Happy Sunday! I haven’t posted a haul in a couple of weeks but I have a good mix of romance and thriller/mysteries to share along with a few horror novels.
Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.
Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.
September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.
Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.
As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?
He swore he’d never fall for another city girl. She doesn’t plan to stay.
Ronnie Ross has spent the past three years working unthinkable hours as an interior design assistant. With a promotion one important project away, an ill-timed mistake costs her everything. Hoping to lay low for a couple of weeks, she takes her brother up on his invitation to visit him in Starlight, Wyoming. This could be the break she needs — until an irritatingly handsome cowboy gets in the way.
Colten Livingston swore he’d never fall for another city girl who’d leave his broken heart in her dust trail. Not after returning home two years ago when his dad fell ill cost him the wife who couldn’t handle country living. Now that his dad’s gone and his mom plans to sell the family home, there’s nothing holding him back from returning to his dream job at Glacier National Park. Except the alluring city girl his mom’s hired to complete the renovations.
Best friend’s little sister or not, she’s definitely hiding something. Colten’s determined to uncover her secret before she returns to Chicago. Which would be easier to do if a single touch from Ronnie didn’t make his pulse race. The last thing he thought he wanted might be the very thing he needs the most.
Heat Level: Sweet/Mild
Now a classic of true crime, Victim is a compelling and tragic look at how lives can be changed forever by a random act of violence. During an armed robbery, several hostages were brutally tortured, shot in the head, and left for dead. Victim focuses on the members of one family — including a mother who died after the attack and a son who was left barely alive — as they fought for his survival and struggled to rebuild their lives. Victim was the first book to go beyond the headlines and statistics about violent crime, to tell the victims’ dramatic story of love, loss and courage. It remains one of the most influential books in the victims’ rights movement and has become required reading in criminology courses across the country. It may be more relevant now than ever. “Victim is Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood turned inside out.” — Newsweek; “Just as Capote did, Kinder has somehow created a story that is truer than true.” — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dominic Sheldrake has never forgotten his childhood in fifties Liverpool or the talk an old boy of his grammar school gave about the First World War. When his history teacher took the class on a field trip to France it promised to be an adventure, not the first of a series of glimpses of what lay in wait for the world. Soon Dominic would learn that a neighbour was involved in practices far older and darker than spiritualism, and stumble on a secret journal that hinted at the occult nature of the universe. How could he and his friends Roberta and Jim stop what was growing under a church in the midst of the results of the blitz? Dominic used to write tales of their exploits, but what they face now could reduce any adult to less than a child…
Ramsey Campbell recently returned to the Brichester Mythos for his novella The Last Revelation of Gla’aki. His new trilogy The Three Births of Daoloth further develops the cosmic horrors he invented in his first published book, The Inhabitant of the Lake. The Searching Dead is the first volume, to be followed by Born to the Dark.
She’s the woman he can’t live without.
The one he can’t risk screwing up their relationship by sleeping with her.
Linc Kingston doesn’t accept anything less than perfection. Not in his billion-dollar business or in his personal life. He has it all, except one thing: his personal assistant and best friend in his bed, moaning his name. No matter how much Linc wants her, she’s completely off-limits.
Jordan Greene grew up the daughter of the housekeeper at the Kingston estate, where she met and bonded with Linc at a young age, despite their economic differences. But no matter how close they are now or how much their attraction simmers beneath the surface, they’re still from two different worlds. Besides, Jordan isn’t about to risk losing her best friend for one sensual night.
Jordan might be the only woman who can handle Linc and his domineering, bossy attitude, but beneath that gruff exterior is a vulnerable man who, despite his wealth, has had a less-than-charmed life. And when Linc’s father dies, she’s there for him–unwavering in her friendship.
Until one night of passion and a positive pregnancy test changes everything.
An injured ex-soldier struggling with being a bodyguard. A country music darling with an eerie stalker. Can he resist her allure to get the job done?
All Jake has ever wanted was to serve his country, get married, and raise a family.
When a mission goes wrong, leaving him with a prosthetic leg and raging nightmares, his plans for the future lie shattered like his career. He joins his brothers-in-arms at Stryker Security Force to help protect others, determined to find contentment in his job as a bodyguard — until protecting Chloe Rose makes him long for more.
Chloe Rose dreams of getting her break as the next country music superstar.
Though her parents would rather she buy her way in, Chloe will make it on her own or not at all.
An invitation to a Colorado music festival has Chloe believing her time has finally come. But when frightening messages arrive on her doorstep, she’s forced to hire protection. Jake is an attractive surprise, and sparks fly when he shows up.
Can Chloe trust Jake when the malicious attacks threaten all she’s worked so hard for?
Will Jake’s disability keep him from saving Chloe and the love he’s found in her?
If you like page-turning adventure, fascinating characters, and engaging stories of triumph, you’ll love Sara Blackard’s riveting inspirational security romance series.
The accusations. The suspicions. The devastating impact. This is the true story of the Devils of the Bassa Modenese—the most notorious Satanic Panic investigation in the history of Italy.
In 1997 a six-year-old boy questioned by authorities relayed disturbing stories of abuse. The more he talked, the more people were implicated in his shocking revelations. And he was only the first child to come forward.
Within a year, fifteen more children with similar tales were transferred out of the Bassa region of Italy to protected locations. Their parents were accused of belonging to a satanic sect that performed sex rituals under the aegis of beloved local priest Don Giorgio Govoni. With each child’s confession, the network of monsters grew. Families were torn apart. Lives were forever destroyed—and some ended—as allegations of kidnapping, torture, sacrifice, and murder escalated beyond comprehension.
But what was really happening in the Bassa Modenese?
In this gripping account of the Satanic Panic of the 1990s, investigative journalist Pablo Trincia returns to the scene of the crimes to find the answer. And the truth he uncovers is as terrifying as the lies.
From Amina Akhtar comes a viciously funny thriller about wellness—the smoothies, the secrets, and the deliciously deadly impulses.
Lifelong New Yorker Ronnie Khan never thought she’d leave Queens. She’s not an “aim high, dream big” person—until she meets socialite wellness guru Marley Dewhurst.
Marley isn’t just a visionary; she’s a revelation. Seduced by the fever dream of finding her best self, Ronnie makes for the desert mountains of Sedona, Arizona.
Healing yoga, transcendent hikes, epic juice cleanses…Ronnie consumes her new bougie existence like a fine wine. But is it, really? Or is this whole self-care business a little sour?
When the glam gurus around town start turning up gruesomely murdered, Ronnie has her answer: all is not well in wellness town. As Marley’s blind ambition veers into madness, Ronnie fears for her life.
In this series debut for fans of Jenn McKinlay, baker Teddie St. John spends her time away from the oven writing murder mysteries. But is she herself a murderer?
Everyone in Lake Potawatomi, Wisconsin, knows Teddie St. John. Tall, curly-haired Teddie is a superb baker, a bohemian bon vivant, and a mystery writer. Teddie is walking her American Eskimo dog, Gracie, when her four-legged friend finds Teddie’s missing silk scarf. Only problem: the scarf is tied tightly around the neck of a beautiful blond woman, the fiancée of a touring British author.
Before you can say “Wisconsin kringle,” Teddie becomes a murder suspect. Everyone in town knows all too well that the distinctive scarf was hers. But there are more layers to this case than there would have been on poor Kristi’s wedding cake. Tavish Bentley should be bereaved after his sweetheart’s strangling. Instead, the dashing Brit takes a shine to Teddie’s witty wisecracks and to-die-for cookies, and soon he’s mooning over her instead of mourning his bride. That is, when he’s not dodging the attentions of Annabelle, an obsessive fan who’s taken to stalking him.
And when a second murder shocks the community, the plot thickens to the consistency of fondant as Teddie stands accused of not one, but two, murders. With the help of her friends Sharon and Char, can Teddie clear her name and deliver a killer’s just desserts?
Wedding planner Tyler Warren left heartbreak behind when she ran away from her small Southern hometown and started a new life in a big city. Years later, she wants to believe in the fairy-tale endings her job promotes, but the clients she meets day after day seem to be more “Crazily Ever After” than “Happily Ever After.”
Meanwhile, her own attempts at romance play out as bizarre comedies rather than love stories, and she’s starting to think Prince Charming either fell off his horse or got eaten by a dragon. When unresolved issues from Tyler’s past complicate things even further, she discovers she may yet have some things to figure out before she can find her own happy ending.
This delightful first book in the Tales Behind the Veils series chronicles Tyler’s wacky misadventures, both personal and professional. Whether she’s getting insane requests from brides or outlandish requests on dates, you’re sure to be charmed and entertained by the Diary of a Single Wedding Planner.
Penny Fennimore is not winning at life. An aspiring writer with a monster-sized case of writer’s block, she’s got bills to pay and barely a dime to her name.
Enter the exclusive Nanny Match Agency and an opportunity to make bank.
The job: A live-in nanny position caring for video gaming billionaire Rowen Gale’s six-year-old niece.
The problem? Her hot nerd of a boss!
They’re opposites in every way. He’s the king of hi-tech, and she uses a flip phone from the digital dark ages. She’s not even sure he’s 100% human until their eyes meet, and the attraction meter blows through the roof.
She’s got to put the kibosh on her libido.
But the universe doesn’t always play nice.
When Mr. Robot-Bedroom-Eyes goes MIA, she marches up to his fancy-pants video gaming company to give him a piece of her mind and ends up rewriting his video game’s storyline.
Did anyone ask for her opinion? That’s a no!
The positive? She’s writing!
The negative? Her boss needs her to keep it up.
Turns out, this video game requires a complete overhaul, and she’s the only one who can give him what he wants.
Now, she’s not only caring for his niece—she’s with him morning, noon, and night!
And that’s where it gets complicated.
When he looks at her, she gets a glimpse of what’s behind his muted veneer.
Her heart is on the line.
Could this nanny match be the match that changes everything, or will it be game over for the nanny and the nerd?
All Olivia wants for her birthday is a one-way ticket out of town…
Rafe Minelli knows he won’t get a second chance with his ex-wife. The demands of his double career—as a police officer and military reservist—were a dealbreaker when they were together. And he’s thrilled for her when she lands a new job with a film company, but it comes with a deadline: when she finishes this project, she’s leaving town for good.
Olivia has no reason to stay in Rafe’s tiny hometown, where the only job she could find was waiting tables in the local diner. But she couldn’t move on until she figured out what she wanted next in life. Now she’s been tasked with the unlikely role of ambassador for a town that has done nothing but break her heart, and discovering unexpected surprises at every turn.
They aren’t the same young kids who rushed into marriage the first time. But as summer slides into fall, Rafe sets out to prove he’s a changed man before he loses her forever.
A new and nameless enemy.
Terrifying and unexplained phenomena.
Something evil is living in Serenity, and it wants Shelby Alexander dead.
When a movie crew comes to Serenity to shoot a horror flick, the director hires Shelby to provide security, after several unexplained occurrences on set. As Shelby and his partner Mack dig deeper into the mystery, things take a terrifying turn–something Shelby has never before faced.
As he stares down this latest and strangest case of his career, Shelby will have to conquer his own doubts and fears in order to take out this new threat … and save the life of an old friend.
In 1925 three children vanish without a trace in Arrowhead Lake. Nearly a century later there are those who still report seeing the children swimming beneath the surface like elusive dolphins.
After losing her husband in a violent car crash, Rachel King and her two young sons venture to Arrowhead Lake to heal. When Rachel discovers that Great Woods Timber is planning to clear-cut this beautiful wilderness she enlists the help of Lilly Bowman and her mysterious father, chief and shaman of the Wabanaki nation.
But dark events have been set in motion and Arrowhead Lake is under siege by a sinister force of mercenaries. When Chief Neptune vanishes, Rachel and Lilly call on Seth Ferguson, the local deputy sheriff for help. Together they discover an astonishing truth; a shadowy cabal that will stop at nothing to obtain the secret of Arrowhead Lake, a secret that if unearthed could have far-reaching consequences.
When one of Rachel’s sons vanishes in the Lake, she and Lilly embark on a harrowing journey to find him. What they discover is a mind boggling truth that will change their lives forever.
KADEN:
My teammates think she’s married. I think it’s more than that.
Other than her name, I don’t know anything about her, but I can’t get enough of her. She’s my obsession, my world, my everything. If only she would let me in, tell me why she’s terrified, why she stays in the shadows, why she can’t be seen in public.
Then, as quickly as she came into my life, she disappears.
DELANEY:
As the daughter of a powerful politician, I was my boyfriend’s perfect alibi until I wasn’t. My life is in danger, and I have no choice but to disappear.
I met Kaden in a bar, and the attraction was instant. We can’t keep our hands off each other, but I’m careful not to tell him too much. He can’t know who I am or why I’m running. My safety—and his—depends on it. Then my ex’s conviction is overturned, he’s out of prison, and witnesses are dying. I have to run again and leave behind the one man I’ll never forget.
But fate has a way of interfering, and this time, leaving isn’t so easy.
What if everyone you love is lying to you?
When Megan wakes up in a hospital bed, her first question is: where’s my baby?
But her husband, her sister, and her doctor said he doesn’t exist.
Megan’s not in a maternity ward, she’s in a psychiatric unit.
Convinced that they’re lying to her, Megan is determined to find out the truth.
But how can you prove your baby exists when you can’t trust your own memories?
An utterly chilling psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist. You’ll love this if you enjoyed THE PERFECT FATHER, THE RECOVERY OF ROSE GOLD, or PLAYING NICE.
Her perfect life became a perfect nightmare
Lauren can’t believe she’s escaped her old life in London for a new start with her partner, Paul, and his two young children. Haunted by her past, Lauren knows how lucky she is: a dream home, a ready-made family. And she also knows how much she could lose.
The cult slasher novel is back in this all new edition which features the original text as it was meant to be published! Dubbed one of “The Most Intense Horror Novels” ever written by many horror review sites, The Summer I Died is the first book in the Roger Huntington saga.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
When Roger Huntington comes home from college for the summer and is met by his best friend, Tooth, he knows they’re going to have a good time. A summer full of beer, comic books, movies, laughs, and maybe even girls. The sun is high and the sky is clear as Roger and Tooth set out to shoot beer cans at Bobcat Mountain. Just two friends catching up on lost time, two friends thinking about their futures. . . two friends suddenly thrust into the middle of a nightmare. Forced to fight for their life against a sadistic killer with an arsenal of razor sharp blades and a hungry dog by his side. If they are to survive, they must decide: are heroes born, or are they made? Or is something more powerful happening to them? And more importantly, how do you survive when all roads lead to death?
Books With Cassie 