Review: House at the Bottom of a Lake

 

A House at the Bottom of a Lake
Author: Josh Malerman
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis:

Both seventeen. Both afraid. But both saying yes.

It sounded like the perfect first date: canoeing across a chain of lakes, sandwiches and beer in the cooler. But teenagers Amelia and James discover something below the water’s surface that changes their lives forever.

It’s got two stories.

It’s got a garden.

And the front door is open.

It’s a house at the bottom of a lake.

For the teens, there is only one rule: no questions. And yet, how could a place so spectacular come with no price tag? While the duo plays house beneath the waves, one reality remains:

Just because a house is empty, doesn’t mean nobody’s home.

My Review:

I am both in awe of what I have read and baffled by it. I am left with so many questions; yet the amount of feelings, wonders, and thoughts that this work has provoked has somehow overwhelmed my desire to answer said questions. I don't need answers. I am content with this book as a whole and how it has left this sense of enthrallment when I think back to it. This was one of those books I will think back upon with a smile.

Find out more about the book and where to purchase it:

Goodreads
Author Website

-Brenda Franklin, Author of the Pulse Trilogy

October Reads 2017

Eight fun reads down! 34 of 52. 18 more to go until my goal at the end of the year. I might not make it due to the fact that this time of the year is crazy busy. But I have discovered so many amazing authors this year and I look forward to discovering many more.

Adult Reads:

The Sleeping Beauty Killer by Mary Higgins Clark ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
The third thrilling installment in the bestselling Under Suspicion series from #1 New York Times bestselling author and “Queen of Suspense” Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke—television producer Laurie Moran puts everything on the line to help a woman she thinks was wrongfully convicted of murder.

Casey Carter was convicted of murdering her fiancé—famed philanthropist Hunter Raleigh III—fifteen years ago. And Casey claims—has always claimed—she’s innocent. Although she was charged and served out her sentence in prison, she is still living “under suspicion.” She hears whispers at the grocery store. She can’t get a job. Even her own mother treats her like she’s guilty. Her story attracts the attention of Laurie Moran and the Under Suspicion news team—it’s Casey’s last chance to finally clear her name, and Laurie pledges to exonerate her.

With Alex Buckley taking a break from the show—cooling his potential romance with Laurie—Under Suspicion introduces a new on-air host named Ryan Nichols, a young legal whiz with a Harvard Law degree, Supreme Court clerkship, experience as a federal prosecutor, and regular stints on the cable news circuit. He’s got a big reputation and the attitude to match it. Ryan has no problems with steering—and stealing—the show, and even tries to stop Laurie from taking on Casey’s case because he’s so certain she’s guilty.

An egomaniacal new co-host, a relentless gossip columnist who seems to have all the dirt (and a surprising informant), and Casey’s longstanding bad reputation: Laurie must face this and more to do what she believes is right, to once and for all prove Casey’s innocence—that is, if she’s innocent… The Sleeping Beauty Killer will keep you guessing until the very end.

The Woman Who Couldn't Scream by Christina Dobb ⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
From the New York Times bestselling author comes the fourth novel of suspense taking place in Virtue Falls, Washington.

Beautiful Merida is married to a wealthy older man who takes her around the world as his trophy. Merida is everything a man could want. But a traumatic accident years before left her without the ability to speak. When her husband dies, she knows it's her chance to exact revenge on those responsible for her accident—and that vengeance begins in Virtue Falls. Reinventing herself, she slips into village life, biding her time. But someone knows exactly who she is and will use this chance to finish what was started years ago. And this time an accident for Merida will mean silencing her forever.

The Blackest Crimson by Debbie Webb ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
Detective Bobbie Gentry was psyched when she was offered the opportunity to work with the FBI on a special task force in the search for a heinous serial killer known as the Storyteller. What she didn't expect was for the serial killer to follow her home on Christmas Eve...

The Storyteller couldn't resist Bobbie no matter the risk. He murdered her husband and would have murdered her child but the little boy got away. Now Bobbie's fight for survival might just be more than he bargained for...

One of them must die.

The Blackest Crimson is the prequel to No Darker Place, the first in the stunning Shades of Death series!


Craving by Helen Hardt ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
After being left at the altar, Jade Roberts seeks solace at her best friend’s ranch on the Colorado western slope. Her humiliation still ripe, she doesn't expect to be attracted to her friend’s reticent brother, but when the gorgeous cowboy kisses her, all bets are off.

Talon Steel is broken. Having never fully healed from a horrific childhood trauma, he simply exists, taking from women what is offered and giving nothing in return...until Jade Roberts catapults into his life. She is beautiful, sweet, and giving, and his desire for her becomes a craving he fears he'll never be able to satisfy.

Passion sizzles between the two lovers...but long-buried secrets haunt them both and may eventually tear them apart.

A Snow Country Christmas by Linda miller ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
It's a Christmas affair to remember as a Hollywood mogul discovers his inner cowboy—and the woman of his dreams—amid the rugged beauty of Wyoming.

Raine McCall would take snow-covered mountains over a star-studded premiere any day. But when hotshot movie executive Mick Branson arranges dinner on Christmas Eve to discuss a work opportunity, she's intrigued—by the offer and the man. She's a no-makeup, no-frills single mom, who's happy with her quiet life. Sharing chili cheeseburgers and sizzling kisses with Mick is sure heating up her holiday, but country girl and power player don't mix…

It's not just work that's brought Mick back to Mustang Creek. Since he first visited to oversee a documentary, free-spirited graphic designer Raine has been in his head. Her approach to life is as unconventional as her quirky holiday ornaments. Their attraction is undeniable—and so are their differences. Putting down roots in the Wild West wasn't in the script. But there are some Christmas gifts you can't walk away from, even when they turn your whole world upside down…

The Lightning Thief ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Gill's All Night Diner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
Bloodier than Fried Green Tomatoes!
Funnier than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

Welcome to Gil's All Night Diner, where zombie attacks are a regular occurrence and you never know what might be lurking in the freezer . . .

Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the Diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren't planning to stick around-until Loretta, the eatery's owner, offers them $100 to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl's a vampire, this looks right up their alley.
But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg. Seems someone's out to drive Loretta from the Diner, and more than willing to raise a little Hell on Earth if that's what it takes. Before Duke and Earl get to the bottom of the Diner's troubles, they'll run into such otherworldly complications as undead cattle, an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and the terrifying occult power of pig-latin.
And maybe--just maybe--the End of the World, too.

Gory, sexy, and flat-out hilarious, Gil's All Fright Diner will tickle your funnybone--before ripping it out of its socket!

Children's book:

Creepy Pair of Underwear ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads synopsis:
Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark. A ghoulish, greenish glow. If Jasper didn’t know any better he’d say his undies were a little, well, creepy. Jasper’s not scared obviously, he’s just done with creepy underwear. But after trying everything to get rid of them, they keep coming back!

August Reads

With three months down in my new job I feel amazing. Not only that, but my husband and I got a puppy! Her name is Ursulina. She is a ball of energy and exactly what our older Lab needs. Amazingly enough our two cats actually really like her. So I am all around in bliss. Most of the time. :)

Below are a list of books I read this month in no particular order.

In August:

Fiction

Bones never lie (Book 17)
Author: Kathy Reichs
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the acclaimed author’s thrilling new novel, Brennan is at the top of her game in a battle of wits against the most monstrous adversary she has ever encountered.

Unexpectedly called in to the Charlotte PD’s Cold Case Unit, Dr. Temperance Brennan wonders why she’s been asked to meet with a homicide cop who’s a long way from his own jurisdiction. The shocking answer: Two child murders, separated by thousands of miles, have one thing in common—the killer. Years ago, Anique Pomerleau kidnapped and murdered a string of girls in Canada, then narrowly eluded capture. It was a devastating defeat for her pursuers, Brennan and police detective Andrew Ryan. Now, as if summoned from their nightmares, Pomerleau has resurfaced in the United States, linked to victims in Vermont and North Carolina. When another child is snatched, the reign of terror promises to continue—unless Brennan can rise to the challenge and make good on her second chance to stop a psychopath.

But Brennan will have to draw her bitter ex-partner out of exile, keep the local police and feds from one another’s throats, and face more than just her own demons as she stalks the deadliest of predators into the darkest depths of madness.

In Bones Never Lie, Kathy Reichs never fails to satisfy readers looking for psychological suspense that’s more than skin-deep.


In a Whisper
Author: Diana Nixon
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis from Goodreads:

There are things that are so hard to say aloud. Especially when it comes to something that you never thought your heart was capable of feeling…
In Ashton Bright’s life, there is no place for feelings. A successful surgeon, he knows how to make hearts beat faster, yet his own heart is as cold as a scalpel. He doesn’t know how to do romance, and he knows even less about love.
The day Nicola Holt comes to work as Ashton’s assistant, everything he believed was right for him becomes wrong. For someone whose everyday job is saving lives, Ashton finds himself too weak to stand against Nicola’s charm.
But most of all, he hates that she makes him feel things – the things he once swore to never allow himself to be submerged in.
“I have spent my whole life searching for what I have found in you. I do not want to let it go...”


Sting
Sandra Brown
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Jordie Bennet and Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something definitely sparks. Shaw gives off a dangerous vibe that makes men wary and inspires women to sit up and take notice. None feel that undercurrent more strongly than savvy businesswoman Jordie, who doesn't belong in a seedy dive on the banks of a bayou. But here she is . . . and Shaw Kinnard is here to kill her.

As Shaw and his partner take aim, Jordie is certain her time has come. But Shaw has other plans and abducts Jordie, hoping to get his hands on the $30 million her brother has stolen and, presumably, hidden. However, Shaw is not the only one looking for the fortune. Her brother's ruthless boss and the FBI are after it as well. Now on the run from the feds and a notorious criminal, Jordie and Shaw must rely on their wits-and each other-to stay alive.

Miles away from civilization and surrounded by swampland, the two play each other against their common enemies. Jordie's only chance of survival is to outwit Shaw, but it soon becomes clear to Shaw that Jordie isn't entirely trustworthy, either. Was she in on her brother's scam, or is she an innocent pawn in a deadly vendetta? And just how valuable is her life to Shaw, her remorseless and manipulative captor? Burning for answers-and for each other-this unlikely pair ultimately make a desperate move that could be their last.

With nonstop plot twists and the tantalizing sexual tension that has made Sandra Brown one of the world's best-loved authors, STING will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the final pages.

#1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sandra Brown jolts the reader from the first page of this heart-pounding story of corruption, treachery, and ceaseless deception . . .where nothing is what it seems and every truth brought to light exposes a darker lie.

Midnight Crossing
Author: Charlene Harris
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis from Goodreads:

Welcome to Midnight, Texas, a town with many boarded-up windows and few full-time inhabitants, located at the crossing of Witch Light Road and Davy Road. It’s a pretty standard dried-up western town.

There’s a pawnshop (someone lives in the basement and is seen only at night). There’s a diner (people who are just passing through tend not to linger). And there’s new resident Manfred Bernardo, who thinks he’s found the perfect place to work in private (and who has secrets of his own).

Stop at the one traffic light in town, and everything looks normal. Stay awhile, and learn the truth...



Renegade Son
Author: Lisa Jackson
My Rating: ⭐
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The prettiest single mom in Montana
With unscrupulous enemies, a rebellious child and a ranch that was slowly being sabotaged, Danielle Summers had to shore up her defenses! If she wasn't careful, rugged Chase McEnroe would invade more than just her property -- he'd trespass on her heart.

Chase wasn't planning on seducing Danielle for her land. His reasons for wanting the sexy single mom in his bed had more to do with desire. But that didn't mean this renegade son was ready to settle down. It would take more than a beautiful woman with a pretty piece of property to make this confirmed bachelor change his tune.

But then, Chase had never counted on falling in love...

I've got you under my Skin
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Laurie Moran's husband was brutally murdered, only three-year-old Timmy saw the face of his father's killer. Five years later his piercing blue eyes still haunt Timmy's dreams. Laurie is haunted by more: the killer's threat to her son as he fled the scene: Tell your mother she's next, then it's your turn . .

Now Laurie is dealing with murder again, this time as the producer of a true-crime, cold-case television show. The series will launch with the twenty-year-old unsolved murder of Betsy Powell. Betsy, a socialite, was found suffocated in her bed after a gala celebrating the graduation of her daughter and three friends. The sensational murder was news nationwide. Reopening the case in its lavish setting and with the cooperation of the surviving guests that night, Laurie is sure to have a hit on her hands. But when the estranged friends begin filming, it becomes clear each is hiding secrets . . . small and large.

And a pair of blue eyes is watching events unfold, too . . .

Young Adult Fiction

A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
My Rating: 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Synopsis from Goodreads:

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

July Reads

I recently got a new job working at the library and I am proud to say that I have finally found time to read all the books I want that are sitting at my finger tips! At my job before I was constantly under stress (which I did enjoy at times) and unable to pull away from work, even at home. Now, I can separate the two and I find that my stress levels have gone down exponentially. Which means I will live longer! Or, so I hear. :) With all that being said here is a list of book I finished in July.

Fiction reads

You Will Pay
Author: Lisa Jackson
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It starts as a prank a way to blow off steam after a long summer at Camp Horseshoe. Among the teen counselors, tensions and hormones are running high. No wonder the others agree when Jo-Beth Chancellor suggests they scare Monica O Neal a little .or a lot. Monica has it coming, and no one will really get hurt. What could go wrong?

Everything.

Twenty years later, Lucas Dalton, a senior detective with the sheriff s department, is investigating the discovery of human remains in a cavern at what used to be Camp Horseshoe. Lucas knows the spot well. His father, a preacher, ran the camp, and Lucas worked there that infamous summer when two girls went missing. One is believed to have been killed by a convict on the loose. Monica O Neal is thought to have drowned and been washed out to sea.

Lucas knows he should step down from such a personal case. He s already jeopardized his career by removing evidence of his involvement. But maybe it s time to uncover the whole truth at last. That s why five former female counselors are coming back to the small Oregon town among them, Bernadette Warden, the woman Lucas has never forgotten. Each one knows something about that terrible night. Each promised not to tell. And as they reunite, a new horror unfolds. First come notes containing a personal memento and a simple, terrifying message: You will pay. Then, the murders begin.

It started years ago. But it will end here as a web of lust, greed, and betrayal is untangled to reveal a killer waiting to enact the perfect revenge.

Still Missing
Author: Shevy Stevens
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐


Synopsis from Goodread:
On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a 32-year-old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever-patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Still Missing interweaves the year Annie spent as the captive of a psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfold through sessions with her psychiatrist, with a second narrative following the events after her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

Still Missing is a shocking, visceral, brutal and beautifully crafted novel.



If I Run
Author: Terry Blackstock
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis from Goodread:
Casey knows the truth.

But it won’t set her free.

Casey Cox’s DNA is all over the crime scene. There’s no use talking to police; they have failed her abysmally before. She has to flee before she’s arrested . . . or worse. The truth doesn’t matter anymore.

But what is the truth? That’s the question haunting Dylan Roberts, the war-weary veteran hired to find Casey. PTSD has marked him damaged goods, but bringing Casey back can redeem him. Though the crime scene seems to tell the whole story, details of the murder aren’t adding up. Casey Cox doesn’t fit the profile of a killer. But are Dylan’s skewed perceptions keeping him from being objective? If she isn’t guilty, why did she run?

Unraveling her past and the evidence that condemns her will take more time than he has, but as Dylan’s damaged soul intersects with hers, he is faced with two choices. The girl who occupies his every thought is a psychopathic killer . . . or a selfless hero. And the truth could be the most deadly weapon yet.


If I'm Found
Author: Terry Blackstock
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis from Goodread:
Is Dylan hunting Casey to prosecute her or protect her?


Casey Cox is still on the run, fleeing prosecution for a murder she didn’t commit. Dylan Roberts—her most relentless pursuer—is still on her trail, but his secret emails insist that he knows the truth and wants to help her. He’s let her escape before when he had her in his grasp, but trust doesn’t come easily.


As Casey works to collect evidence about the real murderers, she stumbles on another unbearable injustice: an abused child and a suicidal man who’s also been falsely accused. Casey risks her own safety to right this wrong and protect the little girl from her tormenters. But doing so is risky and just may result in her capture—and if she’s captured, she has no doubt she’ll be murdered before she ever steps foot in a jail.


In this riveting sequel to the USA Today bestseller If I Run, evil lurks, drawing Casey out of the shadows . . . but there is light shining in the darkness. Is Dylan a provision from the God who loves her, or another heartache yet to happen?

Non fiction

Furiously Happy, A funny book about horrible things
Author:Jenny Lawson
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Synopsis from Goodread:
In LET'S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED, Jenny Lawson baffled readers with stories about growing up the daughter of a taxidermist. In her new book, FURIOUSLY HAPPY, Jenny explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea. And terrible ideas are what Jenny does best.

According to Jenny: "Some people might think that being 'furiously happy' is just an excuse to be stupid and irresponsible and invite a herd of kangaroos over to your house without telling your husband first because you suspect he would say no since he's never particularly liked kangaroos. And that would be ridiculous because no one would invite a herd of kangaroos into their house. Two is the limit. I speak from personal experience. My husband says that none is the new limit. I say he should have been clearer about that before I rented all those kangaroos."

"Most of my favorite people are dangerously fucked-up but you'd never guess because we've learned to bare it so honestly that it becomes the new normal. Like John Hughes wrote in The Breakfast Club, 'We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.' Except go back and cross out the word 'hiding.'"

Jenny's first book, LET'S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED, was ostensibly about family, but deep down it was about celebrating your own weirdness. FURIOUSLY HAPPY is a book about mental illness, but under the surface it's about embracing joy in fantastic and outrageous ways-and who doesn't need a bit more of that?

Children books

Stay: A girl, a dog, and a bucket list
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Eli the dog has been with Astrid since her parents brought her home from the hospital as a baby. Now Astrid is getting older, and so is Eli. Before he slows down too much, Astrid wants to make fun memories with him. So she makes a bucket list for Eli, which includes experiences such as eating with him in a restaurant, and taking him down a slide at the playground.

But in the end, what is most important to Eli is the time he spends with Astrid, whom he loves dearly. Sisters Kate and M. Sarah Klise have created a story that reminds readers of all ages that time with our loved ones is the most precious gift of all.




Young adult

Define Normal
Author: Julie Anne Peters
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Antonia is eager to participate in the new peer counseling program at school—until she learns the person she's supposed to counsel is Jasmine Luther. "Jazz" is anything but Antonia's peer. She's a punker, a druggie, a gang hanger. As their peer counseling sessions progress, Antonia and Jazz discover they have more in common than they could ever have imagined. Can a "normal" person like Antonia trust a psycho freaky whacked-out punker like Jazz? Does she dare?

Diana Nixon, an International Bestselling Author of contemporary and paranormal romances, is a woman of contradictions. She was born in Minsk, Belarus. She has a Master of Law degree and speaks several foreign languages, including English, Polish and Spanish.

Diana’s writing career is like a roller coaster ride. It started with a fantasy novel named Love Lines, that was originally written in Russian and only later, it was translated into English. Since then, she has published 17 more books, both of contemporary and fantasy genres. Diana's books are being translated into Spanish, French and Russian.

If you haven't already heard the final for her Fantasy series, Love Lines, Upon The Stars is coming out soon. But we are not here for that today. Today we are elated to be revealing the cover for the second book in her Romance duet Set Me Free!

Book 1 Set Me Free

It was supposed to be just another day at work for a local newspaper reporter, Stella Holt. She had always loved her job, and believed she was good at it. Until one day when she was sent to interview the author of a worldwide bestseller who had made so many women fall in love with him.

James Collins is not just a word-painter. His every work is a masterpiece, a perfect blend of mystery and mind-blowing romance. Only in his own life, there is no place for romance. He knows everything about women, starting from what they like most, and to the ways to seduce them with only a glance. But there’s a secret that has been aggrieving him for years, a secret that has locked his heart forever…

“I thought I would never fall in love with you, Stella. And I didn’t… I drowned in you…”

--------------------My Review-------------------

Set Me Free is a Romance about a journalist, Stella, and a sexy romance writer, James, whose instant connection is both tantalizing and terrifying. The heat they feel for one another is the kind of fire that could either kill them or send them to the stars of happiness, if either one could fully commit and overcome their past to survive a future together.

Some relationships are about overcoming one’s past to find your future and this is one of those stories. Filled with laughter, naughty scenes, and pull at your heart strings moment, especially when it comes to James back story. As the story progresses James decides, like with all his other women he is going to take what he wants and be done with her. He will just use her as inspiration for his latest book. But it doesn’t turn out like he expected and she isn’t so easy to forget. He is drowning in all things Stella as she is falling pretty hard for a man that she told herself to stay away from! Darn her uncle for making her interview such a man as James. Just five questions, how bad could this be? Yep, it is bad. How is it even possible to resist such an enticing man and in the end there is no fighting him. She just has to hang onto and enjoy the joy that is, loving James. :)

This story is a fiery one with plenty of passionate scenes along with an array of humorous moments. What’s a good romance novel without a little fun? And it is crammed pack with it! From Stella’s hilarious sister and the moment they see James swimming in the nude, to her best friends betting against her in sleeping with James (I would be in on this bet), it’s all fun! There isn’t a duel moment and I expected no less from author Diana Nixon. She puts her heart and wonderful spirit into everything she writes and I can’t get enough of it. I would recommend this to anyone, be it your first time reading Diana’s work or someone familiar with her writing, it’s just too fun to pass up.

My favorite scene, as will be many others, would have to be the cooking lesson. Got to love a man that knows his way around a kitchen. ;)

And NOW! What you have been waiting for!! The next book in her Set Me Free duet is!

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.

....

......

Isn't it lovely!?

IN A WHISPER by Diana Nixon

COVER REVEAL

There are things that are so hard to say aloud. Especially when it comes to something that you never thought your heart was capable of feeling…

In Ashton Bright’s life, there is no place for feelings. A successful surgeon, he knows how to make hearts beat faster, yet his own heart is as cold as a scalpel He doesn’t know how to do romance, and he knows even less about love.

The day Nicola Holt comes to work as Ashton’s assistant, everything he believed was right for him becomes wrong. For someone whose everyday job is saving lives, Ashton finds himself too weak to stand against Nicola’s charm.

But most of all, he hates that she makes him feel things – the things he once swore to never allow himself to be submerged in.

“I have spent my whole life searching for what I have found in you. I do not want to let it go...”

ADD ON GOODREADS:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34997211-in-a-whisper

If you haven’t read the first story from SET ME FREE duet, DO IT NOW!!!

Available in Paperback, Kindle and e-Book formats.

Stores: www.diana-nixon.com/stores

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For more information on Diana Nixon or her books please visit her sites below:

Official page: www.diana-nixon.com

Twitter: @DianaNixon9 https://twitter.com/DianaNixon9

Instagram: @authordiananixon https://www.instagram.com/authordiananixon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordiananixon/?ref=settings

Facebook - Libros de DIANA NIXON:

https://www.facebook.com/librosdediananixon/?ref=settings

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diananixon96/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/112813735252711884205/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5814368.Diana_Nixon

Books read in 2016

Books read in 2016:

Nancy Drew Books:

The secret of the Old clock         🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Hidden staircase                   🌟🌟🌟🌟

The bungalow Mystery                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The mystery at the Lilac Inn        🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Secret of shadow Ranch       🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Secret of Red gate Farm       🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The clue in the Diary                   🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Nancy’s Mysterious Letter           🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Sign of the Twisted candles  🌟🌟🌟🌟

Password to Larkspur Lane          🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sherrilyn Kenyon:

Silent Truth (B.A.D. Agency, #4)                                      🌟🌟

Bad Attitude (B.A.D. Agency, #1)                                    🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Unleash the Night (Dark-Hunter, #8; were-hunter, #2)    🌟🌟🌟

Dream Chaser (Dark-Hunter, #13; Dream-Hunter, #3)    🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Sins of the Night (Dark-Hunter, #7)                                 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Christine Feehan:

Oceans of Fire (Drake Sister, #3)                                           🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Cat’s Lair (Leopard People, #7)                                             🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Christine Feehan Holiday Treasury (Drake Sisters, #2)     🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Fire Bound (Sea Haven, #5)                                                   🌟🌟🌟🌟

Dark Fire (Dark, #6)                                                                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lynsay Sands:

A Quick Bite (Argeneau, #1)                                                  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Tall, Dark, & Hungry (Argeneau, #4)                                     🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

T.S. Joyce:

Lumberjack Werebear (Saw Bears, #1)                                   🌟🌟🌟🌟

V. Vaughn:

Brindle (Winter Valley Wolves, #1)                                        🌟🌟

Disney:

Descendants: Junior Novel                                                      🌟🌟🌟🌟

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Anna Snow:

Bubblegum Blonde                                                                  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Kylie Scott:

Dirty (Dive Bar, #1)                                                                 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Lick (Stage Dive, #1)                                                               🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

How do you publish a book?

How do you publish a book?

I've been asked this question a lot lately so I figured I'd write out my response here. :) Now, there are probably other ways to go about getting published that I haven't mentioned, I"m just covering what I have done on my own for self-publishing and what I know about going through an agent. There are exceptions for everything and for all I know your ex Sister-In-Law is BFF with the editor at some company and smuggled your manuscript into his/her stack and you were picked! I mean, you never know. Again, I'm going to go over what I know and my own experiences. If you have any recommended sites to help budding writers please post a comment below.

There are two routes you can take for publishing that we are going to talk about.

1.) Publishing with someone (agent and publishing house)

If you want to use an agent they will take the bulk of the work that you would have to do yourself for self-publishing. Such as editing (though it needs to be as perfect as possible), deciding upon the cover (you are lucky to get options as a new author), uploading into medias (though you still should advertise, it is your book after all), and taking it to publishing houses to get it out there for the world.

If you are going to try this route first then I would make sure the MS (Manuscript) is finished and edited. Agents want finished works.

To find an agent you can go to a number of places: http://aaronline.org/Find?&tab=2 is one of many. Always research your agent and send what they would like. If you write romance don't send a Query to to an agent looking for Middle Grade stories. I know that sounds like common knowledge, but I have read many agent complaints about this simple mistake and they won't read your letter. Also, make sure the agent is even accepting queries at this time. Some people are closed if they are over swamped with work.

A Query letter can be found and explained here: http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx This site gives a breakdown of a query letter as well as example links towards the bottom.

You can send out as many letter as you would like to different people, just follow their submission guidelines located on their sites. And good luck! :D There world is huge and sometimes you might get a hundred nos before you get that one yes that will make all the difference. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/24/book-published_n_4143819.html

2.) Self-Publishing

There are probably more ways such as selling your work to the publishing house directly and buy copies to sell to individual businesses and some such, but I haven't researched those enough to know the correct way to do this route.

For Self-publishing you have to do everything an agent would do. You take over being the editor, cover designer, marketer, and anything else you need to be. Granted, there are plenty of people out there who will help you. There are editors and cover designers who are more than willing to help you out for a price, and I find that it is worth it. Just know who you are buying from. Join an author group on social media and start asking questions. The community is one of the best ways to not only advertise yourself, but to make connections and gain experience.

Decide if you want to make it ebook only or paperback (which the sites you go through for this usually have an ebook ability So no use doing the work twice over when some site does it all for you.)

If you want to make it a paperback you can pick between two sites that I know of. Lulu and Createspace. Both sites are just personal preference. I would read through each and find out their rules, royalties, distributors, and their own clients even. It's personal preference. I use Createspace and my friend, Diana, uses Lulu. I have books from both companies and they don't look any different from one another.

Both sites also take you through a thorough step by step process to help you publish giving examples and explanations to most everything. If you aren't certain about something there are forums to turn to or you can even message the people of the site directly.

Once you decide what site they should provide you with templates on how to properly Format your book, which to me, takes the longest! Or you can pay someone to do it for you. I personally don't want to waste the money on something when I can just take the time to do it myself. You're first Book is the slowest to format because you're learning all of this, but don't let it deter you at all.

Once you follow the sites and send off your cover and book to be looked at they will let you know once it is accepted and also tell you if there are any issues for you to change and you can do so and then send it to be submitted to the site for selling.

Now, all along this way (depending on who you are) you could be advertising yourself and setting up cover reveals, guest blog posts, sneak peak excerpts for people to be teased with, and the release date all the way up until the book finally is out. Even after you should keep posting about it from time to time, hold a raffle, give away signed copies. I mean anything to spread the words of your book at that point. But it won't sell itself.

In the end it's your choice which route you would like to do. :)

I hope this helps out a bit. If you have anymore questions let me know.

Brenda Franklin, author of The Pulse Trilogy.

Some more helpful links: 

Createspace.com

Lulu.com

Cover Artists:

Jennifer Munswami (She did my Pulse Trilogy Book) http://www.jennifermunswami.com/

(Facebook groups you should look at!)

https://www.facebook.com/GiGiCoverDesigns/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WeCOVERIt/

https://www.facebook.com/bookcoverbydesign/photos/a.257923174340190.64987.254127928053048/846191978846637/?type=3

Nightmares and Remedies 1st Excerpt

Title: Nightmares and Remedies

Series: A Pulse World Novel

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: July 1st 2016

Blurb

Haunted by reoccurring nightmares of silver eyes and sharp fangs, Bethany Jean, is at her wits end. She feels like she’s being watched all the time. At home, in the street; even at work! Nowhere feels safe. But just when she’s considering help for her delusions Bethany comes face to face with a living breathing vampire whose obsession with Bethany is deadly.

Lucas was one of many vampires looking for a murderer, what he didn’t expect was to find the man’s latest victim, Bethany, alive and turned into a vampire! Setting side his attraction for the woman Lucas is forced to take a back seat to finding the vampire at large so that he can watch and explain what’s going on when the woman wakes up, but convincing this woman that he is a good guy and the fact that she is no longer human isn’t going to be a walk in the park.

With a killer on the loose, a house full of vampire testosterone, and Bethany walking around in nothing more than Lucas' shirt, you can guarantee this is going to be one hell of a time and with any luck it could end in their favor. That is, if Bethany realizes that being a vampire has its perks.

 --------------------------------Excerpt----------------------------------

She looked tiny, she stood huddled with her shoulders up and her arms wrapped tightly around her leaned forward slightly making her appear much younger and smaller then she was. Her large eyes were dark and wild, filled with terror. A terror Lucas instantly felt he wanted to replace. No woman should look this hurt. Flakes of silver were sprinkled in her eyes telling Lucas what she was. She was a converted. Could she be the murderer?

As quickly as the thought came Lucas dismissed it. He could see her. He could see the lack of a killer and the mind of a woman lost. Watching as she stepped back he felt his heart tighten in his chest. There was no way she was the one responsible for the killings.

Blood covered her clothes as her feet moved through the small lining of snow fresh on the ground.

“Stay away!” The woman ordered with a mix of fear and pushed anger into her voice. Her limbs shook violently as she moved further back and away from him.

“Lucas, there’s no one here. But man does it smell. I see blood and puddles of vomit. And restraints. God the smell.” Rupert gagged.

“Calm down.” Lucas took a step forward. The woman inched back. Her eyes slid towards the river. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t.” Lucas spoke reaching out towards her mind instantly to stop her from doing something reckless. The moment he touched her mind he saw the struggle she had gone through and the pain that was coursing through her

The thoughts and feelings running through her knocked the wind out of him. They were raw and alive striking at him like hundreds of bees their stingers all aimed to numb and incapacitate him, but he held it together. His face never flinched as he endured the rolling wave of fire burning through her— and him. They felt it together and for that one moment he breathed with her, willing her a second of peace as they let out their breath into the cold night.

Her will and determination to survive was strong. She shouldn’t have even been standing in her condition. Lucas tightened his grip on her mind to take control. He needed her to stop before something bad happened. He needed to reach her and tame the demon roaring in the back of his mind at the man that had grabbed her, because he could see everything. He could feel everything done to her and he was outraged and distressed by it. By the feelings flooding his mind and turning his body against him in this moment in which he needed to be at his best. Alert and unshakable, but he was the opposite. And as he reached to her mind to help he saw their connection in her eyes followed by her instinct and knew he was too late.

Bethany knew what was coming. She knew her body wouldn’t be hers anymore if she waited any longer. Without a second’s hesitation she launched herself into the dark waters of the fast moving river. This was her only choice. The only thing she was capable of deciding for herself. There were no regrets as her body locked up instantly and her eyes closed.

     Lucas did the only thing he could do, jump in the freezing river after her.

About the author:

Brenda Franklin was born and raised in Louisiana surrounded by fantasy, romance, and the paranormal. She's always had a love for writing, having written her first horror story before middle school about a monster that devoured people in the night-I believe they call him the Boogie Man.

Brenda points the blame/thanks for her obsessive need to write and read about vampires to her father who had an old bookshelf in their living room when she was growing up. From top to bottom it was filled with combat related books, old westerns, books by Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and Brian Lumley, and many more fascinating reads. But the book Brenda remembers the most was ‘Interview with a Vampire’ by Anne Rice. After reading it, she's never been the same since.

Follow Brenda on:

Twitter: Beefranklin613

Facebook: Author Brenda Franklin

Blog: Into My World…

Smashwords

Other works:

Guardian, A Fated Pairing

The Pulse Trilogy

Book one, A Steady Pulse

Book two, Barely Beating

Book three, Flat Line

Rating a Nancy Drew

How do you Rate a Nancy Drew Mystery Book

When it comes to rating a Nancy Drew Book I look for the enjoyment I got out of the book more then nit picking the story, the characters, and the plot. I take into the account that this is a book written sometime ago (Originally before 1960 For the one's I have read). Wording will have changed (slang terms, unfamiliar items, or techniques that we don't often hear), clothing, sexism is present (But it doesn't rub it in your face with negatives, it's part of the time), relationships, and just about everything feels a little different then nowadays because it was a different era. It is to be expected.

You have to always remember that these books were written as standalone with the set purpose of capturing young audiences. They were also published in bursts. Not one every so many months but in short bursts allowing for people to buy them in bulk and enjoy them quickly. It's a quick read. All the books ended leading you to know that there was another mystery around the corner. They also decided that Nancy Drew couldn't get married or have kids or truly progress in that way. They wanted the viewer to stay focused on the same character structure that you could rely on in every book with the same bunch of people for long periods of time.

So I rate by enjoyment. And these basic questions:

Did the story make sense from beginning to end?

Was there anything that felt off or something not explained?

Did the outcome satisfy me?

By the end of the book was I smiling? (This is very important. A book like this should make you smile.)

If all of these are met, then I will rate it a five because I know that young people, preteens, teens, and kids would love it. I believe they would be even thrilled to read through one of these books and I hope they do!! We need more Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy readers. :)

If I am left feeling unsure about the outcome or unsatisfied in anyway I try to figure out why. Did the end not feel right? Was the twist so left field that I didn't enjoy the led up to it because only a scientist saw it coming? Was a character not as strong or as weak as I think they should have been for a scene? This will make me give it a 4 star rating and in a rare case a 3. You would have to really leave me feeling off to get a 3. But it happens.

As of right now a 1 or 2 star has yet to be seen for a Nancy Drew Book by me and I hope to never give one. But there is always a chance. Maybe after I finished Nancy Drew I should start reading The Hardy Boys! :)

-Brenda Franklin, author of The Pulse Trilogy

February goals and reading list

Here we are in February! There are so many things happening in February that it can be a little overwhelming. For one thing there are birthdays on 8th, 10th, 11th, 14th, and 23rd. On top of that you have Chinese New Years (8th-year of the Monkey starts!), Valentine's Day, and then three days of fun at the wonderful Marble Slab Creamery and Great American Cookie. That will be a three day packed with lots of cookies and cakes that could feed the state!

I don't know about you but this is going to be a very busy month. :) So let's kick it off with my Bookish reading list.

Who doesn't love the author of the Time Quartet, Madeline L'Engle? She is an amazing writer and I picked this little book up at a cute little book shop on the side of the road. Such a cute place.


A Ring of Endless Light

After a tumultuous year in New York City, the Austins are spending the summer on the small island where their grandfather lives. He’s very sick, and watching his condition deteriorate as the summer passes is almost more than Vicky can bear. To complicate matters, she finds herself as the center of attention for three very different boys.

Zachary Grey, the troubled and reckless boy Vicky met last summer, wants her all to himself as he grieves the loss of his mother. Leo Rodney has been just a friend for years, but the tragic loss of his father causes him to turn to Vicky for comfort—and romance. And then there’s Adam Eddington. Adam is only asking Vicky to help with his research on dolphins. But Adam—and the dolphins—may just be what Vicky needs to get through this heartbreaking summer.

Then there are my Sherrilyn Kenyon picks of the month, and yes, I am finally coming to the end of my Kenyon collection. Soon I am going to have to restock!! :)



Dream Hunter

In the ethereal world of dreams, there are champions who fight to protect the dreamer and there are demons who prey on them...

Arik is such a predator. Condemned by the gods to live eternity without emotions, Arik can only feel when he's in the dreams of others. For thousands of years, he's drifted through the human unconscious, searching for sensation. Now he's finally found a dreamer whose vivid mind can fill his emptiness.

Dr. Megeara Kafieri watched her father ruin himself and his reputation as he searched to prove Atlantis was real. Her deathbed promise to him to salvage his reputation has now brought her to Greece where she intends to prove once and for all that the fabled island is right where her father said it was. But frustration and bad luck dog her every step. Especially the day they find a stranger floating in the sea. His is a face she's seen many times.... in her dreams.

What she doesn't know is that Arik holds more than the ancient secrets that can help her find the mythical isle of Atlantis. He has made a pact with the god Hades: In exchange for two weeks as a mortal man, he must return to Olympus with a human soul. Megeara's soul.

With a secret society out to ruin her expedition, and mysterious accidents that keep threatening her life, Megeara refuses to quit. She knows she's getting closer to Atlantis and as she does, she stumbles onto the truth of what Arik really is.

For Arik his quest is no longer simple. No human can know of a Dream-Hunter's existence. His dream of being mortal has quickly turned into his own nightmare and the only way to save himself will be to sacrifice the very thing he wanted to be human for. The only question is, will he?


Dream Warrior

We are the Dolophoni. Diligent. Vigilant. Fierce and inescapable. Servants of the Furies, we are the right hand of justice and no one stands before us.

The son of Warcraft and Hate, Cratus spent eternity battling for the ancient gods who birthed him. He was death to any who crossed him. Until the day he laid down his arms and was banished into exile.

Now an ancient enemy has been unleashed and our dreams are his chosen battlefield. The only hope we have is the one god who swears he will never fight again.

As a Dream-Hunter, Delphine has spent eternity protecting mankind from the predators who prey on our unconscious state. But now that her allies have been turned, she knows in order to survive, the Dream-Hunters need a new leader. Someone who can train them to fight their new enemies. Cratus is her only hope. But she is a bitter reminder of why he chose to lay down his arms.

Time is running out and if she can’t win him to her cause, mankind will be slaughtered and the world we know will soon cease to exist.


Sins of the Night 

In the realm of the Dark-Hunters there is a code of honor that even immortal bad boys must follow:

Harm no human. Drink no blood. Never fall in love.

But every now and again a Dark-Hunter thinks himself above the Code. That's when I'm summoned. Who am I? I'm the one thing the fearless fear. Step over the line and it's my wrath you will face. Nothing can touch me. Nothing can sway me. I am relentless and unfeeling.

Or so I thought until I met a female Dark-Hunter who goes by the name of Danger-it's not just her name, it's how she lives her life. She doesn't trust me at all. And who could blame her? She alone knows that I'm here to be judge, jury and most likely executioner of her friends. Yet she is my key to saving some of them. Without her, they all will die.

Dangereuse St. Richard is a deadly distraction. Something about her is reawakening a heart I thought was long dead. But in a race against evil, the only hope mankind has is that I do my duty. And how can I do my duty when it means that I will have to sacrifice the only woman I've ever loved?


I also have a few from the author Tess Gerritsen. Some of y'all might no her based of the TV series Rizzoli and Isles, but in the books things are a bit different. She writes medical thrillers, romance and suspence and I have just started to really get into her work. The first book I read by her had me cringing so much I kept putting it down to breath, but I loved it anyway (The Surgeon). Now it's onto the next book by her.

The Apprentice

It is a boiling hot Boston summer. Adding to the city’s woes is a series of shocking crimes, in which wealthy men are made to watch while their wives are brutalized. A sadistic demand that ends in abduction and death.

The pattern suggests one man: serial killer Warren Hoyt, recently removed from the city’s streets. Police can only assume an acolyte is at large, a maniac basing his attacks on the twisted medical techniques of the madman he so admires. At least that’s what Detective Jane Rizzoli thinks. Forced again to confront the killer who scarred her—literally and figuratively—she is determined to finally end Hoyt’s awful influence . . . even if it means receiving more resistance from her all-male homicide squad.

But Rizzoli isn’t counting on the U.S. government’s sudden interest. Or on meeting Special Agent Gabriel Dean, who knows more than he will tell. Most of all, she isn’t counting on becoming a target herself, once Hoyt is suddenly free, joining his mysterious blood brother in a vicious vendetta. . . .


In Their Footsteps

Old secrets die hard....
The quiet scandal surrounding her parents' deaths twenty years ago has always haunted Beryl Tavistock. Now she's decided that the only way to exorcise the ghosts of the past is to search for the truth. Beryl starts asking dangerous questions, and the answers are proving that old secrets die hard.

Caught in what's become a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, her quest takes her from the rain-slick streets of Paris to the sun-drenched isles of Greece. And as she gets pulled into a world of espionage, Beryl quickly discovers that she needs help. Richard Wolf, an ex-CIA agent and a man she's only just met, is her only hope.

But in a world where trust is a double-edged sword, friends become enemies, and enemies become killers . . .


And the Last two books that I am going to read are from the wonderful Young Adult Mystery series Nancy Drew. Book number 5 and 6! My goal this year is to read books 1-10 that I got from my wonderful mother on Christmas of 2015 and I intend to do just that. :)





 All descriptions and images were taken from Goodreads.

So Wish me luck on my February goals and I will see you again very soon.

--Brenda Franklin, author of The Pulse Trilogy.