These reviews are from the original editions. 

What Lurks Below is a smartly written dystopian novel from Jordan Thompson.

At Colony, no one knows where the children came from. No one talks about how they were babies when they were ripped from their parents to be raised in the Tin Can.

No one knows, that is, except Amelia. At thirteen, Amelia remembers a mother who loved her. She remembers fresh peaches and ice cream—not the calorically rationed food that tastes like stagnant swamp water and chemicals.

Desperate to hold on to her memories, Amelia shares her past with her younger brother, Alex. She teaches him about the reality of The Garden and its power to provide safety and love.

Soon, Alex learns that life at Colony is more dangerous than he thought. He spies an enormous, black ... something ... lurking in the water, while no one seems to notice it at all.

Fear of the creature has Alex thrashing his sheets in bed. His marks drop, and Council insists on Amelia telling them what is wrong. Amelia tries to keep up appearances, but Council refuses to believe her and locks her up.

If Amelia isn’t willing to forgo the love she felt and the life she had back Then, Council will throw her in the water to meet whatever it is that lurks below the Tin Can.

For fans of The Giver, this dystopian-charged fantasy will show readers the valiance of holding on to one’s beliefs and the value of true sibling love. ​

Crystal's 4 Star Review

There were so many layers to this book. There is no wrong interpretation. The writing is phenomenal. The relationship between Amelia and Alex is tight. There were so many twists and little hints. My mind is blown. For being a Middle Grade book of sorts it kept my interest right to the end.

I recommend this to anyone 10 and up!
There were so many layers to this book. There is no wrong interpretation. The writing is phenomenal. The relationship between Amelia and Alex is tight. There were so many twists and little hints. My mind is blown. For being a Middle Grade book of sorts it kept my interest right to the end.

I recommend this to anyone 10 and up!

Congratulations on releasing the final full length novel in the series. I can't wait till the collection is on my book shelf.  ~ Lynn

Holy smokes! Melanie Gilbert saved the best for last. Deal was non stop action. The plot twist was a heck of a ride. You won't see it coming but it will leave you on the edge of your seat. I found myself with bated breath through most of the story. Bravo. Melanie!

Kelly Martin has stuck her writing pen into the middle grade ink!  I received an ARC from the publisher earlier this year so I can tell you that it's another 5 STAR read from Kelly.  My full review will be posted here on the blog Thursday. Also, check out #fangirlthursday this week at 7:30PM Eastern for my LIVE interview with THE KELLY MARTIN. Follow me on FB for more info and to see the event. - Lynn 

Gayle Carline has a fantastic sale going on now!

From Fri­day, Feb. 14 thru Mon­day, Feb. 17, pick up the fol­low­ing deals on Kindle:
FREEZER BURN–FREE
HIT OR MISSUS–FREE
THE HOT MESS–99 CENTS
A MORE DEADLY UNION–99 CENTS

P.I. Peri Min­neopa has had enough. She’s clos­ing her busi­ness, mar­ry­ing her detec­tive boyfriend, and set­tling down to a life of ease–until her brother shows up, accused of a mur­der he swears he didn’t com­mit. Now she’s back in the thick of things, inves­ti­gat­ing the death of an engi­neer who may have been steal­ing techno-secrets from other com­pa­nies. Her rela­tion­ship with her brother is an icy one, at best, and she strug­gles with her ambiva­lence, as well as her desire to leave inves­tiga­tive work behind. Dig­ging around in people’s lives is rea­son­ably easy, but when the bul­lets start fly­ing, will Peri be able to keep her promise?

​1. Murder Bytes is your fifth Peri Minneopa mystery. What can you tell us about Peri, and how does this book continue the traditions established by the other novels in the series?
 
“In the last book, A More Deadly Union, Peri was left traumatized after solving the case. In the latest story, she just wants to stop investigating crime, settle down, and marry her longtime boyfriend. Unfortunately, that’s not the way her life works. Her brother needs her help, to prove he did not commit murder. She is reluctant to help him, both because she is still feeling the trauma of the last case and because her brother does not want any kind of relationship with her—he is only using her to get out of trouble. To me, it is a classic question of the thickness of blood and water, and how much you are willing to go to bat for ‘that relative.’”
 
2. In Murder Bytes, Peri re-opens her practice to help her estranged brother. What keeps Peri from simply referring him to another qualified detective?
“At the end of the day, Dev is her big brother. She wants to believe that he considers her his little sister, that someday, somehow, he will realize his familial love for her. There’s a piece of advice, to ‘raise the child you have and not the one you want.’ In Peri’s case, she wants the brother who wants to be close to her, and has a hard time accepting the brother that he is.”
 
3. Peri’s boyfriend, Detective Skip Carlton, is now her official fiancé. They have bought a home together, and are selling their houses. Because Peri’s house sold and Skip’s is still on the market, she is living in the new place while it’s being remodeled. How is this affecting their relationship?
 
“The continual stream of workers and noise in their house has Peri’s stress dialed up to 11, on top of her PTSD. It creates conflict for them, in that he wants to defer remodeling decisions to her, so that she will be happy, and she would like him more involved, to take the pressure off. In addition, he wants to help her with her brother’s problem, but would like her to just sit on the sidelines and watch—something she’s never been good at.”
 
4. There are a number of familiar characters in Murder Bytes that readers will recognize from the earlier novels in the series. Who are your personal favorites, and what happens to them in this particular story?
 
“I like them all, for individual reasons. Blanche is always Peri’s rock as her BFF, and I appreciate her good advice. I admire Police Chief Fletcher—he is the right man for the job. Of course, Benny Needles will always be my favorite. In this book, he gets his own chapters, and even has a ‘special friend.’ He and Peri have a lot of warm, connecting moments, and I’m very pleased with his growth.”
 
5. Murder Bytes takes place in Southern California, in the Orange County area. How integral is this setting to the Peri Minneopa mysteries, and why did you place the series in this environment?
 
“When I started this series, I wanted a small town feel, but not so small that I wouldn’t kill off all the residents! They say to write what you know, and I know Southern California. My hometown of Placentia has a very small-town feel, even though it is locked into the vast Orange County. That made it perfect—nonresidents are constantly coming in and out of town, giving my stories lots of victims. Plus, I’m very proud to live in Placentia (we sometimes call it P-Town). I might as well do my part to put it on the map.”
 
6. Are you working on another Peri Minneopa mystery? If so, what can you tell us about it?
 
“I am advertising this as the fifth and final installment of Peri Minneopa Mysteries. I think I’ve taken her to a place where the next book would be such a completely different flavor, it will have to be a new series of mysteries. Don’t worry—I’ll start writing them! In the meantime, I have a sequel to my romantic suspense, Murder on the Hoof, to write.”

​

Gayle Carline is a typical Californian, meaning that she was born somewhere else. She moved to Orange County from Illinois in 1978, and landed in Placentia a few years later.

Her husband, Dale, bought her a laptop for Christmas in 1999 because she wanted to write. A year after that, he gave her horseback riding lessons. When she bought her first horse, she finally started writing.

Gayle began writing journalistic pieces for California Riding Magazine, then quickly added "humor columnist" to her resume with a weekly column in her local newspaper, the Placentia News-Times. What she really wanted to do was write mysteries, however, so in 2009 she crossed that off her list with the first of her Peri Minneopa mysteries.

Never at a loss for words or stories, she will continue to write as long as the ideas keep popping into her head. In her spare time, Gayle likes to sit down with friends and laugh over a glass of wine. And maybe plan a little murder and mayhem for the next novel.

http://gaylecarline.com/

I love everything Amy Richie writes. EVERYTHING!  Crystal and I were blessed to have received ARCs from Amy and will have our reviews on the blog this week.  Be sure to check out #FangirlThursday with me this week at 7:30 PM EDT where I will be chatting about this new series from Amy Richie.

Preorder the 2nd book in Clearview Academy, Death of a Suspect, releasing January 31st.

​Who killed Avery?
All the clues point to one person; Avery is sure of it. Of course, she's been wrong about almost everything so far. As she searches for clues with her Vessel and Clark Daniels, she realizes that some things aren't adding up.
Will Avery and her friends be able to find out who the killer is or are they headed for another dead end? And how exactly do you accuse someone of murder?
Things are bound to get awkward as the summer comes to an end and Avery is forced to look at people differently than she ever has before.

​Amy Richie was born in a small northern Ohio town where she grew up and lives there still with her three children. She comes from a large family with an even larger extended family. In 2012, Amy joined up with Anchor Group Publishing and now has two series started. The Immortal Love Series and The Blood Vine Series, a new YA. Amy writes things that are not of this world; either paranormal or fantasy. Vampires, werewolves, mermaids, time travel, ghosts, and even garden gnomes. To find out more about Amy Richie or her books visit her at amyrichie.weebly.com .

Stalk Amy on FACEBOOK

​I buried my magic along with my best friend...but one keeps coming back.

If only I could create a black hole and cast myself into it, I would.

But the universe has other plans.
And the new guy in town is the start of it all.

Greyson has my power on edge, and my instincts screaming at me to run. 
He has a secret, and I’m determined to uncover it—that is if I don’t fall in love with him first.

​Stephanie Damore is a mystery author with a soft spot for romance and magic. She loves meeting new characters and escaping reality for even just a little bit. Her wish is that her books provide that same escapism for you.

For information on new releases and giveaways, visit her Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/stephdamoreauthor/


Looking for mysteries? Download Book 1 in the best-selling Beauty Secrets series, MAKEUP & MURDER, for FREE: https://www.amazon.com/Makeup-Murder-Beauty-Secrets-Mystery-ebook/dp/B06XZRXRM9/

I am currently reading this one and loving it! Carolyn will be my guest on #FangirlThursday this week so be sure and join us at 7:30pm EST on Facebook! ~ Lynn 

​Even though I've always wanted to be a writer, I also wanted to support myself, so instead of following that dream, I opted to get a job with a regular paycheck.

When my mother died in 2009, and then I lost my father less than a year later, I decided to take the leap. I wanted to find a way to honor my parents, to keep their memories alive, and I did that with my first book, Unfinished Business.

That book went to number one all over Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and sat happily in the top one hundred books sold in each for over a week.

I received hundreds of emails from people who felt that little semi-mystery gave them hope, that it made them find comfort when they needed it most, and that they wished they had a friend like Mel.

I was hooked.

I don't write for the money (though the money is nice sometimes). I write for those emails, and knowing I'm doing what I love, finally. If my writing takes people away from their worries for even a short period of time, I'm a lucky gal.

I hope my parents can read in Heaven.

Join Carolyn's mailing list here.

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As his eighteenth birthday draws near, the young prince Alrik—heir to the throne of Edan—must choose a wife for himself. But when his first kiss with the beautiful princess Amirah leaves him feeling cold, he knows that although it is his duty, he cannot make himself love a woman. In a fit of panic, he seeks out the aid of the witch Gwydion. The witch, however, has other plans. Now—cursed to be a cat, indefinitely—Alrik must learn to accept himself, and who he loves or face the rest of eternity eating mice. Luckily, New York City’s dumpsters are ripe for the picking. With food from around the world to choose from, he finds himself drawn to one restaurant in particular. 
Crystal Tokyo—a restaurant specializing in Japanese food—is Yuuki’s first big job as a chef, and he loves it. So, what happens when Yuuki decides to befriend the black cat hanging out in Crystal Tokyo’s back alley? ​

​Born and raised in a small town near the Chesapeake Bay, Lou Wilham grew up on a steady diet of fiction, arts and crafts, and Old Bay. After years of absorbing everything, there was to absorb of fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi she's left with a serious writing/drawing habit that just won't quit. These days, she spends much of her time writing, drawing, and chasing a very short Basset Hound named Sherlock.
​
When not, daydreaming up new characters to write and draw she can be found crocheting, making cute bookmarks, and binge-watching whatever happens to catch her eye.


Author Social Media
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​A new dragon has risen. Impossible, but true.
When the marks of the Soul Bearer burn themselves into Aurisye’s flesh, none can deny what she is. Illegitimate daughter of the hero who died nearly thirty years ago after killing the last dragon. The only person who can truly kill the dragon that terrorizes them, now. But Soul Bearers have always been human, and Aurisye is...not. Part Orc, oppression is her oldest friend.
Yet, her companion is chosen wisely. Now, Rafnor, a tolerant soldier sent by the Human monarchs, must teach her all things combat. But time is limited, and her sarcastic defenses try even his patience.
Amidst political strife with the Elves and all-out war with the Orcs, they must come together to prevent the merciless destruction of all three realms…Even as the Elven royals plot to tear them apart to secure an Elven heir to the Soul Bearer blood.

​As an active nerd, I enjoy a lot of hobbies, archery, shower-singing, and gaming included. I’ve been an introvert from birth, so most of my hobbies are solitary. I specialize in sarcasm, and since I typically have a flat affect and an expressionless face, it slips past people. A lot. Yet, to me, it always feels like a drunken pirate has fallen out of my mouth, only to go cursing and bumbling about. When I write though, words come easily. So, in a world constantly trying to numb us, I want to write stories that make people feel something.


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