Scott Nicholson Kindle Freebie Alert

Many of you know I love Scott Nicholson and his books.  I always jump at the chance to promote his books and his Epic Kindle Giveaways.  This weekend  he has one of his box set of books up for free on Amazon and I wanted to let you know about it.  This box set includes the #1 Kindle suspense bestseller Disintegration and two other crime/mystery books.  Most of you know you don't have to have a Kindle to read Kindle books, you can read on your computer, your phone, your iPad, pretty much anything with one of the great Kindle apps, so snap up this freebie now.

Mystery Dance: Three Novels by Scott Nicholson

Disintegration, Crime Beat and The Skull Ring

Find it on Amazon

MYSTERY DANCE: An omnibus edition containing more than 200,000 words.

Features the complete text of the #1 bestselling mystery and suspense novel Disintegration, The Skull Ring, Crime Beat, a short story, a bonus deleted chapter from Disintegration, and an essay about the novels.

DISINTEGRATION-- Two brothers view for a family empire built on deceit, dark secrets, and blood, and one woman stands between them while another waits in the shadows. Jacob's life falls apart when his brother Joshua returns to town after a tragic fire and they return to the twisted roles of their childhood.

THE SKULL RING-- Julia Stone pieces together her shattered childhood memories, but then the past comes closing in when she finds a mysterious silver ring. Three men want to help her, but choosing the wrong ally can cost not only her heart but her soul.

CRIME BEAT-- Crime doesn't pay...but neither does journalism. When a new reporter moves to a small town, a crime spree escalates into serial killing.

Also contains "Dead Air" the from collection CURTAINS. DRM free.

Feature and Follow Friday (1)

This is my first Friday joining in Feature & Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.  When I saw the question I just knew I had to join in!

Q: Activity!!! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most…

This is my favorite place to read. I have my laptop beside me for tweeting, reading blogs and checking out what is going on. I also have a nice electric throw for keeping me warm. It's also in the family room so my kids are near by, yet when they are noisy I have great headphones to tune them out so I can read.

When it's warm and sunny this is my other favorite place to read. I have a place to put my drink, it's in the sun and in the winter it's sheltered from the wind. In the summer it catches the breeze. I love this chair set!

Where do you like to read. Join the meme at Parajunkee's View.

Book Review: A Darkly Hidden Truth by Donna Fletcher Crow

A Darkly Hidden Truth by Donna Fletcher Crow

Publisher: Monarch Books

Publish Date: December 1, 2011

Paperback, 366 pages 
Fiction, Christian, Suspense, Mystery
 ISBN: 978-0857210500
The Monastery Murders #2

My Review:
What a fun and different mystery to read.  I did not read the first in The Monastery Murders, but I will be going back to read it because I am enamored with Felicity and Father Antony.  Ms. Crow has quickly become a must-read after one book.

I loved Felicity and Father Antony.  There is a buzz of attraction between the two of them.  Father Antony is sure of how he feels, but Felicity is conflicted because she is pretty sure she wants to become a nun.  I liked this added possible romance.  It made their working together more interesting and their interactions more plausible to me.  They worked well together.  I also liked the fact that Felicity is an American in England.  I understood her on that level and it made the book easier to understand for us Americans.  Sometimes I get lost in British-speak, but I didn't have that problem in this book.  Father Antony is great as well.  He loves to solve mysteries, he loves his calling and he's falling in love with Felicity.  He's a great character and I liked watching him develop in this book.  There is definitely some back story in the first book between these two, but I never felt lost in this book.  Ms. Crow goes into the back story briefly but enough that those of us that pick up the second book have no trouble getting into it and understanding the characters.  I really appreciated this fact and it made reading this book very enjoyable.

The plot moves along at a great pace.  Interspersing the action with some history that helps Father Antony and Felicity solve the mystery really made the book for me.  I love the history of things like the Templars, and other groups associated with the church.  But this is not another Da Vinci Code, it's completely different, so don't worry about that.  I loved her angle and how the plot moved.  I must say I didn't see several things coming and that was great as well.

Combining interesting characters, fascinating history and an interesting murder mystery, Donna Fletcher Crow was able to grab my attention within the first few pages of A Darkly Hidden Truth and I had a hard time putting the book down until I turned the very last page.  I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series and I also look forward to future books as well.  Ms. Crow just has a way of writing that draws you in and makes you interested in the story and I really enjoyed that.  Plus the British setting was an added plus for me.  I haven't read as much British fiction so gaining a little knowledge of the countryside was great for me.  If you love mysteries then I suggest you give this series a try.  You can start with the first book, or start with A Darkly Hidden Truth which I thoroughly enjoyed.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0

About the Book:
More page-turning action from a popular author.


Felicity has decided to become a nun. She departs to visit convents in spite of her mother's imminent arrival and Fr. Anselm's request that she and Fr. Antony recover a missing priceless Russian icon before the Patriarch of Moscow arrives at the community for Holy Week.

Felicity's discernment journey takes her to Rempstone, Norwich, London, and Walsingham, but her discovery of a friend's murdered body in a shallow grave, the disappearance of more icons, the shooting of a London art expert just after she visits him, the disappearance of Antony, and finally the abduction of Felicity and her mother teach her far more about motherhood, life, and love than she could learn in any convent retreat. Breathtaking chase scenes, mystical worship services, dashes through remote water-logged landscapes, the wisdom of ancient holy women, and the arcane rites of The Knights of St. John of Malta keep the pages turning. And will Felicity choose the veil--or Antony?


About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 35 books, mostly novels dealing with British history. The award-winning GLASTONBURY, The Novel of Christian England is her best-known work, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history. A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE, book 1 in the Monastery Murders series is her reentry into publishing after a 10 year hiatus. THE SHADOW OF REALITY, a romantic intrigue will be published later this summer.

Donna and her husband have 4 adult children and 10 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener and you can see pictures of her garden, watch the trailer for A VERY PRIVATE GRAVE, and read her international blog at www.DonnaFletcherCrow.com

Website 
Blog

FTC Information: I received this book through Kregel Tours for an honest review.  I do make money from purchases made at The Book Depository and B&N.com, but all money is used to fund giveaways and shipping for giveaways from the blog.

Young Adult Paranormal Activity Hop

Welcome to the Young Adult Paranormal Activity Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer and Read for Your Future.

For my giveaway I'm giving away the first two books of the Torn Trilogy by Erica O'Rourke, Torn and Tangled which just released at the end of last month.  Simply fill out the Rafflecopter below, all that is required is the name and email.  Open to US/Canada only.

Torn by Erica O'Rourke

Everyone has secrets.
Even best friends.

Mo Fitzgerald knows about secrets. But when she witnesses her best friend's murder, she discovers Verity was hiding things she never could have guessed. To find the answers she needs and the vengeance she craves, Mo—quiet, ordinary, unmagical Mo—will have to enter a world of raw magic and shifting alliances. And she'll have to choose between two very different, equally dangerous guys—protective, duty-bound Colin and brash, mysterious Luc. One wants to save her, one wants to claim her. Which would you choose?

Tangled by Erica O'Rourke

Constance started to keen as the air around us began to thrash and twist, the caustic scent of ozone burning my nose. As I watched, her dark gold hair began to lift and kink into knots.

“I’m here. It’ll be okay.” It was the last thing I said before my best friend’s little sister went supernova in the second-floor girls’ bathroom, taking me with her.

A month ago, Mo Fitzgerald risked her life to stop an ancient prophecy and avenge her best friend's murder. Now, she only wants to keep her loved ones safe. But the magic—and the Chicago Mob—have other plans.

Mysterious, green-eyed Luc is back, asking for help—and a second chance. Colin, her strongest protector, is hiding a shocking secret. And inside Constance, the magic is about to go terribly wrong. Tangled in a web of love and betrayal, Mo must choose between the life she's dreamed of and the one she's destined for.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour: Frantic by Mike Dellosso

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Mike Dellosso

and the book:

Frantic

Realms (February 7, 2012)

***Special thanks to Jon Wooten of Charisma House for sending me a review copy.***

***My Review will follow later today***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Dellosso is the author of numerous novels of suspense, including Darkness Follows, Darlington Woods, and Scream. He is an adjunct professor of writing at Lancaster Bible College and frequent contributor to Christian websites and newsletters. Mike is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers association, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance, the Relief Writer’s Network, and FaithWriters, and he plans to join International Thriller Writers. He earned his BA degree from Messiah College and his MBS from Master’s International School of Divinity. He lives in Hanover, PA, with his wife and daughters. Hometown: Hanover, PA


Visit the author's website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Gas station attendant Marny Toogood thinks it’s just another ordinary day on the job until an urgent message from a young girl in the backseat of a car draws him into a daring rescue attempt. Now he is on the run with Esther and William Rose from their insane “uncle” who thinks it is his mission from God to protect William, a boy with incredible faith that gives him supernatural powers.

As they face kidnapping, underground cults, and other evils, can Marny trust the simple faith of a child and stand his ground against a power so twisted?

Product Details:
List Price: $13.99

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Realms (February 7, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616384808
ISBN-13: 978-1616384807


AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

The night Marny Toogood was born it rained axheads and hammer handles.

His grandfather made a prediction, said it was an omen of some sort, that it meant Marny’s life would be stormy, full of rain clouds and lightning strikes. Wanting to prove her father wrong, Janie Toogood named her son Marnin, which means “one who brings joy,” instead of the Mitchell she and her husband had agreed on.

But in spite of Janie’s good intentions, and regardless of what his birth certificate said, Marny’s grandfather was right.

At the exact time Marny was delivered into this world and his grandfather was portending a dark future, Marny’s father was en route to the hospital from his job at Winden’s Furniture Factory where he was stuck working the graveyard shift. He’d gotten the phone call that Janie was in labor, dropped his hammer, and run out of the plant. Fifteen minutes from the hospital his pickup hit standing water, hydroplaned, and tumbled down a steep embank- ment, landing in a stand of eastern white pines. The coroner said he experienced a quick death; he did not suffer.

One week after Marny’s birth his grandfather died of a heart attack. He didn’t suffer either.

Twenty-six years and a couple of lifetimes of hurt later, Marny found himself working at Condon’s Gas ’n Go and living above the garage in a small studio apartment George Condon rented to

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Mike Dellosso

him for two hundred bucks a month. It was nothing special, but it was a place to lay his head at night and dream about the dark cloud that stalked him.

But his mother had told him every day until the moment she died that behind every rain cloud is the sun, just waiting to shine its light and dry the earth’s tears.

Marny held on to that promise and thought about it every night before he succumbed to sleep and entered a world that was as unfriendly and frightening as any fairy tale forest, the place of his dreams, the only place more dark and foreboding than his life.

On the day reality collided with the world of Marny’s night- mares, it was hotter than blazes, strange for a June day in Maine. The sun sat high in the sky, and waves of heat rolled over the asphalt lot at the Gas ’n Go. The weather kept everyone indoors, which meant business was slow for a Saturday. Marny sat in the garage bay waiting for Mr. Condon to take his turn in checkers and wiped the sweat from his brow.

^{“Man, it’s hot.”}

^{Mr. Condon didn’t look up from the checkerboard. “Ayuh.}

^{Wicked hot. Newsman said it could hit ninety.”}

^{“So it’ll probably get up to ninety-five.”}

^{Mr. Condon rubbed at his white stubble. “Ayuh.”}

^{He was sixty-two and looked it. His leather-tough skin was}

^{creased with deep wrinkles. Lots of smile lines. Marny had worked}

^{for him for two years but had known the old mechanic his whole}

^life.

^{Mr. Condon made his move then squinted at Marny. Behind}

^{him Ed Ricker’s Dodge truck rested on the lift. The transmis-}

^{sion had blown, and Mr. Condon should have been working}

^{on it instead of playing checkers. But old Condon kept his own}

^{schedule. His customers never complained. George Condon was}

^{the best, and cheapest, mechanic around. He’d been getting cars}

^{and trucks through one more Maine winter for forty years.}

^{Marny studied the checkerboard, feeling the weight of Mr.}

^{Condon’s dark eyes on him, and was about to make his move}

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Fr antic

when the bell chimed, signaling someone had pulled up to the pump island. Condon’s was the only full-service station left in the Down East, maybe in the whole state of Maine.

Despite the heat, Mr. Condon didn’t have one droplet of sweat on his face. “Cah’s waitin’, son.”

Marny glanced outside at the tendrils of heat wriggling above the lot, then at the checkerboard. “No cheating.”

^{His opponent winked. “No promises.”}

^{Pushing back his chair, Marny stood and wiped more sweat}

^{from his brow, then headed outside.}

^{The car at the pump was a 1990s model Ford Taurus, faded blue}

^{with a few rust spots around the wheel wells. The windows were}

^{rolled down, which probably meant the air-conditioning had quit}

^{working. This was normally not a big deal in Maine, but on a rare}

^{day like this, the driver had to be longing for cool air.}

^{Marny had never seen the vehicle before. The driver was a large}

^{man, thick and broad. He had close-cropped hair and a smooth,}

^{round face. Marny had never seen him before either.}

^{He approached the car and did his best to be friendly. “Mornin’.}

^{Hot one, isn’t it?”}

^{The driver neither smiled nor looked at him. “Fill it up. Regular.”}

^{Marny headed to the rear of the car and noticed a girl in the}

^{backseat. A woman, really, looked to be in her early twenties. She}

^{sat with her hands in her lap, head slightly bowed. As he passed}

^{the rear window she glanced at him, and there was something in}

^{her eyes that spoke of sorrow and doom. Marny recognized the}

^{look because he saw it in his own eyes every night in the mirror.}

^{He smiled, but she quickly diverted her gaze.}

^{As he pumped the gas, Marny watched the girl, studied the}

^{back of her head. She was attractive in a plain way, a natural pret-}

^{tiness that didn’t need any help from cosmetics. Her hair was rich}

^{brown and hung loosely around her shoulders. But it was her eyes}

^{that had captivated him. They were as blue as the summer sky, but}

^{so sad and empty. Marny wondered what the story was between}

^{the man and girl. He was certainly old enough to be her father. He}

3

Mike Dellosso

looked stern and callous, maybe even cruel. Marny felt for her, for her unhappiness, her life.

He caught the man watching him in the side mirror and looked at the pump’s gauge. A second later the nozzle clicked off, and he returned it to the pump. He walked back to the driver’s window. “That’ll be forty-two.”

While the man fished around in his back pocket for his wallet, Marny glanced at the girl again, but she kept her eyes down on her hands.

“You folks local?” Marny said, trying to get the man to open up a little.

The driver handed Marny three twenties but said nothing. Marny counted off eighteen dollars in change. “You new in the

area? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Lately, seems more people have been moving out than in.”

Still nothing. The man took the money and started the car. Before pulling out he nodded at Marny. There was something in the way he moved his head, the way his eyes sat in their sockets, the way his forehead wrinkled ever so slightly, that made Marny shiver despite the heat.

The car rolled away from the pump, asphalt sticking to the tires, and exited the lot. Marny watched until it was nearly out of sight, then turned to head back to the garage and Mr. Condon and the game of checkers. But a crumpled piece of paper on the ground where the Taurus had been parked caught his attention. He picked it up and unfurled it. Written in all capital letters was a message:

^{HE’S GOING TO KILL ME}

4

***I received this book from the publisher for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any other way except receiving the book for free.  I do not receive money for my amazon links since I live in NC (something about some law), so they are up purely for my readers to have a place to check out the book.***

Book Review: The Defector by Mark Chisnell

The Defector by Mark Chisnell

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services

Ebook, 267 pages 
Fiction, Suspense/Thriller
 ASIN: B004NBZE76

My Review:
The Defector is an intriguing book and while at times it felt really out there and scary as all get out, I could not quit turning the pages (or hitting the next page button on my Kindle in this case).

Martin Cormac is down on his luck and in a bar about to be beaten senseless when the book begins. Drunken and trying to run away from life, Martin stumbles into the one man who seems to save him, only to learn that this one man likes to play games and in the end these games mean life or death for Martin and for those around them.

The Defector is not for the squeamish.  It's gritty and it's violent, but it goes with what is going on.  It's definitely the underbelly of society in this book.  Martin has been greedy and that is how he lost the love of his life, Kate, but he finds her again.  The problem is he is already involved with Janac at this point and if Janac knows his weakness he will exploit it.  As the game continues and things heat up, the plot takes you on the chase of Martin's life.

I liked the book, it raises moral questions, it makes Martin question who he is and who he wants to be.  It has a really bad "bad guy" with Janac.  I mean he could be the devil himself.  This is not your typical book because of the raw grittiness of it.  But it works.  The plot definitely moves along, at times it was a little choppy, but the times it really flowed more than made up for the choppy times.  I found myself engaged in Martin's life and I cared whether he lived or died.

It's an interesting book with "The Prisoner's Dilemma" at the center.  I had never heard of this so it was interesting to learn about it.  It was also great to see that not everyone is completely self-centered like Janac seems to think they are.  Mr. Chisnell has written an intriguing book that had me engaged from beginning to end.

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

About the Book:
What will you do, when it's you or them?

This is the dilemma at the heart of The Defector - can Martin Cormac turn his back on his ruthless past as a dealer, a major city player, and do the right thing? Not when he's looking for answers in a succession of sleazy dives...

One night, Cormac gets caught trying to chat up the bar owner's girlfriend and soon needs rescuing. Unfortunately, his white knight is anything but - Janac's a big-time drug baron with a psychotic urge to test people to the limit, and if possible... over it.

And soon Cormac is running from more than his past, he's running from the most dangerous game he will ever play.

About the Author (from Goodreads.com): 
One place to start the story is when you get loose from school or college, when you suddenly realise you now have to make all those choices for yourself, rather than have them set by parents, teachers, the exam system, etc, etc... In my case, I chose to travel...
After a summer in a sports equipment factory, loading rugby posts onto lorries, I had a working holiday visa for Australia and the cash to buy a one-way ticket to Sydney. Along with the - less than concrete career plan - that I'd travel and then write a book about the experience.

Website
Facebook
Blog

FTC Information: I received this book from the author for an honest review. 

Guest Blog: This or That with Hannah L. Clark

Today I welcome Hannah L. Clark, author of Cobbogoth, the first book in a new series.  She's here to answer my This or That questions.  So please welcome Hannah and be sure to check out the rest of her tour stops for more interesting guest blogs, interviews, reviews and giveaways (I have a review and giveaway coming up March 29th).



*****
Breakfast or Brunch? Brunch.  This is such a boring answer, but most breakfast foods just don’t do it for me.  For whatever reason, I usually feel queasy in the morning—been that way since high school—but by brunch time, my stomach has usually settled down enough to eat.  I also think the foods that are served at brunches are much tastier.

Lemonade or Pink Lemonade? Either. I honestly can’t taste the difference, and I don’t really care so much about the color of my drinks as I do the carbonation—I hate soda!
Sedan or Sports Car? My husband would say “sports car,” but I’m much more practical when it comes to cars, so Sedan.

Laptop or Ipad? I love my iPad, but I’m going to go with the laptop, because I can get a whole lot more done.  My iPad is really more of a toy to me.

High Heels or Flip Flops? I have long, ski-like feet, with a very long “speed-toe” (second from the big toe) and I’m a runner, which means my feet get beat up a lot.  So it’s high heels for me—but not too high. 
Trip around the world or trip to the moon? Around the world…the moon is just a bunch of dust and moon rocks and stuff, but the world has all kinds of different people that have and are living on it, leaving their mark.  To me, people are what make places interesting.

M&Ms: Peanut or Plain? I love, love, love peanut m&m’s but have had to wean myself off of them, because my little tyke has a VERY severe peanut allergy.  It’s a real bummer.

Hair: Short or Long? Short.  Always short.  Otherwise I look like Ms. Triangle-head.

Necklace or Bracelet? Depends on whichever goes better with my outfit. But never both. 

Take a walk or go to the gym? Take a walk.  Nature really inspires me, and so I spend a lot of time either driving or walking through it.

Write at home or write somewhere else? I can write pretty much anywhere.  I prefer to write at home, but if you give me a solid chunk of time, I can get lost in the story and don’t even register where I am until I come back up for air…or food.

Spring or Fall? Oh, Fall…definitely Fall.  I love sweater weather and the anticipation of the holidays.  I also love the colors and how it’s foggy most of the time in the mountains behind my house.  

Fairies or Vampires? Um…fairies.  I’m not big into “creatures of the night.”  But fairies, now, there are a million different possibilities when you bring fairies into the picture.  Good. Bad. Impish. Playful. Mysterious. Ominous. Ancient. Etc.

Thanks for joining us today Hannah! 

To seventeen-year-old Norah Lukens, the Cobbogothians were just a myth. But after her archeologist uncle's brutal murder, and being asked to translate one of his old research journals for evidence, she begins a journey to discover the truth for herself.

Chasing the myth her uncle was obsessed with, Norah learns that his murder was a cover up for something far more sinister. If she hopes to save others from suffering the same fate he did--including the peculiarly magnetic James Riley--she must head to Iceland in order to find out the truth once and for all.

If she succeeds, she'll gain the one thing she's always longed for.

But if she fails, not even the gods can help her.