Books are food for my soul! Pull up a beach chair and stick your toes in the sand as the Jersey surf rolls in and out, now open your book and let your imagination take you away.

Friday, June 28, 2019

The Wedding Crasher by Nikki Stern (VBT: Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for The Wedding Crasher by author Nikki Stern!





The Wedding Crasher by Nikki Stern
Book 1: A Sam Tate Mystery
Publisher: Ruthenia Press
Publication Date: April 15, 2019
Format: Paperback - 341 pages
               Kindle - 343 pages / 1055 KB
               Nook - 342 pages / 2 MB
ISBN: 978-0999548738
ASIN: B07QRV7H38
BNID: 978-0999548721
Genre: Mystery



Buy The Book:


A Sam Tate Mystery Series
Book 1: The Wedding Crasher
Book 2: Bird In Hand (Publication Date: 2020)


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.



Book Description:

A brunette in a bridal gown turns up in Pickett County, Tennessee, throat slit and ring finger missing. She’s the latest victim of the Wedding Crasher, a serial killer who murders women just weeks before their weddings.

Samantha Tate is Picket County’s yoga-loving, poker-playing new sheriff, a former Nashville homicide detective who struggles with her inner demons. To catch the meticulous murderer, Sam will have to follow her instincts and ignore her worst impulses. Can she stop the Wedding Crasher before another bride-to-be dies?


Book Excerpt:



The dead woman lay in the clearing like a macabre version of Sleeping Beauty. She was dressed in a long-sleeved, high-necked ivory gown, set off by luminescent pearl drop earrings and a matching necklace that almost hid the dried blood around her throat. Her head rested on a satin pillow, her silky walnut hair spread behind her like a fan. The right hand held a bouquet of wilted flowers and rested on her chest underneath the left, absent the fourth finger. The ring finger.

Sheriff Sam Tate stood to one side of the grim tableau, arms folded, and took it all in: the victim; the tall white-haired man who knelt by the body; the deputy who walked the scene in throwaway boots, snapping pictures; the pale young man in running gear sitting on a rock, head almost to his knees; the uniformed officer who squatted beside him.

Sam had dressed in her standard uniform of pressed black slacks and a spotless white shirt. A shaft of early-morning sun bounced off the polished badge at her left breast pocket. On her right wrist, she wore a utilitarian watch. Three small studs twinkled along one earlobe, her single visible concession to a rebellious streak. She’d pulled her unruly dark locks into a tight braid. Ray-Bans shielded her green eyes, though not the line that formed between her brows.

One of the victim’s low-heeled white pumps had dropped off to reveal a slim ankle in hosiery. Stockings, not pantyhose, held up by an old-fashioned garter. Sam didn’t need to look.

He’s back, she thought, adding a curse for good measure.



My Book Review:

In The Wedding Crasher, author Nikki Stern weaves a riveting mystery/police procedural tale that follows Pickett County, Tennessee Sheriff Samantha Tate and FBI Special Agent Terry Sloan as they investigate the serial murders of brides-to-be by a serial killer dubbed the Wedding Crasher.

Author Nikki Stern provides a multi-layered storyline that has enough mystery, suspense, drama, treachery, secrets, dark traumatic pasts, and intriguing twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing, while weaving an intricate and complicated web of what the motive of the bridal ritual murders could have been, and the spectrum of possible participants who could have been involved in committing them. And if that isn't enough to captivate the reader, the author adds a wonderful touch of humor, wit, grit, and a bit of a complicated deep connection and star-crossed romance between two broken people, Sam and Terry, into the mix to keep them entertained.

The Wedding Crasher is an exciting mystery story intertwined with enough police procedural aspects and realistic characters; witty dialogue and interactions; and rich descriptions of the setting that transports the reader to Byrdstown, Tennessee and Miami, Florida. This fascinating multi-layered storyline draws the reader into the interconnection between Sam and Terry and the slow revelation of their traumatic pasts, while they engage in a frustrating cat-n-mouse game with the Wedding Crasher serial killer, until the pieces of the serial murder investigation puzzle comes together and is dramatically solved. But alas, just when you think Sam and Terry's investigative adventure is over, the author leaves the reader with a cliffhanger ending that will keep them in limbo until Bird In Hand, the second book in the Sam Tate Mystery Series is published in 2020.

The Wedding Crasher is the kind of mystery that easily keeps the reader captivated, guessing, on their toes, and wanting more!


RATING: 5 STARS 
                                  






About The Author




Nikki Stern is the author of the inspirational HOPE IN SMALL DOSES, a 2015 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal finalist, and the thriller THE FORMER ASSASSIN, a 2018 Kindle Book Review category finalist. Her essays are included in three anthologies and she co-authored the interactive CafĂ© Noir murder mystery series, published by Samuel French. Eight of her short stories have been published in various online journals and she was a Mark Twain Royal Nonesuch finalist for her short story “Long Away and Far Ago.”

Nikki is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.


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Contest Giveaway

Win a $15 Amazon Gift Card




This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Nikki Stern. There will be two (2) giveaway winners. Each winner will receive one (1) Amazon Gift Card. The giveaway begins on June 1, 2019 and runs through July 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.



a Rafflecopter giveaway





Virtual Book Tour



Tour Schedule:

06/01 Review @ From the TBR Pile
06/02 Showcase @ Eclectic Moods
06/03 Review @ Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
06/03 Review @ Nesie's Place
06/04 Showcase @ Celtic Lady's Reviews
06/05 Showcase @ Books Direct
06/06 Review @ Book Reviews From an Avid Reader
06/07 Showcase @ The Bookworm Lodge
06/08 Showcase @ Read and Review
06/09 Review @ EienCafe
06/10 Interview @ Books Chatter
06/11 Review @ Wall-to-wall books
06/12 Review @ Books with Bircky
06/12 Review @ Brooke’s Library
06/13 Review @ Cheryl's Book Nook
06/13 Showcase @ Loris Reading Corner
06/14 Showcase @ Reading a Page Turner
06/17 Review @ Bless their hearts mom blog
06/18 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf
06/19 Interview @ CMash Reads
06/19 Showcase @ The Reading Frenzy
06/20 Interview @ Reading a Page Turner
06/20 Review @ Cassandra M’s Place
06/21 Review @ Buried Under Books
06/22 Review @ Jessica Rachow
06/23 Review @ Cy Wyss, Author and Artist
06/24 Review @ Simply Kelina
06/25 Review @ Quiet Fury Books
06/26 Review @ The Magic Of Wor(l)ds
06/28 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
06/30 Showcase @ Teatime and Books




Monday, June 3, 2019

Little Beach Bungalow by Joanne DeMaio (VBT: Book Review)

In association with Author Joanne DeMaio, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for Little Beach Bungalow!








Book Review






Little Beach Bungalow by Joanne DeMaio
Book 9: The Seaside Saga Series
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: Paperback - May 4, 2019 / eBook - May 14, 2019
Format: Paperback - 332 pages
               Kindle - 5033 KB
               Nook - 868 KB
               Audible Audiobook - 8 Hours 16 Minutes
ISBN: 978-1090956859
ASIN (ebook): B07PXT51LK
ASIN (audiobook): B07R5C7DY5
BNID: 2940161393031
Genre: Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:


Buy The Series: The Seaside Saga Series
Book 1: Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans 
Book 2: The Denim Blue Sea
Book 3: Beach Blues
Book 4: Beach Breeze
Book 5: The Beach Inn
Book 6: Beach Bliss
Book 7: Castaway Cottage
Book 8: Night Beach
Book 9: Little Beach Bungalow 



Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review.


Book Description:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Night Beach comes a novel as alluring as a weathered cottage by the sea.

The cottage is nestled along winding Sea View Road, set back from the sandy street. Surrounded by swaying dune grass, it's a shabby little beach bungalow with an open back porch overlooking a sparkling Long Island Sound. A sign propped in the front window says: For Rent.

Well, the cottage was For Rent ... until one particular lobsterman booked a summer stay there. As Shane Bradford settles into the New England beach town of Stony Point, he unloads more than boxes and duffels. With his arrival, he unpacks secrets, and entwined histories, among his circle of beach friends. Old loves surface. New ones emerge, too.

Little Beach Bungalow follows Shane's simmering summer days back on the Connecticut shore, and much is in store.



Book Excerpt: (Select The Preview Button)



My Book Review:

In Little Beach Bungalow, the beach friends' story continues where Night Beach left off. Author Joanne DeMaio transports the reader back to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut, where the summer season is coming to a close. The story picks up with the lives of friends: Maris, Jason, Eva, Matt, Kyle, Lauren, Elsa, Cliff, Nick, Paige, Vinny, and Celia. But in this installment of the popular Seaside Saga Series, the focus is on Kyle's estranged brother Shane Bradford.

In Little Beach Bungalow, Author Joanne DeMaio easily captivates her readers' attention with this beautifully written tale through a seamless and flowing storyline, and with a wonderful description of a tranquil beach setting that wraps itself around the reader like a sun-warmed beach towel. The characters draw you into their lives with a strong emotional pull, their complexities and flaws are true-to-life, it is easy to relate to them with compassion, empathy, and hope.

With a mixture of intrigue, suspense, drama, humor, heartache, hidden secrets, romance, and a strong bond of friendship, this story takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride revolving around Kyle and Shane's estranged brotherly relationship. The close of the summer season and Shane's appearance and decision to rent a shabby little beach bungalow brings old memories, long held secrets, past hurts, and an entwined history among the beach friends. As time heals all wounds, so does the sea air, and this group of friends lives by the credo: "salt air, not a care" and "cast away your troubles straight into the sea." The shimmering denim blue sea with its calming effect will offer them another summer season of hope, love, family, friendship, heartache, mistakes, forgiveness, redemption, and blissful new beginnings. But alas, mistakes, secrets, past painful issues, and a surprising cliffhanger will leave the reader impatiently waiting to read more about Shane in Every Summer, the next installment in The Seaside Saga Series. So now that I have whet your interest in the beach friends latest comings and goings, drive under the railroad trestle and enter the enchanting beach town of Stony Point ... pull up a beach chair ... and visit with the close-knit longtime friends in author Joanne DeMaio's delightful novel, Little Beach Bungalow.

Little Beach Bungalow is an intricate story of interweaving friendships, life events, and deep family secrets and drama. It is a wonderful story that continues to demonstrate the power of the magical sweet salt air that will cure what ails you.

The Seaside Sage Series is a heartwarming series of stories of friendship, family, painful secrets, new beginnings and second chances. Author Joanne DeMaio weaves a wonderful tale written in the third person narrative, that is set in the present with flashbacks to the past. The reader is transported to the tranquil seashore town of Stony Point, Connecticut, where they follow along with Celia, Maris, Eva, Matt, Jason, Kyle, Lauren, Nick, Elsa, and Cliff as their lives change like the tide's ebb and flow on their little tranquil coastal town.



RATING: 5 STARS 




About The Author




Joanne DeMaio is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys writing about friendship, family, love and choices, while setting her stories in New England towns or by the sea. Little Beach Bungalow is her newest novel. Currently at work on her next book, Joanne lives with her family in Connecticut.


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