Thriller

A Chilling Absence by Shelly Maynard

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Promotional 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.

A Chilling Absence by Shelly Maynard was a book that I didn’t want to put down once I started reading it.  I love when books are like that because it makes it so much easier for me to read and finish.  I can’t even imagine how hard things had to be from Lily.  I mean who do accept that you missed 11 years of your life.  I can’t even imagine waking up and finding out that you miss that many years.  I also love books that have strong female characters as the main character because it shows girls that you can do anything you put your mind too.  If you love mystery books like I do then I know you will love this book.  It is also really well written and I can’t wait to check out more books by this author in the future.

A Chilling Absence by Shelly Maynard

 

About The Book

Lily Grimes had it all. She was head cheerleader, the girlfriend of the All-American High School Quarterback, had been accepted to a prestige college near her hometown and the best family and friends a young woman could ask for. Just before Christmas 2004, Dr. Jethro “Jet” Manning, the doctor-in-training for the quaint little town, nearly runs over Lily, who is found unresponsive and icy cold in the middle of a backroad.

Fast forward to 2015 – Lily Grimes finally wakes up and has to face the reality of being in a coma for the past 11 years. Her life has changed but just as she feels like she is getting into the groove of things, Lily discovers secrets have been kept, lies have been told and everyone whom she considered a ‘friend,’ may not be out for her best interest.
Lily feels like something is missing – a piece of herself. Is it simply because she was in a coma for so long or is there a piece missing? As she sets out on a mission to find the answer, Lily discovers that she’s being stalked, and someone is trying to kill her.

Who can she trust and will she ever find the secret to those eleven missing years?

Shelly Maynard

About The Author

July 15, 1984. Shelly Oakley (now Maynard) was born and lived in tiny Ashmore, Illinois until 1998 when her parents relocated to Manchester, Tennessee. Starting a new high school and making new friends was hard enough but it was that point in her life where it came time to make life-changing decisions in regards to college, careers, etc. Shelly had spent so much time following in others’ footsteps that she never had a plan for her career. The only dream she’d ever had was to become an author, but that was laughed off by family and friends. By 2002, Shelly was in college and switched her major from nursing to teaching and finally business. One year in and she discovered that she was pregnant with her first son. He joined the world in 2004 and was followed by a brother in 2006. During the second pregnancy, Shelly fought demons of a bad marriage and started trying to rebuild her life. She met her (now) husband in the Fall of 2006, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. Her three guys are her entire heart, soul, mind and spirit! After searching for several years, Shelly decided that it was time to find a place to settle in her career. She started working for a local, family-owned steel fabrication company in 2014 and was surprised when she found more than a job – she gained an extended family and friends who provided a tremendous amount of support. Between the support of her husband, children, family, and friends, Shelly started writing again. In 2015, Shelly stumbled upon the opportunity to read Eternal Dawn by Kathi Haacke Morehead. The book reached down into her soul and opened her eyes to view the world as she never had before. The writing bug flourished, and Shelly knew it was time to pursue her dreams. Past demons haunted her, but she wanted to set an example for her children and follow her dream through to the end to prove that hard work, persistence, and dedication pays off! Living in Lynchburg, Tennessee, Shelly Maynard is your typical mom – she enjoys spending time with her family, friends and for nine of the twelve months per year, you’ll find her at a ball field watching her children. She enjoys front-porch-sitting’ with a glass of sweet tea and the occasional margarita. She loves her morning coffee, a good book and writing for her blog. It’s the simple, “little” things in life that make life grand!

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It Takes One by Kate Kessler

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley 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.

It Takes One by Kate Kessler was a book that sucked me in right from the start, but I am not sure why. I know part of it has to do with the fact that I am a huge fan of thriller type books, and this is one the best ones that I have read lately. I was a huge fan of Audrey right from the start of the book because she seemed like someone that I would get along with if she lived in the real world. This book kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the story, and once I started the book, it was one that I had to keep reading because I wanted to know happened and how it all worked out. I do have to say though that if you only read Christian fiction than this might not be the best fit for you. If you love thriller/suspense books like I do then, I know you will love this one as much as I did.

It Takes One by Kate Kessler

About The Book

They say there are no secrets in a small town…

Criminal psychologist Audrey Harte is returning home after seven years. She’ll have to face the whispers and the rumors that have haunted her family since she left. Because when Audrey was thirteen, she and her best friend Maggie killed Maggie’s abusive father.

Her first night back in town ends in a fight with a drunken Maggie, with her old crush Jake to witness it all. Audrey can’t believe it can get worse.

Then Maggie turns up dead.

Now, Audrey has to find out who the murderer is – before everyone decides that she is to blame. And before the murderer can set their sights on her.

It Takes One is the first in a brand new thriller series where a criminal psychologist uses her own dark past to help law enforcement catch dangerous killers.

Kate Kessler

About The Author

As a child Kate Kessler seemed to have a knack for finding trouble, and for it finding her. A former delinquent, Kate now prefers to write about trouble rather than cause it, and spends her day writing about why people do the things they do. She lives in New England with her husband. – See more at: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kate-kessler/it-takes-one/9780316302500/#sthash.jzNzfNLA.dpuf

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

The Mask by Taylor Stevens

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging For Books 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.

The Mask by Taylor Stevens wasn’t the best book I have read lately. I struggled with getting into this book. I had a hard time when it came to finishing the book because right from the start of this book I just couldn’t seem to get interested in what was going on. This book is the typical book that I usually love but like I said I struggled with this book. I just couldn’t get into the story, and I wasn’t a fan of any of the characters in this book. I want to check out other books by this author because I want to know if it just was this book that I didn’t like or if it is the author that I didn’t like. If you like mystery books than I would say to check this out and see if it is something that you would like, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

The Mask by Taylor Stevens

About The Book

Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done: dangerous and not quite legal things that have taken her undercover into some of the world’s deadliest places. Still healing from a Somali hijacking gone wrong and a brutal attack that left her near death, Munroe joins her lover, Miles Bradford, in Japan where he’s working as a security consultant protecting high-value technology from industrial espionage. In the domesticity of their routine she finds long sought-after peace—until Bradford is arrested for murder, and the same interests who targeted him come after her, too.
Searching for answers and fighting to stay alive, Munroe will soon discover how far she’ll go to save Bradford from spending the next twenty years in locked-up isolation; how many laws she’ll break when the truth seems worse than his lies; and who to trust and who she must kill. Because she’s a strategist and hunter with a predator’s instincts, and the man she loves has just stabbed her in the back.

Taylor Stevens

About The Author

TAYLOR STEVENS is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Vanessa Michael Munroe series. Published in over twenty languages and optioned for film by James Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, the books are international boots-on-the-ground thrillers featuring a mercenary information hunter in a non-testosterone mix of Jason Bourne and Jack Reacher.

Stevens came to writing fiction late. Born into an apocalyptic cult, separated from her family at age twelve and denied an education beyond sixth grade, she lived on three continents and in a dozen countries before she turned fourteen. In place of schooling, the majority of her adolescence was spent begging on city streets at the behest of cult leaders, or as a worker bee child caring for the many younger commune children, washing laundry, and cooking meals for hundreds at a time. In her twenties, Stevens broke free in order to follow hope and a vague idea of what possibilities lay beyond.

In addition to writing novels, Stevens shares extensively about the mechanics of storytelling, writing, overcoming adversity, and the details of her journey into publishing at http://www.taylorstevensbooks.com/con… – she welcomes you to join her.

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Margaret Margaret

When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse 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 Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks was a great book. This book is another thriller/suspense book, and I enjoyed reading it right from the start. There are two other books before this book, but you don’t need to read the other two to understand what is going on in this book. I know that I am going to go back and read the other two books because I enjoyed this author’s style of writing. I also really liked Gwen right from the start see seems like a spunky character, and I am always a sucker for those types of female characters. At times I did find this book predictable, but that is just because I have read so many of these kinds of books I can figure out what is going on pretty early in the book. Even with that being said I still enjoyed this book. It also doesn’t have any bad language or gross parts because it is written by a Christian author so you don’t have to worry about what you might read in this book. If you love Christian thrillers than I know, you will love this book as much as I did.

When Death Draws Near by Carrie Stuart Parks

About The Book

Gwen Marcey takes death in stride. Until she’s faced with her own mortality.

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky—a small town facing big-city crime. But before Gwen can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others.

Gwen suspects a connection between the rapist and the “accidental” deaths that are happening around town, but the local sheriff has little interest in her theories. When her digitally-obsessed teenage daughter joins her, Gwen turns her attention to a second assignment: going undercover in a serpent-handling church. She could get a handsome reward for uncovering illegal activity—a reward she desperately needs, as it seems her breast cancer has returned. But snakes aren’t the only ones ready to kill. Can Gwen uncover the truth—and convince anyone to believe her—before she becomes a victim herself?

In a thrilling race against time, When Death Draws Near plunges us into cold-case murders, shady politics, and a den of venomous suspects.

Carrie Stuart Parks

About The Author

Carrie Stuart Parks is an award-winning fine artist and internationally known forensic artist. Along with her husband, Rick, she travels across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law enforcement as well as civilian participants. She has won numerous awards for career excellence. Carrie is a popular platform speaker, presenting a variety of topics from crime to creativity.

Animals have always been a large part of her life. Her parents, Ned and Evelyn Stuart, started Skeel Kennel Great Pyrenees in 1960. Carrie inherited the kennel and continues with her beloved dogs as both an AKC judge and former president of the Great Pyrenees Club of America. She lives on the same ranch she grew up on in Northern Idaho.

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Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley 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.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton was an excellent book. I was hooked right from the start with this book, but I figured that I would like it because of the description of the book. These types of books are my favorites, and this one didn’t let me down in the least.   I have always been a fan of suspense/thriller books, and this one kept me on the edge of my seat throughout most of the book.   This is the first book I have read by this author, and I can’t wait to read other books by her in the future. There were parts of this book that were hard to read because of what was going on, but it wasn’t anything that made me not want to finish the book. I was able to get through this book fast because it was an easy read. If you love suspense novels than I know, you will love this book as much as I did.

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton

About The Book

For fans of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train, Baby Doll is the most tense thriller you will read this year.
Held captive for eight years, Lily has grown from a teenager to an adult in a small basement prison. Her daughter Sky has been a captive her whole life. But one day their captor leaves the deadbolt unlocked.

This is what happens next…

…to her twin sister, to her mother, to her daughter…and to her captor.

Hollie Overton

About The Author

Born in Chicago, I was adopted at six days old, along with my identical twin sister, Heather, and carried home in matching red Christmas stockings. After our parents divorce, we moved back to my mother’s hometown of Kingsville, Texas. Painfully shy, Heather and I were encouraged to audition for the local production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The minute I stepped on stage, I was hooked! My mom, also a film and TV junkie nurtured my talents, ensuring that I would never pursue a “normal” profession.

My love affair with storytelling led me to NYC where I studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, writing at Hunter College and Burlington College and mixology in Murray Hill.  After heading to Hollywood with dreams of becoming a star, my celluloid claim to fame was one episode of TNT”s “Leverage,” opposite DB Sweeny.  Thankfully I realized my talents were better suited behind the scenes and began my screenwriting pursuits.

I landed my big break in 2008 when I was accepted into the coveted Warner Brothers Writers Workshop, a bootcamp style program for aspiring TV writers.  After completing the workshop, I was staffed on the CBS drama “Cold Case,” and went on to write for two seasons of Lifetime’s The Client List.”  I’m currently a writer on the new ABC Family dramaShadowhunters, based on Cassie Clare’s international bestseller “The Mortal Instruments.”

I always dreamt of publishing a novel but let’s be honest, writing a book is daunting. I mean it’s really really daunting. Luckily, in the spring of 2012, I finally sat my butt down and just kept writing. My debut thriller “Baby Doll” will be published on July 12, 2016 by Red Hook, an imprint of Hatchette in the USA. Baby Doll will also be published by Peguin Random House in the UK and translated into eleven other languages.

I live in West Hollywood with the love of my life, my rescue dog Stevie and my husband David (he’s comfortable where he stands). When I’m not writing, I can be found exploring LA (and beyond) with my twin sister/ best friend, Heather. Sometimes we even let Stevie and David join us.

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Precious in His Sight by Karen Pashley

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FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author 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.

Precious in His Sight by Karen Pashley was a good book. I did spend most of the book hating Clay and even now that I am done with the book, I still don’t like him at all. I had a hard time reading this book because of how I felt about Clay. I love when and the author can make you hate a character so much from the first few pages. So even though I didn’t like him, I did enjoy this book. I loved reading along and seeing how Sugar changed and grew throughout the book. I did love this book in the end, and I like I said before I love when authors make their characters so life like that you hate them. I did enjoy just about everything in this book. It was slow at times, but I didn’t mind those parts as much as I usually do. I liked this book, and I would love to read more by this author in the future.

Precious In His Sight by Karen Pashley

About The Book

What if your husband was cheating? What would you do?

Feisty, tenacious, and adorably flawed, Sugar Brennan is fiercely committed to her family, her traditional Christian values, and her spotless reputation in her affluent Southern community. When she discovers her husband Clay’s been unfaithful, Sugar is determined to right the wrongs in her life.
But when Clay’s former mistress returns to Westfield with devastating news, it poses a heart-wrenching dilemma that challenges Sugar to rethink all she’s believed about faith, family, and the healing power of forgiveness.

She’s been raised in a preacher’s home, taught to love her enemies.

She’s got the fish sticker on her car and a collection of good works under her belt.

But . . . reach out to the woman who nearly destroyed her marriage? Surely God wouldn’t ask her to go that far.

Karen Pashley

About The Author

I’m proud to call Nashville home. Though I grew up in New York, and lived in Florida for more than two decades, I’ve been grafted into Nashville’s eclectic southern culture. I love the people, the easy going vibe, and the lingo. I’m a southern transplant, y’all!

I’m also:

A Christian. In awe of the transforming power of the Word of God. A daily recipient of God’s abundant grace. A redeemed sinner who still messes up regularly. I have a heart for women and the pressures we are faced with in today’s complicated world.

A wife. Thirty years. I didn’t have much training on how to be a wife. Wasn’t prepared for the many ups and downs we would face as we learned by trial and error what marriage was all about. Trials and errors. There have been plenty of them. But there’s also joy, and friendship, and matchless intimacy. I’m committed to one man—my husband Jay.

A proud mom of four incredible young women. Over the past twenty-nine years, they have been my reason for waking in the morning, my motivation to be the best person I can be, and the reflection of a Father in Heaven who loves me inconceivably more than I love them.

An author. An encourager. A storyteller. I wrote my first novel PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT to inspire others to grasp the very personal truth of God’s amazing love for each one of us. It’s a story of hardship and heartache, and the power of forgiveness to set us free. You can read more about it and my upcoming projects in the Books menu under the Fiction tab.

A foodie. I am the founder of Girls Dine In. Part cooking class, part supper club, my monthly events bring women together for an evening of great food, fellowship and loads of fun. No kids. No hubbies. Just the girls. Check out the Food tab under the Blog menu for recipes, entertaining ideas, kitchen tips, and more.

A creator. A visionary. A bigger picture kind-of thinker. I love coming up with ideas and setting them in motion. Seems like I’ve always got a new project to tackle!

I enjoy entertaining, going for morning hikes in the woods, hanging out with my daughters, cuddling my sweet grand baby, painting old furniture, trying to grow things in my yard, planning events, wandering through museums, and lounging at the beach.

I do not enjoy mani/pedis or massages (I know, I’m weird). I’m not fond of carnivals, heights, doing paperwork of any kind, watching my plants whither and die despite my best efforts, and I’m probably the only person in America who did not like the Broadway musical Wicked. So there you have it.

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