Thanks to Smith Publicity for sending out these advanced copies for my reading pleasure! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Trigger Warning- if you aren't into thriller mysteries, if you have triggers and/ or PTSD from past traumatic events, then these two novels are NOT for you. Both contain intense plots that might strike the chord for those living with anxiety and painful memories. 

Happy Fall! Even though it's been quite a busy September, my avid reader self still makes time for a good novel, slipping in some pages here and there. Since Spooky season is upon us, there is nothing like a good mystery to make things even more exciting. Add in story weather, a slight chill in the air, and you will be jumping up to make sure your doors are double locked! 

If you are into true crime, thrillers, and are okay with reading about violence, then these novels will be up your alley, for sure. I've never considered myself one that loves any of those things, but I flew right through both of these books. They were definitely easy reads!

Buried Deception, a new September release for Amanda McKinney, is the first in a brand-new series known as On the Edge. Amanda McKinney is the bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than fifteen romantic suspense and mystery novels. Set in East Texas, this novel can be rather graphic, but it has it all: crime, passion, romance, and mystery. 

The plot revolves around a criminal psychologist, Dr. Mia Frost brought in by police to access recent attacks in a small Texas town. Teamed up with a rescue mission agent, Easton, both undergo a transformation and adventure that dives deep into the past, buried secrets, and unknown realities. Eventually both have to face themselves and each other to come to grips with their past trauma in order to move on and finish the investigation. As they do so, their investigation digs too deep, causing motives, actions, and even one's own thoughts to be questioned. Eventually, the unknown attacker's identity is revealed and the healing begins. But not without the drama, fear, and anxiety that the character's experience. Add in a budding romance between the two characters, and this crime mystery borders on steamy as well! 

Not for the faint of heart, this novel hits at some major issues that those with trauma deal with: shaming, anxiety, depression, manic episodes, and more. When I read, I'm often visualizing the book like I would a movie, and at times, it was hard to read because it was hard to process the words on the page. There is a LOT in this novel that we, as a society, shouldn't shy away from.  The damage that trauma & violence does on our psyche is often buried until it's much too late.

I highly recommend giving this book a shot, but be warned that it does include writing about assault & attacks in brutal ways (particularly towards women), violence, blood, gore, and will get the blood boiling! There is some levity in the script with well-meaning characters, lingo, and sticky situations though!

Title: Buried Deception

Author: Amanda McKinney

ISBN: 9781662500558

Release Date: September 20, 2022

Publisher: Montlake

Genre: Romantic Thriller

Pages: TBD

Format: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Price: $12.95, $3.99, $14.95

Purchase Buried Deception on Amazon! 

Follow Amanda McKinney on Facebook and Instagram

A dark and stormy night makes for the best mystery novel reading night!

The Dead Won't Tell, by SK Waters, gripped me from the first page. This September release is particularly of the mystery and detective variety, with some good ole history thrown in, and is the writer's first novel.  

The main plot involves a historian-turned-journalist, a TV history celebrity, and several college professors and other characters in small town America. After being asked to investigate a decades old murder by her paper, journalist Abbie Adams jumps into research and unearths the past that others don't want her to find. Her best friend joins the scene, doing Civil War treasure research for an upcoming TV show pitch. Together, the two combine forces that begin to unravel the great mysteries of the town! Add in a new romance with a new cop, vendettas against neighbors, and reconciling the past with the present, this novel's plot is definitely worth diving into!

Set in small-town Alabama, this book unearths quintessential southern small-town life but also unearths a deeper, darker secret that sometimes, small town folks go to lengths to keep. Loyalty, honor, revenge, and intrigue can all be found in this book's plot. And love.  I honestly never could picture the murderer until the very end of the novel. The writer did a great job at keeping the story a mystery, at focusing on the reasoning and story line of the journalist and her family. It also brings light to racial injustice of the past that many small-town southern communities still grapple with today, as well as American history that is both good and bad. Seeking power, being the powerful one, and owning that power ultimately does come with a cost, in both genders. I don't want to reveal the end, but I was highly surprised at the motivation AND the killer of the 1969 murder!

Title: The Dead Won’t Tell

Author: S.K. Waters

ISBN: 9780744306019

Release Date: September 20, 2022

Publisher: CamCat Books

Genre: Historical Mystery

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Price: $25.99, $19.99, $4.99

Purchase The Dead Won't Tell on Amazon

Follow Kianah Waters on Instagram and Twitter

Follow CamCat Books on Instagram

Ok, so we have these great novels for the big people in our lives, but what about the kiddos?

Never fear, because The Unique Beak, by Estani Frizzell, shares a story about a peacock who needs to spread his wings a little bit. 

My 8-year-old nephew loves reading at bedtime and this is now in his collection! Peacocks are one of his favorite creatures, so he can read about Sal the Peacock!

Learn how Sal overcomes anxiety, fear, and ridicule when faced with obstacles regarding his dreams. His family teases him about his singing voice and beak, thus causing him to hide away. Yet, Sal has to own up to his abilities, face his adversaries, and live out his dreams! This book reminds all of us, children included, that it doesn't matter what others think - it only matters what we think about ourselves! Perhaps though, there is a special someone that might encourage and aid us when we are struggling, and helps unearth passions in us that we don't even have. 

I highly encourage you to read this with your child. Not only will it help them learn about making friends, it will help them learn how to move on when faced with obstacles!

Title: The Unique Beak

Author: Estani Frizzell

ISBN: 9781626349469

Release Date: September 12, 2022

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group

Genre: Children’s

Pages: 40

Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Price: $19.95

Purchase The Unique Beak on Amazon 

Follow Estani Frizzell on Instagram

Many thanks to Smith Publicity for these great reads! 

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