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.

Monday, December 31, 2018

For Melissa An Anthology Book Tour and Giveaway


For
Melissa: An Anthology
Presented
by Wild Dreams Publishing
Genre:
Multi Genre

With stories by:
Bella Emy
Shaan Ranae
Jeremy Simons
Rosie Chapel
Veronique Poirier
Sarah Stein
Kristen Collins
Jenee Robinson
Niki Livingston
Bey Tolentino
Melisa Lyons
Lori Hoopengardner
Sonya Jesus
Cam Johns
Justina Luther
Sheri Branson Chapman
Davina Purnell
K.A. Morse
Melanie Rodriguez
Aim
Ruivivar



An
anthology dedicated to Melissa Lee, bringing together stories of
strong independent women by some of today's favorite authors of the
indie community.
When
Melissa was diagnosed with cancer it shook our house to the core.
Within a matter of days we started asking how can we help. The answer
create an anthology dedicated to the strong woman that is our
Melissa. Each story as a set of rules. one the main character is
named Melissa. And her character must be strong. After that each
story comes from the hearts of our authors. This book is forever
dedicated to the teacher that touches the lives of the children that
she meet. The  authors who's lives have now been touched with
her soft touch and strong will. And for the member of our family who
we wish only the very best.




*All
proceeds will be benefitting Melissa Lee during this difficult time.
Our hearts & prayers are with her.







~*
A special thanks to YM Zachery for her endless dedication




Melissa's
Menagerie
by Lori
Hoopengardner


After the death of her parents, Melissa was
on her own to carry on her family's secret. She was lonely, scared
and busy. That is until she found some people she could trust.
Friendships and more just seemed to happen.





The
Rainbow Truck
by Jeremy
Simons


On the backroads of Louisiana, the unthinkable
happened to Melissa. A truck tried to run her off the road. She could
have let it go, but she was too proud for that. Besides, its color
intrigued her. Oh yeah, and the blood on the tailgate.




She
and Scott followed it to a secluded camp where their fortunes were
forever sealed. She had to fight. She had to stand on her own two
feet. She had to...survive.


But could it be that easy? Find out in
The Rainbow Truck.




Unbound
Wonder
by Niki
Livingston


Melissa’s past doesn’t define her and she
refuses to allow her teenage trauma to hold her down. Believing in
herself when no one else did, she became an instant fame in the music
industry. And with the public eye on her, it wasn’t a surprise when
she attracted a male admirer who didn’t have her best interest at
heart. Another man who only craved to control and own her.




Now she
must face her fears, both known and unknown, in order to gain the
strength to battle the seemingly never-ending storm threatening her
very existence. Rising to face her foes is only the beginning to
taking back her power.



Lovelight
by B. Tolentino


Blind
but never felt unwanted, Melissa Chaplin lives peacefully in New
Hampshire with her mother. Wanting to make progress in her life, she
decides to take a step forward by applying for a part-time job only
to be rejected as soon as she receives the phone call she was so
excited about. Suddenly, the bruising pain of frustration of being
visually impaired envelopes her, causing her to take a huge leap of
faith by agreeing to be a patient to a doctor from Germany she meets
for the first time.






Running
from Ghosts
by Cam Johns
Not
telling the whole truth is the same as lying. It turns out,
withholding secrets is more dangerous than being honest with the one
you love. At least that’s what Melissa has come to realize. Now
being forced to face her deceptions head on as the ghosts of her past
come back to haunt her - threatening the life she has finally built -
Melissa has to find a way to confront her dishonesty without losing
the love of her life.

Onus
by Sonya Jesus


Oliver: In onus memoria. I had it engraved on his
tombstone so that when I went to visit, I could remember Ben died
because I failed to protect him. In my onus, I let guilt corrode
through any attempt at happiness. I let the blame overwhelm me
because I deserved to be punished... He died because I wasn't
watching.










Melissa
by Davina Purnell
Oliver's
been coming to group sessions for a year and half now. I wish I could
say he's slowly getting better, but he's shown no progress and it
worries me. I don't know how to break through to him or if he even
wants me to, but I care about him too much not to try.

Till
Death
by Bella Emy


Happily
Ever After.




That's what Mel thought she had found the day she met
Brad.


Now, married for years with their two children, Austin and
Brayden, Mel fears for their life. The man she once knew who had been
so loving, supporting and caring has turned into a drunk, alcoholic,
abusive husband and father, stopping at nothing to get his point
across.


Will Mel be able to overcome her dread of living huddled
up in a corner, fearing for her life and that of her sons, or will
Brad place his hands on her one last and final time?




Witch’s
Heart
by Melanie
Rodriguez


Melissa is a sophomore at the prestigious Circe
Academy, a school that grooms only the finest of witches and
warlocks. She finds herself an outcast to most of her peers and
professors due to her half-human side. Wanting nothing more than to
be a fully-fledged witch, she enlists the help of the wily and
sarcastic spirit fox, Vic, who too has his own agenda. In order to
retrieve the lost half of magic that she needs to accomplish her
goal, Melissa must locate the human the old ritual demands she needs
and must steal their “heart.” When she realizes who that human
is, Melissa finds herself in a bind: does she complete her goal and
fulfill her pact with Vic or does she let the special human go and
continue to live her outcast life without the respect she deserves?





Choices
Made
by Justina Luther


At
the age of 26 I, Melissa Leighton, thought I had my priorities right.
I worked hard, kept my eye on my goals, and loved my mom and twin
sister with all my heart. I broke my back to make us all proud and be
the first in my family to become a doctor. The funny thing about life
is, every choice we make changes something and the choices I made
threatened to change everything.





My
Shadow
by Sheri Chapman
Melissa
is drawn to wrong side of the law. For now, she contents her intrigue
by pitting herself against the police. Through her own vices, she
must figure out crimes before they can. Not only does it inspire her
writing career, but it also gives her life an exciting edge. However,
Melissa is being watched. The innovative woman must determine if her
life in endanger before it’s too late…

From
the Ashes
by Sarah Stein
How
far would you go to survive?


Melissa was the perfect child. She
never complained, did amazing in school and made her parents happy.
Or so she thought. Everything changed when she was told to pack her
bags, and leave with a man she’s never met. But all is not what it
seems as she has to fight not to lose herself in his custody.





Also
includes:
Bittersweet
Resilience
by Shaan Ranae
The
Ladie's Wager
by Rosie Chapel
All
For You
by Veronique Poirier
The
Lupie Warrior
by Kristen Collins
Typical
Hunter Day
by Jenee Robinson
Melissa,
The Queen of the Fairies
by M.L. Ruscsak
Melissa
and the Lost Tomb of Akila
by K.A. Morse
Club
Hooligans
by Aim Ruivivar



**Only
99 cents!!**







Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!








Heartwood Book Tour and Giveaway


Heartwood
by
Nance Newman

Genre:
Fantasy, Magical Realism

In
the Adirondack Mountains the forests are dying by the hand of a demon
whose only purpose is the destruction of the natural world.

Within
the high peaks of the Adirondacks a magical edifice, Heartwood,
appears yet remains hidden from the world. Inhabited by the
descendants of an ancient race who have been protecting the natural
world since the beginning of their existence, they will wait for the
next true Xylem who is the only one powerful enough to fight the
demon.
The
battle will soon begin.
Heartwood
weaves legend into reality as the world’s ecosystem is threatened
by supernatural demons. Elathea is a typical teenager whose parents
can no longer keep the family secret from her—that she is a
descendant of an ancient race of women whose legend says only one
progeny every hundred years or more will have the powers needed to
face nature’s magical enemies. As her powers begin to emerge, they
can no longer deny her destiny. They send her to Heartwood to learn
about who she is and what she must do. Only Ela doesn’t want the
job.
Sometimes,
you don’t have a choice.








I
live in upstate New York with my two dogs; a 17 year old Min Pin
(Zeus) and a female dog I recently rescued from the Puerto Rico
hurricanes (I have been learning Spanish and she is learning
English!). Her name is Ela and she is a joy.

I
have been writing in some form or other since high school when I
bought my first guitar (a 12 string for $50 from one of those
magazines my mother used to receive in the mail) and began writing
songs. In college, I started my first novel that I hope to go back to
and finish someday.
I
currently work for a school district in transportation as a router
and dispatcher where I use software to solve the puzzle of getting
5600 students to many different schools, but my goal is to become a
full time writer of novels and music. I try to fit writing in with my
full time job and hobbies that include biking, gardening, hiking,
kayaking and watching movies (lots of them and all kinds)
I
continue to write songs and perform with Dooley(my music partner) We
have a CD of original songs and it is available for your enjoyment.
Visit me at nancenewman.com to check it out.
I
am really excited to share my work with you, and some days you might
see me driving a big yellow school
bus.








Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!





Sunday, December 30, 2018

Murder, Curlers Series Book Tour and Giveaway


Murder,
Curlers and Cream
Murder,
Curlers Series Book 1
by
Arlene McFarlane


Genre:
Cozy Mystery 

Smart,
entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny!”
Liliana
Hart, New York Times Bestselling Author



Valentine
Beaumont is a beautician with a problem. Not only has she got a
meddling mother, a wacky staff, and a dying business, but now she’s
got a dead client who was strangled while awaiting her facial.

With
business the way it is, combing through this mystery may be the only
way to save her salon. Until a second murder, an explosion, a
kidnapping, death threats, and the hard-nosed Detective Romero
complicate things. But Valentine will do anything to untangle the
crime. That’s if she can keep her tools of the trade in her bag,
keep herself alive, and avoid falling for the tough detective.

In
the end, how hard can that be?





**Get
it FREE!!**






Murder,
Curlers and Canes
Murder,
Curlers Series Book 2

Valentine
Beaumont is back in her second hair-raising mystery, this time,
trying to find out who had it in for an elderly nun. Only trouble is
there are others standing in her way: hot but tough Detective Romero,
sexy new stylist Jock de Marco, and some zany locals who all have a
theory on the nun’s death.


Making
things worse: the dead nun’s secret that haunts Valentine, another
murder, car chases, death threats, mysterious clues, an interfering
mother, and a crazy staff.

Between
brushing off Jock’s advances and splitting hairs with handsome
Detective Romero, Valentine struggles to comb through the crime,
utilizing her tools of the trade in some outrageous situations.
Question is, will she succeed?











Murder,
Curlers and Cruises
Murder,
Curlers Series Book 3

Sharp,
sexy, and side-splitting. Everything I love in a good mystery!”
 –
Darynda
Jones, New York Times/USA Today Bestselling Author of the Charley
Davidson Series


A
fun-filled ride. A zany cast of characters. And a quest to find a
killer. Another great book in a wonderful series!”
 –
Wendy
Byrne, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Izzy Lewis Mysteries

In
her third fast-paced mystery, beautician Valentine Beaumont and her
madcap crew sail the high seas on a Caribbean “Beauty Cruise.”
When a bizarre murder takes place onboard, Valentine finds herself
swept into the middle of the investigation.

If
things aren’t bad enough, her mother is playing matchmaker, a loved
one is kidnapped, drug smuggling is afoot, a hair contest proves
disastrous, and a strange alliance between tough Detective Romero and
sexy stylist Jock de Marco rubs Valentine the wrong way.

Will
this impulsive beauty sleuth comb through the catastrophes and
untangle the mystery, or will this voyage turn into another fatal
Titanic? With Jock and Romero onboard, it’s destined to be a hot
cruise!











Arlene
McFarlane
is the author of the Murder, Curlers series.
Previously an aesthetician, hairstylist, and owner of a full-service
salon, Arlene now writes full time. When she’s not making up
stories, or being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, cat-mom,
or makeover artist, you’ll find her making music on the piano.
Arlene
is a member of Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Toronto
Romance Writers, SOWG, and the Golden Network. She’s won and placed
in over 30 contests, including twice in the Golden Heart and twice in
the Daphne du Maurier.
Arlene
lives with her family in Canada.










Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!











Thursday, December 27, 2018

The Mortician's Daughter Book Tour and Giveaway


The
Mortician's Daughter:
One
Foot in the Grave
by
C.C. Hunter


Genre:
Paranormal Romance

The
first exciting novel in a brand-new series from
 New
York Times 
bestselling
author C. C. Hunter!


Her
dad’s job is with the dead . . . and he’s bringing his work home
with him.

Once
again, seventeen-year-old Riley Smith is the new kid in school and
her dad’s career has her back to being dubbed a freak. Truth is,
she’s a much bigger freak than her classmates think. The only
company she keeps these days is the dead who follow Dad home from
work. She can see them. She can speak to them. And Fate seems to
think she can help them solve their last problems so that they can
move on to the other side. Which is odd, because with the loss of her
mother and her father’s alcoholism, she’s got enough problems of
her own.

But
nothing could prepare her for the next tormented young spirit who
darkens Riley’s door. The young woman’s death wasn’t the
accident everyone believes. Soon Riley finds herself face-to-face
with the killer and her only protection comes in the form of another
spirit, Hayden, a boy her age with a heart-melting smile and
understanding eyes that make her feel safe. If she can escape
becoming the killer’s next victim, Riley knows she’ll have to
help Hayden move on too, but what if she can’t let him go?

For
thrills, chills, romance and laughter, buy 
The
Mortician’s Daughter: One Foot in the Grave
today.


Praise
for C. C. Hunter’s Shadow Falls series:

C.
C. Hunter has an amazing talent to make you laugh, cry, and laugh
again all in the same chapter!” —
Crossroad
Review

Jam-packed
with action and romance . . . Hunter’s lifelike characters and
paranormal creatures populate a plot that will keep you guessing till
the very end. A perfect mesh of mystery, thriller, and romance.”
Romantic
Times
 on Taken
at Dusk













The
Mortician's Daughter:
Two
Feet Under 

Riley
has accepted that her special gift is to help dead people with their
unfinished business.  But she never thought she’d be tasked
with helping the spirit of a convicted criminal who died in prison.
 He may lead her on the scariest mission yet, but helping him
could mean saving the life of a child.  The convict’s daughter
needs a liver transplant and the one person who could still be a
match is his brother…who also happens to be a gang
leader.


Hayden’s
not happy that Riley’s discovered who he is and is seeing him sick
and unconscious in his hospital bed.  This feels like as good a
time as ever to cross over and put all of them out of their
misery….but Riley is in danger.  She’s visiting some of the
most dangerous spots and confronting some of the creepiest low-lifes
in town.  For her, he’ll need to regain his strength and fight
to keep her safe.

But
dealing with other people’s problems still can’t keep Riley from
her own.  Her dad’s drinking has gotten worse.  And
she’ll soon learn it’s because he’s been keeping a huge,
horrible secret that will change everything she believes about her
family and her mother’s death.






    C.C. Hunter is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty-five books, including her wildly popular Shadow Falls and Shadow Falls: After Dark series. In addition to winning numerous awards and rave reviews for her novels, C.C. is also a photojournalist, motivational speaker, and writing coach. In February 2018, Wednesday Books will publish her contemporary young adult and hardcover debut, This Heart of Mine. And the first book of her new paranormal young adult series, The Mortician's Daughter: One Foot in the Grave will release on October 31st 2017. C. C. currently resides in Texas with her husband, junkyard dog, Lady, and whatever wild creatures that meander out from woods surrounding home.





Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive content and a giveaway!












Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Uncanny Valley Trilogy Book Tour and Giveaway


Uncanny
Valley
Uncanny
Valley Book 1
by
C.A. Gray
Genre:
YA Dystopian, Coming of Age

**Dystopian
coming-of-age with superintelligent A.I.**


Rebecca
Cordeaux knows exactly what her future will hold: she will marry
Andy, her crush of the last five years. Once Andy is ready to settle
down, she’s sure he will discover that she is his soulmate. After
several small parts on stage, Rebecca knows she can become a renowned
actress. Her writing also shows promise as a future author. Robots
perform most human jobs that can be automated, leaving many free to
pursue their personal creative interests.

But
Rebecca's mother Karen fears the new world of robots, and insists her
brilliant daughter join a university research team, studying the
hazards of a complete robotic economy. Rebecca's father Quentin was
obsessed with the subject to a degree that even her mother considered
absurd, prior to his untimely death. So long as she can reserve
enough of her time to pursue her true passions on the side, Rebecca
half-heartedly agrees to join the research team, if only to please
her widowed mother. There she joins a post-doc named Liam, whose
conspiracy theories rival even those of her late father. Liam is
convinced that world Republic leader William Halpert’s worldwide
challenge for researchers to develop synthetic creativity will lead
not to the promised utopia, in which every kind of human suffering
has been eradicated, but rather to an apocalypse. Rebecca, whose best
friend is her own companion bot Madeline, writes Liam off as a
bot-hating conspiracy theorist, just like her father was… until she
learns that her father’s death might not have been due to mere
happenstance.

With
Liam’s help, Rebecca learns of an underground organization known as
The Renegades, where Quentin Cordeaux was considered a legend. While
Liam attempts to stop Halpert’s challenge if he can, Rebecca tries
to unravel the mystery of what happened to her father. Did he and
many of his contemporaries die for something they knew? Who is the
mysterious informant who calls himself John Doe, and only seems to
want to drive her out of harm’s way? And if Halpert’s challenge
is answered, will it usher in a brave new chapter in humanity’s
history… or were Quentin Cordeaux’s dire predictions right all
along?








The
Silver Six
Uncanny
Valley Book 2

What
is it that makes us truly human?


Rebecca
Cordeaux’s entire world has been turned upside down. In a single
day, she’s learned that Senate Leader Halpert and his Board of
Advisors are actually illegal humanoid robots created underground
twenty years ago—and they tried to have her killed. Her mother
Karen, whom she always believed to be passionately against the cause
of the Renegades, turns out to be their leader. And Liam, a man she
never thought she cared for, is now fighting for his life—and she
finds that she cares desperately.

Fortunately
Karen, known to the Renegades as M, has planned for exactly this sort
of eventuality. Using Rebecca’s father’s blueprints, Karen
patiently built an underground compound in an abandoned part of the
Americas where they can regroup and plan for the coming war. The
compound becomes an unlikely oasis as their number grows, both on
accident and on purpose. In attempting to recover her best friend and
companion bot Madeline, Rebecca gets what she thought she’d always
wanted: Andy arrives at the compound too, along with her friends Jake
and Julie. But with the sudden addition of an old flame from Liam’s
past, Rebecca discovers just how little acquainted she has been with
her own heart.

Meanwhile,
the Silver Six are running a worldwide campaign of indoctrination to
ensure that the people are on their side. In the name of peace, they
want nothing more than to wipe out every shred of resistance, while
pursuing their ultimate goal of robotic superintelligence. With the
assistance of a neuroscientist who helped to build the Silver Six
decades ago, Rebecca attempts to understand how synthetic minds work,
hoping this information can be used against them. She’s sure that
the mysterious, brilliant, and beautiful Alessandra Russo is the key
somehow, but Alex’s hatred for the Silver Six is only matched by
her hatred for the Renegades. Can the Renegades find and exploit the
weakness of the Silver Six before synthetic intelligence passes the
point of no return?







Jaguar
Uncanny
Valley Book 3

The
Silver Six have blown the Renegades’ underground compound to bits,
killing several of Rebecca’s best friends in the process—and to
her horror, the boy Rebecca had convinced herself she loved for all
these years was the one to betray them all. At the same time, General
Specs, the company Liam was once slated to inherit, has developed a
superintelligent robot called Jaguar which is quickly becoming
godlike in her omniscience. As the remaining Renegades flee to their
last bastion of safety in the Caribbean, Liam makes his way back to
London, in a last ditch effort to convince his father to destroy
Jaguar before it’s too late.


Rebecca,
meanwhile, finally understands her own heart: she never loved Andy.
He was merely a ‘safe’ choice who would never require anything of
her. Liam, on the other hand, exasperating as he was, had seen past
her defenses. All of his teasing and provoking had been his attempt
to get her to be real with him—but the more he made her feel, the
further she had retreated. She had even substituted her companion bot
Madeline for real, deep human friendships, and for the same reason:
she’d been avoiding love to protect herself from another loss like
the one she had experienced when her father was killed for the
Renegades’ cause. Ironically, she only realizes this once Liam is
on his way to a similar fate. But she’ll be damned if she lets him
go without a fight.

This
high stakes conclusion to the Uncanny Valley Trilogy envisions a
world not too far off from our own, in which superintelligence is a
reality, humanoid bots have supplanted human power and influence, and
there are eyes watching and reporting our every move. If humanity is
to survive, the Renegades will have to galvanize support across the
globe, under the radar—and it will require every last bit of
ingenuity they possess. But is attempting to outwit a
superintelligent being really the answer? Or will it require
something much more fundamentally human?






C.A.
Gray is the author of three YA Amazon bestselling trilogies:
PIERCING THE VEIL (magic and quantum physics meet Arthurian legends),
THE LIBERTY BOX (dystopian metaphysics and mind control technology),
and UNCANNY VALLEY (dystopian coming-of-age with neuroscience and
super intelligent A.I). She starts with some scientific concept that
she’s interested in learning more about herself, and then creates
lots of epic chaos and high-stakes action to go along with it. Her
stories are free of gratuitous violence, language, and sexual
content, and she abhors depressing endings… but they’re not all
kittens and rainbows either! She also listens to and reviews
audiobooks on her website, here on Goodreads, on Instagram, and on
her podcast, Clean Audiobook Reviews, where she also
occasionally interviews other authors.


By
day, C.A. Gray practices naturopathic medicine, podcasts, and writes
medical non-fiction under her maiden name (Dr. Lauren Deville). She
lives in Tucson, AZ with her husband Frank, and together they
maintain an occasionally contentious film review blog (under her real
name: Lauren Baden. Three names. Yes.) She’s kind of the queen of
multitasking—so in her spare time, she creates whatever meals or
crafts she found most recently on Pinterest, drinks lots of coffee
(Aeropress btw) and occasional wine (reds—and she saves the corks
for craft projects), works out (while listening to audiobooks), and
studies the Bible—about half of the podcasts on Christian Natural
Health are scripture meditations.

She
does sleep, too. Promise.







Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!