Review: Stilettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner-Molaski

Stilettos & Scoundrels
By: Laina Turner-Molaski

Paperback: 326 pages 
Publisher: Laina Turner-Molaski (February 23, 2010)

Genre: Cozy Mystery
*Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review on Pump Up Your Blog Tour

Fashionista meets shopaholic meets amateur sleuth.  Stilettos & Scoundrels is a story that is tons of fun, sassy, quirky and will leave the reader laughing as they race through the pages to see what happens next and solve the mystery.

Presley Thurman thought that she was on the path to her destiny, fulfilling her life and career desires.  That is until one day she had enough with her boss's advances and chooses to stand her ground and not let him bully her into staying at her job (his ultimatum of sex or lose her job was an easy choice).  Presley, however, doesn't remain jobless for long and finds herself back in her hometown interviewing the Senator for her newest career.  The simple task of interview, however, takes a turn for the worst when the Senator is murdered and the suspect list doesn't get any shorter. 

Presley decides that if she can solve the murder, her first writing assignment will be a doozy and launch her new career into overdrive.  Little does Presley know, just what she is in for - both keeping her own life intact, as well as fighting off her thumping heart and hormones, whenever the sexy (and old high school quickie)  Cooper is near.

Stilettos & Scoundrels is an incredibly fun and entertaining story.  I had an absolute blast reading each and every page, as Presley's sassiness ran rampant throughout.  This was a character that I loved - though her endless obsession with clothing and shoes was a bit off the wall, that's what made her the character that is was.  Another angle that I thought was wonderful was the way the story took place in Presley's hometown and most of her old high school friends were involved.  This added another dimension of fun, for me, as well as a deeper understanding of Presley.  Presley's exasperation (and fear) of her Mother was another delightful quirk of the story that brought many laughs throughout.

Laina Turner-Molaski has made an incredibly strong debut on the fiction scene with Stilettos & Scoundrels.  Cozy Mystery fans, as well as Chick Lit fans, will revel in this relaxing, fun and quick-to-escape-from-reality tale that is perfect for a lazy day or after a crazy day, while relaxing before bed.  With beach season around the corner, I can honestly say that this is one that would fit wonderfully in the beach bag and taking a trip to the beach for a fun and leisurely day.

 I also want to note that this is the first in a new series.  There is a bit of a teaser at the end of Stilettos & Scoundrels of a new mystery adventure with Presley, to be released in the Fall of 2011 (*clapping gleefully!!)  I can't wait!

If you are looking for something fun and lighthearted, Stilettos & Scoundrels is the perfect choice!!

About Stilettos & Scoundrels:

Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn't allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her - she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Presley is a lover of shopping and Starbucks, and even though she sometimes had bad taste in men, she always had great taste in clothes. Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. With her feisty nature and a spirit to not "sweat the small stuff," she was ready to tackle any challenge (even if she had no idea how she would pay the bills). When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance. However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered - in her home town! Presley was excited - she hadn't seen so much buzz since the spring sample sale at Saks. She was ready for this adventure, even if it didn't seem to fit neatly into her life. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the middle of the buzz. Presley was determined (not to mention curious) to find the killer and write her story. After all, she couldn't afford her shoe habit without a job and she was certainly not one to shy away from danger. The only thing standing in her way was an old high school fling, Cooper Sands, head of the Senator's security. He was not actually standing in her way, but because of his good looks, he was the biggest distraction and one she was having the hardest time overcoming. Cooper felt it was too dangerous for Presley to look for a killer and tried to distract her with reliving the past; which Presley found more dangerous than any killer. While she attempted to resist Cooper's good looks and charm, Presley was able to discover the Senator's wife, Helen, had been having an affair... with her best friend's boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator's love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper's secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo? Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer... but will time run out!

Laina Turner-Molaski - Author Guest Post

Today I am very thrilled to welcome Laina Turner-Molaski to Cafe of Dreams!  She is the author of the absolutely delightful book, Stilettos & Scoundrels.  For my review on this title, please be sure to stop back by tomorrow!!  

Now, please help me to welcome Laina Turner-Molaski!

Why I like to write

I get asked a lot how I started writing, what my writing process is like, and how I come up with ideas. All the typical questions one would think to ask a writer. As with most writers I write because I really enjoy it. I feel a thrill in being able to tell others the story’s that are floating around in my head. To entertain (hopefully) and allow others a way to escape from their busy day even if it’s just for a few minutes. People often ask if I read what I like to write and I do. But I don’t write all the genres I read. For instance it would be beyond my capabilities to write science fiction or anything historical, I admire people who can write those categories. My writing goes beyond writing books. I enjoy journaling, writing a good email, writing a short story in crayon for my daughter. It’s fun.

I also have people ask me if it’s so fun to write does it ever seem like work. The first draft isn’t really like work but every draft after that gets harder and harder. By the time I get to the final rounds of edits I am miserable and hating it and thinking it is the worst piece of writing I have ever done. Luckily by the time I feel that way the process is almost over.

Laina

 About Laina Turner-Molaski:

Laina Turner-Molaski is a businesswoman, mom, author, Professor, and a major supporter of shopping. She has an undying love for shoes and coffee, which is why she created her main character and alter ego Presley Thurman.

With a lot of letters after her name and a ton of student loan debt, she is always working to pay the bills. While she enjoys her day job, her passion is writing, and she uses a lot of company time writing her fiction or working on her social website for women, Chiczofrenic.com.

She is hoping to sell her book before she gets fired from her day job for goofing off.Laina is currently living in Indiana, with her family, and is always writing something, whether it’s blogs, articles, business journals and books or ideas for her next novel. She is continuously doing what she loves which is writing or drinking coffee.

Please be sure to visit Laina's website to keep up to date on her work and tons more!



Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn't allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her - she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Presley is a lover of shopping and Starbucks, and even though she sometimes had bad taste in men, she always had great taste in clothes. Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. With her feisty nature and a spirit to not "sweat the small stuff," she was ready to tackle any challenge (even if she had no idea how she would pay the bills). When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance. However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered - in her home town! Presley was excited - she hadn't seen so much buzz since the spring sample sale at Saks. She was ready for this adventure, even if it didn't seem to fit neatly into her life. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the middle of the buzz. Presley was determined (not to mention curious) to find the killer and write her story. After all, she couldn't afford her shoe habit without a job and she was certainly not one to shy away from danger. The only thing standing in her way was an old high school fling, Cooper Sands, head of the Senator's security. He was not actually standing in her way, but because of his good looks, he was the biggest distraction and one she was having the hardest time overcoming. Cooper felt it was too dangerous for Presley to look for a killer and tried to distract her with reliving the past; which Presley found more dangerous than any killer. While she attempted to resist Cooper's good looks and charm, Presley was able to discover the Senator's wife, Helen, had been having an affair... with her best friend's boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator's love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper's secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo? Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer... but will time run out!

Teaser Tuesdays - 4/26

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week my teaser comes from Stilettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner Molaski.  I am having tons of fun with this book so far!  Please check back on Thursday for a guest post by the author and then on Friday for my review!

pg. 67:

"Get your hands off me!" she said with her hands on her hips, while she tried to act angry.  She was angry, but it was hard for her to maintain outrage when she had to work so hard to keep from drooling.

Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn't allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her - she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Presley is a lover of shopping and Starbucks, and even though she sometimes had bad taste in men, she always had great taste in clothes. Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. With her feisty nature and a spirit to not "sweat the small stuff," she was ready to tackle any challenge (even if she had no idea how she would pay the bills). When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance. However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered - in her home town! Presley was excited - she hadn't seen so much buzz since the spring sample sale at Saks. She was ready for this adventure, even if it didn't seem to fit neatly into her life. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the middle of the buzz. Presley was determined (not to mention curious) to find the killer and write her story. After all, she couldn't afford her shoe habit without a job and she was certainly not one to shy away from danger. The only thing standing in her way was an old high school fling, Cooper Sands, head of the Senator's security. He was not actually standing in her way, but because of his good looks, he was the biggest distraction and one she was having the hardest time overcoming. Cooper felt it was too dangerous for Presley to look for a killer and tried to distract her with reliving the past; which Presley found more dangerous than any killer. While she attempted to resist Cooper's good looks and charm, Presley was able to discover the Senator's wife, Helen, had been having an affair... with her best friend's boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator's love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper's secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo? Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer... but will time run out!

Cover Envy

Readers of Cafe of Dreams know how much I adore cover art.  Yesterday, I came across two gorgeous covers that just grabbed me with their beauty.  Oh, yeah, the stories don't sound half bad either, lol.  Here they are:

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

A richly imagined new novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller, People of the Book.

Once again, Geraldine Brooks takes a remarkable shard of history and brings it to vivid life. In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. Upon this slender factual scaffold, Brooks has created a luminous tale of love and faith, magic and adventure.

The narrator of Caleb's Crossing is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans. Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex. As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants. At twelve, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs. One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite. There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures.

Like Brooks's beloved narrator Anna in Year of Wonders, Bethia proves an emotionally irresistible guide to the wilds of Martha's Vineyard and the intimate spaces of the human heart. Evocative and utterly absorbing, Caleb's Crossing further establishes Brooks's place as one of our most acclaimed novelists.

In the Land of Winter by Margaret Sarah Bechtel

Kate wants to forget her past. Lex wants to begin his future. The strangers meet on an ill-fated flight to Scotland, their lives and secrets collide when the plane crashes into the North Sea. Only known survivors Kate and Lex are stranded on an island with an old lighthouse they are forced to use for shelter. Lex is desperate to get them both rescued. Kate is desperate to stop him.


What about you?  Have you come across any covers that truly stood out to you, lately?  Please share!!

Question of the Day - Audio Books

Are you an audio book lover?  I have been a member of Audible.com for a couple of years now and love it.  Though, for me, I don't listen as much as I would like - can't really play aloud some of the books with the kids around, lol.  I do love to listen while I mow the yard.  Ours takes me about 4 hours to do and so that guarantees at least 4 hours of book listening a week.  Last summer I listened to the entire Succubus series by Richelle Mead and fell in love with it!!!  During the winter months, my listening is pretty much non-existent.  Since Amazon has linked the Kindle with Audible, I have downloaded the latest Lisa Gardner release, Love You More and have had a bit of time to listen to it on my Kindle.

What about you?  Are you a fan of audio books?  If so, where/when do you listen the most often?  Are there any in particular that you loved and would recommend?

Read for a Great Cause and Help Save Lives!

Hey fans of great horror, if you haven't read Joel M. Andre yet, now is the perfect opportunity!  From now until Sunday, May 1st, Joel is generously giving all proceeds/royalties from the sales of his books The Black Chronicles: Cry of the Fallen and Cupid's Curse  to the Red Cross.  Please feel free to pass this along to family, friends and everyone that you know!

I have read both of these stories and HIGHLY recommend them!!

On Valentine's Day, a young vampire learns that love isn't always easy. Even as the love between her and the boy she likes grows, she learns that the darkness inside of her can't be controlled.













Ebook and Print Copy:

 On a warm summer afternoon, in Northern Arizona, a double homicide stains the ground with blood. Detectives are called out to handle the investigation, each plagued with their own internal demons, and aren't prepared for what they are about to find. Detective Lauren Bruni, faces a world of darkness and evil, as a demonic force begins to leash an attack on a small town. As the stakes begin to rise, so does the stunning truth, that not even Lauren can imagine. In a world where her life had started to fall apart, she must pick up the pieces and push forward in an effort to save those that she loves the most. Joel M. Andre takes the Horror genre and pushes the boundaries in a tale full of suspense, dark comedy and genuine horror.

(DNF) Sarah, They're Coming for You by Susan Kronick

Sarah, They're Coming for You
By: Susan Kronick

Format: Kindle Edition 
File Size: 322 KB 
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited 
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing (September 21, 2010)

I am a complete paranormal addict.  Anything pertaining to ghosts, spirits, the unexplained or other worldliness, hooks me from the get go.  It is for that reason that when I heard about this book, Sarah, They're Coming for You, I felt prickles of excitement ripple along my skin and knew that I had to read this.  It was with utter anticipation that I began reading.  However, sadly, for me, this was a DNF (did not finish).  Why?  Though I loved the writing style and vividness of the author, there were several times where Sarah, the main character was referred in descriptive terms such as: "the beleaguered woman", "the seer" (an sentence example is as follows: "Quickly removing the card and placing it in her pocket, the seer followed the instructions to pump gas"), a couple of paragraphs down mentions: "The psychic removed the credit card..."  This occurred frequently and interrupted the flow of the story for me, personally.  If it wasn't for this aspect, I think that I truly would have loved this story.  The fact that Sarah, They're Coming for You is based on actual events and circumstances that the author, herself, experienced makes this story even more fascinating. 

Though I stopped reading about 30% in, I hope to give it another try, at a later time.  This is also not to say that I don't think others, who enjoy this genre, shouldn't give it a shot, the main character description changes may not bother most, as it did me.   I also want to mention that this story contains very informative and interestingly detailed information on paranormal activity, which lends to the appeal of the story itself.

Since I did not finish, I am not going to give this story a rating.  However, I do want to encourage others to check it out and give it a shot.  I would love to hear your personal thoughts on it.

About Sarah, They're Coming for You:

Restless spirits of the dead, torment the living for many reasons. But the dark hunters seek one thing.  It is not God’s blessing, but a soul for eternity.

For years, Sarah was tormented by these seekers.  Each passing year they gained strength.  Guided by her great great grandfather Hermann-who intercedes on her behalf-Sarah had faith, but now, she feels her faith in Hermann is slipping, and she grows spiritually weaker.

When a mysterious woman—a link from the past—enlightens Sarah of her journey, every thing falls into place.  Sarah has a connection  between her ancestral family and her own haunting from the rogue ghosts in the after life.  They seek her in order to claim two family members with a single soul.

One thing left to do for Sarah.  Go to the family home in Austria and face the ghosts head on, or lose her soul forever.

Excerpt:

“ERRRRRR,” the noxious sound pierced the fragile veil that exists between the living and the dead. As always, it startled Sarah from her slumber. Habit forced her to turn and look at the digital clock on the nightstand beside her bed. She knew without question even before she saw the hideous red numbers staring back at her that the time would indicate the height of the ‘witching hour’. Fed by a morbid curiosity, she glanced at the face of the clock, having her suspicions confirmed. Each time the psychic buzzer sounded, she hoped the numbers indicating the time on the clock would be different, anything but the dreaded 3:33 a.m.
Sarah knew the sound was within her own head, oblivious to all others. Still, she looked over at Richard in the same way she had long ago glanced at her sister Nancy. “Why can’t anyone else hear it, too?” She silently begged for an answer. Weary from this repugnant routine, Sarah prayed for protection from the inevitable parade of lost souls that would any moment begin their ascent into her bedroom. The intensity of dread that accompanied the gathering of the spirits had not dissipated after all these years. She was rapidly drenched in the cold sweat of primeval fear. Tense muscles began to throb at the back of her neck, accompanied by a terror so strong the blood in her veins literally ran cold, threatening to congeal in its tracks. Her heart palpitated with such force thoughts of an impending heart attack were always in the back of her mind. This is what it must be
like to be literally scared to death. She struggled to breathe the air was being sucked out of the room. Heaviness paralyzed her limbs, rendering her unable to move.
The morbid chant began a violent assault to her auditory sense. “Sarah, they are coming for you.” “Sarah, they are coming for YOU.” “Sarah, they are COMING FOR YOU.”
The figures of the pathetic dead began their slow ascent toward the bedroom. She always sensed their arrival some minutes before they could be seen entering the bedroom,
as if to further torment her. Although there were no footsteps heard, she was well aware of the slow monotonous lumbering that headed toward her. Their deliberately slow movements mentally tortured her, prolonging their inevitable arrival. The unclean spirits would first be visible as orbs of light. Then appear as shapeless ethereal forms. Once surrounding Sarah’s bed, they materialized into what they looked like while walking the earth as live humans. Their eyes stared blankly in front of them. Their clothing providing her a clue as to when they lived, dressed appropriately for the historical time which they walked the earth as people. Sometimes she would see the same lost souls repeatedly. Sarah saw some spirits just once and never again. She stared with morbid curiosity at all of them. Although this ‘ritual’ had occurred dozens of times to Sarah throughout her life, for her it continued to hold a morbid fascination. She no longer hid under the covers as she did when she was a child. She focused intently as they marched with mechanical precision, taking their places around the bed. The rational part of Sarah was frozen with a primitive fear that hit at the deepest level of the human psyche. She watched the march of the pathetic creatures, frozen in a kind of limbo state not at peace for all eternity. They are the ‘lost souls,’ as she referred to them.

About Susan Kronick:

Susan Kronick’s background is the perfect backdrop leading up to her latest paranormal novel, Sarah, They’re Coming for You.  She has a Master of Science in Psychology from Nova Southeastern University and a Ph.D. in Paranormal Studies/Psychology from Union Institute and Graduate School, as well as being an adjunct psychology professor at Barry University and Palm Beach State College.  A psychic and a medium, she has the gift of seeing the dead since she was a child.  She also has taught parapsychology classes through the Palm Beach County School Board, as well as at Palm Beach State College.  Susan has extensive experience in the area of investigations of haunting and the paranormal.  She lives with her husband and her four spoiled rescue dogs in south Florida.  You can visit her website at www.susankronick.webs.com. “Like” her page at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/susan-kronick/156870670886.

*Please be sure to check out these other great authors also on tour!

Monday, April 4
Book reviewed at Celtic Lady’s Reviews
Tuesday, April 5
Book reviewed at Review From Here
Wednesday, April 6
Guest blogging at Acting Balanced
Susan talks about how she wrote her character around her own experiences in ‘Sarah is Me!’
Thursday, April 7
Interviewed at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner
Friday, April 8
Book reviewed at Donna’s Blog Home
Monday, April 11
Book reviewed at Reading, Reading & Life
Tuesday, April 12
Interviewed at The Book Bin
Wednesday, April 13
Book reviewed at Moonlight Lace & Mayhem
Thursday, April 14
Guest blogging at Beyond the Books
Friday, April 15
Book reviewed at Black Diamonds Book Reviews
Monday, April 18
Guest blogging at Murder by 4
Susan talks about there ARE spirits walking with the living  in  “Confessions of a Ghost Seer!!!”
Tuesday, April 19
Book reviewed at The Phantom Paragrapher
Wednesday, April 20
Interviewed at Literarily Speaking
Thursday, April 21
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn
Friday, April 22
Guest blogging at As the Pages Turn
Susan talks about seeing ghosts in “I See Dead People”
Monday, April 25
Book reviewed at Cafe of Dreams
Tuesday, April 26
Guest blogging at My Love Affair with Books
Wednesday, April 27
Book reviewed at Aobibliophile
Thursday, April 28
Book reviewed at The Book Faery Reviews
Friday, April 29
Chat & Book Giveaway at PUMP UP YOUR BOOK APRIL 2011 AUTHOR ON TOUR FACEBOOK PARTY
Monday, May 2
Interviewed at The Book Connection
Tuesday, May 3
Book reviewed at Bookworm Lisa
Wednesday, May 4
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Thursday, May 5
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Friday, May 6
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Monday, May 9
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Tuesday, May 10
Guest blogging at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense
Wednesday, May 11
Guesting at Literarily Speaking April 2011 Book Panel
Susan discusses the publishing industry as she sees it from her own perspective.
Thursday, May 12
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Friday, May 13
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Monday, May 16
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Tuesday, May 17
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Wednesday, May 18
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Thursday, May 19
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Friday, May 20
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Monday, May 23
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Tuesday, May 24
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Wednesday, May 25
Book reviewed at A Book and a Dish
Thursday, May 26
OPEN FOR REVIEW, GUEST POST OR INTERVIEW
Friday, May 27
Chat & Book Giveaway at Pump Up Your Book’s Authors on Tour May 2011 Facebook Party

A few good books...

I am horrible about doing Mailbox Monday, so I just thought I would share a couple of new books that I received this week for review.  I am very excited to read them all!  What are some new books that you have received lately and particularly anxious to begin reading?

Dead by Morning by Beverly Barton

The Darkest Sins 

He begins his work just before dawn, wielding a knife with the precision of a surgeon. Cunning and meticulous, he's always in control. Mercy is not an option. . .

Will Always

Maleah Purdue is tough, outspoken, and completely dedicated to her work at the Powell Security Agency. But her fearless exterior shatters when a madman begins killing her colleagues one by one, mimicking a notorious serial killer already behind bars. Working alongside top profiler Derek Lawrence, Maleah will do anything to find the murderer, even if it means playing a psychopath's twisted mind games.

Come To Light

No one connected to the Agency is safe. No one is beyond suspicion. For as Maleah and Derek piece together the clues, they uncover a chilling legacy of lies and brutal vengeance--and a killer who has been hiding in plain sight all along. . .


Viper Moon by Lee Roland

Cassandra Archer is the Huntress. She has faithfully served the Earth Mother for years, rescuing kidnapped children from monsters-both human and supernatural-dwelling in the ruins of the Barrows District. But when two children are kidnapped under similar circumstances, all clues point to a cataclysmic event on the next dark moon. Now Cass must race against the clock and prevent a sacrifice that could destroy the entire town...


Delaney's Shadow by Ingrid Weaver

Years ago, young John Maxwell Harrison saved little Delaney Wainwright from drowning, forging a psychic bond that would endure for years. And when the pair are reunited in the wake of Delaney's husband's suspicious death, that bond may be the only thing that can save them-and the unrequited love they shared.




Demon Hunting in Dixie by Lexie George

A warrior, a demon, and the girl next door. . .

Looking For Trouble

Addy Corwin is a florist with an attitude. A bad attitude, or so her mama says, cause she's not looking for a man. Mama's wrong. Addy has looked. There's just not much to choose from in Hannah, her small Alabama hometown. Until Brand Dalvahni shows up, a supernaturally sexy, breathtakingly well-built hunk of a warrior from--well, not from around here, that's for sure. Mama thinks he might be European or maybe even a Yankee. Brand says he's from another dimension.

Addy couldn't care less where he's from. He's gorgeous. Serious muscles. Disturbing green eyes. Brand really gets her going. Too bad he's a whack job. Says he's come to rescue her from a demon. Puh-lease. But right after Brand shows up, strange things start to happen. Dogs talk and reanimated corpses stalk the quite streets of Hannah. Her mortal enemy Meredith, otherwise known as the Death Starr, breaks out in a severe and inexplicable case of butt boils. Addy might not know what's going on, but she definitely wants a certain sexy demon hunter by her side when it all goes down . . .


Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr

Old Loves Die Hard

…and in the worst places.

Retired homicide detective Mac Faraday, heir of the late mystery writer Robin Spencer, is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up—and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac’s private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.

The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac’s murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife’s lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac’s old cases?

With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn’s reputation, before its five-stars—and more bodies—start dropping!

Once We Were Kings by Ian Alexander (aka Joshua Graham) (reading this now and LOVING it!)

In a world where the Sojourners, a nearly extinct race with preternatural abilities struggle to preserve their faith and heritage, destiny thrusts two youths from opposing nations into the heart of a centuries-old conflict.

Render, an orphan from the outskirts of the culturally enlightened Kingdom of Valdshire Tor, escapes slavery and seeks the truth about his true identity only to discover a web of conspiracies.  This quest leads to the revelation of his uncanny ability to wield the destructive forces of nature.

Ahndien, sole survivor of a heinous raid on her peaceful village in the Eastern Kingdom of Tian Kuo, embarks on a journey to find her father, now a captive of Torian troops.  What she uncovers surpasses anything she can imagine as she masters the ability to manipulate fire.

Guided by shape-shifting spirits, Render and Ahndien’s fates collide when first they meet as mortal enemies.  However, to save their people from annihilation, they must unite both kingdoms against a terrifying enemy that threatens to destroy both realms.

But how can a young slave and a peasant bring sworn enemies of half a millennium together?

ONCE WE WERE KINGS: The first book in a saga of destiny and redemption, in a world of dying hope.

Darkroom by Joshua Graham

Info TBA...

Question of the Day - Books and Movies

It is becoming almost commonplace that books are being translated into movies these days.  Thrilling and incredibly exciting for both authors and readers (in most cases).  My question is: Do you read the book before seeing the movie or vise versa?  If you see the movie before you have read the book, will you go and read the book?

I know that movies made from books can have a big difference in scenes and can seemingly be almost like two different stories, with the underlying storyline being the same.  However, if I see the movie prior to reading the book, I just can't seem to bring myself to read the book.  I think part of it is that I think "Well, I know what happens now, and with the toppling mountain of books calling for me, why take the time to read the book."  However, I love to see the movies based on the books that I have read.

What are your thoughts?