Book Spotlight & Giveaway: Smokescreen by Iris Johansen

Smokescreen
Eve Duncan #25

By:
Iris Johansen

Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing

Release Date:
July 30, 2019

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Goodreads

Book Synopsis:
In this pulse-pounding thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan journeys to Africa to help families torn apart by a violent attack deep in the jungle--but she may be putting herself in more danger than she knows. 

A journalist shows up on Eve Duncan's doorstep with a plea for help. Jill Cassidy has just come from a small African village with a heart wrenching story: half the villagers--many of them children--have been killed in a horrific attack by guerilla soldiers, the bodies burned beyond recognition. Now, the families desperately need Eve's help to get closure and begin to heal. 

But when Eve arrives in the remote jungle, she begins to suspect that Jill's plea may have been a cover story for a deeper, more sinister plot. Isolated and unsure who she can trust, Eve finds herself stranded in an unstable country where violence threatens to break out again at any moment and with only her own instincts to rely on if she hopes to get home to her family alive . . . 

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen is back with one of her most exhilarating and dangerous adventures yet in this "riveting" high-stakes thriller (Publishers Weekly).

Book Excerpt:

Prologue

Headlights! 

Jill Cassidy’s fingers stabbed into the mud as she saw the light spearing the darkness on the road ahead. The vehicle was going slowly, but they’d never see her on this side path. She had to get to the main road. But she had no shoes, and every muscle was aching, throbbing. She’d tried to get to her feet and walk as soon as she’d heard those bastards leave, but she was too weak. She had only managed to crawl slowly, painfully, through the jungle. 

She could do this, she told herself desperately as she forced herself to propel her body through the mud on the path. The pain wasn’t as bad as it had been when they’d first left her. Ignore it, think about the story. Always think about the story. It wasn’t the pain, it was the shock that was causing her to shake and feel so weak. 

The shock and this gentle, warm tropical rain that had started to fall just as she’d finally managed to pull herself together and force herself to move. Strange that warm rain could make her feel this cold. So gentle, she thought dazedly. Why on earth had that word occurred to her when there seemed to be no gentleness left in her world? 

The headlights drew closer. 

She had to get to the road before the car passed her. 

She tried to move faster. 

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Early Praise:

"Riveting... Readers will keep guessing about the complex characters' underlying motivations as the plot races toward the stunning conclusion." 

 --- Publishers Weekly, starred review 

"In SMOKESCREEN, Johansen's Eve Duncan must outwit a vicious psychopath in the middle of the jungle. I really enjoyed this rip-roaring thriller." 

 --- Catherine Coulter, New York Times bestselling author of Paradox 

"From thriller writer extraordinaire Iris Johansen comes a pulse-pounding excursion into a war torn nation, where forensic sculpture Eve Duncan heeds a journalist's call to assist in identifying a village's dead after a horrific massacre, only to discover more sinister plots may be lurking behind the journalist's call for assistance." 

 --- CrimeReads.com 

"Propelled by a muscular narrative and elaborate subplots, Johansen's latest complex Eve Duncan thriller reliably pivots on the cerebral battle of wills among its robust characters."

 --- Booklist 

"SMOKESCREEEN is supercharged, combustible and totally addictive. There's no one like Iris Johansen!"

 --- Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author 

 "A master storyteller, Iris Johansen brings characters to life like no other. A tension filled novel...her plot is intricate, her characters compelling. SMOKESCREEN is great fun."

 --- Robert Dugoni, New York Timesbestselling author 

 "Dive into the explosive world of Iris Johansen, where villains get exactly what they deserve and the good guys - eventually - win the day. That's a world I want to live in!"

 --- Tami Hoag, #1 New York Times bestselling author 

"Johansen keeps readers on the edge of their seats."

 --- Booklist 

 "Just by seeing the Iris Johansen name....you know [it] will be an explosive, unforgettable story." 

 --- Suspense Magazine

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Iris Johansen is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 consecutive best sellers. Her series featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan has sold over 20 million copies and counting, and was the subject of the acclaimed Lifetime movie, The Killing Game. Along with her son Roy, Iris has also co-authored the New York Times bestselling series featuring investigator Kendra Michaels. Johansen lives near Atlanta, Georgia.

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Launch Day Blitz : Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks

Two by Two

by Nicholas Sparks

Release Date:
October 4th, 2016

Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing

Hardcover:
$27.00

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Synopsis:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with his signature combination of gripping, emotionally resonant storytelling and love overcoming all odds. 

At 32, Russell Green has it all: a stunning wife, a lovable 6 year-old daughter, a successful career as an advertising executive and an expansive home in Raleigh. He is living the Dream, and his marriage to the bewitching Vivian is the center of that dream. But underneath the shiny surface of this perfect existence, fault lines are beginning to appear . . . and no one is more surprised than Russ when he finds every aspect of the life he took for granted turned upside down. 

In a matter of months, Russ finds himself without a job or wife, caring for his young daughter London while struggling to adapt to a new and baffling reality. Trying to launch his own business while grappling with the demise of his marriage, the only thing he knows for certain is that London must be sheltered from the consequences of these radical changes. Throwing himself into the wilderness of single parenting, Russ embarks on a journey at once terrifying and rewarding - one that will test his abilities and his emotional resources beyond anything he ever imagined. 

When a chance encounter with an old flame tempts him to take a chance on love again, he will navigate this new opportunity with trepidation and wonder. But with the loyal support of his parents and his wise older sister Marge, and in the hard-won lessons of fatherhood, Russ will finally come to understand the true nature of unconditional love - that it is a treasure to be bestowed, never earned.

Purchase Links:

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Teasers:

Giveaway:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

With over 100 million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. His novels include 12 #1 New York Times bestsellers. All his books have been New York Times and international bestsellers, and were translated into more than 50 languages. Ten Sparks novels have been adapted into major motion pictures, with The Choice coming in February 2016.

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Release Day Blitz : Too Hot To Handle (Romancing the Clarksons, #1) by Tessa Bailey

Too Hot To Handle
Romancing the Clarksons, #1
by Tessa Bailey

Release Date:
May 17th, 2016

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Publisher:
Forever/
GCP

Release Day Blitz Hosted by:
InkSlingerPR

Source:
Publisher via NetGalley

eARC received in exchange of honest review

Synopsis:

When rescue looks like a whole lot of trouble… 

The road trip was definitely a bad idea. Having already flambéed her culinary career beyond recognition, Rita Clarkson is now stranded in God-Knows-Where, New Mexico, with a busted-ass car and her three temperamental siblings, who she hasn't seen in years. When rescue shows up—six-feet-plus of hot, charming sex on a motorcycle—Rita's pretty certain she's gone from the frying pan right into the fire… 

Jasper Ellis has a bad boy reputation in this town, and he loathes it. The moment he sees Rita, though, Jasper knows he's about to be sorely tempted. There's something real between them. Something raw. And Jasper has only a few days to show Rita that he isn't just for tonight—he's forever.

Purchase Links:

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Excerpt:

Rita and Belmont were sitting silently on the sidewalk, staring at the decimated restaurant, when a sleek, white Mercedes with the license plate VOTE4AC pulled up along the curb, eliciting a sigh from them both. Rita shoved a hand through her dyed black hair and straightened her weary spine. Preparing. Bolstering. While Belmont’s modus operandi was to hang back, take a situation’s measure and then approach with caution, her younger brother Aaron liked to make a damn entrance, right down to the way he exited the driver’s side. Like a Broadway actor entering from stage left into a dramatic scene, aware that eyes would swing his direction. His gray suit boasted not a single wrinkle, black shoes polished to a shine. His golden boy smile had made him a media sensation, but for once, it was nowhere to be seen as he approached Rita and Belmont. 

Aaron shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Fuck. Right?” 

“Yep,” Rita said, swallowing hard. 

Her politician brother did a scan of the dire scene, brain working overtime behind golden brown eyes inherited by all the Clarksons. Except Belmont, whose eyes were a deep blue, on account of him having a different father. A fact that Rita forgot most of the time, since Belmont had been there—an unmovable presence—since the day she was born. Aaron had come later. The second coming. 

“Are you all right?” Aaron asked her abruptly, a suspicious twinkle in his gaze. 

“You must have been in there a while with the smoke. The soot around your eyes—” 

“Hilarious, dickhead.” Her heavy, black eye makeup and general fuck off appearance were a constant source of amusement for her clean-cut younger brother. “You have a funny way of showing concern.” 

“Thank you. What do I need to handle?” Aaron adjusted the starched, white collar of his shirt. “Did you make a statement yet or anything?” 

Rita allowed the steel to leach from her spine. “I’ve been kind of busy just sitting here.” 

“Right.” Aaron feigned surprise at finding Belmont on the sidewalk with them. 

“Jesus. I thought you were a statue.” 

“Ha.” 

“You smell like the ocean.” 

“You smell like the blood of tax payers,” Belmont returned. 

“Well.” Rita finally found enough presence of mind to yank the smoky apron over her head, chucking it into the street. “I think I just remembered why we haven’t hung out since Mom died.” 

Truthfully, even before that rainy afternoon, the time they’d spent together as a family had felt mandatory. Organized by their mother and fled from in almost comical haste. 

“Oh. My. God.” 

At the sound of their youngest sibling, Peggy’s, voice, all three of them cursed beneath their breath. Let the family reunion officially begin. It wasn’t that they didn’t love their baby sister. And in many ways, Peggy, a personal shopper to San Diego’s elite, was still a baby at twenty-five. Her big coke-bottle curls and cheerleader appearance guaranteed she got away with just about everything. Including neglecting to pay her cab driver, if the irritated-looking man following her with a receipt clutched in his fist was any indication. 

“How did this happen?” Peggy hiccupped, playing with the string of engagement rings dangling from her neck, as Belmont wordlessly paid the cab driver. “I just had dinner here two weeks ago. Everything seemed fine.” 

Rita battled the compulsion to lay down on the sidewalk in the fetal position. Oh God. Her mother had bequeathed her an award-winning restaurant and she’d burned it down. On Rita’s first day back. 

Aaron was busy scrolling through his phone, the screen’s glow illuminating his perfectly tousled dark blond hair. “Look at the bright side, Rita. Now you can pursue your dream of being a Hot Topic register girl.” 

Rita barely had the strength to flip him the bird. “Jump up my ass.” 

When Peggy approached, Rita couldn’t look her in the eye, so she focused on her younger sister’s toes, peeking out of strappy silver sandals. “Hey. I’m glad you’re okay.” 

Rita’s throat went tight. “Thanks, Peggy.” 

“I’m sorry about the restaurant, too. I know how much you loved it. How much Mom loved it.” Her youngest sibling nodded and cast a discreet glance over her shoulder, turning back with a charming half smile. A smile responsible for four marriage proposals over the past three years. “Mom probably would have wanted me to talk to those firefighters, though. Am I right?” 

Rita groaned up at the sky. 

Meet the fucking Clarksons.

Mikki's Review:

Too Hot To Handle was one of my most anticipated books of 2016. I am a huge Tessa Bailey fan. When she comes out with a new series, I'm like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm over the moon excited that I get to meet new characters and that I get to fall in love with their stories for the very first time! If you have not read any books by this author you are seriously missing out! You can't go wrong with any of her books. They are the perfect reading escape! Her stories are filled with intense, passionate, sexy and emotional moments. These books will linger with you for days and the characters will always leave you wanting more!

Too Hot To Handle is the first installment of the Romancing the Clarksons Series. This series follows four siblings: Rita, Belmont, Aaron and Peggy Clarkson. In this first installment we get to meet them all, but the main focus is on Rita Clarkson. When life throws you lemons, go on a road trip! LOL!! Rita's life has taken a turn for the worst. She needs a change and she needs it NOW! After the family restaurant goes up in flames, Rita is left with tough decisions. She has nothing to lose at this point and begins a road trip with her siblings. Things haven't been easy for Rita and her siblings. They grew apart and so this road trip is the perfect occasion to reconnect with them. When their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, the last thing Rita expected was to be swept off her feet by the Jasper Ellis. He's unexpected and a breath of fresh air. Rita has a final destination in mind, but will Jasper be able to convince her that next to him is where she belongs?

I'm not a fan of insta-love. I really have to connect with the main characters to be able to feel their love. Tessa Bailey did a phenomenal job at making me fall in love with Rita and Jasper. Even if their relationship grows in just a couple of days, you can feel how strong their connection is. They have a hot chemistry and it's lust at first sight. The more time they spend together, the more their love grows. Both these characters have their own personal struggles and when they are together they forget about everything that surrounds them. Good things come when you least expect them and that is exactly what happened to Rita and Jasper. Rita's life got turned upside the moment the family restaurant caught on fire. When she had the idea to embark on a road trip that would bring her to NYC, she never expected to find Jasper. She definitely did not expect to fall in love the way she did. It was beautiful to see these two characters fall in love. It was heart-melting! Jasper has his own personal demons. He's determined to make his mark in his town. I loved how determined he was to change things around in his life. Rita and Jasper found a place to call home in each others arms.

If there is one thing that I absolute love about Tessa Bailey is the role that she gives to her secondary characters. In every single book that I have read from this author, I always felt like not only was I getting a love story, but I was getting introduced to supporting characters that added their own touch of awesomeness to the story. You will absolutely love all these fantastic characters! The moments that the Clarkson siblings shared were amazing! They might have been a distant family at the beginning of this journey, but they got closer on their road trip. I loved every single moment that they shared together. Aaron is the next Clarkson to get his story. We get a little glimpse of his book at the end of Too Hot To Handle and I'm already hooked! I can't freakin' wait to read his story!! I highly recommend Too Hot To Handle and any book by Tessa Bailey. Unforgettable reading journey guaranteed!

Rating:

I give, Too Hot To Handle, by Tessa Bailey, 5 unexpected moments, passionate encounters, steamy, fun, falling in love on a road trip stars!

Teasers:

About the Author:

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention. 

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

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About FOREVER:

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Book Review : The Hurricane by R.J. Prescott

The Hurricane

The Hurricane, #1
by R.J. Prescott

Release Date:
February 16th, 2015

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Publisher:
Grand Central Publishing

Source:
Publisher via NetGalley

eARC received in exchange of honest review

Synopsis:

Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree. 

Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met. 

Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the mis-fire. He’s never been knocked out before, but when he meet Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he’s ever met, she doesn’t want anything from him, but just being around her makes him want to be a better person. 

They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.

Purchase links:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Review:

When I first saw the cover of The Hurricane, by R.J. Prescott, my first thought was Holy Hot Cover! Hello!! Have you seen it?!?!?! I read the blurb next and I was intrigued. It was giving me a different vibe from the previous fighter stories that I have read in the past and I was anxious to start reading it. 

Oh.sweet.baby.Jesus. 

When I finished the first chapter of this book, I was crossing my fingers that this story would be memorable. And, it was!!! R.J. Prescott’s first novel was a phenomenal reading escape that will stay with me for a long time. From the moment I was introduced to the amazing characters of this story I knew that this book was going to leave me with a book hangover that would last for days! This story is passionate, romantic, heartbreaking, but most of all it’s a healing journey for two people who complete each other to perfection. Emily and O’Connell are simply addictive and irresistible! I promise you that you will love them as much as I did! 

The Hurricane follows sweet and shy Emily “Sunshine” McCarthy and bad boy fighter Cormac “the Hurricane” O’Connell. These two could not be any more different from each other. When Emily meets O’Connell for the first time she feel things that she should not feel. He’s a bad boy and he’s trouble. She knows that falling for him would break every one of her rules, but his persistence to become friends and to keep her safe leaves her speechless. O’Connell knew from the first moment that he saw Emily that she would be his. He’s in for the fight of his life to conquer her love, but Emily is keeping him away and only wants to be friends. She’s running from a past that has changed her life and he will do whatever it takes to take that fear away and make her feel safe and loved. 

I wish I could go back in time and read this book for the first time. I loved everything about this story. From the unforgettable characters to the beautiful breathtaking love story, R.J. Prescott wrote a passionate love story that was heart melting. She took the “sweet girl falls for the bad boy” storyline and made it her own. It was unique and memorable. Her writing style is captivating and will keep you turning the pages until the very end! Sunshine and O’Connell were such amazing characters to follow! I loved how they changed while the story developed. Their love made them stronger and it was beautiful to witness their friendship bloom into something more. 

Their chemistry was out of this world amazing!!! Each scene that they shared was putting a smile on my face. Emily’s sweet personality made me want to be her friend and O’Connell’s love for Emily made me swoon so many times! They both had a difficult childhood that has left them emotional scars. I won’t go into details about what happened to them because I feel that each reader needs to live every single moment of this amazing reading journey. I loved how Emily and O’Connell trusted each other with their life journey and how they healed those emotional scars with the power of their love. 

The Hurricane not only had phenomenal main characters, but equally addictive supporting characters. Danny, Kieran, Tommy, Liam, Nikki, Albie, Ryan and Max were great friends to Emily and O’Connell. They all had their place in this amazing journey and it simply would not have been the same without them! It was so easy to relate to all the characters and I already miss them so much!! I feel like they are my family. I love them to pieces!! <3 They made me laugh and I can’t wait to reunite with them. Even if this story ended in a good place, there will be a second book about Emily and O’Connell. The Aftermath is scheduled to come out by the end of 2015. I can’t freakin’ wait!!! Woohoooo!!! I need more Sunshine and O’Connell in my life!!! I have no clue if the other characters will be getting their own book, but I really hope so!!!

Rating:

I give The Hurricane, by R.J. Prescott, 5 fantastic, heart melting, romantic, healing, memorable, captivating stars!

About the Author:

I was born in Cardiff, South Wales Although I left to study law at the University of Bristol, England. Four weeks before graduation I fell in love, and stayed, ten years later I convinced my crazy, wonderful fire fighter husband to move back to Cardiff with me where we live with our two equally crazy sons. Juggling work, writing and family doesn't leave a lot of time, but curling up on the sofa with a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate for family movie night is definitely the best part of my week. “The Hurricane” is my debut new adult novel.

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