A serial reader

Moving day is here

Marcia — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 17:44:35 +0000

A Serial Reader is moving to it’s new self-hosted blog address which is A Serial Reader. The migration might take up to 48 hours. If you get the GoDaddy page don’t worry I should be at the new address by Monday.

Don’t forget to update your reader(s) if you subscribe to A Serial Reader.

So Close the Hand of Death (Lt. Taylor Jackson, #6) by J.T. Ellison

Marcia — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:59:13 +0000

By far my favorite Taylor Jackson book. I love this series so that’s saying a lot. Ms. Ellison has hit a home run over the backfield fence and out of the ballpark with her newest release. As always this series leaves me wanting more, more, more. Whereas I was struggling with the series book I was reading before picking up So Close the Hand of Death I blew through this one in a day. Can it be that I have wait until September to get an update on Taylor’s condition?

Wish list | India Black and the Widow of Windsor (India Black, #2) by Carol K. Carr

Marcia — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:35:03 +0000

I’m so excited for the newest India Black spy adventure. This really is a two-for-one post: wish list and cover attraction. Berkley’s art department once again comes through with a great cover. And I know fans of historical fiction and mystery lovers alike will find India a welcome addition to their collection.

Dear Amazon ~ please add the Kindle pre-order button, like now already!

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Black is back—Her Majesty’s favorite spy is off to Scotland in this new adventure to ensure the Queen doesn’t end up getting killed. When Queen Victoria attends a séance, the spirit of her departed husband, Prince Albert, insists she spend Christmas at their Scottish home in Balmoral. Prime Minister Disraeli suspects the Scottish nationalists plan to assassinate the Queen—and sends the ever resourceful India and the handsome British spy, French, to the Scottish highlands. French will take the high road, looking for a traitor among the guests—and India will take the low road, disguised as a servant in case an assassin is hiding among the household staff. India is certain that someone at Balmoral is determined to make this Her Majesty’s last Christmas…

A peek at the new blog design

Marcia — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:07:06 +0000

I’m getting closer to moving to the self-hosted domain name. The move date is tentatively set for Saturday, 3.26. I’ve also been working on a new design. Here’s a sneak peek at it.

Where Shadows Dance (Sebastian St. Cyr, #6) by C.S. Harris

Marcia — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:56:06 +0000

Loved it! This series doesn’t disappoint. I eagerly look forward to each new release. I feel a bit let down turning the last page knowing that it will be another year before I can once again spend time with Sebastian and company. With each book you learn more about these wonderful characters as their stories ebb and flow around each other. While the murder mysteries are engaging the personal story lines are just as interesting. I’m especially intrigued by Sebastian and Hero’s relationship. I ‘cheered’ at their death-defying scene in What Remains of Heaven. While I like Kat I never personally thought she was the woman for Sebastian. Kat hasn’t been written as a strong enough character to mesh well with Sebastian’s personality nor blend her life with his. Hero, on the other hand, for me is his match in every way. I’ve always been a fan of Hero’s. I appreciate strong, well written lead female characters. She’ll challenge him both personally and professionally. Sure they’ll clash a bit, which should make for some very entertaining reading, but they’ll weather the storms. Where they’re eventually headed only time will tell but I wish for them a happy, loving marriage.

Wish list | The Graveyard Queen: The Restorer (Amelia Gray, #1) by Amanda Stevens

Marcia — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:42:27 +0000

I love great cover art and The Restorer immediately caught my attention when I spotted it at Shelf Awareness tonight. I rarely order books from new-to-me authors but I’m seriously considering breaking that rule, at the least the Kindle sample chapters.
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Never acknowledge the dead
Never stray far from hallowed ground
Never associate with those who are haunted
Never, ever tempt fate

My father’s rules. I’ve never broken them…until now.

My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing.

It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Detective Devlin needs me, but to help him would be to invite the ghosts that shadow his every move into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger, even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer.

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Look for the prequel The Graveyard Queen: The Abandoned online April 2011 at the author’s website.

There are rules for dealing with ghosts. Too bad Ree Hutchins doesn’t know them.

When her favorite patient at a private mental hospital passes away, psychology student Ree Hutchins mourns the elderly woman’s death. But more unsettling is her growing suspicion that something unnatural is shadowing her.

Amateur ghost hunter Hayden Priest believes Ree is being haunted. Even Amelia Gray, known in Charleston as the Graveyard Queen, senses a gathering darkness. Driven by a force she doesn’t understand, Ree is compelled to uncover an old secret and put abandoned souls to rest—before she is locked away forever…

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Graveyard Queen series.
Available for download April, 2011

Wish list | Rizzo’s Fire (Joe Rizzo, #2) by Lou Manfredo

Marcia — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:01:44 +0000

Robert Lauria was practically a hermit, and was dead ten days before anyone found him. Fired from his job as a shoe salesman weeks ago, he rarely left his apartment and had no visitors except his cousin, who says she hardly knew him. So who strangled him late one night as he made tea in the kitchen in his pajamas? And could there be a connection to the headline-grabbing murder of a Broadway producer a day earlier? Rizzo and his new partner, Priscilla Jackson, carefully comb through the life of this forgotten man, even though the case has already been put on the back burner by their superiors. And what they find will surprise everyone.

Armed with more street smarts than the FBI agents assigned to the more glamorous case, Rizzo and his new partner Priscilla Jackson are tasked with navigating the twin labyrinths of the truth and NYPD politics in order to find the killer and bring him to justice.

Wish list | Where Shadows Dance (Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, #6) by C.S. Harris

Marcia — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:01:44 +0000

Sebastian St. Cyr finds himself in the realm of international intrigue when he investigates the murder of a foreign office diplomat-a murder his reluctant bride-to-be, Hero Jarvis, knows something about. And when a second body is found, Sebastian must race to unmask a ruthless killer who is now threatening Hero’s life-and the life of their unborn child.

Wish list | Beagle Mania (Pet Rescue Mystery, #1) by Linda O. Johnston

Marcia — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:01:20 +0000

Lauren Vancouver is the head of HotRescues, a no-kill animal shelter north of Los Angeles, but it’s often human nature that puts her in the path of danger. Just like when she helps rescue four adorable beagle puppies that were dumped down a drainpipe at a nasty puppy mill. One of the mill’s employees has a history of dog abuse-and a bone to pick with Lauren. And when he’s found dead at HotRescues after threatening her, Lauren will have to sniff out the real killer to keep herself out of a cage…

Wish list | Begging for Trouble (Ellie Engleman, Dog Walker Mystery, #4) by Judi McCoy

Marcia — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:01:11 +0000

When Ellie, New York City’s most enterprising dog walker, goes to see one of her clients perform in a show, the screams aren’t just for the fantastic dance numbers…

A murder happens backstage, and the only witness is a dog named Bitsy. Taking Bitsy to a dog psychic might not be standard procedure, but it may stop a killer from biting again.