Fabulous and Brunette: August 2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Hong Kong Central by Marilynn Larew - Book Tour - Book Sale - Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hello lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Marilynn Larew and her new book, “Hong Kong Central”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Marilynn and to increase your chances of winning!

This book is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!! See below for more details.

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Hong Kong Central

by Marilynn Larew

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GENRE: Thriller

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BLURB:

Despite the fact that she quit the CIA, Lee Carruthers is in Hong Kong doing a little job for Sidney Worthington. He’s thinks something is wrong at Wong’s Antiques. Lee finds Henry Wong—just as he’s being kidnapped by the Chau Fong Triad. What does a Triad want with an antiquities dealer? That’s one of many questions, as Lee reunites with an old lover, is caught in the middle of burgeoning democracy demonstrations, and uncovers secrets that may once again upend her life.

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EXCERPT:

Hong Kong never sleeps. It was almost midnight, and the traffic was heavy, the neon signs flashing on and off, but Upper Lascar Row was quiet, the tables of tourist junk pulled inside the shops for the night. I walked softly in the shadows on the right side of the cobblestone street, looking for Wong Antiques among the red-lacquered shop fronts with signs in Chinese and English picked out in gold. The hairs on the back of my neck were prickling as if someone were watching me, and I jumped when a cat crossed the road. How could anybody be following me? I only got to Hong Kong three hours ago.

In the dim light, I saw Wong Antiques halfway up the block on the left-hand side. The only light showing was in the back, a nightlight or an office. I had crossed the street to the shop and had rung the bell once when I heard footsteps coming up the street. I slipped back across the street and melted into the doorway of a shop. Someone turned the light on in the antique shop, and a thin man wearing a blue scholar’s robe walked to the door. Henry Wong? The footsteps I heard materialized as two large men in suits. They banged on the door, and the man backed up. They banged on the door again, and he opened it unwillingly. The men were Chinese, bulky in the way a fighter is bulky, probably showing tattoos under their white shirts.

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REVIEW:

This book was such an intriguing, exciting, suspenseful, mysterious, adventurous, and thrilling read!

This book is about an ex-CIA agent, Lee Carruthers, who is finally on some much-needed R&R after some close calls on her last mission, when she hears from her former boss, Sidney Worthington. Lee can never turn a job down, especially when it’s Sidney asking. Besides, according to Sidney it’s supposed to be an easy, but urgent job – just check in on a source and friend. Sidney hadn’t heard from him in two months, which is quite concerning since he normally hears from him weekly as he has for the past twenty years. So, Lee agrees to fly to Hong Kong and to check-in on Henry Wong, the antiques dealer of Wong Antiques. She arrives just in time to see him being taken by the triad. Lee acts fast to try to save Henry, but ultimately loses them in the chase. Now knowing that Henry is truly in danger Lee is on the case to save Henry and find out what he is mixed up in. This “simple” case becomes anything but that when Lee accidentally gets caught up with the pro-democracy demonstrators, the Chinese Government gets involved, more disappearances and murder occur, Lee’s ex-lover turns up, Lee learns that this case has a connection to her father, and so much more, but Lee is determined at all costs to get to the bottom of it, find her answers and solve the case.

This book has an excellent storyline that flows, terrific writing style with detailed scenes, fantastic characters, is fast paced, and keeps you completely entertained through the last page.

This book has exceptional mystery crime solving structure with enough clues and excitement to keep you guessing, but still practical and realistic.

I really liked the main character, Lee. She is confident, sassy, tough, intelligent – a total badass! I love books with strong female leads and Lee is exactly that! She is likable, genuine, and someone you can’t stop rooting for. I felt instantly invested in her outcome and enjoyed solving the case alongside her.

I love how this author included historical, cultural, and custom references in her writings as this gives the book that little extra something! I honestly do not know much about Hong Kong, besides what I’ve seen in the Jason Bourne movies and on America’s Next Top Model episodes lol. However, this author provided so much detail and such beautiful descriptions, I felt like I was on the streets of Hong Kong.

Also, the author mentioned interesting facts about Hong Kong such as their anti-noise ordinance. I had no idea that was such a big deal there. But I Googled it and there are dozens of articles about how they are trying to handle this “out of control issue” with things like noise mapping. It said that there were 43,939 noise complaints in 2016 with a city population of 7.2 million people. The articles talked about how these noise issues are leading to health issues related to sleep deprivation and headaches, etc. Very interesting!

It’s clear that the author is well versed in all things related to Southeast Asia and government business including CIA practices and brings it down to a level that can easily be understood and enjoyed by all readers.

There are some exciting twists and turns and unexpected moments that will keep you guessing!

This book has so much to offer the reader, such as, action, mystery, suspense, excitement, intrigue, adrenaline, drama, love, romance, friendship, and so much more!

This book is the third book in the Lee Carruthers Book Series. I had not read the first book before reading this book. I did not get lost or confused, so this book can be read as a standalone. However, there are many references to the previous book and the characters seem to overlap. Since I truly liked this book, I would suggest getting in from the beginning and starting with book one, so you don’t miss anything.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in a fun, exciting, intriguing, thrilling, suspenseful, adventurous, mystery book.

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2OZLILTWJKD5X

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AUTHOR BIO:

Marilynn Larew is a historian who has published in such diverse fields as American colonial and architectural history, Vietnamese military history, and terrorism, and has taught courses in each of them in the University of Maryland System.

This is the third volume in the Lee Carruthers series. She has also published Aftermath, in which the protagonist, Anne Carter, is a 1980 Baltimore PI, working in the wake of the Vietnamese War.

She lives with her husband in a 200-year-old brick farmhouse on the Mason-Dixon Line in southern Pennsylvania. She belongs to Sisters in Crime, Guppies, and Chinese Military History Society.

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CONNECT WITH MARILYNN:

Website:

www.marilynnlarew.com

Newsletter:

http://marilynnlarew.com/newsletter

Sign up and you’ll receive a free Lee Carruthers short story

Email:

http://marilynnlarew.com/contact-me

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/marilynn.larew

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/marilynn_larew

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/marilynn-larew

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/hong-kong-central-lee-carruthers-3-by-marrilynn-larew

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7368997.Marilynn_Larew

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37505657-hong-kong-central

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2vjXbjM

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

**Hong Kong Central is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!**

Amazon Kindle:

https://amzn.to/2Kv59eJ

Amazon Paperback:

https://amzn.to/2naFNcG

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hong-kong-central-marrilynn-larew/1127626719

Kobo:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hong-kong-central

Apple iBooks:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1324388188

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Marilynn will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Cross Drop by Elizabeth Hartey - Book Tour - Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Elizabeth Hartey and her new book, “Cross Drop”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Elizabeth and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Cross Drop

by Elizabeth Hartey

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GENRE: New Adult Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

Nikki

I’m not a saint. Never claimed to be. I’ve played the game and scored my fair share—both on and off the field. This is why I should have known better than to fall for a hockey player. But I did. I fell fast and hard.

Now I’m left with the painful consequences, reminded every day of how reckless I had been by giving him my heart so easily—so willingly. Dalt broke me in the cruelest of ways, and because of him I’ll never be able to love again.

Dalt

Nikki changed me. She made me want to be a better man. My days playing off the field were over because she owned every little piece of my heart…until she left, leaving behind a gnawing ache where my heart used to be.

Now she’s back, and it’s painfully clear she hates me, ignoring me, pretending like I’m nobody to her. But that’s just too damn bad. I want answers. I want a goddamn explanation.

And most of all…I want her.

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EXCERPT ONE:

When you’re in college things are measured by semesters, not days or months. I fell in love fall semester of my freshman year. I was dumped spring semester of my sophomore year. I received the greatest blessing of my life in the fall of what should have been my junior year. It’s how I remember things, how I recall the seasons which changed my life forever. Now I’m back, trying to complete my junior fall semester more than a year later.

I shouldn’t be here tonight, though. I swore I was off hockey for the rest of my life. Sort of. Not the Bruins, or the Penguins, or the Stars. Okay, I swore I was off any hockey involving the Bernard University team, and one particular hockey whore.

I’m not a stupid girl. Not usually. I’ve worked hard to get to where I am and to keep checking off all the necessary boxes to get where I want to go. Get a scholarship to an Ivy League college. Check. Manage to keep my GPA over 3.5 to maintain said scholarship. Check. Become captain of the women’s soccer team and lead them to a championship win of the America East Conference during my first year as captain. Check. I’m not ashamed to admit I was doing pretty well at this thing called life, despite a few colossal obstacles along the way. Until about three years ago, when I checked off a few boxes which should not have been checked.

The special brand of stupid I began demonstrating back then and am continuing to exhibit at this very moment is spelled D-a-l-t-o-n W-a-l-k-e-r. When it comes to that irresistible specimen of whoredom, I become a mindless idiot.

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REVIEW:

This book was such an exciting, fun, flirty, intriguing read!

This book is about two college athletes, both at the top of their game. Dalt, a hot shot hockey player and Nikki, a soccer star. Both have fallen hard for each other and with their chemistry it’s not difficult to see why. However, after a misunderstanding the relationship is ended on a sour note. Two years later they both cross paths and it’s clear that the attraction is still there. But can they get past the secrets and betrayal and make it work this time?

I really enjoyed reading this book! I experienced so many emotions over the course of just 303 pages! From blushing over those hot and steamy moments; to anger and sadness over the breakup; to excitement and suspense while cheering for them to get back together and so much more! I really felt like I was on the journey with Dalt and Nikki.

I liked the main characters, Dalt and Nikki. They were totally relatable and realistic. I remember college life and college loves. Having that intense connection and it was always all or nothing. We would have fights over the stupidest things and whatever we were fighting about or even our breakup would be like the end of the world; life could not possibly go on. Everything then – especially the little things just seemed like such big deals. Looking back, I feel like I wasted so much time over nothings lol. We were immature, like the main characters, and after the two-year time jump you can definitely see how much the characters grew. I felt the author did a great job conveying the development and improvement in both the main characters that showed how mature and grown-up they’d become over the time gap. They were finally able to communicate and own up to their mistakes.

I loved that this book was a sports romance book! Two of my favorite things in a book! I loved all the sports excerpts which were fun and entertaining. Even if you’re not a hockey or soccer fan, it’s not overwhelming or difficult to follow the sports references.

I enjoyed that this book took place in Maine. The author does a beautiful job describing the lovely picturesque landscape. I’ve never been to Maine, but it’s definitely on my travel bucket list now!

This book is the second book in the On the Edge Book Series. I had not read the first book before reading this book. I did not get lost or confused, so this book can be read as a standalone. However, there are many references to the previous book and the characters seem to overlap. Therefore, since I truly liked this book, I would suggest getting in from the beginning and starting with book one so you don’t miss anything.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend this book to all new adult, contemporary, sports romance readers!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RKJKYX2QSEP1Q

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AUTHOR BIO:

As a lover of the northeast US, Elizabeth moved with her husband to the Poconos several years ago to open a Chiropractic Clinic. Four children and a menagerie of animals later, she has finally found time to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing novels. The wild ride of writing books is one of the most difficult things she’s ever done in her life. But the opportunity to get her stories out of her head and down on paper and send them out into the world is also one of the most wonderful things she’s ever done. A dreamer at heart, romance is the genre she spends most of her time writing and reading into the wee hours of the morning. And having readers fall in love with her characters as much as she does is almost as exciting as giving birth (just not as painful!) When not juggling work responsibilities and writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking the beautiful hills and woods around her home, swimming, knitting, watching old classic movies and travelling.

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CONNECT WITH ELIZABETH:

Elizabeth’s super cute furbabies

Website:

https://www.elizabethhartey.com

Newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/cZCEuL

Email:

elizabethhartey@gmail.com

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/EHarteyauthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/drliz5

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/authordrelizabethhartey

BookBub:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/elizabeth-hartey

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17060271.Elizabeth_Hartey

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40389776-cross-drop

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2v1nr2f

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle:

https://amzn.to/2mRDn2L

Amazon Paperback:

https://amzn.to/2LzH6kb

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cross-drop-elizabeth-hartey/1128927030

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Elizabeth will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

The Shattered Blades by Aidan Russell - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Aidan Russell and his new book, “The Shattered Blades”! For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a Kindle Paperwhite!!! Also, come back daily to interact with Aidan and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by! Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

The Shattered Blades

The Land of Nod:

Book Three of the Judges Cycle

by Aidan Russell

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GENRE: Fantasy (Epic)

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BLURB:

The rivers turn to blood and the mournful cry for judgment.

Reslo returns to his family in the forest of Miradep, but his quest is not finished, and he will not fail in his duty.

Gratas and Jerah return to the idyllic town of Dunkhau, their bodies wounded and spirits scarred by battle. But if they thought war was tiring, they must now face the unknown horrors of peace.

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EXCERPT TWO:

The dizziness flared when the Dragon dropped Reslo into a puddle on a flat rock. He took a moment to catch his breath. He even sucked up a mouthful of the fresh rainwater from the puddle. He pushed himself to his feet, drew Moreathar, and faced the Dragon.

“Why did you take me away? How could you flee? I almost had Mdychi.”

Qa’sin spun to face Reslo. For a moment, the storm subsided as his great bulk and wings tossed aside the wind and rain. Eyes that glowed like dew-covered moss stared down on the Elf. The firelight within the Dragon grew brighter through his scars.

“Your father tried to fight me the first time we met. I see you’ve inherited his temper. Perhaps his stupidity as well.”

Reslo knew the Dragon was correct. It would be stupid to try to fight the titanic beast. Moreathar was a mighty sword, and Reslo a great warrior, but neither possessed the strength to defeat Miradep’s Dragon. Besides, they had no feud with him. If anything, Reslo owed the Dragon a debt of honor, as his children would after him.

“Why did we flee?” Reslo lowered his blade.

“Because you would have been killed,” Qa’sin said, “and I need you to help rid me of that scourge.”

“What scourge?” Reslo slammed Moreathar home in its scabbard.

“That… That Dragon, no… not a Dragon. That abomination…” Qa’sin sputtered and his serpentine tongue slithered as he stumbled through his words. “Among what remains of our people, it is called the Pythoness. The Witch Dragon is what it calls itself. We must kill it and end its desecration of this forest at last. It eludes me, hides from me. That is why I need you, warden, tracker, hunter.”

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GUEST POST:

Do any of your characters have a special hobby or interest? If so, write a post in the character talking about those interests.

Smell the Roses

A poison by Ríaman, Master of the Keys

The problem with poisons is that everyone thinks they’re so easy. You just grind up some weeds you found in the forest, sprinkle in some viper’s venom (because wrangling a viper and taking out its venom is soooo easy, apparently), and voila! A poison! Well, even if the viper doesn’t kill you, and you don’t accidentally lick your fingers afterward like some amateur, you’ll probably wind up messing up the most crucial part: the delivery.

Many great assassins have met their ends because they spent too much time reading history or dramatic plays and not enough time thinking. “I’ll just pour a drop of this Visselix Hex into the king’s wine and collect my payment!” they said. Well, I have some bad news if this is your plan. If you’re an assassin worth your gold, you’re already too old to disguise yourself as a cupbearer. If you manage to pay off the cupbearer, the girl or boy is probably a nervous, bumbling idiot and will wind up drinking the vial themselves. “I’ll turn into a shadow and sneak up on my target and drop the poison into the cup when everyone’s back is turned! Then I’ll go back into the shadows and sneak away again!” Oh, please! A good target will always have someone watching, and every mage or warlock in the employ of a noble house has seen the play A Night in Saturame. That trick won’t work a second time. Don’t even get me started on the dumb things that were tried when the postage stamp was invented. Seriously, who ever thought that a noble lord would lick his own postage stamp. Preposterous!

Now, if there’s one thing people who hire assassins like, it’s no witnesses and entire bloodlines erased from the history books, and that’s where this concoction comes in quite well. Some backstory first…

As a young soldier, I spent many cold nights sleeping under the stars in the northern lands of Count Maritosa. The wind would rush down off the slopes of the Sudthenåks and freeze us to death if we didn’t bundle up well enough. This, of course, made for excellent pranks between the platoons and regiments.

One night, my platoon was especially industrious in the gathering of firewood, so we had a roaring inferno to keep us warm. One problem was that the forest we gathered our firewood from contained massive Gogmagog Hounds, and massive Gogmagog Hounds leave massive piles of dung. So, another platoon, seeing us in far too comfortable a state, snuck right up (because our watchman had dozed off, the bastard!) and threw a heaping pile of the rancid dung right onto our fire. We all woke up hacking and coughing at the stench. Not just us, but the entire regiment in camp coughed themselves awake.

The next morning, some of the soldiers didn’t wake up. Those of us who did were vomiting and bleeding out of holes we didn’t know we had. The colonel strung up that whole platoon for what they did, poisoning us with the smoke from that Gogmagog Hound crap.

Years later, after the Ministry of State Security put me to work, I remembered what had happened that night and thought about how to put that dung to use. The funny thing about Gogmagog Hounds is, despite their size and big teeth, they prefer to eat plants, but their bodies can’t digest most seeds. Have you ever smelled a flower that grew from a seed that a Gogmagog Hound had crapped out? No! You haven’t or you’d be dead!

How long does it take for a rose bush to grow and bloom? Feed some rose seeds to a Hound, sneak them into the gardener’s batch (because who, in their right mind, spends the coin to guard the rose bush seeds?), and come spring there’ll be nobles dropping like flies all over the castle or palace. You, meanwhile, will have been gone for months and months.

I wish you great success with your work, young assassin. If you find any further uses with Gogmagog Hound dung, please, do not hesitate to write to me. I have no plans of leaving my posting in the royal palace anytime soon and would enjoy to put those loveable oafs to more use. For the good of the kingdom, of course.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Aidan Russell is a Marine Corps veteran living in Las Vegas. He spent his youth following the adventures of wizards and space demons and decided one day to write his own tales. His short fiction is available in the Never Fear and Uncharted Worlds anthologies. When not writing, he enjoys skiing and heavy metal.

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CONNECT WITH AIDAN:

Website:

https://readaidanrussell.com

Blog:

https://readaidanrussell.com/blog

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AidanInNod

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AidanInNod

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/aidan-russell