Rosepoint Publishing

Tag – This Is My Genre Book Tag

This is My Genre Book Tag

I was tagged by Shalini at BOOKS, REVIEWS ET AL BY SHALINI to participate in the This Is My Genre Book Tag! Thank you so much! If you haven’t followed Shalini yet, you owe it to yourself to check out her blog and enjoy the biting wit and wisdom she bestows in her reviews, posts, and interviews.

The Rules

Answer the questions
Tag as many people as you want

The Questions

What is your favorite genre?

I don’t think I can pin that down to one genre. I tend to read all over the board. However, I do love thrillers, psychological thrillers, mysteries, suspense, crime, police procedurals, yadda, yadda, yadda…hey, I list all that, including genres I won’t normally read on my “Submission” page.

Who is your favorite author from that genre?

The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz Argh! Well, that could change, but right now I’m reading book 4 of the Jane Hawk series, The Forbidden Door, by Dean Koontz. Gees, can that man write!! (And, btw, I’ll be reviewing his book this Sunday, September 2nd, which is also my 56th anniversary with the CE. How the man has hung in this long is beyond me.)

What is it about that genre that keeps pulling you back?

Are you kidding? The nail-biting, edge of your seat, can’t put it down to fix a meal or go to the bathroom, glued to the page reading. These books leave you spent at the finish line and looking for the next one. They are the “crack” of books. And like Lay’s Potato Chips, you can’t read just one.

What is the book that started your love for the genre?

Uh huh, at my age, I can’t remember that far back. When I told my son I was reading a Dean Koontz book, he mentioned that Koontz wrote horror. (He knows I wouldn’t read that.) But I was hooked. Years ago I discovered Toby Neal and her Lei Crime series. After reading Blood Orchids, yeah, I was hooked.

If you have to recommend one book from your favorite genre to a non-reader–that genre, what book would you choose and why?

Just Add Salt by Jinx Schwartz Yeah, no. I don’t generally recommend books, although I discovered that I had no problem recommending books to my recent visitor–an avid reader (who seems to prefer books of more than 300 pages). She also reads a fairly wide variety of genres. I introduced her to Toby Neal and Jinx Schwartz. If you don’t know that latter name, Jinx writes the kitschy Hetta Coffey Mysteries. I got started with her books because she writes sea stories (and you know where that interest stemmed from).

Why do you read?

I’ve always read. Books have the power to transport you to exotic places, exercise super powers, teach, empower, and write. Which I also wanted to do!

I tag –

Mischenko

Carla

And many of you don’t do tags, so anyone else who wants to do this tag, please do! I’d loved to read your answers!

Samhain Secrets – a #BookReview

Samhain Secrets by Jennifer David Hesse

Title: Samhain Secrets (A Wiccan Wheel Mystery) Book 4 by Jennifer David Hesse

Genre: Currently #1202 on Amazon Best Sellers Rank in Kindle eBooks, Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction, Holidays

Publisher: Kensington

Publication Date: Happy release date! August 28, 2018

Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title and Cover: Samhain Secrets – Love that book cover and the requisite black cat

Here is your chance to peek into the life of a modern day witch, or in this case a Wiccan, and learn something about this spiritual culture practice in a delightful cozy mystery setting. Protagonist Keli Milanni is a serious practitioner. There is only one problem: She was raised Catholic and has not divulged that split to family.

Spells, incantations, calls to spirits, tarot cards, and sisterhood. Keli weaves the practice into the quest to find the person who murdered her aunt, Josephine O’Malley, an estranged free spirit of the family who chose to leave the nest early, only tapping connections inconsistently with no notice and disappearing just as quickly. It’s a fun romp into the paranormal side of life that strikes a few of those loosely held superstitions many of us are loathe to admit. Continue reading “Samhain Secrets – a #BookReview”

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Music, Guitar, Men, Candid, Plate

Cee's Fun Foto Challenge2

Cee at Cee’s Photography hosts a weekly Fun Foto Challenge. This week’s challenge is pretty diverse: music, guitar, cafe, jewelry, plates, sofa, men, candid.

It’s been a whirlwind two weeks with our special houseguests from Texas–old and dear Navy buddies. (Our hubbies served together in Taiwan many years ago.) I slacked off on social media, but starting with this post hope to get caught up. (Give me a few days, please.) In the meantime, I did have fun with this week’s challenge. After singing in formal choir and gospel choirs, I landed in the Gospel Jubilee in Idaho. We had SO much fun and the musicians were incredibly talented. Go ahead, guess where I am in this picture!

Music – Guitar

Gospel Jubilee

Gospell Jubilee

Maybe this one is better? Now guess again!

Men – Candid

Loved this pic of my hubby (seated) and his buddy at the Science Museum last week in Chicago!

Men, candid shots

Plate(s)

Plates and bowls

Plate

Could not resist taking a pic of this plate served at a restaurant in San Diego–too pretty to eat!

This challenge is basically self-explanatory. If you have a photo you’d like to submit, click on her website and check it out. It’s a very simple procedure. Have fun. Let’s see how creative you can be on this challenge then link your photo(s) to the comment box of her website!

Please check out Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge to learn more of what this challenge is about!

#ThrowbackThursday – Riptide: a Florida Panhandle Mystery #2 by Michaela Thompson

#ThrowbackThursday-Riptide

Renee began the #ThrowbackThursday meme on her blog, “It’s Book Talk“ to share some of her old favorites as well as sharing books published over a year ago. Hopefully, you’ll find either a story or author that interests you and you’ll check them out. And, if you’d like to join the fun, you’re welcome to use Renee’s pic from her website. Just provide the link back to her please).

This week I am highlighting Michaela Thompson, another terrific, prolific author who wrote Riptide: a Florida Panhandle Mystery, which I reviewed on Goodreads and received through free download from BookBub. This novel was published by booksBnimble on March 5, 2014. She consistently runs approximately 3.5-4 stars for any of her books sold on Amazon.

Originally posted October 22, 2016

Book Blurb:

As intricate as a fisherman’s net, Riptide fairly writhes with sinister delights—family secrets, family feuds, lost family fortunes, betrayals, puzzles, sunken treasure… and murder, of course. With a bit of illicit romance and treachery thrown in for seasoning. This rife atmosphere swirls around New York artist Isabel Anders, who’s summoned home to tiny St. Elmo, Florida to deal with an emergency: the aunt who raised her has been brutally—and mysteriously—injured.

Isabel arrives to find the family mansion in ruins, her aunt living in a trailer, and, dangerous as a cottonmouth, the lover she left at sixteen just where he used to be. Waiting for her. Except now he’s got a grudge against her, a secret of his own, and some unsavory companions. Just when Isabel’s aunt seems to be getting better (but before she’s able to talk again) she dies just as mysteriously as she was injured. Suspecting murder, Isabel quickly ties her aunt’s death to another.

But to find the killer, she has to hack her way through a small-town jungle of intrigue and several generations of interrelated secrets, producing hours of pulse-pounding delight for the confirmed puzzle fan.

WHO WILL LIKE IT: Fans of Laura Lippman, Kate Atkinson, intelligent cozies like those by G.M. Malliett, Elizabeth Zelvin, and Gillian Roberts, British puzzlemeisters like the great Dorothy L. Sayers herself, all BBC mysteries, and of course, Michaela Thompson’s own Hurricane Season.

My Review:

So the story doesn’t move with the speed of a hurricane, but there is a slow building of character, setting, and backstory to clarify the reason for Isabel to reluctantly return to Cape St. Elmo and to an aunt that raised her with an iron fist.

Protagonist Isabel is a New York artist whose idea of love is an uncomplicated romp in the hay with an older French gentleman or a former high school sweetheart who she had left without so much as a kiss goodbye. Isabel is not a character that elicits a lot of empathy, though the plot does develop some side characters with enough sympathy to fill the void. Kimmie Dee seems to be the typical kid, and it’s obvious she still loves her dad, though he’s not exactly a rocket scientist. Former high school sweetheart isn’t one either and he is unhappy…just plain unhappy, so he is easy…just…easy.

The dialogue reflecting the intellect of the various characters takes on an interesting hue. Her hapless aunt, Merriam, has done the best she could and though no love lost, leaves Isabel knowing her death wasn’t a natural one. The antagonist was perhaps obvious, though certainly not the one we wanted to be the villain.

A treasure hunt begins rather early, and weaves in and out of the story, but it leaves a dissatisfying climax and a disappointing solution to characters that were hoped would fare better. A somewhat quirky, disquieting venture; but generates enough interest to keep turning pages. Mystery, treasure, and amateur sleuths, but you can’t really call it a cozy. Any redeeming qualities in the protagonist? hmm…I can’t think of any.

About the Author:

Michaela Thompson - author (Michaela Thompson) I’ve written seven mystery-suspense novels, set in wide-ranging locales: Hurricane Season and Riptide explore the beaches and swamps of the Florida Panhandle, where I grew up; Paper Phoenix features a romance between a disillusioned divorcee and a much younger crusading journalist in 70’s San Francisco; a failure analyst chases private demons to India in Fault Tree; a group of friends plays a deadly game at the Venice Carnival in Venetian Mask; and Magic Mirror and A Temporary Ghost recount the dangerous adventures of freelance journalist Georgia Lee Maxwell, who moves to France with her cat on a whim and ends up solving murders in Paris and Provence. All are now available as e-books.

I’ve been a mystery fan my entire life. I love the form because it’s endlessly flexible, yet the structure is always there.

I live in New York City, but spend significant time in the Florida Panhandle. My novels were originally published under the name Mickey Friedman.

More Throwback Thursday Blogs

Renee at Its Book Talk

Jill at Jill’s Book Cafe

Rebecca at The Book Whisperer

Lynne at Fictionophile

Sam at Clues and Reviews

Holly B at Dressedtoread

Deanna at DeesRadReads and Reviews

Amanda at Literary Weaponry

Annie at The Misstery

Mischenko at Read Rant Rock and Roll

Laurie at Cozy Nook Books

Ann Marie at LItWitWineDine

Susan at Susan Loves Books

Cathy at What Cathy Read Next

Cathy at Between the Lines

Amy at Novel Gossip

Diana at A Haven for Booklovers

Burning Ridge – a #BookReview

Title: Burning Ridge (A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery) by Margaret Mizushima

Genre: Currently #204 on Amazon Best Sellers Rank in Kindle eBooks, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Traditional

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication Date: To be released September 11, 2018

Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title and Cover: Burning Ridge – Cover depicts K-9 major character

Burning Ridge comprises #4 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series and the second I’ve had the privilege to receive through download from the publisher and NetGalley. Protagonist Deputy Mattie Cobb is a handler for regal German Shepherd police K-9 Robo who has been trained for specialty assignments in search and rescue in the remote and rugged Colorado mountains. Continue reading “Burning Ridge – a #BookReview”

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Black and White, Reflection, Mirror, Clouds

Cee at Cee’s Photography hosts a weekly Fun Foto Challenge. This week’s challenge is pretty diverse: black and white, mirror, reflection, airplane, jet, cloud, vehicle, building, power lines, frame in frame. This challenge is basically self-explanatory. If you have a photo you’d like to submit, click on her website and check it out. It’s a very simple procedure. Have fun. Let’s see how creative you can be on this challenge then link your photo(s) to the comment box of her website!

Black and White: Totally blew the engine on this poor little Chevy Tracker that got us all over the hills of Yuma to Goodyear and on to Indiana. It was that last leg that done it in!

Clouds: The sky and cloud formations in Arizona are amazing. This one over the golf course in Goodyear. (No, I didn’t draw that line–but was amazed when I saw it.)

Reflection and Mirror: Reflection in the mirror taking shots to sell the RV. Loved those winters in Arizona and it was comfortable–except for the engine–we’d still be there.

We are currently enjoying the visit of our old Navy buddies from Taiwan. Short posts for awhile. (Oh, the memories!)

Sherlock Holmes and the case of the Disappearing Diva #BookTour #Spotlight

I am so delighted today to provide a spotlight for you at my blog stop for Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Diva by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour.

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Diva

Book 2 of the Series

Romance – Mystery, 227 pages

Gemma Halliday Publishing

Released August 14, 2018

ASIN: B07DP3NBH7

Book Blurb

From #1 Kindle & New York Times bestselling author Gemma Halliday and USA Today bestselling author Kelly Rey comes a story about Sherlock Holmes, two savvy female detectives, and one chance to catch a killer and the hot Dr. Watson at the same time…

If there’s one thing Martha “Marty” Hudson can’t say no to, it’s her best friend Irene Adler. So when Irene’s little white lie about a fake detective named Sherlock Holmes turns into a real case from an actual paying client, Marty is all in. But their simple missing person case takes a deadly turn when the missing “person” ends up being a missing corpse. Rebecca Lowery was an opera singer in life and, according to her sister, who hires the famous detective to find her, a diva with capital D. When her body goes missing after a supposedly accidental fall, Marty & Irene can think of several people who might want the diva to disappear permanently—especially if her missing body is actually hiding evidence of her murder. Is it the boyfriend with a temper and a shady record, the jealous understudy who’s now stealing the show, the creepy undertaker with possible ties to the underworld, or the estranged sister herself who now inherits everything? Marty and Irene aim to find out, even while trying to keep cool around the hot ME, Dr. Watson, and dodging questions from the Irregulars blogger, Wiggins, about the mysterious man behind the name Sherlock Holmes. Will the ladies be able to pull this one off? Or are they in over their heads…and possibly about to take their own final bows?

About the Author

Gemma Halliday is the #1 Kindle, New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of several romantic mystery series, including the High Heels Mysteries, the Hollywood Headlines Mysteries, the Jamie Bond Mysteries, and many others. Gemma’s books have received numerous awards, including a Golden Heart, two National Reader’s Choice awards, a RONE award for best mystery, and three RITA nominations. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her boyfriend, Jackson Stein, who writes vampire thrillers, and their four children, who are adorably distracting on a daily basis.

Want a FREE ebook? Sign up for Gemma’s newsletter and get a free ebook as a thank you! http://www.gemmahalliday.com

Thank you for visiting my stop on the tour and please visit the other stops listed below!

Tour Participants:

August 15 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – GUEST POST

August 15 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

August 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT

August 16 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

August 17 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 17 – T’s Stuff – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 17 – Rosepoint Publishing – SPOTLIGHT

August 18 – Readeropolis – CHARACTER INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 18 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 19 – A Blue Million Books – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

August 20 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 20 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY

August 21 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 21 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 22 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 22 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST, GIVEAWAY

August 23 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW

August 23 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 24 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY

August 24 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

Thanks to Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to post this spotlight!

Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts

Welcome to Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts, an original weekly meme hosted by Lexxie at (un)Conventional Bookviews. She realized that many of the books she read (must have been cozies!) had food or drinks in them and thought it would be interesting and fun to share some food and/or drink quotes.

Few rules with this meme, just share the food or drink quote, and note whether or not it’d be something you’d be interested in yourself. Share the title of the book and the character who introduced the delicacy! Easy! You are welcome to use her logo or create your own but please link back to her blog.

This week I want to share Ropa Vieja, as “some people consider this to be the national dish.” Author Lucy Burdette shared her recipe in the book I just read and reviewed called Death on the Menu. Sounds to me like a variation of beef stew, yes, I’d try it.The dish name is dropped by protagonist Hayley Snow, the Key West food critic for the Key Zest Magazine. She translates the name of the recipe as “old clothes.” Yum!