Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison

Claire Hunter is about to get married. To Jackson Compton! 

The wedding is to be held at the Compton's private villa on Isle Isola, off the coast of Italy. A luxury suite, a dress designed based on her own dream dress, and the closest friends and family await them. But even before they arrive in paradise, things begin to sour. An intruder is shot and killed in Claire's own home and she's nursing a concussion even on the ride into Isola. Then remains are found at a restoration site on the island. To make matters worse, a storm is gathering off the coast, threatening to cut the island off.  

The wedding plans are bumped up, with the understanding that some of the guests won't be able to beat the storm. But that's only the start! The dream dress is ruined, someone has hijacked the family company's servers, and someone has been sending threatening messages to Claire. 

Hanging over everything is the shadow of Jack's first marriage, a short-lived one that ended when his new bride disappeared, assumed dead after falling overboard during their honeymoon. But now, the mysterious messenger is implying there's more to the story. In fact, it seems they're trying to convince Claire that her new husband isn't quite who he's said he is. 

I've been reading J. T. Ellison for ages now and I look forward to each new book with great anticipation—because I know I'm in for a fabulous ride every time!

Her Dark Lies did not disappoint!

A destination wedding, a family with masses of wealth, and no expense spared on the whole occasion are like something out of a dream for Claire. And while it's not something our main character ever aspired to—in fact, it does make her quite uncomfortable—she is happily in love and thriving as an artist in her own right. 

But she's not led the easiest of lives. And her past is something that haunts her. Her relationship with her family is strained, but being repaired thanks to encouragement from her fiancee. Basically, she's trying to be her best self because it makes her happy! But she does think it's better if some things in her past aren't known to the Comptons. 

Here's the catch: someone knows. And someone is using both Claire's past and Jackson's against them on what should be the happiest occasion of their lives!

Her Dark Lies is such a fun read, especially in the midst of a pandemic winter (spring, but let's face it, spring is just winter jr.)! An exotic setting, a mystery, a storm!, and an island full of secrets and ruins...pure and thrilling entertainment!

A very quick shout out to the audiobook! Thanks to Libro.fm I was able to keep reading even when I couldn't lose myself in the actual pages :) Brittany Pressley narrates the just-under-twelve-hours audiobook and does a fabulous job! If you're a fan of audiobooks, you've probably come across her work and she is definitely one of the ones I really enjoy listening to. You can check out a sample of Her Dark Lies on audio here. 

Huge thanks to the publisher for inviting me to be part of the tour for Her Dark Lies! Be sure to order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!

Good Girls Lie by J. T. Ellison

The Goode School is known for its 100% graduation rates and it's almost guarantee of acceptance into the school of your choice. An all girls school that's been run by the same family for generations, it's also home to a number of secret societies, some known and some unknown. 

Ash Carlisle is one of Goode's scholarship students. And she's determined to keep her past a secret. The school means a new persona and a new chance at life. It's also part of her plan...her parents are gone and she has no one she can trust but herself.  

But The Goode School is far from perfect. The elite prep school has a number of black spots on its seemingly perfect record, including a murder or two and rumors of ghosts that haunt the grounds. Classes are hard and the students are far from welcoming. In fact, some are downright murderous in their competitiveness to get ahead. But Ash can deal with it. She's smarter than all of them. 

J.T. Ellison's latest is a twisty turny thriller set at a boarding school filled with secrets—secret societies, secret passageways, secret history...

And the book begins with a death. The dead girl's name isn't revealed at this stage and the story shoots back to the beginning of the semester and Ash's arrival at the Goode School. The timeline shifts throughout, back to Ash's time prior to arrival and finally giving readers a look at the home life she left behind.

Each new chapter uncovers a new grain of information that adds to the growing number of mysteries in the story: what is Ash's plan? How much truth is there to the rumors that surround Goode School? Who is the dead girl?

When I say this is twisty turny, I really mean it. There are so many crazy revelations as the story progresses that it soon becomes clear nothing and no one can be taken at face value. And even if the narration is from that person's POV, you still can't trust anything they're revealing!

Huge thank to the folks at Mira for sending a copy for review and inviting me to take part in the tour!

For more on J. T. Ellison and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter, Instagram.

Buy Links: Harlequin - Indiebound - Amazon - Barnes & Noble  - Books-A-Million - Target - Google - iBooks - Kobo

Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison + a Giveaway

Happy Wednesday! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for J.T. Ellison's latest, Tear Me Apart.

Mindy Wright is at the top of her game. On the cusp of almost guaranteed placement on the Olympic team, though, an accident on the slopes leads to a broken leg and surgery. Which leads to a shocking discovery - Mindy has cancer. Aggressive treatment and a stem cell transplant are her best options, but her family aren't matches. Which isn't unusual. What is unusual is that Mindy and her parents have no matching DNA at all. 

Convinced there was a hospital screw up, Mindy's aunt, Juliet, has the test run again. There's no mistake. Biologically, Mindy isn't Juliet's niece. Determined to find out what's happening, Juliet insists on an investigation. Maybe Mindy the hospital made a terrible mistake. Maybe Mindy was switched at birth and maybe there are biological family members out there who can help. But Mindy's mother is insistent that Juliet stay out of it. And when she finally offers an explanation, it's one Juliet can't possibly believe is true. 

Now Juliet must decide, should she risk everything to try and find Mindy a match? Even when it might threaten her career and her family? Even when, as it starts to become clear, it might threaten her very life?

Any time I start a new J.T. Ellison title there's one thing I can be sure of: it's going to be great! And Tear Me Apart certainly maintains that winning streak. From page one, the reader is absolutely sucked into the story. Which is great because 4am insomnia calls for something that gripping!

Mindy is a seventeen-year-old wunderkind. A skier whose talent is without question. And after training hard her entire life, she's at the peak of fitness and her career. But an accident threatens all of that.

She and her parents are assured the break is clean - Mindy will ski again. But that's before they find cancer in her blood. Now her parents are worried she may not survive.

Which is why her aunt, a geneticist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, is determined to do whatever she can to help. Mindy's only family outside of her parents, Juliet adores her niece and will do anything she can. And she's shocked when she finds out none of them is a DNA match, much less a donor match for the girl.

Juliet has the scientific know how and the resources to do something about it, but ethically her hands are tied when her sister refuses to give permission. Which is strange considering Juliet knows Mindy's mom would also do anything to save her daughter.

Interspersed throughout Mindy's story are chapters set right around Mindy's birth in 1993. Two girls - one voluntary and one not - in a psychiatric facility. How and why their story ties in becomes clearer as the book progresses, but Ellison holds her cards close, only truly revealing the big why, how, and who of the overall mystery until the very end.

And I loved every single page!

If you're a fan of truly great thrillers, you need to be reading J.T. Ellison. And this is a perfect place to start!

Now for the giveaway. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, October 8. Open US only and no PO boxes please.

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To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on J.T. Ellison and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Lie To Me by J.T. Ellison + a Giveaway

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC blog tour for J.T. Ellison's latest, Lie To Me. If you visit frequently, then you may recall I already posted an excerpt of this one last month. If you missed it, be sure to check it out here.

Well now I get to follow up with my review!

And do be sure to read through to the end - I'm giving away a copy of Lie To Me to one of you lucky readers!

To the outside world, Sutton and Ethan have the perfect marriage. Two authors, each successful in their own right, who together seem to have it all. But the reality of their marriage is anything but perfect and certainly isn't happy these days. Ethan's latest book deal has been cancelled and their relationship is on the rocks after the death of their child. 

And then Ethan wakes one morning to find Sutton gone. All of her things - her purse, her computer, her phone, her clothes - are still there but Sutton is missing. And then Ethan finds the note: she's left him and doesn't want him to try and find her. 

Ethan wants to respect her wishes, but he fears something terrible may have happened. And when her friends suggest maybe Sutton didn't leave at all but that Ethan may have done something, Ethan knows he can't sit idly by. 

If you're a fan of domestic noir/thrillers, you're going to absolutely love this latest from J.T. Ellison. Love it! There's a definite Gone Girl feel to this one. A missing wife, a suspected husband, the niggling feeling that our narrator can't be trusted... But don't worry, Lie To Me definitely stands on its own.

Ethan, when the story begins, is no perfect hubby. In fact, he's kind of a dick. I say this because in the very first pages he's musing over how he needs a hottie on his arm because he himself is a hottie and Sutton has kind of let herself go of late. What!? But even as Ethan does his damnedest not to endear himself to the reader, it's kind of impossible not to sympathize with him as suspicions turn his way.

And Sutton hasn't helped in that regard. The picture she's painted to those around her definitely doesn't put Ethan in a good light either.

The did he or didn't he would be enough to grab any reader's attention, but there are chapters narrated by someone unknown as well. Someone we're told from the start we're going to hate. Who is this person!?

Lots of interrobangs here, you'll notice. Because this is a book that deserves more than simple question marks and exclamation points. Lie To Me is super good, y'all. The pacing is intense and the story keeps you guessing all the way to the end. If you aren't reading J.T. Ellison yet, this is definitely the perfect place to start.

Lie To Me is excellent all around and one I highly recommend for any thriller fan!

And now for the giveaway. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, October 2. Open US only and no PO boxes please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour, and more excerpts, be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on J.T. Ellison and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison - Excerpt

Happy Friday, everyone! And what a Friday it is! I have a fabulous treat for you, as part of the TLC blog tour for J.T. Ellison's latest, Lie To Me, I get to share an early excerpt!

Y'all, J.T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors! In fact I can still remember - as a very new reviewer - getting an ARC of Ellison's first Taylor Jackson book, and I knew then that she was going to be a longtime favorite of mine.

So yeah, I'm pretty stoked to be able to share this with you today.

Before we dive in though, here's a bit about the book from Goodreads:

They built a life on lies

Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. The couple seems made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.

Ooooh! I can't wait! And hopefully neither can you, but if you're still wavering, there are a series of excerpts you can check out to entice you further! I am, as part of the excerpt tour, the fifth stop. If you want to read the rest in order, you can check out the full list here.

Lie To Me

by J.T. Ellison

Beauty and the Beast 

Then

Ethan’s agent nudged him. “There is a woman watching you from across the room.”

Ethan glanced over, didn’t see anyone of note. Then again, he was lubed up, like a lock drenched in oil. He’d already had a few cocktails, and had plans for a few more before he passed out in his soft king bed upstairs. He liked the rooms in the hotel, they were clean and spacious and pleasant, not at all threatening, unlike some of the aggressively modern places his publisher put him up at, thinking the extravagant price tag was a justifiable expense to keep their cash cow happy.

All he wanted from the evening was a solid drunk and a good night’s sleep. He didn’t have to fly back to Nashville until late in the afternoon. He could sleep in, have some room service delivered, take a long, hot shower and grab the car to the airport with plenty of time to spare. He had nothing else on his calendar, and he was glad for it. The week in New York had damn near killed him. Breakfasts and lunches and dinners, a few women taken back to that soft king bed, endless talking and applauding and schmoozing.

He needed a break from his life.

You wanted this, jackass. Be careful what you wish for.

“Ethan. Did you hear me? There’s a woman over there who’s practically drooling.”

“Bill, I have no time for more women. You know that.”

A hearty laugh and a punch on the arm. Sometimes he wondered if Bill was humoring him, being kind because he was making them both so much money. He thought they were friends; Bill knew almost everything there was to know about Ethan. Almost everything. But sometimes he wondered. Ethan had made Bill rich. Very, very rich. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that the man loathed him and was simply in it for the house in the Hamptons he would soon be able to buy with his fifteen percent.

Bill leered at him. “If you’re not interested, maybe you could throw an old dog a bone.”

“You’re married.”

“I’m married, I ain’t dead. I can look. Pretty please? Her dress is cut so deep in the front I won’t even have to stand on my tippy toes to look down it.”

Ethan glanced down at the much smaller man, shrugged. “Fine. Let me get a beer and we’ll wander over so you can gander at the lass.”

There were two lines at the bar. It was moving quickly. Maybe he’d have a Scotch instead of a beer. He started looking at the bottles lined up behind the bartenders; saw a Macallan 18. Nice. That would do.

He felt a hand on his arm. Glanced to his right. A woman stood next to him. Not the one from across the room. This one was tall, with long strawberry blond hair pulled back in a severe ponytail, and seemed endlessly fascinated with his arm. It wasn’t like she was touching him to get his attention, it was almost as if she was caressing him. It was a strange touch, wildly erotic, and the rest of the room bled away in an instant.

Was she drunk? She didn’t seem drunk. She seemed…hungry. And not in the let me take you to dinner way.

He smiled down at her. “I have another, if you’re wondering.”

She jerked back as if burned. Her face turned a becoming shade of red. She had freckles across her nose. Clean skin devoid of makeup. She didn’t need any. But no mask? In this mess? Interesting.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked.

She started to move away, still watching him.

“Wait.” What are you doing, you fool? Chick’s crazy, just another groupie. Let her go, stick with the plan.

The stranger halted, a deer in the headlights. Her voice was soft, her eyes clearly showing deep embarrassment and something else, something intriguing and attractive.

Her voice was throaty, and he felt something deep inside when she spoke.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I promise you I don’t go around touching strange men.” She turned on her heel and started off.

He stopped her, grabbed her hand. “Wait. Don’t run off. I don’t even know your name. I’m Ethan.”

She froze, glanced down at his hand, so large over hers. “I know. Ethan Montclair. I’m a fan of your work.”

He heard it so often it had become rote, but from this woman’s lips, it felt different. Like a prayer. A promise.

“Who are you with?”

“I’m sorry?” She finally met his eyes, and he had his first good look at her. What he saw was entrancing. She was pretty, wholesome, Irish descent, probably, with that reddish hair and the blue eyes. Her sleek black dress showed off a great figure, hourglass but lithe. She looked fresh, innocent. Girl next door, the kind you grow up crushing on, your best friend’s older sister. And then you become old enough to bed her legally, and the tables turn. This one, though, still had the suburban stink all over her. Intern, he thought.

“I meant, what house are you with?”

“Oh. None.”

“What are you doing here, then?”

“I…” The way she dropped her eyes when she was embarrassed, like a courtier looking up at him from her lashes, was maddening, in all the best ways. She took a deep breath. “Okay. We’re at the same house. You’re light years ahead of me, though.”

A small zing. “You’re not an intern?”

“I’m a writer.”

“Do you have a name?”

The blush deepened. “Sutton. Sutton Healy.”

Lie To Me is due out September 5 (so, super soon!) from Mira. I'll be doing a review as part of the tour on September 18, so be sure to check back then. 

To see more stops on the tour, and more excerpts, be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. 

For more on J.T. Ellison and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. 

Purchase Links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Edge of Black by J.T. Ellison

So, readers. I did actually read both installments of J.T. Ellison's new Samantha Owens series pretty much back to back but I'm only now getting around to doing my write up for Edge of Black here for the blog (though I did review it for Bookbitch.com this week).

And of course I HAD to get to Edge of Black as soon as I possibly could after finishing A Deeper Darkness. I just couldn't get enough!

Sam is starting over -- new city, new job, and even a new boyfriend. Convinced she needs a break from her job as a Medical Examiner, she's taken on a teaching position at Georgetown University. When a student falls ill as a result of what's clearly a biological attack on the capitol, Sam finds her skills as an ME are called upon once more. The attack has been contained and so far the number of deaths is limited to just three, one of whom happens to be a senator who's made more than a few enemies with his stance on policies. But why these three victims? And why did the senator receive an ominous text just moments before his own death? Sam is determined to find out. Meanwhile, her new boyfriend, Xander Whitfield, has heard through the grapevine that the attack could be the work of a local rather than some overseas terrorist group. Using his own connections, he sets off to see if he can find the killer before it's too late.

Ah! This one is crazy good! I think I liked it even more than A Deeper Darkness, which I wouldn't have thought possible until now. I love, love, loved the bio warfare/outbreak aspect here! The science seems spot on (I'd never know the difference but even if it's not, Ellison makes it believable).

I love the relationships and the interplay between the characters in Ellison's work. Sam and Xander, of course, and Detective Darren Fletcher as well. But then there are the other smaller characters, too: Nocek, Xander's parents, and all of the others that inhabit the book. I've mentioned it before, but Ellison's character development is some of the best I've come across.

Really another fine outing from Ellison! She's such an exciting author and I'm always looking forward to what she'll do next.

As an aside, I just bought these two for my friend as a Christmas gift as well (hopefully I haven't included any spoilers if she's reading these posts!).

A Deeper Darkness by J.T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison launched a new spin off series this year with The Deepest Darkness, the first book to feature Taylor Jackson's ME friend, Dr. Samantha Owens, as the main character.

It's been two years, but Sam Owens's wounds are still fresh. The grief she feels over the loss of her family has not lessened at all. Then Sam receives a call about yet another death: her ex, Eddie Donovan, has been shot in  what the police are calling a carjacking, but his mother isn't so sure. She's asking that Sam travel to DC to do a second autopsy on the body. Sam knows the case will be difficult to bear but can't refuse the request. When she arrives, Sam makes a discovery the original autopsy missed. Alone it's not necessarily enough to question the entire case, but when the body of another man with a connection to Donovan is found, the police have to admit that the case may not be as open and shut as they once believed. 

Considering I was a fan of Sam Owens as a character in the Taylor Jackson series, it was a given that I would love seeing her with her own series of titles. But I also grieved for her and the circumstances that she's gone through! I know she's fiction, but geez! Such torture for one poor character. 

Ellison undoubtedly has a talent for creating characters that readers sympathize with. It's one of the things that's made the Taylor Jackson series so popular and will no doubt make Samantha Owens equally as popular with fans and newbie Ellison readers alike. 

The mystery is equally well developed and this case is very different from what we've seen in the other series. Owens is an ME, not a cop like Taylor, so it makes sense that the cases would be different and told through an ME's perspective rather than a cop's. Plus, there's just as much action and suspense as you'd expect in a book from Ellison. 

Books one and two (The Edge of Black) are both out now. Be warned, the synopsis for book two has slight spoilers for this first in the series (I made that mistake and ruined the surprise). 

And for some extra reading, here's a piece J.T. wrote on the above mentioned traumas she inflicted on Samantha.

So Close the Hand of Death

Fast on the heels of JT Ellison's The Immortals comes her latest release, So Close the Hand of Death.

It's been just forty-eight hours since Taylor closed her last case and now The Pretender is setting his game back into motion. In an attempt to draw Taylor out, The Pretender has attacked one of her own. As she and Baldwin fly to North Carolina, though, The Pretender has unleashed a set of killers nationwide, each one copying a different killer. Then Taylor finally gets a lucky break, a clue that will finally lead to the unmasking of The Pretender. And now, Taylor is willing to do whatever it takes to end The Pretender's game once and for all.

Holy cow! I mean really, holy freaking cow! J.T. Ellison is amazing. The amount of planning that has gone into this series is so awesome! Tiny pieces of the puzzle have been introduced all along the way, until each one snowballs into a major plot point. I don't know what's in store next, but I do know that I can't wait!

Ok, now here's the really fun part (and my little surprise for you). I have a copy of So Close the Hand of Death to give away. You do have to read this series in order BUT, and here's a big but, this is technically the continuation of what was set in motion in 14, so if you've read that one, you're in good shape!

Leave me a comment here before Monday night (Feb 28) -- with your email. I'll randomly select a winner and announce on Tuesday! US only please.

Good luck and happy reading!

The Immortals

Ah, this was to be one of my Halloween reads. With the wedding, though, I ended up on something of a self-imposed reading fast. So much to do, so many people to visit with, and ending just about each night passing out from sheer exhaustion. And so I dove into JT Ellison's fifth Taylor Jackson book last week. And guess what arrived on the doorstep that week as well? Book six! Yep. I'm a lucky girl. So Close the Hand of Death is not due out until March of next year. Consider it a fabulous wedding gift from the publisher (I do)!

With The Immortals, Taylor Jackson is on her own (sans Baldwin, I mean) to solve a multiple homicide on Halloween. Seven teenagers have been brutally murdered and an eighth lies in critical condition after what can only be called a massive ritualistic killing spree. With murmurings of witches and vampires, Taylor is certain there is a more logical solution to such a horrible crime, but the killers have so far evaded capture. Meanwhile, Baldwin is facing a disciplinary hearing regarding a case from 2004 and a secret he's been carrying with him for the past six years.

Ah, JT! The emotional torture she puts Taylor and Baldwin through... And there is something of a cliffhanger ending here. I know from blog posts that Memphis comes back in book seven (from The Cold Room), which is a little teaser to be expecting when I finish reading So Close the Hand of Death now as well. I can only imagine the tension he's going to bring with him. I will have to hold off just a little on diving into book six, but I'm not sure how long I'll be able to resist the pull!

The Cold Room

Alright, catching up on JT Ellison for you guys. I actually read The Cold Room just last month, in anticipation of the release of Ellison's latest title, The Immortals. I'd fallen just one book behind and was damn sure not going to let it go any further than that!

What probably gets me most about Ellison is the fact that she hasn't seemed to run out of any steam. Not everyone can be a winner with every reader every time. Ellison has not let me down, though. With each new title, she takes the series further, letting readers see more and more into the lives of her two characters (and side characters as well). I feel connected to them. When I read one of Ellison's books, I get immersed in Taylor and Baldwin's world. This is, to me, a sign of a really great author, and the goal with any book that I read: I want to leave behind the everyday and get caught up, just for a little while, in a world that's not my own.

NOTE: Possible spoilers if you haven't read the rest of the series.

In The Cold Room, Taylor Jackson has been demoted to detective. Forced to answer to someone else, forced apart from her team, she's finding it a bit difficult to bite her tongue and let someone else be in charge. And rightfully so. But she has no other choice. And with the Pretender still out there taunting her, the pressure is mounting. Her latest case involves the murder of a young woman, seemingly starved to death and posed in a grotesque homage to Picasso. The scene is strikingly similar to a string of murders in Italy and England that Baldwin has been investigating. The killer reporters are calling The Conductor, may be one and the same, but minute differences and the trans-continental killing spree would have Baldwin and Taylor believe, or perhaps hope, otherwise. As the killer searches out his newest victim, the two investigators uncover disturbing clues to the motivations behind these crimes.

I never want to give too much away, but you simply must read Ellison's Authors Note when you finish this one. Her inspiration for this one and the research that is out there is fascinating, and disturbing.

A JT Ellison Post

Sometimes I get caught up in my reading only to realize that I'm not totally caught up in posting. Hm. For the record, most everything I read is reviewed first for Bookbitch.com. I also post Shelfari reviews and then a third separate review here. Yep, that's three blurbs per book, unless I poach an old backlist one from the BB archives or, as with the Pre Pub posts, they're publisher's or PW reviews. I think you'll forgive me if I neglect a title here or there, won't you? But as I'm trying to catch up from a couple of months of neglectful posting anyway, I feel I need to make it up to you.

Well, such is the case with one of my favorite must-read authors, JT Ellison. See, back when I started this blog, in Feb of '08, Ellison's series was already running. Her debut, All the Pretty Girls had been out since November of '07 and I think I ended up posting about that title here right around the release date of book two, 14. Apparently, I missed the boat on posting a review of 14 here on the blog, though, because my next post was book three, Judas Kiss, which can be found here.

So to remedy that (because I'm a bit anal), here is my Bookbitch review of 14. Tomorrow I'll review The Cold Room and Wednesday I'll post a review of Ellison's latest entry in the series, The Immortals. It may be a bit unnecessary, since I hope you're all reading this series already (have I mentioned that they're packed with suspense, usually a little shocking, and full of I can't believe it moments where Ellison pushes her characters to the brink and beyond in each new book?!), but it's the least I can do.

Enjoy!

Lieutenant Taylor Jackson is just days from walking down the aisle when she’s called to the scene of a gruesome murder. Strangely, the MO resembles that of a serial killer who struck Tennessee in the early 80’s. Dubbed the Snow White Killer thanks to his dark haired, pale skinned victims, and his penchant for smearing bright red lipstick across their faces, he left behind ten victims before apparently throwing in the towel; he was never caught. Has Snow White reemerged after such a long break or are they facing a copycat. Then new evidence is found to support the copycat theory and Jackson and her team are faced with uncovering both of the killers’ identities in order to solve the case. With just two titles released, J.T. Ellison has proven herself to be one of the best new thriller authors out there. Her characters are solid and her plots are refreshingly original - and what a great ending.

A Thrilling Series You Can't Miss

In 2007, Mira (an imprint of Harlequin) started their brilliant Summer of the Deadly 7 campaign. I was lucky enough to get to review each of the seven titles and loved them all. One of those authors was JT Ellison whose debut, All the Pretty Girls, truly blew me away. I posted a review on that first title back in August '08 around the time book 2, 14, was being released. Well, it's time again for Mrs. Ellison's latest in the series to hit shelves (came out Dec 30) and I just finished up reading it yesterday. (Reviews for both All the Pretty Girls and 14 can be found in the Bookbitch.com archives). 

In this third installment, Ellison really cuts her heroine no slack at all. In fact, parts of the book were downright frustrating as a bystander! Taylor and her team must face what could be the toughest times ever. 

It begins with Taylor and Baldwin returning from their non-honeymoon in Italy after the events of 14. The Pretender is still on the loose and Baldwin has been called back to the FBI to help out while his boss is on medical leave, or so he says. Turns out there's a professional hit man on the loose who has it out for Baldwin and his superiors aren't too keen on Taylor knowing about it just yet. Meanwhile, back in Nashville, Taylor and team are called in on a homicide that seems pretty clear cut. Corrine Wolff, an upper-class housewife, was found bludgeoned to death while her husband was away for the weekend. Course hubby's return trip is much shorter than expected and Taylor thinks the guy is dead guilty. Then they make some shocking discoveries about the Wolffs' personal lives and all of the sudden the case has shifted directions. Taylor also makes a disturbing discovery of her own after a run-in with a stranger. All of this and more cause trouble for Taylor with her superiors and the media. Judas Kiss will be followed by Edge of Black, due out later this year.

JT Ellison just keeps getting better and better! Taylor Jackson is definitely one of the best new heroines and I love reading about her. The teaser chaps at the end of these books just kill me, though. I'm on edge the entire book and then I get a sneak peek at one that I can't read yet. Ah well, just keeps me itching for more. Anyway, it's still early in the game and you can easily read through the series in a weekend. I highly suggest you do, if you haven't checked her out already, that is!

Readers who enjoy Lisa Jackson, John Sandford (one of Ellison's inspirations), and Brian Freeman will like this series. 

Looking for Something New?

Last year I managed to get in on Mira's summer thriller promo. JT Ellison's debut, All the Pretty Girls, just happened to be one of the titles in the box. It was also the last release in the box, hitting shelves in November of last year. Next Tuesday is the official date of the release of 14, the follow-up in the series. You can probably find it on shelves now (I think I just saw it at BN). 

Style-wise, if you're a fan of recent releases like Cody McFadyen's Smoky Barrett series or Chelsea Cain's Sweetheart you should be reading Ellison as well. 

Since All the Pretty Girls is the first in the series, I've decided to make it the focus of my review for this week.  

A ruthless serial killer has been stalking young women in the southeast. Dubbed the Southern Strangler, he has left a grisly trail of dead coeds in his wake. Each girl has had her hands removed, one of which will be found at the following crime scene, and each subsequent victim goes missing the same day the previous victim is found. When the body of the third victim is discovered in Nashville, Lieutenant Taylor Jackson is called to the scene. Her involvement with FBI agent John Baldwin leaves her privy to certain details of the case, even after it leaves her jurisdiction, and leads to a disturbing discovery. The killer has been e-mailing clues to a well-known reporter in the Nashville area – clues that could finally lead to the discovery of his identity. Meanwhile, Jackson has other problems to deal with including a rapist who has recently attacked the lead investigator on the Rainman case. To make matters even worse, there appears to be a leak within the Bureau and there are whispers of corruption amongst Nashville’s finest. Ellison writes like a pro – her details are dead on, her plot is engrossing, and her characters are engaging. This masterful debut is sure to keep readers up all night in suspense.

Look for my review of 14 at www.bookbitch.com next week.