​Welcome my #CMCon18 author feature series. Showcasing several of the talented authors that will be in attendance at the upcoming Coastal Magic Convention in Florida.

​Award-winning author Elle James grew up as an air force military brat. She received her work ethic from her rock-solid father, her creative streak from her artistic mother and inspiration from her writing partner and sister, Delilah Devlin. As a former member of the army reserves and a current member of the air force reserves, she's traveled across the United States and to Germany, managed a full-time job, and raised three wonderful children. She and her husband have even tried their hands at ranching exotic birds (ostriches, emus and rheas) in the Texas hill country. Ask her, and she'll tell you what it's like to go toe-to-toe with an angry three-hundred-and-fifty-pound bird and live to tell about it!

​Her adventures in the army and air force reserves, and the wild antics of her life on a small ranch in Texas give her fodder for mystery, suspense and humor in her writing. Elle writes gothic, paranormal mystery for the Harlequin Intrigue line and paranormal romantic comedy for Dorchester Publishing. A former manager of computer programming and project management professionals, Elle is happy she now has the opportunity to pursue her writing full time. 

Connect with Elle James
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Today featured Author Chantal Gadoury is sharing her top 5 retelling book recommendations as well as filling us in on her very own retelling novel, Allerleirauh. Listen to the full episode below.

Today I'm sharing a special book review post. I teamed up with Erica Watkins from book blog The Literary Apothecary to share a dual review.  Let me tell you how this works. We both read the same title and posted reviews on each others blogs.  If you'd like to read my review of Every Last Lie, head on over to Erica's blog to read it.  

Without further ado, read on and find out what Erica thought of ​Every Last Lie. Connect with Erica on Twitter to see whenever she posts new content!

Publisher: Park Row Books
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 331
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller

Synopsis: ​"The bad man, Daddy. The bad man is after us." 

Clara Solberg's world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon. 

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick's death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit. 

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara's investigation and Nick's last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

​Sometimes a book receives so much hype and praise that you feel inclined to read it, WEll, that is what happened with Every Last Lie. What I was led to believe was a psychological thriller, was more a schizophrenic gallop through the minds of a suicidal dentist and his hair-brained (albeit realistic) wife as she resolves to accept the reason for his death.

Clara Solberg and her husband Nick have just welcomed a new addition to their family -- Felix.  Along with his sister Maisie, these two innocent children have no idea who is raising them.  The story opens with news of Nick’s accident and escalates as Clara slowly spirals out of control. The ending was smooth, though I was expecting an epic plot twist to warrant the marketing of the book as a “psychological thriller.”

​The Mountain Between Us is directed by Hany Abu-Assad. Abu-Assad has received two Academy Award nominations: in 2006 for his film Paradise Now, and again in 2013, at the 86th Awards, for his film Omar.  The Mountain Between us is adapted from the book written by Charles Martin. This movie features Idris Alba and Kate Winslet as well some screen time with Beau Bridges and Dermot Mulroney.

​Two strangers, a surgeon going home for a important surgery and a photographer on the way to her own wedding crash in a single engine plane and they are left to fight the elements together along with an unnamed dog.  I liked Kate Winslet and Idris Alba on screen together. I believed the friendship then the unlikely romance that developed between them. It's said that when you're in a near death situation with someone a bond forms and that's exactly what we are seeing on screen.

​Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers | Listening Library
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Format: MP3 Download
Pages: Hardcover: 368 pages | Audio Length: 11 hours 46 mins
Narrators: Nancy Wu​
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA Science Fiction
​Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

*This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

​The plot is an interesting concept that I've personally never read before. I liked it, very much. I didn't know anything about gaming in a books at this level, but Marie Lu has has gotten me interested in reading more! Speaking of gaming, Warcross is the ultimate game for these characters. The International Warcross Championships is the goal for hardcore players and hackers. That's the glue that brings all of the different characters together.

​This highly anticipated sequel is an hilarious, tongue and cheek, 2 hours 21 minutes of British and American extremes. Directed and co-produced by Matthew Vaughn, also director of  Kick-Ass, X-Men First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service, to name a few, deliver a reliably funny action spy comedy film. The movie features Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Edward Holcroft and Sophie Cookson reprising their roles from the first film, with Julianne Moore, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Elton John, Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges joining the star studded cast. 

Julianne Moore was a terrific villain. Quirky yet utterly devious. Let's not forget the Elton John (playing himself). Wow he was so hilarious. Especially towards the end of the movie. From the trailers alone I had the impression that Channing Tatum would have played a bigger role than he did. They could have used him more. Never fear Tatum fans, it seems like they set his character up for a bigger role in the third installment should there be one.

Love Pirate books? How about Sirens? Even if you're new to the genre, you'll want to check out author C.K. Brooke's top 5 book recommendations for Romances at Sea! I had a blast talking with her during the episode. Be sure to give it a listen, you'll hear how passionate she is about her top picks and why she chose them! Stay tuned to the end of the episode because C.K. discusses her series American Pirate Romances!

​​C.K. Brooke is an Amazon bestselling, award-winning indie author of over a dozen romantic fantasy novels and novellas. Her books have been published by 48fourteen and Limitless Publishing, as well as self-published. Her debut novel, The Duchess Quest, was selected by Shelf Unbound Magazine as a Top 100 Notable Indie Book of 2015 and received five stars from Readers' Favorite Book Reviews and Awards Contest. In 2017, her YA novel, Secrets of Artemis, received the Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion Award. More of her publications have been nominated in the 2017 RONE Awards and Global EBook Awards. She lives in Washington, Michigan with her husband and son. Visit CKBrooke.com and subscribe for a free eBook!

Connect with C.K. Brooke!
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​Welcome my #CMCon18 author feature series. Showcasing several of the talented authors that will be in attendance at the upcoming Coastal Magic Convention in Florida.

Connect with Robyn Peterman
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