Celebrate Friday the 13th with a Ghost Story!

 

 

What better way to celebrate Friday the 13th than with a tale of romance, suspense and intrigue... one that starts with a dead body and a ghost? Here's the story blurb:

A missing black book that can take down Beacon Hill… and the ghost who holds the answers.

Massachusetts State Trooper Jack MacDonald sees the world in black and white. Good guys versus bad guys. But life isn’t always so simple. When a road crew finds a dead junkie stuffed in a trash bag, Jack’s drawn into a world of shadows where nothing is as simple as it seems. Especially not the dark haired beauty caught up in the middle.

Maggie Nelson lives in those shadows. Her sister might be the infamous Beacon Hill Madam, but Maggie just wants to stay under the radar and finish college. After her sister’s suspicious death, Maggie finds her own life endangered because of a missing ledger filled with names and numbers. It’s the kind of information that can crush dreams and ruin lives. Or get you killed.

Can a man who doesn’t believe in ghosts keep her safe from the shadows closing in on all sides?

 

It's a fun, fast-paced story that might change how you think about ghosts...

Grab a copy on AMAZON and get reading!

Got Ghosts? Need a Mystery to read? Check out this Bookish Event

 

 

N.N. Light's Book Heaven has an event going on featuring Mystery and Suspenseful reads - and GHOST IN THE MACHINE is one of today's featured books! 

Here's the blurb for my book -

A missing black book that can take down Beacon Hill… and the ghost who holds the answers.

Massachusetts State Trooper Jack MacDonald sees the world in black and white. Good guys versus bad guys. But life isn’t always so simple. When a road crew finds a dead junkie stuffed in a trash bag, Jack’s drawn into a world of shadows where nothing is as simple as it seems. Especially not the dark haired beauty caught up in the middle.

Maggie Nelson lives in those shadows. Her sister might be the infamous Beacon Hill Madam, but Maggie just wants to stay under the radar and finish college. After her sister’s suspicious death, Maggie finds her own life endangered because of a missing ledger filled with names and numbers. It’s the kind of information that can crush dreams and ruin lives. Or get you killed.

Can a man who doesn’t believe in ghosts keep her safe from the shadows closing in on all sides?

Find the event - and an excerpt - online here -
https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/mystery-and-suspense-bookish-event

Or just grab a copy on Kindle here -

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Machine-Katie-OSullivan-ebook/dp/B08CVM3GP7

If you like your beach reads with a healthy dose of suspense, check out this event. AND enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to win a $45 Amazon gift card!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking for a new Mystery or Romantic Suspense? Check out this Event...

 

Looking for a new beach book to get you through the dog days of summer? There's an event going on which highlights a few dozen great reads ~ perfect to get you through the heat of August!

 

I’m excited to have BREAKING THE RULES as part of N.N. Light's Book Heaven Mystery and Suspense Bookish Event. Check out all the mystery/suspense/thriller books and enter the giveaway to win a $45 Amazon gift card: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/mystery-and-suspense-bookish-event

Raffle is Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.

Runs August 9 – August 18, 2022.

Winner will be drawn on August 19, 2022.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Book Review: Cold as Ice, by Toni Anderson

 

About the Book:

When Darby O'Roarke wakes up in a strange house with a dead man - with no memory of what happened - she knows who she has to call: FBI Supervisory Special Agent Eban Winters...the man she fell for, and who rejected her, last summer.

A negotiator isn't supposed to get involved with kidnap victims, and Eban has been trying to avoid the temptation that is Darby O'Roarke ever since they met. One frantic phone call has him racing to Alaska to uncover the truth, but he faces stubborn opposition from the local police, and a growing media frenzy.

Getting Darby released from jail and keeping her safe is his first priority. When another woman is brutally slain, evidence emerges that suggests Darby is being framed, and that the culprit is a vicious serial killer who has eluded the FBI for more than a decade...and, now, the killer has Darby in their sights.

 

MY TAKE:

This is the fifth book in the Cold Justice - The Negotiators series, and another winner from author Toni Anderson. I've read and loved every one of her Cold Justice books from both this series and the prior series, and have to say they keep getting better, the action tighter, the plots twistier. Anderson is a master of romantic suspense.

Readers met Darby O'Rourke previously in another book from the series, Colder than Sin, where she was kidnapped and held hostage by a terrorist group on a tropical island. It was then she first met Eban Winters, the FBI hostage rescue team negotiator who comes to her rescue again in this book. 

This time, Darby's been framed for murder in her small University town in Alaska. The police think it's a slam dunk case, until Darby reaches out to her FBI friends for help. Eban hasn't been able to stop thinking about Darby since they first met, even though he knows he shouldn't get involved with a victim he's helped to rescue. Especially not one who went through the physical, mental and sexual traumas that she did. But he can't ignore her cry for help and rushes to Alaska to help the local cops find the real killer.

The story alternates POVs between Darby and Eban, with first person chapters from the killer scattered throughout. It's those chapters as much as the police investigation that give the reader clues as to the killer's identity - and yet I was still surprised at the end. Great attention to detail, with tons of red herrings thrown in, make this a really absorbing mystery to solve. Totally recommend this new release - and if you haven't read the previous books in this series or the original Cold Justice series, you are in for a huge treat! 

Cold as Ice is now available on AMAZON

Monday Book Review: My Only One, by Charlotte O'Shay

 

About the Book:

My Only One, Book One of the Fortunato Family series, is a friends to lovers, romantic suspense that’s chock full of feels.

Esme:
We grew up in side-by-side New York City tenements. Shane was my first friend, my first crush, and when he enlisted, my unforgettable heartbreak. When fate brings us back together after ten years, I’m in a world of danger. But I’m not a kid anymore and I know what I want. Shane and I have a second chance at forever and there’s no way I’ll lose him again.

Shane:
Brilliant, beautiful, bound for success, Esme was the girl next door and a temptation I had to resist. I was too old for her, but I couldn’t forget her. When we meet again after ten long years, she’s caught in the crosshairs of a deadly drug kingpin. But I wear a badge now. Nothing will stop me from protecting the woman who claimed me—heart and soul—so long ago. I’ll keep Esme safe or die trying.

Time’s running out for Esme to pay her father’s debt to the cartel.

 

MY TAKE:

 

Charlotte O'Shay is a master storyteller, grabbing the reader on page one - hook, line and sinker. I've read her previous books and really enjoyed them all... but with MY ONLY ONE, O'Shay hits her stride as an author. I expect great things from this series, especially if this first book is any indication.

 

This story starts in fifth gear with the heroine running for her life, and the pace never slows, dragging you headlong through emotional highs and lows and everything in between. From the moment Esme and Shane reconnect, sparks are flying. Told in first person with alternating viewpoints, the reader gets all the feels right along with the main characters. The romance progresses quickly, but then again, this couple has been waiting ten years to act on all the suppressed feelings they had for each other as teens. Having Esme's life literally on the line means everything is in stark focus for them both, and they need to make every moment count.

 

I loved the secondary characters as well, from Shane Fortunato's large, warm family to the drug lord who oozes evil with every word and action. I also loved Esme's grit and spirit, and the fact that she never gives up. She's no fainting princess waiting to be rescued, she's determined to rescue herself, even if she has to run barefoot through the streets of Manhattan. Gotta love a heroine with spunk, which she keeps up throughout the story (and no, no spoilers here.)

 

Totally recommend adding this fast-paced page turner to your fall reading list. 5 bright stars for this story, and hope the author hurries up with the next installment of the Fortunato series.

Grab your copy on AMAZON and get reading!

  

 

Monday Book Review: Cold Cruel Kiss by Toni Anderson

 

About the Book:

When the daughter of the US Ambassador to Argentina is kidnapped in broad daylight on Christmas Eve, the FBI sends one of its best negotiators to investigate.

Supervisory Special Agent Max Hawthorne arrives at an embassy thrown into chaos as US and local law enforcement hustle to track the young woman. Is this a simple kidnap for ransom, or part of a political agenda? Could it be something more sinister?

Lucy Aston has something to hide. Preferring to stay in the shadows, the lowly, fashion-challenged office assistant resents being assigned to help Max. But Max can’t resist a puzzle…he’s starting to suspect Lucy Aston is not what she seems.

When rumors emerge of a suspected Russian spy operating out of the embassy, Lucy’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble. As she and Max race to rescue the ambassador’s daughter, Lucy has to do whatever it takes to keep her cover from being blown—even if that means betraying the man she’s falling for.

 

MY TAKE:

Toni Anderson has done it again! Another brilliant home run of a romantic suspense novel in the fascinating series, which itself is a spinoff of her previous awesome series. The best part with all of these stories? They're all stand-alone books, each and every one. You can try any one - or read them all. The intertwined characters add a depth to reader enjoyment, but the lack of knowledge has few consequences because Anderson is a master of focusing on the story at hand, and dragging the reader along for the wild ride.

Cold Cruel Kiss released last week, and is technically Book 4 of her Cold Justice-Crossfire series, each focused on a member of the FBI's hostage negotiating team. Like the previous books, we've met the FBI negogitator before in a secondary role but haven't yet encountered the love interest. In this story, the hostage negotiator is Max Hawthorne, a British ex-pat and former soldier who happened to be on Christmas holiday in South America with a few of his old British special forces buddies when the kidnapping occurred in Argentina. The 17-year old daughter of the U.S. ambassador was taken off the streets, and the motives are unclear - is it politics or greed at work? Or some mix of both?

Anderson sets her usual fast pace, and the reader can almost feel the clock ticking down. Chapters are narrated in third person from varying points of view, including both main characters and both kidnapped girls as their situation becomes more desperate. The identities and true motives of the kidnappers are kept secret to the very end - at least, I had no clue who was behind it all. Masterful storytelling that keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing what's around each corner.

If you haven't read a Toni Anderson novel, you're in luck because between the two series, there are now 14 of these FBI romantic suspense novels already available to binge on. Strap yourself in for a wild ride!

Grab a copy of COLD CRUEL KISS now on Amazon

Monday Book Review: Cold Wicked Lies (Cold Justice: Crossfire, Book 3), by Toni Anderson

 

About the Book:

In an effort to halt an armed standoff, FBI negotiator Charlotte Blood tries to unravel the mystery of a young woman’s death on a remote mountainside. Pity she has to fight her stubborn, sexy, Hostage Rescue Team counterpart every step of the way.

As a highly skilled operative, HRT leader Payne Novak doesn’t have time to play detective or make nice with killers who flout the law. His focus is getting inside the compound and ending the siege as quickly as possible.

Forced to work together, the battle-hardened HRT team leader and the quietly determined negotiator figure out they might have more in common than they anticipated. As the clock ticks, Charlotte discovers there are some dangers she can’t talk her way out of, and the race to unearth long-buried lies becomes a matter of survival for everyone on the mountain.

 

MY TAKE: 

I think I've mentioned before - and recently - that enemies to lovers is not my favorite romance trope. It usually feels forced. But I'm signed up to write one that's due out next year, so I thought I should explore how other authors handle the relationship in real and believable ways. Claire Marti did an excellent job with her recent Christmas story. And this weekend I read Toni Anderson's take on the trope in one of her recent Cold Justice: Crossfire series stories. 

If you haven't read anything by Toni Anderson, what are you waiting for? She is an absolute genius of romantic suspense and FBI thrillers. I've read her entire Cold Justice series, and now the first three books of the Crossfire spinoff series. Gritty, detailed, believable suspense that will have you turning pages faster than you ever thought possible. Anderson drags you along on her wild roller coaster ride, kicking and screaming and eating up every word on the page.

FBI hostage negotiator Charlotte Blood has appeared in several other books, and I was glad to see she finally got her own story. The book takes on he said/she said dueling POVs, with several chapters sprinkled throughout in other character POVs to forward the plot. The instant antagonism between Charlotte and Payne Novak is palpable and feels justified, although their situation commander's solution seems contrived. Making the two pair so tightly wouldn't seem to be the most efficient way for anyone to get their jobs done. It does, however, give the pair insight into each other's motivations and drivers, and help them each see past the external face the other presents to the world.

With a ripped from the headlines plot, this fast-paced story kept me engrossed and engaged, with writing that crackled off the page and characters you wanted to root for. Totally recommend and give 5 shiny stars. Despite the fact that I've read all her books - and recommend all of them - I think this would easily work as a standalone read. Or, be like me and start at the beginning. The first book of the Cold Justice series is perma-free for Kindle, to suck you in. Believe me, you won't regret it.

Grab COLD WICKED LIES on AMAZON

Or, Grab the first book of the original series A COLD DARK PLACE on AMAZON

 

Monday Book Review: Lucky Double, by Deborah Coonts

About the Book:

Haven’t met Lucky yet? Here’s your chance!

This boxset includes Book One (Wanna Get Lucky?) AND Book Two (Lucky Stiff) in the bestselling Lucky O’Toole Vegas Adventure series. With over 700 pages and 1000+ five star reviews, you don’t want to miss this bundle of Vegas highjinks, murder, romance, and laugh-out-loud moments we all can relate to.

Everyone Has a Hidden Talent

For Lucky O’Toole it’s murder…solving it.

Surviving in Sin City takes cunning, a pair of five-inch heels, and a wiseass attitude. Lucky has mastered them all and has a pair of legs she uses to kick butt and turn heads.

As the Chief Problem Solver for the Babylon, Las Vegas’s most over-the-top destination, mischief is in her job description.

She’s good at her job.

She’s less good at life. But who has time for a life when there’s a killer on the loose?

Light, funny, romantic mysteries providing a Vegas escape appropriate for anyone looking for a good laugh.

 

 MY TAKE:

I found this indie author through BookBub (and if you don't get their daily emails of free and discounted books, what are you waiting for) ...and I'm so glad I clicked and bought this two-fer full of snark and wit and crazy situations and oh-my-god this was a fun read. 

Be warned there are a bunch of negatve-nelly reviews on Amazon because of the language and adult situations, but tell me how can an author set a series in Vegas in this day and age without dropping f-bombs? That said, if coarse language is a deal breaker for you as a reader, steer clear of this series. And of Vegas in general.

This two-books-in-one are the first two in this series about a Las Vegas "Fixer." Think Ray Donovan in designer dresses and heels, without the baseball bat or nearly as much bloodshed. Lucky's actual title is ostensibly Director of Guest Relations for a major casino/hotel, but she has so much more on her plate than dealing with tourists complaining about their rooms. Every work day seems a million years long, she barely sleeps and has no social life outside of work. Or at least she doesn't when we first meet her.

Lucky O'Toole was born and raised in Vegas, the City of Sin. Her mother runs a legal whorehouse, where she was raised until she was 15, when she lied about her age and moved to the city to work a legit job in one of the major casinos. Her best friend is a female impersonator who lives one floor above her and works at her resort, and her executive assistant is a demure powerhouse who would put Moneypenny to shame for being lazy.

Each of the books has a central murder Lucky must unravel along with a myriad other subplots to untangle, as well as a complicated love life and don't even get me started on her family! Reading these two stories - back to back, mind you, when I shoulda been working - was like reading Stephanie Plum or Kinsey Millhone on steroids with the sarcastic tone dialed up to eleven.

If you like strong, take charge women with a heft dose of snark - and you don't mind f-bombs exploding on the page - try one of these Lucky O'Toole mysteries.  

Grab LUCKY DOUBLE on Amazon for $3.99 to get your Vegas on.

Monday Book Review: Woke, by Peggy Jaeger

 

About the Book:

Waking up each day is a gift….

On her 21st birthday, someone slipped a potent drug combination into socialite Aurora Brightwell’s champagne putting her in a coma for the next ten years. It’s been a long road back, and it’s time to reclaim the life she lost and find out exactly what happened on that fateful night.

Financier Kincade Enright has his own reason for helping Aurora discover who poisoned her, but for the time being he’s keeping that - and his true identity - to himself. What he can’t keep hidden though, are his growing feelings for the one-time paparazzi darling and party-girl.

When this prince of finance joins forces with the former sleeping beauty, nothing can stop them from finding the answers they seek…or prevent the powerful emotions developing between them as they search for the truth.

 MY TAKE:

This is a fun, fizzy read which starts with lots of socialite sparkle and glam like every good fairy tale. Yes, it's a Sleeping Beauty tale right down to the heroine's first name - Aurora. While there is no wicked witch or spinning wheel to prick her finger upon, this is a modern take on a classic. It doesn't stick to the Grimm fairy tale version, but rather takes the storyline as a starting point and creates something new and all her own.

Aurora is young, beautiful and rich, living the high life in New York City. The darkness sneaks in and takes over in the form of party drug overdose, leaving our heroine in a coma for ten years. When she finally wakes, she shares in first person her long road of recovery and the nagging question of what actually happened to her at that party, and who is responsible.

The twists in the story keep the pages turning, the sleeping beauty trope put aside in favor of more of a whodunit mystery with a heaping dash of romance between Aurora - now AJ -  and her new Prince Charming named Cade, as they seek answers to the ten year old mystery. This book was more like her Will Cook for Love series, with the tantalizing sizzle of romantic suspense keeping me glued to my ereader.

With another 5-star read, Ms. Jaeger has proven herself a versatile author, and remains an auto-buy for me. Totally recommend!

 Grab a copy on AMAZON