Category: iRead Book Tours

May 8, 2017

Old Loves Die Hard Book Review

Welcome to Lauren Carr’s Audiobook-a-palooza Blog Tour! To celebrate the release of Lauren Carr’s mysteries in audiobook format, we have 14 books from her three series on tour – the first stop here is Old Loves Die Hard.

About Old Loves Die Hard

Old loves die hard…and in the worst places.

In Old Loves Die Hard, Lauren Carr continues the rags-to-riches story of Mac Faraday, an underpaid homicide detective who inherits 270 million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, from his birth mother on the day his divorce becomes final.

Mac is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up-and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac’s private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors.

The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac’s murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife’s lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac’s old cases?

With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn’s reputation, before its five-stars – and more bodies – start dropping!

My Thoughts

Lauren Carr is by far one of my favourite authors. She writes in such a way that draws you into the story, makes you fall in love with the characters and the plot is always new and exciting. Even though we have a murder mystery, she adds the perfect amount of humour to her writing that keeps you laughing even in the midst of a murder investigation.

In this look at Mac and his friends, Mac’s ex-wife and her ex-lover are found murdered in his hotel. Of course all eyes turn to him and accuse him of murdering his ex-wife even though he had moved on long ago. As Mac works to clear his name, we find that these two murders are just the top icing of this murder investigation! There are many layers to this case and each one is just as shocking, you never quite know where the case is leading until the end. I think this is what I love the most about her writing – you never quite know where the book is heading. You can keep guessing throughout the novel but you never know the truth until the end. And the end in this book is incredible!

Old Loves Die Hard is another excellent novel from Lauren Carr full of murder, mystery, humour and love. You will enjoy every moment of Lauren’s writing and fall in love with Mac and his gang.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Audible.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband and three dogs (including the real Gnarly’s klutzy nephew Sterling) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

May 8, 2017

Seeing Double Review

All that stands between love and war are two families, two brothers and two conflicting versions of the truth.

About Seeing Double

A chill ran up her spine, triggering an alarm that spread through her system. Her eyes studied him as his eyes studied her. In the recesses of her mind, a fragment of a memory tingled…a tiny blip from long ago. An image spiraled and then vanished. There was something about this man, this Ari Ben Aviv. There was something about him that she couldn’t pinpoint.

On the heels of her last mystery, Elisabeth’s new patient is more than meets the eye, and unraveling his secrets will throw her team into a desert storm of double agents and religious extremists. All that stands between love and war are two families, two brothers and two conflicting versions of the truth.

My Thoughts

An exciting adventure that takes us around the world and through past and present. Elisabeth is part of a secret but very important organization. Her newest patient holds many secrets some that tie into her own past. This time, Elisabeth and her organization find themselves trying to extract a young family in the middle of a war torn country and in the camp of a new terror organization. In the midst of this is a family whose Mother Elisabeth knew and her children, whom Elisabeth begins to know quite well!

The plot is intense and very well planned out. It kept you guessing at every second, never allowing (or you wanting!) to put the book down. We are given just enough information at each stage of the novel to help us unravel the story. It is full of suspense, fear, anxiety, hope and excitement. You never quite know what to expect next but she never disappoints you.

Seeing Double is a well written, excellent novel full of suspense and mystery that you will fall in love with from page one. A definite must read.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Love of the mystery/thriller genre combines with psychotherapy training and experience to produce an emotionally supercharged novel. Nancy Alexander has devoted much of her professional life to helping survivors of childhood trauma; their distress has been ingrained and works to create characters who give voice to their plight. To analyze the evil minds that prey on others and the intricacies of law enforcers who purse them seemed a natural interlacing of professional, literary and creative interests.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 25, 2017

More Than a Soldier Book Spotlight

More Than a Soldier is Angelo DiMarco’s powerful story of survival, resilience and courage.

About More Than a Solider

Feeling a patriotic duty to defend his country after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, seventeen year old, Angelo J. DiMarco, enlists in the U.S. Army. Severely short of frontline fighters, the Army rushes Angelo through Ranger training and sends him to Italy as part of the 1st Ranger Battalion. Their objective: stop the German invasion.

Fighting on the front lines in Italy, the German’s teach Angelo a sobering lesson on life when they capture him during the bloody battle of Cisterna. Against insurmountable odds, Angelo miraculously escapes in a way that stretches the imagination. He survives behind enemy lines for over five months, hiding from the Germans and trying to outmaneuver them. He begs for food, sleeps in barns and suffers from many ailments, including dehydration, malnutrition, malaria and exposure to the elements.

More Than a Soldier is Angelo DiMarco’s powerful story of survival, resilience and courage.

You can purchase a copy of More Than a Solider on Amazon.

About the Author

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly. He has written and published five novels—all thrillers. But his latest work, More Than a Soldier, is a Historical Biography set in Italy during WWII.

A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

The Giveaway!

My Canadian and American readers can enter to win a $25 Amazon giftcard via the Rafflecopter form below – GOOD LUCK!

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April 17, 2017

Middle South Book Spotlight

In Middle South, Layla is on a journey from the Southeast to the Middle East and back where she finds out a little more about herself and what she is looking for in life and in love.

About Middle South

Layla has recently moved out of her parents’ home in the Atlanta suburbs and into an apartment in the city to assert her independence. Between her job as a feature writer for a small newspaper and her social life, Layla has little time to think about marriage and children, much to the dismay of her Lebanese parents.

On a hilarious journey that takes Layla from the Southeast to the Middle East and back, she finds out a little more about herself and what she is looking for in life and in love.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and BookLogix.

About the Author

Maya Nessouli Abboushi is a Lebanese American born and raised in the United States. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and three children. This is her first novel. You can connect with her on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Giveaway!

Enter to win an ebook copy of Middle South, this giveaway is open Internationally – good luck!

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Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 10, 2017

Assata Shakur Book Review

Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave is the story of Assata Shakur, before she became a fugitive and since.

About Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave

In May 1973, Assata Olugbala Shakur was involved in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike in which she was accused of killing New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and assaulting Trooper James Harper. This resulted in her indictment of first-degree murder of Foerster and seven other felonies related to the shootout. A member of the Black Panther Party, she became a prime target of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Counterintelligence Program. When she joined the Black Liberation Army and went into hiding, between 1973 and 1977, she was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List for three bank robberies, the kidnapping and murder of two drug dealers, and the attempted murder of two New Jersey police officers.

March 1977 Assata Shakur was convicted of murdering state trooper Werner Forrester and was imprisoned. Two years later she broke out of the maximum-security wing of Clinton Correctional Facility in New Jersey, pistol in hand, as she and three cohorts sped out of the prison grounds. In 1984 she was granted political asylum in Cuba where she has lived ever since. On May 2, 2013, the FBI added her to the Most Wanted Terrorist List, the first woman to be listed. Assata Shakur: A 20th Century Escaped Slave is the story of Assata Shakur, before she became a fugitive and since.

My Thoughts

This book is a detailed look at the life of Assata Shakur. This was my first time hearing about this important woman and I enjoyed learning about her life, her struggles, her fight against the law and then later her political asylum in Cuba. I was shocked to find out that she was the first woman to be added to the Most Wanted Terrorist List!

It is a detailed look at each of the events leading up to her political asylum and the information is given to us with just the facts – no judgement given to her nor the police, just the facts as they were laid out for all during that time. Barbara keeps that neutral fact sharing throughout the whole book which readers will appreciate.

The book does not give a detailed look into her personal life but more of her life as a political protestor and then prisoner. We are given the history of that time period, the facts that surround her accusations, her escape and later her time spent in Cuba. The only thing I found a bit difficult to follow was at times I felt like the book jumped back and forth between time frames. I found myself going back to re-read chapters to ensure I understood what was happening, I am not sure if this was because I wasn’t familiar enough with her history or because of the way the book was written.

This is a great book that gives you a detailed (but quick) look at the life of Assata, her struggles, her accusations and then her life in Cuba after being granted political asylum. It will definitely spark interest in her life and make you want more.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Barbara Casey is the author of several award-winning novels for both adults and young adults, as well as book-length works of nonfiction true crime and numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Her previous nonfiction true crime work, Kathryn Kelly: The Moll behind Machine Gun Kelly, has been optioned for a major film and television series. In addition to her own writing, she is an editorial consultant for independent publishers and writers, and president of the Barbara Casey Agency, established in 1995, representing authors throughout the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Japan. Barbara lives on a mountain in Georgia with her husband and three dogs who adopted her: Benton, a hound-mix; Fitz, a miniature dachshund; and Gert, a Jack Russel terrier of sorts. You can connect with her on her website.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.