Review of A Hush at Midnight by Marlene M. Bell- A Breathtaking Mystery. (#Contest- 3 winners )

 

I want to welcome Marlene M. Bell to Books R US. Marlene is surfing the blogosphere with Partners in Crime Book Tours. Read my review and enter the giveaway below. Thanks for stopping by.

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth/Mystery/Cozy Mystery
Published by: Ewephoric Publishing
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 979-8-9863409-6-8
Book Links: Amazon | Goodread

 

From the award-winning author of the ANNALISSE MYSTERY SERIES.

THE VISIT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Celebrity chef Laura Harris dwells on the horror of finding her mentor’s body in the groundskeepers disheveled bed—pillow and bedding half covering her open eyes—purple bruising around her mouth. A grisly snapshot in time revealing the Texas woman’s last moments during her attack. The elderly matriarch from the small town of Stenburg has left the physical world, and Laura is shattered.

She is catapulted headlong into the pursuit of a casual executioner, one bold enough to come and go from the crime scene with ease, dropping bizarre crumb trails designed to mock the deceased. But Laura herself doesn’t go unnoticed. As she digs deeper, she is followed and bombarded by warnings to leave the state.

When the victim’s attorney informs Laura that she’s to inherit the entire Stenburg fortune, the last act of kindness has made Laura the main person of interest in the investigation.

Message by message, Laura is methodically taunted by someone so deranged and driven they’ll do whatever it takes to dislodge Laura from Texas – permanently.

 

About the Author:

Marlene M. Bell has never met a sheep she didn’t like. As a personal touch for her readers, they often find these wooly creatures visiting her international romantic mysteries and children’s books as characters or subject matter. Marlene is an accomplished artist and photographer who takes pride in entertaining fans on multiple levels of her creativity.

Marlene’s award-winning Annalisse series boasts Best Mystery honors for all installments including these: IP Best Regional Australia/New Zealand, Global Award Best Mystery, and Chanticleer’s International Mystery and Mayhem shortlist for Copper Waters, the fourth mystery in the series.

She offers her children's picture book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! written primarily for younger kids based on true events from the Bell’s East Texas sheep ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of belonging and unconditional love between a little girl and her lamb.

Catch Up With Marlene M. Bell:

www.MarleneMBell.com
Goodreads - @dorsetghal
BookBub - @dorsetgalwrites
Instagram - @marlenemysteries
Twitter/X - @ewephoric
Facebook
Facebook - @marlenembell
Amazon Author Page

Purchase the Book on Amazon: 

My Thoughts:

 
"A Hush at Midnight" is a well-written, action-packed, and fast-paced book with believable characters who complement each other. The protagonist, Laura, her father Zane, and Brett, Hattie's estate lawyer, work together to solve the murder of Laura's mentor, Hattie. I stayed up late to finish the book because the author is a fantastic writer, and I couldn't put the book down. Throughout the book, there were twists and turns that kept me engaged. Usually, I can figure out who the killer is early in the book, but this one stumped me. I was on the edge of my seat until the end. Great job, Ms. Bell. I look forward to your next book.

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

Click here to view the Tour Schedule

 

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CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY  

 

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for Marlene M. Bell. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

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Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review

Review of The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

If you are looking for a great novel with great characters and a magical story-line then I recommend The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

 

About the Book:

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

 

 

 

My Thoughts:

I truly enjoyed the book. The author included two different timelines in the story-line, with each chapter told from the perspective of a character. There was a connection between the past and present, and each woman had to overcome hardships. The book contained elements of fantasy, magic, romance, and historical fiction, all woven together into a wonderful novel. I especially loved the relationship between Martha and Henry as they searched for the lost manuscript and bookshop. All of the secondary characters added to the story especially Madame Bowden Martha's employer. She would show up numerous times to assist Martha with a difficult situation. I did not predict the ending and it was magical.

 

 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review.

BLOG TOUR AND GIVEAWAY OF ROSES IN ECUADOR BY HEATHER HUFFMAN (WORLDWIDE- 18 YO +)

 I would like to welcome Heather Huffman to Books R Us. Heather is the author of Roses in Ecuadora romantic suspense novel. Thanks for stopping by.

Becoming a Writer

I’ve always been a writer; I just didn’t know it. For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the written word, but I didn’t consider seriously pursuing publication until my early thirties.

I learned a few lessons on my path to becoming a writer. Whenever I’m asked to share advice with a new writer, my response is the same: The most important thing you can do is write. Finish the book. I know too many people who have been working on the same novel for five or six years. Make time to write on a regular basis, even if you don't feel inspired. I've often sat down feeling completely blah and surprised myself with what I was able to turn out.

When you finish your book, find someone you trust to give you honest feedback on it. The first person I shared Tumbleweed with was cruel with her feedback; I almost stopped writing. After I finished licking my wounds, I made some changes and shared it with a coworker I respected and trusted. Her feedback was kind but honest and it helped me make it a better book. There were actually two coworkers, the inspiration behind Kate’s colleagues in Ties That Bind, whose feedback and encouragement made all the difference. I know I wouldn't have become a published author without them. If they had just said "yep, it's great" I wouldn't have gotten any better. But their approach made a huge difference because no matter how many books you write, it's always tough to share them. A piece of you is in it; it hurts when the book is rejected!

To that end, know now that your book will be rejected before it's accepted. When I first started getting rejection letters and they were form letters, I knew the book must not have been ready to send. I worked on the books some more then submitted again. That round I got personalized letters telling me why it was rejected, so I knew I was getting closer. I took their advice, worked on the book some more, then submitted again. That time I got personal conversations. I was told the writing was beautiful, but they didn't know how to market my books. One agent in particular told me that if I'd write to a formula, she could give me an amazing career as a writer. I chose to stick with my books, the ones I wanted to write. I went indie with them and my publisher found me - once I'd proven there was a market for my novels.

I also tell aspiring authors to learn all they can about the market. There are a few different paths to publication now - traditional, small publishers and indie, but that’s an entire conversation by itself. If you’re willing to work hard, it's a great time to be a writer!

 
ABOUT THE BOOK:

Unknown to each other, they escaped to the heart of Ecuador to make the world a better place, having sworn off the possibility of love... until disaster brings them together.

Jane Russell is certain she's had enough heartbreak for one lifetime, and love is the last thing on her mind when she arrives in Ecuador to study the cats on the local jaguar preservation.

Devon McAllister, the wealthy and handsome son of a well-known corporate mogul, has broken his share of hearts, but he found a new purpose in life when he opened a fair trade rose plantation in Ecuador.

When the jaguar preservation comes under attack by what appears to be a group of angry locals, Jane's search for the missing animals leads her to Devon's backyard. As they sort through the destruction, an unexpected visit by a charming yet secretive U.S. senator reveals the identity and motives of the attackers to be much more sinister than she could have ever imagined.

Through it all, Jane finds her desire for Devon growing ever stronger. But will she ever be able to trust him enough to truly love?

CONTEST:

Thanks to the Author, I am able to give away a E copy of the book ( epub, mobi or pdf
18 Years old +, Open World Wide.)
  

 

ENTER TO WIN A $150 BARNES & NOBLE GC (USA/CAN)

Do you love to read? In Tip Hero's latest giveaway, we're teaming up with a bunch of fabulous blogs to offer you the chance to expand your library. One lucky reader will be the winner of a $150 Barnes & Noble gift card!

This giveaway begins on January 16th and will run for 2 weeks, closing on January 30 at 11:59pm US EST. Open to United States & Canada, 18+.

Enter below for your chance to win by filling out the PromoSimple form below. Be sure to come back daily for more opportunities to enter. Good luck!

ENTER TO WIN $100 IN THE JELLY BEAN CRISIS BOOK BLAST

The Jelly Bean Crisis by Jolene Stockman


A total meltdown. The whole school watching. Now Poppy’s an ex-straight-A with no Plan B.

When Poppy Johnson throws away a full scholarship to Columbia, she can only blame the jelly beans. The yucky green ones? Midnight cram sessions and Saturday’s spent studying. The delicious red? The family legacy: Columbia, and a future in finance. Except now it’s starting to look like Poppy’s jelly bean theory is wrong. School has been her life until, but maybe it’s time to start living now.

Poppy has thirty days to try a new life. No school, no studying. Just jumping into every possible world. Thirty days to find her passion, her path, and maybe even love.

The Jelly Bean Crisis is officially on.

*** Praise for The Jelly Bean Crisis***

"The Jelly Bean Crisis is a heart warming and thought provoking story, especially if you're in the process of figuring out your life!"
- Ajoop On Books!

"This book had me riveted. Completely riveted the entire time. The Jelly Bean Crisis was instant love for me."
- Book Briefs.

"It's a beautifully told story that you'll be thinking about long after you finish reading."

- A Pocket Full of Books.

If you're looking for a smart contemporary YA read, then The Jelly Bean Crisis is for you!

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Amazon Kindle

***Book Blast Special***
Get your Kindle copy of The Jelly Bean Crisis for 99 cents!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Jelly-Bean-Crisis-ebook/dp/B008PODAAK

Author Jolene Stockman

Jolene Stockman is an award winning writer, speaker, and an expert for Girlfriend Magazine Australia. She is a Master of Neuro Linguistic Programming, and one of the youngest in the world to achieve the Distinguished Toastmaster Award. Jolene lives in New Zealand, and is the author of Total Blueprint for World Domination. The Jelly Bean Crisis is her debut fiction.

Website * Goodreads * Twitter 

Facebook * Blog

$100 Book Blast Giveaway
Ends 12/21/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it when you follow Jolene and leave the others blank.

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kids Can $100 Book Blast October 16th - 23rd

It's Time for Good Manners!

Part story book, part practice book, all parts fun! Children will learn about good manners -- and how to tell time -- with this colorful, engaging book.
They'll spend the day with Torie, Tad, Tessa and Tyler and discover how it's time for good manners all day long. And then they'll get the chance to practice telling time -- all while enjoying the cute clock designs, and without realizing they're learning!

Praise:

"It's Time for Good Manners" is a great package workbook for children ages 4-7, combining learning twin virtues of considerateness and courtesy and punctuality."

“If ever a book was needed for this time, then this is it.”

“A fun way to learn how to tell time.”

“…good book for introducing time to students in earlier grades.”

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes

The Kids' (and parents', too!) Book of Good Sportsmanship 

Do you have little athletes in your family? Then this colorful, engaging book is the perfect way to help them understand what it means - and how important it is - to be a Good Sport. Soccer? Dancing? Swimming? Whatever sport they do, they'll learn easy, basic sports manners through reading familiar situations featuring kids just like them. Parents, you'll also find handy reminders for you with each tip, so that the entire family can learn to be Good Sports together.

Praise:

“This is a great easy read that reminds not just the kids in your family but also parents, and in my case, grandparents how important it is to be a Good Sport. Basic sports etiquette that works just as well with Dad's Sunday Soccer game as with the munchkin's is presented in an engaging and entertaining way. Memorable reminders teach this important etiquette and keep it top of mind and simple for the whole family!”

“The Kids' (and parents', too!) Book of Good Sportsmanship” is a guidebook for raising winners, both on and off the field!"

“Children need more books like this, to teach important lessons. Parents are as big a factor in a child's perception of sports as the children themselves, and the parents attitude becomes the children's. This book teaches children that no one should take sports so seriously that they get angry, be rude, but instead, be gracious, respectful and have fun with it.”

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes

About the Author:

Leslie A. Susskind lives with her husband, daughters and two cats outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she writes children’s books while working in marketing and trying to keep up with everyone’s activities.


She is a BIG bookworm and loves to read just about anything she can get her hands on. She also loves to watch home improvement TV shows (and tries to convince her husband to do the projects), sing in choirs, and watch movies (especially anything Jane Austin). Sometimes she can even be found cooking without a microwave.


Leslie is the author of several manners-themed books, including “The Kids’ (and parents’, too!) Book of Good Sportsmanship,” and “It’s Time for Good Manners!” She is also the of the middle grade fantasy series, The Zephram Tales, which include “The Month of Zephram Mondays” and “The Tale of Time Warp Tuesday.”

Author Website * Book Website * Twitter 

Good Manners Blogs * Mother Daughter Bookworms Blog * Goodreads * Facebook

Giveaway:
1 lucky winner will receive a $100 Amazon Gift Card compliments of author Leslie Susskind.
Ends 10/23/12


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ENTER THE DARKENING DREAM RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY.

A Vampire Novel with Actual Bite!

As the modern world establishes itself and pushes the supernatural into the shadows, the supernatural fights back.

The Darkening Dream is a chilling new dark fantasy novel by Andy Gavin, creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. The book has received rave reviews and is on sale for only 99 cents on Amazon Kindle from June 25th-29th! Download your copy here.

In addition, Andy is doing a big giveaway, including a $100 gift certificate to Amazon, signed copies of his books, video games, posters, and more!


The Darkening Dream Rafflecopter Giveaway


Tweet, like, follow, share, blog and grab a copy of his book to enter.

The Darkening Dream Rafflecopter Giveaway


Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.

Long-time readers of dark historical fantasy (Tim Powers, Guy Gavriel Kay, Katherine Kurtz) will appreciate the weaving together of mythology, occult, and religion, while younger readers and fans of HBO dramas (True Blood, Carnivàle) or urban fantasy (Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher) will be drawn to the twisted imagination, graphic action, and romantic tension.

About The Darkening Dream

Even as the modern world pushes the supernatural aside in favor of science and steel, the old ways remain. God, demon, monster, and sorcerer alike plot to regain what was theirs.

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand.

With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?

No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be her very soul.

The Reviews Are In

"A vampire novel with actual bite." ~The Kirkus Reviews

"A gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying tale." ~Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Mr. Gavin has brought something refreshingly new to a genre now suffused with poorly-concealed bodice-rippers which have more in common with Fabio than Bram Stoker: depth. His big baddies are scary, not romantic interests, and the added religious lore is complex and engaging. Don't expect another Twilight -- the story can get downright creepy, so be prepared for a return to the old horror sensibilities of supernatural fiction." ~Amazon Review

"With Mr. Gavin's video-game pedigree, I was expecting something aimed squarely at the 18-25 year old fanboy contingent; what I got in The Darkening Dream was something wholly unexpected: A period novel with a female protagonist, a crash-course on Judaism in the colonial years, and multi-layered series of plot arcs featuring a crazy cast of natural and supernatural characters populating turn of the century America." ~Amazon Review

"…A perfect blend of mystery, magic and myth. A grown-up Grimm's fairy tale... emphasis on grim." ~Amazon Review

Read the first two sample chapters here.

Get your 99 cent copy of The Darkening Dream today on Amazon only.

About the Author

Andy Gavin is an unstoppable storyteller who studied for his Ph.D. at M.I.T. and founded video game developer Naughty Dog, Inc. at the age of fifteen, serving as co-president for two decades. There he created, produced, and directed over a dozen video games, including the award winning and best selling Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media obsessively, travels, and of course, writes. Find out more here.

ENTER THE JERUSALEM ASSASSIN "DON'T BLOW YOUR COVER" SPY CONTEST

 Jerusalem Assassin "Don't Blow Your Cover" Spy Contest

You could win $100 and a Signed Copy of Avraham Azrieli's Spy Thriller the 

The Jerusalem Assassin.

About the Jerusalem Assassin-

In the wake of the 1995 Oslo Peace Accords, a wave of Palestinian terror hits Jewish targets. Israel responds with a clandestine war in Paris, Zurich, and Tel Aviv. When a beautiful Mossad agent is critically wounded in Amsterdam, master spy Jerusalem Gerster pursues the attackers back to Israel, where he uncovers a sinister conspiracy to perpetrate an unprecedented national catastrophe—the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin.

Check the book out on Amazon today 

How to enter:

1- Get tips from your friends on Facebook and Twitter (tag #spycover) on what the best identity would be to go undiscovered as a spy in in the town of Zurich, Switzerland. 


WHAT IS YOUR BEST UNDERCOVER DISGUISE?
 

2- Share your best covert ID as a comment on my blog AND on  Avraham Azrieli,s Facebook Page

3- You must become a fan of Avraham Azieli for the comments to be counted.

3- Tell others about the contest by sharing on Facebook and Twitter (tag #spycover).

4- Contest ends on 5/15 and the winner will be the person who commented with the most clever covert ID.

5-  Learn more about the contest here: http://spycover.pen.io/

5-  Have Fun and Good Luck!! 

Check out a review of the book!