Traveling is one of my favorite things to do. I love almost every aspect of it, but I particularly love planning out the itinerary so that I can make the most of my time and see all sorts of new sights and places. Traveling in person has resumed for many folks, but most of my travel right now is through books. Rather than a typical travel schedule, I thought it would be fun to plan an out of this world spring break adventure to explore some of the various paranormal and fantasy worlds authors have created for us. So, without further ado, let’s get started! Day 1 We start off with a trip to the planet Harmony, courtesy of author Jayne Castle.  Illusion Town is our first stop on the planet and is described by the author as a weirder version of Las Vegas. The Harmony world features all sorts of fun things, from ghosts and paranormal energy to the Midnight Carnival, Dead City, and Ghost City. GUILD BOSS is the latest offering from Jayne Castle but honestly readers new to the series will want to devour all of her books as they are just that good! One of my…

by Debbie Wiley Books have been part of my life for as long as I remember. Even before I could fully read on my own, I remember my grandmother reading to me and listening to books on record albums, following along with the words in the accompanying book. Everyone knows the last two years have been tough, but for this reader, it’s been worsened by a reading slump. Instead of turning to books for comfort, I’ve watched a lot of mindless television, much to the chagrin of my husband. Fortunately, a few recent reads have really jumped out at me and tugged me into the storylines, snapping that reading slump into tiny pieces! One of the tricks often cited to break a reading slump is to reread old favorites. My twist on this is to read authors I’ve loved over the years. CURSE OF SALEM by Kay Hooper perfectly fit the bill! Not only have I loved Kay Hooper’s books dating back to the 1980s when she wrote category romances, but I’ve also faithfully followed her Bishop Special Crimes Unit series, devouring them as soon as I could get my hands on each new installment. CURSE OF SALEM returns to the town…

Every day from now through the end of the year (and even a few days into 2019), we’ll be sharing our reviewers’ favorite reads of 2018. A different genre will be featured every day! We’ll share why these books were some of our favorites and what made them so special. We hope you’ll share yours in the comments, too! Up first, our favorite mysteries, of all kinds – thriller, psychological, romantic suspense… Check back next week for cozy mysteries, though! Below they are listed in no particular order: NO PLACE FOR WOLVERINES by Dave Butler Jenny Willson 2 REVIEWER: Clare I recently read this and knew straight away it was my thriller of the year. A Canadian national park and nearby town try to fend off a big-money ski resort proposal. We learn so much about the get rich quick types behind this, the activists are driven to protect their park, the geology, and nature of the wilderness area, the work of police and journalists. Mystery Woman Sleuth | Thriller Crime [Dundurn, On Sale: October 13, 2018, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 978145973983 / ] An intelligent web of money, threats, townsfolk, and wilderness… Buy NO PLACE FOR WOLVERINES: Amazon.com |…

There are many things I like about reviewing, but the thing I think I like the best is being able to get books ahead of the publication date. It’s really rather funny because it’s also the thing I hate most about being a reviewer, because it seems like I read those books, and then have an even longer wait for the author to release another new title. Recently I’ve been able to read books by Sharon Sala and Maggie Shayne who will both be having trilogies release this summer. In the case of Ms. Sala, her first title BLOWN AWAY is in bookstores. I loved this book, and could hardly set it aside when I read it. The first book in the Shayne trilogy isn’t due until the end of June and is titled, KILLING ME SOFTLY. AGAIN, another read I could hardly set aside! I just love trilogies! They’re the right amount of books to get me fully interested in the characters, and the continuing story lines, but not as many books as the popular J. D. Robb series, so that I can easily collect them, read them 1, 2, 3, and be done. That however poses the question…when…

Bookstores. New books. Amazon packages on my door step. These are just a few of my favorite things. As November is rounding the bend and the holiday swing will begin to dance its jig, I get to be excited about new books from several of my favorite authors, but I must confess to a certain wicked delight I take when I know a new In Death book is waiting in the wings. Next Tuesday, on November 3rd, J.D. Robb’s 30th In Death is released featuring homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas, her mega-billionaire husband Roarke and their entire cast of characters. Nora Roberts is an extremely prolific writer and while I am a fan of several of her romances, I have to admit, I am completely captivated by the In Death series. Part of the affection is the cast of characters that populates these novels and fills out all the nooks and crannies of Roarke and Eve’s lives. Part of it is journeying with them into their happily ever after and honestly, part of it is the mystery that unravels in each book. Kindred in Death I am such a fan of these books that I rarely, if ever actually read their…