jbronderbookreviews

Above the Fog

By Karen Lynn Nolan

Genre: Fiction (Southern/Appalachian)

Growing up in a coal mining camp is difficult enough. But, when Coreen Shell’s abusive father makes a promise for her thirteenth birthday that could destroy what’s left of her life, she resorts to a desperate prayer to a God she’s not sure exists. The next day, a flood washes through the coal camp, like a backhanded answer to her prayer. Coreen, her mother, and her crippled grandmother next door must climb the mountain to find refuge in a nearby church. Then, news of a murder changes everything, in a way Coreen never imagined.

Will Coreen and her damaged, dysfunctional family conquer the lies, secrets, hardship, and hatred … or be destroyed by them?

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About the Author

Karen Lynn Nolan is an award-winning writer of Appalachian fiction, mystery/suspense, and narrative nonfiction. Her years in the eastern Kentucky mountains instilled a love of storytelling, mystery, humor, stubbornness, and deep faith. Contact her at here.

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Excerpt:

If there really is a God, then let the roof of the mine collapse on Daddy today and send him to hell, where he belongs.

Coreen plucked a chenille thread from the faded bedspread and flung it into the dark space behind her cot. Tears blended with sweat and slid across her face. Stained curtains fluttered as a steamy breeze blew down the holler, through the coal camp, and into the dining room that served as her sleeping quarters.

The room seemed gloomier than usual. Dark shadows lurked in the corners and threatened to swallow up the buffet, discarded by a family who could afford something better. Its sagging drawers and chipped paint made her sad. The shadows closed in on her too as she lay on the metal cot, tucked into the corner like the Christmas gift nobody wanted.

Springs squeaked as Coreen turned away from the room and stared out the window. Mountains rose in every direction, like prison walls around the mining camp. She ran her fingers across a fresh bruise. If only she could escape. Especially today. Especially after what he did this morning—and what he said he planned to do tomorrow. But no matter how hard she tried, no answer came to mind.

A low rumble echoed through the hollers. The odor of dirt mixed with coal dust seeped through the window. A storm was coming. Coreen twirled her ponytail, nearly the color of the faded-yellow chenille bedspread beneath her, and wrapped it into a bun. A gust of wind whipped the curtains into the air, slapping her damp skin in a torturous dance.

A raindrop plopped onto the tin roof, then another and another until the sound resembled an approaching coal train. The intensity mirrored Coreen’s anxiety. She lay there listening, thinking about a solution to her problem, dreaming of a happy ending—until her eyes flickered and closed.

* * *

A boom exploded. Windows rattled and the cot shook. Coreen shot up with a gasp. An eerie yellow tint filled the room. Her heart pounded. “Mama? Mama? Where you at?”

All was silent except for the rumbles of thunder and the concussive pounding of rain on the roof. Across the room, light framed the door to her parents’ room. She listened. No sounds inside the house. Did it mean he wasn’t home yet? Was she safe for now?

Lightning sizzled outside her window and filled the house with pulsing flashes. A gust of wind picked up the rain-soaked curtains and slapped Coreen across the face. The thunder cracked with such violence, it seemed to lift the house into the air and drop it.

“Mama!” she screamed as terror wrapped itself around her.

I would like to thank Sage’s Adderley-Knox for the opportunity to share this book.

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Spider’s Web (#3 in Magdalena Series)

By Shannon Condon

Genre: Action/Suspense/Thriller

Over three years have passed since Maggie’s near fatal injury. Initially, she was happy to return home to the calm of everyday life. Time has given her a false sense of security. She no longer feels threatened by her old enemies. She becomes depressed and frustrated.  She is restless running the team’s special ops missions from the safety of the Grid. To appease her and hopefully relieve her cabin fever, Shep plans a girls’ weekend for her and Celeste. No sooner does she re-enter the real world when her past finds her. Separated from her team, Maggie must use all her resources to save herself and others. She soon learns she cannot control every outcome.  In an instant, Maggie’s life is forever changed. Unsure who to trust, Maggie tries to navigate her new reality. Will she be able to choose her future or will she remain trapped in the web of enemies she has created?

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About the Author

Shannon Condon is the mother of three boys and lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. She graduated from the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. She loves to travel and is fascinated by history.  She has always wanted to be a writer and with the publication of the Magdalena Series: Finding Magdalena, The Brotherhood and now Spider’s Web (release date  November 30, 2018), she has brought that dream to fruition.

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Excerpt

“Okay, guys, let’s run through this one more time before you head in,” Maggie  said, trying to keep the tension out of her voice.

“Maggie, we’ve been over this three times already,” complained Bernardo.

“Cut me some slack. Once you enter that building, I’m blind. I’m sitting in this basement trying to provide logistics and keep the three of you alive during this mission. I only have access to the street cameras, nothing inside the building,” Maggie said, her frustration growing.

“Go over it again, Maggie,” Shep said calmly. “This mission is too important to miss a step. We’re listening.”

Maggie took a deep breath. Shep, Bernardo and Nate were in a van a few blocks from the target building in Bern, Switzerland, while she was sitting in front of several computer screens, safe in the control room in the basement of the Shepherd home.

“All right.” She was in her professional logistics mode. “You are going to enter the stairwell on the northwest end of the building. Use the security swipe card I gave you to gain entrance. Before you enter the stairwell, make sure your masks are on. There are cameras everywhere; we don’t want you being identified later when they watch the tapes. When you get to the tenth floor, you will need to swipe the card again. The door will open toward you. There is an infrared security system. You will need to put your goggles on and crawl under it toward the office door straight ahead of you. My source said he would leave the door unlocked. Once you are all inside, close the door behind you and let me know you are in. Don’t touch the computer until I tell you, and leave your masks on. All good?” Maggie asked. She heard three yeses and sat back in her chair, watching them exit the van and move toward the building. She could hack the available street cameras, but the security was so tight inside the office building that she couldn’t get in without triggering the alarm. She watched them enter the stairwell and looked at her watch while she envisioned them going through the steps. She didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she heard Shep’s voice in her ear letting her know they were safely in the office.

“Okay, baby girl. I’m in front of the computer; it’s on and waiting for the password, just like you said it would be. Waiting on your instructions.”

“Once you put in the password, off-site IT security will get a heads up that D’Angelo’s computer is in use. They’ll give him a courtesy call on his cell. When he tells IT he’s not using his computer, you will have ten minutes before security shows up. Can you adjust your camera so I can see the screen?”

“I’m sitting in his chair with my camera chest high. Can you see?” Shep asked.

“Yes, perfect,” Maggie answered. “Enter the password and then go right to his directory.” Maggie watched as Shep did as she asked. There were about twenty folders. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing, Maggie?” Shep asked.

“Yup. All the folders appear to be customer names except the photo file.”

“Most people have a photo file on their computer,” Nate chimed in.

“Look around his office for me. Does he have any family pictures or anything personal there?” Maggie asked.

“No, it’s completely sterile,” Nate answered.

“Shep, that’s our folder, but let’s open it to check.” Shep opened the folder, and it showed an array of files dealing with uranium and yellowcake. Maggie scanned them quickly. “Looks good. Let’s put the flash drive in and start copying. It should only take a few minutes. We have seven and a half minutes until security arrives, by my count,” Maggie directed.

“It’s copying. Man, it’s a big file.”

“Bernardo, go to the outside window and open it and get the rappel ropes ready. Security is going to use the same staircase you did. You are going to have to rappel down from where you are,” Maggie said.

“The window doesn’t open,” Bernardo said.

Maggie’s impatience was running high again. She really needed to talk to Shep when he got back. She looked at her watch. They had less than six minutes until security arrived.

“Bernardo, you have an M4 in your hands. Make the window open,” Maggie said, a little more harshly than she meant to.

“Maggie, there’s a building across from me. I don’t want to hit anyone with stray bullets.”

“I’ve done my job, Bernardo. It’s an abandoned warehouse—it’s empty. You now have four and a half minutes to get out of there,” Maggie said, then asked, “Shep, where are you on the copying?”

“I’m at ninety percent, almost there.” Maggie could hear the pinging of Bernardo’s gun taking out the window.

“Starting our exit,” Bernardo said in a professional tone. He was angry with her, but Maggie couldn’t deal with that right now.

“I’ve got the flash drive and am the last one out the window,” Shep reported. Maggie sighed. They’d had only a minute to spare.

“The security van is in the alley directly to your left. They are all filing into the stairwell.” A tense thirty seconds passed as the three men stood pressed against the building wall. “Okay, it should be clear, but keep low in case the driver is still in the van.” Maggie watched tensely as they successfully passed the security van. “All right, two more blocks up. Our van is waiting in the same location as when we started.”

Her team ran the distance and piled into the van. It pulled into traffic with no one following them.

“Looks like you’re in the clear. Great job, guys. Shep, would you call me once you’re settled on the plane?” Maggie asked. She hated that the agitation in her voice was so palpable.

“Sure thing, Maggie. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Maggie pulled her headphones out and burst into tears.

I would like thank Sage Adderley-Knox for the opportunity to share this book.

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Congrats to Chloe Sunstone on the release of her exciting Cybercrime Thriller, Ginger Snapped!

Read on for more details, an exclusive excerpt, and a fantastic giveaway!

Ginger Snapped: A Cybercrime Thriller with a Shocking Twist

Publication Date: October 22nd, 2018

Genre: Thriller

How does an amazing professional opportunity descend into a living nightmare?

Carefree Ginger’s motto of “Work Hard, Play Harder” shapes her life. So when her husband, Jake, gets a job offer on the other side of the country, she is up for the adventure.

But after Jake accepts the promotion, nothing is as expected. While Ginger remains in Cleveland to sell their house, she is plagued by strange prank calls, premonition-like nightmares, and the feeling that she is being watched. Is Jake’s new job putting her in danger?

Unfortunately, she ignores her intuition and soon finds herself face to face with a ruthless killer. Trapped in a deadly world of corporate corruption and murderous greed, she must overcome her own fears and rely on her wits if she plans to survive.

Although the first in the Ginger Gibson series, this is a standalone book.

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Excerpt

Oh No! I’m back. I am surrounded by inky black nothingness. The air is musty…damp, my nostrils fill with the smell of dank basement. Like in a haunted house, filled with saws and chains and bloody hooks, this is the perfect place for any psycho to hide his tools of the crazy trade. I’m trembling, from the all-encompassing fear, eating at every cell in my body.Where am I? My fingers search out for clues. Beneath me is a thin mattress on a hard surface. My head rests on a concrete-like pillow. My breathing escalates as the panic rises in my chest. I open my mouth to scream, but only a muted croak escapes. Over the thunder of my pounding heart, I hear a booming crack, a gunshot. I recognize the sound from a trip to the range with Jake years earlier.

I swing my legs over the side of my perch, thinking in my blind panic to run even though I cannot see. I can’t ignore this intense urge to flee. But my impulse is thwarted by an unknown restraint trapping my left arm, a rope? Panic has me in its grip. I gasp for air to fill my lungs but produce only whimpers and muted pleas.

A loud screech reverberates through the darkness. Rats? Oh, please, no rats! Could this get any worse? Hysterical, I yank relentlessly on the rope tethering me. With each tug, the line cuts deeper into my skin. My arm warms as blood seeps from the gouges, coating my hand and fingers. Behind me, the pounding sound of footsteps startles me. Before I can turn to confront my visitor, I feel the rush of air preceding the impact to the back of my head. A blaze of bright stars then, a different blackness envelopes me.

Available in Paperback & Kindle

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

About the Author

After over twenty years in Human Resources, Chloe decided to make a change. She returned to her first love of writing. She combined her corporate experience with her love for the written word to create engaging cyber-crime thrillers.

On a personal note, Chloe lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her loving husband, Mike. They spend their free time boating, scuba diving, and of course, reading. Her latest cybercrime mystery, Ginger Snapped, is available on Amazon.

Chloe Sunstone | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter

For your chance to win a paperback copy of Ginger Snapped, click the link below!

*North America Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized By:

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The Soul Dweller

By Stephen Paul Sayers

Genre: Horror

*NEW RELEASE*

An ancient evil has returned… and it comes for the children.

A battle between good and evil rages across otherworldly dimensions. Caretakers protect earthly souls–jumpers hunt them as prey. RG and Kacey Granville have made it their life’s mission to intercept and defeat these dark forces, but nothing could prepare them for the malevolent spirit they’re facing–a deadly jumper, plucking children from their homes, taking them back in time to a hidden corner of the past…

… adding them to his collection.

In a heart-stopping trek across time, the team must risk it all and jump seventy years into the past to rescue the innocent–and hope their mission isn’t a one-way ticket into history. And if they’re to save the children, they must halt an unspeakable evil that will stop at nothing to protect its ‘precious’ souls.

The second installment in the Caretakers Series, The Soul Dweller brings every child’s nightmare to life and puts a face to that monster in the closet.

Pick up A Taker of Morrows (Book One) for $0.99 on Amazon, Nov. 26 only! 

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About the Author

Stephen Paul Sayers is a college professor and best selling author of supernatural thriller and horror fiction. His debut novel, A Taker of Morrows, was published by Hydra Publications in June 2018. The second book in the Caretakers series, The Soul Dweller, is set to launch TODAY, November 26. His short fiction has appeared in Unfading Daydream and Well-Versed.

As a research scientist, Stephen yields to the left-brain world of data analysis and statistics by day, but releases the demons in his slightly twisted right-brain by night. It gets strange around dusk when neither side is fully in control. He makes his home in Columbia, MO and Plymouth, MA—not far from the Cape Cod locations he writes about in the Caretakers novels. Throughout his journey, he has accumulated five guitars, four herniated discs, three academic degrees, two dogs, and one wife, son, and daughter. But not necessarily in that order.

For more about the author, visit:

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EXCERPT

You wonder sometimes. About a face.

Someone passing you on the street, in the subway or airport, a face you’ve never laid eyes on before and will likely never see again.

So many different ones, with welcoming eyes, maybe an intimidating scowl…or a false smile, a distracted glance, a courteous nod, a lustful once-over.

A face can communicate some things…but not everything. No face reveals the true world lurking behind it. It hides things no one could ever see.

No one but Robert Granville, that is. “RG” could see it all.

The thoughts of unsuspecting strangers streamed through their well-constructed facades and into RG’s mind like blinding sleet in a winter storm. Their truths…well, don’t you look like shit today, honey…their sins…you still have time to hide the body where no one will ever find it…their pleas for help…don’t let him track me down again. Don’t let him find me here, please God…

Who would have guessed looking into RG’s face that he sheltered some of the darkest secrets of the universe behind his brown eyes and kind smile, secrets nobody could possibly fathom.

Who would have guessed that he had discovered a battle between good and evil raging outside life’s boundaries, one determining the fate of earthly souls, where ‘caretakers’ protect the living and ‘jumpers’ hunt them as prey; that his loving wife, Kacey, could glimpse the future in her dreams and change it, and transport herself into otherworldly dimensions; that his long-dead father and caretaker, Morrow, had saved him from a collision course with a ruthless and vengeful jumper from the afterlife.

No one could glimpse that in his face.

RG stared at the familiar curves and lines reflecting in the bathroom mirror as he braved another day, another chance to mull over the abrupt, life-altering events that had upset his world, turned him upside down and inside out, and redefined his life. And he was nowhere near wrapping his head around it. Life had tried to settle back into some variance of normal, the entire last year shifting him back to a steady acceptance of lost ground, unfavorable notoriety, and the need to claw his way back out of the trenches.

Shuffling into the bedroom, RG ran a hand through his thick hair to flatten it down, what Kacey lovingly called his wavy brown garden of weeds, then stretched through a silent yawn. He

paused a moment and traced his wife’s face and body contours with an appreciative gaze, part of his waking ritual he had yet to kick. With a spate of freckles across her nose and a river of near-auburn hair spilling over tan shoulders, Kacey Granville could send his heartbeat rocketing with a simple glance, or laugh, or a million other things she drew from her arsenal to paralyze his senses. And each passing day brought with it something different, something else to trip the switch and increase the palpitations. If a cardiologist wired him up and monitored him throughout the day, the wild swings in rhythm would force the doc to send for an ambulance before he had finished his first cup of morning coffee.

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WELCOME TO THE BLACK FRIDAY BLAST!

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR A $25 GIFT CARD

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Deadly Ground by Thomas W. Starbuck & Judy Belshe-Toernblom

We’re all on deadly ground now. This virus doesn’t have rules. We don’t know what the next moments will bring.

For whatever reason, God saw fit to give me the responsibility of being the second Adam, and to restart the human race.

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Praise

“Great concept…makes you think. Could history be repeating itself? Fast read. Anxious for the sequel.”- Peggy Holder, Amazon

“A really good book and definitely a page-turner. I really liked the characters which is so important to me when I read a book. And the story really makes you think a lot about the things that are going on around us throughout the world. This was a different type of book than I normally read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This book has something for so many readers’ interests – some fantasy, some romance, some sci-fi. It’s also a quick read. I’m looking forward to the author’s sequel to ‘Deadly Ground’.”-Tamara, Amazon Review

About the Authors

Thomas W. Starbuck

Thomas W. Starbuck, an eternal optimist, finds joy in everything around him – from quality time with his active family to quiet meditation and contemplation about the world around him. Never living life in the status quo, Tom had an idea for a story.

This spark of an idea for a screenplay turned into Tom’s first novel, ‘Deadly Ground’, published in April 2018. To give Deadly Ground the soul it needed, Tom worked with gifted writer, Judy Belshe-Toernblom, on both the screenplay and novel, and they were recognized by the 2018 Capital Fund Screenplay Competition Top 100.

Tom is the father of two daughters and a beloved granddaughter, who one of the Deadly Ground characters was named after. He lives with his wife of 45 years in Des Moines, Iowa, where he graduated from Drake University and worked in financial services for 32 years prior to retirement in 2009.

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Judy Belshe-Toernblom

Multi-talented Judy Belshe-Toernblom has spent her career as an award-winning writer/producer/casting director in Hollywood. Having published 5 books, Judy received the Dove Foundation Award for her book, Boonville Redemption: The End of the Beginning, as well as its film, Boonville Redemption, starring Pat Boone, Edward Asner and Diane Ladd. Working with Thomas W. Starbuck on both the screenplay and published novel, Deadly Ground, they were recognized by the 2018 Capital Fund Screenplay Competition Top 100. She also received the Irwin Award for her book, It’s A Freeway Out There! Everyone’s Guide to the Film and Commercial Industry.

She’s had the privilege of working with award-winning directors over the years, casting for movies, educational films, industrials and infomercials,  such as:  McGruff the Crime Dog series, How the West Was Lost (Cable Ace Award), Knotts Berry Farm, Oroweat, Disney educational projects, Boys and Girls Town PSAs, Will Rogers Institute PSAs, and 100s more.

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I would like to thank Virtual Author Book Tours for the opportunity to share this book. I am working on getting a review to post and will be sure to post soon.

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