heart Trilogy series in that they feature the full story of Felicity.

She has enjoyed writing her first collaboration with Rita Ames on the ‘Need for Speed’ Racing series. These are romances set at various motor racing venues, with the first book ’24Hrs to Love’ available and set at Le Mans. She has recently released her first Poetry and Short Story Anthology called ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’.

When she is not tapping away on the PC, she enjoys walking her 3 black Labradors, listening to eighties music and barefoot dancing. She also loves cars, from old classics to modern day supercars and is a total fan of Formula 1.

Website • Facebook • Audrina’s Place • 24Hrs Facebook Page • Twitter • Instagram • YouTube

Find all of Audrina’s novels on Amazon and all are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited:

Amazon.co.uk • Amazon.com

Other Books by Audrina Lane:

The Heart Trilogy

Where did your Heart go?
Unbreak my Heart
Close to the Heart

 

The Bloodstained Heart Trilogy

Bloodstained Heart. Part 1 – Passion
Bloodstained Heart. Part 2 – Revenge
Bloodstained Heart. Part 3 – Redemption

 

Need for Speed series with co-author Rita Ames

24Hrs to Love

 

Short Story & Poetry Anthology

Whiter Shade of Pale

 

Electric Eclectic Novelettes

Bonfire Heart

 

 

Website • Facebook

Five on Friday

Five new releases that I’ve added to my to-read list!

 

A Means to an End

Lissa Marie Redmond

September 8, 2019

Buffalo police detective Lauren Riley risks her life to close the book for good on a killer who’s never paid for his crimes.

When cold case detective Lauren Riley returns to work months after being stabbed by a fellow police officer, it’s clear that her troubles are far from over. The body of a young woman has been found in the same woods as a murder victim from one of Lauren’s most horrifying cases. It doesn’t take long for Lauren to be back at square one confronting David Spencer, the quietly deranged man she could never prove was a killer. Lauren convinces the police chief to put together a task force to uncover the connections between the brutal slaying of both women and the murder of two cops. But things go south quickly, forcing Lauren into a deadly game that she can’t afford to lose.

Amazon • B&N • Kobo • GooglePlay

 

 

 

The Hag

Erik Henry Vick

September 6, 2019

War is hell and a war with hell even more so…

Broken by terror, separated by time and circumstance, drawn back together again by insufferable evil, friends stood against the maleficent horror and survived once. But the demons have a new leader, and Toby, Benny, Shannon, Mike, and Scott now face the collected might of the demons inhabiting Oneka Falls.

They hunted the Demon King in the forest around the town and sparked a war with an enemy they barely understood. Worse yet, by attacking Herlequin and disrupting his plans, they painted a bright target on their own backs for the rest of the demons in the town. Led by Chaz Welsh and Lee LaBouche, the demons strike back, forcing the demon hunters to run for their lives.

How can Toby, Benny, Shannon, Mike, and Scott hope to win a war against the demons entrenched in Oneka Falls? How can they even hope to survive?

Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iBooks • GooglePlay

 

The Extinction Agenda

Michael Laurence

September 3, 2019

An FBI agent fights to stop a conspiracy to unleash a deadly virus on the world in this propulsive, exhilarating new thriller.

The discovery of a deadly virus being smuggled across the border pits FBI Special Agent James Mason and his strike force against an unknown adversary hell-bent on humanity’s destruction. In a desperate effort to contain the pathogen, they launch a predawn raid, only to find that their enemy knows they’re coming…and it’s not about to be taken alive. An explosion rips through the building, killing the majority of Mason’s team, including his partner and mentor.

Tormented by guilt, Mason returns to his home division, but he can’t seem to let go of the tragedy. He remembers seeing something inside the building before it went up in flames, something that convinces him that not only is the virus still out there, it’s merely the first stage of an even more nefarious plan. Obsessed with unraveling the plot, he launches his own investigation and uncovers a shadow organization on the brink of enacting its genocidal agenda, one carried out by a sinister mass murderer who’s been photographed at the epicenter of seemingly every historical pandemic…without appearing to age. An evil man who attempts to derail Mason’s investigation by murdering his wife.

With the help of his longtime friends—Gunnar Backstrom, a corporate espionage gun-for-hire, and Ramses Donovan, a sin merchant of questionable morality—Mason’s hunt for his wife’s killer leads him from a dark union at the dawn of the twentieth century to a network of Nazi collaborators and a conspiracy against mankind more than a hundred years in the making. Fueled by anger and driven by the promise of vengeance, he must overcome a monster preparing to unleash his virulent wrath upon an unsuspecting world if he’s to have any hope of exposing a deep-state entity that’s rooted in every facet of our society, an entity known only as…The Thirteen.

Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iBooks • GooglePlay

 

Crossings

Ashley Capes

September 1, 2019

Deep in the Australian bush, something dark is stirring.

When wildlife ranger Lisa Thomas finds a pile of animal entrails on her doorstep she immediately suspects her abusive ex, but the sudden spate of deaths that follow seem beyond even Ben’s vindictiveness.

Worse, her father’s health is deteriorating fast and when the harassment and deaths continue, it only fuels her feelings of powerlessness. To add confusion to growing fear, Lisa must also investigate reports of a giant white kangaroo, reports that suggest the creature is no mere hoax.

Yet the mysterious kangaroo is impossible to track down and the more Lisa searches the more she’s sure an even greater threat lurks in the wilderness…

Amazon • B&N • Kobo

 

 

 

Shadows Among Us

Ellery A. Kane

August 31, 2019

Evil is closer than you think.

Psychologist, Mollie Roark, had it all. A hotshot husband, a beautiful daughter, a successful career, and a fancy house on the Napa hillside. She’d finally made it. Left her troubled past and her crazy father far behind her.

But two years ago, the unspeakable happened. Her daughter’s burned body turned up on the shores of Lake Berryessa just days after her fifteenth birthday. The police seem certain Dakota fell victim to the Shadow Man, the prolific serial killer who had terrorized the Napa Valley for two decades. Mollie’s normal life is now anything but. Childless, divorced, and unemployed, she’s barely staying afloat. She’s got one mission. To find the scumbag who killed her daughter and make him pay.

When a mysterious old man shows up at her door seeking absolution and promising answers, it’s impossible to resist. But the deeper she goes inside his mind, the shakier her sanity becomes. Everyone is a suspect. No one is innocent. Because Mollie knows evil may be as close as her own shadow.

Amazon

 

The Coven History by Lily Luchesi

The Coven Series Book 4

 

The dead hold the key to saving the King.

When the Coven King falls deathly ill, Harley must search through his history, and the history of everyone she once knew, in order to find the cure.

As a child, Salem Sinclair was never meant to amount to much, until he met a girl named Daphne Fraser. As Light as he was Dark, he fell in love at first sight and would do anything to please her, even if his love makes him a target.
But there is a Darkness growing, and Daphne is at the centre of the conflict. Salem must pick a side and do what is right to save the girl he loves.

Meanwhile, will Harley find out how to cure her father or will the Coven once again lose its leader?

Available now for only $2.99
or FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt:

         “Murder?” Caelum asked.
“What do you mean, murder?” Draven demanded, face pasty white.
“I believe he is trying to say that someone has died by nefarious means,” Salem said sarcastically.
“Where? What happened?” Daphne asked, ignoring the boys.
“In a house just up that way,” the man said, still unblinking. “We have to alert the PID!” And he dashed off without another word.
“What do we do?” Draven wondered.
“We go see what happened. I can feel the Darkness,” Daphne said. “It’s getting stronger and stronger with each step we take in this direction.”
That was the deciding vote and the five of them kept walking, guided by Daphne’s Fraser senses. With each step, it was Salem who was now filled with foreboding, however. Because they were closing in on the house he and Robert lived in.
His fears were confirmed when they reached the end of the road and found a group of magicians gathered around his house, 109 Dahlia Lane. Voices were murmuring and people seemed generally spooked.
“What happened here?” Salem asked the first person to meet his eyes. She merely shuddered and left.
He grabbed someone else by the collar of the cloak, a fellow student whose name he couldn’t place. “Hey, you. I live here. Tell me what happened this instance!”
The poor boy stuttered and couldn’t say a thing.
“Salem!”
Salem turned to see Robert near the doorway of their house, his face somber. “It’s Ms. Stanton. It’s bad. Really bad.”
Daphne clutched her head and said, “My body can already tell that much.” She began to walk toward the house and Salem grabbed her by the sleeve.
“Is it wise for you to go inside? With the way your head is already?”
“Yeah, I have to agree with Sinclair. Don’t go inside,” Michael said, arms crossed.
Daphne whirled around. “You, Mike, don’t ever tell me what to do. Sal, I appreciate the concern, but I have to know what’s happening.”
Salem nodded and let her sleeve go. “All right. Come on, then. Robert, did you call the PID? Or go to the castle?”
Robert said, “That bloke who ran off was going to call. Figured someone who lived here should stick around. Come on, if you guys really want to see. I wouldn’t.” He turned around and the five teens followed him into the house.
“Something smells awful,” Draven said almost immediately after he crossed the threshold.
Salem didn’t smell anything at first, until they got past the foyer. Then it hit him. When he was a boy, a few older boys had killed a small deer and left it to rot in some underbrush near a stream. During the summer, the heat had risen and cooked the rotting carcass. This sickly sweet, gaseous smell was similar to that.
Ms. Stanton was in the living room, on the sofa. She had been knitting when she’d been murdered. But the only reason Salem knew it was Stanton was because he recognised her grey and pink ombre robe, which she wore constantly. The body was decayed to the point where only a magician with the PID could have identified her with magic.
Her skin was wet and greenish, broken open in parts where old blood and Gaia knew what else was leaking out. Her mouth was open, lips blue, tongue black and lolling out the side. One of her eyes was normal, the other hanging from its socket on a long, sticky string of sinew.
“I’m gonna be sick,” Michael said, dashing from the house.
“Me too. The smell,” Draven groaned, following Michael.
Daphne whimpered. “It’s not the corpse making me sick. It’s the Dark magic.”
“The Decaying Curse,” Salem said softly. “The Darkest spell ever created. No wonder everyone in Clan Fraser was sick. That curse hasn’t been used in the Coven in over a century.”

 

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My Review:

The Coven History, book 4 of The Coven Series, is another fantastic read from author, Lily Luchesi.

In this installment we learn the details of Salem’s life as a youngster at the coven. His daughter, Harley, journeys back through his memories to find a cure to prevent his death.

Harley witnesses the hardship and taunting that Salem endured, but also sees her the love and romance between her mother and father. There are twists and surprises for both Harley and the reader.

Does Harley find the cure for Salem? What does she discover about her father and her friends? You’ll need to read this book to find out.

Lily Luchesi is a brilliant author who continues to impress me with her writing, her plots and her characters. Her books grab you from page one and you live alongside the characters, sharing the same range of emotions as they do.

I loved this book and I love the series. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

(I received a complimentary copy of the book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.)

 

Lily Luchesi is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of the Paranormal Detectives Series, published by Vamptasy Publishing. She also has short stories included in multiple bestselling anthologies, and a successful dark erotica retelling of Dracula.

Her Coven Series has successfully topped Amazon’s Hot New Releases list consecutively.

She is also the editor, curator and contributing author of Vamptasy Publishing’s Damsels of Distress anthology, which celebrates strong female characters in horror and paranormal fiction.

She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and now resides in Arizona. Ever since she was a toddler her mother noticed her tendency for being interested in all things “dark”. At two she became infatuated with vampires and ghosts, and that infatuation turned into a lifestyle. She is also an out member of the LGBT+ community. When she’s not writing, she’s going to rock concerts, getting tattooed, watching the CW, or reading manga. And drinking copious amounts of coffee.

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Emergence by McCallum J Morgan

 
Title: Emergence
Series: Hypostasis Book 1
Author: McCallum J Morgan
Genre: Space Opera
Publication Date: August, 2019

I await thee, Iara—the Book of Elem

 
A planet said to be heaven itself is about to appear in the firmament. The armies of the Empire and rebel factions prepare to stake their claims, but an ancient evil has emerged and its eyes have been fixed upon Iara for millennia.

A runaway farm boy and a cult apprentice will both find themselves drawn into the core of this conflict. Their destinies are tangled with those of the Empire, the rebellion, the Church of Elem, a menagerie of monsters, and the universe itself.

Heresy, fellowship, valor, and darkness will all emerge–and be tested to the breaking point.

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Character blurbs:

Tesek Nyme flees his abusive father and leaves his home world to join the Imperial Navy. Struggling with anxiety and alienation, he’s just trying to fit in and survive. War is coming and he will have to rise above it all to save the first friends he’s ever really had and meet his destiny.

Zymar Thrassus is a beast trainer for the nihilistic cult of the Thrik. Enraptured by the Nihil Operas, he dreams of Geszmitt–the last day–but he will come to question all of his beliefs as events unfold and the Thrik aoign themselves with a forgotten evil and an exotic alien culture fighting for freedom from the Empire’s state religion.

Osrua Va’akoth, the Imperial Astrologer, seeks to guide the Regent Princess in preserving the universe from ancient evil, but he must hide his own past and the true heresy of his quest.

 

About the Author:

McCallum J. Morgan writes steampunk fantasy, alternate history, and science fiction, mixing in the mythical and the macabre. He also dabbles in the dark arts of painting and costuming.

Inspired at a young age by the fantasy novels he read voraciously, he set out to become an author. After many failed attempts to write various books, he became superstitious and at last approached what he termed ‘AAAB’ or Attempt-at-a-book, so as not to jinx the thing. It worked.

His first novel was published when he was nineteen and now, at 23, he has a full trilogy of steampunk fantasy, called the Weather Casters Saga, along with the standalone horror-comedy, Ambulatory Cadavers. His writing is inspired by the fiction he loves: old myth, classic horror, and the kinds of books where the characters leap off the page. A bit eccentric, he prefers to appear at signing events and comicons in book-related costumes which he sews himself. He is also a self proclaimed amateur artist, with a predilection for watercolors and coffee…occasionally intermixed by accident.

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