Bea Reviews Cold Wind by Paige Shelton

Series: Alaska Wild Mysteries #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 8th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Second in a new series set in Alaska from beloved cozy author Paige Shelton, Cold Wind will chill your bones.

Beth Rivers is still in Alaska. The unidentified man who kidnapped her in her home of St. Louis hasn’t been found yet, so she’s not ready to go back.

But as October comes to a close, Benedict is feeling more and more like her new home. Beth has been working on herself: She’s managed to get back to writing, and she’s enjoying these beautiful months between summer and winter in Alaska.

Then, everything in Benedict changes after a mudslide exposes a world that had been hidden for years. Two mud-covered, silent girls appear, and a secret trapper’s house is found in the woods. The biggest surprise, though, is a dead and frozen woman’s body in the trapper’s shed. No one knows who she is, but the man who runs the mercantile, Randy, seems to be in the middle of all the mysteries.

Unable to escape her journalistic roots, Beth is determined to answer the questions that keep arising: Are the mysterious girls and the frozen body connected? Can Randy possibly be involved? And―most importantly―can she solve this mystery before the cold wind sweeping over the town and the townspeople descends for good?

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Layla by Colleen Hoover

I've never read Ms. Hoover but many of my blogger friends are big fans and this book sounds interesting. I don't know when I'll get to it, but I want to read it. Today, I'm part of the blog tour for the book's release. I have an excerpt with an intro by Colleen herself, and a giveaway. Enjoy!

Find Colleen online:

Website: http://www.colleenhoover.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorColleenHoover/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/colleenhoover
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5430144.Colleen_Hoover 

Bea Reviews Don't Look Back by Christie Craig

Series: Texas Justice #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Forever
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 15th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Christie Craig's thrilling romantic suspense about a by-the-book FBI agent who must trust a risk-taking detective for help tracking down her sister's killers -- perfect for fans of Kat Martin, Sharon Sala, and Brenda Novak!

FBI agent Brie Ryan's latest mission is personal. She's posing as a waitress at the Black Diamond strip club, the same club where her estranged half sister worked until she turned up dead. When Brie's undercover assignment is compromised, she turns to the only man she knows who can help her: Connor Pierce, a too-sexy-for-his-own-good, rule-breaking cop with a knack for solving cold cases.

When someone breaks into Brie's apartment, Connor's detective skills aren't the only things that kick into overdrive. Although his job demands he remain detached, now he finds himself tempted not only by Brie's beauty but also her intelligence and bravery. As the investigation-and their attraction-grows more intense, lives are in jeopardy, and Connor finds the most important rule he must break is his own. But can he put his heart on the line?

Bea Reviews Her Mother's Grave by Lisa Regan

Series: Detective Josie Quinn #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (re-print)
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 3rd, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author comes another Detective Josie Quinn thriller, as her past crashes into her present when a killer will do anything to keep the truth buried.

When two young boys discover human bones buried beneath a tree in a trailer park, Detective Josie Quinn races to join her team at the scene. She used to play in those woods as a child, happier outside and away from her abusive mother, Belinda Rose.

Josie's past crashes into her present when a rare dental condition confirms the bones belong to a teenage foster-child who was murdered thirty years ago. A girl named Belinda Rose . . .

Josie hasn't seen her mother in years but, with an undeniable connection between her mother and the dead girl, does she dare track her down?

Just as Josie gets closer to uncovering a secret that will shatter her world forever, another body is uncovered. It's suddenly clear that someone very close to Josie will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried forever.

As she battles the demons from her past, can Josie stop this killer before another precious life is taken?

Bea Reviews Toxin Alert by Tyler Anne Snell

Series: Tactical Crime Division: Traverse City #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Harlequin Intrigue
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 1st, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

After biological terrorism rips through an Amish community, the Tactical Crime Division is called in to find out why.

Following a deadly anthrax attack, TCD’s biological weapons expert Carly Welsh springs into action. Problem is, the Amish trust no one—especially not an FBI special agent. That’s where Noah Miller comes in. Even though the rancher left the fold decades ago, the community trusts him…and so does Dr. Welsh. But even their combined courage and smarts might not be enough against sinister forces that want them both to perish.

From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.

Bea Reviews Nothing Good Happens After Midnight: A Suspense Magazine Anthology by Hank Phillippi Ryan, Jeffrey Deaver, Linwood Barclay, et al

Publisher: Suspense Publishing
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Nov. 17th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

The sun sets. The moon takes its place, illuminating the most evil corners of the planet. What twisted fear dwells in that blackness? What legends attach to those of sound mind and make them go crazy in the bright light of day? Only Suspense Magazine knows…

Teaming up with New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver, Suspense Magazine offers up a nail-biting anthology titled: “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight.” This thrilling collection consists of thirteen original short stories representing the genres of suspense/thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and more.

Readers’ favorites come together to explore the mystery of midnight. The ‘best of the best’ presenting these memorable tales, include: Joseph Badal, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Shannon Kirk, Jon Land, John Lescroart, D. P. Lyle, Kevin O’Brien, and Hank Phillippi Ryan.

Take their hands…walk into their worlds…but be prepared to leave the light on when you’re through. After all, this incredible gathering of authors, who will delight fans of all genres, not only utilized their award-winning imaginations to answer that age-old question of why “Nothing Good Happens After Midnight”—they also made sure to pen stories that will leave you…speechless.

Bea Reviews Daylight by David Baldacci

Series: Atlee Pine #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |

* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

FBI Agent Atlee Pine's search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller's high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy -- from which neither of them will escape unscathed.

For many long years, Atlee Pine was tormented by uncertainty after her twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at the age of six and never seen again. Now, just as Atlee is pressured to end her investigation into Mercy's disappearance, she finally gets her most promising breakthrough yet: the identity of her sister's kidnapper, Ito Vincenzo.

With time running out, Atlee and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey -- and unknowingly stumble straight into John Puller's case, blowing his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.

Stunningly, Pine and Puller's joint investigation uncovers a connection between Vincenzo's family and a breathtaking scheme that strikes at the very heart of global democracy. Peeling back the layers of deceit, lies and cover-ups, Atlee finally discovers the truth about what happened to Mercy. And that truth will shock Pine to her very core.

Bea Reviews Justified Misfortune by Lori Matthews

Series: Brotherhood Protectors World
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Twisted Page Press
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Oct. 13th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | * associate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.


Blurb from goodreads:

Hudson Riggs has returned to his family's ranch after years spent traveling the world. The former Navy SEAL accepted a position as a Personal Security Specialist, a job that didn't leave much free time. He never expected his visit to his hometown to turn into another job. His former High School flame has been arrested for murder but Hudson's gut instinct is she didn't do it. All he has to do now is prove it.For Sunny Travers, being back in Canyon Springs is bittersweet. She desperately misses her life in California but her grandmother needs her. Sunny's world flips upside down when she's arrested for killing the local hero. Now the citizens of Canyon Springs have turned against her and she's forced to accept help from the man who broke her heart all those years ago.Hudson knows Sunny hasn't forgiven him. Hell, he hasn't forgiven himself for how he left things but all his emotions take a back seat when someone tries to kill Sunny. Can Hudson protect Sunny long enough to apologize to her and right old wrongs or will the killer get to her first? (less)

Excerpt & Giveaway: Gold by Maureen A. Miller

I have another excerpt and giveaway today, for another new romantic suspense. Gold, by Maureen A. Miller . It released this week and takes place in a state I'd love to visit, but not live - Alaska!

USA TODAY bestselling author, Maureen A. Miller worked in the software industry for fifteen years. She crawled around plant floors in a hard hat and safety glasses hooking up computers to behemoth manufacturing machines. The job required extensive travel. The best form of escapism during those lengthy airport layovers became writing.

Maureen's first novel, WIDOW'S TALE, earned her a Golden Heart nomination in Romantic Suspense. After that she became hooked to the genre. In fact, she was so hooked she is the founder of the JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE website. (I didn't know that! I like that website. ~ Bea)

Giveaway and Mini-Excerpt: Justified Misfortune by Lori Matthews

Image from Lori Matthews website

Hello! Come on in and get comfortable. Today I have an excerpt and a giveaway for a romantic suspense, Misfortune Justified, by Lori Matthews. It's a stand alone story in a shared world series, the Brotherhood Protectors. Read the excerpt, then if you like it and you are in the USA, enter to win a paperback or ebook copy of the book.

Lori grew up in a house filled with books and readers. Some of her fondest memories are of reading in the same room with her mother and sisters, arguing about whose turn it was to make tea. No one wanted to put their book down! She was introduced to romance because of her mom’s habit of leaving books all over the house. One day she picked one up. She still remembers the cover. It was a Harlequin by Janet Daily. Little did she know at the time that it would set the stage for her future. Sge went on to discover mystery novels. Agatha Christie was her favorite. And then suspense with Wilber Smith and Ian Fleming. 

She loved the thought of combining her favorite genres, and during high school, she attempted to write her first romantic suspense novel.

Bea Reviews A Christmas Resolution by Anne Perry

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Nov. 3rd, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A smitten woman is about to marry a dangerous man--unless Detective Hooper and his new wife, Celia, can prevent it--in this wickedly tangled holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry.

Detective John Hooper, William Monk's right-hand man at the Thames River Police, is blissfully happy in his new marriage to Celia, the cousin of a victim in one of the river police's recent murder cases. Celia wants the same happiness for her good friend Clementine, who's just announced her engagement to Seth Marlowe, a member of her church. Christmas is nearing, and this should be extra cause for celebration, but when Marlowe begins receiving threatening letters about his first wife's death, it becomes clear that he is far from the devout man Clementine thought he was. In his rage, Marlowe accuses Celia of sending the letters, claiming she wants to ruin his engagement to Clementine. At a loss as to how to defend herself, Celia enlists Hooper to investigate the letters' claims, and what he finds makes her desperate to show Clementine the truth about her soon-to-be husband.

But Celia herself has not always been truthful, especially not during the murder trial following her cousin's death. How can she be believed now, when she lied on the stand? Especially when Marlowe knows that she did, and could use it against her. This Yuletide season finds love and faith put to the test--and Celia's and Clementine's lives on the line.

Bea Reviews No One Saw by Beverly Long

Series: A.L. McKittridge #2
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: MIRA
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 30th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Books | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Nobody saw a thing. Or so they say…

Baywood police department detective A.L. McKittridge is no stranger to tough cases, but when five-year-old Emma Whitman disappears from her day care, there isn’t a single shred of evidence to go on. Neither the grandmother who dropped her off, nor the teacher whose care she was supposed to be in, can account for the missing child. There are no witnesses. No trace of where she might have gone. There’s only one thing A.L. and his partner, Rena Morgan, are sure of—somebody is lying.

With the clock ticking, A.L. and Rena are under extreme pressure as they discover their instincts are correct: all is not as it seems. The Whitmans are a family with many secrets, and A.L. and Rena will have to race to untangle a growing web of lies if they’re going to find the thread that leads them to Emma…before it’s too late.

Books From the Backlog - British Murder Mysteries Boxed Set

This is a fun meme for sharing your TBR pile! There used to be another meme about neglected TBR books, known as Dusty Reads. That meme died and recently this one popped up. I'm delighted to participate and I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog. Join the fun and share a neglected book from your shelf.

This week's neglected book ~

Bea and A Voracious Reader Review The Vampire Book Club by Nancy Warren

Series: Vampire Book Club #1
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Ambleside Publishing
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Release Date: May 6th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

I was a divorced, middle-aged witch banished to Ireland.

My life could be summed up in a limerick...

There once was a misguided witch
Who tried a man’s fate to switch
Her punishment set
To Ireland she must get
But better than feathers and pitch!

With a name like Quinn Calahan I sounded as Irish as a leprechaun dancing a jig on a four leafed clover, but the truth was, I’d never been closer to the emerald isle than drinking green beer at the St Patrick’s day street party in Boston until I messed up so badly I had to leave the US. I was offered a job in a tiny village in Ireland that no one’s ever heard of. And I think that was the point in sending me there. How much trouble could a divorced, middle-aged witch get into in a village that boasted very few residents, one crumbling castle that attracted no tourists, and a post office that was only open Mondays and Thursdays?

You’d be surprised.

You will fall in love with this series about second chances, magical mayhem, and book club unlike any other. From the author of the best-selling Vampire Knitting Club series.

Bea Reviews Haunted by Cathy Pegau

Publisher: Cathy Pegau
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 15th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble  | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Environmental consultant Georgie Del Ducco sees dead people. Well, one dead person--her best friend, journalist Min Goldfelder. Min’s latest visit comes as Georgie flees her own wedding in her cheating ex-fiancé’s car. As much as Georgie appreciates Min’s company, she can’t help but wonder why her friend keeps showing up and hasn’t “crossed over.”

While Georgie’s being held for car theft, Min sees a man she knows is somehow connected to her fatal accident. And her accident is connected to a bear poaching story she was working on when she died. Can Georgie and Min solve the mystery of Min’s death so she can continue her journey to the other side? Better question: Can Georgie face having her BFF gone forever?

Content Warnings: scenes of dealing with grief and loss of a close friend and an adult child; brief rough handling by a former romantic partner; recounting fatal automobile accident and images of injuries.

Bea Reviews First Shot by John Ryder

Series: Grant Fletcher #1
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher:  Bookouture
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 4th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

“When girls go missing here, no one says a word…”

Twenty-four-year-old Lila has disappeared without a trace. It’s the kind of case that ex-military loner Grant Fletcher would normally be happy to take on—if someone had the money to pay him. But this one he’s doing for free. This one’s personal.

Fletcher owes his life to Lila’s father, from that time in Afghanistan he’d like to forget. And Fletcher knows that returning Lila safe and sound is the only thing that matters to his wheelchair-bound friend.

She last called her father from a small town called Daversville, in rural Georgia. A place—Fletcher discovers as he checks into the only motel—where folks are proud to keep themselves to themselves, and almost all the business comes from the giant sawmill that looms large over the town.

Before he’s even started looking for Lila, Fletcher finds trouble. And discovers that his friend’s daughter wasn’t the first girl to go missing in Daversville. Not the first by far.

Then the last person to have seen Lila before she disappeared is murdered. With Fletcher on the scene when her body is found, he becomes the local deputy’s only suspect, leaving him no choice but to go on the run. Because he knows someone’s abducting girls in this town. And he also knows he’s the only one who can find them…

Fans of the high-octane action and unforgettable heroes found in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne series and David Baldacci’s Amos Decker books will love First Shot.

Books From the Backlog - Survive the Night by Katie Ruggle

This is a fun meme for sharing your TBR pile! There used to be another meme about neglected TBR books, known as Dusty Reads. That meme died and recently this one popped up. I'm delighted to participate and I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog. Join the fun and share a neglected book from your shelf.

This week's neglected book ~

Friday Book Memes: Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo

I'm participating in two Friday book memes, Book Beginnings On Fridays, hosted by Rose City Reader, and The Friday 56, hosted by Freda's Voice.

Every Friday, share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

For the Friday 56, grab a book, any book. Turn to Page 56, or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that's okay. Find a snippet, short and sweet. Post it, and add the url to your post at the link here.

EXCERPT: Flatline by Linda Bond

Welcome to my stop on the tour for this new romantic suspense. Monday I reviewed it and today I have an excerpt for you. Enjoy!

Author Linda Bond was born in San Francisco, California but spent most of her life in the south, attending middle and high school in Greenville, South Carolina and college at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. She’s worked as a television news reporter and anchor in Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa, Florida. For more than twenty years, she’s been a reporter, sharing important information with viewers on the latest medical breakthroughs and writing emotional, human-interest stories on those who have the courage and spirit to fight for their lives.

Bea Reviews Flatline by Linda Bond

Series: The Investigators #3
Read As A Standalone: Yes
Publisher: Entangled Amara
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 25th, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Apple Books* | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

People are dying in Dr. Joshua Salvador’s ER. His medical assistant, only weeks from delivering her baby, hangs on to life by a thread. The symptoms seem horrifyingly familiar, and he begins to suspect the deaths are targeted at him. But, before he can figure things out, top TV investigator Rachel Wright is standing in the middle of his ER, convinced an outbreak, an epidemic, or even a botched flu vaccine could be the cause, and she’s going to tell the world.

Each book in the Investigators series is STANDALONE:
* Alive at 5
* Cuba Undercover
* Flatline