Thursday, June 28, 2018

Tangible Spirits ~ ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Review, & Giveaway!

TANGIBLE SPIRITS 
by
BECKI WILLIS
Genre: Paranormal / Thriller / Suspense 
Publisher: Clear Creek Publishing
Date of Publication: May 13, 2017
Number of Pages: 316

Scroll down for giveaway!


Reporter Gera Stapleton has a difficult choice to make: write the story of a lifetime or save the legacy of a town—and a man—she has come to love. Assigned to a piece in Jerome, Arizona about a once-friendly ghost gone on a crime spree, Gera stumbles upon an amazing tale of greed, deception, and family honor—and murder. When the killer targets her as the next victim, an unlikely savior comes to her rescue. Smart dialogue, plenty of action, and a touch of the supernatural make this a must-read novel.

"Becki Willis blends bits of history with bits of fancy and weaves a tantalizing tale you won't soon forget."


CLICK TO PURCHASE
AMAZON    TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF AUTHORS
 SIGNED PAPERBACK     


2018 Best Paranormal Fiction
by The Association of Texas Authors 
2018 RONE Award Finalist for Paranormal Long
Crowned Heart Recipient from InD'Tale Magazine

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER!


✪✪✪✪
HALL WAYS REVIEW: From the very beginning, I knew I would enjoy author Becki Willis's writing style. In Tangible Spirits, she puts readers straight into the setting and into the head of our main character, Gera, who is clearly unhappy with her latest reporting assignment. Willis uses snippets of thought and sentences that fit perfectly with the way a reporter's mind would collect details. I also love the parallels drawn between the changing scenery and Gera's changing mood. As her surroundings provoke memories, Gera softens once she allows them to come. It's an excellent vehicle for readers to get some insight into Gera's past.

"Life was simply too precious to discard
with the cessation of breath."

One of the things that piqued my interest when I first saw Tangible Spirits (in addition to the FABULOUS book cover) was the paranormal element. Gera is a skeptic, and readers will enjoy her logic and challenges to the thinking of the people in this allegedly haunted small town.  It's fun to piggy-back on her experiences on the ghost tours and semi-creepy encounters and draw your own conclusions. Even though readers are likely to figure things out faster than Gera does, it doesn't really take away from the unfolding of the fascinating multiple storylines and sprinkling of history that enrich the story. Beware the ends of chapters because you won't be able to stop reading there. The hooks! The cliffhangers!

Tangible Spirits has all the elements that cozy story lovers enjoy - there's murder and mystery and a bit of mayhem, but it's countered with feel-good moments and a steamy romance that -- in true cozy fashion -- leaves the details behind closed doors. (YAYYYY!)  The book has a scattering of typos and comma errors that most won’t notice, but none detracted from the quality of the story and Willis’s ability to tell a tale. I see why this book is an award winner.

I don’t know if there will be another adventure for Gera and the cast of characters (both otherworldly and not) who surround her, but I sure hope so. Either way, I will be seeking out other titles by author Becki Willis, who is clearly a gifted writer. 

Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 

To the delight of readers around the world, Becki Willis writes memorable characters in believable situations. Best known for Forgotten Boxes and The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series, Becki has won numerous awards, but says her biggest achievement is her family and her loyal reader base.






-------------------------------------
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
1st Prize: Signed Copy of Tangible Spirits + $20 Amazon Gift Card
2nd Prize: Signed Copy of Tangible Spirits
JUNE 27-July 6, 2018
(U.S. Only) 


VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
6/27/18
Book Trailer
6/28/18
Review
6/29/18
Review
6/30/18
Author Interview
7/1/18
Review
7/2/18
Author Video I
7/3/18
Review
7/4/18
Author Video II
7/5/18
Review
7/6/18
Review

   blog tour services provided by
  


Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Harmon General Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Review, & Giveaway!

HARMON GENERAL
Misfits and Millionaires #2 
by
KIMBERLY FISH
Genre: Historical Fiction / WWII / Spies
Publisher: Fish Tales, LLC 
Date of Publication: June 16, 2018
Number of Pages: 330

Scroll down for giveaway!


In 1943, Lane Mercer and Emmie Tesco had nothing in common. Well, nothing stronger than a town neither of them chose and careers they couldn’t advertise as agents within the Office of Strategic Services. During the days of Longview, Texas’s Friendly Trek Homecoming Parade, Lane was gearing up for the grand opening of a bookshop that also disguised an espionage safe house, and Emmie was chasing a criminal with evil intent through the US Army’s new medical facility, Harmon General Hospital, treating diseased and amputated soldiers. Emmie ropes Lane into international threats at Harmon General, making it increasingly hard for the two spies to navigate the Junior Service League, church life, or anything else that might be considered normal for a town sizzling with oil boom wealth. A friend from Lane’s past arrives and pushes against the fiction she’s created to distance her spy history from the wedding bells ringing her future. Emmie flirts with the idea of finding a life outside of the OSS but justifies the danger as a way to make amends for those she’s betrayed. Connecting the two women, to their surprise, is a rogue agent who targets them for crimes he believes they created. For better, or worse, they have to put aside their differences to share responsibility for stopping “The Grasshopper” before he blows apart the Big Inch Pipeline project and Harmon General Hospital. The hope of malaria treatments for US soldiers depends on it, and justice of the heart demands it. 

PRAISE FOR HARMON GENERAL:
"The war that changed the world brought the world to East Texas through Harmon General, a significant US Army hospital that treated thousands of wounded soldiers in Longview.  In Harmon General, we meet again Lane Mercer, a World War II heroine, and we enjoy again how the drama of her secret service to the nation and her complicated personal relationships pull us into the vast impact of the world war." -- Dale Lunsford, Ph.D., President, LeTourneau University

Harmon General is a brilliant story for historical fiction readers! Set in World War II, the female spies, Army hospital setting, and drama amongst the Longview townsfolk kept me riveted and engaged until the very end.” - Jody T. Morse


CLICK TO PURCHASE
║ AMAZON  ║ BARNES AND NOBLE  

CHECK OUT THE MISFITS & MILLIONAIRES SERIES TRAILER! 


✪✪✪✪✪
HALL WAYS REVIEW: OH MY GOSH. I never do this, but I must start this review by saying the epilogue at the end is magnificent and I CRIED Y’ALL. There, I said it. To say I really enjoyed reading Harmon General, book two in the Misfits and Millionaires series by the always awesome Kimberly Fish, is a gross understatement.  The mark of a great book is when I get so caught up in the story that I forget I am supposed to be reading it critically. What wonderfully unexpected twists there are – right to the very end. This is a five-star story, all the way.

Harmon General begins with a prologue that does a great job of setting Emmie Tescoe’s state of mind and the numerous conflicts she’s battling (internally and externally). Where in The Big Inch, (side note: free eBook download today!) she was tough-as-nails and somewhat cold, in HG, she’s human and readers will enjoy watching more of her complicated story unfold. The epilogue that concluded the book, also about Emmie, (did I mention it MADE ME CRY, Y’ALL), was the perfect bookend to the story. I may have hugged my gorgeous print copy when I closed the cover.

In addition to the perfect bookends, Fish includes some cool features that truly help readers get a feel for the setting. There are maps included that show both actual historical locations and fictitious ones that are included in the story line. Plus, there’s a “Cast of Characters” section that helps readers reacquaint/acquaint themselves with who is who and from where each character hails.  These touches are what make the book top-notch.

“You have so much energy that you make people believe that danger is just a passing ghost.

This is the third book I’ve ready by Kimberly Fish, and her writing shines in Harmon General by painting vibrant pictures of people and places that bring the story alive. The world-building puts readers in the midst of a bustling and exciting Longview, Texas at the height of the war.  The characters are real, really flawed, and really memorable – from the quirky clothier to the jazz club diva, the book is filled with personality.  

One of my favorite aspects of the plot is that in the midst of all the spy action and the romance and the friend and family drama, main character Lane Mercer is a businesswoman running a book store! (Ka-ching: librarian points scored). Between the Lines Bookstore is a hub of activity (both during and after business hours) and adds several extra dimensions to the plot.

Of course, Harmon General ends with a little hook that assures us there are more dangers and adventures ahead for Lane and Emmie. The author has said that there’s another book in the works, and readers can look forward to Lane and Zeke’s East Texas wedding (and certainly more of Aunt Edith’s shenanigans). I love Lane Mercer and can hardly wait for the next Misfits and Millionaires book… and how about a companion book about Emmie??

Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for sharing her amazing story with me in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.

SPECIAL PROMOTION: $0.99 eBOOK!
As a complement to the Lone Star Book Blog Tours promotion of Harmon General, the Kindle  e-book of The Big Inch, the book that started the whole Misfits and Millionaires adventure, is just $0.99!!  Click to download your copy!

A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR:

Kimberly Fish started writing professionally with the birth of her second child and the purchase of a home computer. Having found this dubious outlet, she then entered and won The Writer’s League of Texas manuscript contest which fed her on-going fascination with story crafting. 

She has since published in magazines, newspapers, and online formats and in January 2017, released the first novel in the Misfits and Millionaires series set during the World War II years in Longview, Texas—The Big Inch. Her second book, Comfort Plans, was published later that same year.

She lives with her family in East Texas.


to see book reviews and behind the scene peeks
at places that have inspired the novels! 

From kissing couples to fabulous fedoras,
inspiration behind Harmon General!
-------------------------------------
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
TWO SIGNED COPIES OF HARMON GENERAL
JUNE 22-JULY 1, 2018
(U.S. Only)

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
6/22/18
Top Ten List
6/23/18
Review
6/23/18
Excerpt
6/24/18
Guest Post
6/25/18
Review
6/25/18
Character Interview
6/26/18
BONUS Review
6/27/18
Review
6/27/18
Top Ten List
6/28/18
Playlist
6/29/18
Review
6/29/18
Excerpt
6/30/18
Review
6/30/18
Guest Post
7/1/18
Review

   blog tour services provided by



Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Cinco de Murder ~ ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Guest Post, and Giveaway!

CINCO DE MURDER
A Taste of Texas Mystery, #3
by
Rebecca Adler
Genre:  Texas Cozy Mystery
Date of Publication: April 3, 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Number of Pages: 304

Scroll down for the giveaway!



Tex-Mex waitress and part-time reporter Josie Callahan serves up more Lone Star justice in this spicy mystery from the author of The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole.

It's fiesta time in Broken Boot, Texas, and tourists are pouring into town faster than free beer at a bull roping for the mouthwatering Cinco de Mayo festivities. Tex-Mex waitress Josie Callahan, her feisty abuela, and even her spunky Chihuahua Lenny are polishing their folklórico dances for Saturday's big parade, while Uncle Eddie is adding his own spicy event to the fiesta menu: Broken Boot's First Annual Charity Chili Cook-off.

But Uncle Eddie's hopes of impressing the town council go up in smoke when cantankerous chili cook Lucky Straw is found dead in his tent. And when Josie's beloved uncle is accused of fatal negligence, she, Lenny, and the steadfast Detective Lightfoot must uncover who ended the ambitious chilihead's life--before another cook kicks the bucket.
PRAISE FOR CINCO DE MURDER:

"I enjoyed every minute of this high fa looting Texas escapade. The authentic Texas sayings had me rolling on the floor. I'm a Texan and boy did I relate to the towns and chili cook-off so well."
--Texas Book-aholic


"I enjoy the Texas flair and touch while all the food talk just makes me hungry. If you enjoy a good cozy mystery that features an adorable dog and a culinary touch then this is the book/series for you."~Books a Plenty Book Reviews

CLICK TO PURCHASE:
Amazon   Barnes and Noble   Kobo




Fun Facts about the History of Tex-Mex
Guest Post by Rebecca Adler

Howdy!

Here in Texas, it doesn’t have to be Cinco de Mayo for us to celebrate special occasions and holidays, like the Fourth of July, with delicious margaritas, cheesy nachos, and creamy guacamole. As you probably know, Cinco de Mayo literally means the fifth of May. On that day in 1862, against all odds, Mexico defeated the French forces led by Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla. Here in the U.S., it’s a celebration to show pride for the wonderful Mexican culture with dancing, bright colored costumes, parades, traditional music, and eating lots of yummy Tex-Mex.
We’re all familiar with the term Tex-Mex; but did you know the word entered our American lingo in 1875 as a term that referred to the Texas Mexican Railway, which was abbreviated as TexMex? In the 1920s, a hyphen was added to describe not only the railroad but the people of Mexican descent that were born in Texas. Gradually, the term became synonymous with the Mexican food of the area.
The cuisine developed out of the Rio Grande Valley in the southern part of the state; but soon came into its own in San Antonio. Back in the 1870s wonderful cooks known as chili queens started becoming famous throughout the U.S. and internationally. That’s when Americans first became aware of the delicious, fun-filled eating experience we know as Tex-Mex.
In Cinco de Murder, the third book in my Taste of Texas mystery series, reporter-turned-Tex-Mex-waitress Josie Callahan, her feisty abuela, and even her spunky Chihuahua Lenny are polishing their traditional folklórico dances for Saturday’s big Cinco de Mayo parade. Not to be outdone, Uncle Eddie is adding his own spicy event to the fiesta menu: Broken Boot’s First Annual Charity Chili Cook-off.

But Uncle Eddie's hopes of impressing the town council go up in smoke when a cantankerous chili cook is found dead in his tent. And when Josie's beloved uncle is accused of fatal negligence, she, Lenny, and the steadfast Detective Lightfoot must uncover who ended the ambitious chilihead's life--before another cook kicks the bucket.

Even if you don’t live in Texas, why not follow my motto? Life is short. Eat more Tex-Mex. That’s why I made sure to include more delicious recipes in the back of this book.  You’ll find some recipes a bit more Mex and some a bit more Tex, like Uncle Eddie’s secret nontraditional chili recipe as well as Josie and Senora Mari’s favorite appetizers and desserts.

May you have a beautiful, cool summer wherever you call home. And if you’re in the mood for a tasty, fun-filled mystery, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Cinco de Murder.
Adios!

Rebecca Adler grew up on the sugar beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast. Drawn to the Big Apple by the sweet smell of wishful thinking, she studied acting on Broadway until a dark-eyed cowboy flung her over his saddle and hightailed it to the Southwest.

She's currently content to pour her melodramatic tendencies into writing the Taste of Texas culinary mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime: Here Today, Gone Tamale; The Good, the Bad, and the Guacamole; and Cinco de Murder. Set in far West Texas, her humorous stories are filled with delicious suspense and scrumptious Tex-Mex recipes. Her alter ego, Gina Lee Nelson, writes contemporary romance with a sweet, Southern-fried flavor. 

A former president of North Texas Romance Writers, Rebecca is currently a member of Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America. When not writing, she spends a great deal of time on her other favorite pastime, directing high school theatre. 



-------------------------------------
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
Grand Prize: Signed Copies of the Full Taste of Texas Series + $10 Amazon Gift Card
Two Runners-Up: Signed Copies of Cinco de Murder
JUNE 20-29, 2018
(U.S. Only) 
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
6/20/18
Author Interview
6/20/18
Guest Post
6/21/18
Review
6/22/18
Top 5 List
6/23/18
Excerpt
6/24/18
Review
6/25/18
Bonus Review
6/26/18
Character Guest Post
6/27/18
Review
6/28/18
Guest Post + Bonus Review
6/29/18
Review



   blog tour services provided by