The Perfect Stranger

The one thing that drew them together would be the one common thread that threatens to tear them apart. Known by their blogging names, PINK STINKS, BamaBelle, I'm O-Kay and The Boobless Wonder and PC BC, these bloggers are united by dealing with breast cancer. Some are in remission, others are dealing with new treatment options, and others believe its simply a matter of time before hospice is called and the countdown begins to the end. Even though most of them are sharing their feelings with family and friends, no one really understands what they are dealing with like someone who is dealing with it as well. That is what has allowed them to simply step outside the limits of their blogging friendship and form a bond outside that as well even though they have never met.

However when Meredith Heywood winds up the victim of a home invasion robbery, soon the clues begin to add up that it was merely a murder staged to look like a home invasion robbery. Is it possible the during all her blogging posts that Meredith shared too much personal information online that someone had simply took their time and began putting things together to uncover who Meredith really was and where she lived. All those times she shared spending time alone while her husband Hank was dealing with his aging mother and trying to locate suitable nursing care for her, provided the perfect window of opportunity for someone looking for one. At least Meredith didn't have to wait for the cancer that was raging her body for the third time, to take her life. She simply didn't see it coming and she died before she knew what hit her.

Now left dealing with the implications of who had murdered Meredith, her blogging friends finally meet for the first time and her funeral. Something she had always dreamed of doing and never thought that her funeral would be the one place they all finally got to meet. Landry Wells, a successful mother of two wonderful teens and wife of her husband Rob, a busy attorney, she was the picture of what people would call a true Southern Belle. Elena Ferreira, has been trying to find a way to manage her stress as a first grade teacher, and no family to speak of. She is more than thrilled to have these blogging women to fall back on for support dealing with her own cancer. Now if she can only manage dealing with that stress without drinking or dating the one guy in her school that is beyond persistent in wanting to date her. Kay Collier, dealing with the memories of losing her own mother and never feeling truly wanted as a child, her online friends are her only outreach in dealing with her cancer, and Jaycee, the only blogger who has never revealed anything about who she is has a reason for keeping her personal life a secret. If any of them found out just who she really was, her secret would be finally revealed.

I received The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub compliments of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. As a blogger for the last 6 years, this one really hit home for me. In light of all the issues with identity fraud and social networking stalkers, you begin to wonder just how some people can use technology to gain insight into your life you'd never dream before. Rob, Landry's husband is concerned about her "blogging post and friends" and wonders just how much information she is sharing online but never seeks to check it out for himself. If you are truly that concerned, you would think a simply internet browse would take care of that, but it also adds to the element of suspense to the novel and when you discover who did it, you'll be looking at the information you decide to share online anymore! I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion and look forward to more novels from Wendy in the near future.

For more information about The Perfect Stranger, Wendy Corsi Staub, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Perfect Stranger by Wendy Corsi Staub

You can also find Wendy Corsi Staub on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Perfect Stranger, please visit Harper Collin's website. 

Help for the Haunted

"You know the truth already. What I will say is this: each of us is born into this life with a light inside of us. Some, like yours, burn brighter than others. You don't see that yet, but I do. What's most important is to never let that light go out, because when you do, it means you've lost yourself to the darkness. It means you've lost your hope. And hope is what makes this world a beautiful place."

And that is exactly the advice that Sylvie Mason has to hold onto. When she was nine years old, she left with her parents on a cold night in the snow to attempt to meet with her oldest sister Rose who had left home in hopes of reconciling the issues between her parents and Rose that cause her to leave. Only little did Sylvie know that that would be the very last time she would ever see her parents alive. Left alone in the car and having fallen asleep she hears the sounds of a gun being fired and finds her parents murdered on the steps of an old church and her sister is no where to be found. Yet all she remembers is that they were not alone. Someone else was there and it's that someone that is haunting the memories of Sylvie late at night.

In the latest novel by John Searles, Help for the Haunted is a suspense thriller that takes you on an unforgettable ride into the darkest places of a persons soul. She knows her parents help troubled people that no one else can and has been the reason for people treating her and her sister Rose different from other kids you'd know in school. Most people in school avoid Sylvie and give her plenty of room whenever she walks into a room. Most are simply afraid of what they don't understand and since the deaths of her parents, most people believe that the people the Mason's helped carried some evil right alongside them. It was that evil that they hoped to find relief from when all other attempts had failed. Now the basement is the only place that has been left virtually undisturbed and both girls were warned by their parents to stay out. But just what is happening in the basement now, sounds that seem to emanate from beneath the house, it seems like something below is not happy that Sylvie's parents are no longer among the living and are deeply upset with the current state of things.

I received Help for the Haunted by John Searles, compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This one literally gave me what I was expecting and then some. Rave reviews comparing John Searles work with that of Stephen King is what drew me to read this one. I was not disappointed. 90% of the way through this novel that author creates such a suspenseful atmosphere you think you have it figured out, you're just waiting for an unveiling. This one really creeped me out and for me, that's the perfect sign of an amazing suspense novel. The ending I truly did not see coming and it's true that there is always more to the story than what you see. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and look forward to many more novels from John Searles in the future.

For more information about Help for the Haunted, John Searles or where you can preorder a copy of this novel that is due out in mid September of 2013, please click on the links below:

Help for the Haunted by John Searles

You can find John Searles on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest novels.

ISBN: 9780060779634; ISBN10: 0060779632; Imprint: William Morrow ; On Sale: 9/17/2013; Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 6 x 9; Pages: 368; $26.99; Ages: 18 and Up; BISAC1:FIC019000; BISAC2:FIC022000; BISAC3:FIC043000

Footprints in the Sand - Giveaway and Review

Weddings are usually a time for joy and happiness, not for murder. Yet in the midst of wedding plans for Kathy Leeds and Dan Clemens, people that are part of the wedding plans keep on showing up missing. When one of Kathy's bridemaids, Shelley Hart goes missing for a few days, she begins to wonder just where she has gone since it's out of character for her to leave and not let someone know. Not only that, Nora Golubock claims she saw a man carrying a body into the bushes late at night but never thought to mention it to anyone. Now when the police call Kathy, they inform her that Shelley's car has been found with blood in it but no sign of her. 

Piper Donovan is a struggling actress that has flown down from New Jersey to be Kathy's maid of honor in her wedding. Little did she ever expect to find herself once more in the middle of what could be a murder investigation. It seems that Shelley oversaw all the event held at the Whispering Sands Inn where she was staying. If clients wanted a wedding reception, family reunion, business meeting or some other kind of gathering, they booked it with Shelley. It's also no surprise that one of her employees, Isaac is more than happy not having her around. Her absence made his life so much easier. He was the one to draw up the plans for the events and implement them. His concepts were always big and lush - in direct opposition to the simple, plain Amish way he was brought up. Now that he has walked away from the Amish faith and was being shunned by his family, he could now go back to implementing ideas the way he imagined and not changing them for Shelley.

However in order to compensate his rich lifestyle he began with the theft of a sea turtle mosaic from the hotel. However when he got sick for a week, Shelley came by to drop off his paycheck and found the missing item. When Shelley confronted him, outraged by his dishonesty, he begged for another chance and to not tell the owner, Walter Engel or the police. However, with Shelley missing, Isaac could stay right here at the Whispering Sands Inn and life would be much easier.

In the latest Piper Donovan Mystery, Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark immediately takes the reader into a suspense thriller to determine just in fact who murdered Shelley Hart. While the clues seem easy enough to decipher, Mary Jane Clark does a masterful job at keeping you guessing as you turn up with dead ends in your own search for answers. This is a must read for all fans of murder mystery genre's. The location is perfect on the sands of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida as Piper begins to follow the leads and hopes to solve the crime before the wedding. When a group of beach combers decides to build a sand castle what they uncover could spell disaster!

I received Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. This is a great book to take you away for an afternoon for testing your own crime solving skills. It's face paced and engaging enough to keep you turning pages until you finish the novel. This is first for me reading a Mary Jane Clark novel but I can tell you it will not be my last. I love her writing style because I can get through it in a few hours and feel completely immersed in the story and characters she creates. In my opinion I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. This is the third book in the Piper Donovan Wedding Cake Mystery series!

For more information about Footprints in the Sand, Mary Jane Clark, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark

You can also find Mary Jane Clark on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest books.

Thanks to the generosity of the publishers at William Morrow, they are offering a giveaway copy of this book to one lucky reader of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here's all you need to do.

1. "Like" my fan page, Reviews From The Heart on Facebook.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a U.S. shipping address. No P.O. Boxes, please.

3. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) if you like.

I will notify the winner of this giveaway on January 14th by email. Please share this opportunity with your friends as well! You'll get extra opportunities for the drawing.

Obituary Column - Giveaway and Review

Tracy Chapman has a very unusual job. It arrives with the morning paper and involves reading the obituary column. She isn't interested in treasure hunting but helping those out that appear to have no family to speak of in the obituary. She has become a self appointed detective trying to make sure people don't die without someone knowing about them. She has taken on the task after her brother went missing for 5 years without a trace. Then she tracked down a clue that lead her to her brother being labeled a John Doe that had been murdered in Florida. Since none of the missing person descriptions matched him, he was buried as a unknown and she vows to make sure that it doesn't happen to any other families.

Tracy is also the owner of an antique story, Another Tyme and along with her partner Amy, they offer to buy furniture and other items at auctions from family estate sales. Only this time when investigating the death of Mr. Samuel Levine, she finds out that there are others out there who have been looking for Mr. Levine for quite some time. As she digs deeper into the contents of Mr. Levine's small apartment, she comes across a journal from his time in Germany during the Holocaust written in German and hopes she can find out if Mr. Levine had any family she can contact.

On her way back home one evening, she is almost forced off the road and killed in a game of cat and mouse with the driver of an unknown vehicle. Thinking nothing of the event and the connection between the two, she begins to unravel a story that she hopes will unite Mr. Levine with the family he left behind and was never able to contact during all his travels in America. However someone else from Mr. Levine's past is out to make sure that never happens and will do whatever it takes to find what he's been searching for all these years.



In the novel, Obituary Column by Sandra and Dan Farris, Tracy Chapman works with a team of close friends and detectives to try and piece the past of an old man's life together to reunite a family separated by war while trying to work time in to compete in a kickboxing tournament and settle a long-distance relationship with a cattle rancher named Michael. This is a great story line for a murder-mystery crime novel and one that is short enough to feel like a full length one. It keeps the reader engaged and on the path to help solve this mystery.

I received Obituary Column compliments of Sandra Farris for my honest review and have to say I really enjoyed this one. The premise was entertaining and different from your typical murder/mystery novels and is subsequently being made into a movie, called the Treasure Within. I guess it's every author's dream to have their books made into a movie and I know you'll love the story you'll find within the covers of this one, and or that reason, I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information on this book, the authors and where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the link below:

Obituary Column by Sandra and Dan Farris

You can also follow Sandra Farris on Facebook by clicking here.

Thank to the generosity of Sandra Farris, she is offering to personalize a copy of Obituary Column to one lucky reader of my blog who leaves a comment. Here's your guidelines:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart. If you have already "Liked" my page, just leave me a comment.

3. "Like" Obituary Column on Amazon by clicking here.

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy. Don't forget to include your email since I need a way to contact you if you're the lucky winner. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

The giveaway will end on August 9th, and I will notify the winner by email and also post it on my Reviews From The Heart, Facebook page.

An Unmarked Grave - Giveaway and Review

France, Spring, 1918

I stopped just outside the ward and leaned my head against the cool wood of the doorframe. I couldn't remember when last I'd slept, or, for that matter, eaten anything more than a few biscuits now and again with a hasty cup of tea.

The Spanish Influenza had already cut down three of our nursing sisters, and two doctors were not expected to live through the night. The rest of us were struggling to keep men alive in the crowded wards and losing the battle hourly. Depressing to watch the bodies being carried out, one more soldier lost to an enemy we couldn't even see.

It was an insidious killer, this influenza. I'd watched men in the best of healthy in the afternoon gasping for breath by the next morning, tossing with fever, lying too ill to speak, then fighting to draw a next breath. I'd watched nurses and orderlies work with patients for days on end without showing a single sign of illness, only to collapse unexpectedly and join the ranks of the dying. The young were particularly vulnerable. On the other hand, Private Wilson, close to forty, seemed to be spared, even though he handled the dead, gently wrapping them in their soiled sheets and carrying them out to await interment. The shed just beyond the wards was filled with bodies, sometimes tacked like lumber. The burial details couldn't keep up. And those men too were dying. (pg 1-2).



In the latest novel from Charles Todd, An Unmarked Grave takes readers back to the chilling period of time as WW1 was just beginning while the Spanish Influenza was taking lives faster than the war wounded. Some wondered if there would be anyone left to fight the war. As Private Wilson is taking count of the bodies in the shed, separating the war dead from those that the illness had claimed, he noticed one extra body.

Taking care to avoid any extra attention he notifies, Nurse Bess Crawford to follow him to the shed. When he shows her the extra body, she realizes who it is. Major Vincent Carlson, and the wounds on his body are neither from the war or from the illness. He has been murdered.

When she attempts to contact Matron, the head nurse in charge of the facility, Bess herself finds she has succumbed to the Spanish Influenza as well and before she is able to tell anyone, she faints into a fever that may take her very life. Nurse Bess Crawford does recover but she begins to wonder if the body she discovered was a dream or did it really happen. All she knows is she needs to get better as soon as she can and begin to uncover what could be a murder, but how will she find the body of the Major in an unmarked grave?

I received An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd compliments of TLC Book Tours and William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. After reading previous novels by Charles Todd a year ago, I feel in love with his unique ability to draw the reader into his book immediately. This is my third book from him and my second in the Bess Crawford mystery series. I love having a woman character like Bess who represents a vulnerability in her character while matching wits much like Sherlock Holmes. Add to that element a bit of history and you have the blending of a perfect suspense mystery. So it's easy to see why I would rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to read more from him in the future and once again, this novel has found a forever home in my personal library.

For more information on An Unmarked Grave, Charles Todd or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd

You can also follow this book tour with TLC by clicking here to read more reviews on this novel.

You can also stay up to the minute with the latest by finding Charles Todd on Facebook.

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC and Harper Collins, they have provided a giveaway hardcover to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your details:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. I would love it if you visited my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and "Like" my page and leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by. If you have already liked my page, leave me a comment.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book along with your email address. You can use the words instead of the symbols (at) and (dot).

I will notify the winner by email when this giveaway ends on July 13th.

Never Tell - Giveaway and Review

NYPD detective Ellie Hatcher has been called to the scene of a murder at a luxurious Manhattan townhouse. When she arrives, she finds the grieving mother who is both distraught and angry. Her daughter, Julie Whitmore, only sixteen-years old is dead in the bathroom upstairs. She has a right to be upset but angry? Ellie learns that the EMT's that have arrived on the scene before her, claim that this is nothing more than a suicide but her mother doesn't believe that is what happened. She believes her daughter has been murdered.

The tell-tale signs? Besides the body in the bathtub filled with a pinkish water, she has slit her wrist and there is the razor blade next to the body. There are even a couple of practice marks just above that one. A bottle of wine, lies on the floor of the bathroom and on the bed, a tear stained suicide note. Even Ellie, can't disagree with the EMT's theory. She has seen way to many of these to even wager than anything out of the ordinary has indeed taken place. So when she brushes this one off, she finds out that money can buy more than just happiness, it can get you to do the job you were hired to do, and the Whitmore's have more than enough money and influence to justify having Ellie launch a full-investigation.

What she will soon discover is the seemingly small details she missed when she assumed that this was an ordinary suicide and launches this investigation in ways she never thought possible.

In the novel, Never Tell by Alafair Burke, the reader is immediately taken in from the first page into a tragedy that happens on many levels and yet interconnected at the same time. The first part of the investigation is into the apparent suicide/murder of Julia Whitmore and the second into the life that Julia really lead that no one seems to understand, not even her parents or close friends. This is a rollercoaster ride of the best kind for those of you that love a great crime solving murder mystery. If you love shows like CSI or Numbers, then you will LOVE this novel.

I received Never Tell by Alafair Burke, compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and have to say, this one keep me guessing. I ran into more dead ends on my own investigation and that too me, is a sign of some great writing! I would easily rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars. There is some profanity that some of my readers might find offensive, but overall the book is an amazing mystery!

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Never Tell by Alafair Burke

You can also find more great reviews from this book tour by clicking here. If you want to stay on top of the latest by Alafair book, you can join her Facebook page by clicking here.

Thanks to the generous folks at TLC Book Tours, they are providing a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog and here are your guidelines to enter.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and leave me a comment.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US mailing address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave me a comment telling my why you'd love to win a copy of this novel and don't forget to include your email address in the comment box below. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner of the giveaway when it ends on July 9th and will also post it on my Facebook page, Reviews From the Heart as well.

We're thrilled to announce the launch of the second annual Duffer Awards, hosted by Alafair Burke, author of the upcoming thriller, Never Tell.

You may remember from last year that the Duffer Awards take over Alafair's website for the month of June and pair up characters from some of the biggest mystery and thriller series in zany categories like "Best Hawaiian Shirt Collection" and "Best Twitter Feed." Last year over 14,000 people visited Alafair's website during the Duffers, so we're bringing back the fun, and we hope you'll participate!

CHECK OUT THE DUFFER AWARDS BY CLICKING HERE.

Visit www.alafairburke.com each day from now until June 19th, and vote for your favorite thriller characters.

I hope that you'll also share the Duffer Awards on your blog and your Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Plus you can get Alafair's last Ellie Hatcher novel, 212, on your e-reader for only $.99 for a short time. Find the links to download it here.

A Land More Kind Than Home - Giveaway and Review

In his debut novel author Wiley Cash tells a chilling tragic tale from the view points of three of the main characters. The first is from Adelaide Lyle, an town's elderly midwife and healer who finds that the things that have been taking place at their local church isn't something that the children should be a part of. When she confronts the pastor, Carson Chambliss, he relents to having the children spend time with her but only if she is willing to keep the secrets of the church to herself. Seeing herself as the children's only protector, she agrees.

The second part of the story continues with a young boy named Jess who has an older brother Christopher that was born a mute. Earning the nickname Stump, which the reader will learn about later in the book, the spend their lazy summer days hunting down salamanders and just being boys in Madison County. Everything was going along perfect until Jess and Christopher spied on his mother one day and after that, nothing would ever be the same again.

The final part of the book picks up with the local town Sheriff, Clem Barefield, who has a bitter and painful past of his own being a sheriff and resident in the small rural town of Marshall. The reader will learn how this man is interconnected with the case of a lifetime when he's called into investigate a murder. What happens then will completely change everyone's lives forever.

I received A Land More Kind Than Home compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. This was an interesting story with a unique twist I can't give away but once you begin reading, the story hooks you until the very final page. In all honesty I didn't see how this plot would turn out in the end, and think that Wiley Cash did a masterful job at creating a book that readers will enjoy for his debut. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars and for those that love a bit of suspense with their murder mystery in a town that doesn't want to share their secrets, then this is a must read for you.

For more information on this book, the author and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

Thanks to the generous folks at William Morrow, they are offering a copy as a giveaway to one lucky follower of this blog. Here's all you need to do to enter.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. "Like" my Facebook page, Reviews From The Heart and leave a comment.

3. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes!

4. Leave me a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this book, along with your email address. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner by email once the giveaway ends on May 11th and will also post the information on my Facebook page.