Choosy Bookworm Holiday Extravaganza - E.M Kaplan, Roberta Kagan, Phoebe Matthews

Welcome to the Choosy Bookworm Holiday Extravaganza! 

Choosy Bookworm has partnered with eNovel Authors at Work to bring you a month long celebration with great books, great book deals, and let's not forget the great giveaways! 

Check out today's featured authors and books, then head on over to the event page and enter to win one of two $250 Amazon Gift Cards or Paypal Cash!

Be sure to check out the featured books and the awesome author sponsored giveaway below!

The Bride Wore Dead

by E.M. Kaplan

Series: Josie Tucker, #1
Genre: Mystery/Crime Thriller

Just days after cranky food critic, Josie Tucker, is the last-minute bridesmaid at a massive Boston wedding, the bride dies on her honeymoon at an Arizona resort. The mother of the bride thinks Josie, with her...unique people skills, can find out what happened. Josie discovers the dead bride may not have been the first to die. And to Josie's horror, the killer has set his sights on her next.

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK

Meet E.M. Kaplan

Award-winning EM Kaplan writes snarky, fun Josie Tucker mysteries as well as epic fantasies. She's classically trained as a technical writer and as a world-class smart aleck. Currently in Illinois, she enjoys embarrassing her children and scratching her dog's belly.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Amazon

All My Love, Detrick

by Roberta Kagan

Series: All My Love, Detrick, #1
Genre: Historical Fiction

"All My Love, Detrick," is the story of forbidden love in Nazi Germany. It is a tale of two families, one German, one Jewish and how Hitler's dark and terrible regime changed their lives forever.

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK

Meet Roberta Kagan

HI, I am an American author of Historical Fiction and Holocaust novels. My mother was Jewish and her father was Romany and therefore I grew up with  memories of the Holocaust hovering over me.  I write in this genre in the hopes that maybe through recognizing past mistakes we can find a way to stop the genocides that are still going on today. Thank you for taking the time to read my work. Blessings to you. 

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Amazon

Tyrant Trouble

by Phoebe Matthews

Series: Mudflat Magic, #1
Genre: Urban fantasy



When a conman wants you as the patsy for a crime, you run, right? That’s what Claire decides. She makes it out of town and into an Otherworld situation that is filled with so much terror it makes the conman and his threats look easy. This novel won the Eppie for Best Fantasy of the Year.

Goodreads ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

Meet Phoebe Matthews


Urban fantasy is Phoebe Matthews's favorite reading. She likes a mixture of current events and fantasy and sets her stories in places where she has lived, from Scotland to Washington State.

Her Mudflat Magic series combines sword and sorcery with a neighborhood in Seattle where old magic runs amuck through the families. The first book, Tyrant Trouble, won the EPPIE for Best Fantasy of the year. Book seven, Jimmyed Coffin, is now available.

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Website ~ Amazon

Head on over to the
Choosy Bookworm
Holiday Extravaganza
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Review: Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Description:

The international bestseller that “grabs the reader by the throat" (Crime Time).
First in the new series featuring Detective Inspector Helen Grace.

Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun. As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive.

It’s a game more twisted than any Detective Inspector Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadn’t spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn’t believe them.

Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case—with its seemingly random victims—has her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....

My Thoughts:
Dark and twisted. This book is super creepy. Helen Grace is after a serial killer who gets the victims to do the killing. The case has her stumped since the victims seem to be have nothing in common. Helen Grace is an interesting character, if not particularly likable. She is respected by her colleagues and good at her job, but she has some deep scars from her past and is a little...different. This is the first of a series and I'd definitely read more. A page-turner for sure.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!
*Notes: Language, graphic gore.

My Source: NetGalley


Where to get it:

Amazon | B&N | Penguin Books


Where to find the author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Blog Tour Review: Deadly Catch by E. Michael Helms

Author: E. Michael Helms
Edition: First Edition
Format: eBook and Paperback
Publication Date: November 12, 2013
Publisher: Seventh Street Books
ISBN: 1616148675
ISBN13: 9781616148676

Hashtag #DeadlyCatch

Description:

After twenty-four years in the U.S. Marines, recently retired Mac McClellan is happy to be a civilian again. He is enjoying a leisurely fishing vacation in the Florida panhandle when he hooks a badly decomposed body.

Then, when a bag of rare marijuana is discovered stashed aboard his rental boat, he realizes someone is setting him up to take the fall for murder and drug smuggling. Mac’s plans for a more laid-back life must be put on hold while he works to clear his name as the number one suspect.

Mac launches an investigation with the help of Kate Bell, a feisty saleslady at the local marina with whom he has struck up a promising relationship. Along the way he must butt heads and match wits with local law enforcement officials, shady politicians, and strong-armed thugs from the Eastern Seaboard to sniff out and bring the real smuggler and killer to justice.

My Thoughts:
I was drawn into this book from the first sentence "The first cast of the day turned my dream vacation into a nightmare." It is written in first person from the point of view of Mac McClellan and the style is sort of casual and laid back. A comfortable read. Mac is a likeable character. He is just trying to relax on vacation before figuring out what to do with his life and he gets pulled into a mystery involving murder and drugs. The mystery has enough going on to keep you guessing. Held my interest to the end. There is also a bit of romance which fit perfectly into the story. I look forward to more Mac McClellan mysteries.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!

My Source: blog tour

Where to get it:

Author Bio:

E. Michael Helms is a USMC combat veteran. His memoir of the Vietnam War, The Proud Bastards, has been called “As powerful and compelling a battlefield memoir as any ever written ... a modern military classic,” and has been in print for most of the past 20 years.

His work has also appeared in the books: Semper Fi: Stories of U.S. Marines from Boot Camp to Battle (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2003); Soldier’s Heart: Survivors’ Views of Combat Trauma (The Sidran Press, 1995); and Two Score and Ten: The Third Marine Division History (Turner Publishing, 1992).

Book One of his two-part historical saga, Of Blood and Brothers, will be released Septemeber 1, 2013, with Book Two following in March 2014. The first novel of his Mac McClellan Mystery series, Deadly Catch, is scheduled for a Fall 2013 release.

Helms lives with his wife in the Upstate region of South Carolina in the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

Where to find the author:
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Goodreads


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Review: Bad Vibes by J.D. Faver

BAD VIBES (The Edge of Texas Book 3) by J.D. Faver

Description:

When government agent Mike “The Iceman” Burke invades her South Padre Island turf, Deputy Darla Calhoun is assigned as liaison officer to his team. Her skills as a sniper come in handy when a gang of human traffickers strikes close to home, kidnapping local women including her best friend. Darla is recovering from her husband’s suicide and trying to be a good parent to her twin sons. The ICE assignment takes her out of her misery and plunges her into a dangerous mission and a steamy affair. Mike and Darla tear up and down the Intracoastal Waterway in search of the kidnappers and the captive women while Rafael and Javier conduct their own investigation. Will they rescue the captive women or will the kidnappers slaughter them as they have done in the past? Two teams race to find the answers before it's too late.

My Thoughts:Another great book from J.D. Faver. This is Book 3 in The Edge of Texas series. Book 1 is Bad Medicine, Rafael and Chloe's story and book 2 is Bad Karma, Zach and Sky's and Javier and Cassie's story. I would recommend reading the other books in the series first, only because we get so much from the points of view of other characters that it would help to know them a bit first. I guess it's  not necessary, I just like them all. In this book we have Darla the sniper. I have always liked her character. She teams up with federal agent Mike Burke to bust a human trafficking operation. Their first meeting is fun and there is plenty of tension and heat between them as they work together. This book is heavy on suspense but still has plenty of romance and some lighter moments.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!!

My Source: author

Where to get it:
Amazon

About the author:
J.D. Faver lives near Houston, Texas with two spoiled, rotten cats, Emily and Daisy, and a rescue dog, affectionately called Heart of Darkness, Horrible/Adorable, or Minx for short. She writes romantic suspense and humorous contemporary romance, both seasoned with plenty of steamy passion. Even the darkest murder/suspense is riddled with numerous snarky sentiments. She is actively involved in several writers' organizations, including National RWA and three local chapters, She loves to spend time with family and friends. She writes daily but has time for other interests including sailing, painting, cooking and gardening.

Where to find the author:
J.D. Faver
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Review: The Hour of Predators by Lane Stark

The Hour of Predators by Lane Stark

Description:
Two gruesome murders have shocked and divided the community of Bella Coola, a small, isolated village in a remote river valley on the coast of British Columbia. The evidence points to a teenaged Nuxalk boy, and the simmering tension between whites and tribe members heats up. RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao must sort through misleading clues, cultural conflicts, tangled relationships, sexual scandals, and even rumors of sorcery to find the truth.

Marcus is a man whose life has skidded into remorse and misery. His own infidelity has ended his marriage to the woman he still loves, and now he finds himself with only two things to keep his sinking spirits afloat: the need to serve justice and his eternal fascination with solving the puzzle of the crime. This latest puzzle, however, is proving to be a maze of intrigue, and his mettle as well as his principles will be tested.

My Thoughts:
This was a fantastic, well-written mystery. The plot wasn't too complicated, but kept me guessing. The story really follows Claire and Daniel, the Nuxalk teenagers, but Marcus Chao is called in to this small, isolated town to solve the murders. Marcus is an interesting character and the author is working on a second Marcus Chao mystery, which I am excited about. If you don't mind dark, gritty, and gruesome, this is an excellent read.


My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !
*Notes: Gruesome murders, deals with rape and other mature themes.

Where to get it:
Amazon

Smashwords

About the author (from her Amazon author page):
Lane Stark has had three enduring passions through her life: travel, art, and the written word. She has traveled the world, lived abroad in both Europe and Asia, and experienced many cultures. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in linguistics, has studied eight languages, and recently ended a career as a graphic artist. She has now turned her creative attentions to full-time writing and leisure-time photography. Travel provides a wealth of inspiration for books, and she finds herself weaving tales around the people she meets and the places she explores. She and her husband have indulged their love of the vagabond life by moving into an RV full-time and following the roadways to new adventures. She is currently working on a second novel featuring RCMP Inspector Marcus Chao, A Premature Death.

Where to find the author:
Lane Stark

Review: The Avenged by Charles Prandy

The Avenged by Charles Prandy

Description:
The Detective

D.C. Homicide Detective Jacob Hayden investigates the murder of a seventeen-year old kid who was shot point blank in the chest. There were no witnesses to the murder. Detective Hayden’s investigation leads him to a storage facility where he finds three crates full of something he never expected seeing…

The Sniper

The Sniper sits on top of a building with a Parker-Hale M85 rifle aimed at Dupont Circle’s park. He scans the perimeter from right to left until he sees his target. When he sees him, he steadies his aim and takes the shot. But what happens next, even the Sniper wasn’t prepared for…

The Judge

Prominent Superior Court Judge Frank Peters’ business operations take a hit when one of his partners is murdered in Dupont Circle. The murder investigation, led by Detective Hayden, threatens the very core of the Judge’s business…

Follow Detective Hayden on a thrill ride of an investigation that links the Sniper and the Judge to an underground operation that ultimately changes Detective Hayden’s life forever…

My Thoughts:
The prologue opens right into the action and caught my attention. Chapter one jumps back five months to the beginning of a murder investigation and the whole time I kept thinking back to the prologue, wondering how Detective Jacob Hayden ended up where he did.  The story is fast-paced and the mystery is complex. There are some surprising twists that kept me reading, anticipating where the story was going. I definitely recommend this for mystery and thriller lovers. I also suspect a sequel.

My Rating: ****
Steam Factor: !!
*Notes: Strong language, graphic violence.

Where to get it:
Amazon

Where to find the author:
Blog
Twitter

Review: Bone Wires by Michael Shean

Bone Wires by Michael Shean

Description:
In the wasteland of commercial culture that is future America, police are operated not by government but by private companies. In Seattle, that role is filled by Civil Protection, and Daniel Gray is a detective in Homicide Solutions. What used to be considered an important – even glamorous – department for public police is very different for the corporate species, and Gray finds himself stuck in a dead end job.

That is, until the Spine Thief arrives.

When a serial killer begins harvesting the spinal tissue of corporate employees all over the city, Detective Gray finds himself plunged into the first truly major case of his career. Caught in a dangerous mix of murder, betrayal and conflicting corporate interest, Gray will find himself not only matching wits with a diabolical murderer but grapple with his growing doubt toward his employers in the dawning months of the American tricentennial. A thrilling mystery set in the same world as the Wonderland Cycle, Bone Wires is a grim trip into the streets of the empty future.

My Thoughts:
This book has everything you could want in a futuristic crime thriller. The characters are well-developed and flawed. The futuristic world pulls you in and gives you a glimpse of what could be. The plot had plenty of twists and kept me guessing until the end. If you enjoy a story that is dark and gritty, this is an engrossing read that you won't want to put down.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!
*Notes: Strong language, graphic violence.

Where to get it:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Where to find the author:
Michael Shean
Twitter
Facebook

Review: Angel Dance by M.D. Grayson

Angel Dance by M.D. Grayson




Description:
Beautiful Seattle business heiress Gina Fiore has vanished. Desperate, her family turns to Gina's old boyfriend, Danny Logan to find her and bring her home safely. Logan soon finds that he's not the only one looking for Gina. He's not only going to need all the skill and luck he can gather, he's going to need to confront his unresolved feelings for Gina-feelings that might just get him killed.

My Thoughts:
I love detective novels, mysteries, and stories with suspense. Angel Dance has all of that and more. The mystery has plenty of unexpected twists and kept me guessing all the way through. I didn't want to put it down. All of the characters at Logan P.I. are well-developed and likeable. I love the dialogue and banter between them. I am looking forward to reading more. I especially want to see what happens with Danny and Toni, but I would like to find out more about the others as well. The second book in the series, No Way to Die, is available now and on my TBR list.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !
*Notes: Strong language, some violence.

Where to get it:
Amazon (ebook and paperback)

About the author:
M.D. Grayson is the author of Angel Dance - the first of the Danny Logan mystery series. He lives on an island near Seattle with his wife Michelle and their three German Shepherds.Before becoming a full-time writer, Mr. Grayson worked in the construction industry, as an accountant for six l-o-n-g weeks (square peg - round hole), and as a piano player on the Las Vegas strip. When he's not writing, he loves zooming about on two wheels - bicycles and motorcycles alike. In addition, he's a pilot, a boater, and an accomplished musician - always ready for a jam session!


Where to find the author:

M.D. Grayson

Facebook

Twitter

Review: Obsession (Faces of Evil #1)

OBSESSION (Faces of Evil) by Debra Webb

Description: 

Special Agent Jess Harris has spent more than a decade studying the many faces of evil. But in her determination to stop a heinous serial killer, she messed up, broke the rules, and it cost her everything. Now her career is in need of resuscitation and her love life is dead and buried. Jess jumps at the chance to escape her current reality and to advise on a case that has Birmingham, Alabama's top cops stumped. The trouble is, the case forces Jess to confront all the reasons she put her hometown and her first love, Police Chief Dan Burnett, in her rearview mirror all those years ago.

Dan Burnett will do anything to find the four young women who have gone missing before it's too late to save them--even if it means asking for help from the woman who has spent a decade avoiding him. Until recently he kept up with Jess's career at Quantico. She's the best at what she does and he needs her to help him solve this case. And just maybe, in the process, they can break down that brick wall she has built between them. Maybe they can even be more than friends again.

When a fifth girl goes missing without a break in the case, Jess questions her skill as a profiler and an investigator. Then the unthinkable happens. A startling personal message reveals that the crazed serial killer whose case she blew has followed her to Birmingham, adding a chilling twist to an already desperate situation, and time is swiftly running out.

My Thoughts:  

Wow. I need Impulse, right now. I am hooked. This book was a great set-up for what looks to be a fabulous series.  It was heavy on the suspense. The romance is there, but I'm sure will be further developed in future books. It was also fast-paced and hard to put down. Can't wait to see where it goes from here. This is the first of what will be a twelve-book series.  Impulse, the second book, is out now.  The third book is coming out in March. If you love a good thriller, give it a try.

My Rating: *****
Steam Factor: !!!
*Strong language and some disturbing scenes. (Nothing too graphic.)

Review: Frame-Up

Frame-Up by Eric Christopherson and Brad Schoenfeld

Description:

Will Pruett is a young magazine journalist with a father who sits on death row, claiming innocence. While his father's execution date looms, capital punishment is under consideration for abolishment by the state government of New York. Will seeks to influence the debate and to speed the abolishment along by framing himself for a murder he had nothing to do with--demonstrating how a simple coincidence or two can cost an innocent man his neck. With assistance from his publisher and a defense attorney, Will succeeds in getting himself arrested for the murder before realizing the actual murderer has arranged for him to take the fall for real . . .

NYPD Homicide detective Samantha "Sam" Ortiz conducts an investigation complicated by a city on edge due to racial tensions inflamed by the murder, by a district attorney anxious to capitalize on the case in time for his reelection, by a thirst for revenge within her own police department, and by the man she'd put behind bars who belatedly insists he'd incriminated himself on purpose.

Sam must not only determine whether Will is telling the truth but also follow unexpected investigative leads involving Nazi-stolen artwork missing since WW II and illicit high-tech genetic engineering. Will she crack the case? Or will there be a family reunion on death row?

My Thoughts:
I picked this up as a free e-book.  The premise seemed interesting and looked like a good book to get me out of my romance rut. A black reporter attempts to frame himself for murder in order to show how easy it is for an innocent person to get the death penalty.  What could possibly go wrong?

Sounds like a bad idea from the beginning, but Will has his reasons, which override his common sense.  It is interesting enough to keep you reading to find out how he gets out of this mess.  Sam Ortiz, the detective who won't give up, is a great character.  She is tough and determined.  If you like police/crime dramas, this is a good read.  

My Rating: ****
*Notes:  Adult language, violence