Tag: #aboutauthor

Feature Post and Book Review: A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly

Book Description

1940, England: Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” as a child, is working on the line at a munitions factory in wartime London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself plunged into the world of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms.

However, shortly after she settles into her new role as a secretary, one of the girls at work is murdered, and Evelyne must use all of her amateur sleuthing expertise to find the killer. But doing so puts her right in the path of David Poole, a cagey minister’s aide who seems determined to thwart her investigations. That is, until Evelyne finds out David’s real mission is to root out a mole selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies, and the pair begrudgingly team up.

With her quick wit, sharp eyes, and determination, will Evelyne be able to find out who’s been selling England’s secrets and catch a killer, all while battling her growing attraction to David?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65214072-a-traitor-in-whitehall?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=SXYBqa9zET&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL (Evelyn Redfern Book #1) by Julia Kelly is the engaging first book in a new historical mystery series featuring two new protagonists that I am very excited to follow into future books. Set in Winston Churchill’s underground war rooms during the beginning of the blitz, the murder mystery is full of twists, intrigue, and historical facts.

Evelyn Redfern loves nothing more than staying in and reading her favorite British authors’ mysteries after having grown up in the center of her parent’s society divorce and scandal. After graduating from school, she is living as normally as possible in London with her best friend and working at a munitions factory until she runs into an old family friend on a night out. Mr. Fletcher has plans for Evelyn if she is willing to accept them.

Evelyn ends up working in the typing pool in Winston Churchill’s war rooms under Whitehall. As she gets used to her new position and the other girls, she discovers one of her co-workers murdered. Evelyn is determined to use her amateur sleuthing skills even as the two detectives warn her off. She crosses path with a Minister’s aide, David Poole, who she soon learns is working to discover the murderer and a leaker of military secrets.

They pool their resources and skills to work at discovering if it is one person or more responsible for selling England’s secrets and if the murderer is a part of the conspiracy.

I am interested in WWII history and love mysteries and this book delivers both; interesting facts with a murder mystery which makes me a happy reader. Evelyn is a wonderful protagonist who is intelligent, mature, and not willing to take any prejudice against her sex. David is a good partner in the investigation and is necessary since there are still many places in 1940s England women are not allowed. The mystery plot is intricately woven and moves at an ever-increasing rate with many suspects, red herrings, and twists interspersed throughout. I am really looking forward to future book in this series.

I highly recommend this first mystery book in the Evelyn Redfern series and look forward to many more.

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About the Author

Julia Kelly is the international bestselling author of historical fiction and historical mystery novels about the extraordinary stories of the past. Her books have been translated into 13 languages. In addition to writing, she’s been an Emmy-nominated producer, journalist, marketing professional, and (for one summer) a tea waitress. Julia has called Los Angeles, Iowa, and New York City home. She now lives in London with her husband.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.juliakellywrites.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliakellywrites

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliakellywrites/?hl=en

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/juliakellywrites.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-traitor-in-whitehall-by-julia-kelly

Feature Post and Book Review: Birds of Prey Don’t Sing by Joe Cary

Book Description

Michael Harrier has built his reputation on a system no one else uses. Every contract comes with two targets. One dies. Someone else takes the blame.

It’s worked flawlessly for years.

Until now.

What should be a clean hit starts to unravel. A woman with a violent past pulls him off course. A single mistake threatens to expose everything. And for the first time, Harrier is forced to improvise.

Meanwhile, LAPD homicide sergeant Jordan Becker is hunting a killer he can’t pin down.

But he’s built his career on getting results where others stall out.

The case doesn’t follow any rules. The evidence doesn’t hold. The story keeps shifting. And the deeper Becker digs, the clearer it becomes he’s chasing someone smarter, faster, and always just out of reach.

As Harrier’s world tightens and Becker starts to break through, both men are pulled into a game where every move has consequences—and no one is as untouchable as they think.

Because this time, getting away with murder isn’t the hardest part.

It’s controlling what comes next.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250733055-birds-of-prey-don-t-sing?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=BFezz6Ls20&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BIRDS OF PREY DON’T SING by Joe Cary is engrossing dark thriller featuring an assassin traumatized by his past and living by his own moral code and the damaged detective determined to catch him. This is the author’s debut novel, and it is truly difficult to put down even with some emotionally difficult to read scenes.

The main characters in this novel are Michael Harrier, the assassin who makes the person ordering his service pick one victim to kill and one victim to frame for the murder, Chensea, a woman on the run from her Vegas  bookie ex who has Michael questioning his personal rules, and LAPD homicide detective Jordan Becker who will do anything to get his man which is what has gotten him in trouble before. All three of these characters are fully developed in all their shades of gray and black. Even as you learn more about each, you may feel you want to like them, or excuse something they have done, but there is no white knight in this novel.

The plot and pace of this novel is flawless. The step-by-step investigation is realistic, and each minute flaw made by Michael is a reward to Jordan’s doggedness. The action is intense and there is a lot of blood, so it is not good for the squeamish, but what I expect for a novel of this type. The ending is not what I was expecting and frankly, I am still not sure how I feel about it. I believe it is a conclusion that will be discussed by many every time this book is read.

I highly recommend this dark and gritty assassin thriller!

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About the Author

Joe Cary’s stories have appeared in One Story, XRAY Literary Magazine, BULL, MonkeyBicycle, and elsewhere, and also earned a Special Mention in the 2020 Pushcart Prize Anthology and a Best of the Net nomination. A former Angeleno, he currently lives with his family in Philadelphia, where he fights money laundering, fraud, and other financial crimes. Birds of Prey Don’t Sing is his first novel.

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: A Voice in the Dark by Barbara Nickless

Book Description

When a husband, wife, and son are murdered in their Denver home and the family’s teenage twins vanish, the case draws the attention of FBI profilers Helen Belle and Benedict Hoffman. It triggers more than professional alarm. It mirrors a horrific case they investigated five years ago, when a boy slaughtered his family and went mute after speaking only a handful of haunting words. Among them: Midnight Man.

Then, nearly thirteen hundred miles away, one of the twins is found dead in a snowy Ohio field, and the parallels between the past and present cases grow more disturbing. Identical suicide notes. The same symbolic blood imagery. And a shared obsession with an online fantasy game. Its mastermind is an influencer who manipulates his most vulnerable and alienated players into killing the people they love most.

The Midnight Man is back.

Helen and Benedict must hunt the darkest corners of the internet to find him before someone else falls prey to an insidious evil that, for now, is in total control of the game.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242288924-a-voice-in-the-dark?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=OPJXig3HKZ&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A VOICE IN THE DARK (Benedict Hoffman and Helen Belle Book #1) by Barbara Nickless is a chilling crime thriller/FBI police procedural that is very relevant in all current discussions regarding AI, minors’ use of the internet, and the ever-present dangers on the world wide web. This is the start of a new series with two compelling protagonists and a serial killer crime plot that hooked me immediately.

Five years ago, Helen Belle and Benedict Hoffman had their belief in an outside influence and assistance from the Midnight Man in the slaughter by a boy of his entire family discredited in court. Helen goes on with her work at the FBI and Benedict walks out of his life and job. A detective from the old case is faced with a similar case as well as the kidnapping of the twin of the believed perpetrator and alerts FBI agent Helen Belle.

From almost identical suicide notes to a shared obsession with an on-line multi-player fantasy game, Helen believes the Midnight Man is back and reaches out to now Professor Benedict Hoffman for assistance. They put their personal past aside and work together to unravel hidden identities and motives as they realize they are racing the clock to rescue the missing twin and stop the Midnight Man before someone else is led to murder.

I was pulled into this story immediately and terrified by the possible reality of the crime plot. Ms. Nickless does a good job of not preaching that the internet is all bad and all gamers are going to become killers, but the gray of the situations and discusses the type of adolescents that can be influenced. The crimes are horrific but could also be ripped right out of the current news. Helen and Benedict are interesting protagonists with not only a somewhat unique outlook on humanist psychology on the study of crime, but with interesting backstories, also. This is a couple I will look forward to following in their future investigations.

I highly recommend this first book in this compelling crime thriller series!

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About the Author

Barbara Nickless is the award-winning, WSJ and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of nine novels; her first and third series have been optioned for film. A teacher and activist, she teaches combat veterans and civilians in the U.S. and Ukraine. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, the World Affairs Council and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. A former fencer and falconer, Barbara lives in Colorado where she loves to hike, cave, snowshoe, and drink single malt Scotch.

Social Media Links

Website: https://barbaranickless.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbarannickless

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbara.nickless/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-voice-in-the-dark-benedict-hoffman-and-helen-belle-book-1-by-barbara-nickless

Release Blitz/Feature Post and Book Review: Cold Silence by Freya Barker

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for COLD SILENCE (Silence Series Book #4) by Freya Barker on this Buoni Amici Press Release Blitz.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

Book Blurb

Single motherhood to two teenage boys turns out to be far more challenging for Tessa Androtti than her brand-new job as detective for the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department. Especially, when the younger of her sons is keeping her up at night. Not only was the move from the big city supposed to give her a chance to build a new life away from lingering memories, but she had hoped it would be a positive change for her youngest, Remi.

However, just when she’s up to her eyeballs working on a recent violent murder, Remi gets himself into trouble again.

Trouble that appears to be connected to her investigation.

Lifetime resident of Silence, Clem Tanek, couldn’t be more surprised to find one of the new, pretty detective’s sons trespassing and stealing property from behind his auto repair shop. Despite his social awkwardness when interacting with the boy’s mother a few months ago, Clem can handle her kid just fine. Remi’s skills and interest in vehicles provide an opportunity to try and get the kid back onto the right track, without involving law enforcement. It also offers Clem a second chance with the new detective, hoping to make up for that disastrous first encounter.

But their path isn’t an easy one. Both have significant baggage, as one would expect from lives already half lived, and adapting to change can be a challenge. Particularly, when dealing with teenagers which, in this case, means wading into dangerous waters for both Tessa and Clem.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246846068-cold-silence?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PtWPeIRmyA&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

COLD SILENCE (Silence Book #4) by Freya Barker is another wonderful addition to the small-town romantic suspense Silence book series. While there is some character crossover between the small-town characters, each book has a complete romance HEA and self-contained suspense/crime plot so they can be read as standalones. The entire series is excellent, and I enjoyed reading them in order of publication.

Tessa Androtti is the newest detective in Silence working for the county Sheriff Department. After a bad divorce, she is hoping to create a new and happier life for her two teenage boys. Her eldest, Linc, is heavily into sports and easy-going and adapts easily from large town to small town life. Remi is two years younger, moody, not happy about the move, and he is making sure his mother knows how he feels. When Tessa is drawn into a teen’s murder investigation, she does not realize how close to home the danger is lurking.

Clem Tanek owns the only car repair business in Silence. He has been into cars since working with his father and wants to do nothing else. He has both his repair shop and home in the old fire department building and is happy with his friends and uncomplicated life believing having a family has passed him by. When he hears a noise coming from behind his shop at night, he investigates and discovers Remi stealing catalytic converters from cars in the lot. Clem discovers Remi has a love of cars, too, and he reminds him of himself at that age, so he makes a deal to have him work part-time at the garage in exchange for not turning him in, but he knows Remi is keeping secrets. Clem knows he will have to deal with Tessa, but he does not consider that a hardship.

As the chemistry between Clem and Tessa heats up, so does the danger from the people Remi has gotten himself entangled with.

This is an endearing romance with two mature people; one who has endured an abusive relationship and one who believes that finding a partner has passed him by. They come together to form a great couple. The romance plot progresses at a believable rate while both also think of how it will affect the boys.  Tessa’s sons are fully developed in their differences, and I loved that even when Remi was being his moody self, he was still protective of his mother. The sex scenes are explicit and hot but also have the emotions that go with them. The suspense/crime plot felt realistic and builds with an ever-increasing sense of jeopardy to a conclusion with an unexpected twist.

I highly recommend this romantic suspense and all the books in this series.

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About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills, and chills in their lives.

Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

For the latest news and updates on books and upcoming releases, you can subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/Freya_Newsletter

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.freyabarker.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreyaBarkerWriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freyabarker.writes/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/cold-silence-by-freya-barker

Feature Post and Book Review: The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi

Book Description

Rose is in her late 70s, living out her golden years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home.

When one of her friends dies alone in her apartment, Rose isn’t too concerned. Accidents happen, especially at this age!

Then another resident drops dead. And another. With bodies stacking up, Rose can’t help but wonder: are these accidents? Old age? Or something far more sinister?

Together with her best friend, Miller, Rose begins to investigate. The further she digs, the more convinced she becomes: There’s a killer on the loose at Autumn Springs, and if Rose isn’t careful, she may be their next victim.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222376624-the-autumn-springs-retirement-home-massacre?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=q24vt2H2V0&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE AUTUMN SPRINGS RETIREMENT HOME MASSACRE by Philip Fracassi is a bloody horror story with a touch of paranormal and a serial killer crime thriller mash-up with a feisty elderly female protagonist set in a retirement community in upstate New York. It is a gripping read full of edge-of-your-seat suspense, but not for the squeamish.

Rose DuBois is content living her senior years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home. She has friends, especially one elderly retired college professor, participates in activities, and can retreat to her own apartment for peaceful solitude. When one of Rose’s girlfriends is found dead in her apartment, it is not considered suspicious for a woman of their age.

But the dead bodies begin to pile up, and Rose and her friends begin to wonder if there is more to their deaths than is being released. Soon, Rose realizes the suspicious deaths are occurring to those in her group who believe there is more going on and the killer is no longer hiding the murders as accidents. With no help from the administration and a skeptical police response, Rose realizes the elderly residents are on their own and if she isn’t careful, she could be the next victim.

Rose is an excellent protagonist for this story because her reactions are believable. She is tenacious, but also scared, and she has a past which affects her actions throughout the story. The murder scenes are graphic, but having read many serial killer books, it did not put me off this story because I was so invested in each character and needed to know who else would fall and if the killer would be discovered and punished. Being older myself, this book does play on many emotions and fears that come with age, from depending on others in our daily lives, safety concerns, and having any family that cares. The plot is full of tension and suspense that continually increases towards a final showdown, and the ending was unexpected and yet foreshadowed throughout. It also took this book out of a crime/mystery classification and put it definitively in the horror/paranormal classification.

I highly recommend this unique horror book and its elderly protagonist.

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About the Author

Philip Fracassi is the Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award-nominated author of the novels Don’t Let Them Get You Down, A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, and Boys in the Valley. His upcoming books include the novels The Third Rule of Time Travel, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre, and Sarafina.

Other work includes the story collections No One Is Safe!, Beneath a Pale Sky (named “Best Collection of the Year” by Rue Morgue Magazine and a finalist for the Bram Stoker award), and Behold the Void (named “Best Collection of the Year” by This Is Horror). He is also the author of several novellas, including Sacculina, Shiloh, and Commodore.

Philip’s books have been translated into multiple languages and his stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, Southwest Review, Weird Fiction Review, and Interzone.

He has published deluxe editions of his work with respected publishers such as Zagava, Cemetery Dance, Thunderstorm Books, Earthling Publications, and Lividian Press.

As a screenwriter, his feature films have been distributed by Disney and Lifetime, and he currently has several stories in development for film adaptation with major studios. His short story, “Altar”, was made into a feature film by studio A24.

The New York Times calls his work “terrifically scary.”

Philip lives in Los Angeles and is represented by Elizabeth Copps at Copps Literary Services, Circle M + P, and WME.

Social Media Links

Website: https://pfracassi.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philipfracassi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pfracassi/?hl=en

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/pfracassi.bsky.social

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-autumn-springs-retirement-home-massacre-by-philip-fracassi

Feature Post and Book Review: Not Actually Yours by Sophie L. Henderson

Book Description

Nix’s heart is on permanent lockdown after her mom walked out on her, but she needs a date to her cousin’s engagement party. Anything to put an end to the relentless single-shaming. Can she find someone—preferably smokin’—willing to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her meddling family in a tiny seaside town in the middle of nowhere?

Brock got burned falling for the wrong girl. But his potential promotion to captain hinges on him having a date for the annual firefighters’ gala. Can he convince the entire community that his short fuse is a thing of the past, that he’s ready for a serious new role as a fire hall leader?

They’ve agreed: falling in love is not an option. And soon, they’re fooling everyone. Even themselves. When Brock utterly charms Nix’s hard-to-impress aunt over a cozy breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, and sparks fly at the fire department dance, the alarm bells start to ring…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248216922-not-actually-yours?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=VVX0fsQhGj&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

NOT ACTUALLY YOURS by Sophie L. Henderson is a contemporary romance with explosive sexual chemistry that returns the reader to Fire House 8 in Van City and this time it is elder Holt brother, Brock’s turn to fall, but it won’t be easy with the ever-evasive Nix. Each book in this connected series features one of three brothers and there is some overlapping of characters, but they are still easily read as standalone romances.

Elementary teacher Nix refuses to involve her heart in any relationship after being deserted by her mother as a small child. When her aunt, who helped raise her, tells her she needs to attend her cousin’s weekend long engagement party, she tells her she has a boyfriend to bring otherwise her aunt threatens to set her up. Now she must ask a favor of the man she is trying to be friends with since he is the brother of her best friend’s boyfriend. But after having had a hot sexual encounter with him three months ago and then ghosting him, she knows it is a big ask.

Firefighter Brock has had terrible luck in the romance department. He would like more than friendship with the hot Nix who he cannot seem to forget, even though she ghosted him. When she needs a date for an engagement party it coincides with his need for a date for an annual firefighters’ gala. They can fake this without involving their hearts, can’t they?

I enjoyed the first Van City book, Play with Fire, but I enjoyed this romance even more. Both Nix and Brock have emotional difficulties from their childhoods to deal with as they are trying to form a healthy relationship between them. Usually, I dislike romances with plots based on non-communication, but Ms. Henderson does a wonderful job of portraying both Nix and Brock as they get things wrong from fear or misunderstanding, have short intervals of running, but also how they decide it is better to talk and they have friends and family who also help. They both delve into their emotions honestly and have character growth throughout the story. This is a contemporary romance with several steamy and explicit sex scenes that I feel fit well with the characters’ personalities.

I highly recommend this steamy contemporary romance that pulled me right in and left me with a smile on my face and a satisfied romantic heart.

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About the Author

Author Sophie L. Henderson writes heartfelt small-town romance for readers who love slow-burn butterflies, blush-worthy heat, and characters you’ll fall for just as hard as they fall for each other. Her debut PLAY WITH FIRE is out now. NOT ACTUALLY YOURS is coming in May.

Originally from a tiny village in England, Sophie spent seventeen years wrangling jazz hands as a drama teacher before finally listening to the voice in her head (the one telling her to write, not the one asking for another snack). She now lives in Vancouver with her husband, where she’s embraced views of snowcapped mountains, has caught feelings for hockey, and talks to hummingbirds like they’re her best friends.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.sophielouisehenderson.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577919920777

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