Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–On The Lamb

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020 bmary82226 Comments

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Tina Kashian and her new book On The Lamb. This is the fourth book in her A Kebob Kitchen Mystery series. This is a great book and series, check it out.

On the Lamb (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Publisher: Kensington (February 25, 2020)
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN-10: 1496726057
ISBN-13: 978-1496726056
Kindle ASIN: B07R8WVPMX

Purchase Links

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Kobo – Google Books – iBooks:

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On the Lamb (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery)
by Tina Kashian

An intricate mystery, an abundance of motives, a large dollop of intriguing characters, and a pinch of romance blended with a hint of salt from the Jersey Shore blend together to make ON THE LAMB a fun heartwarming story.
~Cozy Up With Kathy

Ms. Kashin did a fantastic job of stumping me that I just had to give this book five stars. I loved every minute of reading this book.
~Baroness’ Book Trove

On the Lamb is a charming cozy mystery that will have you wanting to visit the Jersey shore.
~The Avid Reader

A family-centric crime series with lots of delicious food and plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings.
~Laura’s Interests

Another great cozy with likable relatable to me characters but what I enjoyed most was the closeness of family and also that the “who did it” wasn’t so easily recognized because almost everybody was a suspect!
~Gimme the Scoop Reviews

Well plotted with many twists and turns, this strong, superbly written mystery gave me the run around as I tried in vain to help protagonist, Lucy Berberian, solve the case and clear her friend.
~Lisa Ks Book Reviews

The author combined the perfect amount of mystery, humor, and romance to create a great addition to the series. As always, I love the author’s personal touches, such as her family recipes and the fact that she took some of her favorite memories and included them in the book.
~Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews

Engaging and vividly drawn characters (main and supporting), mouthwatering food from the Mediterranean restaurant to the boardwalk, heartwarming friendships, a dash of romance, well-timed humor, and a not-as-simple-as-it-first-appears mystery to solve make this a wonderfully diverse & entertaining read.
~Reading Is My SuperPower

On The Lamb has everything I look for in a cozy mystery, engaging and entertaining characters, a mystery I can sink my teeth into, and just a little romance and humor to balance everything out.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

Lucy Berberian is busy preparing her family’s Mediterranean restaurant for Easter on the Jersey Shore—but a batch of sweets is to die for . . .

Bikers are thundering into the seaside town of Ocean Crest for the annual Bikers on the Beach gathering that raises funds for injured veterans. It’s a big boost for the Kebab Kitchen, as well as for local businesses like Melanie Haven’s candy shop. But Melanie is about to find herself in a sticky situation.

When Melanie and Lucy attend a beach bonfire, a local landlord is found dead after apparently choking on a piece of salt water taffy. Melanie, who was known to have a contentious relationship with the victim, is quickly skewered as the prime suspect. But Lucy is determined to prove her friend’s innocence before the real killer coasts free . . .

Recipes included!

The characters are well rounded and well developed. I so enjoy Lucy and Katie and their sleuthing adventures. It does not seem to bother Katie that her husband is a policeman, she will do anything when she and Lucy are looking for a killer. They seem to be fearless when they are on the case, and they are definitely on the case to prove their friends innocence. I also enjoy getting to spend time with Lucy’s family and friends, they add a lot to the story. I especially enjoyed getting to meet Lucy’s landlady, Eloisa Lubinski. She is quirky and slightly bizarre and I loved her.

The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and those descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The mystery was well plotted and moved along at a steady pace. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through, and with some red herrings thrown in just for fun, it was not easily solved. And that is the way I like my mysteries.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I think this series is wonderful, and all I can say to the author is “keep them coming”.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Tina Kashian is a bestselling author, an attorney, and a mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and the first book in her Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean mystery series, Hummus and Homicide, spent six weeks on the B&N bestseller list. Please visit her website at http://www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

Author Links

Website: tinakashian.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16902011.Tina_Kashian

To enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway, please click on the link below:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/028877921016/?widget_template=56d5f80dbc544fb30fda66f0

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

February 25 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW

February 25 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

February 25 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

February 26 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

February 26 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST

February 26 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

February 27 – This Is My Truth Now – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 27 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 28 – The Book Diva’s Reads – GUEST POST

February 28 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

February 29 – Laura`s Interests – REVIEW

February 29 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 1 – Gimme The Scoop Reviews – REVIEW

March 1 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

March 2 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 2 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

March 3 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

March 3 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

March 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, GUEST POST

March 4 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 5 – Dee-Scoveries – SPOTLIGHT

March 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

March 6 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW

March 7 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

March 7 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

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Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–In An Instant

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020 bmary8222Leave a comment

I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Suzanne Redfearn and her new book In An Instant.I thought this book was so good and I highly recommend it.

In An Instant
Thriller/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (March 1, 2020)
Paperback: 331 pages
ISBN-10: 1542006589
ISBN-13: 978-1542006583
Digital ASIN: B07NVD1276

Purchase Links – Amazon B&N

It is a very emotional tale and I was completely riveted to the pages. Powerful, gripping and revealing.
~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book

This story was heartbreaking and I had to have tissues to get thru it. I enjoyed how the author was able to express the different personalities of each family member.
~Gimme the Scoop

In an Instant is a heartbreaking tale of survival, and the choices that you make how it reflects on you as a person and the devastating effects it can have on those that survive . . . I honestly loved this book and I can’t express into words just how the book made me feel . . .
~eBook addicts

A deeply moving story of carrying on even when it seems impossible.

Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devastating car accident tumbles her and ten others over the side of a mountain. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as those she loves struggle to survive.

Impossible choices are made, decisions that leave the survivors tormented with grief and regret. Unable to let go, Finn keeps vigil as they struggle to reclaim their shattered lives. Jack, her father, who seeks vengeance against the one person he can blame other than himself; her best friend, Mo, who bravely searches for the truth as the story of their survival is rewritten; her sister Chloe, who knows Finn lingers and yearns to join her; and her mother, Ann, who saved them all but is haunted by her decisions. Finn needs to move on, but how can she with her family still in pieces?

Heartrending yet ultimately redemptive, In an Instant is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible.

This is a book that will stick with you long after you have finished reading it. The story is heartbreaking, touching and thought provoking. None of us know what we would do in a similar situation, and hopefully none of us will have to find out.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and those descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. Whether it was being stranded in the woods in the middle of a blizzard after the crash, or working through the feelings of guilt, I felt like I was right there in the middle of it.

This book brought so many emotions while reading it. I felt sadness, anger, frustration and outrage to name just a few. I think that is something very difficult to do and I think it takes a special author to invoke all of those feelings within a book.

I think the character development was amazing and I felt like I knew the characters very well. Not all of the characters were likable and some of the characters I thought I liked at first did not stay that way. The one character that I consistently liked was Finn. I liked that the book was written from her perspective, I felt it gave me more of an insight into her character. I felt very sad for her and I could feel her frustration not being able to help those she loved.

I highly recommend this book and I think everyone should read it. This is the first book I have read from this author, but I will be looking forward to reading more. This is a must read!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

Suzanne Redfearn is the award-winning author of three novels: Hush Little Baby, No Ordinary Life, and In an Instant. In addition to being an author, she’s also an architect specializing in residential and commercial design. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, where she and her husband own two restaurants: Lumberyard and Slice Pizza and Beer. You can find her at her website, SuzanneRedfearn.com, on Facebook at SuzanneRedfearnAuthor, or on Twitter @SuzanneRedfearn.

When did you know that you wanted to be an author?

I didn’t realize I was a storyteller until I was in my thirties. I always loved to read and would make up elaborate daydreams that would last for hours, but it wasn’t until I actually sat down and wrote out one of my ideas that I realized how much I wanted to share my stories with others.

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What things, if any, influenced that decision?

Prior to being an author, I was an architect, and in 2008 the economy took a turn for the worse and there wasn’t a lot of architecture work. I used that time to write my first novel…and my second…and my third…

HUSH LITTLE BABY (my first published book) was my fifth novel. Had I been busy being an architect, I never would have had the time to learn the craft of writing and therefore would never have become an author.

With so many cozies being written today, what makes your books stand out from the crowd?

I try to write stories readers can relate to and that make them think. They are “What-if-that-were-me stories”—explorations of some moral or ethical dilemma to which there is no absolute answer. IN AN INSTANT, for example, puts eleven ordinary people in an extreme life-and-death situation and forces to make impossible choices, then follows them as they try to carry on in the aftermath of those choices. It’s a story that could happen to anyone and which hopefully makes the reader take stock of their lives and think about the choices they would make if placed in a similar situation.

Do you work from an outline or plot or do you just see where the characters take you?

It depends. IN AN INSTANT was complex because of how many storylines there were. I didn’t have an outline, but I did have an idea of the various character paths and how they would eventually come together. I am definitely more “panster” (write by the seat of my pants and let the story unfold as it will) than “plotster” (plan the story out), but I usually have an idea of where I’m going.

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Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you do anything special to get those reviews?

I do read my reviews. I love hearing what readers have to say about my stories. It’s always interesting to discover how they interpreted it, what was important to them, and the characters or parts that affected them most. Good or bad, I find it fascinating. It’s crazy cool for strangers to be talking about this thing that was at one time inside my head and is now out in the world and real. And every once in a while, a review will really strike me, a reader will pick up on something or write about the book in a way that touches me, and in those cases, I will reach out to let the reviewer know how much I appreciated it.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t take yourself so serious and don’t take the world so serious. Enjoy the good and slough off the bad. I would tell myself to lighten up. My younger self was so intent on not messing up and on moving forward I think she missed a lot of the wonders around her.

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Do you think that the cover plays an important part in someone buying your book(s)? Who designs your book covers?

I do. It is the first impression a book makes and it sets the tone. The Lake Union Publishing design team created my cover, and they did a brilliant job. The cover is unique, and it perfectly captures the story, conveying suspense, danger, beauty, and hope.

Please give us an insight into your main characters. What do you think makes them special?

I think what makes the characters special is how normal they are. They are ordinary people who survived a harrowing accident that caused them to make impossible choices. Some acted better than others, but no one was the heroic, noble person they believed themselves to be before the accident. They discover the limits of their humanity, and it’s what makes them relatable.

What have you learned about yourselves since becoming an author?

It’s like when Christopher Robin said to Winnie the Pooh, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Publishing is a tough business, and there have been a lot of ups and downs to getting here. There were moments of incredible self-doubt and moments when I was ready to throw in the towel. So, I suppose, the fact that I am here and that IN AN INSTANT has found its way into the world has been a humbling lesson in keeping faith in oneself even when it seems impossible.

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Do you write full-time or part-time?

I write every day, usually a few hours in the morning and a couple hours in the afternoon. Most days I also have other author responsibilities such as marketing or paperwork.

What do your plans for future projects include?

HADLEY AND GRACE, a story about two women on the run with their children, releases January 2021. I’m very excited about this story. The idea was to write a modern retelling of THELMA AND LOUISE, and while the inspiration is definitely there, it turned into something else entirely. I love the characters and the wild ride these two remarkable women take on the path to self-discovery.

What do you think the hardest part of writing is? What is the easiest?

The hardest part is sitting my butt in the chair and doing the work. Writing hurts. It taxes your brain and always starts out crappy until you manage to make it better. The easiest part is talking to readers. I love hearing about their experience with a story. “We read to know we are not alone.”—C.S. Lewis said that. I think I write for the same reason.

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What type of books do you like to read? Who are some of your favorite authors?

I love any book that makes me think. I just finished Sally Rooney’s Normal People and I loved it. My favorite book that I read last year was Educated by Tara Westover. My favorite book of all time is The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.

What is the one thing you would like your readers to know about you?

I can still sing all the words to the Gilligan Island theme song, “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…”

Do you have anything specific you would like to say to your readers?

Thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for appreciating stories. Thank you for stretching your imagination and living beyond your world. Thank you for allowing me to do what I do.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Website: http://www.SuzanneRedfearn.com

Facebook: SuzanneRedfearnAuthor

Twitter: @SuzanneRedfearn

Amazon Author Page: Suzanne Redfearn

Goodreads: Suzanne Redfearn