INTRODUCTION

Hi everyone My name is Victoria Zumbrum, 40 years old, married 14 years with 1 son. This is my very first blog. So bear with me. I have always wanted to have my own blog. I have always loved to read. I enjoy getting lost in a good book.
I love becoming part of the story and characters. I am hoping to bring my love of books to my readers.

I love reading different genres such as paranormal, young adult, romance, romantic suspense, mystery, Christian fiction, some horror, etc. The list goes on. I started reviewing books a couple of years ago and have done reviews for different blogs and even some authors. I really have enjoyed reviewing books and I will continue to do so. If anyone is interested in me reviewing a book for them, please contact me. I still have a lot to learn regarding my own blog so bear with me. I welcome and appreciate all followers.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Review of The Corpse Whisperer Series Book Tour and Giveaway

 



Welcome to the world of Allie Nighthawk, corpse whisperer and bad ass zombie hunter.


The Corpse Whisperer

An Allie Nighthawk Mystery Book 1

by H.R. Boldwood

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Mystery

Zombie hunting just got wicked fun!


Welcome to the world of Allie Nighthawk, corpse whisperer and bad ass zombie hunter.

“If you raise deadheads, you’d better be able to put ‘em down. Nobody said it was pretty. But in this day, when vampires aren’t just for breakfast anymore, and the dead are disposable pawns for necromancers, someone has to ante up. Looks like I won the lotto. Imagine my delight. You should thank me, really, because the world is batshit crazy.”

When the zombie population spikes and no one knows why, it’s up to Allie to solve the mystery. But there’s a hitch. She’s stuck babysitting Leo Abruzzi, a zombie-bitten gangster who’s turning state’s evidence. But the mob and a powerful necromancer will stop at nothing to take Leo and Allie down.

Allie Nighthawk is Anita Blake on steroids, with a fondness for leather and Jack on the rocks. She has a healthy dose of Stephanie Plum and Rachel Morgan in her, too, though she’d never admit it. The battle between good and evil just got wicked fun.


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Corpse Whisperer Sworn

An Allie Nighthawk Mystery Book 2

Zombies, Voodoo, and Hoodoo-what would you do?


Follow Allie Nighthawk to exciting New Orleans where she raises the dead, puts down rotters, and dabbles in the mystical world of hoodoo. She’s on the trail of an evil necromancer who will stop at nothing to rule the world with his army of deadheads. Is her magick strong enough to save the day? Or will this necromancer from her past kill her before she gets the chance? She figures she’s got a fifty-fifty shot. Make that forty-sixty.


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Life Among the Tombstones

An Allie Nighthawk Mystery Prequel

Freelance zombie hunter seeking full-time employment-benefits required.


In this prequel to The Corpse Whisperer series, financially challenged zombie hunter, Allie Nighthawk, returns to her hometown of Cincinnati and finds herself knee-deep in murder, mayhem, and zombies. Can she solve not one but two murders, and get away unscathed — when the good guys might not be so good, and a presence from her past returns for revenge?


**Get it FREE!**

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Corpse Whisperer Torn

An Allie Nighthawk Mystery Book 3

Zombie hunting 101: Never tell your neighbors what you do for a living.


Just after sunrise, I jumped on my Harley and hurtled toward Templeman’s Funeral Home, packing Hawk, my custom 9mm, a backup Glock, and a seven-inch Ka-Bar knife—the standard-issue zombie-hunter’s tool kit. Not that I’m standard-issue, by any stretch. I was born with the ability to raise the dead. It’s a genetic thing. Don’t ask me how it works. I didn’t write the playbook. I’m just living the dream."

Allie Nighthawk faces a ghost from her past as she explores the fascinating and historic world of Cincinnati’s underground. When the Z-virus threatens world-wide contamination, it’s up to Allie to save the day. Is her magick strong enough to turn the tide? Or will doubt and inner demons stand in her way? And will those she loves survive?


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H.R. Boldwood, author of the Corpse Whisperer series, countless short stories, and Imadjinn Award finalist, is a writer of horror and speculative fiction. In another incarnation, Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the 2009 Bilbo Award for creative writing by Thomas More College. Boldwood’s characters are often disreputable and not to be trusted. They are kicked to the curb at every conceivable opportunity when some poor unsuspecting publisher welcomes them with open arms. No responsibility is taken by this author for the dastardly and sometimes criminal acts committed by this ragtag group of miscreants.


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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon


Happy Harry by Barbara Lampert Book Blast



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award a $30 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In her dog memoir Happy Harry: A Magical Golden, psychotherapist Barbara Lampert, a lifelong dog lover, tells the story of her beloved Golden Retriever, Harry. Like her first dog memoir, Harry's story comes from her mostly uncensored daily journal and takes place in Malibu, California.

Harry was a genuinely free spirit - wild, and very wolf-like. Did all this contribute to his being exceptionally happy? Perhaps.

Harry was not only the happiest being Barbara's ever known, happy to the very core of him, but also the bravest. More than once in his life, Harry had to face true adversity, and each time, Barbara would look at him in wonder, not fully understanding how a being could be so brave and at the same time continue to be so happy.

Harry literally pranced through life, with a joyous attitude that made being around him like magic. Barbara fell in love with Harry. And as you immerse yourself in Harry's story, it's likely you will too! Happy Harry is unforgettable!


Read an Excerpt

Harry had a girlfriend for a while when he was about four or five years old. Probably for a couple of years. Oh he didn’t see her every day, but for that two year-or-so stretch maybe once or twice a week. …

Roxie, a one-year-old Yellow Lab – the taller, leaner hunting type – was beautiful, energetic, and happy. Just like Harry. Roxie lived a few miles from our house, on the Point in Malibu. …

When Harry knew he was going to see Roxie, he would get so excited. He would pant, start running around, tail up, and on the ride over he would stand or pace in the back seat the whole time. So eager, such joy. And when we got there, he would literally go flying out of the car, with David at the other end of the leash. Tail up, full steam ahead. And Roxie, being just a year old and still quite a playful puppy, would go equally berserk when she saw Harry. They would sniff and kiss each other through the openings in the fence. …

Sometimes they would chase each other or run together, with the fence between them. David would run with them, since he had Harry on the leash. A few times Roxie’s owner came out and opened the gate to let Harry and Roxie be together. More kissing, chasing, tails up, sniffing. Both not believing their good luck. Both always bursting with joy the whole time they were together. Such a sight. …

Barney didn’t get nearly as excited as Harry about Roxie and didn’t interfere in their relationship. This was Harry’s territory. And it appeared Roxie only had eyes for Harry. …

It was always difficult to leave, because the whole time we were there Harry and Roxie were inseparable. Whenever Roxie’s owner would come out, we’d talk and laugh about the two lovebirds. It was wonderful seeing Harry and Roxie so happy. How he loved her…

About the Author:
My passion is dogs! I’ve had dogs most of my life and hope to have at least one by my side always. Dog energy is the best!

I’m the author of two dog memoirs: Happy Harry: A Magical Golden and before that Charlie: A Love Story. Each about one of my Golden Retrievers. (I told you dogs are my passion!)

I’m a psychotherapist, licensed for over thirty years, specializing in relationships.

I was a flight attendant for nine years. And taught sociology at several universities. I have two master’s degrees and a doctorate.

Gardening is another love – not as much as dogs, but right up there! I see my garden as a work of art and garden as much as possible in my free time. I love being in nature.

I live in Malibu, California with my husband David and, you guessed it, our two wonderful Golden Retrievers, Oliver and Henry.

https://www.happyharryamagicalgolden.com/happy-harry-a-magical-golden
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMTXK538
https://www.facebook.com/barbara.lampert.50/
https://www.facebook.com/barbaralampertauthor
https://www.tiktok.com/@barbara.lampert5
https://www.instagram.com/barbaralampert1/
https://www.pinterest.com/drbarbaralampert/

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Deja Black Unbreak My Heart Book Tour and Giveaway

 


 A restaurant manager starting over. 

A merman learning himself for the first time. 

Will their plunge into the unknown lead to a life shared together?  


Unbreak My Heart

Men of Neptune Book 4

by Deja Black

Genre: LGBTQ Paranormal Romance

A restaurant manager starting over. A merman learning himself for the first time. Will their plunge into the unknown lead to a life shared together?

Restaurant Manager Tony Aikawa moved to Charleston, South Carolina, looking for a fresh start for his family. Life after his wife left him with their four children has made him feel bereft. He’s doing the best he can, but it’s hard doing it alone.

Law student Adamaris Hali thought he was human. Or that’s what his father led him to believe. Now his father, a former Guardian of Neptune, has left his family behind to join his mate in the city of Atlantis. Adamaris has learned his mother didn’t just die but was viciously murdered, and he is not human but a merman as well. Now, he has to learn how to embrace the being within.

These two broken men are starting something new. Will it lead to a forever together?


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Song of the Siren

Men of Neptune Book 1

 Graham is a broken soldier in body and soul. With no place to go, he moves to the coast to live with the only relative who loves him. Lost and without hope, Graham is not sure how he can get his life back. That is until he hears the song of the most gorgeous man he has ever seen.

Kamau is a siren who lives part of his life with his siren mother the other part with his human father. Dutiful son to mother and father but never true to himself. That is until Graham walks into the church and Kamau realizes he has found his mate.

Jonah Anderson is the pastor who relies on his son’s gift to grow his church. All is going well for him and the church. That is until he sees the way Kamau looks at Graham.

At a time when Christmas presents are given for the holiday, will Graham and Kamau receive the gift they’ve dreamed of for a lifetime? Each other.


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**Don’t miss the rest of the series! **

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 DEJA BLACK had fantasies of men loving men, men who felt strongly, loved hard, and needed a hero. Then one great day she came across a book and discovered the world of m/m writing, encountered others who shared her obsession as much as she did, and found a world where she could not only be accepted for the lives and loves she envisioned, but she could create them too. So why not? Why not take the stories she would write and throw away as a teenager, grow them, dream them, and make them a reality where she could know her own characters, let them live their story, and make them real for someone else? And she did. Now, with the support of her hubby and some intense time management, she is learning to balance her family of two children at home and the many others she teaches each and every day with her passion of writing what she loves to read.


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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon

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The Will of the Gods Series by Ian Lancaster Book Tour and Giveaway

 


Ancient Egypt was a time when people believed that everything that happened, for better or for worse, was determined by the will of the gods. 

The Will of the Gods

Book 1

by Ian Lancaster

Genre: Historical Egyptian Fiction

The Will of the Gods trilogy is a work of historical fiction set in Pharaonic Egypt during the time of the New Kingdom. It comprises eight stories which form a continuous narrative, following the same principal characters through interconnected adventures. The stories are told in the first person by the characters involved, and span a period of about fifty years and the reigns of four kings. There are many adult themes.


Part 1 contains:


Conspiracy in the Sands

A short story set in Ancient Egypt about a young man who loses a love and finds a mystery.


Treason on the Nile

The sequel to "Conspiracy in the Sands", this extended short story continues the adventures of the embalmer's son, now part of the king's family. Tasked by the king to go south to restore a desecrated tomb, neither would have believed the dangers that would follow for either of them - and even for the kingdom itself!


Valley of Secrets

The third part of a series set in Ancient Egypt: the king has been murdered and his family is in great danger. But who is the enemy?


Sceptre of the Gods

A royal tomb has been violated and a foreign power threatens the king. How are these connected and what can be done to save the kingdom?


**Get it FREE 2/24 – 2/28!!**

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The Will of the Gods

Book 2

The Will of the Gods trilogy is a work of historical fiction set in Pharaonic Egypt during the time of the New Kingdom. It comprises eight stories which form a continuous narrative, following the same principal characters through interconnected adventures. The stories are told in the first person by the characters involved, and span a period of about fifty years and the reigns of four kings. There are many adult themes.


Part 2 contains:


Labyrinth of Fear

A novel set in Ancient Egypt and Minoan Crete at the time of the cataclysmic eruption of the island of Thera (Santorini).


An Alliance of Kings

Part six of the Egypt Saga. Set mainly on and around the island of Crete, where three kings meet to form an alliance against a mysterious enemy, known as The Sea People. Old passions are reignited and new relationships are formed, but an unpredictable encounter leads to a tragic outcome.


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The Will of the Gods

Book 3

The Will of the Gods trilogy is a work of historical fiction set in Pharaonic Egypt during the time of the New Kingdom. It comprises eight stories which form a continuous narrative, following the same principal characters through interconnected adventures. The stories are told in the first person by the characters involved, and span a period of about fifty years and the reigns of four kings. There are many adult themes.

Part 3 contains:


The Curse of the Sea People

Part seven of the Egypt Saga. The Sea People have returned and the island of Crete is in danger. A new king relies on family, where everyone has a role to play and each faces difficult challenges and adventures of their own.


Lord of the Two Lands

Afraid for the succession, a young king knows he must prove himself worthy before the gods. His chance comes in a most unexpected way when a new friend becomes a deadly enemy. This is the eighth and final part of the Egypt saga.


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A lockdown project inspired by ancient Egypt.

Having been a passionate avocational Egyptologist for most of my life, I often wondered what it might have been like to live in those far-off times. During the Covid lockdown I started writing a short story to pass the time, and this eventually developed into a saga about just such a fantasy (at almost 400,000 words I think it counts as a saga anyway!).

It started as a mystery involving the son of a humble embalmer who is told to prepare the body of the king’s daughter for the afterlife. Unknown to anyone else, however, he has secretly loved the girl for as long as he could remember and, when he discovers that she had been murdered, sets out to solve the mystery and prevent a plot against the king himself. Then, in the way of all addictions, the story grew as new adventures presented themselves and new members of the extended family were introduced.

The eight stories which make up The Will of the Gods are set in Pharaonic (‘Ancient’) Egypt during the time of the New Kingdom. Although published in three volumes, they form a continuous narrative. They follow the same principal characters, told in the first person, through interconnected adventures spanning about fifty years and the reigns of four kings. This novel contains a number of adult themes.


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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$10 Amazon


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Secrets of a Gay Man Growing Up in the 1950S by Jonathan Feinn Blurb Blitz

 


BLURB:

 

The Blessing of Self -Acceptance

 

I decided to write my memoir when I reached my mid-eighties. Given the gift of longevity, I felt a strong need to review my life openly and to recall both the joyful moments as well as the days and nights of feeling anguish and hopelessness. Highlighting events and experiences in my life has given me the opportunity to better understand the emotional and physical cost over the years of denying the person I am and the pain of self-rejection.

Excerpt:

 

My parents grew up in very different families. My paternal grandparents immigrated to America from the Ukraine when my father was only a year old. Grandma Sonia had been a victim during a pogrom and through the efforts of a cousin living in the United States, the family was able to come to America and settle in Chicago.

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Jonathan holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and was trained to serve both as a teacher and administrator providing guidance to staff and to children and adolescents with identified emotional disturbance and behavior disorders. He has served as a consultant to differing programs in both public and private school settings and was the director of a high school off-campus learning center serving students who required part-time placement outside the main building.

 

He has held faculty positions at National College in Evanston, Illinois and Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania where he taught students studying for both Master’s degrees and state certification. Prior to his retirement, he taught gifted elementary students in a ‘pull-out’ program. He is currently retired and continues his love of travel. To date he has visited 22 countries where he developed meaningful and lasting friendships with people in differing settings throughout the world.

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Gay-Man-Growing-1950s/dp/1614688540/ref=sr_1_1

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

PLEASE MENTION THE PRIZE THAT THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY: 

 

Jonathan Feinn will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner

 

Please use this rafflecopter code on your post:

 

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Neither of my grandparents spoke English but were fluent in Russian and Yiddish. They parented five sons one of whom had a very serious dysfluency and was thought to be retarded.  Given the lack of understanding and resources during his early childhood, he never received any specific help and suffered throughout his life from emotional problems. I don’t remember having much connection to him, but I was aware that Uncle Joe felt rejection from my father who was a lawyer and the youngest brother who was a doctor. I remember feeling, frightened as a young child when my father would yell at him. The oldest son was married and already had a son when I was born.

 

Three of the uncles lived in an apartment with my grandparents above ours in a two flat building. There was much tension between the brothers and throughout my childhood I have memories of yelling and screaming fights between the brothers. I felt somewhat closer to my uncle Jack who I remember sitting me on his lap when I was a young child and singing to me; ’Thai Thai tiddly tum’ I remember feeling safe with him.

 

Looking back, I realize my paternal grandparents were depressed. I never saw them affectionate with one another. Grandma Sonia had been raised in a family in Moscow with some financial means and had opportunities to be educated in the arts and dancing. My grandfather came from a religious but impoverished family in Odessa. Neither grandparent ever shared anything with me about their lives in Europe which saddens me. I realize how difficult and painful it would have been for them and of course, there was the language problem. From time to time when my parents were out for the evening my grandfather would be my ‘babysitter’. I was told when I grew older that one night when Grandpa Zelig was the sitter, my parents returned and found him fast asleep and snoring while I was up playing with my toys.

 

My parents spoke to my grandparents in Yiddish and as a child I wanted to understand what they were saying. Over time I began to develop a beginning understanding of Yiddish and knew a few expressions which I tried to speak to my grandfather.  He would always say ‘You American boy. NO speak Yiddish.’  In my adult years, I regret a missed opportunity to become a competent Yiddish speaker.

 

How difficult it must have been for my grandfather to support the family on a fish peddler’s income though the war years were hard financially for most people including my parents; my father did provide financial help to my grandparents in addition to supporting the four of us. Meanwhile grandmother Sonia Sarah had to adjust mealtimes to each of her son’s different schedules and preferences. She was very protective of her disabled son and on her death-bed begged family members to promise to care for him, Despite my uncle’s disability, he was able to work and live an independent life eventually getting married.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Trump Your Life by Dr. Keith Ablow and Christian Josi

 


 Trump Your Life is the ultimate personal empowerment book.  


Trump Your Life

25 Life Lessons From the Ups and Downs of The 45th President of the United States

by Dr. Keith Ablow & Christian Josi

Genre: Self-Help, Political Non-Fiction


 Love him or not, it is undeniable that there’s an awful lot to learn from President Donald Trump’s life and his approach to it. With Trump Your Life, readers can become more resolute, resourceful, and resilient than ever.


Dr. Keith Ablow and Christian Josi (with help in the form of a foreword by the one and only Roger Stone) have combined in-depth personal experience with the president and decades of creative, political and media work with renowned skills in psychological analysis to create this concise, entertaining and highly enlightening manual for those who want to win. Trump Your Life delivers 25 key lessons from President Trump’s life to help readers make their own lives more fulfilling, successful, and powerful.

Anyone can make his or her life great---or great again―using the keys found in Trump Your Life to transforming relationships, revolutionizing one’s approach to work, achieving the success one has dreamt of, or revitalizing one’s family, community, or even country.

Makes a great gift.


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 Dr. Keith Ablow is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 16 books.  He was a national, on-air Contributor for the Fox News Network for 12 years, appearing hundreds of times on Fox & Friends, The Sean Hannity Show and The O’Reilly Factor, as well as with Tucker Carlson, Glenn Beck and Meghan Kelly.   Dr. Ablow was also the Host  and Executive Producer of The Dr. Keith Ablow Show, syndicated nationally by Warner Brothers.  He has been a columnist for the New York Post and the Washington Post and has contributed writings to Newsweek, Discover magazine, Psychiatric Times and a host of other publications.  Dr. Ablow has been profiled by People Magazine, the New York Times, Boston Magazine, the New York Post and the Journal of the American Medical Association.


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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon



Here Be Inn by Dennis Tsarson Book Tour and Giveaway

 


 Ancient magic is an advantage in the battle for the modern Middle East  


Here Be Jinn

Fieldwork in Mesopotamia Book 1

by Dennis Tsarson

Genre: Contemporary Mythic Fantasy Action Adventure  


Ancient and unknown forces have been unleashed in war-ravaged Iraq.


When Elliott Gildart decides to join an archeological dig in the drylands of northern Iraq, he expects a break from his monotonous job. But the discovery of an unusual and out-of-place megalithic platform turns exploration into a risky undertaking and leaves Elliott facing a future he’s not sure he’s prepared for.

Meanwhile, Neil Feaver and his cameraman, Jake Parvis, stumble upon their own strange developments while filming a documentary about Iraq’s ongoing civil war. Saved from imminent danger by a mysterious stranger, they soon learn that lost magic and mystical artifacts have fallen into the wrong hands. Now, everyone finds themselves caught in the crisis, involving coalition forces, Islamist militants, and enigmatic factions that have existed since the times of the Ancient Near East.

As terrifying forces align, can they prevent impending peril? Or will ancient magic be enough to turn the tides?



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A self-described amateur scholar, Dennis Tsarson has been interested in the world’s mythology and folklore traditions since reading Greek myths as a boy. That interest grew into an undergraduate degree in history and archeological training, which he incorporates into his fantasy retellings while travelling the globe. When he’s not writing or exploring new countries and their cultural histories, you can find him settled in the United Kingdom, studying the comparative tendencies in folktales around the world.


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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$20 Amazon