Blogroll: evolvedworld.com

May 14, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Review and Excerpt: Double Whammy by Gretchen Archer

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Davis must win this high stakes game before her luck runs out.

Davis Way thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she lands a job as the fifth wheel on an elite security team at the fabulous Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. But once there, she runs straight into her ex-ex husband, a rigged slot machine, her evil twin, and a trail of dead bodies. Davis learns the truth and it does not set her free–in fact, it lands her in the pokey.

Buried under a mistaken identity, unable to seek help from her family, her hot streak runs cold until her landlord Bradley Cole steps in. Make that her landlord, lawyer, and love interest. With his help, Davis must win this high stakes game before her luck runs out.

AVAILABLE as paperback and ebook on Barnes & Noble and Amazon. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Mad Hatter Reads

May 6, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 

Larissa Reinhart’s Portrait of a Dead Guy Tour, Review and Giveaway

 

Portrait of a Dead Guy Tour

I’m so happy to be today’s tour stop on the Portrait of a Dead Guy Tour! Here’s a look at the book plus a chance to enter an awesome giveaway.
Portrait of a Dead Guy

Portrait of a Dead Guy
Series: A Cherry Tucker Mystery #1
Published:
Source: Purchased
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than kudzu climbs telephone poles — but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.
As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry find herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.

My Review:

If there’s such a thing as a chick-lit mystery, then Portrait of a Dead Guy fits right in. Cherry Tucker isn’t much of a detective…just a starving artist in small-town Georgia trying to make sure that she gets paid for the commission she worked so hard to get. The more she tries to finish her painting, the deeper Cherry gets sucked into the mystery of who killed one of Halo’s local sons.

Larissa Reinhart’s world building is so vivid that you can practically taste the sweet tea. Growing up in small Southern towns myself, the town and its inhabitants reminded me of my own childhood. It’s true what they say too, when you grow up in a small town, everyone knows everything about you and your family going back multiple generations. And poor Cherry has her own past actions (she’s been known to be a bit boy crazy) to live down. It doesn’t help that she’s a spitfire stuffed into a small packed with plenty of attitude to go around.

All the characters are well developed and filled with quintessential Southern charm (which you might call slight craziness). Throw in plenty of humor, a couple of hot hunks, and more twists and turns than a greased pig and I became an instant fan.

I can’t wait for book #2, Still Life in Brunswick Stew! Fortunately comes out in just a couple weeks-May 21, 2013. You need to make sure that it’s on your TBR too!

Available at:

Amazon Kindle     B&N Nook     Kobo
Amazon Paperback     B&N Paperback

More about Larissa:

Larissa ReinhartLarissa Reinhart loves small town characters, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble. STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (May 2013) is the second in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series. The first, PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, is a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist, a 2012 The Emily finalist, and a 2011 Dixie Kane Memorial winner. Expect HIJACK IN ABSTRACT and a Cherry Tucker novella in THE HEARTACHE MOTEL out in November and December 2013.
She lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website; her expat blog; or find her chatting with the Little Read Hens on Facebook; at her Facebook page; Twitter; and Goodreads. 
Larissa Reinhardt’s
Portrait of A Dead Guy
Blog Tour Schedule
4/28- Love in A Book
4/29- Bianca2b
4/29- Fandom Fanatic
4/30- Book Monster Reviews
5/02- Literal Addiction
5/03- Books-n-Kisses
5/04- My Book Addiction
5/06- Mad Hatter Reads
5/07- Salacious Reads
5/08- United by Books
5/09- The Jeep Diva
5/11- Froggarita’s Bookcase

Larissa is giving away the following prizes on her tour:

Grand Prize: (1) $20.00 Visa Gift Card

Runner-Up: (1) eBook of Portrait of a Dead Guy

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Blogroll: Mystery Writing is Murder

May 1, 2013 By 1 Comment

Using Pinterest for Pinspiration

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When I first heard of Pinterest, I wanted to cry. Another social networking site to use, learn, master? Can’t be done. It’s asking too much of me.

I can barely handle Twitter and Goodreads, and I’m not on the Facebook or Google Plus, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, StatWatch. (I made that last one up.) However, someone kindly took the time to show me what Pinterest truly was, and once I figured it out, and how it worked for me, I was hooked.

Pinterest is a way to organize all those beautiful pictures you see every day, from the delicious torte you’d love to make (but never will) to the beach you’d love to visit (and hopefully will). And for us creative types, it’s a visual playground of inspiration. In one weekend, I created boards for different aspects of my protagonist’s world. While Elliott Lisbon comes to life on the printed page, she’s viewed in vibrant color on the Pinterest page. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: The Phantom Paragrapher

May 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Are you fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series?  Looking for something similar?  Look no further with Gretchen Archer’s new series “Davis Way”.

DOUBLE WHAMMY

Review: Double Whammy – Book #1 Davis Way Series – May 2013

Davis Way from Pine Apple , yes it’s true has had a knack for getting herself into trouble from evil ex-boyfriends though technically its just the one as she’s married him twice and then she hasn’t had much luck in the job department until now. Davis has landed herself a job working undercover security in a Casino. The job starts off easy until she is told to investigate the Double Whammy machine and find out how a significant somebody is constantly winning the big ones. That somebody turns out though to be none other than her ex-husband Eddie and something very strange is going on as his partner looks alot like Davis in every bit way ? Does Davis have a twin she doesn’t know about ? What will happen though when Davis is framed for murder and the only person who can help her solve it is her landlord Bradley Cole ? A fun-paced story that will have you feeling in parts quite sorry for Davis especially the second half of the book. Double Whammy is a story that all fans of the Stephanie Plum series , Lisa Lutz Spellman Files and Marianne Derecourt’s Tara Sharp series will love.

 

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Blogroll: dru’s book musings

April 30, 2013 By 1 Comment

A Day in the Life of Elliott Lisbon by Kendel Lynn

BOARD STIFFThe patio of the Ballantyne Foundation manse overlooks seventy-five acres of lush Sea Pine Island landscape. Majestic oaks draped in Spanish moss mingled with sweet blooming magnolias, winding amongst tennis courts, croquet lawns, formal gardens, and a sparkling pool not ten feet from my chair.

I took a slow drink of lemonade, trying to make my five minute break feel like ten. It had already been a hectic day, though as director of the Ballantyne Foundation, I’d yet to encounter a day that wasn’t.

“Oh, Elli, what am I to do?” Zibby Archibald, the Ballantyne Foundation’s oldest board member, and truly the most interesting, teetered across the patio and plopped into the chair across from me. “Someone stole my piñata. Right from my house!”

I tried to hide my dismay, lest I start a piñata panic. A missing paper party accessory isn’t usually cause for panic, but our Cinco de Mayo celebration was in five hours, and Zibby’s piñata was the showpiece.

“Start at the beginning,” I said as I passed her an icy glass of fresh lemonade.

“I went inside to get my good tweezers. There was a sticky sliver of wood on my sledgehammer and it kept poking my palm. Thought I better pluck it out before I finished beating the hook for the pig’s hat.” [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Literary, etc

April 30, 2013 By Leave a Comment

 Book Review: Kendel Lynn’s Board Stiff

BOARD STIFFTitle: Board Stiff
Author:
Genre:
Series: Elliott Lisbon Mystery #1
Rating: ★★★★★
My Copy:

Elliott Lisbon is the Director of the Ballantyne Foundation and is working on her private investigator license. She conducts discreet inquires on behalf of the Foundation and when a board member, Leo Hirschorn, is found murdered, the Foundation’s benefactor specifically asks for Elliott’s assistance. She agrees, but then realizes that means trying to clear another board member’s name, Jane Walcott Hatting, and there’s no love lost between her and Jane. Elliott recognizes her investigation would be easier if the new Lieutenant, Nick Ransom, would take her seriously, but she understands that may never happen. After all, he’s her ex-boyfriend who ended things suddenly and quickly walked out of her life. Will Elliott solve Leo’s murder without Nick’s assistance or will she realize the culprit is who the police suspect?

Can I take a moment to talk about Nick? He’s sexy and sparks fly when he’s with Elliott, but he’s also very protective of her. There’s a scene with Elliott and an interview with a hotel manager and your heart breaks for Elliott when she realizes what Nick did; however, at the same time you can’t help but appreciate that Nick wants to protect her. I loved Elliott! She’s intelligent and isn’t afraid to take matters into her own hands. Elliott is a strong woman and it’s clear that everyone in Sea Pines loves her and there’s a reason. As the director of the Foundation, she’s hands on and is involved with all aspects of charity fundraising and since Sea Pines is a wealthy resort, she knows the people and area. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: S. M. Nystoriak’s Writer’s Block

April 18, 2013 By 2 Comments

Dead Guys, Sassy Sleuths, and Southern Charm

by smnystoriak on April 17, 2013

Larissa Reinhart is with me today discussing her writing life, her muse, and her book PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY.

I recently finished reading this little gem, and what a gem it was!

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Please see my review of it here:

PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY was such a good read! And for me,   it was all about character. Larissa Reinhart has created some unbelievably   vivid characters…and they come to life in every quirky scene. The main   character, Cherry Tucker, is back in her small town of Halo, Georgia after   attending art school in sophisticated Savannah. And as she competes for the   commission of painting a portrait of a dead guy, the reader gets to know   Cherry and the other townsfolk. In Halo, it seems that everyone has a   skeleton in their closet, Cherry included. A cross between an episode of In   The Heat of The Night and My Cousin Vinny, I found the descriptions of the   town as well as the kin folk who reside there to be endearing if not absurd   at times. So many priceless metaphors in the dialog and descriptors make this   an absolutely fun read from beginning to end. And there is a mystery, to   boot!

This book comes with some book club questions at the end, which might be fun   to talk about as a group too. I enjoyed this read a lot, and look forward to   the next installment in the Cherry Tucker Mysteries. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Literary, Etc.

April 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Spotlight: Board Stiff

Posted on by Jessica 

BOARD STIFFTitle: Board Stiff
Author: Kendel Lynn
Genre: Mystery
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Publisher: Henery Press

Synopsis:
As director of the Ballantyne Foundation on Sea Pine Island, SC, Elliott Lisbon scratches her detective itch by performing discreet inquiries for Foundation donors. Usually nothing more serious than retrieving a pilfered Pomeranian. Until Jane Hatting, Ballantyne board chair, is accused of murder. The Ballantyne’s reputation tanks, Jane’s headed to a jail cell, and Elliott’s sexy ex is the new lieutenant in town.

Armed with moxie and her Mini Coop, Elliott uncovers a trail of blackmail schemes, gambling debts, illicit affairs, and investment scams. But the deeper she digs to clear Jane’s name, the guiltier Jane looks. The closer she gets to the truth, the more treacherous her investigation becomes: a brutal attack on her own suspect and the murder of a witness. With victims piling up faster than shells at a clambake, Elliott realizes she’s next on the killer’s list.

[Read more...]

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Blogroll: Feeling the Fiction

April 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Malicious Masquerade

Alan_CuppWith his new mystery/suspense release, Malicious Masquerade, just hitting the shelves, Author Alan Cupp met with me to talk about life and his love of writing.

Whether it’s with a captivating mystery novel or a funny promotional video for his church, Alan is always anticipating his next creative endeavor. In addition to writing fiction, Alan enjoys acting, music, travel, and playing sports. His life’s motto is, “It’s better to wear out than rust out.” Alan places a high value on time spent with his beautiful wife and their two sons. He lives his life according to his 4F philosophy: Faith, Family, Friends, and Fun. [Read more...]

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Blogroll: Invisible Ink

March 27, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Wearing a Mask? You’re Not the Only One

MALICIOUS MASQUERADE giveawayI like stories where no one is who they seem, probably because these stories reflect the nature of my own soul, of humanity. As Donald Miller writes in Blue Like Jazz, “The problem is not out there; the problem is the needy beast of a thing that lives in my chest.”

It is indeed a personal problem, widespread and universal. We struggle against it every day as we try to find truth in the details of our lives. Almost all art forms, throughout all of history, reflect this struggle. [Read more...]

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