Review: HELL TO PAY by Wendy Corsi Staub

Serial Killer Series #3

Suspense

Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins

Jeremy Cavalon and Lucy Walsh are survivors. Brought together by the unspeakable horrors of a serial killer when they were younger, they are now married and anticipating the birth of their first child. Then tragedy strikes again, as an evil from the past escapes to seek vengeance. 

 

*****

Wendy Corsi Staub has created a sinister thriller in HELL TO PAY. The villain was the perfect combination of religious zealot and insane lunatic. I was a bit disappointed that I figured out who the bad guy was so early on in the story, but Ms. Staub wove a gripping tale that kept me turning the pages through the twists and turns of the killer's insane mind. I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next and how it would all play out in the end. I was NOT disappointed.

Jeremy and Lucy have been through so much, that I couldn't help but want the best for them. You could see where Jeremy still had a long way to go to heal from his past, first and for most he needed to get the secret he has been holding for years off his chest, as his guilt was holding him back from completely connecting with Lucy, who was unbelievably sweet. After all she had been through she was able to keep a mostly positive attitude in life, she was Jeremy's opposite. 

I would (and have) recommend HELL TO PAY to anyone who enjoys a good suspense. I didn't read the first 2 books in this series LIVE TO TELL and SCARED TO DEATH, but felt the book read decently as a stand alone.

Rating: 4

Happy Turkey Day!!!!!

Sterling WINNERS!!!!

Congratulations Barbara and Chrisbails!

Interview and Contest with Lisa Renee Jones, author of THE STORM THAT IS STERLING

Two random commenters will win a copy!

It's my pleasure today to welcome Lisa Renee Jones, author of the recently released THE STORM THAT IS STERLING, book #2 in her Zodius series to Rambling Reads.

Hi Lisa, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. 

• THE STORM THAT IS STERLING is the second book in your Zodius series. What inspired you to create these Super Soldiers and the world that they live in?

A love for Vegas, and interest in Area 51, and an ex-father in law, no deceased, who was a part of some government operations he told us about right before his passing, after keeping them secrets all his life.

• Describe Sterling in three words.

Tormented, funny, sincere

• Sterling has a warped sense of humor, and I have a feeling he would be hard to control.  Was he difficult to write or did his personality just flow onto the pages? 

Sterling really flowed for me. I just knew him on some level from the minute I met him in Michael’s book. He was such a perfect contrast to Michael but so like him in the pain that drives him.

• We know Sterling is a soldier, but what us Becca's occupation?

She is an Astrobioligist

• What is your favorite scene in this book?

That’s a hard question. There are so many scenes in each book I like for different reasons. The scene I like the most is in a bar near the end of the book. I can’t say what happens without giving away something big but it’s a big emotional break through.

• How do you usually come up your with your characters and/or plot? Do you adhere to a routine when you write? 

Characters tend to just come to me as I plot a series. I keep a notebook with each character having a page with their history, traits, likes and dislikes. I write 7 days a week or I lose focus, even if it’s only a couple hundred words.

• Have you ever been in the middle of writing a book where you had to stop because another story would speak louder in your head? If so, were you able to finish both?

Because of deadlines I don’t really have the ability to stop in the middle of a story and I don’t even read other people’s work while intensely in the middle of a book because I need to stay focused. However, when authors contract books they usually write a proposal and then don’t go back to that book for months and months to finish writing it while their editor reads the proposal. It can be hard to end one book and just jump into the book that was started months before and get the groove going again.

Now it's our turn to learn something more about YOU, Lisa. :)

• If you had to pick one book to take with you to a deserted island, which one would you choose? Has this author influenced your style?

Different authors have inspired me at different times of my life. My mom loved Victoria Holt so as a kid I used to read her books. So I’d say she inspired a love of books. I love Lori Foster’s men, and Suzanne Brockmann’s action, and Karen Moning’s heroines. If I was on a deserted island I’d probably want Galean Foley’s books. She has several series I’ve read over and over. I don’t write historical and I love the escape they give me and she writes brilliantly.

• What is your favorite television series?

I’m a tv addict. I love Supernautral, and Nurse Jackie, and House. I love Entourage and Californication and Weeds. The list goes on. I use to love Monk for a light, fun escape.

• What is your favorite fairy tale?

Oh Cinderella. I’m a romance writer.

• What is your favorite song?

That changes. I am a gymaholic and I spend so much time there that music is a way to get through the torture. That means I overplay a  lot and get tired of it and then come back to it. Lately Kid Rock has gotten me through a  lot workouts, and Kenny Chesney has helped me get words on the page. Janet Jackson is a forever favorite but I love Beyonce as well.

• What is your favorite indulgence?

Chocolate and Marconi and Cheese preferably in the same meal

OMG isn't Damion's cover GORGEOUS?!




• What is your favorite genre to read?

I sort of beat you to the punch on that one. I love all genres and it’s  a mood thing. I don’t read much YA though.

•  What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas. I love the holiday and the feeling it brings for weeks and weeks before it arrives.

• Can you please give us a sneak peek at any of your upcoming books?

I have HOT VAMPIRE TOUCH releasing this month which is the third book in my Vampire Wardens trilogy and introduces a werewolf in WICKED WEREWOLF NIGHT out December 13^th.  I have a lot going on next year. 

 May THE DANGER THAT IS DAMION - Zodius #3.

 August VEGAS HEAT a spice brief

 October-December A Blaze trilogy 

AMERICA’S NEXT TOP DANCER

I have a number of indies planned as well 

• What is the best way for readers to contact you?

lisarenjones@gmail.com and I love to hear from readers!

 

Thank you so much for visiting with us today.TWO random commenters will win a copy of STERLING!!!

Thank you Veterans!!!

Happy Veteran's Day to all who have served and those still serving, and remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

If you like your freedom thank a veteran every time you see one, especially today! Freedom is NOT free!! 

***BTW, to those who may not know, a veteran does NOT have to have been to war in a foreign land to be considered a veteran, ANYONE who has served deserves your thanks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I want!!!! Lisa Kleypas has a new book out in February

 Lucy Marinn, a glass artist who lives on San Juan Island, has just been dumped by her boyfriend Kevin. Needing some privacy and time to think, she goes to a nearby beach and meets a dark-haired stranger . . . 

Click to read an excerpt.

What a fantastic cover!  February can't come soon enough.

I am one of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info & content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks & swag in return..

Review: MIDNIGHT by Ellen Connor

Dark Age Dawning #2

Post-Apocalyptic / Shape Shifter

Berkley Sensation

Having caused nothing but grief to those who close to him, Chris Welsh has become content with being alone. He has been roaming the stark countryside since shortly after the Change. Civilization as he once knew it is gone. There are pockets of groups banning together, yet nothing like what he stumbles on in Valle de Bravo.

Rosa Cortez has struggled to get to the top, and that is where she plans to stay. She has created a loyal society in Valle de Bravo, a civilization willing to fight to expand their meager existence. 
 

Rosa doesn't trust the seductive stranger, but if he plans to stay, she wants him to swear loyalty. Chris has no plans on staying, but when a gang of desert pirates strike, he vows to help the sexy commander. 
 

*****

Ellen Connor has once again sucked me into the post-Apocalyptic civilization trying to regain it's footing in a world that has slipped back to the dark ages, with an added twist of magic and skinwalkers (shape-shifters) to liven things up. I find it fascinating to imagine how people react in in such a situation, and I think Ms. Connor has struck the right balance of good vs. evil as their characters try to retain their humanity and sense of society.

Rosa and Chris both had lived through great pain since the change. Each had chosen different paths to cope, yet really they weren't that different from each other. Rosa had awesome leadership qualities that made people want to be better and to prove to her they were. I enjoyed Chris and Rosa's verbal sparing as neither was willing to blindly follow the others commands. I loved how Chris didn't want to diminish Rosa's authority, and was willing to show his loyalty, yet he was never portrayed as weak, as the reader I saw him as an equal to Rosa.

I liked that they were both forced to face their biggest fears and were allowed to overcome them without losing themselves. Rosa had to face her acceptance that not all skinwalkers were bad, that most where like other humans, struggling to survive in the harsh landscape of the Change. Rosa inspired Chris to want to work at a relationship, and to not run scared of emotional attachment.

Holy cats, the chemistry between Chris and Rosa was combustible. They fought their attraction, but eventually gave into a sizzling passion that singed the pages. I loved their journey of emotional growth, as each had suffered so much before, they had closed themselves off to others, and found they could not do the same with each other.

Rating: 5

Author Website