Introducing the Novellas of the Kindle Worlds Lei Crime Series, Based on the Novels of Toby Neal!

Friday, July 31, 2015

Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. I'm delighted to introduce you all to the novellas of the Kindle Worlds Lei Crime Series. Released on July 31, 2015, each novella is set inside The Lei Crime Series of novels written by popular mystery author Toby Neal. Each author who participated in the creation of this line of novellas is a popular author in their own right - from every genre imaginable. I would advise you to grab your own copies of these novellas as soon as possible!


Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water - but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop, but often the cases she works activate wounds and complications from her tangled family history. Lei is affected deeply by her cases even as she solves them with persistence, obsession, and intuition. She falls in love with Michael Stevens, the charismatic detective she works with, and they make a life solving crime in contemporary Hawaii with all its beauty and deadliness.

The Shell Seeker by Christine Nolfi (2015)
Length: 105 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

The Shell Seeker Blurb:

In South Carolina, there’s more than magic in the air. Now policewoman Lei Texeira must solve the case of the Pirate Necklace.

The famed emeralds, spirited in the 1700s from the pirate Blackbeard’s ship, have been snatched once again. This time, the bling was taken from Marie-Therese Belvedere, a woman whose cruelty is only topped by her arrogance.

Lei doesn’t care for the icy socialite, but she feels an instant connection with the woman’s stepdaughter. An unlucky star has followed Sydney Belvedere her entire life. If the necklace isn’t found, she’ll lose a treasure more dear than the finest gem. 

Only the magic of Lei’s intuition stands between Sydney and unspeakable loss.

Seal of a Monk by Eden Baylee (2015)
Length: 92 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Seal of a Monk Blurb:

The ancient jungles of Kauai provide the perfect setting for self-discovery.

Despite the terror she experienced on her last trip, Lainey Lee returns to Hawaii to manage a silent meditation course on the Coconut Coast. Twenty-five women are under her care for ten days in a beautiful and remote location. Lainey expects to find inner peace, but four days into the course, one of the meditators disappears without a trace.

Did the girl leave of her own free will, or was she lured away by a strange cult? Lainey is frantic to answer these questions. As her desperation grows, she finds help from an unexpected source - a retired Navy SEAL named Maximillian Scott.

Now, Lainey has two mysteries to solve: what happened to the missing girl and the case of her own heart. Can she ever trust a man again?


Torn Roots by Scott Bury (2015)
Length: 131 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Torn Roots Blurb:

Hawaii is known for volcanoes and sandy beaches. Beauty and danger reign.

After breaking a case of murdered poachers in Maui's national park, Detective Pono Kaihale accepts a short-term position as Acting Lieutenant in Hana on the island's rain-forest coast. He is looking forward to redirecting lost hikers and moderating mild lovers' spats, and enjoying the natural beauty of the southeast shore. But by his second week on the job, Pono finds trouble here comes in unexpected forms.

As environmentalists, property developers, protesters, arsonists, kidnappers and a rogue Homeland Security agent converge on his new post, Pono feels like the eye of a brewing storm. And when a new FBI agent gets involved, Pono realizes the stakes are much higher than a quiet period in his career.

Lives will be lost if he doesn't solve this mystery quickly.

Money Makes it Deadlier by Julie C. Gilbert (2015)
Length: 101 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Money Makes it Deadlier Blurb:

Money can buy many things, but can it purchase a permanent solution to divorce?

Martin Cantrell would like to know the answer to that question. He has money, respect, and power, but he also has a monthly alimony payment that’s making him miserable. When a friend offers to deal with the “ex” problem for a fee, he can hardly say no. Time is of the essence. The life insurance policy on his ex-wife expires in less than two months.

Unaware of the plans set in motion, Special Agent Marcella Scott goes about her business as usual, only now, she finally has an excuse to dress up on the job. She’s been asked to go undercover to check out some banks. One of the branches just happens to be managed by Martin Cantrell’s ex-wife.

What’s an agent to do when a perfectly peaceful morning turns into a hostage-taking standoff?


Find out in Money Makes it Deadlier. This story takes place several months before the events of Black Jasmine, book 3 of the Lei Crime Series.

Coffee and Kukui Nuts by A. J. Llewellyn (2015)
Length: 90 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Coffee and Kukui Nuts Blurb:

Hawaiian explosives expert Abe Torufu looks forward to a day trip on Oahu helping his sister Meleny taste-test wedding cakes. Abe loves cake almost as much as malasadas, but something deadly interrupts their plans for butter cream and spongy goodness. A bomb.

Abe unwittingly uncovers a near-fatal plot in a marriage gone awry and soon becomes the target of not one but two hit men. He now requires round-the-clock protection from a U.S. Marshal. But not only is Tony McCracken skinny and shorter than the big Tongan detective, but Abe doesn’t need protection.

Well, that’s until McCracken saves his life in a spectacular way when one of the bad guys finds him. What started as a fun, family day becomes a nightmare and Abe must trust a stranger with his life. Can he? Or is he in big, bad, Hawaiian trouble? Will he live long enough to walk his sister down the flower-strewn, tapa-carpeted aisle, or is there worse to come?


Princess Eyes by Lucas Kana (2015)
Length: 166 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Princess Eyes Blurb:

Geeky Honolulu Lieutenant, Michael Stevens, teams up to investigate a series of homicides with Jenna Brooke, a streetwise psychologist for the FBI, which leads to the mysterious disappearance of a local beauty queen known as ‘Princess Eyes'.

Timeline: 10 years before Blood Orchids in a semi-alternate universe where Stevens starts out as a nerd.

May you read well and often

Katarina West - Witchcraft Couture

28. Witchcraft Couture by Katarina West (2014)
Length: 342 pages
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Started: 2 July 2015
Finished: 31 July 2015
Where did it come from? Many thanks to Katarina West for sending me a copy of this book to read.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 2 January 2015
Why do I have it? I like paranormal mysteries and Katarina West is a new author for me.

Ever since he was a little boy, Frederico Pellegrini has dreamed of greatness. He has wanted nothing more from life than to be recognized and respected for his innate artistic talent. For the handful of people who have known him since childhood, Frederico - now known as Oscar to his friends and acquaintances - has always been considered to be something of a child prodigy. His amazing talent was something that was not only acknowledged, but also seen as extraordinarily intimidating to anyone who met him.

As a teenager, Oscar became the protégé of a very famous fashion designer, and under her tutelage he honed his considerable talent in the fashion industry; becoming a rising star in his own right. Yes, Oscar Pellegrini definitely has the talent and the drive to go tremendously far in his career, except for one deadly personal flaw: his own critical mindset. In fact, he destroys much of what he designs on a whim and slips into periodic, yet deeply depressing, artistic blocks. Actually, Oscar has been drifting along for years, gradually retreating from the fashion business he loves so much yet holding on to his dreams of success.

A highly-anticipated meeting with his new employer - who also happens to be a former girlfriend - triggers a creative crisis of monumental proportions within Oscar. His sudden depression weighs so heavily on him, that Oscar flees his home in Florence in the middle of the night and escapes to Russia. While there, Oscar suffers through a creative crisis the likes of which he has never before experienced. This time, he drinks and despairs almost to the point of no return.

Yet, just when he starts to believe that he has lost everything that matters most in his life, Oscar discovers a mystical machine that somehow turns ordinary outfits into irresistible triumphs of sartorial splendor. He takes the machine back home to Italy - and before he knows it, Oscar becomes an overnight fashion sensation. It seems that he has finally achieved the greatness he has always wanted - his name has become legendary, his designs are the most sought after creations in the world of fashion; celebrities and socialites alike vie for the honor of being the first to wear his gorgeous garments. In a shockingly short span of months, Oscar has seemingly undergone a fascinating transformation: his creative crisis has miraculously vanished, leaving in its place a reinvigorated desire to design - a second chance to leave his own unique contribution to the fashion industry.

However, the fairytale ending for the recently christened fashion mogul rapidly turns into a waking nightmare. The dresses that have become such an integral part of Oscar Pellegrini's trademark style, seem to have acquired a life of their own. Drawing their unearthly allure from the very people who wear them - in the form of that person's energy and vitality - the glamorous clothes soon gain the inexplicable ability to bewitch others; enthralling essentially good people to commit uncharacteristically malicious or immoral deeds. Haunted by his creations, and the dark secret that he is no longer able to hide, Oscar's talent has become nothing more important to him than a millstone around his neck.

He soon finds himself engaged in a valiant fight for both his life and his sanity; struggling to maintain his extremely tenuous hold on reality. And desperately searching for the answer to a question he never even knew existed. Is there such a thing as stolen genius, and if there is, can such genius turn against the very person who stole it?

I must say that despite the apparently slow reading pace that I set for myself, I was completely caught up in Oscar's story right away and avidly wanted to know what would happen to him next. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the story; the plot was well-developed and moved along in a dramatic fashion for me. The story itself was very well-written; filled with a variety of plot twists and turns that I fully appreciated. I would give this book an A! and am eagerly awaiting Ms. West's next book.

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often

Introducing The Heavenscribe Series by Christine Nolfi!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I'm delighted to learn that popular contemporary fiction author Christine Nolfi has just released the latest installment in her paranormal fantasy series: The Heavenscribe Series. As the third installment of this story was recently released in mid-July, Ms. Nolfi is pleased to announce that each installment of this intriguing new series is now available to download from Amazon. So, if you enjoy reading stories about reluctant modern-day prophets who are sent on a mystical, angelically-guided quest; then this is the series for you.

HeavenScribe Part One by Christine Nolfi (2015)
Length: 78 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

HeavenScribe Part One Blurb:

Zobie Marsh hides the fearsome talent of prophecy. Young, poor and grieving the loss of her beloved Black Gram, she leaves home suddenly to avoid the advances of her mother’s latest boyfriend. Her decision to travel to South Carolina sets in motion Heavenscribe, a spiritual transformation devised by angels to aid a dying world.

Bel Petersen seems to have it all: ample means, a loving marriage and a rewarding family life. But she’s suffered through a year of unexpected deaths, and near-constant nightmares that portend the downfall of civilization. Now she’s visiting Health Presbyterian daily as Milly battles a relentless bone cancer sure to end their decades-long friendship in a matter of weeks.

One evening as Bel unlocks her car in the hospital’s parking lot, four ambulances stream toward the Emergency entrance. There’s been a horrific traffic accident. She’s shocked to discover one of the victims didn’t make it into an ambulance - and he’s bleeding out in the passenger seat of a high school student’s car. Bel sends the student running to the hospital for help, and tends to the grievously injured man. 


His dying words will lead her to Zobie, and reveal the spiritual awakening they must undertake together. If they fail, The Dimming will consume every human soul on the planet.

HeavenScribe Part Two by Christine Nolfi (2015)
Length: 68 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

HeavenScribe Part Two Blurb:

Messengers from heaven with startling revelations. The beginning of an unlikely friendship, and a quest Zobie Marsh must undertake with Bel Petersen’s help. A rose arbor that becomes a portal capable of unhooking time. In Heavenscribe, Part Two, Zobie and Bel begin unraveling the secrets of Primaries with the help of two angels, and the magical properties of the six braided ribbons tied to Zobie’s wrist.

From Heavenscribe, Part One:

Zobie Marsh hides the fearsome talent of prophecy. Young, poor and grieving the loss of her beloved Black Gram, she leaves home suddenly to avoid the advances of her mother’s latest boyfriend. Her decision to travel to South Carolina sets in motion Heavenscribe, a spiritual transformation devised by angels to aid a dying world. 

Bel Petersen seems to have it all: ample means, a loving marriage and a rewarding family life. But she’s suffered through a year of unexpected deaths, and near-constant nightmares that portend the downfall of civilization. Now she’s visiting Health Presbyterian daily as Milly battles a relentless bone cancer sure to end their decades-long friendship in a matter of weeks.

One evening as Bel unlocks her car in the hospital’s parking lot, four ambulances stream toward the Emergency entrance. There’s been a horrific traffic accident. She’s shocked to discover one of the victims didn’t make it into an ambulance - and he’s bleeding out in the passenger seat of a high school student’s car. Bel sends the student running to the hospital for help, and tends to the grievously injured man. 


His dying words will lead her to Zobie, and reveal the spiritual awakening they must undertake together. If they fail, The Dimming will consume every human soul on the planet. 

HeavenScribe Part Three by Christine Nolfi (2015)
Length: 94 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

HeavenScribe Part Three Blurb:

Inspiring, magical, and deeply moving - award-winning author Christine Nolfi sweeps you into an unforgettable journey in HeavenScribe: Part 3.
This is Part 3 of the HeavenScribe serial mystery, a spiritual tale that unfolds over multiple books. From HeavenScribe: Part One:

Zobie Marsh hides the fearsome talent of prophecy. Young, poor and grieving the loss of her beloved Black Gram, she leaves home suddenly to avoid the advances of her mother’s latest boyfriend. Her decision to travel to South Carolina sets in motion Heavenscribe, a spiritual transformation devised by angels to aid a dying world. 

Bel Petersen seems to have it all: ample means, a loving marriage and a rewarding family life. But she’s suffered through a year of unexpected deaths, and near-constant nightmares that portend the downfall of civilization. Now she’s visiting Health Presbyterian daily as Milly battles a relentless bone cancer sure to end their decades-long friendship in a matter of weeks.

One evening as Bel unlocks her car in the hospital’s parking lot, four ambulances stream toward the Emergency entrance. There’s been a horrific traffic accident. She’s shocked to discover one of the victims didn’t make it into an ambulance - and he’s bleeding out in a high school student’s car. Bel sends the student running to the hospital for help, and tends to the grievously injured man.

His dying words will lead her to Zobie, and reveal the spiritual awakening they must undertake together. If they fail, The Dimming will consume every human soul on the planet.

May you read well and often

Blog Tour For The Battle For Darracia by Michael Phillip Cash From November 2nd, 2015 to November 6th, 2015 - Come Join Us!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Hello Everyone! I am extremely happy to announce that Michael Phillip Cash will be touring the blogosphere to promote his Science Fiction saga The Battle For Darracia - Schism, Collision and Risen - an award-winning trilogy which has recently been published in a single volume. This virtual book tour is being hosted by My Book Tour and will last from November 2, to November 6, 2015!

Mr. Cash is also doing an awesome giveaway - starting on October 30, 2015, he is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card or one of FIVE signed copies of this thrilling, action-packed Scifi Fantasy Saga to six lucky winners at the end of his Blog Tour. Be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below, and I wish you all the very best of good luck in taking part!

The Battle For Darracia Saga Blog Tour Information:

Meet Michael Phillip Cash

Michael Phillip Cash is an award-winning screenwriter and novelist. He's written ten books including the best-selling Brood X, Stillwell, The Flip, The After House, The Hanging Tree, Witches Protection Program, Pokergeist and The Battle for Darracia Series.

Michael resides on the North Shore of Long Island. He writes full-time with his screaming kids in the background.

Connect and Socialize with Michael!




About The Battle For Darracia Saga:

The Battle for Darracia Books I, II, and III, are now combined into this one epic novel!

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia?

Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Enter for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or one of FIVE signed copies of this action-packed SciFi Fantasy Thriller!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Battle For Darracia Saga Book Publicity Tour Schedule:


Wednesday, October 28th - Book Spotlight at Books and Banter 
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at The Bookworm Lodge 
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at Robert Germaux Author 
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at The Ebook Gal Review Blog 
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at Virtual Book Tour Stops  
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at Loves Leftovers 
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at Susan Barton Author
Monday, November 2nd - Book Spotlight at Emeraldfire's Bookmark
Tuesday, November 3rd - Author Guest Post at Charline Ratcliff 
Wednesday, November 4th - Book Spotlight at J. Bronder Book Reviews 
Wednesday, November 4th - Character Interview at Emeraldfire's Bookmark
Friday, November 6th - Character Interview at May Rising
Saturday, November 7th - Book Spotlight at Deal Sharing Aunt
Friday, November 20th - Book Spotlight at Enthralling Dimple
Books, Authors, Blogs

May you read well and often

Introducing Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

So, back in June of 2014, I had the pleasure of reading Schism: The Battle For Darracia by Michael Phillip Cash and here is my reviewSchism: The Battle For Darracia is actually the first book in The Battle For Darracia Series and is the first book of an award-winning science fiction series. I have just recently received a copy of Mr. Cash's newest release: Pokergeist. My mother had received it from Mr. Cash's publicist, Red Feather Publishing, and she passed the book on to me to read.

Meet Michael Phillip Cash

Born and raised on Long Island, Michael has always had a fascination with horror writing and found footage films. He wanted to incorporate both with his debut novel, Brood X. Earning a degree in English and an MBA, he has worked various jobs before settling into being a full-time author. He currently resides on Long Island with his wife and children.

Connect and Socialize with Michael!


Pokergeist by Michael Phillip Cash (2015)
Length: 266 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Pokergeist Blurb: 

Sometimes life, as well as death, is about second chances. Luckless Telly Martin doesn't have a clue. An awful gambler trying to scrape by as a professional poker player, he becomes the protégé of world famous poker champion Clutch Henderson. The only catch…Clutch is a ghost. Telly and Clutch must navigate the seedy gambling underbelly of Las Vegas learning to trust each other in order to win the elusive International Series of Poker, repair their shattered personal relationships and find redemption in this life and the hereafter.

 Pokergeist Book Trailer:


May you read well and often

Calling All Book Reviewers!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

I'm delighted to tell you all that the first book in Kathryn Meyer Griffith's thrilling Dinosaur Lake Series - Dinosaur Lake - is currently free to download from Amazon. Having said that, I would also like to remind you that the book will remain free to download for a very limited time! Ms. Griffith has one teeny, tiny, little favor to ask of you all. If you'd be kind enough to write a brief but honest review of the books in the series for her on Amazon, she would be absolutely delighted. Just email Ms. Griffith at rdgriff@htc.net, and she'll be happy to send you a complimentary copy of any of the books to read.

Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is the first book in her Dinosaur Lake Series, and I had the pleasure of reading Book 1 way back in March of 2014! Here is my review. You can also download the other two books in the series - Check 'em out! ;)

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Connect and Socialize with Kathryn!



Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2012)
Length: 451 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Dinosaur Lake Blurb:

Ex-cop Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for eight years and he likes his park and his life the way it's been. Safe. Tranquil. Predictable. But he's about to be tested in so many ways. First the earthquakes begin, people begin to go missing, then there's some mysterious water creature that's taken up residence in the caves below Crater Lake and it's not only growing in size, it's aggressive and cunning and very hungry.

And it's decided it likes human beings. To eat.

And it can come up onto land.

So Henry, with the help of his wife, Ann; a young paleontologist named Justin; and a band of brave men, must not only protect his park and his people from the monster but somehow find where it lives and destroy it before it can kill again.

Now Dinosaur Lake by Kathryn Meyer Griffith is a 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* in their Suspense/Thriller category.


Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2014)
Length: 248 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising Blurb:

Prehistoric creatures have again invaded Crater Lake National Park…and this time there’s more than one.

Henry Shore has been Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake National Park for thirteen years now and thought the days when he’d had to fight a rogue dinosaur that lived in the caves below the lake were long over.

Until one of his park rangers, to save a visitor’s life, is in a deadly struggle out in the woods with a new breed of dinosaur worse than the last one. It’s as big as a man, but this one is a young one. And growing.

Then more of the creatures begin to show up everywhere, threatening people and destroying the tranquility and safety of his beloved park.

A tourist trolley filled with fifteen people is snatched up off the crater’s rim by another version of the younger one…but this one has grown into a giant with fangs, claws and a deadly tail. And this one has wings. Ugly Gargoyles, Henry calls them. For this one isn’t alone. They’re flying beyond the park’s boundaries into the neighboring towns.

So Henry, with the help of his son-in-law, a paleontologist named Justin, and a band of brave park rangers, and a few good soldiers, must not only protect his park and his people from monsters once more but find their lair and destroy it and them before the creatures kill again.


Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2014)
Length: 285 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation Blurb:

Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore has dealt with and fought real live dinosaurs at his beloved Crater Lake National Park for over six years. With the help of his rangers, a few brave FBI friends and army soldiers he’d been victorious over a prehistoric lake creature and years later some particularly fiendish, and clever, specimens of the flying variety. He and his newspaper publisher wife, Ann, thought their park was finally rid of the monsters and they could reclaim their tranquil life in a place they cherished.

Not so. For suddenly across the park new and even more malevolent mutant species of dinosaur begin to appear and create havoc, attacking the park’s visitors and threatening its peace. And this time the primeval scourge isn’t confined to just their park. The creatures have moved into the nearby towns, across the western United States and up into Canada.

They are so much more aggressive, smarter and hungrier than any that have come before and the infestation is spreading further and faster than Henry and Ann can even imagine. This time there’s no easy way to defeat the dinosaurs. There’s too many of them and they’re too devious. This time it’s full out war and the victor will someday claim Earth.

May you read well and often

Introducing the Lei Crime Series by Toby Neal!

Monday, July 20, 2015

Hello Everyone! I hope that you're all having a wonderful day today. Since I have already done several book release posts for the novellas of the Kindle Worlds Lei Crime Series, I thought that I would also begin to highlight the novels of The Lei Crime Series written by popular mystery author Toby Neal. I would advise you to grab your own copies of these novels as soon as possible!


Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water - but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop, but often the cases she works activate wounds and complications from her tangled family history. Lei is affected deeply by her cases even as she solves them with persistence, obsession, and intuition. She falls in love with Michael Stevens, the charismatic detective she works with, and they make a life solving crime in contemporary Hawaii with all its beauty and deadliness.

 Meet Toby Neal

Toby Neal was raised on Kauai in Hawaii. She wrote and illustrated her first story at age five. After initially majoring in journalism, she eventually settled on mental health as a career and loves her work, saying, “I’m endlessly fascinated with people’s stories.”

She lives in Hawaii with her family and dogs and enjoys many outdoor sports including bodyboarding, beach walking, gardening, hiking, wondering about human nature and coming up with original plots.

Toby credits her counseling background in adding depth to her characters - from the villains to Lei Texeira, the courageous and vulnerable heroine in the Lei Crime Series.


Broken Ferns by Toby Neal (2013)
Length: 238 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Broken Ferns Blurb:

The island of Oahu is warm breezes, skyscrapers and green mountains - but a daring young thief is out to make a statement, and Special Agent Lei Texeira’s new career is already on the line.

Lei Texeira has made a difficult transition from detective on Maui to the FBI on Oahu - and her first big case as an agent draws national media attention. With her typical jump-first, look-later style, she pursues her quarry from Oahu to the outer islands, rousing old conflicts and new heartbreak.

“Crisp, well-written and full of local color - Broken Ferns is another page-turner from Toby Neal.” Greta Van der Rol, author of Morgan’s Choice

Twisted Vine by Toby Neal (2013)
Length: 300 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Twisted Vine Blurb:

*WINNER, 2015 IPPY SILVER MEDAL AWARD FOR BEST MYSTERY EBOOK, INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING AWARDS*
***Winner 2015 GOLD for Best Multicultural Novel, eLit Book Awards***

The island of Oahu is skyscrapers and rainforests, beaches and boutiques - but Special Agent Lei Texeira is drawn into a shadow world connected by death and the Internet.

Mysterious suicides draw Lei and her team, including tech specialist Sophie Ang, to hunt a criminal who plays with the thin gray line between right and wrong. Lei stirs up a hornet’s nest on the investigation as her past reaches out in a twisted vine of old loves, new technologies and dark vendettas.

"Toby Neal scores a royal flush in this fifth of an unmissable crime series for mystery fans!” J.C. Martin, author of Oracle

Shattered Palms by Toby Neal (2014)
Length: 362 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Shattered Palms Blurb:

***FINALIST*** 2015 Best Cover Design, International Book Awards

Maui is lush mountains, cloud forest and exquisite birdsong - but for Detective Lei Texeira, arrows break that peace.

Someone is stalking poachers that are capturing Maui’s rarest birds, and Lei pursues the case with her usual leap-first, look-later style - but will she be able to catch a killer, save the birds, and still make it to her own wedding? Shattered Palms is a roller coaster ride from the top of Haleakala to the beach and back again, with extinction at stake.

“Toby Neal creates a captivating balance of the beauty of the islands contrasted with the ugliness of murder, and complicated by the trials of Lei’s personal life. A must-read for Neal fans.” Thomas K. Matthews, author of Rejection.

May you read well and often

M. L. Doyle - Hidden Poppies

Saturday, July 18, 2015

27. Hidden Poppies by M. L. Doyle (2015)
Kindle Worlds Novella: The Lei Crime Series Book 7
Length: 83 pages
Genre: Short Story
Started: 15 July 2015
Finished: 18 July 2015
Where did it come from? Many thanks to M. L. Doyle for sending me a copy of this book to read from Amazon.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 18 April 2015
Why do I have it? I like short stories and M. L. Doyle is a new author for me.

When FBI Special Agents Marcella Scott and Ken Yamada are brought in to solve a kidnapping, initially they are curious as to the reason why they were specifically chosen for the case. To be honest, nothing about this particular case makes any sense. Who would abduct the child of a member of the military, yet wait for a period of time before sending out a ransom note?

Yet that is exactly the sort of case that FBI Special Agents Scott and Yamada are faced with. An army colonel's daughter isn't a typical target when it comes to the crime of kidnapping, but that's only the first of the variety of red flags that reveal themselves about this case. FBI Special Agent Marcella Scott knows that the word 'unusual' is remarkably synonymous with unpredictability, and she also realizes that unpredictability can quickly translate into any case becoming incredibly dangerous for those involved.

But this case isn't the only issue that must be resolved for the partners. Just when their wits need to be at their sharpest, Agent Scott's partner, Special Agent Ken Yamada is suffering from a serious case of déjà vu. And that feeling is quickly becoming a major personal distraction for him. Agent Yamada has had to make several painful decisions throughout his career; many of which have led to some very painful sacrifices for that career.

When the young girl's abduction brings him face to face with one of those sacrifices, Major Chuck Mathews, Agent Yamada begins to question all his choices. In their desperate search for the teenage girl, the agents will face numerous foes more than willing to use deadly force to protect themselves and their secrets. Yet what was hidden before will ultimately be revealed, and the truth can change everything.

Hidden Poppies by M. L. Doyle is actually the fifth novella that I've read from the Kindle Worlds Lei Crime Series, based on the books in the Lei Crime Mystery Series by Toby Neal. In my opinion, this novella was very well-written and I actually found this plot to be remarkably well-developed despite the length of the story. I would give Hidden Poppies by M. L. Doyle a definite A! and am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

A! - (90-95%)

May you read well and often

Introducing Wild Blue Yonder by Megan Tayte!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

So, I was delighted to learn that Megan Tayte recently released Wild Blue Yonder - the third book in her young adult fantasy series - The Ceruleans Series. I actually had the pleasure of reading the first book of the series, Death Wish by Megan Tayte back in June of 2015, and here is my review. This is a series that I definitely look forward to reading more of in the future, and I would advise you to grab your own copy as soon as possible!


Meet Megan Tayte

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan is a professional writer and published author by day, and an indie novelist by night. Her fiction - young adult romance with soul - recently earned her the Self Publishing Review's Independent Woman Author of the Year award.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in the village of Standish, Greater Manchester. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a palaeontologist; and her baby daughter, a pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Megan walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.

Wild Blue Yonder by Megan Tayte (2015)
Length: 284 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Wild Blue Yonder Blurb:

IN A WARPED HEAVEN, SHE MUST CHOOSE HER FATE: OBEDIENCE OR REBELLION

The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books, one question: If the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be sinner or saint?

When Scarlett Blake chose life-after-death as a Cerulean, she expected to grieve for all she left behind: her boyfriend, her best friend, her mother, her home. But at least Cerulea, her heaven, would be…well, heavenly. Right?

Wrong.


The world in which Scarlett awakens is very far from her idea of a utopia. Picturesque, sure, and serene. But there can be no paradise within the unforgiving walls of a prison, be they of cold, hard stone or beautifully blue water.

Now Scarlett faces her hardest decision yet: be a good, dutiful Cerulean, or be true to herself and fight for freedom.

And if she can find a way to escape, what then? Can she finally reunite with her lost sister? Can she save Sienna from the murderous Fallen? Can she evade her destiny with the Ceruleans?
Can Scarlett Blake ever reclaim her life-before-death…or must she let go of all she loves?

May you read well and often

Introducing the Cover For Unearthed by Lauren Stewart!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Meet Lauren Stewart

Lauren Stewart lives in Northern California with two of the most amazing children that the world has ever seen. She reads almost every genre so, naturally, her writing reflects that. With every book, every story, you'll find elements of other genres - fantasy, mystery, romance, paranormal, suspense, YA, women's literature, all with a touch of humor because what doesn't kill us should make us laugh.

Unearthed by Lauren Stewart (2015)
Length: 287 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon, ITunes, Kobo and Barnes and Noble!



Unearthed Blurb:

What would you give up for freedom?”
“Everything.”
“Even if it wasn't yours?”


For three years, Keira lived in hell on earth, kept and tortured by a psychopath. He should’ve killed her. Because now she’s looking for payback, to see his face when she shoves a stake into his chest, to feel his dust under her boot. Then she’ll finally be free…of everything but the memories, scars, and nightmares. Unfortunately, when a demon starts hunting the same prey, Keira’s life becomes less about getting revenge and more about fighting temptation.

For three tours above the earth’s crust, Davyn has been as close to heaven as a demon can be. In a few weeks, he’ll go home to be reforged, stripped of all the humanity he’s accumulated and be reminded of exactly what he is. Of course, in the depths of hell, nobody “finds themselves” through group therapy and happy pills. It’s not all bad news though - before he goes, at least he gets to kill a vampire. Maybe a human too, if that stubborn little hunter keeps getting in his way. After all, a nice ass can only buy so much of Davyn’s patience.

In this highly anticipated sequel to Unseen, two people from opposite sides of a war will discover the price of freedom and what they're willing to pay for it. But in the Heights, nothing is ever fair. For something they both want, one of them will pay with their eternity.


* * *

The Heights not only protects the secrecy of vampires, shifters, demons, angels, and other supernaturals, it protects the humans unaware of the world hidden within their own.


Unearthed Cover Reveal: 


May you read well and often

Introducing Forget Me Not by Megan Tayte!

Sunday, July 12, 2015

So, I was delighted to learn that Megan Tayte recently released Forget Me Not - the second book in her young adult fantasy series - The Ceruleans Series. I actually had the pleasure of reading the first book of the series, Death Wish by Megan Tayte back in June of 2015, and here is my review. This is a series that I definitely look forward to reading more of in the future, and I would advise you to grab your own copy as soon as possible!


Meet Megan Tayte

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan is a professional writer and published author by day, and an indie novelist by night. Her fiction - young adult romance with soul - recently earned her the Self Publishing Review's Independent Woman Author of the Year award.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in the village of Standish, Greater Manchester. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a palaeontologist; and her baby daughter, a pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Megan walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.

Forget Me Not by Megan Tayte (2015)
Length: 301 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Forget Me Not Blurb:

IN THE FACE OF DEATH, SHE MUST PROTECT THOSE SHE LOVES.

The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books, one question: If the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be sinner or saint?

Death is stalking Scarlett Blake. As if the encroaching darkness in her head wasn’t enough, she’s become disturbingly accident prone. Falling off a cliff isn’t ideal when all you want is as much time as possible to live, to love.

Her fate is horrifying. Unbearable. And inescapable. No one can save Scarlett from The End that’s looming. Not Jude, the Cerulean who is intent on Claiming her. Not Luke, the boy who is intent on loving her.

The clock is ticking, louder with every heartbeat. Now Scarlett must decide how best to protect the people she loves. Will she trust in Jude and the life-after-death he promises? Will she stand against the Fallen, who have her sister captive? Will she carry the burden of her death alone - every headache, every hallucination, every wrenching, aching emotion?

And when the clock falls silent, when the darkness eclipses the light, will Scarlett fight for life? Or will she have no choice but to surrender?


May you read well and often

Introducing A Time of Demons and Angels by Kathryn Meyer Griffith!

Friday, July 10, 2015

So, with the recent June of 2015 reissuing of the book that Kathryn Meyer Griffith calls "my masterpiece" - A Time of Demons and Angels - I would like to mention that I had the pleasure of reading Ms. Griffith's apocalyptic end-of-days horror novel back in July of 2010! Here is my review. Previously titled: Before the End: A Time of Demons, the book has since been reissued under a new title and with a completely redesigned cover. Ms. Griffith has hinted in the past that she may write a sequel to this novel, but until then A Time of Demons and Angels can be read as a standalone.

Whether this book turns out to be the first book in a new series or just a standalone novel, I advise you to go grab yourself a copy - you won't regret it! :)

Meet Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-two years ago now, and have had twenty (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance and three murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last five novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my dinosaur novels are my best-sellers.

I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-six years; have a son, James, and two grandchildren, Joshua and Caitlyn, and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have three quirky cats, ghost cat Sasha and Cleo, and live cat Sasha (Too), and the five of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.

2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my horror novel The Last Vampire - Revised Author’s Edition ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *FINALIST* for my thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.

Connect and Socialize with Kathryn!


A Time of Demons and Angels by Kathryn Meyer Griffith (2013)
Length: 525 pages
Purchase your copy from Amazon and Audible!

A Time of Demons and Angels Blurb: 

The world has always been divided into good and evil…and some humans are called to fight for one or the other. If you’re called…would you fight?
Cassandra Graystone and others like her are born to battle the proliferating demons as the end-of-days approach. She is fated to receive the sword of the angels, warrior-beings who will stand beside her as she battles the demons for herself, her family, friends, and for the last remnants of humanity - for afterwards those remaining will have one last chance to save their souls. They must fight and they must win.

Since she was a child she knows and sees things other people don’t…when someone will die or when a demon lurks beneath a human skin. She sees them. Yet she craves a normal life singing out with her musician brother, Johnny, and caring for her elderly aunt and uncle; to be with her friends, Sarah, a psychic, and Walter, a carnival clown.

But when Sarah sees apocalyptic events in Cassandra’s tarot cards and demons are everywhere, Cassandra fears she’s either going insane or something terrifying is truly happening in the world. Rayner, an ancient blood demon is obsessed with her. Never having felt pity or affection for a human before he believes he loves her. The demon realm gathers for the final confrontation, Rayner warns.

The apocalypse comes. You and your friends must prepare. Cassandra flees that knowledge until an angelic being, Manasseh, tells her: Your powers will grow. Fight for humanity’s survival after the first wave is taken and seek out others like you. Persuade them to join the battle.

Only these chosen can see and challenge the demons until the end when all eyes will be able to see them. She doesn’t want her life to change, be anyone’s protector, doesn’t want to be a nomad who battles demons…until catastrophic events force her to and she can no longer deny her destiny. She and her friends must take to the road; they must fight…or see the remnants of humanity consumed in flames.

May you read well and often

Introducing Death Wish by Megan Tayte!

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

So, I was delighted to learn that Megan Tayte recently released Death Wish - the first book in her young adult fantasy series - The Ceruleans Series. I actually had the pleasure of reading Death Wish by Megan Tayte back in June of 2015, and here is my review. This is a series that I definitely look forward to reading more of in the future, and I would advise you to grab your own copy as soon as possible!


Meet Megan Tayte

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. ‘Write, Megan,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan is a professional writer and published author by day, and an indie novelist by night. Her fiction - young adult romance with soul - recently earned her the Self Publishing Review's Independent Woman Author of the Year award.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in the village of Standish, Greater Manchester. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a palaeontologist; and her baby daughter, a pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she’s not writing, you’ll find Megan walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.

Death Wish by Megan Tayte (2015)
Length: 274 pages 
Purchase your copy from Amazon!

Death Wish Blurb:

IN SEARCH OF THE MEANING OF DEATH, SHE’LL FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE.

The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books, one question: If the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be sinner or saint?

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense.

Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to an isolated English cove with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need.

As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power.

What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death.

To believe the impossible.

May you read well and often