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Sunday, September 29, 2024

BOOK REVIEW - The Day She Vanished Jen Craven



ABOUT THE BOOK
 


The Day She Vanished  by Jen Craven


Clutching my husband’s hand, I screech with delight as the rollercoaster loops through the air. I feel young and free for the first time in years, but as we roll to a stop and I look for our three beloved children in the crowd, I panic. I can only see two. Where is my daughter? 


Today was meant to be special. A final fun family day out before five-year-old Summer joins her big siblings at school. But in an instant, we’re plunged into a nightmare. We scream her name as we frantically search the amusement park for a glimpse of her flaming red hair.

When the police ask about strangers, grudges and enemies, I have no answers, just questions. Why did I think I could leave my children alone, even for a minute? What kind of mother am I?

I feel in my heart that Summer is out there somewhere. But as I obsess about finding her, my family is falling apart. My eldest daughter Merritt is withdrawn. My son Gus is angry. And after seventeen years of marriage, my husband has never felt more like a stranger. Where does he go when he says he’s working late? Who is he constantly messaging?

I must fight to hold my family together, but I’m terrified Summer’s disappearance will destroy us all. Will I ever forgive myself for letting her out of my sight? Will I ever hold her tiny hand in mine again?

A completely gripping and emotional page-turner about every parent’s darkest fear. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Jojo Moyes and Kate Hewitt.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR





Jen Craven is the author of upmarket women's fiction, where one decision changes everything. The author of two historical fiction novels, "Best Years of your Life" is her debut contemporary work. She writes from northwestern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her family.

Website: https://www.jencraven.com/


My Thoughts 


The Day She Vanished  is written by Jen Craven. This is the first book that I have read by this author, and it definitely will not be my last. I found myself drawn in within the first few pages and reading through the story to try to find out what happened next. As a mother of children myself I can’t even imagine this happening.



Parents Wade and Greta have taken their three children for a fun filled day at an amusement park. Their children, Merritt, Gus, and Summer have been enjoying the family time all day. As the day winds down, Wade wants to take Greta on a roller coaster by themselves. As they wait in line, they can see their children sitting together. Then when they get off the roller coaster Summer is missing. Merritt along with Gus had been watching things on her phone. Summer was standing right next to them until she wasn’t. The questionsshe gets from authority makes her feel like the worst parent ever.


The author has captured a families grief. The family starts to be falling apart at the seams wade isolates himself. Everyone blames each other meanwhile, Summer is still missing.


I love that the author captured all of the characters process of the situation. All of the characters are well written and real feeling. The storyline is very engaging and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read more from this author in the future. Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this book all thoughts are my own. 



Wednesday, September 25, 2024

My Thoughts - K-9 Ranch Protection by Darlene L. Turner

K-9 Ranch Protection JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for K-9 Ranch Protection by Darlene L. Turner, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: K-9 Ranch Protection
Series: Crisis Rescue Team #6
Author: Darlene L Turner
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Release Date: September 24, 2024
Genre: Inspirational Romantic Suspense

A killer on the loose.

A K-9 keeping watch.

Police constable Izzy Tremblay knows her father’s death was no accident, so when she finally discovers a lead and is immediately attacked, her suspicions are confirmed. The ambush leaves her in the hospital with three hours of crucial memory missing, which she knows holds the key to finding her father’s murderer. For protection, she takes refuge with her ex-partner, Austin Murray, on his K-9 ranch while she races to uncover the truth. But with danger still lurking, can they stay alive long enough to take down a killer?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Harlequin | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop | BookBub

More Books In This Series

Fatal Forensic Investigation  Explosive Christmas Showdown  Mountain Abduction Rescue    


About the Author

Darlene L. Turner

Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning and a Publishers Weekly best-selling author and lives with her husband Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message.

Connect with Darlene by visiting darlenelturner.com, where there’s suspense beyond borders, to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

My Thoughts

K-9 Ranch Protection is written  by Darlene L. Turner. This is book 6 in the Crisis Rescue Team series. The books are all stand alones. I am huge fan of this author and always get excited when I see a new release. This book is jam packed with adrenaline and will draw you in within the first few pages. 

Police constable Izzy Tremblay knows her father’s death was no accident. While she is trying to get to the bottom of it, she suddenly becomes the target. She finds herself being ambushed and waking up missing 3 hours of memory. She finds protection with her ex partner, Austin Murray. They take refuge at Austin’s K-9 Ranch. They have to try and recover what happened, but they have to stay one step ahead of those trying to silence her. 

I love that Izzy and Austin had to work through some past issues to be able to co-exist and work together. The author has written in a great reminder of God’s love and forgiveness. The author has written realistic and flawed characters. 

The book is well written with a fast paced setting. My heart was pounding the whole time. Thank you to the author, publisher and JustRead Publicity Tours for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.



Tour Giveaway

(4) winners will each receive a $25 Amazon egift card!

K-9 Ranch Protection JustRead Tours blog giveaway

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight September 23, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 30, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway


Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

JustRead Publicity Tours


Tuesday, September 24, 2024

My Thoughts - RUNNING ON EMPTY by Karin Fitz Sanford

 

My Thoughts - RUNNING ON EMPTY by Karin Fitz Sanford

 


RUNNING ON EMPTY


by Karin Fitz Sanford



September 16 - October 11, 2024 Virtual Book Tour



A WINE COUNTRY COLD CASE

An ex-FBI agent. A murder. And a Ponzi scheme that rocks the wine country.

Anne McCormack, a former FBI agent-turned-estate liquidator, must find out who murdered a beautiful socialite and dumped her body on a remote wine country road 16 years earlier. Could that killing be connected to a current-day Ponzi scheme that has bilked Santa Rosa residents? McCormack thinks so and sets out to solve the case—but she'll have to keep her wits about her if she plans on outracing thieves and solving the murder without become a victim herself, for dark forces are working against her and she’s running out of people to trust.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Adventure/Detective
Published by: Level Best Books 
Publication Date: May 7, 2024 
Number of Pages: 294
ISBN: 9781685126155 (ISBN10: 1685126154)
Series: A Wine Country Cold Case, 2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble  BookShop.org | Goodreads | Level Best Books



AUTHOR BIO:

Karin Fitz Sanford

Karin Fitz Sanford, a former advertising copywriter, was born in New York but grew up in Northern California's wine country, the setting for her Wine Country Cold Case series. Having run her own award-winning ad agency for over twenty-five years, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in Northern California with her husband.

Catch Up With Karin Fitz Sanford:
www.FitzSanford.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @karin140
Instagram - @karinfitz8
Facebook - @karin.f.sanford

 

My Thoughts


Running on Empty is written by Karin Fitz Sanford. This is my first exposure to this author, and it definitely won’t be my last. This is book two in the Wine Country Cold Case series. While I’ve not read book one, I had no issue following along. I was drawn in within the first few pages and couldn’t put the book down. 



EX- FBI agent Anne McCormack turned estate liquidator finds out that a cold case murder of socialite Dinah Pardini is linked to a Ponzi scheme that is bankrupting many around her. It seems that there are many secrets, strained family relationships, greedy people, and supposed suicides. Dinah seemed to have a lot of enemies for a socialite. 


This book kept me on my toes. Flawed and real feeling characters are some of my favorite to read. I could hear my heart pounding throughout the story. Great character development and intriguing storyline. 


Thank you to the author, publisher and Partners in Crime Tours for allowing me to read a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own. 

 


 


GIVEAWAY:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

The giveaway is for:    1  $25 gift certificate to Amazon…plus a book


https://kingsumo.com/g/m4z0g01/running-on-empty-by-karin-fitz-sanford-gift-card-print-book📚 

Monday, September 23, 2024

Guest Post - RUNNING ON EMPTY by Karin Fitz Sanford

 


RUNNING ON EMPTY


by Karin Fitz Sanford



September 16 - October 11, 2024 Virtual Book Tour



A WINE COUNTRY COLD CASE

An ex-FBI agent. A murder. And a Ponzi scheme that rocks the wine country.

Anne McCormack, a former FBI agent-turned-estate liquidator, must find out who murdered a beautiful socialite and dumped her body on a remote wine country road 16 years earlier. Could that killing be connected to a current-day Ponzi scheme that has bilked Santa Rosa residents? McCormack thinks so and sets out to solve the case—but she'll have to keep her wits about her if she plans on outracing thieves and solving the murder without become a victim herself, for dark forces are working against her and she’s running out of people to trust.

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery/Adventure/Detective
Published by: Level Best Books 
Publication Date: May 7, 2024 
Number of Pages: 294
ISBN: 9781685126155 (ISBN10: 1685126154)
Series: A Wine Country Cold Case, 2
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble  BookShop.org | Goodreads | Level Best Books



Author Bio:

Karin Fitz Sanford

Karin Fitz Sanford, a former advertising copywriter, was born in New York but grew up in Northern California's wine country, the setting for her Wine Country Cold Case series. Having run her own award-winning ad agency for over twenty-five years, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and lives in Northern California with her husband.

Catch Up With Karin Fitz Sanford:
www.FitzSanford.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @karin140
Instagram - @karinfitz8
Facebook - @karin.f.sanford

 


 

Q&A with the Author, Karin Fitz Sanford

 

 

 

1) Your protagonist, former FBI agent Anne McCormack, left the Bureau and started an estate liquidation business. Why that career?

When my mother passed a few years agothe family hired an estate liquidator to sell and auction off valuables so we couldsettle the estate. Watching her work, it occurred to me that she had incredible entrée into our lives. She could overhear private conversations, learn family secrets, find journals and money. It’sthe ideal career for a protagonist, I figuredBut I also wanted Anne to have real police powers so she could help with cold cases—which she acquired because she left the Bureau on good terms and is able to be hired on temp assignment with the police department. 

 

2) RUNNING ON EMPTY is the second in a series. Howdoes this book differ from the first?

This installment is more action-oriented and a bit darker. Anne’s business has taken offbut just when she’s feeling comfortableshe gets pulled into dangerous situations with unlikely foesThat said, many of my readers’ favorite characters—Jack, Chloe, and Krista—show up, and Anne is as feisty and flawed as ever.

 

3) Was it easy to transition to mystery writing after career as an advertising copywriter?

I thought it would be a breeze. After all, Id been a professional writer and had read thousands of novels. But as the saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know. I didn’t know that using 14 different points of view would be a problem (five is usually the max). I didn’t know there were dozens of ways to say “said,” but that it was best to stick with “said,” or better yet, skip attributions altogether. I didn’t know that Scrivener is a godsend. There was a steep, steep learning curve.

 

4) Favorite part of writing?

Hands down, doing the research. Writing is often hard, but learning about guns, police procedures, drugs and wine makingis fun. I’ve found that if you want to know something, just ask. People will tell you anything—literally, anything—especially if you’re older, harmless-looking and tell them you’re a writer. I’ve been invited to tour wineries and gun ranges. I have a retired cop in the family who answers all my police-related emails. Neighbors are a great resource (So, Charles,” I asked my neighbor who has five classic vehicles lining the street, “if I were to hide money in your old truck, where...”). Another neighbor works at a winery. Ask away. Worst case scenario? They look at you funny.

 

5) Most helpful piece of advice?

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story,” said author Terry Pratchett. Hearing that made me instantly relax. 

 

6) Finally, you’re having a dinner party for four. Whichauthors, dead or living, would you invite and why?

Truman Capote, because his story-telling skills amaze me and he’s endlessly fascinating. Irving Berlin, because his lyrics are timeless. Nora Ephron, because of her wit and originality. And Louise Penny, because of her warmth, wisdom, and luminouswriting. I’ll supply the take-out and keep quiet.

Giveaway:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!

The giveaway is for:    1  $25 gift certificate to Amazon…plus a book


https://kingsumo.com/g/m4z0g01/running-on-empty-by-karin-fitz-sanford-gift-card-print-book📚