Off Shore Secrets by Maya Berger

 

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.

Off Shore Secrets by Maya Berger was a very typical chick lit book that I enjoyed because there wasn’t a whole lot of thought that goes in reading these types of books.  I love to read these books when I am in need of a book that isn’t super intense. I read a ton of thrill type books and because of that, I find that need breaks between those books so books like this one I love to read when I am wanting something lite and not super dark.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of this author writing because it did seem like there was a ton of dialogue and she didn’t spend hardly anytime describing what the setting was like and where they actually were.  At times I also wondered if this book was written in another language and was translated to English because parts of it didn’t flow well as other parts did.  If you are looking for a great book to read this summer I would give this one a shot.

About The Book

Title: OFF SHORE SECRETS
Author: Maya Berger
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 252
Genre: Chick Lit

Single again, Maya and her bestie, Una, make plans to sail around the beautiful Adriatic Coast on board a luxury yacht. Fun in the sun with friends is just what these two need this summer.

Maya shouldn’t be attracted to Adrian—the cocky, handsome Spaniard on board—especially when after a passionate night, he calls out another girl’s name in his sleep.

Una, who is supposed to be in a long distance relationship, hooks up with a stranger and sneaks him on board. The next day, the stranger is gone and so is some very expensive jewelry. When Una goes missing too, Maya wants to help her, but what is Una’s involvement?

And who is the mysterious girl Adrian mumbles about in his sleep? Perhaps it is something to do with Una’s secretive and reckless behavior. Maya has a lot of questions, but no one seems ready to give her the answers.

 

About The Author

Maya Berger is the author of a memoir focusing on women’s personal growth called Luna Tree and its sequel In the Pursuit of Change. She took a break from writing about life and personal growth to write adventure stories about two young women just out of university trying to make important decisions in their life like who to date, who to socialise with, how to travel with no money and how to act in potentially dangerous situations. The most important lessons they learn are how to depend on each other and rely on themselves.

Maya is a 44-year-old living in Zagreb, Croatia with her husband and their three-year- old daughter. She is a marketing graduate, pilates instructor, she promotes Croatia as a tourist destination and she loves to read and write.

Website: http://www.mayabergerauthor.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/maya___berger

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

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Encounters by Patrick Stull

 

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.

Encounters by Patrick Stull was such an amazing book full of amazing pictures.  When I flip through books like this I am always left wishing that I had the talent to take the kind of pictures that people like this author can take.  I do want to let everyone that this book does have nude pictures in it so if that is something that will bother you I wouldn’t pick this book up.  There are also tons of pictures that made me rotate the book because I wasn’t sure what was going on with them and there are still some that almost creeped me out because of how abstract they look.  If you are looking for something new and interesting to rest on your coffee table I would pick this one up because I feel like I could look at this book forever and not see all of it or able to figure it all out.

About The Book

Title: ENCOUNTERS
Author: Patrick Stull
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 250
Genre: Fine Art Photography Book

With photography at its base, Stull offers a nuanced explication of his encounters to allow the viewer an opportunity to form a relationship with his art. While looking within ourselves, exploring our own feelings, he hopes that he will inspire greater humaneness in response to his art.

ENCOUNTERS is the second in a series of six large-format books in which artist, photographer and author, Patrick Stull explores a wide range of experiences. Using light and the physical body, the written word and his artistry he creates imagery that examines aspects of the lives of women.

Compiled over the last 18 years, the images in ENCOUNTERS, Stull says, are meant to “inspire and challenge the observer while always empowering the subject.”

Stull brings a powerful sense of the surreal and the spiritual to his work as he plots a course along the many paths of the human experience. His imagery runs from the ghostly and ephemeral to the flowing and fiery.

As much as he concentrates on the human form, Stull never forgets to focus on the humanity of his subjects. His choice of the coffee-table style book format draws the viewer into an experience both intimate and universal.

Stull’s first book in his series, titled EVOLVE, was published in 2006. A third book, titled HIDDEN DIMENSIONS, is completed and awaiting publication. Future titles in the series include DHARMA, BEING DIFFERENT, and YOGA, A HEALING MOMENT.

Stull hopes that his readers come away from the book with “a love for art and a respect for the female who gives us life and challenges us to be better human beings.

About The Author

American artist Patrick Stull has spent the last eighteen years mostly creating imagery about the lives of women. He searches for what lies beneath the surface of his subjects, empowering each one he encounters. He has recently ventured into the realm of surrealism, creating powerful imagery that reflects on our humanity while dealing with the meaning and power of art.

Stull say’s, “My work has allowed me to venture past the camera into the realm of a humanist, an artistic life, delving into the intellectual, a more cerebral life experience, creating what I call ‘connectivism.'”

His ongoing work is based in large-scale digital photography accompanied by sculpture/body casts, composition art, painting, poetry/prose and drawings.  His art is then integrated, collectively, into exhibitions to provide the viewer a once in a lifetime experience. The presentation of the work is delivered to the viewer in a unique and emotionally powerful way.

Stull, 71, a self-taught artist, works in many artistic disciplines. Educated at San Diego State University with degrees in psychology, economics and philosophy during the 1960’s, amidst the backdrop of the counter-culture revolution and the Viet Nam War, where his social consciousness and political views were shaped. Stull emerged from a Catholic Irish/German family, one of five children where work, discipline and religion took precedence over emotional expressions of the self – a different kind of loving environment. Being a husband of thirty-plus years and father to two has taught him the power of kindness, love and commitment.

His latest book is the fine art photography book, Encounters.

Visit his website at http://www.patrickstull.com.

ORDER YOUR COPY HERE

GIVEAWAY!

Patrick Stull is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $50 Amazon Gift Card.
  • This giveaway ends midnight August 30.
  • Winner will be contacted via email on September 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

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Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

The Three Crowns Series by Sonya Ray

 

 

I grew up in Southeast Missouri; home
of the Throwed Rolls, high cotton, and the St. Louis Cardinals. I have a little
family consisting of son, daughter, son-in-law and a little Pi. Other than my
children (and grandchild), my passion is writing. My current project is The
Three Crowns Series. Sweet Tea is the first book in this seven-novel series
which published October 15, 2013.Besides reading and writing, I enjoy singing. I love music period. Music is in
our family. Whether it be the bluegrass from the Ozarks that my Grandpa Sutton
use to play on his banjo or fiddle, or the smooth, family harmony in which I am
fortunate enough to sing with my Dad and Brother. But you can give me some
kickin’ AC/DC too! I like it all!I work full-time as an Administrative Assistant. Every free moment is dedicated
to my family and my current project, The Three Crowns, a seven-novel paranormal
romance series.

 

It all starts with a Queen and a Plan.

 

The Three Crowns is a New
Adult/Paranormal Romance series. There are seven books to complete the series,
with a novella. This series has your modern day vampires dealing with the Old
World Laws creating a struggle for ultimate power in the Night World.THE THREE CROWNS SERIES SYNOPSISThe Three Crowns series is about a normal girl whose life is more than what she
will allow herself to imagine. It is the journey of her accepting that
everything is not black and white, and our logic of what we understand does not
mean something does exist. Throughout the story she is protected, loved,
groomed and pushed to her limits to prepare her for what lies ahead of her. She
is tested in all areas of her humanity which will someday bring her to know the
person she is destined to be. The human nature of love is a tangled web of
emotions for she feels the love of two men who are continually being taken away
from her for the sake of their positions in the future as well.

 

Top Ten List:
1) I’m a MiMi!
2) I’m a cancer survivor
3) I LOVE all kinds of music
4) I sing with my brother and dad
every Sunday
5) I’m writing a story in my head all
the time
6) My celebrity crush would be Dwayne
Johnson
7) I think maybe Arya Stark and
Gendry will take the Iron Throne  
8) My favorite classic book – Pride
and Prejudice
9) I love the beach
10) I’m a flip flop/barefoot kinda
girl
 
 

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

 

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Sons of the Sphinx by Cheryl Carpinello

 

I’m a retired high school English teacher. A devourer of books
growing up, my profession introduced me to writings and authors from times long
past. 
 
Through my studies and teaching, I fell in love with the Ancient and
Medieval Worlds. 
 
Now, I hope to inspire young readers and those Young-at-Heart
to read more through my Tales and Legends for Reluctant Readers set in these
worlds.
 If they fail…

 

She could die over 3300 years from home!


 


Tackle the elements & evil of Ancient Egypt…
A history-changing battle & Time Travel Thriller…Fifteen-year-old Rosa doesn’t see dead people…
She hears them & talks to them.

When she agrees to help King Tut’s ghost find his lost queen & clear his
family’s name, she doesn’t count on falling for him.

She & Tut must also outwit an evil pharaoh determined to stop them…
Even if it means one of them must die.

Get it today and see who triumphs.

2015 IAN Book of the Year Finalist YA
2015 CAL Book Award Finalist YA Fiction
2014 Literary Classics Seal of Approval

2015 Readers’ Favorite Finalist YA
2014 Literary Classics Silver Medal for PreTeen/Tween
Q&A With the Author:
1.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
When not writing, I spend time with my family, enjoy the Colorado
outdoors, catch up on my reading, go to concerts, and travel.
2.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have tried several different methods for putting my thoughts
down, but after 10+ years of writing have settled on just doing that—writing. I
don’t outline. I write one draft and
recycle back through the last writing session to edit and add material. When
I’m finished with the story, I send it do my editor and move onto the next. I
love not being bogged down in multiple drafts.
3.
What suggestions do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become
better authors?
My suggestions won’t work for everyone but I encourage all levels
of authors to try it. Write the stories you like to read. Entertain your
readers. Don’t think you have to know how your story is going to end. Have you
ever finished a book where you already knew the ending? Trust your creativity
to write the story. And as a writing instructor told me, “When you are
stuck just write the next sentence and the next and the next.”
4.
Where do you get information and ideas for your books?
My stories have all come from my love of the ancient and medieval
worlds and my imagination. I write the stories I would like to have lived.
5.
What do you think makes a good story?
One that entertains, has engaging characters, a magical/mystical
setting, and moves at a fast pace.
6.
Tell us about your favorite summer vacation. Or what you like to do in the
summer.

 

In summer, we go down to southern Mexico for 8-12 days and just
play in the sun and ocean. We read a lot, and I do some writing. We love to
travel and usually plan a trip overseas very 3-4 years. When we go, we spend
3-4 weeks in the country traveling around on our own.
 

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

 

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret

Swann’s Down by Charles Salzberg

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime 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.

Swann’s Down by Charles Salzberg was a book that I wasn’t sure I was going to like but I really did enjoy this book.  I fell in love with Henry right from the start of this book and I also really liked Goldblatt so much so that I want to read the other books by this author in the future.  This is the fifth book in the series.  This was the first book that I have read, and I wasn’t lost or confused at all while I was reading this, so you don’t have to read all the books in order if you don’t want to.  Although if you are going to want to read the whole series, I would start with the first book so that nothing will get spoiled.  I wasn’t the biggest fan of Rachel, but it did feel bad that she had so much money taken from her.  I have a hard time liking people who make stupid choices and she made a ton of those choices.  I love when authors do a great job of making the characters come to life for me and this author did that for me.  If you love mystery books that don’t have a ton of suspense in them than I am sure you will enjoy this book like I did. 


About The Book

Genre: Detective/Noir/Mystery

Published by: Down & Out Books

Publication Date: May 14, 2019

Number of Pages: 300

ISBN: 978-1-64396011-1

Series:Henry Swann

When Henry Swann is asked by his quirky partner, Goldblatt, to find a missing psychic who’s swindled his ex-wife out of a small fortune, he just can’t say no. Although he doesn’t actually expect to get paid, he figures it might give him a chance to finally learn more about his partner’s mysterious past. His search takes him into the controversial, arcane world of psychics, fortune tellers, and charlatans while raising questions in his own mind about whether or not there is an after-life.

While working his partner’s case, he’s approached by a former employer, attorney Paul Rudder, to track down a missing witness who might be able to provide an alibi for his client, Nicky Diamond, a notorious mob hitman who’s scheduled to go on trial for murder he claims he didn’t commit in a week. Swann’s search for the missing witness, who happens to be the defendant’s girlfriend, takes him from Brooklyn to a small beach town across the Bay from Mobile, Ala. But what does she really know and will she even come back with him to testify for her boyfriend?

About The Author

Charles Salzberg is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in New York magazine, Esquire, GQ, Redbook, The New York Times Book Review and other periodicals. He has written over 20 non-fiction books, including From Set Shot to Slam Dunk, an oral history of the NBA, and Soupy Sez: My Zany Life and Times. He is author of the Shamus Award nominated Swann’s Last Song, Swann Dives In, Swann’s Lake of Despair, nominated for two Silver Falchions, Swann’s Way Out, Devil in the Hole, named one of the best crime novels of the year by Suspense Magazine. He was a Visiting Professor of Magazine at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and he teaches writing the New York Writers Workshop where he is a Founding Member. He is a member of the MWA-NY Board.

Catch Up With Charles Salzberg On: Charlessalzberg.com, Goodreads, Twitter, & Facebook!

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Purchase Links: Amazon | BN.com | Goodreads

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Enter To Win

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Charles Salzberg. There will be 6 giveaway winners. There will be 1 Grand Prize winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. There will be 5 2nd Prize winners of one (1) Print Edition of Swann’s Down (U.S. Mailing Addresses only). The giveaway begins on May 1, 2019 and runs through July 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.

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Praise for Swann’s Down:

“Psychics, double-crosses, missing persons–Charles Salzberg’s latest Henry Swann book has it all. Swann’s Down is a gritty, no-frills PI novel that brings to mind greats like Reed Farrel Coleman’s Moe Prager and Michael Harvey’s Michael Kelly. Whether this is your first Swann adventure or the latest, you won’t want to miss the brass-knuckle punch that is Swann’s Down. Trust me.” ~ Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Dangerous Ends

“From Manhattan to Coney Island to the steamy shores of Alabama, Charles Salzberg delivers a top-flight mystery with his latest Henry Swann outing. Highly recommended.” ~ Tom Straw, New York Times bestselling author as Richard Castle

Swann’s Down gives readers two intriguing mysteries for the price of one, as skip tracer Henry Swann pursues a woman who might alibi a murderer and a psychic who swindled the ex-wife of Swann’s partner. Shamus Award-nominated Salzberg does a superb job cutting between the two investigations. I kept turning pages to stay with both chases as the suspense increased to the very end. Whatever is going on, Swann is at the center of this story. His wry wit, quotes from authors and philosophers, genius for questioning suspects, and dark past make him a character readers will follow anywhere as he seeks his quarry. This is another thrilling addition to this excellent series. ~ Rich Zahradnik, Lights Out Summer, winner of the 2018 Shamus Award for Best Paperback Private Eye Novel

Henry Swann dives in where others fear to tread in Swann’s Down: Fast. Funny. And Smart. This time out, Swann crosses paths with a psycho hitman, a phony psychic and Swann’s mysterious partner, a disbarred lawyer. Who could ask for more? I hope we’ll see a lot more of Swann in the future and that this isn’t Swann’s swan song. ~ Paul D. Marks, Shamus Award-winning Author of White Heat and Broken Windows.

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Offender by Michael Brooks

 

Since a young age Michael Brooks has been told he was best at making
things up. If it wasn’t concocting a lie to get out of trouble, it was creating
wild tales about aliens abducting cows from the barn, or stories of ghosts
haunting the woods that surrounded their farmhouse in Missouri. Now he’s all
grown up, earned a degree in creative writing, and has turned his passion for
“making things up” into a profession.. 
He lives in Utah with his beautiful wife, their five amazing kiddos,
four crazy chicken, too many fish to count, an impressive wand collection, and
one or two invisible dragons. He also writes and illustrates stories for
younger readers under the name Mikey Brooks. You can find more about him and
his other books at http://www.mikeybrooks.com.

 

Keep in touch by
signing up for Michael’s newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/JOpBv

~ Blog ~ Website ~
~ Amazon ~ Twitter ~
MURDER MADE HIM A PRISONER. TRUTH CAN SET HIM FREE.
In a distant  future, all
criminals of violent crimes are sentenced to life in the  Arena where they must battle against both man
and beast in a fight to  the death.
 
When sixteen-year-old Calvin Sawyer is wrongly  convicted of his father’s murder, his charmed
life as the son of a  senator is changed
forever. He’s stripped of his rights, his humanity,  even his name. Now as the property of the
Arena, offender CS4521 must  learn to
fight in the colosseum. It’s kill or be killed.  
See what people are saying about the book
 
“Murder, friendship, and forbidden romance in a tech-heavy futuristic
world. Offender is everything we love about dystopian literature.”
—Rebecca Rode,  USA Today bestselling author
of the Numbers Game Trilogy.
 ***
“Offender gripped me on the first page and didn’t let go until
the last line. Sharp and emotional writing combined with a hero you can’t help
but cheer on. It will keep you turning pages with anticipation. Can’t wait for
the next installment!”
— Ilima Todd, bestselling author of the Remake
series
Snippet:
Her
hand touches mine and lingers. I take in a breath, then go for it. Millimeters
away from our lips touching, she turns her head, cutting me off. I’m not sure
what to do now. My hand feels awkward holding hers. I must have screwed
something up. Maybe I talked too much, or didn’t talk enough. I thought a date
in the park would be romantic, but what did I know about romance?
 
“I’m
sorry, Cal.” She speaks in a whisper, and I’m afraid of what she might say. I
don’t want her to tell me that I’m not the guy for her when clearly we’re
incredible together.
I’m
not sure why I say it, but I do. “Mary, I like you.”
 
Waiting,
I tense up slightly as if I just placed my heart on the ground for her to stomp
on.
 
“I
like you too, Cal. A lot.” She hesitates and I wait for her to give me the
crushing blow. There’s something wrong with me, I’m sure. A girl like Mary can
get any guy she wants. She lets go of my hand and begins fidgeting with the
buttons on her sleeve. Before I know it, she yanks her sleeve up, revealing the
blue brand stamped on her forearm.
 
Five
arrows under the brand mark her as a fifth generation defector.
 
“I’m
sorry. I should’ve told you before, but you asked me out, and I really wanted
to be with you.” She pauses and the orange sky glints in her moist eyes. “I
don’t want you to get into trouble.”
 
I
take her hand and hold it tightly in mine. “You think I care about that? Screw
the edict.”
 
“Cal,
you could get in trouble. Your father—”
 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2019 Margaret Margaret