Review & Giveaway: The Hair Book by LaTonya Yvette, Illustrated by Amanda Jane Jones

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Source: pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 3rd, 2022

Formats Available: Hardcover, Board book, Ebook
Buying Links: Amazon*  | BookShop.org | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from PR Firm:

With bold, colorful graphics and poetic rhyme, this is a stunning tribute to every kind of hair, perfect for fans of Hair Love.

Covered hair, Bun Hair, Party Hair… No matter your hair—YOU are welcome anywhere!

Author and lifestyle blogger, LaTonya Yvette makes her children’s book debut with a must-have gift purchase for any occasion alongside art from award-winning illustrator Amanda Jane Jones.

Review:
“Striking spreads include bold and eye-catching colors that celebrate the diversity of beauty.” — School Library Journal, Starred review

Could I Be As Brave as Bilbo? #TolkienReadingDay

 

I'm delighted to be participating in Tolkien Reading day. It's held on the 25th of March each year. The 25th of March is the date of the downfall of Sauron, the Lord of the Rings, and the fall of Barad-dûr. It's been organized by the Tolkien Society since 2003 to encourage fans to celebrate and promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien by reading favorite passages.

Review & Excerpt: Lightning In A Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz

Series: Fogg Lake #3
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes, but not recommended
Publisher: Berkley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: January 18th, 2022
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 publicist:

New York Times bestselling romantic thriller writer Jayne Ann Krentz returns this fall with the explosive final installment of her chilling Fogg Lake trilogy. Whispers of the elusive Vortex lab have erupted the paranormal underground into chaos, and it is up to psychics Olivia LeClair and Harlan Rancourt to find it before its immense power falls into the wrong hands in LIGHTNING IN A MIRROR.

Private Investigator Olivia LeClair wasn’t sure what to expect when she signed up for the Four Event Success Guaranteed speed dating package, but a run-in with a serial killer certainly wasn’t on the list. Thinking it couldn’t get much stranger than that, Olivia decides to give it another shot. Of course, when you’re a powerful aura reader from a mysterious town buried under government conspiracies, strange doesn’t even begin to cover it.

So, when Harlan Rancourt, a man long thought to be dead, shows up at the next round of speed dating, she takes it in stride. After years on the run from the Foundation, a shadowy organization that both protects and polices psychics, Harlan is sure he’s finally found a lead on the mysterious Vortex, which played a role in permanently altering the DNA of every resident in Fogg Lake. He’s convinced that Olivia, a direct descendent of powerful oracles in Fogg Lake, is the only one who can help him locate the lab.

Olivia isn’t convinced. She’s not an oracle, and though she has powerful psychic energy, so do plenty of others. She doesn’t even know if she can trust Harlan. Though he looks perfectly “average” on the surface, Olivia immediately sensed he was far more powerful than the Foundation knew—and there was a very real possibility that he only resurfaced to claim leadership of the Foundation for himself. But when Harlan tells Olivia that Vortex may be the key to uncovering her mother’s killer, she has no choice but to follow him into the depths of danger and secrecy before those hunting the lab—and the oracle at its center—catch up to them.

Happy Holidays!

 

Merry Christmas and happy New Year from Claude, Lola, Prince, and I to you and your families. May you have peace, health, and joy now and in the future.

Review, Excerpt & Giveaway: Her Second Death by Melinda Leigh

Series: Bree Taggert #.5

Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Source: Publicist in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Dec. 7th, 2021
Buying Links: Amazon* | * affiliate link; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through this link.

Blurb from goodreads:

In this short-story prequel to the Bree Taggert series by #1 Amazon Charts and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh, a murder investigation yields parallels to the Philly detective’s own frightening past.

When a man is shot in the head, Bree Taggert and her new partner, veteran detective Dana Romano, respond to the call. They break the news to the victim’s ex-wife and learn the estranged couple’s five-year-old daughter was supposed to have been with him. What starts as a murder investigation quickly morphs into a desperate search for a missing child. The case stirs memories of Bree’s own traumatizing childhood. To find the little girl, Bree will have to relive her own terrifying past. 

Review and Excerpt: Guild Boss by Jayne Castle

Series: Ghost Hunters #14
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Berkley Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Nov. 16th, 2021
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:

Welcome to Illusion Town on the colony world of Harmony—like Las Vegas on Earth, but way more weird.

Living in this new, alien world doesn’t stop the settlers from trying to re-create what they’ve left behind. Case in point—weddings are still the highlight of any social calendar. But it’s the after-party that turns disastrous for Lucy Bell. Kidnapped and drugged as she leaves the party, she manages to escape—only to find herself lost in the mysterious, alien underground maze of glowing green tunnels beneath Illusion Town. She’s been surviving on determination and cold pizza, scavenged for her by a special dust bunny, when help finally shows up.

Gabriel Jones is the Guild Hunter sent to rescue her, but escaping the underground ruins isn’t the end of her troubles—it’s only the beginning. With no rational reason for her abduction, and her sole witness gone on another assignment for the Guild, whispers start circulating that Lucy made it all up. Soon her life unravels until she has nothing left but her pride. The last thing she expects is for Gabriel Jones to come back to town for her.

The Lucy that Gabriel finds is not the same woman he rescued, the one who looked at him as if he were her hero. This Lucy is sharp, angry, and more than a little cynical—instead of awe, she treats him with extreme caution. But a killer is still hunting her, and there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to heroes. Despite her wariness, Gabriel is also the one person who believes Lucy—after all, he was there. He’s determined to help clear her reputation, no matter what it takes. And as the new Guild Boss, his word is law, even in the lawlessness of Illusion Town.

Bea Reviews The Demon Equilibrium by Cathy Pegau

Publisher: Bywater Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: Nov. 2nd, 2021

Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Bywater Books | iBooks* | Kobo
* associate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When the demonic Horde threatens to unleash Hell on Earth, two women must summon every bit of their shared power to save the world.

Grace Carter, a “source” of magic, has spent the last nine months searching for Maggie Mulvaney, her “catalyst.” The joy of reuniting with her partner—and her lover—is thwarted by her worst fear: Maggie doesn’t remember Grace or their life together. Grace blames the Order of Saint Teresa, the centuries-old organization that trained them to be the strongest demon-hunting duo in generations. But why has the Order done this?

As Maggie and Grace begin to piece their lives back together, they discover that their memories have been masked by someone within the Order. Should the Horde succeed in their plan, those who have committed their lives to slaying worldly demons will be relegated to little more than minions as humans are completely enslaved.

Now, Grace and Maggie must sacrifice everything, possibly even their lives, as they battle to save humanity.

Not of This World, or Why Author Cathy Pegau Writes Speculative Fiction

Please welcome Cathy Pegau back to the blog in celebration of her new release, The Demon Equilibrium. It's a steampunk adventure romance, and it's available now. Be sure to come back on Monday for my review. Spoiler - I liked it! 

Not sure about buying the book? If you are in the USA and have access to Hoopla, it's available there! CLICK TO READ.