March 2, 2016
Hidden Chamber of Death
Hidden Chamber of Death is a compelling tale of intrigue, murder, deception and suspense.
About Hidden Chamber of Death
Hidden Chamber of Death is a compelling tale of intrigue, murder, deception and suspense that leads retired Navy SEAL and part-time private investigator Craige Ingram in search of the connection between seemingly random murders and a banking conspiracy.
Working with the local homicide investigator, who just happens to be a former Navy buddy, Craige Ingram’s attempts to protect a lonely widow and solve the case before another person dies are only thwarted by a psychotic killer whose motivation is based on pure depraved pleasure. In this first book of the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series, the instincts and skills Ingram and his buddy acquired as Navy SEALS are tested to their limits.
My Thoughts
While this novel started off slower than I expected (I found I kept putting it down), by half way through the novel I did not want to put it down! The novel starts off with what appears to be a simple murder and then evolves into this complicated layer of murder and deceit. In between this lies the budding relationship between Craige and widow.
The buildup of the murders and the conspiracy that is tied into it, was mind-blowing and at times definitely not what I was expecting! I was constantly thrown off guard by what I thought would happen next and what really did happen – which is great! I really love that element of surprise in a novel and this one was full of it. Some of the murders were quite gruesome and really showed the inner workings of our criminal’s mind (and trust me I never saw the identity of him coming!).
A stellar book that leaves you in suspense throughout and ready for more.
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Internationally acclaimed author and public speaker, Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspapers. Following graduation, he served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel.
In addition to professional articles and texts on fetal and adult anatomy, Hawk has authored several novels that have received national and international recognition.Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. This was followed by the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. In a change of direction, October of 2012 saw the release of Hawk’s first science fiction novel, The Bleikovat Event, in The Cairns of Sainctuarie series. Volume II, The Missing Planets, was released in 2014 with Volume III in the works.
Hawk’s latest project focuses on The Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Hidden Chamber of Death is Book 1 in the series.
Interview with Hawk MacKinney
What genre do you write and why?
The Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series
The Cairns of Sainctuarie Series – sci-fi
Historical romance
Why write in these three genres…because the tales being spun involve characters that readers identify with, be it sci-fi, mystery, thrillers. In many ways romance motivating it all. Genre doesn’t exist. It’s a literature gimmick; categories established in ancient Greek literature. romance, historical or contemporary is so ancient it’s modern; tied and tangled among all genres. It’s where my fantasies take the tales with their twists & turns, & stir sci-fi with astounding revelations tumbling at us daily. Ain’t it fun.
How long have you been writing?
Since those evenings my grandmother or mother sat on the porch swing or front stoops; spun tales of stars and wishes while we counted lightenin’ bugs and listened to great greasy steel & iron thunder of railroad freights and passenger trains whistlin’ through the valley.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Don’t give up. A fiction writer is a person who sits in a secluded room by themselves; wastes a lot of paper, and doesn’t know if outside is sunshine or moonlight. Tells nonfiction tales made to sound like fiction and changes the name of the guilty. Is that called payback or fun or what?
Your books are set in many places. Have you ever been there?
Set in South Carolina and Georgia, Colorado, other states of the lower 48, Scotland, England, Israel…vacationed/lived in almost all of them. The historical romance is primarily SC & GA; most of the settings still exist…thereabouts most know nothing of the secrets lurking so close.
Favorite dessert?
Second piece of Southron Fried Chicken, BUT a hot slice KaroNut pie (otherwise known as Pecan Pie) runs a mean mouth-waterin’ second.
The Giveaway!
Book Trailer
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
March 2, 2016
The Rest of My Life Book Review
“You can’t run away from commitment forever …”
About The Rest of My Life
Adam Hamilton-Shaw has more reason than most to avoid commitment. Living on a houseboat in the Severn Valley, his dream is to sail into the sunset – preferably with a woman waiting in every port. But lately, his life looks more like a road to destruction than an idyllic boat ride.
Would-be screenplay writer Sienna Meadows realizes that everything about Adam spells trouble but she can’t ignore the feeling that there is more to him than just his bad reputation. Nor can she ignore the intense physical attraction that exists between them.
And it just so happens that Adam sees Sienna as the kind of woman he could commit to. But can he change his damaging behaviour – or is the road to destruction a one-way street?
My Thoughts
The Rest of My Life is a well written story of commitment, fear and letting go of your past in order to embrace your future. Adam has had a hard life from his childhood into his adult years. It has shaped his behaviours, his actions and his goals. He sees no permanent future for himself instead he wants to just live life the way he is currently, with a different woman every night.
Sienna is his complete opposite but falls for him anyways. She can see he is troubled but she can also see past this. She sees the good in him, the efforts he takes and those small glimpses of the man that he could be. But like any smart person, she is worried about the hurt he can cause her.
This novel was romantic, full of surprise, funny and heart warming. You want Adam and Sienna to be happy, you want them to grow as individuals and it can be hard to watch (read!) them struggling on their chosen paths.
Rating: 4/5
Author bio:
Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, poignant fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for the Best Romantic e-book Love Stories Award 2015, Sheryl has seven books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologiesSheryl’s new contemporary romance novel was recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer. THE REST OF MY LIFE comes to you from award-winning Choc Lit.
http://www.legitlitbooks.com/2015/12/new-tour-sign-up-rest-of-my-life-by.html
March 2, 2016
Coins in the Fountain Book Spotlight Tour
Part memoir, part travelogue, Coins in the Fountain will amuse and intrigue you with the stories of food, friends, and the adventures of a couple who ran away to join the circus (the Circus Maximus, that is).
About Coins in the Fountain
Innocents Abroad collide with La Dolce Vita when the author and her husband arrive in the ancient city of Rome fresh from the depths of Oregon. While the author endeavored to learn the folkways of the United Nations, her husband tangled with unfamiliar vegetables in a valiant effort to learn to cook Italian-style. In between, they attended weddings, enjoyed a close-up with the pope, tried their hands at grape harvesting, and savored country weekends where the ancient Etruscans still seemed to be lurking. Along the way they made many unforgettable friends including the countess with a butt-reducing machine and a count who served as a model for naked statues of horsemen in his youth.
But not everything was wine and wonders. Dogs in the doctor’s exam room, neighbors in the apartment in the middle of the night, an auto accident with the military police, a dangerous fall in the subway, too many interactions with an excitable landlord, snakes and unexploded bombs on a golf course, and a sinking sailboat, all added more seasoning to the spaghetti sauce of their life.
You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iTunes.
About the Author
Life was routine until the author decided to get a law degree. Then a chance meeting led her to run away to the Circus (Maximus) – actually to the United Nations office next door – where she worked as an attorney in the HR department and entered the world of expat life in Rome.
Her publishing credits include a memoir about ten years in Italy titled Coins in the Fountain, a novel about expats in Rome, City of Illusions, and flash fiction in literary magazines. She continues to travel in her spare time, having fitted in over 100 countries. And when she is in Rome, she always tosses a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure another visit.
Connect with her on: Website Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram Blog
The Giveaway!
My Canadian and American readers can enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card via the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
March 1, 2016
Transformers Rescue Bots: Adventures in Time and Space Giveaway
The Transformers Rescue Bots are back and this time they are traveling through time and space in this whole new DVD from Shout Factory.
About Transformers Rescue Bots: Adventures in Time and Space
Griffin Rock’s Autobot first responders (Chase, Heatwave, Blades and Boulder) are back for five more action-packed adventures! Only this time, they’re proving that they’ll stop at nothing to protect their Earth friends, even if it means traveling through all of time and space!
The five episodes include:
- It’s A Bot Time
- Unfinished Business
- Switcheroo
- Time After Time
- The Last of Morocco
The total run time of this DVD is one hour and fifty minutes and divided into episodes that you can watch one by one or all at the same time. The DVD has a suggested retail price of $14.93.
Our Thoughts
The Adventures in Time and Space DVD is the child and family friendly version of the very popular Transformers series that many of us enjoyed in our youth and can now have fun with our children watching the episodes. These episodes are less frightening, with warmer characters (rounded vehicles, friendlier faces) that all age groups can appreciate. The graphics are fantastic and the plot lines were interesting and new to all of us. The episodes are hard to find on the television or we are missing the time that they are being played at, so this is perfect for our family. We can start it up or stop whenever we want to which is what our busy schedules need. The price point of this DVD makes it a perfect gift for the child in your life.
The Giveaway!
My American and Canadian residents, 18 years of age and older can enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this DVD in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 26, 2016
Living Water Resort: A Home Away From Home at Blue Mountains
We love getting away to the Collingwood area for either a quick weekend getaway or a week-long adventure. There is so much to do in the region (not just skiing!) and we never get bored. Where we stay when we get away is just as important as what we do. On our last getaway this past weekend, we stayed for the first time at Living Water Resort.
Living Water Resort is part of the larger Cranberry Village that is located in the heart of Collingwood and a short five-minute drive to the Blue Mountain hills. The Cranberry Village has been family owned over the last twenty years by Larry Law who developed the Village into a residential and hospitality areas with the focus being on family and experiences. It is this family and experience model that really shines through when you enter the lobby and throughout your stay at Living Water Resort.
The Living Water Resort is off of the main road in Collingwood and was easy to locate with ample parking. We checked in around four and the entire process was painless. While my husband and I checked in, our children relaxed in comfort in front of the fireplace and television watching sports (I swear they could have spent most of their time there!). Just a little ways down from the lounge was the fitness centre and pool, which we were able to have a quick glance in before heading upstairs. The kids were in awe of the huge slide that was in the pool which for part of it went outside of the building (every child and adults dream slide!).
We spent the night in an one bedroom suite, complete with full kitchen, living and dining area, full bath, washer and dryer with an adjoining one bedroom suite that had two beds, full bath and mini kitchen area. The kids were delighted that they each had their own bed in their own area of the suite (win win for kids and adults).
My personal favourite part of the stay? The view:
How incredible is that view? The windows in the living room spanned the wall so we could pull back the curtains and enjoy the relaxing marina view while sitting together in front of the fireplace and television. It was the most relaxing evening we spent together in a long time (and trust me after a long and active day at Scenic Caves it was much appreciated!).
My second favourite location in our suite, was the soaker tub and the huge shower with alternating lights in the shower head. I filled the tub with water, pulled the curtains up a tad and could relax with my coffee while viewing the calm of the world around me. It helped my sore muscles and unwind my mind after a busy day. If it wasn’t for my kids wanting breakfast, I think I could have spent an hour soaking in the bath.
The kitchen had everything you would ever need to make your own meals or in our case warm up some of the meals we had purchased in the Cranberry Village. The appliances were all new and high quality. I love how the fridge had the same sleek wood look to the doors so it effectively hides it while completing the modern look of the kitchen. The washer and dryer were located just between the kitchen and bathroom which was perfect to dry wet towels, clothes from the day and if you stayed a whole week, to ensure that you went home with clean clothes.
The overall look and feel of the suite was modern with a welcoming touch to invite you in. You literally feel like you are at home (just a whole lot nicer and in our case neater with no toys!). The suite has everything you can possibly need with the bonus of having the gym and pool downstairs. The resort also has an arcade and daily fitness classes.
While they are still currently building their in-house restaurant as part of the third phase of their completion, you can head over to the Cranberry Resort (it was under a five-minute drive from the hotel) to enjoy a meal at either Memories or the Courtyard Bistro. We enjoyed dinner at Memories and loved the service and quality of the food.
If you are heading out to the Collingwood area and are looking for a family oriented, full service hotel, make sure you check out Living Water Resort. Don’t forget to follow them on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with new information and deals.
Disclosure: We stayed at Living Water Resort in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.