Short Fiction Friday: Two from HarperCollins

E shorts and teasers have become quite the trend of late. Some folks are understandably not fans - they tend to add little to the series themselves. I quite enjoy them: they give me a little chance to get back to authors and characters I love, and even work to refresh my Swiss cheese memory. Some, like Lisa Unger's Whispers stories and Elliott James's Pax Arcana shorts, are complete stories on their own. Others, like Hallie Ephron's "Photoplay" offer up a bit of extra insight into an upcoming release. Most admittedly tend not to include anything completely necessary to the series, but I'm fine with that as it means folks who don't come across them (or don't have e readers) ultimately aren't missing out on anything huge.

Elizabeth Haynes is one of the authors who has jumped on board with this trend. I've gobbled up and reviewed each new release only to anxiously wait for the next one to come. The second title in her Briarstone Crime series released in March but just a few months prior to that Haynes and Harper teased us with the release of "Promises to Keep," a short set between Under a Silent Moon and Behind Closed Doors.

If you've read the two books, then you know that DS Sam Hollands has been dealing with a recent break up. Her partner, Jo, was reprimanded for becoming too involved in a case and eventually left Sam. In "Promises to Keep" we get more of Jo's story from the discovery of Hassan Reza in the woods to her decision to leave Sam. It's a great short, giving the reader more insight into something seen only through Sam's eyes in the novels and tying up a few odds and ends that are glazed over in the series.

Again, for readers who don't like e books or shorts, you're not missing anything huge but if you're a fan of the series and open to these little reads it's a great bonus!

Rating: 3/5

Another new one to get readers stoked about an upcoming release from Harper is Sophie Hannah's "The Warning." Hannah's ninth Spilling CID title, Woman with a Secret (aka The Telling Error), releases in August here in the States. This is Hannah's first release in the series coming to us from Harper so it's definitely a boon to them to offer up a taste for readers who may be unfamiliar with the series as a whole.

In "The Warning" a stranger comes to the rescue when Chloe and her daughter, Freya, most need him.  The man is cordial and attractive, gaining Chloe's interest almost immediately. But even when she's warned off the man, she finds herself unable to fully resist his charm. Is he really as bad as he's made out to be or is this a case of someone spurned getting their revenge?

"The Warning" features both of the Spilling CID leads but isn't really a true series tie in. It is a fun and quick little read great for enticing folks who have yet to try Hannah or her series.

Rating: 3/5

(Both shorts do include excerpts of the newest series installments.)

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Southampton has become a killing ground for one of the most twisted minds DI Helen Grace has ever encountered. The murderer kidnaps the victims in pairs, leaving them a cell phone, a gun, and no way out until one of them is dead. Starved and desperate, the victims must make the ultimate choice: die a tortuously long death or kill in order to survive. 

The first victims, a young boyfriend and girlfriend hitchhiking home, offer almost no clue as to the killer's identity except for one thing: the killer is a woman. When another pair is taken, Helen and her team know they are running out of time. But the biggest clue to the killer's motive and identity is one only Helen can decipher. 

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe... I'll don't think I'll ever be able to hear that little rhyme again without thinking of M.J. Arlidge's debut! This is one of those books that gets you from the very beginning. It'd be impossible for it not to considering the very beginning is the first set of victims and their ordeal. It's a killer of an opening - literally!

Arlidge's heroine is one with a dark past. We don't know all of it from the very beginning, but we do know that she has some... issues. And by the time the book draws to its end almost all of it is out in the open, at least for the reader. Grace is an interesting character who is excellently complex and layered, but Arlidge does do a fine job of fleshing out the characters around her as well. Charlie and Mark - Grace's two primary team members - in particular. I would actually have liked a little more of Charlie, Mark seems to get a bit more of the limelight thanks to his interaction with Grace at least in terms of development. This is the first in a series, though, so I hope we'll see more of Charlie to come. As for Grace herself, I can't even imagine what Arlidge might have in store for her down the line. This was a pretty powerful start to the series.

If you haven't gleaned the fact based on the premise, this is a dark read more than a little reminiscent of the Saw franchise. Don't worry, it's not THAT graphic and the story is much better. It does end rather quickly, though. I expected another chapter to wrap things up but I'm good until this fall and the second installment.

Eeny Meeny is out now and is perfect for anyone looking for a quick and chilling thriller.

Rating: 4/5

L.A. Rotten by Jeff Klima + a Giveaway

Hi, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Jeff Klima's L.A. Rotten. Do note there is a tour wide giveaway on this one courtesy of the publisher so be sure to read through to the end to enter.

Crime scene cleaner Tom Tanner does his best to stay out of the limelight. An ex con working one of the few jobs he can get, Tom doesn't want the attention of the authorities he technically works with or the media that's often on the scene of his jobs. But when he starts to notice a pattern in local deaths that appears to be evidence of a serial killer at work, he finds himself drawn into his own investigation - and of course catches the eye of the killer himself. 

This book is a mixed bag. You have our leading man shooting heroine and visiting strippers back to back. Can't say that's totally appealing, bet you can understand why. The mystery is interesting, though, and his MO is quite unique.

I do think the end wrapped up way too neatly. I won't give it away but in spite of the graphic nature of the book, the end was a bit... cutesy may not be the most appropriate word but it works.

So yeah, L.A. Rotten is dark, gritty, graphic, and dirty, but there is something undeniably engaging about the plot.

Rating: 3/5

And now for the giveaway. As I mentioned this is a tour wide giveaway courtesy of the publisher. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here. For more on Jeff and his work, you can follow him on Twitter.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of 2015

I've decided to jump on board with Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week the topic is: most anticipated releases for the rest of the year. This pairs with the 12/2/14 TTT.

Oh, but there are so many!

1. Swerve by Vicki Pettersson - this will be her first thriller! I love her work, so I know I'll love this one. Dying to read it! Due out July 7 (my bday!)

2. Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl - I have to admit that my interest in Black Widow is bordering on not interested. I like her character and I like the hints about her super secret past, but she's really not my favorite in the movies. When I heard about this book, though, ALL OF THAT CHANGED! And the fact that it's a book!!! (Due out in October)

3. Charlotte's Story by Laura Benedict - Laura is one of my favorite authors, so of course I'm looking forward to any new book from her, but this one happens to be the second Bliss House book. So excited! (Due out in October - perfect Halloween reading!)

4. A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis - um a book about insane asylums? Do you even have to ask? And it's by the author of Not a Drop to Drink. This is going to be awesome! (Due out in October)

5. The Great Forgetting by James Renner - I just about peed my pants when this book was announced. Renner's The Man From Primrose Lane is one any of my blog readers has seen mentioned a lot. It's been a while, but a second book from the author who imagined that is welcome, welcome, welcome to my TBR! (Due out in November)

6. Slasher Girls and Monster Boys ed by April Genevieve Tucholke - a collection of YA scary stories and psychological thrillers from contributors like Kendare Blake, Jonathan Maberry, and Carrie Ryan.  This will rock! (Due out in August)

7. Time Salvager by Wesley Chu - this book sounds utterly amazing! A time traveler who is tasked with saving things from Earth's past without changing the timeline... well, yeah, you can imagine where that's going. (Due out July 7)

8. The White Rose by Amy Ewing - I loved The Jewel. I've been dying to know what will happen next. It's been torture (probably because The Jewel is on a shelf right next to my computer and I look at it every day!) (Due out in October)

9. Secondhand Souls by Christopher Moore - 'cause Dirty Job is my favorite of his books! (Due out August)

10. The Hanging Girl by Jussi Adler-Olsen - the sixth book in the fabulous Department Q series. If you aren't reading this Danish import, you should be! Start with The Keeper of Lost Causes, you won't regret it. (Due out in September)

BONUS: X by Sue Grafton - #24 if the fan-freaking-tastic Kinsey Millhone series is due out in AUGUST!!!

Sadly my handy dandy Riffle lists won't work here - they don't have cover art for many of my upcoming anticipated reads (and gray squares are unimpressive).

Hotel Moscow by Talia Carner

Good morning, everyone! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Talia Carner's Hotel Moscow.

It's 1993 and Russia is in the midst of massive change. Communism has fallen but the government regime is still unstable. And it's this tenuous new environment that is host to Brooke Fielding and a group of American women who have traveled to the country to teach a variety of business skills to Russian women. Though they are welcomed into the country, they are met with unexpected hostility. The city is filled with gang violence and turbulence, something Brooke and the other visitors discover almost immediately. But rather than turn tail and leave, Brooke and the others decide to stay and help. 

This was a real eye-opener. Based on the author's own experiences in Russia in 1993, the book illustrates the challenges women - and indeed all of the people - of Russia faced after the fall of the Soviet Union.

I was a kid while this was going on; it was always there, in the news and in the background. As a twelve-year-old, though, my interest in Russian politics was less than non existent. And yet, I did grow up in while Russia was still "the enemy." As an adult, I have much more interest in the goings-on of other countries and that was part of the reason I wanted to read this one.

As is almost always the case, Hotel Moscow's plot is just part of the book. The characters - Brooke in particular - elevate the story, making it a more emotional read. Brooke is the daughter of Holocaust survivors and has had that history and fear imprinted on her since she was a child. It greatly affects her perceptions and feelings as well as her resolution to stay and help.

Hotel Moscow is an great read for anyone interested in Russia's history or is simply looking for a story with excellent female characters. 

Rating: 4/5

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

For more on Talia and her work, you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

New Releases 6/9/15

Some of the new titles hitting shelves this week are:

Second Street Station by Lawrence H. Levy

The Dead Assassin by Vaughn Entwistle

The Bomb Maker's Son by Robert Rotstein

The Darkling Child by Terry Brooks

Under a Dark Summer Sky by Vanessa LaFaye

The Fixer by Joseph Finder

The Breaking Point by Jefferson Bass

Second Life by S. J. Watson

Crazy Mountain Kiss by Keith McCafferty

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows

Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope

Book of Numbers by Joshua Cohen

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

Language Arts by Stephanie Kallos

World War Moo by Michael Logan

The Jezebel Remedy by Martin Clark

Superfluous Women by Carola Dunn

Red Lightning by Laura Pritchett

The Clockwork Crown by Beth Cato

Under a Dark Summer Sky by Vanessa Lafaye

Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky

The Wolf Border by Sarah Hall

I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers

The Iron Assassin by Ed Greenwood

SignWave by Andrew Vachss

The Ultimate Betrayal by Kimberla Lawson Roby

All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank

Dead Ice by Laurell K. Hamilton

Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

To Hold the Bridge by Garth Nix

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn

Crash by Eve Silver

Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout

The Stars Never Rise by Rachel Vincent

New on DVD:
The Duff
Serena
Kingsman

Pre Pub Book Buzz: The Eternal World by Christopher Farnsworth

Readers, I love Christopher Farnsworth. His President's Vampire series was brilliant. Kind of Hellboy-ish plus a lot of conspiracy theories - definitely NOT your typical vampire reads. And now he's on to new things, with a new publisher.

Here's a bit about the book from Goodreads:

Five hundred years ago, a group of Spanish conquistadors searching for gold, led by a young and brilliant commander named Simon De Oliveras, land in the New World. What they find in the sunny and humid swamps of this uncharted land is a treasure far more valuable: the Fountain of Youth. The Spaniards slaughter the Utiza, the Native American tribe who guard the precious waters that will keep the conquistadors young for centuries. But one escapes: Shako, the chief’s fierce and beautiful daughter who swears to avenge her people?a blood promise that spans more than five centuries. . .

When the source of the fountain is destroyed in our own time, the loss threatens Simon and his men, and the powerful shadowy empire of wealth and influence they have built. For help, they turn to science, to David Robinton, a scientific prodigy who believes he is on the verge of the greatest medical breakthrough of all time. But as the centuries-old war between Shako and Simon reaches its final stages, David makes a horrifying discovery about his clients and the mysterious and exotic woman he loves. Now, the scientist must decide: is he a pawn in game of hunter and predator . . . or will he be its only winner?

Like I said, new things! 

The Eternal World is due out from William Morrow in August and I can't wait!