★ Blog Tour ★ DEEP DARK by Laura Griffin — Excerpt + $50 Amazon Giveaway!


Enter to Win a Prize Pack! 
$50 Amazon Gift Card, Tracers Tote + a Signed Copy of Laura Griffin's DEEP DARK!!


Tracers #10
by Laura Griffin
Release Date: May 24, 2016
Publisher: Pocket Books


Synopsis:

A gripping new romantic thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin...

The moment detective Reed Novak steps onto the crime scene, he knows the case is going to rock his world. A beautiful young woman murdered at home. No sign of forced entry. No motive. She’s obviously not the killer’s first victim, and Reed’s instincts tell him she won’t be his last. Reed’s first clue comes via a mysterious text that links to a dating profile, but even more intriguing than the clue is the person who sent it.

As a white-hat hacker in the Delphi Center’s cyber investigation unit, Laney Knox sneaks into some of the deepest, darkest corners of the Internet looking for predators. Laney would prefer to stay away from Austin PD’s most recent murder case, but she can’t ignore the chilling similarities between that crime and her own brutal attack years ago. Laney offers to help the sexy lead detective, but he wants more from her than just a promising tip—Reed wants her trust. Laney resists, but as their relationship deepens she’s tempted to reveal the closely guarded secrets that could make her a key witness…or the killer’s next victim.

*EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT* OF—
DEEP DARK by Laura Griffin!


Reed watched her, and she had that frustrated look in her eyes again. Every time she started to open up to him, he did something to tick her off. She shook her head and glanced away. 
“Laney?” 
“What?”
“I’m a detective. It’s my job to ask questions. To push.”
She looked at him again and her expression softened. “No, you’re right.” She glanced down at her beer bottle and picked at the label. “I’m glad she has you.”
“Who has me?”
“April. You seem--” She paused, like she was searching for the right word. “--committed.”
He didn’t answer. It wasn’t really a question, but the way she looked at him gave him the feeling she wanted a response.
She drained her beer and plunked down the bottle. “I should get home.” She stood up.
Reed stood, too. He left a tip on the table and followed her through the throng of people. The bar was packed, and the music had gotten louder since they’d first walked in.
They stepped into the warm, muggy air. It was dusk now, and a neon Lone Star Light sign cast a blue-and-red glow over the sidewalk. As they walked in silence, he thought of what she’d said about her job being meaningful. It was refreshing. Maybe he’d been a cop too long, but he didn’t know anyone who talked about things being meaningful anymore. If they thought about work in those terms, they kept it to themselves.
Maybe he was jaded.
No, he definitely was jaded. But it had more to do with his failed marriage than anything he’d seen on the job.
Reed spotted her little white car and felt a twinge of regret. He’d enjoyed talking to her, enjoyed being near her. And he couldn’t remember the last time that had happened with a woman. Having a beer with Laney had been the highlight of his crap week. Hell, the highlight of his month.
She looked around. “Where are you parked?”
“Around back.”
She gazed up at him. He couldn’t read her expression.
“Thanks for the drink,” she said.
“You bought it.”
He couldn’t read her tone either. The thrum of music seeped through the thin walls of the bar as they stood there in the light of the beer sign.
She stepped closer, and a jolt of heat went through him. She looked up at him with those bottomless brown eyes, and he knew he was in trouble. It was a bad idea to involve this girl in his investigation. Whatever useful info she might have was outweighed by the fact that she was young, and edgy, and he wanted her. And she must have seen something in his face because her eyes sparked.
She went up on tiptoes and kissed him.

*BUY LINKS*


Amazon | B&N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo





*Don't miss the chance to start Tracers from the beginning...

UNTRACEABLE (Book 1)
Grab a copy now!

Want to Find Out More about the TRACERS series?





New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LAURA GRIFFIN started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA Award winner (for the books Scorched and Whisper of Warning) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for Untraceable).

Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book.






a Rafflecopter giveaway



OUT RIDER by Lindsay McKenna! ★ Book Review ★


by Lindsay McKenna
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: HQN Books

Synopsis:

With her return to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, New York Times bestselling author Lindsay McKenna shows how love can find a way out of the darkness…

A fresh start—that's all Devorah McGuire wants. As a former Marine and current Ranger with the US Forest Service, she's grown accustomed to keeping others safe. But when the unthinkable happens, she can only hope that a transfer to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, will allow her to put the past behind her for good.

Dev's mentor at Grand Tetons National Park is fellow canine handler and horseman Sloan Rankin. He shows Dev the spectacular trails, never knowing the terror that stalks her every move. Despite her lingering fear, Dev feels an attraction for Sloan as wild as their surroundings.

With Sloan, Dev can envision a new life—a real home. Unless a vengeful man fresh out of prison succeeds in finishing what he started…

Praise:

"Bringing two military veterans together, this compassionate love story explores the path to healing. Set in the Wyoming wilderness, the Forest Service is the perfect refuge for these wounded souls. Danger still follows the heroine, but she has found a partner who will add his strength to her considerable perseverance." —RT Book Reviews on Out Rider


Cove Member Miriam Reviews—

OUT RIDER by Lindsay McKenna!

On her way to her new job as a Ranger at Grand Tetons National Park, Devorah McGuire gets a flat tire. 
It is then that she meets Sloan Rankin, who stops to assist her on the road. Coincidentally, Sloan is also a Ranger and a farrier, and will happen to be her mentor at the Tetons while she becomes familiar with the area. 
As they get to know each other, a relationship that started merely as a physical attraction actually develops into a nice friendship. However, although they both like each other, they are wary for different reasons. Sloan comes from a bad marriage that ended in a bitter divorce, making him distrustful of women. On the other hand, Dev has just gotten away from a terrifying experience with a stalker at her previous job, which ended not only in a physical assault, but in her actual moving to the Grand Tetons. 
Things get complicated when Devorah starts sensing she is being observed although she has no proof of it. 
As they investigate, they find out that her stalker has missed his appointment with his probation officer and is on the loose. Will Sloan’s willingness to protect her be enough to keep her safe? How will they prevent the stalker from getting his revenge after losing his job and going to jail because of her reporting the assault? 
The plot of the book has great potential, but the romance itself does not develop as naturally as the reader would expect. In my opinion, the relationship between Dev and Sloan is developed merely on clichés that somewhat disrupt the credibility of it. 
There are many instances in which the characters’ thoughts tend to be unbelievable, not what a normal person would be thinking. Just to mention one example, right after their first encounter, Sloan is already thinking he would like Dev to be the mother of his children. This is completely contradictory since he had been portrayed as a distrustful man, and to be honest, not even trustful men in their right minds would have these thoughts after such a first casual encounter with a stranger. 
It is nice that the author wants to fulfill every reader’s dream of love at first sight; but in her eagerness to accomplish this, her characters lost realism. 
Having said that, still, if you are a fan of Western Romances, and you are willing to compromise a little on the authenticity of the characters’ development, and the natural flow of a growing relationship, you will enjoy this novel. 
The setting described is magnificent, with the Grand Tetons as the breathtaking background to a suspenseful and romantic story. After all, who wouldn’t enjoy living a love story surrounded by some of the most beautiful displays of natural wonders in America?



*BUY LINKS*



About the Author:

A U.S. Navy veteran, Lindsay McKenna was a meteorologist while serving her country. She pioneered the military romance in 1993 with Captive of Fate, Silhouette Special edition. Her heart and focus is on honoring and showing our military men and women.

Creator of the Wyoming Series and Shadow Warriors series for HQN, she writes emotionally and romantically intense suspense stories.

Visit her online at: www.LindsayMcKenna.com | Facebook | Twitter



★ Blog Tour ★ PASSING THROUGH BRANDISS by Patricia Yager Delagrange — Guest Post + Sneak Peek + Giveaway!


We're so excited to share the upcoming release of PASSING THROUGH BRANDISS with a special guest post by author Patricia Yager Delagrange, for her Tasty Book Tour!


 *Don't miss the book trailer + a special sneak peek + special giveaway featured below!


by Patricia Yager Delagrange
Release Date: May 20, 2016
Publisher: Ravenswood Publishing

Synopsis:

After the tragic loss of her husband, Annie and her young son search for a new life full of meaning and hope. Fate nudges Annie into the arms of a man whose wife disappeared with his child years ago. Annie’s life spins out of control when first the pregnant teenager she hires to help her with her garden asks Annie to adopt her baby and shortly afterwards the long-lost wife of the man Annie loves reappears. Riddled with grief and heartache, the experiences demonstrate how, even in the face of overwhelming sorrow, opening her heart and home to those most in need of love has reaped unexpected joy for Annie and her son.





*Guest Post*

Casting PASSING THROUGH BRANDISS 
by Patricia Yager Delagrange!




Prescott: Dylan Neal


Rafe: Tom Taylor


Allessandra: Jennifer Lawrence



Exclusive Excerpt of—

PASSING THROUGH BRANDISS!

A cream-colored blanket covered him from the waist down, a white sheet folded over at the edge. Gauze shielded the top part of his head and a black accordion tube snaked out of his mouth.  Machines surrounded his bed, blinking and beeping, the rhythm oddly calming. 
He was alive. 
Annie laced her fingers with his and squeezed, willing her energy to pass through him, as if her touch could keep him more alive than the contraptions. She leaned over the side of the bed, kissed his cheek, inhaling the sickeningly sweet scent of Betadine.  
Suddenly the beeps burst to life, louder, more insistent and irritating. A thin blue line, straight and flat, slid across the black screen on the monitor above his bed. 
Firm hands grasped Annie’s shoulders and pulled her away from his bedside. 
“What are you doing? Stop! What’s happening?”  
A nurse tugged on Annie’s arm and led her through the doorway. “Mrs. Davidson. You have to leave the room. Now.” 
Annie glanced back at Cam before passing the room’s threshold, shuffled backward into the hallway and banged against the wall. Doctors and nurses raced from all directions and funneled to Cam’s bedside. 
She stared at the closed door to Cameron’s room, her eyes burning. “Please, God, save him. I need him. Rafe needs him. Don’t let him die.” No matter how busy God was, helping other people in the world, perhaps Annie’s personal plea would reach Him. 
She envisioned a happy scenario. Cam was going to pull through. She knew it.The door swung open. Dr. Tsao walked out slowly, eyes and head angled down until she reached the middle of the wide hallway. Annie pushed away from the wall. Their eyes met. 
The doctor didn’t have to say a word. The downward twist of her lips, the flat glaze of her eyes. Annie knew Dr. Tsao wouldn’t be uttering the words she hoped to hear.

BUY LINKS:






About the Author:

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Patricia attended St. Mary’s College, studied her junior year at the University of Madrid, received a B.A. in Spanish at UC Santa Barbara then went on to get a Master’s degree in Education at Oregon State University.

She lives with her husband and two teenage children in Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, along with two very large chocolate labs, Annabella and Jack. Her Friesian horse Maximus lives in the Oakland hills in a stall with a million dollar view.






a Rafflecopter giveaway


ONCE UPON A LIE by Michael French! ★ Book Review ★

About the Book:

ONCE UPON A LIE 
by Michael French

Paperback: 388 pages
Publisher: Terra Nova Books
• Publication Date: March 15, 2016

Synopsis:

Once Upon A Lie is about two strangers who become unlikely friends, only to unintentionally put each other’s life in jeopardy.

Jaleel Robeson, a gifted, eighteen year-old black man, falsely accused of murdering his father in a small Texas town, is on the run. He assumes a new identity in 1980s Los Angeles as a successful student on his way to college.

Alexandra Baten, a restless sixteen year old white girl, lives in a privileged Toluca Lake family but feels trapped by her parents’ values. One weekend, she rides her bike into a run down neighborhood, meeting a young black man selling lemonade. Thus begins a friendship between opposites, at least on the surface, but they learn they have more in common than they imagine.

Told from each character’s point of view in alternating chapters, we become involved in a gripping tale of two Americas, where discontent and violence always lurk under the surface. When they erupt, no one is safe.

Once Upon A Lie is both a family drama and a crime drama, as well as an exploration of interracial love, mother-daughter relationships, and redemption through courage.

Praise:

"A well-observed portrait of two lives' trajectories. French shows a skillful hand with characters’ voices and dialogue, effectively capturing very different perspectives in both third person and first. The scenes of tension and suspense work well."—Kirkus Reviews


Cove Member Nicole Reviews—

ONCE UPON A LIE!
Engrossing, shocking and riveting. These are the key elements of a book that keep you turning the pages of a book at lightening speed and these are the qualities that I look for in a GOOD book. Once Upon A Lie had all of that and more!! 
I fell in love with Jaleel from the get go. My heart broke for him and I was his cheerleader from the very beginning. Alex was a compelling character that I saw many good qualities in. Their chance meeting one afternoon on the side of the road and the way their relationship grew had me engaged and interested the whole book through.
The twists and turns of this story had me shocked and frustrated at times and also left me feeling proud for the characters with some of the decisions they made. They really came alive for me through the author's writing.
This is my first book by this author and it won't be my last. The fast paced story mixed with compelling dialogue was what I look for in a good book! I'm anxious to try my hand at other French books. I hope they are all as good as Once Upon A Lie!



BUY LINKS:



Connect with the Characters!

Alex: Facebook | Twitter
Jaleel: Facebook | Twitter


About the Author

Michael R. French graduated from Stanford University where he was an English major, focusing on creative writing, and studied under Wallace Stegner. He received a Master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. He later served in the United States Army before marrying Patricia Goodkind, an educator and entrepreneur, and starting a family.

In addition to publishing over twenty titles, including award-winning young adult fiction, adult fiction, biographies ad self-help books, he has written or co-written a half-dozen screenplays, including Intersection, which has won awards in over twenty film festivals. He has also had a long business career in real estate, living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His passions include travel, collecting rare books, and hanging with friends and family. He describes his worst traits as impatience and saying “no” too quickly; his best are curiosity, taking risks, and learning from failure.

Connect with Michael:




MEMORY MAN by David Baldacci ✆ Cove Podcast: Episode 65

Greetings! 

This month's episode features Cove members Millenia and Roberta discussing the April 2016 Cove pick, MEMORY MAN by David Baldacci—pick #185! 

Have you read the book? Are you a fan of David Baldacci?

Comment below and share your thoughts!

*Spoilers abound. Podcast is for those who've read the book.



For Download: