Book Review and Giveaway: Blue Running by Lori Ann Stephens | Lone Star Book Blog Tours

BLUE RUNNING
by
Lori Ann Stephens
Dystopian Fiction / Coming of Age / Suspense
Publisher: Moonflower Publishing
Date of Publication: November, 2022
Number of Pages: 334 pages 
 
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In the new Republic of Texas, guns are compulsory and nothing is forgiven. Blue Running is a gripping coming-of-age thriller set in post-secessionist Texas. A fast-paced, page-turning book, it looks unflinchingly at what the future could hold, and finds hope there.

 
Fourteen-year-old Bluebonnet Andrews is on the run across the Republic of Texas. An accident with a gun killed her best friend but everyone in the town of Blessing thinks it was murder. Even her father – the town’s drunken deputy – believes she did it. Now, she has no choice but to run. In Texas, murder is punishable by death.
 
On the road she meets Jet, a pregnant young woman of Latin American heritage. Jet is secretive about her past but she’s just as determined as Blue to get out of Texas before she’s caught and arrested. Together, the two form an unlikely kinship as they make their way past marauding motorcycle gangs, the ever-watchful Texas Rangers, and armed strangers intent on abducting them – or worse. When Blue and Jet finally reach the wall, will they be able to cross the border, or will they be shot down in cold blood like the thousands who have gone before them?
 
Some things are worth dying for.
 
PRAISE FOR BLUE RUNNING:
“Brilliant.” Heat Magazine
 
“A fast-paced story that races along, and stays with you long after you’ve finished it.” The American
 
“An important and unforgettable read.” Armadillo Magazine

 

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When I was a prosecutor, I had the experience of taking a defendant to trial who claimed to be part of the Republic of Texas. It was…interesting. He was charged with driving with a suspended license. Since he didn’t recognize the authority of the State of Texas, he didn’t figure he needed to bother abiding by their requirement that he have a valid operator’s license to drive on Texas roads. When the judge entered the courtroom, the defendant didn’t stand as was customary because he didn’t recognize the authority of the Texas judicial system, and by extension, the judge. The judge, knowing which way he rolled, had the pool of prospective jurors stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance before starting jury selection. He didn’t stand. Since the flag had fringe, to his reckoning, that made it a maritime flag, and he wasn’t under maritime jurisdiction. All manner of things marked him out as believing differently from others in the courtroom.

In Blue Running, Lori Ann Stephens crafts a compelling story set in a Texas which is the Republic of Texas come to life and ramped up on steroids. In the new Republic, religious conservative values are law, yet criminal motorcycle gangs run rampant and run roughshod over anyone in their path. Arming oneself isn’t just a good idea, it’s the law for anyone 14 years or older. There are no more flights to America. No internet that connects to anything beyond the Republic. A wall has been put up to keep “Scalers” – illegal immigrants – out of Texas (and also to keep Texas citizens in?). Any Scalers that do make it over the wall and past the plethora of gun-toting guards are to be shot on sight. And since any goods that have to be imported from America are subject to a heavy tax burden, there are a lot of ordinary things that are out of reach of ordinary people, setting up a big divide between the haves and the have-nots.

Bluebonnet Andrews – Blue – is 14 years old. She and her hard-drinking deputy sheriff father live in Blessing, Texas. They’re somewhere south of the poverty line, and Blue is pretty much an outcast. When Maggie and her wealthy family move to town, for one glorious summer, Blue has a best friend. But when school starts and Maggie is snapped up by the popular crowd, Blue descends rapidly back toward her loner status.

When her gun accidentally discharges and Maggie ends up dead, Blue knows even her father can’t protect her. She flees, seeking America and the mother she barely remembers, the mother who supposedly abandoned her and her father years ago. As she’s scrambling to find a way out, Blue meets Jet, a pregnant Latin American immigrant who’s also seeking to escape the Republic. The girls pool their resources and head for the border together.

The story hits on some heavy topics, including racism, women’s rights, and human rights. One issue that stood out to me is the imposition of religious values as law. In this instance, it’s conservative Christian values that are enshrined in statute (and there are likely some folks in today’s society who think that would be the best thing ever). I’ve always said you can’t legislate morality, and that proves to be true here. Religion as law notwithstanding, the new Republic of Texas is a much more violent and lawless place than ever the State of Texas appeared to be.

Stephens creates a fascinating cast of characters, and most of them are out only for themselves. But even in the midst of fleeing for her very life, Blue finds a few good people still out there. When she and Jet make their way to Austin and the mostly free collective of artists called the Neighborhood, she meets Darnell. We don’t get a lot of backstory on him, but when Blue feels like she has to trust someone with her true story, he proves himself a friend in need and a friend indeed. So while things may seem bleak in the new Republic, people like Darnell demonstrate that there is still good left in people if we dig deep enough.

I won’t tell you how it ends. Go get you a copy of the book and find out for yourself. I’ll just say the ending leaves the reader with a lot to consider, and the epilogue left me with the Rolling Stones playing in my head: you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.

Stephens has written a gripping tale that is not a mere fantasy. Given the current state of politics, and given that there has been a faction arguing for some time  (and still arguing) that Texas should revert to being a free and independent republic, the picture Stephens paints is one that is all too conceivable should a worst-case scenario come to pass. That’s some spine-tingling dystopian stuff right there, and should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone who’s ever said “there ought to be a law.”

Five stars, and well worth the read.


Scroll down to enter the giveaway for your own copy of the book!

Novelist, librettist, lecturer Lori Ann Stephens grew up in North Texas, where she developed an addiction to the arts. Her novels for children and adults include Novalee and the Spider Secret, Some Act of Vision, and Song of the Orange Moons, and her award-winning work has been noted by Glimmer Train Stories, The Chicago Tribune, and the English National Opera. She teaches Writing and Critical Reasoning undergraduate courses, as well as creative writing graduate courses, at Southern Methodist University. She lives in Texas and is a bit mad about her cat.


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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Most Often Recommend to People

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog and go here to see what others have on their Top Ten Tuesday lists!

This week’s theme: books I most often recommend to others! Y’all know I love to share about books I’ve really enjoyed. Some of these I’ve shared for ages; some I’ve only recently discovered and will be sharing in the future.

In no particular order:

Are there any books that you recommend regularly? Share in a comment. Maybe I’ll like them, too!

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Book Review and Blog Tour: Mystery at Farfield Castle by Clare Chase

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Mystery at Farfield Castle, the tenth in Clare Chase’s Eve Mallow series!

Title: Mystery at Farfield Castle

Series: Eve Mallow #10

Author: Clare Chase

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: May 5, 2023

Buy Link: 
https://geni.us/B0BLCW77ZQsocial

Synopsis:

Beautiful Farfield Castle is opening its grounds for a party, and everyone in Saxford’s invited. But as the champagne flows, the owner takes a fatal fall. Fortunately, amateur sleuth Eve Mallow is on the case!

When novelist Julian Fisher buys Farfield Castle to turn the charming old building into a writers’ retreat, he wants the neighbours onside. But he has his work cut out: Saxford St Peter locals tried to buy the castle for the village, and are furious that only the very rich will be able to enjoy it.

At the lavish launch party, Fisher treats the villagers like royalty, but Eve Mallow is distracted by the tension in the air. She watches as Fisher’s wife Kitty argues with several guests, almost in tears, before she disappears altogether…

Later that evening, when Kitty is found dead in the castle’s icehouse, it’s quickly proved to be no accident. With dozy Detective Palmer on the wrong track, Eve can’t resist getting involved. Convinced the answers lie inside Farfield Castle, Eve questions an overly inquisitive journalist, Kitty’s less-than-loyal husband, and his prickly PA.

But when it emerges that a family heirloom and Julian’s computer both went missing on the night of the party, Eve is sure that solving the theft will solve the murder. Who is behind this deadly tale… and can Eve find the killer before she gets written off?

A completely charming English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and J.R. Ellis.

My review:

Everyone in Saxford may be invited to the party, but not everyone in Saxford will be welcomed there. When Kitty Marchant’s grandparents owned Farfield Castle, they had an open-door policy. Always willing to lend a helping hand, they were beloved, and people were shocked when they lost the castle and their son Benet refused to help them save their home.

The castle changed hands, and has now changed hands again due to Freya Hardwicke’s misfortune. Nate Marchant has bought the former family home, along with novelist and brother-in-law Julian Fisher, and they plan to make it into a writing retreat. So the village may be looking forward to the fete, but several people are unhappy that Farfield Castle won’t be available to the public. Local teacher Ella Tyndall would have allowed for that, but her bid for the castle was turned down.

Eve is on the premises to do a write-up on the writers’ retreat. As tends to happen, she finds herself in the midst of a murder investigation when Kitty is found dead in the icehouse. The officer in charge of the case can’t be trusted to handle it properly, as he’s more concerned with this new venture succeeding than actually finding the killer. So Eve, now tasked with writing Kitty’s obituary, keeps her eyes and ears open and does a little digging of her own.

Clare Chase gives us a wealth of suspects to chase down along with Eve. Seems like everyone has a secret. Why did Bonnie, Julian’s assistant, lie about the necklace Eve saw her wearing – a necklace that clearly upset Kitty? Is Luke, the other reporter on the scene, stalking Kitty? And what is Julian’s story? Everything he does seems shifty, somehow – hardly the actions of a loving husband.

Chase isn’t in a hurry to show us whodunnit here. She lets the tension build and takes us down some interesting rabbit trails and gives us bits and pieces of people’s backstories. The killer’s motivation turns out to have some pretty deep roots, indeed.

I also like that we see more of the relationship between Robin and Eve here. Robin isn’t directly involved in the story too much. He’s off in London, testifying against the people who had him in the witness protection program. But Eve stays in touch with him, and they’re in a good spot by the time the story ends.

This is such a delightful series! Eve is a genuinely likeable character, and she knows she walks a fine line. She can ask for a lot of information in her role as an obituary writer, but if she pushes too much, she risks the killer realizing she may know more than she should. And am fascinated with the idea of being an obituary writer. In my (admittedly limited) experience, the obituary is something written by the family. Maybe that’s because none of us have been well-known or famous!

Five stars for another enjoyable story that kept me guessing!

About the author:

Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.You can find Clare’s website and blog at www.clarechase.com

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Word of the Week: May 8, 2023

Word of the Week: a bookish meme hosted here on Mondays in which we share a word that we find entertaining, enlightening, edifying, or just plain fun to say! Share your own word on your blog, then help me grow the meme and come share it here on mine!

This week’s word very much applies to me!

I always have a book with me! When I was young, I remember going out to Sunday dinner after church. We were friends with the restaurant owner at a place we frequented regularly. Every time he’d see me, he’d ask me, “How’s my little girl? Where’s your book?” He knew I’d always have one with me! And in this day and age, with a Kindle and the Kindle app on my phone, there is almost nowhere I go that I don’t have a book close to hand in some form.

What about you? Are you book-bosomed, too? (If I were artistic, that could make for a pretty entertaining visual image!)

Share your word in the linky. Help me grow the meme, and maybe we’ll all learn a new word or two!

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Book Review and Blog Tour: Close Her Eyes (Detective Josie Quinn #17) by Lisa Regan

I am thrilled to be on the blog tour for the latest from Lisa Regan, Close Her Eyes! Out now from Bookouture!

Title:         Close Her Eyes

Author:     Lisa Regan  

Publication Day: May 3, 2023

Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BVRWJCD2social
Apple: http://ow.ly/hggb50MTT6j
Kobo:  http://ow.ly/VM4k50MT8Yn
Google: http://ow.ly/m5bR50MTTrI 


Synopsis:

The young woman lay among the rocks next to the creek like a broken doll, strands of her long dark hair covering her face. Her body was the kind of cold that only the dead can be…

A body lies beside Kettlewell Creek, the waters rushing and churning next to her broken form. When Detective Josie Quinn arrives at the scene, she finds few clues and a victim with no enemies. Nineteen-year-old Sharon Eddy was cherished by her beloved grandmother, who raised her, and her death shocks the Denton community where she worked at the local animal hospital.

When Josie is called to the morgue to hear the results of Sharon’s autopsy, the case takes a sinister turn. She is horrified to see that a mark has been burned on to Sharon’s left hip with a cattle brand: a horseshoe shot through with an arrow. Shaken and terrified, the usually cool and collected Medical Examiner Anya Feist lifts her own top to show Josie an identical mark. Ten years ago, Anya fled her hometown after her marriage to her high school sweetheart ended in terror.

But Josie can find nothing to connect Anya’s ex-husband Vance Hadlee to the murder. Her search of his family farm leads to more questions than answers.

Then another body is found. A young woman in a red coat, lying in her final resting place, her hip bearing the same tell-tale horseshoe mark. As Josie gets closer to finding the truth, the killer creeps ever closer to home, threatening the lives of those Josie loves the most. Can she put together the pieces of this terrifying puzzle before it’s too late?

A completely unputdownable crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Gripping, page-turning and guaranteed to keep you up all night, it’s perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

My review:

Lisa Regan, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book. I’m not giving away anything. But there were parts of this one that just about broke me. I had to go get the Kleenex.

You’d think a series might drag after five or six books. Ten, surely. Not so with Detective Josie Quinn. Lisa Regan keeps her foot on the gas and keeps writing stories that keep me hanging on the edge of my seat. When I get my hands on each new book in the series, I tear through it in twenty-four hours or less. They’re that good.

In each new story, we learn more about someone’s history. Often it’s Josie. In this case, we learn more about medical examiner Dr. Anya Feist. She was the victim of an abusive husband, and when Sharon Eddy’s autopsy reveals a brand on her hip identical to the one Anya’s ex-husband Vince gave her, it really rocks Anya’s world. Is Vince now a killer?

Josie, Noah, and the team have to cross jurisdictional lines to tee it up with Vince and his family. They’ve got to work with Sheriff Cyrus Grey, as they’re in his backyard, and he often seems more intent on hindering their investigation than helping it. Why?

The story moves fast and keeps you hooked the whole time. There’s more than one dead body, more than one brand, more than one suspect, and hurdles at every turn. We also get to see Josie working with twin sister Trinity, as Trinity is approaching the same set of facts from a different angle for her show.

And there’s the plot twist that had me absolutely gobsmacked and sobbing.

Tension, suspects aplenty, clues and red herrings, and a team that’s really a family to each other. Lisa Regan brings us another masterwork with Close Her Eyes. Five big ol’ stars from me. How long do I have to wait for book eighteen?!

About the author:

Lisa Regan is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series. Lisa is a member of Sisters In Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from Bloomsburg University. She lives near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the U.S. with her husband, daughter, and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip. Find out more at her website: www.lisaregan.com

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Posted in Book Reviews, Bookouture, Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Police Procedural, Suspense, Thriller | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Beginnings on Fridays and Book Blogger Hop: May 5, 2023

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted each week by Rose City Reader. It’s a chance to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading this week. You can check out others’ book beginnings here. I’m also going to link up with Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower for First Line Friday. And because it seems like fun, I’m jumping on on the Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice!

This week’s book beginning:

Synopsis:

The young woman lay among the rocks next to the creek like a broken doll, strands of her long dark hair covering her face. Her body was the kind of cold that only the dead can be…

A body lies beside Kettlewell Creek, the waters rushing and churning next to her broken form. When Detective Josie Quinn arrives at the scene, she finds few clues and a victim with no enemies. Nineteen-year-old Sharon Eddy was cherished by her beloved grandmother, who raised her, and her death shocks the Denton community where she worked at the local animal hospital.

When Josie is called to the morgue to hear the results of Sharon’s autopsy, the case takes a sinister turn. She is horrified to see that a mark has been burned on to Sharon’s left hip with a cattle brand: a horseshoe shot through with an arrow. Shaken and terrified, the usually cool and collected Medical Examiner Anya Feist lifts her own top to show Josie an identical mark. Ten years ago, Anya fled her hometown after her marriage to her high school sweetheart ended in terror.

But Josie can find nothing to connect Anya’s ex-husband Vance Hadlee to the murder. Her search of his family farm leads to more questions than answers.

Then another body is found. A young woman in a red coat, lying in her final resting place, her hip bearing the same tell-tale horseshoe mark. As Josie gets closer to finding the truth, the killer creeps ever closer to home, threatening the lives of those Josie loves the most. Can she put together the pieces of this terrifying puzzle before it’s too late?

A completely unputdownable crime thriller from an Amazon, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Gripping, page-turning and guaranteed to keep you up all night, it’s perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

Her flesh burned away like tissue paper. The smell hit her first, even before the pain.

Now that she was out of the hospital and safe beside Noah, her adrenaline had started to recede. In its wake, every bump and bruise from the crash vied for her attention.

My thoughts:

Wow. That’s a first line that will either squick you right out if you’re squeamish or pull you straight into the story because you’ve got to know what comes next. And what do y’all think of the Friday 56? Does it make you want to know more?

If y’all have followed along for a while, y’all know how much I love Lisa Regan’s Detective Josie Quinn series. This, #17 in the series, is no exception. (I’m not squeamish.) If you haven’t read any of the series, this is not the place where you want to jump in. Go back and get caught up first. Then READ THIS BOOK. Lisa Regan, you are absolutely killing me here!

Full review to come soon.

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. It starts each Friday and runs through the following Thursday. Each week, there’s a new prompt featuring a book-related question. It’s designed to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, make new blogging friends, and gain followers. See what others have to say on this topic and link up your own post here.

Have you ever been told that you have an excessive number of books?
If so, what was your reaction? 
(submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Yes. Yes, I have. My husband tells me regularly that I have enough books on my shelf and my Kindle, that I don’t need any more, that I should leave the library books be, that we don’t need to go to the book sale. (He’s a reader, too, he’s just not as much of a book collector as I am.) My reaction? “Bahahahaha, you’re funny!” I am making an effort to read the books on my shelf that I know will be one and done, though, so I can then share them with other people. If there are going to be new books, there must be space cleared!

What about you? Has anyone ever said you have too many books? Leave a comment and let’s chat about it!

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Book Review and Giveaway: Call of the Wilde by Preston Lewis | Lone Star Book Blog Tours

CALL OF THE WILDE
An H. H. Lomax Western, Book 8
by
PRESTON LEWIS
Historical Fiction / Comic Western / Humor
Publisher: Wolfpack Publishing
Date of Publication: March 17, 2023
Number of Pages: 352 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!
 

Wild west hijinks continue in the eighth installment of the hysterical and historical adventures of an unlikely hero. 

H.H. Lomax once again finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when, wrongfully accused of robbing a bank, he’s arrested and jailed in a town vying for a stop on the approaching Texas & Pacific Railroad.
When local officials can’t afford to pay for a trial, a harebrained scheme is concocted to get rid of Lomax without spending a red cent. But Lomax avoids the hairy situation, pulling off an escape with the aid of an unlikely accomplice and exacting a bit of revenge in the process.
His wandering spirit—and neck—intact, Lomax lands among the Mormons in Salt Lake City, where he encounters a long-lost relative in need of assistance and makes the acquaintance of none other than Irish poet and aesthete Oscar Wilde. And from there, it’s all downhill, folks!
Jumping from one bad situation to another in non-stop hilarious action, H.H. Lomax’s adventures will tickle your funny bone with genuine humor while satisfying your craving for western action adventure.
 
CLICK TO PURCHASE FROM:

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Call of the Wilde is the first of Preston Lewis’ books that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last!

Here we find H. H. Lomax in a variety of precarious situations. First, he’s arrested as a bank robber in Buffalo Gap, Texas. The fine, upstanding lawmen there aim to see H. H. hang for cleaning out their bank (and worse, possibly depriving them of being included on the Texas & Pacific railroad line). Never mind that he didn’t do it. These lawmen aren’t about to let the truth get in the way of a good hanging. Of Texas, Lomax says, “The only thing I had going for me was that if I died in Texas, Saint Peter’d let me pass the Pearly Gates since I’d already been to hell.”

Through the assistance of one Mandy Mae Minter, daughter of the Buffalo Gap sheriff, Lomax makes his getaway (with an ironic twist, which I won’t share – go read the book to find out. It made me snort-laugh when I read it). He reunites with his sister Melissa, who’s the star of a traveling theater troupe, when he head to Mormon territory thinking he might find himself a wife or five and settle down. For a brief moment, it looks like Lomax may have found his calling as an actor. But when the troupe’s performance gets bumped due to an upcoming performance by the one and only Oscar Wilde, Lomax sets out intent to make Wilde’s promoters pay for the money they’ve cost his family. He has no idea he’ll be playing the role of his life. (I didn’t say he’d like it; I said it would be the role of his life.)

Lomax finds himself pressed into service as Oscar Wilde’s bodyguard after the promoters agree to pay him what he’s asking. They’ll pay, sure, but they want to recoup their funds (because the promoters are all about money, don’tcha know). And where do they end up going but Leadville, Colorado. The one place Lomax does NOT want to go, because he’s wanted there for a murder he has no memory of committing.

Shenanigans ensue.

Y’all, this book had me laughing out loud. It’s Terry Pratchett funny, only set in our very own Wild West rather than a fantasy world. It kind of called to mind Carrying Albert Home by Homer Hickam, “the somewhat true story of a man, his wife, and her alligator,” in that maybe some of it is true, maybe some of it isn’t. Let the reader decide.

Preston Lewis writes characters mild and wild and absolutely engaging. Lomax is a rough-hewn, no-nonsense kind of guy, although he can sure talk a line of bull when it’s to save his own skin. The lawmen in Buffalo Gap were all about as dumb as stumps, and Mandy Mae, the sheriff’s daughter, was an absolute treasure. I hope we see more of her in future Lomax stories, and I hope she never listens when the world tries to tell her she’s just a girl!

And let me say, Oscar Wilde is about as much the opposite of Lomax as anyone could possibly be. Lewis’ descriptions of Lomax impersonating Wilde had me howling. I don’t know much about Wilde myself, but if he was anywhere near how Lewis depicted him, I expect Lomax’s speeches as the ersatz Wilde (inferior as far as Wilde himself was concerned, anyway) were far more enjoyable!

Lewis has some fantastic turns of phrase here. Let me share a handful of my favorites:

“Tindle looked at me like I’d put gunpowder in his mother’s snuff.”

“…as he was odder than a three-headed duck and ten times as looney as your average politician making a stump speech.”

“I returned to the parlor as Wilde emerged from his quarters, his outfit looking like a rainbow had collided with a freight train.”

And I nearly choked on this one, when Lomax was acting as Wilde’s stand-in:

“Then you are Bunthorne, the fool of Patience?” shouted another skeptical man.

I proudly raised my chin and nodded. “I ameth but I prefereth to calleth myself Butt-thorn as I ameth a pain in the ass-thete.”

I love the story. I love the characters. I love the research Lewis has clearly put into his work. Not only does he give us a rip-snortin’ good story, he puts it in a realistic setting. Now, I don’t know about Mormon women being as ugly as Wilde claimed they were, but Lewis gives apt descriptions of small-town political machinations and the rough and tumble life of a thriving mining town.

If you want a rootin’, tootin’ good story that’s a lot of fun to read, with characters you can cheer for and throw (figurative) rotten tomatoes at, I highly recommend H. H. Lomax. Start at the beginning to get the full effect of Lomax’s saga. Read ’em and weep, because you’ll laugh so hard, you’ve got tears rolling down your face.


Keep scrolling to enter the giveaway!

Preston Lewis is the award-winning author of 46 novels and nonfiction works on the West. He is a past president of Western Writers of America.
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GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
TWO WINNERS:
First Prize:
Signed copies of Call of the Wilde & Outlaw West of the Pecos
Second Prize:
Signed copy of Call of the Wilde
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 5/12/23)
 

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Posted in Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Humorous, Lone Star Book Blog Tours, Lone Star Literary Life, Western | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Beginnings on Fridays and Book Blogger Hop: April 28, 2023

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted each week by Rose City Reader. It’s a chance to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading this week. You can check out others’ book beginnings here. I’m also going to link up with Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower for First Line Friday.

This week’s book beginning:

Synopsis:

When Maud McIntyre sets up her own private detective agency, she never imagines her first case will involve murder… A mystery in the Highlands? The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency is on the case!

Edinburgh, 1911: When Maud McIntyre and her lady’s maid, Daisy, form a detective agency, they never dream their first case will take place at a glamorous house in the Scottish Highlands. But when the Duchess of Duddingston, concerned that a notorious jewellery thief will target her lavish weekend party, employs Maud to go undercover as a guest to find the culprit, the agency has its first case to solve…

Undercover with Daisy as her maid, Maud follows a trail of clues across the Duddingston House estate. And as she meets the weekend guests, she hopes one of them will reveal themselves as the jewellery thief. But when one of the house guests is discovered dead, Maud and Daisy realise they’re not only hunting precious gems, but a murderer…

As Maud and Daisy investigate, they realise that a connection in Edinburgh might hold a vital clue that will help them solve the case. Travelling back to the city, Maud hopes that what she and Daisy uncover will help them piece together the murder mystery at Duddingston House…

But when Maud receives a telephone call from the Duchess requesting urgent assistance, she realises that the murderer didn’t have just one victim in mind. Speeding down the drive to Duddingston House, Maud and Daisy hear gunshots ring out across the estate. Will they reach the Duchess in time to save her? And will they catch the murderer in the act?

Edinburgh
August 1911

“There.” Maud pinned the map up on the office wall. “This will serve to remind our clients that we take cases not only in the city but in the whole of Midlothian.”

I used to live in Midlothian, Texas, so I was predisposed to like the story from the first page just because of the place name! Would you keep reading? I think this will be an enjoyable cozy mystery.

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. It starts each Friday and runs through the following Thursday. Each week, there’s a new prompt featuring a book-related question. It’s designed to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, make new blogging friends, and gain followers. See what others have to say on this topic and link up your own post here.

Have you tried a reel on Instagram? 
(submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews)

I’ve never tried an Instagram reel. I’m not great with making short videos, so I don’t mess with TikTok, either. I’ll have to take a look at some and see if I can find inspiration!

Have you ever tried an Instagram reel? If not, would you? Leave a comment!

Posted in Book Beginnings on Fridays, Book Blogger Hop, Book Memes, Bookouture, Cozy Mystery | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Book Review and Giveaway: A River of Crows by Shanessa Gluhm | Lone Star Book Blog Tours

A RIVER OF CROWS
by
SHANESSA GLUHM
Fiction / Suspense / Thriller / Revenge
Publisher: TouchPoint Press
Date of Publication: April 18, 2023
Number of Pages: 427 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!

In 1988, Sloan Hadfield’s brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father, a good-natured Vietnam veteran prone to violent outbursts, was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge’s body was never recovered, and Sloan’s mother— a brilliant ornithologist— slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive.

Now twenty years later, Sloan’s life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she’s forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility.

Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago: Crow’s Nest Creek. There, she is shocked to hear a crow murmuring the same syllable over and over: Ridge, Ridge, Ridge.

When the body of another boy is found, Sloan begins to question what really happened to her brother all those years ago. What she discovers will shock her small community and turn her family upside down.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwHEyCbxFZE]

Review Header

With A River of Crows, Shanessa Gluhm crafts a masterpiece of lies, betrayal, secrets, and madness. The story sucked me in with the opening drowning scene. Who drowned? Who killed them? I had to know. So I had to keep reading.Sloan’s brother Ridge died when they were both young. Their father was charged with and convicted of killing Ridge in a PTSD flashback. Sloan is left to deal with her own grief and anger as well as manage her mother, Caroline, whose mental stability is becoming more and more shaky.

As an adult, Sloan returns to her hometown when she gets word that Caroline has left the mental institution where she’d been for several years. She’s dealing with the fallout from her divorce, and Caroline makes caring for her a real challenge. When Caroline insists that Ridge is still alive, Sloan doesn’t know what to think, other than that her mother’s grip on reality really is slipping. Then she encounters a crow by the river where Ridge’s life ended that speaks his name, and everything changes.

Y’all. This book. It is one of my favorite kinds of books – the kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what will happen next. How is the author going to untangle this knot? What waits on the next page?

Shanessa Gluhm has twists and turns in this tale like the Titan at Six Flags. The story is compelling, and it feels like with every page, some looming, as-yet-unknown danger draws nearer. There are plots within plots, secrets hidden, memories repressed. And then it all comes together in an absolute banger of a conclusion that had me picking my jaw up off the floor.

The crow imagery is used to good effect in the story, and I like the facts that Gluhm weaves throughout the tale. I knew crows were smart. But I didn’t know that they hold grudges, or that they hold funerals when one of their own dies, or any of the other tidbits scattered throughout the book.

A River of Crows is a mystery, a family drama, and a nail-biter of a suspenseful story all wrapped up into one. It may be on my list of best books for 2023. It’s that good. Shanessa Gluhm has firmly established herself as a must-read author for me. Five stars all the way.


Scroll on down and enter the giveaway!

Shanessa Gluhm works as a librarian at an elementary school in New Mexico where she lives with her husband and children. It was during her own elementary days when a teacher encouraged Shanessa to share a story she wrote with the class. She hasn’t stopped writing since.

Her debut novel, Enemies of Doves was an IAN Book of the Year Finalist in the category of first novel, an NIEA Finalist for cross-genre fiction, and first place winner in the Chanticleer Clue Awards for mystery, suspense, and thriller fiction.

When Shanessa is not writing she enjoys birdwatching, reading, and watching true crime documentaries.

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ONE WINNER:
$20 Barnes and Noble gift card
+ eBook copy of A River of Crows
on winner’s preferred platform
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 4/28/23)

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Posted in Blog Tours, Book Reviews, Lone Star Book Blog Tours, Lone Star Literary Life, Mystery, Suspense | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Enjoyed, But Have Never Reviewed/Mentioned on My Blog

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Check out upcoming Top Ten themes on Jana’s blog and go here to see what others have on their Top Ten Tuesday lists!

Today’s TTT is actually about audiobook narrators. I don’t listen to audiobooks, so I’m going back and picking up a topic I missed. Much like these books I’ll be talking about! These are books I’ve read and enjoyed, but have never reviewed. I can’t even say well, I read them before I had a blog. They’re all on my Goodreads Read shelf, and I haven’t reviewed them there, either! Perhaps I should remedy that.

This falls into the historical fiction/romance/time travel category. I know, it sounds like Outlander. It’s even set in Scotland. But I didn’t really get Outlander vibes from it. I loved it, and need to read more of Kearsley’s work.

Ender’s Game. A top-notch sci-fi story. A boy, playing video games – and saving the universe at the same time.

Dorothy Must Die was a lot of fun. It’s a look at The Wizard of Oz from the point of view of Amy Gumm, the other girl from Kansas. (You didn’t know there were two, did you?) Dorothy, after saving Oz and going home, has returned. This time, she’s gone power-mad, and Amy has been recruited to stop her.

I love cozy mysteries with a touch of romance! Trouble in Mudbug is set in my home state of Louisiana, and that makes it even more fun.

Kate Danley writes ripping good fantasies, and Maggie for Hire is a treat. Maggie MacKay is carrying on the family business of tossing monsters back into the beyond where they belong. But one of her family members has shifted loyalties, and Maggie must work with an elf named Killian to try to save the day. Lots of banter and shenanigans, lots of fun, highly recommended!

The Sparrow is one of those works of science fiction that just leaves you gobsmacked. It is so very good. If you haven’t read it, you should.

Another book set in Louisiana, Out of the Easy takes place in New Orleans (the Big Easy) in 1950. Ruta Sepetys writes marvelous historical fiction, and this one is chock full of secrets, lies, and decisions to be made.

The Last Dragonslayer is an enjoyable YA fantasy. A fifteen-year-old girl runs an employment agency for magicians, but magic is vanishing. And now she’s having visions of a Dragonslayer who’s going to kill the last dragon. What’s a girl, or a dragon, to do?

I love Wendy Mass’ juvenile fiction! In Pi in the Sky, Joss is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. So what does he do with his days? He delivers pies. Not just any pies, mind you, but he’s a delivery boy. Until Earth disappears and he’s given the task to bring it back.

In Ready or Not, Aggie suddenly finds herself thrust into the role of mother to her sister and brother-in-law’s eight children. They’re all grieving, and Aggie has no idea how to be a parent. She’s navigating a whole lot of new things, and feeling like a flop at most of them. This is a delightful, clean, faith-based romance, and Aggie is a lovely heroine. (Does she learn how to raise eight kids? Read and find out!)

Have you read any of these? Do you think you might? What books have you read but never reviewed? Share in a comment!

Posted in Book Memes, Top Ten Tuesday | Tagged , | 5 Comments