+Giveaway
Thriller, Mystery - novel
TBR Reviewer: Mark

Review

 Fresh-faced lawyer, Ben Kravner, is placed in charge of handling a recently deceased Newspaper Editor's last Will and Testament. He stumbles across an intriguing and interesting poem amongst his Client's effects that seems to suggest the possibility of a conspiracy that has spanned almost a Century. Every Twenty years or so, an American President has been assassinated with the exception of Ronald Reagan upon whom the attempt failed. Individually, these assassinations appear completely unconnected but when taken all together, suddenly it seems as though one single power is behind the attacks; the descendants of an old family who would like nothing better than to see America descend into the midst of another Civil War.....
 
From the author of King Of Paine, Larry Kahn, comes this clever and often convoluted thriller set at the turn of the last Millennium. A gripping read, I really enjoyed this despite the fact that, at times, the plot did stretch credibility and the villains of the piece did suffer from the usual conventions of not really being all that accomplished. The idea of connecting such a random series of events into an ongoing historical conspiracy is a neat one and Kahn
pretty much manages to pull it off with some convincing twists and some well thought out characters. Though it is perhaps not quite as good as King Of Paine, this can be excused since The Jinx was Kahn's first novel and hence his style here is more of a work in progress that is closer perfected in his much later thriller.That being said, for a first novel, this is pretty good stuff and easily as good as say The Da Vinci Code or other similar conspiracy novels.

I would certainly recommend this if you want a bit of harmless hokum and are prepared to not take this TOO seriously. It's good as a source of playful suspension of disbelief but if you are looking for something you can get your teeth into more and have a good gnaw at then chances are this might not quite be for you.

Overall, The Jinx is certainly enjoyable and definitely worth picking up, especially if you enjoyed his other book, King Of Paine!

Excerpt

He watched helplessly as the distance between Fritz and his attacker closed, then was overcome with grief when the two figures disappeared behind a clump of trees near the southern tip of the lake. 

He buried his face in his gloved hands. He had opened the sealed envelope. He had tried to be the hotshot lawyer, taking on the most powerful men in the nation on his own. Why? The answer sprang to his mind instantly—to impress Fritz Fox, a man who was more like a grandfather to him than a mentor. He had saved him once; now he had killed him.
 
Ben sat there, stunned, motionless, contemplating his fate.There was nowhere for him to turn. His parents, his friends, his colleagues were all incommunicado. There were apparently no limits to what The Royal Order would do to stop him.

A siren pierced the morning stillness. Surrender to the police was an option. He would be charged with various drug offenses, any remaining shred of credibility would be destroyed, but he would live. It was not his responsibility to save the world. That was for great men with white hair.

Great men. One had died today. Would Fritz Fox have surrendered if faced with adversity? No! The Old Man would have dueled with the devil until justice was done or his last drop of blood had been spilt. And he wanted to be like Fritz.

He felt his despondency lift as an icy gust slapped him in the face. There would be no surrender. Fritz’s death would not be in vain. There was still one last card to play.

Ben sucked in a deep breath, then metamorphosed as he expelled it, the steaming mist rising high into the air before dissipating. His eyes blazed. His nostrils flared. His jaw set firmly. The anger and sorrow that moments ago had almost conquered him were now the fuel that stoked the fire within. Passion overcame fear. The Royal Order of the Millennium Knight beware—Benjamin Franklin Kravner, Hawkeye, was on the warpath.

Ben gave one final hard look at the clump of trees where he last saw Fritz alive. “They don’t know the meaning of vengeance,” he said out loud, then bolted east, along the lake’s southern shore.

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+Giveaway
Mystery, thriller - novel
TBR reviewer: Mark

Review

Frank Paine is an ex-Hollywood actor, turned recent FBI Agent, with a rather seedy, secret past. In his former life, Frank had an addiction to online BDSM chat rooms ~ something which now threatens to be revealed when he attends a call to a Motel room and walks in on a scene that could have been taken straight from one of his role-play scenarios. Someone appears to be targeting Frank and trying to trip up his new career but is there something deeper and more malevolent at work than just a personal vendetta?
 
Meanwhile washed-up, alcoholic, former Pulitzer prize winning journalist, Roger Martin is at his wits end trying to find a story that will restore him to former glory. Investigating a series of mysterious, apparently unlinked disappearances of eccentric rich millionaires over a period of several years, Martin accidentally stumbles across a conspiracy that has so far gone unnoticed. And the further he delves, the more his and the FBI's investigation begin to link... 
 
This is a highly enjoyable and engaging thriller that grips you very early on and refuses to let go! Don't let yourself be put off by the mentions of BDSM either because there is nothing very explicit in the text and in fact much of what Mr. Kahn mentioned is very tame, carrying only the merest hint of eroticism. The characters are well conceived too and the way the two plot threads eventually string together is very cleverly done. I'll be honest, this wasn't my first choice of book to review but in hind sight, this was a mistake on my part as I found myself enjoying this far more than I ever expected to! Within only a few chapters, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading right up until the end!
 
One thing I always ask myself when discovering a new writer is would I read anything else by this author and here, the answer is a definite yes. This novel is by no means perfect but has very few faults and Larry Kahn has an accomplished style that helps the story to flow to its natural conclusion, pulling you along in its stream almost without you realizing you are hooked! If you like strong mystery thrillers with plenty of tension and suspense, then this
novel is for you and is a far better read than many of the mass-market thrillers that you can normally pick up from your local supermarket shelf!
 
King of Paine definitely comes recommended!

Excerpt

Frank found Reyes studying the contents of an open folder in one of a dozen cubicles dotting the blue-carpeted bullpen. After getting his attention with a knock on the vinyl doorframe, Frank skipped the bull. “Woody’s out today, but I want in on this rape case. It’s a better fit for Violent Crimes than the Kiddie  Porn Unit, don’t you think?”

Reyes set the folder down on his desktop, gesturing for him to sit in the lone chair opposite his gray metal desk. “Maybe even a better one for the Atlanta police. I don’t see the federal issue.”

As Frank sat, he recognized one of his old headshots on top of the open folder—wavy, golden brown hair, sun-baked skin, dimpled chin, blue eyes, and that ridiculous smirk his fans seemed to adore. Rugged good looks that translated well on film, less impressive in a locker room full of linebackers. It did not bode well that Reyes was studying his personnel file.

He clenched and unclenched his clammy fists to collect himself. His nerves always acted up before a first take but, with Reyes already suspicious, he sensed there would be only one chance to get this right. Lee Fields’s voice echoed in his head.Play it with emotion, Frankie Boy. He summoned a memory from his early days in Hollywood, when he lost a role after a kick-ass audition to a jerk who was the director’s second cousin’s kid or some other convoluted relation.

“Give them Ralston for the rape if you want,” he began. “But some lunatic is working the Internet, setting up sex crimes. I researched this last night and think we can prosecute under federal law for criminal use of a communication facility or cyberstalking. He may have struck before, and he may strike again, in Atlanta or elsewhere. It’s not a local issue.”

Reyes’s eyebrows arched up. “Why the sudden interest in this case, my friend? Low profile. No terrorists. No serial killers. Not exactly Hollywood stuff, no?”

Frank averted his eyes, unable to hold the Cyber agent’s penetrating gaze. No matter how hard he worked to fit in, these guys would only see that grinning idiot playing G-Man on the big screen. Were they so wrong? When did the acting stop and Frank Paine begin? He unclipped the shield from his jacket pocket, slowly twirling it in his hand.

“You’ve got the wrong idea about me. I don’t want publicity. I’m not proud of some things I’ve done, but one day I’d like to be able to look myself in the eye when I stare into the mirror. This badge stands for principles I want to live by. Fidelity. Bravery. Integrity. I can’t do that if you treat me like a joke.”

Reyes closed the folder, studying Frank intently. “Our UNSUB—the unknown subject—sent you a personal invitation to this fiesta, my friend. You want to recite the Bureau motto for me? Stop acting and spill the frijoles. I googled the nickname your tipster used and did not get any hits referring to you. Tell me about The King of Paine.”

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7 Comments
 
 
Thriller, Mystery - Novel
TBR reviewer: Kim

Review

This is the story of Jack. A basically good guy who got put away for 5 years after an armed robbery. He bides his time in jail, reading and deciding on going straight. On coming out however Fate has other ideas. He is put in the path of an old friend who persuades him to do one last job. He agrees, and via a love triangle and meeting up with an old school friend the job begins....

This started off very slowly, almost to the point of me giving up but being the tenacious type of person I am, I stuck with it. I am glad I did because about a third of the way through it grew wings and flew along. The development of Sandra and Jacks relationship was quite sweet, with them keep meeting by chance and then losing touch again. His regret at having to do the job, since he met her was tangible. The meeting with Carla, and her interference
in his relationship with Sandra, and regret because his heart was with Sandra was real.

Once the job starts that was when everything starts getting good. The action from that point on was unrelenting and I found it really hard to put the book down. The ending was explosive and very exciting! A good thriller that I recommend for readers who like a slow build up and an explosive ending!

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+Giveaway
Mystery, romance - Novel
TBR reviewer: Luta Wolf

Blurb

Reid Ramsay is still in love with Caroline Cunningham. As they work together searching for Reid's brother, Reid and Caro finding themselves attempting to  rebuild the life they once shared together. But their future remains uncertain. Before they can find the happiness they seek, each must work through the emotional baggage of the past and test the theory they desperately hope rings true.

Review

When you love someone so deeply does that feeling ever really go away? Even when you can’t be with that person when love maybe just isn’t enough, does it still continue to grow and if that person called you out of the blue some years later needing help, would you go? For Caroline the answer is yes because for Reid she’d go through hell it’s self to help him and she might have to.
 
This book isn’t going to be for everyone because the real beauty of the story is the back plot otherwise this might be too simple for some. While I liked the main plot and thought the author did a good job of holding up the suspense and mystery it didn’t compare to the secondary message that she was pushing. It’s a sweet romance that really goes in-depth about love. It makes you think about, can your first love be the person that’s actually your forever love. Can love really conquer all or is love sometimes just not enough and if it isn’t is there away for someone to learn how to build the blocks to make it so.
 
Everything about this book pulled me in and kept me interested. The small community and the details put into the town life to these characters even the secondary ones. For those willing to read between the lines this is a romance sure to leave an impression.

Excerpt

Caroline jolted awake when the phone rang, loud and insistent, beside her bed. Telephone calls at night always scared her, too often portents of bad news, illness or death. Hands 
shaking, blinking sleep from her eyes, she snatched up the receiver, breathless. “Hello?” 

“I need you. Will you come home?” 

His voice hit her like a fist in the stomach, sucked the air from her lungs, and caused her heart to beat  an erratic rhythm. She thought she should have forgotten the sound of his
voice,  the deep, low rumble that streamed into her ears; she'd tried hard enough in the  last five years but clearly she'd failed. He didn't identify himself but he  didn't need to – she would have known his voice anywhere, anytime, anyplace. At  fifteen, she embroidered his name on her heart with blood red stitches. Another  woman would search for the courage to hang up or tell him he dialed a wrong  number but Caroline wouldn't do that. She couldn’t. She still
loved him and that  knowledge destroyed every defense she'd built. It smashed through them all and  left her vulnerable. “What’s wrong?” 

“Just come, Caroline. If you  still love me... “ 

“I do.” She interrupted him,  saying it before he had to ask. Long ago, a wise woman told her that love never dies and it was true. If anything in her life held meaning, it was that.

“Then you’re coming?”

“I’ll come today.”
 
“I’ll see you then. You know  where to go, don’t you?” 

“Yes, Reid, I do and I’ll be  there.” 

He said nothing and she thought he'd hung up the phone but just before she put down the receiver, she  heard him whisper. “I love you, Caro.” 

His tender words caught her hard and strangled her throat with unshed tears. Her bedside alarm clock read  2:15 in big, green numerals but she knew she wouldn't sleep again so she
got up,  made the bed with stiff, neat corners, and fixed coffee. After she drank the first cup, she packed a single suitcase. Online, she bought her plane ticket and before daylight streaked the sky, she called a taxi and rode to the airport. In rapid sequence, she checked her bag and boarded the flight, her mind already back there, with him. 

Not accustomed to moving with such swiftness, Caroline felt like she hadn't breathed from the moment she answered the phone until she was in the air, winging eastward back toward   Neosho. Her hometown. And his.

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Contest

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7 Comments
 
 
Fantasy - Novel
TBR reviewer: Mark

Blurb

Cecilia Orchard lives alone.

She writes fantasy and mystery stories to escape a humdrum data entry job that barely pays for her apartment, food, and bus fare. Then a handsome police detective arrives with news that she is the prime suspect in the murder of her grandfather whom she never knew existed. If inheriting a fortune from a man she doesn't know isn't madness enough, Cecilia finds herself the owner of a powerful genie that could make all her dreams come true, but what are her dreams and is she willing to make the wish?

Review

Aspiring writer, Cecilia Orchard is having a very strange week. First she discovers that she is sole heir to the Billionaire estate of a Grandfather she never knew she had, then she discovers that she is the prime suspect in his murder. And if that's not all, she is also the proud new owner of her Grandfather's Genie who lives in a pocket watch! Whatever happened to her life being simple?
 
This was a bit of a strange read. It sounded like something that might be a bit quirky and different, which is why I decided to pick it up, but I can honestly say that my end impressions were a disappointing.
 
It reads a little like a Detective story, a traditional whodunnit, but with paranormal and other-worldly influences thrown into the mix but that was not my problem. My problem was that the main characters that we are supposed to care about, read like caricatures of themselves and just felt a bit too two-dimensional and under-developed for my liking. The romance aspect of Clockwork Genie felt a bit clumsily done and never really came together. 
 
Cecilia is an interesting character in and of herself but those around her were mostly just vacuous. The culprit of the crime was obvious very early on and not just that, when you thought the book had come to a fairly tidy conclusion then the story continued on with, what I felt, an unnecessary slant added merely to boost the word count!

One of the most important factors in writing fiction is creating believable characters and if you get that wrong, then everything else pretty much falls flat. This is Broden's first full-length novel but, to my mind, it never really quite gelled and that is a crying shame as this had so much potential that it never quite managed to live up to.

I really wanted to like this but the whole thing just didn't seem to tick any of my boxes. Genies are an under-used concept that don't appear very often in modern-day fiction so this book was always going to get off to a good start by breaking the mold as it were. But unfortunately, this particular tale just couldn't hold the pace and ended up falling at the very first hurdle. 

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Mystery, thriller - novella
TBR Reviewer: B.H.

Blurb

The Ghetto is the hottest attraction in Atlantic City, an adult fun house where the frights aren’t supplied by skeletons and goblins popping out of the dark, but by ghetto scenes
played out in front of the audience. When a loud mouth patron and his companion are executed, the audience howls with delight. After all, it was all part of the show. Or was it?

Review

I thought this was such a unique concept. New and dark, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I think it could have been great if only the author and editor knew a little something about POV and head hopping.

Oh my God, I hate head hopping. The author, unless this is their first publication and even then, should know not to head hop. Now if she didn't know, the editor should have! This was such a disaster as far as editing goes and it cut a brutal gash into the story. Then there's all the character introductions, add that to the head hopping and it's a mess.

The bottom line: cool plot, but needs a lot of work.

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Mystery, M/M - Novel
TBR reviewer: Luta Wolf

Blurb

When veterinarian Jeremy Reed hears a thump one night on his front step, he expects to find an abandoned animal. What he gets is battered and broken cop Brendan Wheeler. Kidnapped from his apartment five days earlier by an unknown man, Brendan now sports a vivid tattoo across his back depicting a young woman’s death, a woman nobody knows.

Until the next morning when Jeremy discovers her dead body.

Brendan wants to find the killer. Jeremy wants Brendan to survive. And someone wants both of them to pay...

Review

Brendan Wheeler is taken captive for five days before he manages to break free. He comes away with not only emotional scars but a tattoo on his back that paints a picture of a horrible murder. Jeremy Reed offers a safe place and comfort while they search out the mystery of who is doing this.
 
I loved how different this book was. You have the captivating idea of the tattoo on the back and the fact that the authors didn’t stick to stereo-types on the characters at all. Brendan might be the cop but he was not the dominate in the relationship at all but he is still all man.  Jeremy is an African American veterinarian with a take charge attitude. There were no twinks in this story. The pace was really well written in how it kept up with the mystery but the romance evolved nice and gradual. There was no instant love but you could easily feel them falling in love. Actually my only complaint was the who-dun-it. That could have been written better, reached a little bit further. It felt kind of thrown together but the romance was good enough that it covered for it.

I’m hoping we will revisit these characters and get more of their happily ever after.

Read Excerpt and purchase here

 
 
Historical / Mystery - Novel
TBR reviewer: Cathy

Blurb

An unexplained drowning...a muddy fall. A chain of unexpected events, a discovery and an ancient secret threaten the future. The story begins with a rainy funeral in Dublin in 1912. It tells how a very traditional, Western Irish sheep raising family learn of a secret holding them to their land and to an  ancient promise. In the process of unexpected discovery they must put aside personal insecurities and failings and open up their lives to defend themselves.  A devious plan hatched by a greedy academic attempts to reveal their secret to  the world for his own gain. This they must prevent at all cost. Their good  humored manner of removing obstacles, both figurative and solid, reminds the  reader that not all sources of strength are apparent. Despite loss and fear,  they learn that help can come from sources seen and unseen, as they discover  their place in the greater world.

Review

Grrrrrrr!!!  Not the usual way to start a book review, but this book had me wanting to scream from almost the beginning!  
 
It was an excellently conceived story set in the early 1900s in the harsh Irish wilderness.  A young, honest, hardworking farmer's son, Finn, finds a little more than a fistful of mud when he slips and falls during inclement weather whilst tending his sheep – a curious little bead with strange markings. An encounter with a prominent professor of archaeology during a dig in a nearby town triggers a chain of events which entails ruthless greed, ambition, deceit and murder.  This little bead, it seems, is the key to a much greater and significant ancestral history buried beneath the land owned by Finn and his father.  Unscrupulous characters seeking fame and fortune underestimate the intelligence and quick-wittedness of those they perceive as simple, illiterate farmers.  Greed has its price.

I can in all honesty say that this book was for the most part well-written. You could feel the hardship and simplicity of the farmers' lives, but the acceptance of their lot was almost endearing, no words of complaint ever left their lips. There was a smile-raising cosines about the warmth of the family and their support of each other. The growing relationship of Finn and the innkeeper's daughter who was teaching him to read was heart-warming. The pompous professor's and his devious assistants‘ villainous intents were well crafted. Clearly, a tremendous amount of background research of Irish heritage was carried out and it was well translated into the plot of this book.

All that was good about this book was shattered by the countless errors:  bad punctuation
(lack of commas, full-stops), inadvertent and inconsistent use of capitals, poor dialogue punctuation (missing quotation marks), the ubiquitous its instead of it's, lack of attention to continuity, POV and so many more.  I will always finish a book, no matter how bad it is.  This wasn’t a bad book, but the jarring poor quality of editing nearly presented me with a first. I'm angry and frustrated.  I so want to be able to give this book more stars, but it was let down in a big, big way by presentation. I almost thought I was reading a draft copy.  This edition was clearly one that the author had put the final word to and decided that no read-through or edit was required.  Harsh words, but poorly edited work is not well-received or tolerated, certainly not by this reviewer!

This book deserves to do well:  the author has an engaging style, the essence of Ireland is very evident, the plot is original and compelling; but until it has been through a much more detailed editorial process, success will elude it.

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+Giveaway!
Picture
Genre: Mystery - Comedy
Ebook - Self Published - Novel
TBR Reviewer: R.B

Blurb

Armed with cool sarcasm and uncontrollable hair, feisty insurance investigator Amber Fox is back in a new mystery combining murder and mayhem with romance and chicklit…

Three deaths.
A safety deposit box robbery.
The boxing heavyweight champion of the world.

Somehow, they’re all related, and Amber has to solve a four year old crime to find out why.

As she stumbles across a trail of dead bodies and a web of lies spanning both sides of the social divide, it’s starting to get personal. Someone thinks Amber’s poking her nose in where it’s not wanted, sparking off a game of fox and mouse – only this time, Amber’s the mouse.

Amber’s forced to take refuge in the home of her ex-fiancé, Brad Beckett, and now it’s not just the case that’s hotting up. So is the bedroom…


All Levi Carter wanted to be was the boxing heavyweight champion of the world, but at what cost?

All Carl Thomas wanted was to be rich, but would his greed be his downfall?

All Brad Beckett wants is to get Amber back, but there’s a reason for the ex word.

Be careful what you wish for…you might just get it.

Review

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I have always liked the saying "Be careful what you wish for…you might just get it". I should have heeded that warning when I chose this book.
 
I did like it, however it moved at a very slow pace for my liking. The real action did not start until Chapter 14 and there are 21 Chapters in all! I really did enjoy Amber Fox’s, (the main character) struggle with deciding which of her two lovers she really wanted to be with. You have Brad, the man that left her without warning and hurt her beyond all recognition. Then you have Romeo (yes, his name is really Romeo), the man that was there to pick up the pieces and taught her to trust and love again.

Her struggle begins when she is thrown back into an insurance case that leaves her in close working proximity with Brad. She is in constant contact with Romeo as the investigation takes a few dramatic turns. There are couple of "bad guys" and one good guy that thinks he has done something bad. Amber's investigation into the injury of Boxing Heavyweight Champion Levi Carter leads her to a bank robbery and several murders along the way.
 
Basically, what my review boils down to is, if you like slow paced books; this is definitely the book for you.  I also learned a few things about bank fraud, illegal sports betting and insurance security firms while reading this story. 

There was not much sex in this story, but again, that's okay, not every story has to be about and contain a ton of sex.

So, all in all, I would recommend this book to others, but, it will not be one that I will read again. Maybe if I ever run out of things to read (like that will ever happen).
Author Website

Excerpt of 'Be Careful What You Wish For'

When I was about five, I always loved losing myself in fairytales where the handsome prince would come charging up on his white horse and save the fair maiden. I frequently imagined that I was Rapunzel, although there were two problems with this daydream. 1) I wasn’t into heights in a big way; and 2) My hair was destined to be more flyaway than flaxen.

Fast-forward thirty years, and now I had an even bigger problem. I had two handsome princes in my life, and I didn’t know what to do about either of them. I know, I know – be careful what you wish for, right?

In my thirty-five-year-old-daydream, there was Romeo, my boyfriend and all-round Mr. Nice Guy. Then there was Brad, my boss and ex-fiancé. There was a reason for the “ex” word, though.

I sprawled on my sofa, staring at the ceiling and contemplating this little conundrum. Marmalade, my ginger cat, lay next to me. He purred away, mirroring my ceiling stare. I absent-mindedly stroked his head, wondering whether he was contemplating a two-pussy scenario.

I know what you’re thinking – two gorgeous men after little old moi. Lucky me. I wish! It wasn’t lucky, it was way more complicated than you can imagine. In fact, it was as complicated as trying to assemble flat-pack furniture with a stupid amount of screws and no instructions. Not that I couldn’t assemble flat-pack stuff, you understand. I’m a very practical kind of girl. But, you know, flat-pack can beat even the most enthusiastic DIYers. Or is it just me who ends up with a big bag of screws left over, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do with them?

I was so deep in thought that I didn’t hear my mobile ringing straight away. When it finally registered in my conscious, I tumbled off the sofa, dislodging Marmalade in the process, and grabbed it from the wooden floorboards.
I glanced at the caller ID.

Think of the Devil. The last person I wanted to talk to when I was doing my contemplation thing was Brad. He might sway my decision about things, and I was pretty easily swayed at the moment.

‘Hey, Brad. What’s up?’

‘Foxy,’ Brad said, his Australian twang sounding more pronounced tonight. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Stroking my pussy.’

‘Mmm. Don’t give me ideas.’ I heard the smile in his voice.

‘You don’t need any ideas,’ I said. He probably heard the smile in mine, too.
‘No Romeo tonight, then?’

I rolled my eyes. Even though he couldn’t see it, he’d know I’d done it. ‘Stop fishing for information.’ I grabbed a fluffy cushion from the sofa and hugged it to my stomach, as if somehow that could put more distance between us.

His voice lowered. Deep and slow, he said, ‘I need you.’

A tingling sensation worked its way through my spine, not to mention other parts. I tried to ignore it. I didn’t really trust myself to speak so I gnawed on my lip for a moment, thinking of something witty to say. My wit had suddenly upped and vanished for some reason, so I just chose to ignore his words instead and pretended to be huffy.

I cleared my throat. ‘What do you want, Brad? It’s Saturday night, and I’m a very busy girl.’ My voice came out huskier than I intended as I glanced around my empty, poky apartment, which was very unbusy at this moment in time.
Yeah, right, Amber. Since when did thinking about Brad constitute being busy?

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Contest

Ms. Hodge is giving away a free Ecopy of her novel. To enter comment below. Contest ends July 5th.
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+Giveaway
Picture
Genre: Mystery
Ebook and print - Otherworld Publications - Novel
Tbr Reviewer: R.B

Blurb

Lou Drake was once the pride of the NYPD detectives until the high profile Hennings murder case went terribly wrong, nearly ending his career. Ten years later, fifty pounds heavier and three months from retirement, Drake works patrol in the backwater borough of Malcolm New York. He spends his idle time reading crime novels and writing one of his own.

When Drake breaks protocol on another brutal murder scene, endangering his rookie partner, his captain demotes him to the booking cage. But when another body is discovered and both victims are identified as struggling literary agents, the NYPD Chief of Detectives decides Lou's writing experience could benefit the case and pairs him with his old partner one last time. As they look for clues in the struggling publishing industry, Drake finds himself thrust into the middle of a serial murder case where a methodical perpetrator is systematically killing those who rejected him. Drake must revive his old detective prowess and trust his writer's intuition to try and solve the case, while possibly exposing the truth about the old Hennings investigation - a secret that would expose a web of corruption that could shake the NYPD to its core.

Review

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Rejection, Rejection, Rejection… I am definitely not rejecting this book!

Former Detective Lou Drake has been on a downward spiral for the last 10 years and is willing to do whatever it takes to get through the next few months until he can retire. While on a call with a rookie cop, Lou Drake does the unthinkable and lets his partner check out a scene alone. When his partner is injured and a gruesome crime scene is discovered, Drake is thrown into the “cage” where he will spend his last days with the force. That is until a co worker decides to give him the information he needs to clear his name. Drake also decided that he is going to delve back into the wonderful world of writing by using the current murders as inspiration for his book.

Thomas Matthews seriously knows his stuff.  I have never been a big fan of crime drama; however, after reading Rejection, I am reconsidering this decision. Mr. Matthews had me from the very beginning of this story as told by the main character Lou Drake. This story had murder, mystery, corruption and suspense. I am usually so good at decoding who the “bad guy” is in a story; however Mr. Matthews had me guessing at every turn.

REJECTION moved at a good pace, the characters were great and the plot was remarkable. I can’t say that I had one character that I liked the most, they were all great! I was a bit surprised at the ending though; I really thought there would have been more justice served.

I love that Mr. Matthews showed what it is really like for all writers out there, their struggles and their gift. He made a point in showcasing that not everyone can become a published author, just because you have a type writer, word processor, computer or even old fashion pen and paper. There is A LOT more to becoming an author than simply having the tools. 

Kudos to Mr. Matthew for highlighting his gift with this novel.

Author Website

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Contest

Mr. Matthews is generously giving away an Ecopy to one lucky winner. To enter comment below. Contest ends June 25th.
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