Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Dance the Moon Down by R L Bartram---a Review






Synopsis:  In 1910, no one believed there would ever be a war with Germany. Safe in her affluent middle-class life, the rumours held no significance for Victoria either. It was her father's decision to enroll her at university that began to change all that. There she befriendes the rebellious and outspoken Beryl Whittaker, an emergent suffragette, but it is her love for Gerald Avery, a talented young poet from a neighbouring university that sets the seal on her future. After a clandestine romance, they marry in January 1914, but with the outbreak of the First World War, Gerald volunteeres but within months has gone missing in France. Convinced that he is still alive, Victoria's initial attempts to discover what has become of him, implicate her in a murderous assault on Lord Kitchener resulting in her being interrogated as a spy, and later tempted to adultery. Now virtually destitute, Victoria is reduced to finding work as a common labourer on a run down farm, where she discovers a world of unimaginable ignorance and poverty. It is only her conviction that Gerald will some day return that sustaines her through the dark days of hardship and privation as her life becomes a battle of faith against adversity. (From Goodreads)

From My Perspective:

This historical romance came as a surprise to me.   Our main character, Victoria, is of the upper class and it took me awhile to warm up to her.  I admired her silence and reverence when she supported her husband's patriotism and entrance into the British Militia. and I could empathize with her.   However when he went missing, I was not very forgiving of the relationship that developed between her and the officer assigned to look into Gerald's whereabouts for her.    But when she took up a position as a labourer on a run down farm, I gained an altogether new appreciation for her and the respect and kindness she offered to her coworkers.  And I loved that she never gave up believing Gerald was still alive!

Bartram did an excellent job of bringing his characters to life..   They were so real with high ideals and dreams and flaws we all must overcome.   He possessed a realistic depiction of the lands ravaged by war, and of the people's fears as the war went on and on.  It was very interesting to note that women were considered subservient and had very few rights, although with the raging of the war, the political stage was ripe for change in that respect.

I seriously enjoyed reading about the first World War from an English woman's perspective.    I admired Victoria's common sense and her tenacity which almost got her in trouble a time or two.   And I liked that although the war front was indeed devastating, the workers on the farm had opportunities for light hearted activities such as feeding an old work horse apples or taking a dip in a creek to cool off--naked!

Bartram's style flows smoothly, his story well told and his characters very well developed.   I'm rating this read at 4 WINKS!!   A very different but enjoyable read!
  

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.



Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Compostela Cube by Paul Cavilla--a Review

Good Morning my Peeps!   This morning I would like to bring you my review of Paul Cavilla"s The Compostela Cube .   I was given a paperback copy of this book by the author or their representative in exchange for an honest review.   




Technical info:

 
Book Title: The Compostela Cube - Part One : The Book
ISBN: 978-0-9917265-0-9
Publisher: Polymath Publishing
Page count: 493
Word count: 154,000
Book trailer YouTube link: http://youtu.be/DpfS-Xd4wGY
Author blog: www.paulcavilla.com
 

Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Science-Fiction, Fantasy. 


Plot synopsis:

 
When they come into possession of a mysterious prehistoric cube, relic hunter Gabriel Parker, and the alluring artifact historian Natasha Rossi, find themselves inexplicably bound to a dark mythology dating back to the roots of civilization. The 2012 doomsday prophecies have come and gone, but now, without warning, the feared revelations are coming true. Under the apocalyptic shadow of global war and rampant natural disasters, Gabriel and Natasha race to prevent an unspeakable horror from being unleashed onto the planet. With nothing but a tattered journal to guide them, they travel from Italy to North Africa, and then set course for the mountains of Spain, where they must locate a lost labyrinth spoken of by the ancients. Within is said to reside the answer to the mystery of mysteries: The Meaning Of Life. Hunting them is Christian Antov, heir to a secret organization poised to draw the world into a global fascist regime. He will stop at nothing to destroy Gabriel and Natasha, and the one artifact that stands in his way: The Compostela Cube.

From My Perspective:

As any reader of my blog knows, I don't read too many Sci-Fi tales, but I usually do enjoy them when I am asked to review them.   This was just  such a read.  This 493 page read was an adventure from start to finish.   Chapters were set up to reveal information for the character doing the story telling.  Main Characters would include Gabriel Parker, Natasha Rossi, the Bishop, Christian Antov and Rodchenko, as well as lesser characters represented by the militia leaders around the world.

Action driven, this novel provided a riveting read and basically boilsed down to the age old story of good vs bad and just how evil was evil?  It was absolutely so believable that the world could be at the mercy of one evil man, Christian Antov.   His childhood was sad to say the least as we read his history and saw how he was tortured, abused and molded into the man he became.   How many men are groomed to be power mongers in today's world and find themselves lost to an evil influence, robbing them of love and compassion for their fellow man.   Antov's past certainly groomed him for the role he would play in destroying life on Planet Earth as we know it.

It was a long read, but it seems that the length was necessary to set the stage, so to speak.  The storyline was woven in a precise fashion with lots of mystery and adverse conditions for the good guys to contend with.   There was even a dog who just might have been an angel in disguise.    

I'm rating this a 4 Wink --interesting, breath-taking, scary and moves fast; I think any sci-fi buff would enjoy this read!    Thanks Paul Cavilla...I'll be looking forward to Book II, The Labyrinth.

 

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

The Preservationist by Justin Kramon/ PICT VBTOUR with interview and giveaway

The Preservationist

by Justin Kramon

on Tour October 1 - November 30, 2013


Book Details:

Genre: Thriller / Psychological Thriller / Women's Fiction Published by: Pegasus/Norton Publication Date: 10/15/13 Number of Pages: 288 ISBN: 978-1-60598-480-3 Purchase Links: ** Note: Explicit sexual scenes

Synopsis:

To Sam Blount, meeting Julia is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Working at the local college and unsuccessful in his previous relationships, he’d been feeling troubled about his approaching fortieth birthday, “a great beast of a birthday,” as he sees it, but being with Julia makes him feel young and hopeful. Julia Stilwell, a freshman trying to come to terms with a recent tragedy that has stripped her of her greatest talent, is flattered by Sam’s attention. But their relationship is tested by a shy young man with a secret, Marcus Broley, who is also infatuated with Julia. Told in alternating points of view, The Preservationist is the riveting tale of Julia and Sam’s relationship, which begins to unravel as the threat of violence approaches—and Julia becomes less and less sure whom to trust.

Trailer:

Read an excerpt:

Chapter 1 Julia Of all the places Julia Stilwell thought she might be on a September afternoon, less than a year after the accident, this was the last she would have imagined. College. A freshman headed out on a first date. It was too normal. She felt like she’d snuck into the wrong movie, like any minute a guy in a little hat would come running up the aisle, shine a flashlight in her eyes, and ask to see her ticket. But here she was, ten minutes to two, fixing her hair, getting her shoes on, smiling at her reflection so she could paint blush on her cheeks, going back and forth in her mind about whether to bring a backpack or a purse. It was all the usual stuff girls do before dates, but to Julia it felt like a test, a set of pictures she had to line up in the right order. Wrong answer sends you back to go. It was a blessing her roommate Leanette was in class and not around to witness the chaos of these final preparations. Leanette had dates every weekend and went to all the parties, and Julia was sure this fussing would have seemed amateur to her, like a kid playing with an adult’s makeup kit. In the end, she decided on a messenger bag. She slung it over her shoulder, flipped the lights off, and left the room. Outside, it was gorgeous. Cloudless and warm, the air felt like a shirt just out of the dryer. Julia lived in an off-campus dorm, and though the building was musty, with cinder block walls and a dull gray carpet that gave off a smell like boiled milk, there was a pretty courtyard out here, a cement bench, a trellis wrapped with vines and bright flowers. She took a long breath, enjoying the weather and her anticipation, perched for a moment on the fragile edge of happiness. Julia was headed to campus, and she decided to take the path through the woods. She could have gone through town, but didn’t know whom she’d run into, and whether they’d ask what she was up to. The date with Marcus didn’t have to be a secret, but for some reason she wanted to keep it to herself, like a note in her pocket. Before the accident, it would have been different. Julia would have had to tell Danny and Shana about how Marcus had asked her out, making little jokes to play it down. They wouldn’t have let her get away with the secrecy. In high school, when she wasn’t practicing the trumpet, Julia had spent most of her free time with these friends. She knew everything about them, from what they’d gotten on their last history tests to what their boyfriends had whispered in their ears the first times they’d had sex. Julia had always been a bit of an oddball, with her quirky sense of humor, the flat way she delivered jokes that caught people off guard and sometimes made them smile, sometimes give her confused looks. She was never a star in the classroom, and didn’t go in for all the primping and social striving most of the girls did. She didn’t need it; her music and her plans for the future had been enough. They’d given her distance, kept her insulated from the storms of teenage social life. When her friends were worked up over a boy or a conflict with parents, Julia was always the first to jump in with a silly line to relieve the tension. She wore thrift store T-shirts and frayed corduroys and didn’t try to be the prettiest or the smartest or the most popular, just didn’t care that much about it. But all of that was gone, that old life. She didn’t talk to any of those people anymore. She’d gotten rid of her cell phone, tossed it into a lake, actually. Burial at sea. Marcus had suggested they meet at two-thirty, since the snack bar would be less crowded then, between lunch and dinner. As usual, Julia was early. She couldn’t help it. She’d always been the type to arrive ten minutes before a meeting, and none of the tricks she pulled to delay herself ever seemed to work. If she were ever sentenced to execution, she’d probably arrive ten minutes early for that, just to get a good seat. She tried to slow down, scraping her shoe soles on the dirt and rocks in the woods. As a way to distract herself, she started thinking about how the date had come about. “You have this way about you,” Marcus had said that night in the library, when they were working on the counterpoint project. “It’s like you live in your own self-contained world. I’ve been wanting to know what’s going on in there since the first time I saw you.” After he said it, he smiled in a teasing way, and she wasn’t sure if he was being genuine. She almost made a quick joke back, her habit. Nothing going on in here. My world’s in a budget crisis. But then she noticed he was blushing, all the way from his ears down to the base of his neck. There was something reassuring about his discomfort. Seeing it, she’d felt a protective tenderness for him, the way you might watching a child pedal a bike up a steep hill. “You want to get lunch on Thursday in the snack bar?” he’d said after that, so casually anyone listening would have thought he’d just tossed out the offer, not even caring what her answer would be. But he’d given a specific day. He’d mentioned the snack bar, as if an off-campus date would have been too much to ask. “I’d love to,” Julia had said. “But are you going to be there?” And Marcus had smiled. When she got near the top of the hill, where the woods let out, Julia heard a train clacking away from the station at the base of campus. She checked her watch: ten minutes early. Of course. She walked onto the train platform, into the warm bright sunshine. That was when it happened, suddenly, in the midst of all that sparkling weather. It was as if someone had pulled the plug on the day, and all the excitement just drained out, like water from a tub. She knew what it was, this feeling. She’d told El Doctor about it, these aftershocks, as she thought of them, reminders of events she couldn’t change, events she would have preferred to snip out of the cloth of her memory. She closed her eyes, and there it was again, her brother’s face, pale with shock at what he was witnessing, his lips opening and closing, making no sound, until finally he’d asked, “Is that mine?” But she couldn’t do this now, couldn’t let herself get dragged under. If you want to move forward, you have to stop looking back. Positive thinking, positive results. She stood straight, pushed her shoulders back, breathed, fixed the strap of the messenger bag like a seatbelt across her chest, and continued across the tracks, up the tree-lined path to campus. Inside the snack bar, Julia couldn’t spot Marcus. She looked around at all the tables and booths. Most were empty. At one table, two women in suits were smiling over something one of them had said, then they got up to leave, carrying stacks of paper. Inside a booth, three muscular-looking boys sat talking over empty plates and balled napkins. They made Julia nervous, these people. The way they moved and talked and smiled seemed foreign, like they were all doing a dance she’d never learned. The thought surfaced again that maybe she wasn’t fit to be here, at a college, so soon, no matter what El Doctor said. But it’s best not to overthink things. That’s how you get yourself into trouble. When you stop and think about how vulnerable you are, or how strange the world is, it’s easy to end up feeling confused and lonely. In the corner, next to the doors where people walked in to order their sandwiches, a man in a red shirt and white apron was standing beside a trashcan. Julia recognized him as the guy who usually made her sandwiches. She remembered thinking more than once that he was cute. He had shaggy brown hair, and could have passed for a student if he were a couple years younger. He always smiled when he saw Julia, and offered her an extra handful of chips or a second spear of pickle with her order. She didn’t know if he did that for other girls, but it was such a simple and plainly sweet gesture that it charmed her. A pickle for your thoughts, my dear. When she looked at him, though, smiling, ready to wave, he looked down, like he was embarrassed. She wasn’t sure if maybe he didn't recognize her, or was surprised at meeting her without the lunch counter between them, or if he was just socially awkward, but whatever it was, she felt disappointed. She wanted to give him a signal that it was okay to be friendly, wave to her when she came in. I won’t bite. She didn’t have a chance to do anything, though, because just as she was considering it, Marcus walked in.

From My Perspective:

I'm rating this psychological thriller a 5 Wink Read!!

Yes, I lost a perfectly good night's sleep in my quest to read The Preservationist.  This was the surprise read of my year.  I was expecting this to be a love story between archaeologists.    Who else "preserves" things?    I must be narrow minded, thinking like that, huh?   There are different types of preservationists and I well know that now!

Words I can describe this read with include captivating, dark, haunting and sad.  The Preservationist is a very well written book.   The characters are very well developed and believable.   Written in differing voices with each chapter, the book "preserved" revelation of who could be trusted until late into the book.

For those who enjoy a good psychological thriller, this book is a must read.  And for those who follow my blog, the author is providing a free e-copy of The Preservationist to one lucky winner.   Just enter the rafflecopter drawing below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio:

Justin Kramon is the author of the novels Finny (Random House, 2010) and The Preservationist (Pegasus, 2013). A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has received honors from the Michener-Copernicus Society of America, Best American Short Stories, the Hawthornden International Writers' Fellowship, and the Bogliasco Foundation. He lives in Philadelphia.

Catch Up With the Author:

Author Interview:

When did you know you were born to write?

I'm still not sure if I was born to write. But I was probably most convinced of that when I got voted worst dancer in my high school class.

Who influenced you in becoming the author you are today?

There isn't any one person, but the first person who took me seriously as a writer was a teacher I had named Maxine Rodburg who taught a summer writing course I was taking during the day while working overnight shifts at a homeless shelter. It was a delirious, sleep-deprived summer, but I came away with the feeling that it was a real thing I was trying to do, and I still remember and follow certain pointers she gave me about writing.

What was your favorite book and author as a child?

I didn't read very much until high school, but I remember that some of the first writers I connected with were JD Salinger, John Steinbeck, and James Baldwin. The author who made me really fall in love with what books could do was Alice Munro.

Who do you read now?

I still read and marvel at Alice Munro's work. In thrillers, I read Stephen King, Henning Menkell, Ruth Rendell, Patricia Highsmith, Thomas Harris. I also love big nineteenth-century British novels: Dickens, Eliot, Hardy, Austen.

Do you read as much as you write?

Page-wise, I read a lot more. Time-wise, I had to write a lot in the year I was finishing this book, probably more than I read. I feel like reading is critical to writing, at least for me. When I'm running low on fuel for writing, reading is generally the best source.

If you could meet any author of past or present, who would it be?

Hard question. I've been fortunate to meet a lot of writers, and my experience has been that many authors are different in person than in their books, or at least different in public settings and with people they don't know very well. That's very understandable to me. My sense is that many fiction writers have some desire to mask or distort themselves, to complicate or simplify, or in some cases are just more interested in other people. In some ways, I feel like I get the purest version of an author in her/his work. But Charles Dickens would probably be an interesting person to have a drink with.

What would you ask him?

Whether writing made him happy.

What made you select your genre?

I wrote a psychological thriller because I'd been reading a lot of them for about a year. Stephen King's novel Misery was the one that got me going on that kick. I picked it up while I was touring for my first book, and I had some things going on in my life that were making it difficult to enjoy novels as much as I wanted to, but I was able to totally let myself go into that book. It reignited a fire that had been smoldering for a while.

How did you conceive the idea for The Preservationist?

I wanted to write a book that got inside the minds of people who were involved in or threatened by violence. I looked to a lot of books I love that deal with similar subjects, such as John Fowles's The Collector, William Trevor's Felicia's Journey, Edna O'Brien's In The Forest, and Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley.

What advice would you share with a would be writer?

I don't feel like there's only one way to do this, but I can share a couple things that have been helpful for me. Like I mentioned before, reading was and is huge for me. It's been the way that I've been introduced to the landscape of fiction. My experience has been that a lot of people who write seriously wrestle with a lot of doubt and even self-hatred, so I think it's helpful to find ways to deal with that or work with that. Regular writing practice has been useful for me. Also, being honest about the books and subjects that interest me, and those that don't.

Do you write with background noise or silence?

I tend to like quiet.

Describe your writing area, please.

My office is a spare bedroom in our house in Philadelphia. I believe the previous owner used it as a nursery, so now the room is home to somewhat less spitting up but probably a similar amount of crying. No comment on dirty diapers.

Who is the first person you share the written word with?

My wife.

Can you tell us a little about your current WIP?

It's pretty early on, so I don't have a huge amount to say, but there's suspense in it.

Now for fun:

Salty or sweet?

Salty.

Favorite drink?

Vietnamese iced coffee.

Cookies, pie or cake?

If the cookies are in the pie, does that count as two things?

Happy endings, surprise endings, or cliffhangers?

Really depends on the book, but I like an ending with a mix of stuff in it, an ending that's not only one thing.

What is your ultimate goal with your writing(s)?

Possibly a run for senate. But if not, then maybe to write some things that are enjoyable for people and meaningful.

Thank you for answering this long list of interview questions, Jason.   It has been my pleasure to get to know you and share you with my readers!



Every eBook received for review on the tours for Partners In Crime are given in exchange for an honest review. The eBooks are sole property (copyrighted) of the author and should not be sold, distributed to, or exchanged among other people not part of the tours, nor should they be listed on file sharing sites. Failure to comply with this disclaimer, will result in removal from all future tours. 

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Waves by Jen Minkman...a Review

Good Morning my Peeps!  This morning I am honored to present my review of Jen Minkman's, The Waves.  This is a novella of 143 pages and is a great companion story to her previous writing of The Island.  Let's begin with the

Synopsis:

The first memory I have of my grandfather is of a moment that we share together.
I’m sitting on his knee looking out over the harbor. Grandpa is smoking a pipe. He points at the horizon. “Look, Walt. Our ships are out there. And one day, another even more beautiful ship will appear at the horizon. A mighty ship to take us all away. And Annabelle will be at the front deck with open arms, inviting us all to join her on board.”
“Why don’t we sail to her ourselves?” I want to know.
“Because she promised she would come,” granddad replies. “And in that promise we trust. It’s only the Unbelievers who think they can do everything themselves. They have no faith in the Goddess.”

Walt lives in Hope Harbor, an island community that has put its trust in salvation from across the sea. The townspeople wait patiently, build their ships to sail out and welcome the Goddess, and piously visit the temple every week. Horror stories to scare their children are told about the Unbelievers on the other side of Tresco. 
But not all is what it seems. Walt has questions that no one can answer, and when his best friend and cousin Yorrick is killed in an accident, he digs deeper to find out the truth about the origins of Hope Harbor’s society… and the secrets of the temple.

Return to the world of The Island and discover what Walt's life was like before and after he met Leia!

From My Perspective:

First of all, my review of The Island, can be found here: 
Walt was featured in the previous island tale, and this is his story that Ms Minkman writes about in The Waves.  It is the tale of a young man coming of age and facing the questions he has about his religious beliefs.   He has lost his faith and is looking for what he can believe in.   His town, Hope Harbor, survived on the other side of the island's wall.   They believed Annabelle, their goddess, would return one day to save her people.   Walt's people  were known as fools on the other side of the wall.   The others on the other side were known as non believers by those in Hope Harbor.

Once again Jen has created a unique and interesting story and it was fun to reacquaint myself with  the characters in these bizarre cultures.   These stories lend themselves to reviewing internally how our own society's religions were passed down to each generation and what we may have changed or lost in translation.   Alas, I leave that review up to each reader as a personal and intimate choice.

I thank Jen Minkman for her writing prowess.   I love books that make me think!  4 Winks!!


Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like. I received a complimentary copy from the author or the author’s representatives in exchange for an honest review.


Wednesday, October 16, 2013

A Secondhand Murder by Lesley A Diehl--A PICT VBTour and Giveaway

A Secondhand Murder

by Lesley Diehl

on Tour October 1 - November 30, 2013


Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery Published by: Camel Press Publication Date: 9/15/2013 Number of Pages: 260 ISBN: 978-1-60381-935-0 Purchase Links:

Synopsis:

Spunky and outspoken Eve Appel moves from Connecticut to rural Florida intent on starting a new life, free of drama, and more importantly, her soon-to-be ex-husband. The rural Florida town of Sabal Bay, situated only an hour from West Palm, proves to be the perfect spot for her consignment store. Thanks to the recent economic downturn, Florida’s society matrons need a place to discreetly sell their stuff and pick up expensive-looking bargains. But Eve’s life, and her business with it, is turned upside down when a wealthy customer is found stabbed to death in a fitting room. As accusations fly and business slows, Eve decides to take things into her own hands. With the help of an unlikely bunch of friends—including her estranged ex, her best friend, a handsome private eye, and a charming mafia don—she struggles to find answers and save lives. Through a maze of distorted half-truths, dramatic cover-ups, and unrequited passions, Eve learns just how far the wealthy will go to regain what they have lost. A Secondhand Murder is Book 1 of the Eve Appel Mysteries Series.

From My Perspective:

A Secondhand Murder was a delightful read.  It was a mystery that had a substantial list of suspects and the story was definitely character driven.   The writing was smooth and easy to follow from start to finish; but the characters were the shining star for this book.

I enjoyed following Eve as she first encountered the murder at the secondhand store and then threw herself into the investigation to resolve "whodunit" before the store was ruined by bad publicity and gossip.  The story was interesting and it was quite late in the book when the reader realized who the culprit was.  Eve's friends and family who helped her were quirky,loyal, some inept, some professional and comical.

Although I enjoyed the read, there were some things that were reminiscent to the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, i.e. both heroines experienced their cars being blown to smitherenes.  Both heroines had grandmothers who sought adventure with their grand-daughters.   I was also taken aback with the PI Alex Montgomery.   I just couldn't picture him as moping after the heroine.   But those were the only things that bothered me about the story.   Overall, I found it very enjoyable and I will look forward to the next book in the Eve Appel Mystery Series.   I rate this book at four winks!

And for my followers, there is good news!   The author has graciously offered up a free E-Copy of her book for one lucky winner of the rafflecopter below.    So if you love great characters, several twists and turns in you mystery,  and a touch of comedy,  sign up below.    It may just be your lucky day!
Good Luck my Peeps! 
                                    a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read an excerpt:

It was still early so I strode back into the restaurant, indicated to the hostess I wanted a booth and ordered the breakfast buffet. Anger paired with disbelief gave me a hearty appetite. Returning to my booth after loading my plate with eggs, bacon, pancakes, pastries and a slice of toast, I noticed someone had joined me for breakfast. He was seated with his back to me as I approached the booth but I recognized the sun-streaked hair curling over his collar. My favorite PI. I almost dropped my plate. “Hi.” I tried for nonchalant but sounded more like a hormone-addled teenager. “Saw you come in. I guess you had an early morning chitchat with the local gendarmes.” “To be continued this afternoon at the station.” “Fingerprints?” He stirred a packet of sugar into his coffee. “Nope.” The tingle in my tummy was more than simple hunger for food. I tried to satisfy it by stuffing a large forkful of pancake into my mouth. I nodded and swallowed. “Like anyone would be dumb enough to leave their prints.” “Certainly, we know you’re smart.” “I had no reason to kill Mrs. Sanders. That would be like killing the golden goose.” “You didn’t like her very much, did you?” I dropped my fork on the plate. “What do you mean? I hardly knew the woman.” “So you say, but my sources indicate that’s not the whole story.” He stared at me. Last night I thought those azure eyes looked inviting. Now they looked more like ice. He smiled. “You said you were investigating Mrs. Sanders. Sounds like you’re trying to nose into my affairs. Why?” “Don’t get mad. I’m not accusing you of murder, you know.” He took a sip of coffee. “I’m not mad.” I was a little miffed, peeved even, but not really mad. Okay, I was mad. “Oh yes you are, and when you get angry, you stick your chin out and turn your head ever so slightly to the right. Your cheek twitches, probably from clenching your teeth. Did you know that?” I had lost my appetite. I grabbed my purse and slid out of the booth. “I don’t recall inviting you to join me for breakfast. I just remembered I have an important appointment.” “That would be ...?” He also stood. “That would be none of your business.” I stalked out of the restaurant, then remembered as I approached my car that I had forgotten to pay my bill. Damn. Now I’d have to go back in there and face him again. I gritted my teeth, stuck out my chin and slammed through the door. He turned from the counter, credit card in hand. “Don’t worry about it. I got it. Your treat next time.” “There won’t be a next time.” I spun around and pushed open the door. By the time he reached his car, I was already starting my engine, wondering what the man knew about Mrs. Sanders and me.

Author Bio:

Lesley retired from her life as a professor of psychology and reclaimed her country roots by moving to a small cottage in the Butternut River Valley in upstate New York. In the winter she migrates to old Florida--cowboys, scrub palmetto, and open fields of grazing cattle, a place where spurs still jingle in the post office. Back north, she devotes her afternoons to writing and, when the sun sets, relaxing on the bank of her trout stream, sipping tea or a local microbrew.

Catch Up With the Author:

Every eBook received for review on the tours for Partners In Crime are given in exchange for an honest review. The eBooks are sole property (copyrighted) of the author and should not be sold, distributed to, or exchanged among other people not part of the tours, nor should they be listed on file sharing sites. Failure to comply with this disclaimer, will result in removal from all future tours. 

Friday, October 11, 2013

What I Read in September

Hello my Peeps!    It looks like I took an almost month long hiatus and only read three books during September.   I started several books, but finished only the three pictured below.   They were enjoyable reads, but somehow, I lost my zeal for reading.  It became work with deadlines and time constraints have changed to where I am unsubscribing from the tours I was participating in.  

I have lots to read on hand, but very little time to dedicate to reading  and blogging.   Hopefully I can resume posting once a week at  the very least.   Time will reveal all things.  Please bear with me as we head  into the holiday season ahead.

Any of these titles are great reads with Recklessly, being a sexually explicit story.   The Space In Between captivated me and Riverstar was the third installment in the River Valley Saga.    You won't go wrong with these titles; they are all entertaining fiction!


Have a wonderful October Readers!