Book Review/Blog Tour: The Bellhop Only Stalks Once

The Bellhop Only Stalks Once
Author: Cat Hickey

Lies, secrets, and a sinister plot hide in broad daylight at the heart of the Club Pacifica.
A beautiful tropical resort, exciting new friends, and a handsome guest liaison – it’s the perfect getaway for Chloe, a free-spirited Baltimore girl just getting to know herself. But the vacation of a
lifetime quickly takes a dark turn when a young, overly flirty bellhop starts following her everywhere.

It gets even worse when he disappears, and Chloe is the sole witness. As bellhop after bellhop goes missing, she struggles to figure out what’s happening.

When suspicion
falls upon her, Chloe must not only try to rescue the kidnapped bellhops, but also to clear her name.

Complicating things further is the relationship she forms with Mateo, Club Pacifica’s guest liaison.

Charming and easygoing, he is everything that her fiancé at home is not, and she finds herself
fighting a growing attraction to him. But can he be trusted?
She soon discovers that she’s landed herself in a world of secrets, and, worse, that these are not just those of others, but also the secrets she keeps from herself.

Can she find her way through all the lies to finally discover the truth before it’s too late?
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My Thoughts:
Chloe is on vacation and a very attentive and flirtatious bellhop interrupt first her yoga routine and then a guided tour. As she starts to investigate she finds out that this is not the only bellhop to go missing and Chloe becomes a suspect. While she tries to clear her name, some very interesting situations arise. The Costa Rican setting is a great one for the story and creates some great atmosphere. This is a suspenseful story although it does start off slower than you would expect, but it is one that can be completed in one sitting. All in all this is a good book and an enjoyable read. I rate this 3.5/5

Thank you to Rachels’ Random Resources for including me on this tour and providing a review copy.

Book Tour/Review: The Heebie-Jeebie Girl

Release Date : April 21, 2020

About The Book:

Youngstown, Ohio, 1977. Between the closing of the city’s largest steel mill and the worst blizzard in more than 40 years, the table is set for remarkable change. Unemployed steelworker Bobby Wayland is trying hard to help his family and still pay for his wedding, but the only solution he can think of involves breaking the law. On the other side of town, a little girl named Hope is keeping a big secret, one she won’t even share with her Great Uncle Joe―she can make things move without touching them. Watching over both of them is the city herself, and she has something to say and something to do about all of this.

The Heebie-Jeebie Girl is the story of an era ending and the uncertainty that awakens. It’s the story of what happens when the unconscionable meets the improbable. It’s the story of dreams deferred, dreams devoured, and dreams dawning. It is likely to be the most distinctive novel you read this year, but it will startle you with its familiarity. Author Susan Petrone has created an unforgettable tale of family, redemption, and magic.

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My Thoughts:

Having been to Youngtown,Ohio before and knowing how the entire area has been devastated and economically depressed by the loss of many of the steel mills, it gives you a little background and perspective on the story. 

This story takes place in Youngstown in 1977 after the closure of a steel mill and loss of employment for several thousand people.  Hope is an eight year old girl who can not only move things with her mind, but can also pick winning lottery numbers. This helps her family during these times, much to the dismay of her Great Uncle Joe. After her Grandmother is killed over a break in for her winnings, Hope is determined to find who did it. As we hear from several different “voices”, including the city itself, we learn about the characters and the desperate times they are experiencing. When a city loses its min source of employment people can do things they may not have ever considered before. 

This is a very character rich story with some excellent background on Youngstown. I thank Suzy’s Approved Book Tours and the author for the review copy of this book. 

3.5/5 stars

About The Author:

Susan Petrone has been published in such diverse outlets as Glimmer Train Stories, ESPN.com, and Belt Magazine. She is the author of the upcoming The Heebie-Jeebie Girl (2020,) The Super Ladies (2018), Throw Like a Woman (2015) and A Body at Rest (2009), which won a bronze medal for regional fiction from the Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY). Her short story, “Monster Jones Wants to Creep You Out” (Conclave, 2010) was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is also one of the co-founders and former president of Literary Cleveland (litcleveland.org). Susan holds a master’s degree in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Cleveland State University and lives with one husband, one daughter, and far too many animals in a little house near some medium-sized woods. http://susanpetrone.com/

Social Media: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanPetroneAuthor/

Twitter: @susanpetrone

Links to Suzy’s Tours across Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzyapprovedbooktours/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suzyapprovedbooktours

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Book Tour/Review: Love, Life & Lucille

About The Book: 

Release Date: April 14, 2020

Judy Gaman was so busy making a name for herself that she barely took the time to meet a stranger, enjoy life, or simply stop to breathe. Immersed in her job as the director of business development for a high-profile medical practice—a job that required her to write health and wellness books and host a nationally syndicated radio show—she spent every day going full speed ahead with no looking back. That is, until the day she met Lucille Fleming. 

While writing a book on longevity, Judy interviewed Lucille, an elegant and spirited woman who had just recently turned 100. Lucille had the fashion and style of old Hollywood, but it was all hidden behind the doors of her assisted living center. What began as a quick meeting became a lasting friendship that transformed into an inseparable bond. Lucille brought incredible wisdom and great stories to the table, while Judy provided an avenue for excitement and new opportunities. Together, the two began living life to the fullest, and meeting the most interesting people along the way (including Suzanne Somers). But then Lucille’s life came to an end through unexpected and unfortunate circumstances—and the very first lesson she ever taught Judy proved to be the most important one of all.

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My Thoughts:

What a wonderful, amazing story. Everyone should be so lucky as to have a Lucille in their life, if only for a brief time. As I read the story of how Judy met Lucille and their growing friendship, I laughed and oh did I cry. In every page you could just see Judy’s love for Lucille grow and Lucille’s for Judy. You could just tell how much their Friday outings meant to the both of them. Between Judy’s fight with her illness and Lucille’s eventual decline in health, you will just have all the feels. I highly recommend this book, just have several boxes of tissues handy!

Thank you so much to Suzy’s Approved Book Tours and Judy Gaman for the review copy of this book. It is one I will both treasure and try to share with others. 

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About The Author : 

Author, speaker, and CEO Judy Gaman is a force to be reckoned with. She spent almost a decade as a nationally syndicated radio show host of the Staying Young Show. She now hosts the Stay Young America! podcast. She is an award-winning author whose past works have won accolades from the Beverly Hills Book Award (finalist), National Indie Excellence Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Awards (bronze), as well as earned a Readers’ Favorite 5-star review. A mother of ten and grandmother of five, she lives in Texas with her husband. https://www.judygaman.com/

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/judy.gaman.9

Instagram: https://instagram.com/judygaman

Twitter: @StayYoungMedia

Links to Suzy’s Tours across Social Media:

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Blog Tour/Review: Ordinary Girls

Synopsis of ORDINARY GIRLS: 

In this searing memoir, Jaquira Díaz writes fiercely and eloquently of her challenging girlhood and triumphant coming of age.

While growing up in housing projects in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, Díaz found herself caught between extremes. As her family split apart and her mother battled schizophrenia, she was supported by the love of her friends. As she longed for a family and home, her life was upended by violence. As she celebrated her Puerto Rican culture, she couldn’t find support for her burgeoning sexual identity. From her own struggles with depression and sexual assault to Puerto Rico’s history of colonialism, every page of Ordinary Girls vibrates with music and lyricism. Díaz writes with raw and refreshing honesty, triumphantly mapping a way out of despair toward love and hope to become her version of the girl she always wanted to be.

Reminiscent of Tara Westover’s Educated, Kiese Laymon’s Heavy, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club, and Terese Marie Mailhot’s Heart Berries, Jaquira Díaz’s memoir provides a vivid portrait of a life lived in (and beyond) the borders of Puerto Rico and its complicated history-and reads as electrically as a novel.

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This book covers some hard subjects and can be a difficult read, both for content and the multiple timelines, but it is a great memoir. The author’s story of her early life growing up in Puerto Rico and Miami Beach is both painful and a survivor story. Growing up poor and being able to pull herself out of a depression and a culture of violence and drugs, being assaulted and coming out the other side to be able to tell your story and share with others knowing that not everyone was as lucky as you. I don’t read many memoirs, but this is one I recommend you pick up. It’s a tough read, but sometimes the good ones are.

4.5 Stars

Thank you to Algonquin Books and Jaguira Diaz for the review copy of this book.

Blog Tour/Review: The Book Doctor

Title: The Book Doctor

Author: Britney King

Release: June 11, 2020

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/thebookdoctorgr

 Blurb:

From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes a riveting new thriller about a writer desperate to make a comeback who realizes that success may cost more than he can afford to pay when a stranger arrives at his door.

 George is bitter. As he should be. Once a household name, George is dying to make a comeback, and death may be the only option left to get the public’s attention. Ask anyone, his life is unraveling at the seams. Meanwhile, his new apprentice is everything he is not. 

 The enigmatic man his publisher sends to help is young and ambitious, with looks that could kill, and possibly do.

 When George discovers that his apprentice’s talent extends beyond fixing broken plots, that his winning formula may, in fact, be a result of making the crimes in his novels come to life, George has to ask himself how much he is willing to overlook to achieve mainstream success. 

 Perfectly paced, The Book Doctor is an electrifying psychological thriller about a life’s work, obsession, and the dangerous places ambition can take you. Full of enough tension and twists to make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat, it keeps you guessing until the very last page.

 Buy Links:

Universal: https://books2read.com/thebookdoctor

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2MIVuVr

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2AQZlgD

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2UwSbFg

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2zidXF9

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My Thoughts:

WOW! I have read Britney’s books before and they never disappoint. They are always wild, crazy, and full of thrills. This one follows in the footsteps of Kill, Sleep, Repeat with and action packed story of failing writer George Dawson, his mentally unstable wife Eve, and Liam, the writer sent by the publisher as a last ditch effort to help George finish his book and avoid a lawsuit by the publisher, who his wife calls “the book doctor”. The reader also sees journal entries by a serial killer who gives great details on his thoughts as well as murders committed by an unknown person. As the bodies line up and you think you know what is happening, NOPE. Britney will completely spin your head with the twist at the end that I did NOT see coming. A great book for the psychological thriller enthusiast although I would say this one closely borders on horror.

5/5 stars

Thank you to Enticing Journey Book Promotions and Britney King for the review copy of this book

Blog Tour/Review: The Good Stranger

Release Date: May 19, 2020

About The Book:

From the bestselling author of Good Sam—now a Netflix feature film—comes another Kate Bradley story about the nature of generosity and finding unexpected connections with strangers.

Watch Good Sam on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/80998967

TV reporter Kate Bradley arrives in Manhattan ready to take on a challenging new position as a national news correspondent. When a massive power outage plunges New York City into darkness, the disaster she expected to cover takes an unexpected turn. Someone is leaving thousands of mysterious gifts throughout the city, and the only clue to the giver’s identity is the occasional note from “A Stranger.”

Together with handsome TV series host Scott Jameson, Kate must make sense of these random generous acts, which quickly escalate in scale and capture the attention of viewers across the country. In early-morning stakeouts and late-night surveillance, they crisscross the city hunting down leads, but the elusive Stranger is always one step ahead.

Menacing letters and videos addressed to Kate threaten to derail the investigation, but she’s determined to uncover the identity of the benefactor. The closer Kate gets to the truth, the more clearly she sees that even the smallest act of generosity can bring about powerful change. And it just may take her own selfless act of kindness to solve the feel-good mystery of the year.

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My Thoughts:

This was a wonderful feel good story with a little but of suspense, mystery, and romance thrown in. It was he third in a trilogy but can be read as a stand alone.

Kate Bradley comes to New York thinking she “made it big” as a reporter only to be assigned to the political page due to her family ties. When a huge power outage presents a new story – someone leaving anonymous gifts all over the city – Kate decides that this is a story that needs to be covered and tries to track down the benefactor at the risk of losing her new job. While doing so she partners with TV host Scott Jameson. As the gifts get larger and Kate starts to get threatening nets telling her to stop looking, she gets more and more determined to find the story behind all the generosity.

Dete does a great job keeping the reader engaged throughout the book and rooting for Kate to find the story behind all of the generosity. When you find the true reason and see Kate’s own actions, this book really gives you a good feeling about people and the good they can do. The impact these gifts have, especially as they get more and more personal, is so inspirational.

4/5 stars

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours and Dete Meserve for the review copy of this book.

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About The Author: 

Dete Meserve is the award-winning, bestselling author of three novels in the Kate Bradley Mystery Series: Good Sam, Perfectly Good Crime, and The Good Stranger (coming May 19, 2020) and a fourth standalone mystery/suspense novel The Space Between. Her first non-fiction book, Random Acts of Kindness, co-authored with journalist Rachel Greco was published in March 2019.

Her novel, Good Sam, was produced as a feature film for Netflix Original Film and was released worldwide to strong acclaim in May 2019. The film was produced by Meserve based on a screenplay by Meserve and Teena Booth. The film stars Tiya Sircar (The Good Place).

When she’s not writing, she is a film and television producer in Los Angeles and a partner and CEO of Wind Dancer Films. Her 2019 credits include Executive Producer of What Men Want (Paramount), Executive Producer of Ready Jet Go (PBS), and Producer and Screenwriter of Good Sam (Netflix).

Meserve lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children–and a very good cat that rules them all. For more on the author and her work, visit www.detemeserve.com

On Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dete-Meserve/e/B00JH4RLQQ%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

On Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/dete-meserve

On Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2JVbJ07

Links to Suzy’s Tours across Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzyapprovedbooktours/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/suzyapprovedbooktours

 Twitter https://twitter.com/SuzyAPBookTours

Book Tour/Review: Derailed

About The Book: 

Release Date: May 12, 2020

A dying wish. A secret world.

Can this grieving investigator stay on the right track?

PI Kelly Pruett is determined to make it on her own. And juggling clients at her late father’s detective agency, a controlling ex, and caring for a deaf daughter was never going to be easy. So she takes it as a good sign when a letter left by her dad ties into an unsolved case of a young woman struck by a train.

Hunting down the one person who can prove the mysterious death was not just a drunken accident, Kelly discovers this witness is in no condition to talk. And the closer she gets to the truth the longer her list of sleazy suspects with murderous motives grows. 

On a crash course with a killer, she must piece together the puzzle of what really happened to the victim that rainy night, before her own fate is sealed and she loses everything near and dear, including her life.

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Review:

I truly enjoyed this debut from author Mary Keliikoa. Seeing Kelly try and grow as a PI and mother throughout the course of the book. With a deaf daughter, controlling ex-husband, and ex mother in law that cant stay out of her business (and lives next door), this cant be easy. Running into questions at every turn about her clients daughter and what was truly going on in her life, the author keeps your interest and has you rooting for Kelly. I hope as the series progresses she can continue to stand up for herself with her ex and his mother. I look forward to future installments in this series. 4/5 stars

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and author Mary Keliikoa for the review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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About The Author: 

A Pacific Northwest native, she enjoys the area in all its beauty. When she’s not there, you can find Mary on a beach on the Big Island where she and her husband recharge. But even under the palm trees and blazing sun she’s plotting her next murder novel that is. https://marykeliikoa.com

Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mary.Keliikoa.Author/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mary.keliikoa.author

Twitter: @mary_keliikoa

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Book Blurbs:

DERAILED is a fantastic mystery debut featuring private eye Kelly Pruett, who is one smart and tough mother. Mary Keliikoa has created a compelling new PI series with twists, turns and lots of heart.” –Vanessa Lillie, Amazon bestselling author of Little Voices and For the Best

Intelligent, tightly plotted, and satisfying. Kelly Pruett is a new PI on the scene and I’m eager for her next case.” –Dianne Freeman, Agatha and Lefty award winning author of the Countess of Harleigh mysteries

With Derailed,debut author Mary Keliikoa introduces us to single mom and second generation Portland PI Kelly Pruett on her very first murder investigation. The story is straight from the Kinsey Millhone school of private investigation yet still manages to create a unique and complex main character reeling from the recent death of her father and a demanding ex-husband. Kelly must decide if following her father’s wishes by pursuing this case is worth possibly losing her daughter. It’s that perfect blend of personal and professional that makes Derailed a welcome addition to the genre. I can’t wait to follow both Kelly and Keliikoa’s careers.” –Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha, and LeftyAward-winning author of Hollywood Homicide 

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Release Day! The Book Doctor

Title: The Book Doctor

Author: Britney King

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Release Date: June 11, 2020

From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes a riveting new thriller about a writer desperate to make a comeback who realizes that success may cost more than he can afford to pay when a stranger arrives at his door.

George is bitter. As he should be. Once a household name, George is dying to make a comeback, and death may be the only option left to get the public’s attention. Ask anyone, his life is unraveling at the seams. Meanwhile, his new apprentice is everything he is not. 

The enigmatic man his publisher sends to help is young and ambitious, with looks that could kill, and possibly do.

When George discovers that his apprentice’s talent extends beyond fixing broken plots, that his winning formula may, in fact, be a result of making the crimes in his novels come to life, George has to ask himself how much he is willing to overlook to achieve mainstream success. 

Perfectly paced, The Book Doctor is an electrifying psychological thriller about a life’s work, obsession, and the dangerous places ambition can take you. Full of enough tension and twists to make even the most seasoned suspense reader break out in a cold sweat, it keeps you guessing until the very last page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, two dogs, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.

Currently, she’s writing three series and several standalone novels.

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience. It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. 

Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here: 

Web• http://BritneyKing.com

Instagram • https://instagram.com/britneyking_ 

Facebook • https://www.facebook.com/BritneyKingAuthor

Twitter• http://twitter.com/BritneyKing_

Goodreads • http://bit.ly/BritneyKingGoodreads

To get more– grab two books for free, by subscribing to her mailing list at britneyking.com or just copy and paste bit.ly/britneykingweb into your browser. 

Happy reading.

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Book Tour: Stress Your Stress Away

Stress is held deep in the fibers of your muscles. It can make you feel tense, restrict your range of motion, and hamper your day to day movement. In this easy to follow guide, celebrity trainer ShaNay Norvell teaches how to move your body in ways that will release tension, lengthen your muscles, relax and energize you. You will learn stretches you can do anytime anywhere to stretch your stress away.

This book has some great stretches! I have incredibly tight hip flexors and my neck carries a lot of stress. I found doing these stretches both helped with my tightness and helped relax me. I will continue to use these stretches to help with my flexibility and relaxation.

Thanks to ShaNay and Suzy Approved Book Tours for the review copy!

I’m a little late starting the BookSharks Summer Reading Camp 2020 but I figured better late than never! I am starting back with the April Picks and I chose Master Class by Christina Dalcher who also wrote Vox. I really enjoyed that book and I have been looking forward to this! Are you participating in this challenge? If so what are you reading? I plan on reading one from each month and then going back and trying to do one more. I have included a link to the page if you’re interested in participating or seeing the list!

BookSparks Summer Reading Camp 202