Thursday, September 18, 2025

Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen ~ Cozy Mystery @nancyjcohen

 

Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen

About Murder Pays A Call:

 

Murder Pays a Call: A Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Setting: Florida

Publisher: ‎ Orange Grove Press

Publication date: ‎ September 9, 2025

Print length: ‎ 290 pages

ISBN-10: ‎ 1952886376

ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1952886379

Digital ASIN: ‎ B0F8NNP8NN

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Personal concierge Keri Armstrong will accept almost any job, but solving murders wasn’t on her to-do list—until now.

When personal concierge Keri Armstrong swings by her favorite client’s mansion to drop off groceries, she expects a heartfelt chat along with a cup of tea—not Fiona Sullivan dead in bed and her room ransacked. Though police chalk it up to a botched robbery, Keri isn’t so sure. Whispers around town suggest Fiona wasn’t as adored as Keri had believed, and many of the philanthropist’s so-called friends in affluent Sunny Grove, Florida seem glad she’s gone.

Keri refuses to let Fiona’s memory be reduced to malicious gossip. Armed with a keen eye, insider access, and a fully charged tablet, she sets out to uncover the truth. Soon her file of suspects grows faster than her to-do list. Between sneaky neighbors, resentful relatives, and tight-lipped charity board members, Fiona left behind a trail of frenemies who’d happily skip her memorial brunch.

As Keri digs deeper, she discovers her late mentor had a gift for extracting people’s secrets and using them like fine china—carefully storing them until they could serve a purpose. But Fiona also kept a few skeletons in her own walk-in closet. Now, with danger creeping closer, Keri must race to crack the case before her number comes up next… and Murder Pays a Call.

“A page-turner of a mystery from one of my favorite authors. Cohen’s deft mastery of the cozy genre shines through in every scene, delighting readers with another engrossing whodunit.” Muddy Rose Reviews “Fans of award-winning author Nancy J. Cohen’s long-running Bad Hair Day Mysteries will be thrilled to learn there’s a new sleuth in town. Murder Pays a Call is the debut book in her Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery Series featuring a personal concierge who adds solving murders to the services she offers her clients.” – Lois Winston, author of the bestselling and award-winning Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

My Review:

Murder Pays a Call is the first book in the Keri Armstrong Cozy Mystery series. When Fiona, one of Keri's clients, is found dead, Keri dons her amateur sleuthing cap to find out who committed the crime. The number of suspects seems endless as Keri learns that Fiona wasn't as loved as people pretended. Those in Fiona's affluent social circle aren't as remorseful as one would have thought, raising Keri's suspect pool to include many people.

With a cleverly written mystery, Murder Pays a Call pulled me in and kept me engaged. I enjoyed meeting Keri and learning about her business, which is unique and I loved it. She's kind and capable as she searches for clues to identity of the suspect, while trying to stay out of danger, herself. 

I was provided with a copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

My Rating:

 

About Nancy J. Cohen:

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail and the Keri Armstrong cozy mysteries. Her books have won numerous awards including her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook. Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.

Author Links:


Purchase Links:


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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

September 11 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
September 11 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
September 12 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 
September 12 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 13 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
September 13 – Sarandipity's – AUTHOR GUEST POST
September 14 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY
September 14 – Books1987 – SPOTLIGHT
September 14 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
September 15 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
September 15 – Angel's Book Nook – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
September 16 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
September 16 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
September 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
September 17 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL
GIVEAWAY
September 18 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - REVIEW
September 18 – Maureen's Musings - SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT
September 19 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT
September 20 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW
September 20 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW  

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Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Sweet Nightmares by Hazel St. Lewis (Wicked Mirrors) ~ Fantasy, Romance #FantasyRomance

Sweet Nightmares
Hazel St. Lewis
(Wicked Mirrors)
Publication date: September 17th 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

She was prophesied to destroy an evil god, but she becomes his minion instead.

About the Book:

Jane Whitfield rose from nothing to become the youngest Prima Ballerina in the history of the Royalle Ballet—despite having a violent husband three decades her senior. But her carefully choreographed world shatters when her husband’s enemies come to collect his debts. Jane is tortured into making an impossible die, or strike a bargain with an evil god trapped inside a mirror.

Nightmare is ancient, cruel, and feared for a reason. He trades magic, wealth, and knowledge for soul-crushing costs—and he believes Jane is the witch destined to destroy him. But instead of killing her, he toys with her, offering a twisted sell her soul, serve him, and receive an endless supply of riches—enough to satisfy her wretched husband and his debtors.

Now bound to a god who revels in ruin, Jane becomes more than just his minion—she’s his growing obsession. But obsession doesn’t spare her from his darkness. He’s evil. She’s supposed to hate him, but the more time she spends in his realm, the harder it is to tell if he’s her monster… or her salvation.

She was destined to destroy him, but love might destroy her first.

Sweet Nightmares is an adult romantic fantasy Prequel/Sequel novel to Gilded Wicked Mirrors. It can be read first, or after GWMs. It is a touch-her-and-die, villain romance perfect for lovers of the Hades and Megara dynamic or fans of Kingdom of the Wicked. It is not a standalone.

Add to Goodreads / Purchase from Amazon

—

Read an Excerpt:

Jane stood up and put her body between them just in time to be slammed between the Vampire Prince and the ancient god. At the impact, Nightmare’s hands wrapped around her waist, steadying her.

Nightmare let out a low, wicked growl. The whites of his eyes bleeding red, fury painted on every curve of his body, his fangs and metal nails bared. Ready to kill every mortal in the room if Jane didn’t do something quickly.

“Everyone get out now,” Jane said, her hand on Nightmare’s chest and her voice wavering. Her eyes never left Nightmare. “Thorne, my monster. Keep your eyes on me.” She dug her hand into his shirt while he tightened his hold around her waist. At the same time, she heard movement from all around them. Everyone else, leaving them alone in the room.

When he still hadn’t calmed down, and his eyes hadn’t lost any of the red, Jane asked, “How can I help you settle down?” Jane flattened her palm once more over where his heart should beat—but it never did. “What do you need?”

“I need to feed.” Nightmare’s eyes flashed, and he darted around, presumably searching for an unsuspecting human he could eat.

“Are you going to kill your food?” she breathed.

“Yes.”

“Do you have to?”

Nightmare blinked, his black, well-manicured eyebrows creasing together.

“Are you able to control yourself?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said slowly, cocking his head, his eyes fixating on her neck.

“Then feed on me.” She cocked her head to the side, giving him permission to take her blood.

“You may hate it.”

“It’s fine. I am not afraid of you.”

An unreadable sound vibrated in his chest, and then, without warning, he pushed her fiercely up against the wall, pinning her in and biting down on her neck.

At first, it hurt, his fangs piercing her skin and claiming her. It was a sharp pain, but then the wound began to tingle and turn… the feeling becoming something hot and pleasurable.

Every nerve ending in her body lit up with an intense feeling that she’d never felt before. A moan escaped her lips, and she suddenly needed to be closer to him, to be touching him, one with him.

Meet the Author:

Hazel St. Lewis is a Northern California-based Romantasy author. Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, she struggled to read and write, but fantasy stories inspired her to start storytelling. Unfortunately, now, she is a little too obsessed with morally gray characters. When she isn’t writing, she can be found playing with her hoard of cats (too many to count…it’s a problem), singing songs to said cats, or painting.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Newsletter


GIVEAWAY!


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Reaper by Sam Stone ~ A Task Force Raven Thriller ~ @crash4895 @partnersincr1me ~ Political Thriller

Reaper by Sam Stone Banner

REAPER

by Sam Stone

September 8 - October 3, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

About the Book:

Reaper by Sam Stone

A TASK FORCE RAVEN THRILLER

 

In the aftermath of a devastating terrorist attack on a U.S. Border Patrol station in McAllen, Texas, Major Jake Baylor faces his most personal mission yet. When a VBIED explosion and mortar attack kills dozens, including his best friend Clint McNamara, Baylor and his elite Task Force Raven spring into action.

What appears to be a brutal cartel assault is actually something far more sinister—a coordinated diversion allowing ISIS operative Abu Waleed Hassan, known as "The Reaper," and his team of jihadists to slip across the border undetected. As Baylor and his team of Texas Rangers with special operations backgrounds race to track down the terrorists, they find themselves operating in the shadows of bureaucracy, caught between political agendas and the urgent need to prevent another attack.

From interrogating a high-level cartel operative in a remote Texas ranch to conducting off-the-books operations in Mexico, Task Force Raven follows the trail of breadcrumbs leading to Hassan's deadly plot. When suicide bombers strike San Antonio's Riverwalk, killing hundreds, the clock starts ticking on an even more catastrophic attack aimed at Houston's petrochemical infrastructure.

In this high-stakes thriller that blends military action with law enforcement tactics, Baylor must confront not only the external threat but also his own grief and rage. As federal agencies squabble over jurisdictional authority and media narratives, Task Force Raven operates with a simple directive from Texas Governor Robert Williamson: "Find them, and make sure they can never hit us again."

With time running out and lives on the line, Baylor will need every skill he's honed from years with both the Texas Rangers and Special Forces to bring the terrorists to justice—or stop them permanently.

Book Details:

Genre: Political Thriller
Published by: Indie
Publication Date: June 1, 2025
Number of Pages: 644 PBK
ISBN: 979-8316987726 PBK
Series: A Task Force Raven Thriller, Book1
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle Unlimited | Goodreads | BookBub

Read an Excerpt:

 

 

Meet the Author:

Sam Stone

When the action starts, you know it’s real. A fifth-generation Texan with a cowboy spirit, Sam Stone spent over 30 years as a Texas Police Officer, retiring as the Commander of Special Operations, leading in high-stakes situations where failure wasn’t an option. Coming from a proud, patriotic military family, he writes with an authenticity that can only come from lived experience. Now, he calls the Texas Hill Country home, where he lives with his wife—his love in this life and all others—and their two loyal dogs. Get ready for a pulse-pounding ride—check out his latest book today!

Catch Up With Sam Stone:

SamStoneAuthor.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
Instagram - @sam_stone_author
Threads - @sam_stone_author
X - @crash4895
Facebook - @SamStoneAuthor
YouTube - @RavenActual-SamStone

 

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Tuesday, September 16, 2025

Times Change (Joe Mack Shadow Council Files, Book Five) by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin ~ Urban Fantasy #UF @GailZMartin



Times Change
Joe Mack Shadow Council Files 
Book Five
Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Falstaff Books
Date of Publication: July 23, 2025
ISBN: 979-8293995790
ASIN: B0DFDZ4S4T
Number of pages: 122
Word Count: 30,000

Cover Artist: GetCovers.com

Tagline: When you ask a god for favors, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

About the Book:

Joe Mack is back, solving cold cases that eluded Eliot Ness and kicking demon butt.

Josef Magarac was a brave man, a strong man, a hard-working immigrant who only wanted a better life for his family. Then he was murdered, and an ancient Slavic god brought him back to life, gave him new abilities, and a mission to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Now he's Joe Mack, immortal thanks to the Slavic god, and a champion against dark magic, demons, and things that go bump in the night.

Joe's previous collection of adventures spanned the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition. Now he's in the modern era, working with new partners and adjusting to a whole new century. But old cases have resurfaced, and demons never die. A supernatural serial killer has returned, and some of the evil Joe thought was done and dusted has returned to wreak havoc. It will take all of the supernatural abilities, wit, and will of Joe and his partners—past and present—to stop the dark forces once and for all. If they fail, it will unleash a wave of demonic vengeance, blood, and death unlike anything Cleveland has ever seen.

Times Change is a non-stop thrill ride full of paranormal action, found family, dark magic, and loyal friends.

Purchase Links:

Amazon     BN     Kobo       Apple

Read Excerpt 1:

I’d burned her bones, but she was back again.

And now she was pissed.

I fired my shotgun filled with salt rounds, but she vanished between when I pulled the trigger and when the shells fired. Then she materialized behind me and gave me a shove that sent me sprawling.

I’m a big guy, and thanks to a favor from a Slavic god, I’m immortal and pretty damned hard to injure. That doesn’t mean I like being tossed around by ill-tempered ghosts who have overstayed their welcome.

I rolled and came up with the shotgun locked and loaded, firing into the ghost’s midsection. That bought me a moment or two since salt fritzes ghosts’ ability to manifest, but I knew she wouldn’t be gone long.

I walked to where the tracks had been and stopped when the toe of my boot struck an old spike left from the long-ago rails. A scream reverberated through the forest. I pumped my shotgun and blasted her again before she could fully re-form. Then I set a salt circle around myself to keep her from knocking me around, dumped lighter fluid on the spike, and dropped a match on it.

People called the ghost the Lavender Lady. The stories said that she had been gathering the flowers back in the early 1900s when she was struck by a train—back before the tracks had been pulled up when trains still ran.

The town of Moonville was nothing but ruins now; the railroad was long gone, and the tunnel had fallen into disrepair, but the Lavender Lady still wandered the forest, surprising hikers and scaring thrill-seekers.

The Lady’s real name was Henrietta Austin, and while her body was found amid the flowers for which she was nicknamed, the evidence suggested foul play, covered up by the train accident story. Since the culprit was long dead, I couldn’t give Henrietta justice, but I might be able to give her peace.

But first, she would try her best to kill me.

Henrietta’s ghost hurled herself against the salt circle’s iridescent barrier, angry at fate and desperate to take it out on someone. Her corpse-pale face, marred by fury and decomposition, pressed against the scrim, and a terrible screech threatened to make my ears bleed.

“Depart from here, Henrietta Austin, and trouble the living no more,” I commanded. “Your time is long past, and your killer is dead. Let go and move on.”

The fire flared around the old rail spike, and I could see Henrietta’s spirit fading. The accelerant I’d poured on the metal stake wouldn’t melt iron, but I took the chance that flames would burn away enough of the coating to drive her off. Then I could pull the stake out of the ground, put it in the lead and iron box I’d brought, and make sure Henrietta never bothered anyone again.

Henrietta gave one last blood-curdling scream and vanished. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe her energy had dissipated that quickly after haunting these woods for a century, but perhaps she needed to recharge before attacking again.

By that time, I intended to have her anchor—the spike—out of her reach forever.


About the Authors: 

Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria. 

Together with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron and Blood, Storm and Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends.

Larry N. Martin is the author of the new sci-fi adventure novel Salvage Rat, and the new portal fantasy series, The Splintered Crown, A Tankards and Heroes novel. He is the co-author (with Gail Z. Martin) of the Spells, Salt, and Steel: New Templar Knights series; the Steampunk series Iron and Blood; and a collection of short stories and novellas: The Storm and Fury Adventures set in the Iron and Blood universe. He is also the co-author (with Gail) of the Wasteland Marshals series and the Joe Mack - Shadow Council series from Falstaff Books.


Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dd5XLj    












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Monday, September 15, 2025

Changing Woman’s Hair by Jan D. Payne ~ @RABTBookTours #RABTBookTours #ChangingWomansHair #JanDPayne #Suspense #Thriller



Changing Woman’s Hair by Jan D. Payne



Marin Sinclair, Book 2


Suspense Thriller

Date Published: 09/15/2025

Publisher: RabbitHole LLC



When Marin Sinclair discovers teenager Garret Washburn in danger from a deadly conspiracy involving bootlegged alcohol, wolf-witches, an election campaign, murder, and an unknown bomber, she looks to Navajo Nation Police Sergeant Justin Blue Eyes and Federal Agent Cullen MacPherson to help protect Vangie Tso's son from the dark forces at play.

 

About the Author:


Drawing from her own life story in the Four Corners area of the Navajo Nation, author Jan D. Payne offers readers a journey into the heart of the American Southwest in a modern-day romantic suspense series. Writing characters who navigate diverse cultural influences to explore the lines between the seen and the unseen, the modern and the traditional, the present and the past—she creates a world where the impossible becomes possible, and mythical legends come to life.

Jan is a member of Western Writers of America and Women Writing the West. She and her husband live in northern Minnesota with their three big dogs—Kaibab, Rudi, and Orrin. Visit her website at: jandpayne.com


Contact Links:

Website

Facebook

Instagram 


Purchase Today:

Amazon


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