Tag: #aboutauthor

Feature Post and Book Reviews: Into the Fire and You’ll Never Find Me by Allison Brennan

ANGELHART INVESTIGATIONS

Novella 0.5: Into the Fire
Book 1: You’ll Never Find Me

Book Description – Into the Fire (Angelhart Investigations Book #0.5)

Margo Angelhart was recently certified as a private investigator, but she isn’t convinced that it’s her calling. All of her cases have been minor, mostly for family and haven’t paid the bills. She’s more than happy to keep bartending and figure out her post-military career later. That is, until prosecutor Andy Flannigan walks into her bar and offers her a case she can’t turn down…

Nineteen-year-old Sergio Diaz has confessed to murder—except Andy doesn’t buy it. With his own job on the line, Andy asks Margo to work the case discreetly. The more she digs, the more she’s convinced an innocent kid is going to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Now she just needs to figure out why he’d confess. Can Margo prove Sergio’s innocence and help Andy find the real killer before anyone else dies?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208814908-into-the-fire?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Q0iU0H1Opx&rank=1

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

INTO THE FIRE (Angelhart Investigations Book #0.5) by Allison Brennan is an introductory novella to a new P.I. series from a favorite author. Margo Angelhart is from a large extended family and is bartending after returning from the Army while getting her P.I. license on the side. This is a quick novella that introduces Margo a few years before the start of the series and demonstrates her tenacity and thinking outside of the box on her first case as a P.I.

Prosecutor Andy Flannigan is a regular customer and stops into the bar while Margo Angelhart is bartending. He has a case with a young man, Sergio Diaz, who has confessed to murder, but Andy does not believe him. Margo is willing to help and take a second look. The more she investigates, the more Margo believes in Sergio innocence, and she must discover why he is willing to go to prison for a crime he did not commit.

I enjoyed getting to know Margo and her family. Ms. Brennan’s writing brings all the characters to life and makes them believable. The crime plot is interesting even in this shorter novella format. I feel the main purpose of this novella, besides being an introduction to the characters, is to show Margo finally believing in herself and her path as a private investigator. I am looking forward to starting the first full length book in this series!

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Book Description – You’ll Never Find Me (Angelhart Investigations Book #1)

Working alone as a private investigator is tough. Estranged from her PI family, Margo Angelhart does what she must to get by—including taking on sordid cases that pay the bills, even if she’d rather be helping those the justice system has failed.

That is, until a cheating husband case she’s working intersects with her siblings’ corporate espionage investigation, forcing Margo to cooperate with the Angelhart firm. Now, as the siblings compare notes, it’s clear they need to work together before a white-collar crime escalates to murder.

With far more questions than answers and a key suspect on the run, they’ll need the whole family to pitch in. But as they investigate the ever-twisting mystery, Margo isn’t sharing everything. Can she learn to trust her family and heal their once-close relationship before her secrets put those she loves most in danger?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198385448-you-ll-never-find-me?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=b1DEZ5nc3t&rank=1

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

YOU’LL NEVER FIND ME (Angelhart Investigations Book #1) by Allison Brennan is an exciting and action packed P.I. crime thriller and a great start to this new series. Margo is a relatable protagonist from a large extended family in Phoenix, Arizona and a smart P.I. Besides introducing us to the main characters, there are two crime plots intersecting throughout the story.

P.I. Margo Angelhart is estranged from her family and working on her own and not with Angelhart Investigations. She helps an abused wife and mother of two disappear and to help pay for this pro-bono work she takes on a case to find proof of a cheating spouse. The cheating spouse case intersects with a corporate espionage investigation her family is working on. Her brother talks her into working together and the case soon escalates to attempted murder. At the same time, Margo has the husband of the family she helped disappear on her tail and threatening those she loves for information on the location of his missing family.

Margo is not sure how much she is willing to trust her family and keeps certain facts to herself, but this could put those she loves in danger. Is she willing to heal the family rift and become a part of her once close-knit family and the family firm again?

This is going to be a fabulous series! Margo is a fully developed protagonist. She is independent, brash and stubborn to a fault, but also extremely kindhearted to the underdog. The interactions with her various family members felt realistic and believable. The P.I. investigations were intriguing with plenty of twists and surprises. Everything together kept me turning the pages.

I highly recommend this first captivating book in this new Angelhart Investigations series!

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About the Author

Allison Brennan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award winning author of more than forty thrillers and numerous short stories. She was nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers, had multiple nominations and two Daphne du Maurier Awards, and is a five-time RITA finalist for Best Romantic Suspense. Allison believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and writes three books a year. Originally from northern California, in 2019 she and her husband relocated to Arizona where they enjoy baseball Spring Training, hiking, and spending time with their kids, grandson, and assorted pets.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.allisonbrennan.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Allison_Brennan

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/allison-brennan

Feature Post and Book Review: The Chamber by Will Dean

Book Description

Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Calm and professional, they know that rapid decompression would be fatal and so they work in shifts, breathing helium, and surviving in hot, close quarters.

Then one of them is found dead in his bunk.

With four days of decompression to go before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened, the group must watch one another’s backs at all times. And when another diver is discovered unresponsive, everyone is on edge. What…or who…is taking them out one by one? And will any of them still be alive by the time the four days is up or will paranoia, exhaustion, suspicion, and pressure destroy them all?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199798109-the-chamber?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=e2RifY8v7x&rank=7

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE CHAMBER by Will Dean is a psychological crime thriller/mystery with the ultimate locked room. Six experienced saturation divers begin to die, one-by-one, in their place of work, a hyperbaric chamber. If you are claustrophobic, this may not be the book for you, but you will be missing out on an amazing who-dun-it thriller that leaves you questioning your assumptions all the way to the last page.

Locked in a hyperbaric chamber is a tight and hot environment in which to live as six professional saturation divers work in shifts on deep sea oil rigs. They all depend on each other for their lives and know there is no exit until after decompression. After only one dive shift, one of the divers is discovered dead in his bunk and then it happens again. The divers can find no reason for these deaths and do not know who to trust. Now, as the company calls a halt to the month-long job, the divers must wait through four days of decompression as they continue to die one-by-one.

The story is told by Ellen Brooke, one of few female saturation divers, and she is in the chamber with five other experienced divers. Ellen is a wife and mother who does not know if she will return home. As the clock ticks down the time of decompression, the dead bodies increase and so does the level of suspicion and conspiracy theories. I always thought I was slightly claustrophobic until I read this book and now, I know I am much more claustrophobic than I believed. This is definitely not a job for the feint of heart.

I loved this book! I learned about a career I knew nothing about and would never attempt but found fascinating. I changed my mind so many times as to who or what was killing the divers. This mystery/thriller is fast paced, even with the explanations of sat diving and the countdown to the end builds to a heart pounding climax. No spoilers here, but make sure you read to the very last page.

I highly recommend this psychological crime thriller/mystery!

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About the Author

Will Dean grew up in the East Midlands of the United Kingdom. After studying law at the London School of Economics and working in London, he settled in rural Sweden where he built a wooden house in a vast forest, and it’s from this base that he compulsively reads and writes. His debut novel, Dark Pines, was selected for Zoe Ball’s book club on ITV, shortlisted for the National Book Award (UK), The Guardian’s Not the Booker prize, and was named a Telegraph book of the year. He is also the author of The Last One, First Born, The Last Thing to Burn, which was shortlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and The Chamber.

Social Media Links

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/willrdean

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/will-dean-333dbceb-3db8-47c9-ad3d-8715b83266ad

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chamber-Novel-Will-Dean-ebook/dp/B0CL5GPC2J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32SWUVOYCZUD4&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bZn81LhBSv87YbDBBXLZQB

Book Tour/Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Last Bird of Paradise by Clifford Garstang

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Mini Book Review for THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE by Clifford Garstang on this Black Coffee Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

Two women, nearly a century apart, seek to rebuild their lives when they reluctantly leave their homelands. Arriving in Singapore, they find romance in a tropical paradise, but also find they haven’t left behind the dangers that caused them to flee.

In the aftermath of 9/11 and haunted by the specter of terrorism, Aislinn Givens leaves her New York law practice and joins her husband in Southeast Asia when he takes a job there. Seeking to establish herself in a local law firm, Aislinn begins to understand the historic resentment of foreigners who have exploited the region for centuries. Learning about the turmoil of Singapore’s colonial period, she acquires several paintings done by an English artist during World War I that she believes are a warning to her. The artist, Elizabeth Pennington, tells her own tumultuous story through diary entries that come to an end when the war reaches the colony with catastrophic results. In the present, Aislinn and her husband learn tragically that terrorism takes many shapes when they are ensnared by local political upheaval and corruption.

In a lyrical blend of historical and contemporary drama, The Last Bird of Paradise explores the consequences of power imbalances-both domestic and geopolitical, against a lush, tropical backdrop. Clifford Garstang, author of the award-winning novel Oliver’s Travels, once again draws on his decades of experience in Asia to tell an unforgettable story of romantic intrigue.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200842763-the-last-bird-of-paradise?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_25

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE by Clifford Garstang is a captivating dual timeline mash-up of mystery, suspense, romance, and political thriller featuring two expat women, a century apart who end up in the tropical paradise of Singapore linked by compelling paintings produced by one of the women that appear to come to life. The story intricately weaves together the historical timelines of an artist, Elizabeth Pennington leaving 1915 England behind and a present-day corporate lawyer, Aislinn Givens leaving post 9/11 New York with her husband.

This is a sweeping, beautifully written book that kept me entranced from beginning to end. Both protagonists could walk right off the page, they are so fully developed and believable. Singapore comes to life in both past and present with not only its cultural history and lush beauty, but also its colonization and political upheavals. This story covers many difficult issues; personal, social, and political with a narrative prose that is both thought-provoking and riveting.

I highly recommend this spellbinding story.

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About the Author

Clifford Garstang, a former international lawyer, is the author of two previous novels, The Shaman of Turtle Valley and Oliver’s Travels, and three short story collections, House of the Ancients and Other Stories, In an Uncharted Country, and What the Zhang Boys Know, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. He is the editor of the anthology series Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet, and the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine. He is the recipient of a Walter E. Dakin Fellowship to the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and an Indiana Emerging Author Award from the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. His work has appeared in numerous literary magazines and has received distinguish mention in the Best American series.

Social Media Links

https://twitter.com/cliffgarstang
https://www.facebook.com/CliffordGarstangAuthor
https://www.instagram.com/cliffgarstang/
https://www.tiktok.com/@cliffgarstang
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClVq-48UHlHX47Jn7ZXCPdw

Guest Feature Book Review from Elise Cooper: The Burning by Linda Castillo

Book Description

Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father.

Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she’s able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that’s the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share?

When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate’s life is threatened by a mysterious stranger.

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves—and her own roots.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790608-the-burning?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=XAnbABKVSx&rank=1

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Elise’s Book Review

The Burning by Linda Castillo once again is a wonderful read.  She seems to have outdone herself with a horrific crime and putting her main character through the wringer.

Unfortunately, this year Linda Castillo is unable to give an interview because a close family member is seriously ill, and she needs to be at home for them.  But last year in an interview she noted about this story, “Regarding the murder I want to keep things fresh.  I have readers peek back into the reformation by burning someone at the stake, and another person drowned.  This is what was done to the Anabaptists during the reformation.”

The plot begins with newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. As with most of her books, many of the victims are not well liked.  In this case, Swanz loved to argue with people, had a temper, kept grudges, sought revenge, demanded obedience and submission from his family, and was basically devoid of a moral compass. 

To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate dives deep into the Anabaptist culture, finding all the dark corners of its history. She uncovers a secret legacy that verges on Amish vigilantism.  Because of her due diligence she becomes a target, realizing that violence and ruthlessness are being used to rid the world of those who “are not fundamentally good.”

As the story unfolds, her brother Jacob, known to have argued with Milan, becomes a suspect in the killing of Swanz and is arrested. Because it is now a conflict of interest, she is ordered off the case but decides to work the case behind the scenes with her husband, John Tomasetti, an Ohio BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) investigator, to prove her brother’s innocence. She knows she must continue to investigate because one of the law enforcement officers, working for the Ohio BCI, assigned to the case, has tunnel vision and only sees her brother as the suspect. Working together, Tomasetti and Kate must find the killer to clear her reputation and her brother. In the story she is attacked three times, sometimes brutally, making readers wonder if she should take some self-defense classes.

It is very interesting how Castillo explores Kate and Jacob’s relationship. He is her older brother, someone who she has looked up to as a child. She knows him well and realizes he is not forth coming with the answers to her questions. Although she sees him as honorable, she also recognizes he is keeping secrets.

There are also glimpses in the book about the relationship between Tomasetti and Kate.  They dance around the subject of starting a family.  A powerful book quote, “the part of me has always wanted children.  The idea terrifies the part of me that is a cop and knows too much about the dark side of a world that can be cruel.”

Linda commented last year, ““I loved writing this book.  Kate is still adjusting to being married and does feel the tick of her biological clock regarding having children. This is something that a lot of women have in the back of their mind, how long can I wait before I have a baby? This is where she is right now.  I think for the next several books she will only be married. Remember Tomasetti had his first wife murdered. He is cool with her being a cop and police chief.  In fact, he nicknamed her ‘Chief.’ But how much will he put up with if she is endangered or gets hurt?  This will come to a head at some point.  But in The Burning book, it is simmering in the background. If she does have a child, does she want to risk her children being without a mother.  This is a huge question. This is a high-risk profession.  Kate and Tomasetti must figure it out. It is something that will be addressed starting with The Burning book.”

Per usual this story is a winner with many twists and turns. Kate takes a dark and twisted journey with evil and danger lurking everywhere, putting both her life and career in jeopardy.  A bonus is how Castillo explore Kate’s personal life and feelings.

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About the Author

Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence, was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and an appearance on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book.

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Feature Post and Book Review: All Our Tomorrows by Catherine Bybee

Book Description

When Chase Stone’s estranged father dies, leaving his multibillion-dollar business to his children, no one is more surprised than Chase. Growing up outside of the high-stakes world filled with human vultures, Chase and his sister, Alex, are less than enthusiastic about stepping into their father’s shoes. That is until they learn of a half brother they didn’t know existed and must find to share their inheritance with.

Piper Maddox was the elder Mr. Stone’s übercapable assistant—abruptly fired two weeks before his death. She knows everything about Stone Enterprises and the man who built it. But Piper has no desire to work for another member of the Stone family. Even one as down-to-earth as Chase.

Desperately needing financial security, Piper agrees to return so long as kissing up to Chase and accepting unwanted advances are not part of her job description. A promise that becomes a serious hurdle for both of them. Piper and Chase scramble to find the third Stone sibling before the media does, sharing secrets along the way. Secrets that can bring them together or tear them irrevocably apart.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201913954-all-our-tomorrows?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=aYgOOTmPHB&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ALL OUR TOMORROWS (The Heirs Book #1) by Catherine Bybee is the start of a contemporary billionaire romance series. I normally do not read this subgenre, but I love Ms. Bybee’s style of writing, and these reluctant billionaires receive their financial windfall when their estranged father dies, so I gave it a try and I am very glad I did.

Chase and Alex Stone are shocked at the reading of their estranged father’s will. Both are successful, but the inheritance of their father’s business and money are at a completely different level. They also discover they have a half-brother out there somewhere that they never knew anything about and to complete the conditions of the will and share a third of their father’s wealth, they must find him.

Chase Stone has to learn all about his father’s business in a hurry to keep the vultures at bay. He learns his assistant has only been in the position for two weeks and his father’s previous assistant was fired abruptly. Chase digs into the situation and finds out the injustice of the firing and wants the straight shooting and intelligent Piper back to assist him.

Piper Maddox has no desire to work for another member of the Stone family, but when she meets Chase, she learns he is nothing like his father. She needs the financial security of the position, but she has a few rules. As they work together with Chase’s sister to stabilize the company and find the missing Stone heir before the press, they discover a chemistry that both fight, but neither can resist.

I really enjoyed this introduction to the Stone siblings and Chase and Piper’s romance. All the characters are fully developed and realistic. Chase is an endearing hero of strength and integrity, and Piper is an intelligent heroine who can smoothly handle the politics of a multi-billion-dollar company but has a very big secret in her personal life. The two together are perfect. All the secondary characters round out a varied cast of good and bad players with secrets that will be answered over the future books in the series. The search for the missing heir and the treachery in their father’s corporation and boardroom have the plot moving at a fast pace, while the romance is intertwined and moves along at a believable pace. The corporate intrigue and the discovery of the missing heir are slight cliffhangers at the end of the story.

I highly recommend this first book in this new billionaire contemporary romance series.

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About the Author

Catherine is a #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Indie Reader bestselling author. In addition, her books have also graced The New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. In total she has written thirty-six beloved books that have collectively sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban
emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the Not Quite series, The Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. Learn more about Catherine and her books at www.catherinebybee.com

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com 

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinebybee 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/all-our-tomorrows-by-catherine-bybee

Feature Post and Book Review: Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Book Description

Viv’s career with the notorious mercenary company Rackam’s Ravens isn’t going as planned.

Wounded during the hunt for a powerful necromancer, she’s packed off against her will to recuperate in the sleepy beach town of Murk—so far from the action that she worries she’ll never be able to return to it.

What’s a thwarted soldier of fortune to do?

Spending her hours at a beleaguered bookshop in the company of its foul-mouthed proprietor is the last thing Viv would have predicted, but it may be both exactly what she needs and the seed of changes she couldn’t possibly imagine.

Still, adventure isn’t all that far away. A suspicious traveler in gray, a gnome with a chip on her shoulder, a summer fling, and an improbable number of skeletons prove Murk to be more eventful than Viv could have ever expected.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65213543-bookshops-bonedust?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=TSlV6IQiaS&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BOOKSHOPS & BONEDUST (Legends & Lattes Book #0) by Travis Baldree is an enchanting and delightful cozy fantasy prequel to Legends & Lattes. This story is a wonderful blend of Viv’s journey of personal self-discovery, humor, and fantasy action/adventure plot. This is not my usual type of read, but I found I could not put it down.

Viv is a mercenary orc on her first big hunt with Rackham’s Ravens to take down a powerful necromancer. When she is wounded in battle, she is left behind to recuperate in the small seaside town of Murk. Having always focused on her battle skills, Viv is at a loss on how to fill her recovery time.

She discovers a run-down bookshop with a foul-mouthed book-loving owner who introduces her to a love of reading and a journey of discovery between the covers of each new book. Even as she makes new friends, a darkness threatens that could endanger everyone she is coming to care for.

I love this group of strong female characters. While they are orcs, gnomes, and other fantasy characters, at times while I was engrossed in the story, I would forget they were not human. This is primarily Viv’s story. She is a mercenary orc on her first big hunt, but when she is injured, she is left to recuperate in a small seaside town. She discovers the joy of reading, her first romantic relationship, and her first real friendships all while a threat of evil threatens. Mr. Baldree’s writing brings Viv and the entire cast of characters to life beautifully. The suspense elements of the story are perfectly paced and kept me turning the pages. This book is a perfect mix of self-discovery, friendship, humor, suspense and action/adventure. FYI: This story does have a female orc and female gnome romantic relationship which is why it is classified as an LGBTQ read.

I highly recommend this wonderful cozy fantasy and I am looking forward to reading more stories by this author.

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About the Author

Travis is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author, a Locus, Nebula, and Hugo finalist, and a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.travisbaldree.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travis.baldree

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TravisBaldree

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/bookshops-and-bonedust-by-travis-baldree