Book Blast: Death at First Sight by Lena Gregory (Giveaway)

We're happy to present to you Lena Gregory's DEATH AT FIRST SIGHT Book Blast today! Lena is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Enter below!

Title: Death at First Sight

Author: Lena Gregory

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 304

Genre: Cozy Mystery

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that something’s not right on Bay Island...



Since she left her psychiatric practice in New York City to open up a psychic shop in her hometown on Bay Island, Cass Donovan has given her fair share of readings to conflicted customers. But what she sees in Ellie Callahan’s future doesn’t bode well.

When Ellie’s mother, Marge, publicly confronts Cass about the reading, the embarrassment makes her want to curl up and die. And when she later stumbles across Marge’s body—and is a suspect in her murder—Cass is suddenly the star of Bay Island’s rumor mill.

Cass is determined to prove her innocence and save Ellie from meeting the fate in her unfortunate vision. But even with the help of her friends Bee and Stephanie, Cass will have to channel some serious sleuthing instincts to find the real killer...

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Book Excerpt:

Cass sucked in a breath, the gasp audible in the silence of the small room. Oh no . . . The walls pressed in on her, loomed over her, threatened to suffocate her. This can’t be

happening again.

“Is everything all right?”

“Umm . . . sure.” Darkness encroached, tunneling her vision. She forced it back, counted to ten, took deep breaths—anything to fight back the blackness. She struggled against the urge to push the glass ball away from her. “Sorry. I must have zoned out for a minute.” She averted her gaze, hoping the other woman wouldn’t catch the lie.

The woman’s eyebrows drew together, a frown creasing her forehead.

“Are you sure you didn’t see anything bad?” Cass forced a laugh as she shoved her chair back, stood, and moved away from the table. “Of course not. I told you

I would only allow good spirits to enter.” Liar.

About the Author

Lena Gregory lives in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island with her husband and
three children.

When she was growing up, she spent many lazy afternoons on the beach, in the yard, anywhere she could find to curl up with a good book. She loves reading as much now as she did then, but she now enjoys the added pleasure of creating her own stories.

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* * *  GIVEAWAY
* * *

Lena Gregory
is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Card
• This giveaway ends midnight November 30.
• Winner will be contacted via email on December 1.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: The Ghostwriters by Mickey J. Corrigan

With The Ghostwriters, Mickey J. Corrigan delivers a bold and edgy psychological drama that pulls you in whether you want it to or not.

Jacy McMasters is a struggling writer living in Manhattan who wastes her time on cheap booze and toxic men. Then the ghost of JD Balinger arrives asking her to "channel" a follow-up to his classic coming of age book, The Watcher in the Sky. As they work together, the ghost forces her to confront the dark secrets she has done her best to conceal and hide from.

I'll be honest: if I had written a first chapter review of this novel, my thoughts would have been very different back then than they are now. I'm not sure I would have continued. I'm not a fan of toxic relationships, self-destructive people, or books filled with the F-word. The Ghostwriters has all three. I'm truly glad I stuck with it, however, because once I was engaged, I was fully engaged until the very end.

The Ghostwriters delves deep into the mind of a young woman being destroyed by a lifetime of secrets she has done her best to shut out. It's rough ground that she treads, and the reader treads it right along with Jacy in all its ugliness. The psychology of childhood relationships, parent/child relationships, and true hardship is in the forefront of this novel.

Corrigan's strength lies in her ability to create complex characters. Even Firth, who is a real sweetheart, has his horrible temper to deal with. No one is perfect.

This is stated to be a thriller--which if judging by the sheer pace of the novel, it qualifies--but I truly see it as a drama because of the depth into which we explore Jacy's mind and how these secrets have nearly destroyed her. For the reader, there is a mystery about Jacy's reality.

Despite the fact that I figured out where the plot was headed before it was revealed, I still needed to know all the gritty details. I hung in and found a satisfying ending. I would definitely read more of this author's work.


Paperback: 194 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (September 2, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1509209255
ISBN-13: 978-1509209255

I received a free paperback copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Have You Read These--No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series?

I was wondering if any of our readers had picked up one or more of the sixteen books in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Series. It amazes me that with how much I love mysteries and detective stories, I still manage to not hear about long-running series like this one.

Book 1

The beloved first novel in The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, now available for the first time in hardcover, tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, Mma Ramotswe is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart–and lands her in danger–is that of a missing eleven-year-old boy who may have been snatched by witch doctors.

You can find out more at http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/1LA/no-1-ladies-detective-agency-series

First Chapter Review: Ghost Hampton by Ken McGorry

Ghost Hampton is a paranormal thriller by Ken McGorry. The author is touring with Pump Up Your Book this month.

BLURB:  Lyle Hall is a new man since his car accident and spinal injury. The notoriously insensitive Bridgehampton lawyer is now afflicted with an odd sensitivity to other people's pain. Especially that of a mysterious young girl he encounters outside a long-abandoned Victorian house late one October night. “Jewel” looks about 12. But Lyle knows she’s been dead a hundred years. Jewel wants his help, but it’s unclear how. As if in return, she shows him an appalling vision—his own daughter's tombstone. If it’s to be believed, Georgie’s last day is four days away. Despite Lyle’s strained relations with his police detective daughter, he’s shocked out of complacent convalescence and back into action in the real world.

But the world now seems surreal to the formerly Scrooge-like real estate lawyer. Lyle’s motion in court enjoining the Town of Southampton from demolishing the old house goes viral because he leaked that it might be haunted. This unleashes a horde of ghost-loving demonstrators and triggers a national media frenzy. Through it all strides Lyle’s new nemesis in high heels: a beautiful, scheming TV reporter known as Silk.

Georgie Hall’s own troubles mount as a campaign of stationhouse pranks takes a disturbing sexual turn. Her very first case is underway and her main suspect is a wannabe drug lord. Meanwhile, Lyle must choose: Repair his relationship with Georgie or succumb to the devious Silk and her exclusive media contract. He tells himself seeing Georgie’s epitaph was just a hallucination. But a few miles away the would-be drug lord is loading his assault rifle. Berto needs to prove himself.

COVER: This seems like such a calm and pretty cover for, what I expect to be, an action-packed novel. The first chapter certainly makes it sound more edgy than this peaceful beach scene. Don't get me wrong, I really like the cover; but I am thinking it would be better suited for a family drama or a romance novel. That said, it might be right for the setting. It just doesn't speak to the genre for me.

FIRST CHAPTER: The reader meets 55-year-old Lyle, whose life was forever changed by the car accident that left him paralyzed. The tense relationship between Lyle and his daughter, Georgie, is also explored.

KEEP READING: Definitely. McGorry knows all about the hook. That first sentence pulled me in hook, line, and sinker. As a character-driven reader, I like that the focus is on getting to know Lyle and his circumstances a bit. It also has a powerful ending that makes you want to continue. I want to know more!


Series: Ghost Hampton
Paperback: 466 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (March 26, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1530577233
ISBN-13: 978-1530577231

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I received a digital copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Ken McGorry has been writing since third grade. (He learned in first grade, but waited two years.) He started a school newspaper with friends in seventh grade, but he’s better known for his 23 years as an editor of Post Magazine, a monthly covering television and film production. This century, he took up novel-writing and Ghost Hampton and Smashed are examples. More are in the works, like the promised Ghost Hampton sequel, but he’s kinda slow.

Ken lives on Long Island with his wife and they have two strapping sons. There are dogs. Ken is also a chef (grilled cheese, and only for his sons) and he enjoys boating (if it’s someone else’s boat). He has a band, The Achievements, that plays his songs (try https://soundcloud.com/ken-mcgorry). Back at Manhattan College (English major!), he was a founding member of the venerable Meade Bros. Band. Ken really was an employee of Dan’s Papers in the Hamptons one college summer, and really did mow Dan’s lawn.

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From My TBR Pile: Strong Light of Day by Jon Land

Texas ranger Caitlin Strong is involved in an international plot rooted in secrets from the Cold War in this seventh installment of the New York Times bestselling series

Afghanistan, 2003: During a mountain raid, a team of Navy SEALs discovers plans for a new and ingenious attack on the United States.

The Present: Fifth-generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong is summoned when thirty high school kids from a Houston prep school vanish during a field trip, including the son of her lover, Cort Wesley Masters. As if that wasn’t enough, Caitlin also has to deal with a crazed rancher whose entire herd of cattle has been picked clean to the bone.

The link between these two inexplicable events dates back to the contents of that Afghan cave raided by the SEALs, and a plot by forces within Russia to a win a war they never stopped fighting. At the center of that plot are billionaire Calum Dane and his multinational conglomerate, currently embroiled in controversy over a genetically engineered pesticide that has the potential to eradicate hunger across the world. Dane doesn’t know that this pesticide has spawned a new and deadly enemy capable of destroying the very fabric of American life.

Caitlin’s race to save the country weaves through the present and the past, confronting her with the most powerful and dangerous foes she’s ever faced. The Cold War hasn’t just heated up; it’s boiling over under the spill of a strong light only Caitlin can shut off before it’s too late.

First Sentence:

San Antonio, Texas; 1983

Jim Strong entered the Menger Bar via the street entrance, the Texas Ranger badge pinned to the lapel of his shirt struggling to glisten in the dull light.

Series: Caitlin Strong Novels (Book 7)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (October 13, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765335123
ISBN-13: 978-0765335128

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