FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
To Kill or Be Killed by Joni Ankerson was a very interesting book. It broke my heart as I was reading this book. I felt terrible for her because of everything she went through, and I understood her choices. I can’t help but feel proud of her because she survived. After all, I don’t know if I would do the same thing if I was in her shoes. This book isn’t for people who are triggered by domestic violence because of the details she includes. Even though I am not easily triggered or upset by those types of things, I did have to put the book down for a while and come back to it on more than one occasion. It was a shorter book, so I got through it in a day because even though parts of the story disturbed me, I didn’t want to stop reading until I finished the book.
About The Book
Title: TO KILL OR BE KILLED: A TRUE CRIME MEMOIR FROM PRISON Author: Joni Ankerson Publisher: WildBlue Press Pages: 212 Genre: True Crime
Obviously, I knew better than to take a life — but that was before. Before him.
The day we met in October of 1997, I was working at the District Court in Traverse City, Michigan as a Deputy Clerk. It was like most other days with arraignments, sentencings, civil case hearings and the like. People shuffling in and out, everyone taking care of their important business with court appearances, document filings, paying tickets, fines and bonding loved ones out of jail.
I loved my job. It was extremely satisfying and interesting with constant interaction with all walks of life, including people on either end of the judicial spectrum and many in between. Suddenly, there he was. Tall, handsome, and looking so impressive and important in his Michigan State Police uniform with his hat, gun belt and badge. A powerful man who had chosen a profession to serve and protect. He was extremely friendly and upbeat, smiling profusely. Best of all, he, too, was unattached.
What could go wrong? He was like a dream man. We clicked, immediately, and began dating exclusively. But he was not a dream man. He was a nightmare … as I learned over the next twelve years.
Twelve years of enduring domestic violence at its absolute worse. Constant abuse, control, manipulation, and threats. Sadistic sexual deviance and sexual violence. It was only going to end one way: someone would die in our bed and someone would go to prison for murder.
This is my story about domestic violence, resilience, reckoning and survival.
About The Author
Joni Ankerson lives in her hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. After being released from prison in April of 2017, he returned home to the house she grew up in and is moving forward with her new, independent life. She is a strong advocate for victims of domestic violence and has many family members, friends, and community members that support her and stand behind her. She hopes that by sharing her story, other victims will gain the strength to come forward and speak their truth. #endthesilenceofabuse
FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
When We Were Brave by Karla M. Jay was another great book that takes place during WWII. Every time I start a new book that takes place during WWII, I get worried that I won’t like it, but I loved this book. I enjoyed that this book showed three different views of what was going on during that time. This is the first book I have read by this author, and I know I will read more books by her in the future because I fell in love with this book and her writing. I also really enjoyed the narrator’s voice as I was listening to this book. When I would close my eyes and just listen to the story, his voice made me feel like I was there with the characters. I found parts of this book heartbreaking, and I would have to stop listening to the book and come back in a while. This is one of those books that I think most people should listen to because you can learn so much. If you love WWII or if you want to learn more about it, I would pick up a copy of this book and check it out.
About The Book
Author: Karla M. Jay
Narrator: Gary Bennett
Length: 14 hours 34 minutes
Publisher: Cedar House Audio Productions⎮2020
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release date: Aug. 24, 2020
Synopsis: In WHEN WE WERE BRAVE, we find a conflicted SS officer, Wilhelm Falk, who risks everything to escape the Wehrmacht and get out the message about the death camps. Izaak is a young Jewish boy whose positive outlook is challenged daily as each new perilous situation comes along. American citizens, Herbert Müller, and his family, are sent back to the hellish landscape of Germany because of the DNA coursing through their veins. In the panorama of World War II, these are the high-stakes plots and endearing characters whose braided fates we pray will work out in the end.
About The Author
Karla M. Jay wanted to write books since she was seven. Working as a speech pathologist since 1982, she writes in her spare time and has won many awards over the years. When she is not home in Utah gardening or writing, she is traveling, trying to see as many countries as possible–in particular, those with good coffee, ancient history, and great beaches.
Gary Bennett is a SAG-AFTRA audiobook narrator with a passion for truly giving the listener a front-row seat to the story. He’s narrated over 60 audiobooks (so far!) for publishers including Harper Audio, Hachette Audio, Tantor, Dreamscape, and others, as well as for multiple independent authors. Born and raised in California and then in Bozeman, Montana, Gary now calls the greater Seattle area his home. He’s an avid outdoor enthusiast and relishes taking advantage of living in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. When he’s not in the booth, you might find Gary flying over the Puget Sound (he’s a Private Pilot) or finding inspiration as an aspiring musician.
Whether they accidentally rose to fame or staked the claim, these modern-day princes are social media royalty. We are super excited to let you know that six of the books in this collection release today! Follow the Internet famous celebs as they deal with fame, power, and the consequences of falling in love. Each story is a STANDALONE fairytale retelling with an HEA and swoon-worthy alphas. There’s a little something for every book craving. All books available in Kindle Unlimited.
The Collection includes:
Sonya Jesus’ new romantic suspense, Shook. This twisted Cinderella retelling brings to life a killer obsessed by a True Crime Blogger and her internet famous crush.
MK Moore’s contemporary romance, Trolled, is a new and improved version of Snow White. Fans of steamy fairytale retellings are going to love this modern take about a celebrity gamer and his crush.
Mel Walker’s Stagefight is the sweetest combination of dance fiction and celebrity romance. This retelling of the Princess and the Pea will liven up any stage and is perfect for fans of The F List and Take the Lead.
Deirdra has spent the last decade captivating audiences of all ages with her novels and fairy tales. Her specialty is paranormal theology that delves into documented historical phenomenon and natural disasters of biblical proportions.
Chances are you’ve tried and failed with spreadsheets, agendas, day planners, and other mathematical and finite ways of measuring time. Applying the strict regimes of industrial systems to a creative mind can kill creativity, damper the enjoyment of your work, and knock you off balance.
In this workbook you will learn to balance, organize, and prioritize all you need to get done by living your life in creative cycles and seasons while maximizing your high and low energy times the way you were meant to.
Your creativity is a powerful force that can be harnessed, focused, controlled, commanded, and become a powerful ability as you masterfully channel your desire to create into the powerful motivating force it is meant to be.
FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.
Life for Life by JK Franko was a great end to a series that I enjoyed. I was sad, though, that it came to a lot because I have spent so many hours with the characters in this book. This is one book that kept me guessing as to what was going to happen. All three books kept me guessing, and I can’t wait to read the 4th book in this series. This author is one of the best that I have read in quite a while. I love that every time I think I have, it figured out what is happening, the author manages to take the book in a different direction, and I go back to guessing how it will end. There are so many twists and turns in this book that the only thing you can count on it that everything is going to change. I would recommend this series to anyone who loves a good thriller/suspense book. I know you will love it just as much as I do.
About The Book
Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Legal Published by: Talion Publishing Publication Date: July 31st, 2020 Number of Pages: 396 ISBN:978-1-9993188-2-6 Series: Talion Series, #3
What would YOU do if someone threatened your family?
Roy Cruise and his pregnant wife Susie barely survived an assassination attempt in their own home. The police now have them under surveillance. Meanwhile, Kristy Wise is a loose cannon—she knows too much and is trying to “set things right.”
What goes around comes around. And in this case, Roy and Susie may have pushed things too far. There are too many dead bodies. Too many foes plotting against them.
Roy and Susie must outwit the police and neutralize their enemies once and for all. If not, their days of retribution may end behind bars… or six feet under.
Life for Life is Book Three of the Talion crime thriller series which begins with the Eye for Eye Trilogy.
About The Author
J.K. FRANKO was born and raised in Texas. His Cuban-American parents agreed there were only three acceptable options for a male child: doctor, lawyer, and architect. After a disastrous first year of college pre-Med, he ended up getting a BA in philosophy (not acceptable), then he went to law school (salvaging the family name) and spent many years climbing the big law firm ladder. After ten years, he decided that law and family life weren’t compatible. He went back to school where he got an MBA and pursued a Ph.D. He left law for corporate America, with long stints in Europe and Asia.
His passion was always to be a writer. After publishing a number of non-fiction works, thousands of hours writing, and seven or eight abandoned fictional works over the course of eighteen years, EYE FOR EYE became his first published novel.
J.K. Franko now lives with his wife and children in Florida.
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for JK Franko. There will be Six (6) winners for this tour. Two (2) winners will each receive a $10. Amazon GC. Two (2) winners will each receive LIFE FOR LIFE by JK Franko (Print ~ US and Canada Only) and Two (2) winners will each receive LIFE FOR LIFE by JK Franko (eBook). The giveaway begins on August 1, 2020 and runs through October 2, 2020. Void where prohibited. a Rafflecopter giveaway
For Jessica love was terrifying she had plans to never tie herself to anyone ever again. But Ben learned his lesson the first time, not dreaming about forever will always be his regret. Can these two lovers find their way back to forever, together? Readers will fall in love with this second chance romance from S.L. Sterling. The 425 Madison series is back with season three and SUNSETS & SOMEDAYS is live!
Ben
I know why I lost her. I was too serious. I was too practical. I was grounded when I should’ve been dreaming about forever with Jess.
Over time, this wore on her, all her big exciting ideas and all the ways I shut them down. No wonder she handed me my ring back and left town. No wonder she hadn’t been back in ten years. No wonder she’d married someone else, leaving me with memories of sunsets at the beach and the somedays we planned for the future we’d never live.
So, I built a lift without her. My father and I opened the second division of Sunset Builders in New York, and to my surprise, I stayed busy, almost busy enough not to notice the loneliness.
While I was on a job site, my little sister booked an appointment with a woman who lived on Madison Avenue. A quick bathroom and kitchen remodel, she’d said. I should have asked more questions because when I arrived and the door opened memories came flooding back.
Jessica had returned. If I’d learned anything in her absence it was that anything worth doing was worth being done well, and anything worth having was worth fighting for. Maybe by the time the condo was done, Jessica would give me a second chance.
Jessica
All those years ago, Ben had been right to try to keep me grounded. I should’ve listened. The falls didn’t hurt as bad that way.
Instead, I wanted a bigger life in a bigger place and I never appreciated the beauty of living in a small town with a huge support system. So, I left town without so much as a goodbye chasing a
silly dream. I alienated myself, moved to a strange city where I knew no one, and chased after something that took me down a dark path.
I married the man who promised me the sun, moon, and stars, but delivered blinding blows. Sometimes, I thought I’d die before I escaped the nightmare. I knew my only way out would be to run…again. This took more years than I could count. Years of me squirreling away money, and years of me hiding in the dark so that no one would see my bruised face in the light of day.
Then my grandfather died. He left me money and a gorgeous condo in New York. While my husband was away on a month-long trip, my best friend drove me to New York. My plan: to upgrade the condo, sell it, and leave my current life behind.
Little did I know when I had called contractors to get some quotes that Ben would show up on my doorstep. He swore we could make more dreams real, but this time I was the grounded one. This time, I could only see how it would never work. I’d made too many mistakes. Love was terrifying. And I never wanted to tie myself to anyone ever again.
After all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall in love!
I slowly opened the envelope and pulled out a thick stack of papers. On top sat some beautiful images of Jessica, which I flipped through slowly, taking them in. “These are amazing pictures of you. It was nice of them to send them to you. I love this one,” I said, holding up what I thought was one of the best shots of her.
“Yeah, they are great, but that isn’t all they sent me,” she said, the excitement building in her voice. She reached over and pulled the images off the thick pile of paperwork, producing what looked to be a contract. “Two weeks ago, they called and presented me with an enormous opportunity, and here it is! All in black and white.” She squealed. “I waited to tell you until I got the paperwork.”
I began reading the letter that sat on top. Words like contract, New York, California, moving. They were the ones that jumped out at me, and I felt my chest getting tight at the thought of her going away. I swallowed hard. “What does all this mean, Jessica?”
“It means they are offering me a modeling contract in the big city, Ben. It’s my dream come true. I’ll get to model and see the sights, and I am so excited that I wanted to share this with you in our special place.”
“What did your parents say?” I asked as I sat there trying to focus and re-read the letter, but it did little good, so I started flipping through the bundle of paperwork.
“They were angry. Furious, actually,” she said, picking at one of her nails.
“Are… Are you going to go?” I asked. I could feel tightness in my chest that hadn’t been there before, but now that I’d asked her the question, it didn’t seem to want to let up.
“Well, I thought that perhaps you would want to go with me. I’m sure my parents would feel better about it if you were with me. Plus, there is so much opportunity out there, and it would only be for a little while. I mean, the contract is only for a year. I want you to go with me.”
My stomach hurt at the thought of her leaving me, and it was getting harder and harder for me to breathe. It reminded me of the time that I had gotten tackled in one of my high school football games. The guy had come charging at me and knocked me flat on my ass. I hadn’t even seen him coming. When we collided, I went flying, and when I landed, he had knocked the air right out of me. This was no different. She had tackled me, just differently.
S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada and is married to her best friend and soul mate and their two dogs.
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamt of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel “It Was Always You” was born.
When S.L. Sterling isn’t writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket, and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors.
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading.
Welcome to 425 Madison Ave the perfect place to fall in love. Rounding out the summer with some hot city nights and coasting into fall with more cool characters at this famous high-rise, 425 Madison is returning for a third season!
With some familiar faces and some brand new residents – you’ll be sure to find an author you love and a trope to ignite your taste buds after all 425 Madison IS the perfect place to fall in love!
We’ve got an amazing line of up must-read romance authors including, Lauren Helms, Allie York
J Marie, Kay Gordon, Marcie Shumway, Aubree Valentine, S.L. Sterling, and Fiona Tulle
Prepare for pages packed with new romances, characters, and tropes all from the same well-loved high-rise apartment building in NYC.
Season One and Two feature stories from some of your favorite romance authors: Leigh Lennon, MK Moore, Allie York, Aubree Valentine, Kay Gordon, Lauren Helms, Sylvia Kane, Katy Ames, KC Enders, Marci Shumway, and C. Lesbirel. All these authors came together, each with a standalone romance for you to enjoy. Covering all of your favorite tropes each tale offers you something new, something different.
Make sure to follow the 425 Madison Avenue Facebook page for more on release dates, cover reveals, and author spotlights. For exclusive excerpts, giveaways, and news subscribe to our 425 Madison newsletter!
