Mailbox Monday

Wednesday:
WOMAN WITH A SECRET by Sophie Hannah ~ TPB from William Morrow
ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LIES by Peter Swanson ~ TPB from William Morrow
Thursday:
THE CUTTING ROOM by Ashley Dyer ~ ARC from William Morrow
GIRL IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR by Kelsey Rae Dimberg ~ ARC from William Morrow
Saturday:
BECAUSE YOU’RE MINE by Rea Frey ~ ARC TPB from St. Martin’s Press via GR win

This year, one of the Challenges I signed up for is Blog All About It, hosted by The Herd Presents. The guideline is basically a blogging prompt challenge. Each month there’s a different prompt that you can interpret as you’d like then create a blog post around it. The 2019 list of prompts can be seen here on my Challenge Page. I will be posting for this Challenge on the 2nd Saturday of each month.

We have a joke and saying in our family. If it wasn’t for bad luck, we wouldn’t have any luck at all.

Lottery tickets and/or gambling have been bought or played maybe a handful of times. We take our vacations in Aruba, and every hotel has a casino. I think out of the last 12 trips, we entered the casino 2 or 3 times. And people laugh at me because if I do go, I go with only $40. and if I lose that, I’m done. I would much rather spend it on something else. However, in the last year I have won some books from GoodReads, which for me, is the best luck.

Even health wise I haven’t been that lucky. With over 30 surgeries, 8 of them on my back, 5 on my knees and multiple medical conditions, I would say not much luck there. However, even with that, I do consider myself Blessed and grateful because I know, and been taught by my Mom, that there is always someone else worse than me. Plus the fact that the last back operation in 2014, which was a 3 day operation that had a total of 5 incisions, I am able to stand straight and not needing to rely on a cane.

Where I am lucky, which IMO I have won the biggest lottery there is, is my family!!

My husband and I will be celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary next month. We have 2 phenomenal sons, I know I am biased, but they are.

Our oldest graduated college and presently studying for his Master’s, was hired within 3 months of graduating in his field with a major company, and bought a house on his own.

Our youngest graduated college with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Engineering, is married, just bought their forever home, and has 2 daughters, that are our sunshine and have a big chunk of our hearts.

So yes, I am very lucky!!

1. I am always ____________________.

2. I brake for ______________________

3. I’d be lying if I said _________.

4. _________ wins the race.

1. I am always within a hand’s reach of a book.

2. I brake for all the right reasons especially since I am a heavy foot on the gas driver.

3. I’d be lying if I said that I’m not still on cloud nine with the birth of our 2nd granddaughter!.

4. The fastest wins the race.

Mailbox Monday

Tuesday:
THE FIRST MISTAKE by Sandie Jones ~ eBook from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley
Thursday:
THE BURIED GIRL by Richard Montanari ~ Print galley from Harper Collins/Witness Impulse

1. My favorite kind of music is _____________________.

2. I don’t believe ___________________.

3. My ideal day _________.

4. Don’t let _________ stop you from _________.

1. My favorite kind of music is Classic R&B.

2. I don’t believe I will ever read all the TBR books in my bookcases and Kindle, and I keep adding more.

3. My ideal day is spending time with sons, but since they live out of state, my ideal day is being able to just sit and read.

4. Don’t let fear stop you from trying something new.

Blackwell

by Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor

on Tour February 1 – March 31, 2019

Synopsis:

“… an intriguing, dark tale complete with vividly drawn characters, and a uniquely compelling character in Magnus … seamlessly blends mystery, magic and matters of the heart to create an enthralling read. Readers will be engaged from the start of the story to its climactic ending.” ~Melanie Bates, RT Book Reviews

“A dark story of passion and revenge … A guilty-pleasure read that kept me captivated knowing something sinister is looming in the plot and over the characters.” ~New Orleans Magazine

In the late 1800s, handsome, wealthy New Englander, Magnus Blackwell, is the envy of all.

When Magnus meets Jacob O’Connor–a Harvard student from the working class–an unlikely friendship is forged. But their close bond is soon challenged by a captivating woman; a woman Magnus wants, but Jacob gets.

Devastated, Magnus seeks solace in a trip to New Orleans. After a chance meeting with Oscar Wilde, he becomes immersed in a world of depravity and brutality, inevitably becoming the inspiration for Dorian Gray. Armed with the forbidden magic of voodoo, he sets his sights on winning back the woman Jacob stole from him.

Amid the trappings of Victorian society, two men, bent on revenge, will lay the foundation for a curse that will forever alter their destinies.

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Mystery with Supernatural Elements
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication Date: January 17th 2017
Number of Pages: 295
ISBN: 1944109242 (ISBN13: 9781944109240)
Series: A Magnus Blackwell Novel 0.5
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

1. The Magnus Blackwell Series is set in the most haunted city in America-New Orleans. Ghosts are the norm there, not the exception.
2. The series spans well over a century and shows the progression of New Orleans from the 1890s (beginning with BLACKWELL: the prequel) to modern day. The interesting fact is that many of the businesses and buildings mentioned in 1890s New Orleans are still around. The French Quarter is a time capsule which has preserved the past.
3. In book one: DAMNED, one of the lead characters—Magnus Blackwell—is a ghost. His life and sins are the impetus for the story, and his quest for redemption sets in motion a chain of events that changes the lives of many. He is the spirit guide to Lexie Arden, and he is bound to her through the power of voodoo.
4. The Magnus Blackwell Series is steeped in New Orleans traditions and folklore. Many tales known to New Orleanians are blended into the storyline.
5. Voodoo and the gods and goddesses who oversee it are an integral part of the Magnus Blackwell Series. It taps into this side of ritual magic not known by many outside New Orleans, and the gods in the story exist in the religion.
6. Many of the locations described in the story exist. The restaurants, buildings, addresses, and cemeteries named can be visited in the city.
7. One of the authors, Alexandrea Weis, grew up in the French Quarter and lived next door to a voodoo priestess. Her childhood memories are used to describe many of the rituals and spells recreated in the series.
8. The baton juju described in the series and used by the mambo, Lexie Arden, is something utilized by priests and priestesses during voodoo ceremonies. It comes from the gods or Loa of voodoo. Their sacred batons are recreated for rituals used to please a particular god or gain favor.
9. The term Mambo comes from Hattian voodoo. It is the term for a female (as opposed to the Houngan, or male) High Priest. In the Magnus Blackwell Series, it is the title given to the priestess in charge of New Orleans. The person through which all magical power flows.
10. The next installment in the Magnus Blackwell Series arrives in the Spring 2019. SEIZE continues Lexie Arden and Magnus Blackwell’s story and introduces more voodoo gods from the pantheon.

Blackwell Trailer:

Read an excerpt:

Alexandrea Weis:

Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, CRRN, ONC, PhD, is a multi-award-winning author of over twenty-seven novels, a screenwriter, ICU Nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective and began writing at the age of eight. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, Weis rescues orphaned and injured animals. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans. Weis writes mysteries, suspense, thrillers, horror, crime fiction, action, historical, and romance. She is a member of the Horror Writers Association and the International Thriller Writers Association.

Lucas Astor is from New York, has resided in Central America and the Middle East, and traveled through Europe. He lives a very private, virtually reclusive lifestyle, preferring to spend time with a close-knit group of friends than be in the spotlight. He is an author and poet with a penchant for telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world, but right next door behind a smiling face.

Catch Up With Alexandrea On:
alexandreaweis.com, Goodreads, Twitter, & Facebook!

Lucas Astor:

Lucas Astor is from New York, has resided in Central America and the Middle East, and traveled through Europe. He lives a very private, virtually reclusive lifestyle, preferring to spend time with a close-knit group of friends than be in the spotlight.

He is an author and poet with a penchant for telling stories that delve into the dark side of the human psyche. He likes to explore the evil that exists, not just in the world, but right next door behind a smiling face.

Photography, making wine, and helping endangered species are just some of his interests. Lucas is an expert archer and enjoys jazz, blues, and classical music.

One of his favorite quotes is: “It’s better to be silent than be a fool.” ~Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!

GIVEAWAY:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Vesuvian Books. There will be 2 winners of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card each. The giveaway begins on February 1, 2019 and runs through April 1, 2019. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

Mailbox Monday

Sunday:
THE GOOD LIAR by Catherine McKenzie ~ eBook Personal purchase
Tuesday:
A KILLER’S ALIBI by William L. Myers Jr. ~ eBook from GR giveaway
HOSTILE WITNESS by Rebecca Forster ~ eBook from Amazon free download
THE THIRD MRS. DURST by Ann Aguirre ~ eBook from Midnight Ink via NetGalley
Wednesday:
DANGEROUS FLAWS by Susan Hunter ~ eBook from Author
Thursday:
THE NEXT TO DIE by Sophie Hannah ~ ARC TPB from William Morrow
THE GUEST BOOK by Sarah Blake ~ ARC TPB from FlatIron Books
CAUGHT UP IN IT by David Burnsworth ~ Signed ARC TPB from Author

1. I believe in _______.

2. I need to go Marie Kondo on my _________________________.

3. It does no good to _________.

4. I find _________ to be a walk in the park.

1. I believe in God.

2. I need to go Marie Kondo on my office and my books.

3. It does no good to worry, it’s wasted energy.

4. I find making time to read to be a walk in the park.