Publication Party: Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver

Blurb

SALVATION HAS A PRICE.

An enthralling murder mystery with a vividly realised future world, forcing readers to grapple hard hitting questions about the climate crisis, our relationship with Artificial Intelligence and the price we would be willing to pay, as a species, to be saved. Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, Neal Stephenson, Philip K Dick, Kim Stanley Robinson and RR Haywood.

It’s 2050, a decade after a heatwave that killed four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully’s wife. Now he must uncover the truth: was the disaster natural? Or is the weather now a weapon of genocide?

A whistleblower pulls Tully into a murder investigation at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse. A former US President campaigns against the first AI politician of the position, but someone is trying to sway the outcome.

Tully must convince the world to face the truth and make hard choices about the future of the species. But will humanity ultimately choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost?

Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Cover Reveal: The Photograph by Diane Clarke

Blurb

Caryl Hunter believes she lost her brother during the wartime evacuation of 1939. Her adoptive mother denies his existence and Caryl was too young to remember with certainty.

When she finds a black and white photograph of her family standing on a London station, in
the company of a mystery boy, her determination to find him reignites.

In 2020, Caryl’s daughter, Megan, takes up the search for her missing uncle. Confronted by
her own secret, will she ignore it or will she remember Caryl’s lifelong torment and avoid the
mistakes of the past?

Happy Publication Day: Second Soul by Corwin Michaels

Blurb

Alvar has been plagued by Dreamons since time immemorial. They stalk the night, in the mist between realms, to twist the dreams of mankind into nightmares and feast upon the primal emotions that dwell deep within. Thirty years ago, a desperate battle was fought and barely won, ushering in the first era of peace Alvar has ever known. The cost was high, but peace is worth any price…as long as it’s real.

In a cozy cottage deep in the forests of Delrythia, Callum prepares to leave for the university to study magic and join the Second Souls, men and women who risk their lives to touch the currents of magic. But when he overhears a stranger whisper orders to his parents with an offer of a silver knife, his world is turned upside down and he runs away from home, leaving everything behind.

A strange magic blossoms within him, one that ties him to a secret cult, to walking nightmares, and the Dreamon Realm itself. Callum must learn to trust again and find his own family while coming to terms with the power he wields.

Buy Links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Cover Reveal: Catch Me Twice by Catherine Yaffe

@cat_yaffe_author

@lovebookstours

#CoverReveal #LBTCrew #Bookstagram

Blurb

Perfect for fans of JD Kirk, Val McDermid, Peter James, Rachel Mclean

Operation Wonderland

It’s 1989 – the so-called Second Summer of Love

The days are endlessly hot, and ravers are riding on a hedonistic wave of Acid House and MDMA.
It’s the biggest youth movement since the 60’s and it’s out of control.
Rave organisers mix with underworld gangsters who don’t care about the devastating consequences.
But when ravers start dying, undercover cops are sent to infiltrate the chaotic, deadly scene.
Little did anyone know that their actions in those heady days would come back to haunt them nearly a decade later.

Was it really the Second Summer of Love, or a deadly Summer of Death?

And can the instigators be caught twice?

Author bio

Catherine Yaffe is the author of crime thrillers that readers and reviewers frequently describe as compulsively readable. A graduate of Curtis Brown Creative academy, Catherine wrote her first crime thriller, The Lie She Told in 2020 whilst the UK was in Lockdown. On its release it debuted in the top 10 hot new releases on Amazon and to date has accrued hundreds of five-star reviews.

Review: Beach Blanket Barbie by Kathi Daley

Goodreads Blurb

Zoe suspects that something is up when Levi’s ex-girlfriend Barbie comes to town unexpectedly. When she ends up floating face down in the lake Zoe and the gang shift into full sleuth mode to find a killer. As they delve into Barbie’s life since she left Ashton Falls, they find a complex puzzle that is going to take a group effort to unravel.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Another awesome book by Kathi. Loved that it took place in the summer since I really am looking forward to those hot summery days. I really enjoyed this book. Zoe is the best at what she does dealing with animals and her detective work. She unfortunately ends up being harmed after she figures out who the killer of Barbie was. I love how all the characters interact and have a close relationship with. They all work together to make each other happy. They have no boundaries when it comes to justice. This book has a great summer cover. Loved how Barbie made men and women jealous of her actions. Great summer read.

Author Biography

Kathi lives with her husband, kids, grandkids, and dogs in beautiful Lake Tahoe. When she isn’t writing, Kathi likes to read (preferably at the beach or by the fire), cook (preferably something with chocolate or cheese,) and garden (planting and planning not weeding). She also enjoys spending time on the water when she’s not hiking, biking, or snowshoeing, the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home.
Kathi uses the mountain setting in which she lives, along with the animals (wild and domestic) that share her home, as inspiration for her cozy mysteries.

Publication Day: The Rutland Identity by Michael Dane

@RutlandsMichaelDane

@lovebookstours

#PublicationDay #Thriller #CrimeFiction #LBTCrew

Blurb

Rutland 1998. When George Bowman, the publican of Leighton Parva’s Old Volunteer Inn is found dead at the bottom of his cellar steps the police dismiss it as a tragic accident. But Frank McBride and Bernard Taylor aren’t so sure.

Teaming up with their neighbour, Ron Godsmark, their suspicions centre on Joachim and Hannah Keller, the Swiss couple who manage Leighton Hall, the wedding venue just outside the village.

Bernard sends his granddaughter, Emma, on an undercover mission, working at the hall as a waitress. Together they stumble upon a web of intrigue involving fraud, smuggling and murder.

Frank believes that he can persuade his old colleagues in Customs and Excise to investigate, but Bernard has something else entirely in mind.

Crime deserves justice. Murder requires revenge.

Review: Conceit by Alana Albertson

Goodreads Blurb

Se7en deadly Navy SEALs bound to secrecy about a party that ended in tragedy.

Six months my innocent brother Joaquín has spent in jail for a murder.

Five hours a day I’ve trained to go undercover to learn the truth.

Four plastic surgeries to transform into a pinup to gain access to their world.

Three shots of tequila I down before I take off my clothes to dance for the SEALs.

Two years since I’d left my soul mate Grant, the only man who can help me now.

One dead stripper found strangled and drugged.

Zero room for error. I’m Joaquín’s only hope for freedom. No sin is too depraved, no challenge is too great. Even if it means destroying my soul.

Conceit is a novella of 25,000 – the first of Se7en episodes in the Se7en Deadly SEALs series.

Chronic: Se7en Deadly SEALs Episode Two releases February 2015

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

It is truly an amazing plot that twists through every turn. I couldn’t believe how Mia went through all those changes and the pain in order to find the real true killer and save her brother. Grant is a hot seal that is mad with Mia but truly loves her. I am hoping that Grant will forgive Mia, and they end up together again. Will Mia find the truth the SEALS are hiding?

Author Biography

Alana Albertson is a multi-award winning author, current President of Romance Writers of America’s Contemporary Romance Chapter and the former President of both Romance Writers of America’s Young Adult and Chick Lit chapters. Alana Albertson holds a Masters of Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. A recovering professional ballroom dancer, Alana currently writes contemporary romance, new adult and young adult fiction. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two young sons, and four dogs. When she’s not spending her time playing with her sons, dancing, or saving dogs from high kill shelters through Pugs N Roses, the rescue she founded, she can be found watching episodes Homeland, Devious Maids, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.

Review: Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly & James Dean

Goodreads Blurb

In this hardcover picture book, Pete the Cat wakes up feeling grumpy—nothing seems to be going his way. But with the help of some magic sunglasses, Pete learns that a good mood has been inside him all along.

Fans of Pete the Cat will love watching him take his positive outlook and transform a grumpy day into an awesome day!

The fun never stops—download the free groovin’ song. Time for magic fun in the sun!

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Pete the Cat was feeling the blues, and Grumpy Toad gave him magical sunglasses that would change his mood. His adventure today was making his friends happy with letting them borrow the sunglasses. He made everyone happy, but the sunglasses broke, and he thought he couldn’t be happy without it. An owl told him to open his eyes and see the beauty and fun around him.

Publication Day Party: Conditions Are Different After Dark by Owen W. Knight

Blurb

In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. While awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.

Over four centuries later, Faith and James move to the country to start a new life and a family. They learn that their village lives under the curse uttered by the hanged man. Could their arrival be connected?

Faith and James fear that their choice of a new home is no coincidence. Unexplained events hint at threats or warnings to leave, including the slaughter of their hens, an attic break-in and other menacing incidents. They become convinced the village continues to live under the curse despite denials from their new friends. Who can they trust, and who are potential enemies?

Author Bio:

Owen W. Knight writes contemporary and speculative fiction. He creates worlds based on documented myths, with elements of dystopia, mystery and science fiction to highlight the use and abuse of power and the conflicts associated with maintaining ethical values.

His works include The Visitors, a grounded sci-fi first contact novel, Another Life, a retelling of It’s a Wonderful Life for the 21st Century and The Invisible College Trilogy, an apocalyptic dystopian conspiracy tale for young adults, described as 1984 Meets the Book of Revelation.

Owen lives in Essex, England, close to the countryside that inspires his writing.

Author’s Website: http://www.owenknight.co.uk

BUY LINK

https://amzn.to/44fy54Q

Review: Don’t Call Me Crazy Edited by Kelly Jensen

Goodreads Blurb

Who’s Crazy?

What does it mean to be crazy? Is using the word crazy offensive? What happens when such a label gets attached to your everyday experiences?

In order to understand mental health, we need to talk openly about it. Because there’s no single definition of crazy, there’s no single experience that embodies it, and the word itself means different things—wild? extreme? disturbed? passionate?—to different people.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy is a conversation starter and guide to better understanding how our mental health affects us every day. Thirty-three writers, athletes, and artists offer essays, lists, comics, and illustrations that explore their personal experiences with mental illness, how we do and do not talk about mental health, help for better understanding how every person’s brain is wired differently, and what, exactly, might make someone crazy.

If you’ve ever struggled with your mental health, or know someone who has, come on in, turn the pages, and let’s get talking.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

A book that will make you see mental health in a new light.” Call Me Crazy” will leave you feeling distressed with everyone’s deep feelings, thoughts, challenges, while you will feel overwhelmed and helpless while reading, you will learn how each writer has been able to seek help and learn to manage their illnesses. This book is an anthology of essays written by different people who suffer from different types of mental illnesses. Each writer puts there personal life, thoughts and feelings out in the open for others to see all their secrets, struggles, but they also teach you how each person has manage to find peace, acceptance and be strong even with the challenges they face. I love that we are starting to be open about mental health and that our society is being more accepting and not keeping it locked in the closest. If we can talk about how different types of mental health affect others and learn about them, we can help others who might be going through the same thing. Thank you for sharing all your stories. They will help others who are in need of guidance and assistance.

Author Biography

Kelly Jensen is a former teen librarian who worked in several public libraries before pursuing a full-time career in writing and editing. Her current position is with Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America, where she focuses on talking about young adult literature in all of its manifestations. Before becoming a fully-fledged adult-like person, she worked in the swanky Texas Legislative Library entering data into a computer while surrounded by important politicians, scooped gelato for hungry college students, and spent hours reading, annotating, and scanning small-town Texas newspapers into a giant searchable database.

Kelly lives in the Chicago area with her husband, her daughter, her rabbit, and five needy-but-awesome cats. In her free time, she teaches yoga, writes for her personal blog STACKED (stackedbooks.org), drinks a lot of tea, and enjoys disappearing for days reading good books. Her writing has been featured on The Huffington Post, at Rookie Magazine, The Horn Book, BlogHer, and School Library Journal.

Please note: I don’t take review requests via Goodreads and I don’t respond to comments on reviews that are more than 6 months old.