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Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother

 

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.

Dead Reckoning by Caitlin Rother was an interesting book.  I realized while I was reading this book that I had heard of this story before but I am not sure where I heard it from.  This was a really well-written book that took me a while to get through because there was so much information that it took a while to finish. I was very impressed with this author and this book.  I felt like I understood all of the characters and why they made the choices that they did but I didn’t support most of the choices that were made. I was left thinking more than once that if one person had made a different choice most of this book never would have happened.  I was left speechless more times than I can even talk about because the characters were always doing or saying insane things. I felt so bad for everyone who got hurt because of Skylar and the choices he made. I also at times felt bad for Skylar because of everything he went through as he was going up but that didn’t give him any right to hurt or even kill other people.  I will never understand why some people who have rough childhood do things as Skylar does and other people don’t end up like this. I hope that this author will write other books in the true crime genre because I really did enjoy this book. If you are looking for a new true crime story to read I would recommend this book to you. Have you heard of this case before and if so what did you think about it?

About The Book

Title: DEAD RECKONING
Author: Caitlin Rother
Publisher: WildBlue Press
Pages: 504
Genre: True Crime

Tom and Jackie Hawks loved their life in retirement, sailing on their yacht, the Well Deserved. But when the birth of a new grandson called them back to Arizona, they put the boat up for sale. Skylar Deleon and his pregnant wife Jennifer showed up as prospective buyers, with their baby in a stroller, and the Hawkses thought they had a deal. Soon after a sea trial and an alleged purchase, however, the older couple disappeared and the Deleons promptly tried to access the Hawkses’ bank accounts.

As police investigated the case, they not only found a third homicide victim with ties to Skylar, they also uncovered an unexpected and unusual motive: Skylar had wanted gender reassignment surgery for years. By killing the Hawkses with a motley crew of assailants and plundering the couple’s assets, the Deleons had planned to clear their $100,000 in debts and still have money for the surgery, which Skylar had already scheduled.

Now, in this up-to-the-minute updated edition, which includes extensive new material, New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother presents the latest breaking developments in the case. Skylar, who was ultimately sentenced to death row for the three murders, transitioned to a woman via hormones while living in the psych unit at San Quentin prison. Recently, she legally changed her name and gender to female, apparently a strategic step in her quest to obtain taxpayer-subsidized gender confirmation surgery and transfer to a women’s prison. Combined with Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent moratorium on executions, this only adds insult to injury for the victims’ families, who want Skylar to receive the ultimate punishment for her crimes.

“Rother gives readers compelling insight to an unthinkable American nightmare. A gripping read… frank and frightening… it sizzles.”

—Aphrodite Jones, host of True Crime on Investigation Discovery and bestselling author

About The Author

New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 13 books, ranging from narrative nonfiction to memoir and crime fiction. Her latest titles are the true-life thriller Hunting Charles Manson and her memoir short, Secrets, Lies, and Shoelaces. A former investigative reporter at daily newspapers for 19 years, Rother has been published in Cosmopolitan, the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe and Daily Beast. She has appeared more than 200 times on TV, radio and podcasts internationally, including Australian Broadcast Corp’s “World News,” “Crime Watch Daily,” “People Magazine Investigates,” “Nancy Grace,” “Snapped,” and dozens of shows on Netflix, Investigation Discovery, Oxygen, A&E, Reelz, C-SPAN and various PBS affiliates. Rother also works as a writing-research coach and consultant, leads writing workshops, and plays keyboards and sings in an acoustic group called breakingthecode. She is working on two new books, one titled “Justice for Rebecca,” about the Rebecca Zahau death case, and one about the San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo. Please visit her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter or visit her website at https://www.caitlinrother.com.

★ WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS: ★

Website → https://www.caitlinrother.com

Blog → https://www.caitlinrother.com/blog

Twitter → https://twitter.com/CaitlinRother

Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/caitlinrother

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Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner

 

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.

Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner left me feeling very broken because of everything that happened to Melody throughout the book.  I read through this book really quickly because I had to know how it all worked out or if it even did work out at the end. If abuse and things like that bother you then I wouldn’t read this book but if you are okay reading the kind of stuff than I think you might like this book.  Even with me saying that there aren’t a ton of details about the abuse but it does go into a few of the details. I also had a rough childhood so I felt like I could relate to Melody and understand some of the things that she went through. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am pretty sure I will pick up other books by her in the future because I enjoyed this book so much.  I love when an author tackles tough subjects as this author did because it shows that they will talk about things that can help people. If you are looking for a quick but amazing read than I would pick up this book because I am sure you will love it as much as I did.

About The Book

Genre: YA Mystery Published by: Vesuvian Books Publication Date: October 1st 2019 Number of Pages: 285 ISBN: 1944109366 (ISBN13: 9781944109363) What if every time you told the truth, evil followed?

My name is Melody Fisher. My daddy was a snake handler in Appalachia until Mama died. Though years have passed, I can still hear the rattle before the strike that took her from me.

And it’s all my fault.

Since then, I’ve been passed around from foster home to foster home. I didn’t think anything could be as bad as losing Mama.

I was wrong.

But I will not speak of things people have done to me. Every time I do, worse evil follows. Now, the only thing I trust is what saved me years ago.

Back when I would sing the snakes calm …

About The Author

Liana Gardner is the multi-award-winning author of 7th Grade Revolution (most recently the recipient of a 2018 Nautilus Book Award) and The Journal of Angela Ashby. The daughter of a rocket scientist and an artist, Liana combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer and in everything sees the story lurking beneath the surface. Liana volunteers with high school students through EXP (expfuture.org). EXP unites business people and educators to prepare students for a meaningful place in the world of tomorrow. Working in partnership with industry and educators, EXP helps young people EXPerience, EXPand, and EXPlore. Engaged in a battle against leukemia and lymphoma, Liana spends much of her time at home, but her imagination takes her wherever she wants to go. Liana is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Catch Up With Liana Gardner On: lianagardner.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Twitter, & Facebook!

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This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Vesuvian Books and Liana Gardner. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and 2 winners of a signed print copy of Speak No Evil by Liana Gardner. The giveaway begins on October 1, 2019 and runs through December 2, 2019. Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.

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Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble

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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.

Strands of Truth by Colleen Coble was a great book.  I have read quite a few books by this author in the past and this book was different from the others that I have read by her.  As far back as I can remember I have always liked her books so this book had high standards to live up to. This book was a slow starter for me but once I was in a couple of chapters I didn’t want to put the book down until I had finished the book.  I didn’t’ think that this book was super suspenseful but that didn’t bother me because I love this author and I would probably read and love anything that she wrote. I really loved Harper right from the start and once I was almost halfway through the book I fell in love with Ridge.  It was hard for me to like him because he had it out for Harper through most of the book and that just pissed me off. I love when authors are able to make me love/hate their characters because it shows that they made the book come to life as I was reading the story. I love this author’s books because I always make it easy for me to escape into the books and forget what is going on in my own life as I am reading her books.  If you are looking for an author who always leaves me wanting more than I would for sure recommend this book but more than that I would recommend this author.

About The Book

Genre: Romantic Supsense Published by: Thomas Nelson Publication Date: September 10th 2019 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 0718085906 (ISBN13: 9780718085902) Strands of Harper Taylor’s childhood are resurfacing—but will the truth save her . . . or pull her under?

Harper Taylor is used to being alone— after all, she grew up in one foster home after another. Oliver Jackson finally took her under his wing when she was a runaway teenager, and now Harper pours her marine biology knowledge into Oliver’s pen shell research. But she’s never stopped wishing for a family of her own.

So when a DNA test reveals a half-sister living just two hours away, Harper is both hopeful and nervous. Over warm cinnamon rolls, Harper and Annabelle find striking similarities in their stories. Is it just a coincidence that both their mothers died tragically, without revealing Harper and Annabelle’s father’s name?

Oliver’s son Ridge still sees Harper as a troubled teen even all these years later. But when Oliver is attacked, Ridge and Harper find themselves working together to uncover dangerous secrets that threaten to destroy them all. They must unravel her past before they can have any hope for the future.

About The Author

Colleen Coble is a USA TODAY bestselling author and RITA finalist best known for her coastal romantic suspense novels, including The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens, and the Lavender Tides, Sunset Cove, Hope Beach, and Rock Harbor series. Connect with Colleen online at: colleencoble.com Goodreads BookBub – @ColleenCoble Twitter – @colleencoble Instagram – @colleencoble Facebook – @colleencoblebooks!

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One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski

 

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.

One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski was a very interesting book and made me want to read more books by this author in the future.   This book kept me on the edge of my seat as I was reading it and I loved that about this book. I felt so bad about everything that happened to Allison but I also loved that she told off her husband while she was live on the air.  This book jumps back and forth between 1986 & 2015. I am not the biggest fan when books do that because if I am not paying close enough attention to who is talking I end up getting lost and have to go back and read it again. Even with that being said I really did enjoy this book and the characters.  I read through this book pretty fast because I didn’t want to put it down. Through this entire book I was trying to figure it out and I wasn’t able to until I got to the end of the book. I also really liked Tammy and I wished that we knew more about her. I was drawn to Tammy right from the start and I am not sure why.  I wasn’t the biggest fan Maureen but I did feel bad for her and I always wondered about her past. This book did keep me on the edge of my seat and it left me sad when I was done because I really did enjoy this book. If you are looking for a new mystery book to read this fall than I would pick this one up and give it a shot.  If you do/have read it what did you think about it?


About The Book

Genre: Mystery,Suspense

Published by: Graydon House Books (Harlequin)

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Number of Pages: 352

ISBN: 1525832190 (ISBN13: 9781525832192)

It was the perfect place to disappear…  

One sultry summer, Maureen Haddaway arrives in the wealthy town of Opal Beach to start her life anew—to achieve her destiny. There, she finds herself lured by the promise of friendship, love, starry skies, and wild parties. But Maureen’s new life just might be too good to be true, and before the summer is up, she vanishes.  

Decades later, when Allison Simpson is offered the opportunity to house-sit in Opal Beach during the off-season, it seems like the perfect chance to begin fresh after a messy divorce. But when she becomes drawn into the mysterious disappearance of a girl thirty years before, Allison realizes the gorgeous homes of Opal Beach hide dark secrets. And the truth of that long-ago summer is not even the most shocking part of all…  

“A subtly but relentlessly unsettling novel.” —TANA FRENCH, author of The Witch Elm

“A heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel of betrayal and revenge. Stunning!” —Carol Goodman, award-winning author of The Night Visitors

“Featuring a brilliantly executed dual timeline with two unforgettable narrators, One Night Gone is a timely and timeless mystery that will keep you obsessively reading well past your bedtime.” —Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World

About The Author

TARA LASKOWSKI is the award-winning author of two short story collections, Modern Manners for Your Inner Demons and Bystanders, which was named a best book of 2017 by Jennifer Egan in The Guardian. She has had stories published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Mid-American Review, and the Norton anthology New Micro: Exceptionally Short Fiction, among others. Her Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine story, “States of Matter,” was selected by Amy Hempel for the 2017 Best Small Fictions anthology, and her short story “The Case of the Vanishing Professor” is a finalist for the 2019 Agatha Award. Tara was the winner of the 2010 Santa Fe Writers Project’s Literary Awards Prize, has been the editor of the popular online flash fiction journal SmokeLong Quarterly since 2010, and is a member of Sisters in Crime. She earned a BA in English with a minor in writing from Susquehanna University and an MFA in creative writing from George Mason University. Tara grew up in Pennsylvania and lives in Virginia. One Night Gone is her first novel.

Visit Tara at: TaraLaskowski.com, Goodreads, BookBub, @TaraLWrites, Instagram, & Facebook!

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This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Harlequin and Tara Laskowski. There will be 1 winner of one (1) copy of One Night Gone (print). The giveaway begins on September 23, 2019 and runs through October 6, 2019. Open to U.S. and Canada addresses only. Void where prohibited.

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What She Never Said by Catharine Riggs

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Book Publicity Services 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.

What She Never Said by Catharine Riggs wasn’t my favorite book that I have read lately.  Ruth bothered my right from the start and that didn’t change throughout the entire book. I wasn’t the biggest fan of her personality and I also didn’t like some of the things that she did.  This book didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat as I was reading it but it did hold my interest as I was reading. This is a book that I would read a few chapters and then put it down but I always came back to it because I wanted to know how it was going to end.  I did like Zach and I felt bad for him because of everything that happened to him in the past. I did love that this author was able to make me hate certain characters and love others. I show me that the author was able to write in a way that made all of the characters come to life as I was reading.  The ending wasn’t a big surprise but it also didn’t leave me hating it either.  I enjoyed this book but isn’t wasn’t one that I would rave about either.  If you are looking for a new thriller to read I would check this one out because I think most people would enjoy it.

About The Book

Genre: Psychological Suspense Published by: Thomas & Mercer Publication Date: September 10, 2019 Number of Pages: 377 ISBN: 1542042135 (ISBN13: 9781542042130) Series: Santa Barbara Suspense #2

How much would you pay to keep a secret? Ruth Mosby is the VP of operations at Serenity Acres, where the privileged elite go to die. For a hefty fee, wealthy retirees can live the good life in this posh Santa Barbara community—even after they outlive their money. But the savvy new boss has a new rule: if you can’t pay, you can’t stay.

Guests whisper about an “Angel” who assists with suicides. Ruth has another word for it: murder.

Ruth enlists her neighbor, an ex-detective named Zach, to discover the Angel’s secret identity. However, the two have a painful history, and Ruth has dark secrets all her own. To solve the mystery, Ruth must descend her golden tower—but can she bear the consequences of revealing her own sinister truths?

Why Readers LOVE What She Never Said:

“Riggs keeps the tension high to the dramatic climax.” —Publishers Weekly “What She Never Said is a fast-paced, compulsive read—and I speak as a slow-paced, easily distracted reader.” —Ashley Dyer, award-winning author of the Lake & Carver series. “A compelling read that will keep you awake well into the night.” —T.R. Ragan, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Beneath the weight of metastasizing secrets, idyllic veneers buckle to reveal shocking truths that will haunt readers long after the final page. —P. J. Vernon, acclaimed author of the debut thriller, When You Find Me

About The Author

Catharine Riggs lives and writes on California’s central coast. Before her dive into thrillers, Riggs worked as a business banker, adjunct college instructor, and a nonprofit executive. What She Never Said is the second novel in her loosely linked Santa Barbara Suspense series. The first, What She Gave Away, was published by Thomas & Mercer in September of 2018.

Catch Up With Catharine Riggs On: http://www.CatharineRiggs.com, Goodreads, & BookBub, Twitter!

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This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Catharine Riggs. There will be 4 winners. Two (2) winners will each receive one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card and Two (2) winners will each receive one (1) print copy of What She Never Said by Catharine Riggs. The giveaway begins on August 18, 2019 and runs through September 22, 2019. Open to U.S. addresses only. Void where prohibited.

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Capturing The Heart of The Rock Star by Nomi Summers

 

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Forever Write PR 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.

Capturing The Heart of The Rock Star by Nomi Summers was a sweet story.  I did find that I was able to predict what was going to happen but with these types of books, it is rare that I don’t have it all figured out right from the start.  I fell in love with Avery right from the start and I also felt bad for her because of everything she had to deal with when it came to running the family business. This is the first book that this author wrote and I can’t wait to read more by her in the future.  This book was a quick read for me and I loved that I was able to pick up this up and read it in a few days because it gave me a break from everything that is going on in the real world. I was amazed that this is the first book by this author because it was well written and it seemed like she had been writing books forever.  If you are looking for a sweet chick-lit book to read this fall I would give this one a shot and I don’t think you will let down.

About The Book

Chasing music and freedom, Shane Knox left Arbor Shores nine years ago and never looked back… until now. With his best friend, Dax, getting married, Shane is coming home to face his past as well as Avery, the girl he left behind.

The second he lays eyes on her, all of his long suppressed feelings come rushing back in a tidal wave of regret. For him, it was never truly over. But is it too late for a second chance?

Despite being bitter over Shane’s abrupt exit, Avery has bigger problems on her hands than drama with her ex. Her family’s hotel, Arbor Shores Resort, is struggling. Financial difficulties have landed the business in prime position for a real estate buyout, which would destroy all Avery and her family have built.

Putting his career on the line, Shane comes up with a plan that could save the resort. But will it be enough to redeem himself with Avery?

Or is it time for him to leave Arbor Shores for good?

About The Author

Nomi Summers is a clean contemporary romance author with a flair for taming bad boy heroes readers swoon over.

When she’s not dreaming up her next sweet small town romance, you’ll find her at the beach devouring the latest new release on her Kindle. Her other guilty pleasures include getting lost in mindless reality TV and spending far too much time talking to her dogs, as she’s convinced they understand every other word!

Nomi’s living her own “happily ever after” with her loving husband and their two fur babies in Tampa Bay, Florida. However, a piece of her heart will always belong in Michigan where she’s originally from–the inspiration for the settings in her novels.

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