Feature Post: The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White

   

I am very happy to share this author interview with Loreth Anne White discussing her new book THE GIRL IN THE MOSS and her writing. After the interview, you will find a summary of the story, the author’s biography, links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

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Loreth Anne White Interview

Congratulations on your new release! Tell us a bit about it.

THE GIRL IN THE MOSS is a cold case mystery/thriller that kicks off when a shallow grave in a mossy forest exposes the bones of a decades-old secret that begins to threaten a small community with lethal consequence. Early reviews have described the story as dark, atmospheric, and twisty with a “shocking conclusion”. While it can be read alone, THE GIRL IN THE MOSS is book 3 in the Angie Pallorino series, and the series has a romantic relationship thread playing out over the arc of the 3 books.

A larger philosophical question around cold case detecting also plays throughout this book. As one Goodreads reviewer wrote: “If history allows those in grief to move forward with their lives, trying to breath new life into a cold case threatens to upend everything for survivors. On the other hand, those who have gotten away with murder are eluding justice. Angie clearly represents Justice in this book, even at times when nearly everyone is against her and when some of the opposition’s arguments makes some sense.”

So yes, Angie is dogged, but hopefully for good reason—she knows how vital it was to her own sense of well-being to get to the bottom of her own cold case. She’d like to help others find similar closure.  And justice is something she can believe in.

You just love to put your heroine in mortal danger! Even on vacation Angie is somehow drawn into a missing persons cold case that has her fighting for her life. What is it about romantic suspense that fuels your creative juices?

I’ve always loved to read suspense with intrepid heroines who risk their lives, or who must face impossible odds to survive. It came naturally to try and write what I like to read.

One of the best things about your novels is the careful attention you give to both your couple and the crime that is being investigated. How do achieve this balance?

Thank you! I try to find a way to make the relationship an integral part of the case and vice versa, so that you can’t really pull one part of the story out without collapsing the whole thing.

 Your writing includes some in depth information about police procedures — in the case of this novel how to secure a crime scene. What type of research have you done in order to realistically write these scenes?

I’ve done many workshops with various branches of law enforcement, plus I do lots of reading of homicide investigation manuals which have been written to teach cops.

Even as an ex-cop, Angie often finds herself in dangerous situations. What draws her to the dark crimes she investigates? Is there anything else she wants to do with her life?

 Angie has a passion particularly for helping young women hurt by heinous crimes. This in part is because of her own past, even if she didn’t really know it at first. She’s dead set on running her own PI agency now, where she can pick her cases and still march to her own drum. And because of her reputation, some of those darker cases are going to pick her.

Maddocks has a fine line he must walk — as a homicide detective he has the duty to his squad, but he also feels a pull to include Angie in his work. How does he reconcile these two competing forces?

At the end of this book, they find a happy medium. Angie will work her own PI cases, many of them cold cases. And while there will be times the lines of her investigations cross with Maddocks’s police work, it will be more collaborative.

What can readers expect next from you?

THE DARK BONES is the working title of my next project. It’s an atmospheric mystery/suspense/romance set in ranching country in the B.C. interior, and while it is a standalone, it links to A DARK LURE, which was an Amazon #1 bestseller. I’ve had many, many readers write to ask for a linked book, and I hope THE DARK BONES hits all those same notes that A DARK LURE did. If all goes to plan—and things do yet all have to slot into place—the book will see the shelves early next summer.

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About the Book

Title: The Girl in the Moss

Author: Loreth Anne White

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Summary

Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a new start for herself as a private investigator. But first, she and her lover, newly promoted homicide detective James Maddocks, attempt a quiet getaway to rekindle a romance struggling in the shadows of their careers. The peace doesn’t last long when human skeletal remains are found in a nearby mossy grove.

This decades-old mystery is just what Angie needs to establish her new career—even as it thrusts her and Maddocks back into the media spotlight, once again endangering their tenuous relationship.

Then, when Angie’s inquiry into the old crime intersects with a cold case from her own policing past—one that a detective on Maddocks’s new team is working—the investigation takes a startling twist. It puts more than Angie’s last shot at redemption and a future with Maddocks at risk. The mystery of the girl in the moss could kill her.

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Author Biography

Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries, including The Drowned Girls and The Lullaby Girl, the first two books in the Angie Pallorino series. Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mainstream Mystery/Suspense, Loreth is also a three-time RITA finalist, plus a recipient of the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall, and a Booksellers’ Best finalist. A former journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family. When not writing, she skis, bikes, and hikes the trails with her dog, doing her best to avoid the bears (albeit unsuccessfully). Learn more at www.lorethannewhite.com.

 

Author Social Media Links

Website: http://www.lorethannewhite.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Loreth.Anne.White

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Loreth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150272.Loreth_Anne_White

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Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: All the Pretty Girls by Riley Edwards

 

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS

A Next Generation Novel

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MEADOW:

The road was long, it was painful, and it was raw.

It has taken me four years to come to terms with my new reality. A life in which I live with the daily reminders of a vicious attack that has left me scarred both emotionally and physically. Years of recovery and acceptance were torn apart and obliterated the day Special Agent Nick Clark barges into my life. He says the person who attacked me and left me for dead is back. He says I was the first victim – the one who got away. He promises to protect me. But he can’t, no one can.

Nick is relentless in his pursuit and promises me the things I can’t afford to have – like hope for a future with the sexy FBI agent. But hope and love and promises can’t protect me, not when I’m next on the killer’s list.

NICK:

Meadow Holiday is the missing piece, the woman I’ve been searching for. And it has nothing to do with her being a witness in an unsolved serial killer case I’ve had sitting on my desk for the last four years. I had no business falling in love in the middle of a murder investigation but she’s the one. I feel it deep in my bones. I knew the first time I laid eyes on the shy, beautiful woman that she was mine. Now I’m left with the daunting task of convincing her I’m enough.

Can Nick save Meadow in time and prove his love can heal all wounds, or is he already too late to fix what a sadist serial killer has broken?

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MY REVIEW:

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS by Riley Edwards is an exceptional start to her Next Generation series of Romantic suspense books to follow her 707 Freedom series. This book is easily read as a standalone even though the characters from the previous series do pop up. It is not difficult to follow their relationship to Nick and it does not confuse the reader, but makes you want to go back and read that series, also.

Meadow Holiday cannot hide the scar on her face after a vicious attack that has turned her into a solitary person who hides from life. She believes she is no longer desirable. Since her attack, she has kept only one friend at work and one friend on-line in a survivors chat room. Her boss daily ridicules and belittles her for her appearance, so Veronica Venus, in the chat room, has become her outlet to let off steam and go-to for solace.

Special Agent Nick Clark works in the Behavior Analysis Unit of the FBI. He has a knack for seeing things outside of the box even though he is the youngest member of the team. After a break of four years, a serial killer profiled by Nick’s unit is back and killing again. The victims are all beautiful young women found in alleys with their faces mutilated.

Meadow is terrified when she learns the killer is active again. Nick is surprised the beautiful redhead he has been intrigued by at his coffee shop is the original victim who survived her attack all those years ago. Nick knows he will have a battle ahead convincing Meadow she is still beautiful inside and out and that he is not interested in her only to catch the killer. The killer has other plans for Meadow.

Nick and Meadow are such great characters. Nick is all around swoon worthy and he trains service dogs for vets. Love him! Meadow starts out with such low self-esteem, but the author brings her around with Nick’s belief in her and his love. The romance is believable and the sex scenes are hot. This is a page turner, even though I easily figured out the suspense plot. The characters are so vivid, you cannot help but cheer them on to their HEA. I cannot wait for more books in this series!

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LINKS:

Buy Link http://geni.us/w7pUH

Amazon: http://geni.us/amazonre

Goodreads:http://geni.us/goodreadsre

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-edwards

Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/882567735208878/?ref=br_tf

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rileyedwardsrom

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rileyedwardsromance/

Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/RRsignup

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Review: Montana Marine by Debra Parmley

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

MONTANA MARINE by Debra Parmley is a contemporary Romantic suspense novella set in the Brotherhood Protectors Kindle World. This novella is heavier on the suspense and intrigue plot while more on the sweet side romantically than other stories in the Brotherhood Protectors series.

Lucy Wood is hoping to only work for her demanding boss, Angelica Glory until she gets a job designing costumes in Hollywood. When Lucy starts receiving personal gifts from an unknown person, Lucy and Angelica are shipped out to an isolated ranch in Montana for protection.

Retired Marine Recon Gunnery Sergeant Jack Barr has retired from the service. He gets a job offer from the Brotherhood Protectors security service in Montana as a bodyguard for a pampered, spoiled Hollywood bombshell, Angelica Glory. Jack may appreciate Angelica’s looks, but he is captivated by the shy and tiny assistant. As their attraction grows, so does the obsession of the stalker to collect the woman of his dreams.

Jack and Lucy are very cute together, the big, alpha Marine and the shy, tiny assistant. The dialogue flows realistically and the romance is well written for the time constraints. The plot does have a nice little twist at the climax, but it was easy to guess. Though predictable, this is an enjoyable and fast read if you want a novella on the sweeter side from the Brotherhood Protectors series.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: The Power of Love and Murder by Brenda Whiteside

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE POWER OF LOVE AND MURDER (Love and Murder Series Book #4) by Brenda Whiteside is a Romantic suspense with political corruption, a thirteen year old murder mystery and a touch of romance. This book does stand well on its own even though it is book #4 of the series.

Penny Sparks has been hiding under a new identity for thirteen years. Her father, mother and brother were all murdered execution style when her father tried to report illegal activities in the company he worked for. Penny has all the information in her photographic memory and a SIM card with a photo of the car in front of her family home during the murder, but she has been too afraid to use any of the proof.

Jake Winters, ex-rocker is out of rehab and comes to Flagstaff to reunite and make amends with his sister, Penny’s roommate. Jake and Penny hit it off, even though they had a bad encounter before Jake’s rehab. Now Jake wonders if Penny might be the person to bring him balance and help him find his new normal after rock star status.

When Penny longs for her real family during the holiday season, and she no longer feels the killer will be interested in her, she sends off an email to her aunt under her roommates email address. The killer is still interested. His boss is now thinking of running for president and Penny could destroy him.

As the killer tracks Penny down, Jake vows to help and protect her as they both work to uncover the killer and expose the truth of the corruption and the murder of Penny’s family.

I enjoyed this book. Jake and Penny’s relationship, I felt, was realistically portrayed especially towards the end. I felt the break in the relationship was necessary. I was also glad Jake and Penny went through the system for help and did not suddenly become superheroes on their own. I did feel the suspense plot was interesting with a killer, who actually had motives that made you feel (at least a little) sorry for him, but I also did not feel it was realistic. An entertaining, fast Romantic suspense read.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: Her Last Word by Mary Burton

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Mary Burton is one of those authors that when I see she has a new book out, I have to grab it right away because I know I will be able to disappear for hours into a solid, intriguing plot with realistic, interesting characters for the length of the book. She never disappoints.

Fourteen years ago, Kaitlin Roe witnessed the abduction of her cousin, Gina Mason. There were four girls partying by the river. Two friends were picked up by a relative while Kaitlin and Gina stumbled towards Gina’s home. Scared to death, drunk and drugged when Gina was grabbed, the abductor told Kaitlin to run and she did. She only has vague memories of that night, but fourteen years of guilt.

Kaitlin has returned to Virginia to make a podcast of Gina’s disappearance. She will never forgive herself, but she hopes through new interviews to bring Gina’s cold case back to life, find out what really happened and bring Gina home. Kaitlin’s podcast interviews attract attention, but not everyone wants the truth to be known.

Detective John Adler is assigned a murder case that overlaps with Kaitlin’s interviews. Is it a coincidence or is the cold case leading to murder in the present day to cover up the past? As Adler works to solve the case, he also has to worry if Kaitlin could have provoked the killer to come for her next.

This book was written not only in chapters, but it is also divided by podcast interviews. The interviews add an interesting twist, because you do not know if the person being interviewed is telling the truth. Between the current plotline, the podcast interviews and Kaitlin’s memories of the past the mystery and suspense continually build. There are several red herrings and the ending was a surprise.

The relationship between Adler and Kaitlin was realistic with Adler not giving her certain information as it was an official investigation and her distrust of police since Gina’s disappearance. The romance was well paced and intertwined throughout the last half of story in a believable fashion. I was once again satisfied in every way with a Mary Burton book!

Thanks very much to Montlake Romance and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Feature Post: Cold Justice Series Books #1-3 by Toni Anderson

  

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

This is one of my favorite Romantic suspense series!

The first three books are in a box set which makes it easy for you to download the start of this great series. Ms. Anderson is already up to book #10 in this series. When you have reading time, this is the series for you to start and fall in love with especially if you love Romantic suspense. Hot, sexy and intelligent heroes and heroines with nonstop suspense plots that will keep you turning the pages. (All of the books can be read as standalones, but there is some character crossover.)

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A COLD DARK PLACE (Cold Justice, #1) – Mini Review

Mallory Rooney has worked her whole life to become an FBI agent and solve the abduction case of her identical twin from their bedroom when they were 9 years old. She believes in the justice system, not vigilantism. With the execution style death of a serial killer, Mallory begins to suspect a vigilante is using information from inside the FBI. She wants him stopped and jailed.

Alex Parker, former soldier, former CIA, now assassin for The Gateway Project has an agreement to ignore his conscience for three years and eliminate proven serial killers before they kill more victims and destroy more families in exchange for getting him out of a Moroccan Prison.

As the FBI tries to catch a serial killer who is abducting and killing young women from the same area Mallory’s sister was taken 18 years previously,  Alex meets Mallory. At first he is there to make sure she does not identify him as the vigilante, but he soon only wants to protect her as the killer has Mallory in his sites.

So many secrets, not just from Alex, but from everyone around Mallory. The ending was very satisfying. The suspense is nonstop and the romance is hot. I loved this book and cannot wait to continue on in this series.

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COLD PURSUIT (Cold Justice, #2) – Mini Review

This book starts with an intense mall attack by terrorists while single mom, Vivi Vincent and her son, Michael are shopping and enjoying the holiday season. FBI agent Jeb Brennen is also in the mall with no weapon, while on vacation. A bomb goes off and then the shooting begins.

The plot continues to escalate at a heart-pounding rate. The terrorists find out Michael was hiding in a cabinet in the toy store during the attack and they do not know what he witnessed or heard. The danger continues far after the mall attack.

The characters are all complex, even the terrorists. Ms. Anderson brings to light how very complex the politics are in the Middle East with a surprising twist. The romantic elements are paced and handled realistically. The plot and action start with a bang and keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

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COLD LIGHT OF DAY (Cold Justice, #3) – Mini Review

Physicist Scarlett Stone’s father is dying in prison and she wants nothing more than to prove this former FBI agent wrongly accused and imprisoned. He was accused of being a spy for the Russians. Using a false identity, Scarlett gains access to the Russian ambassador’s Christmas party and attempts to bug the embassy, but sets the true spies on a deadly path to remain unknown.

Former Navy SEAL, now FBI Special Agent, Matt Lazio is attracted to Scarlett and when he finds out she lied to him about her identity he hunts her down. As agents from her father’s case begin to die, Matt wonders if the FBI still has a traitor and the true spy is still free.

Scarlett and Matt are a sizzling hot couple! The suspense plot keeps intensifying at a fast pace as the real spy fights to remain unknown. I really liked the plot twist at the end.

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Toni Anderson – NY Times and USA Today international bestselling author.

Ms. Anderson writes dark, gritty Romantic suspense novels that have hit the Amazon and Nook Top 10 and iBooks Top 50.