Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Garden of Second Chances, by Mona Alvarado Frazier {ends 8/2}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Xochitl and I finished cleaning the dayroom while the rest of the girls were locked in their cells for the night. We had five minutes alone before Ms. Montes finished her paperwork and sent us to our rooms. Eager to jot down my gardening plan,  I held my pencil over the back of one of my old worksheets.

“What were those words you used before?” I asked.

“Tell Mrs. Shaffer a garden can help inmates stay busy and out of trouble. The staff like to hear that kind of stuff. Say, the garden is ecological, good for the environment. Especially since we won’t use pesticides.”

“Those words are too big,” I said. “You write it down.”

“No, you need the practice. Write ‘organic vegetables and flowers help inmates gain skills,’” Xochitl said slowly. “What are we going to plant?”

“Let’s ask for tomatoes, chiles, some herbs, calabazas. Sunflowers, marigolds.” I recorded the names of the seeds and plants. “Those are easy to grow. We need a water hose and bucket too.”

Juana wants to do what is right for her baby, but it’s hard to do the right thing while navigating the crime she’s accused of and the sentence she’s serving in prison.

Official synopsis:

Juana's life has taken a dark turn. Accused of her husband’s death, she's now a seventeen-year-old mother, alone and undocumented in a prison cell. No one believes her when she claims she's innocent, not even the prison staff or the gang leader in her block who torments her relentlessly. 

Her only solace is in her baby, but as Juana struggles to survive the dangers lurking in prison, the threat outside grows even more terrifying. Her husband's furious family wants to take the child away. 

With no hope in sight, Juana discovers a glimmer of light in a small patch of earth in the prison yard. As she nurtures the plants, memories of her mother's strength and resilience surface, pushing Juana to fight for her freedom and her daughter's future. This is a story of courage, hope, and determination in the face of impossible odds. 

Juana Ivanov seems to have all the cards stacked against her. She barely speaks English. Her father wants nothing to do with her. Her mother-in-law never liked her, and now her husband is dead and everyone has decided she did it. While she knows she didn’t, she has no knowledge of how to prove otherwise, or how to even tell the people who matter.

Luckily she makes friends with another prisoner who is literally incarcerated on charges that she assaulted a police officer during a protest for immigrants’ rights. If anyone gets it, Xochitl does.

Together, they try to navigate finding out the truth about Juana’s husband’s death, while also making it through their time behind bars alive. Prison rules and the other prisoner’s gang rules are often two very different lists of things they can and cannot do without repercussions. 

Juana just wants to do what she can to be reunited with her baby and give them the best life together that she can. This touching story gets 3 out of 5 stars and would be recommended for those who appreciate stories about teens and shows or books like Orange is the New Black.

{click here to purchase from Amazon}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mom to a 16-year-old and an 11-year-old. Their busy household is rounded out by two black cats who are sisters. See more of their life on Instagram where Becki posts as PoshBecki.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Garden of Second Chances!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, August 2nd, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Alchemy of a Blackbird, by Claire McMillan {ends 8/1}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

When they landed in Veracruz, Remedios slipped a bunch of Madame Nouget’s lavender and rosemary out of her pocket and dropped it in the dirt as she stepped off the wharf. The dried leaves mingled with the dust of a new country. She’d picked them in the hills of Marseilles while on a foraging trip, drawn to their scent and what Madame Nouget taught her about their qualities, lavender for healing, rosemary for remembrance. She dried them, tied them with kitchen twine, and brought them with her on the Serpa Pinto to ground the watery days at sea. She hadn’t anticipated that at night, lying in her cot, she’d hold the bundle to her nose to mask the scent of unwashed bodies and people being seasick in buckets. All of them down in the hold while the ill and injured rightly took the staterooms on a luxury ship packed to three times its usual capacity. She offered the herbs back to the earth now to acknowledge a rough crossing and to greet a potential sanctuary. She offered them back with thanks.

This story of surrealist artists doing their artist things around the world was charming—like hanging out casually and appreciating the world as they seemed to be doing.

Official synopsis:

In this “unforgettable adventure, and one you don’t want to miss” (Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author), painter Remedios Varo and her lover, poet Benjamin Peret escape the Nazis by fleeing Paris and arriving at a safe house for artists on the Rivieria.

Along with Max Ernst, Peggy Guggenheim, and others, the two anxiously wait for exit papers.

As the months pass, Remedios begins to sense that the others don’t see her as a fellow artist; they have cast her in the stifling role of a surrealist ideal: the beautiful innocent. She finds refuge in a mysterious bookshop, where she stumbles into a world of occult learning and intensifies an esoteric practice in the tarot that helps her light the bright fire of her creative genius.

When travel documents come through, Remedios and Benjamin flee to Mexico where she is reunited with friend and fellow painter Leonora Carrington. Together, the women tap into their creativity, stake their independence, and each find their true loves. But it is the tarot that enables them to access the transcendent that lies on the other side of consciousness and to become the truest Surrealists of all.

While the story originally seemed about the friendship between Remedios and Leonora, as it progressed it told more of Remedios’ life and the unique bond that always existed between her and Leonora. The women were part of a unique population and artists in their own right, although they lived often in the shadows of men. The author’s note at the end acknowledges the story as "faction"—while some events and people may have actually been part of Remedios’ life, the book is more told as things that could have been part of her story.

The book inspires curiosity about all of its characters—surreal artists and members of society starting in Paris, and then fleeing the war from 1939 through the next couple decades. They somehow continued trying to maintain their salons and appreciation for each other and their art through unique and trying circumstances they encountered as they traveled.

The formatting of the narration and chapters was especially delightful. A portion of the story would be told, then the description of a tarot card would be provided and linked with a character. Then that character would narrate their portion of the story. Some of the viewpoints of the characters vs. how they seemed to be acting from the overall scene were amusing.

Overall, the story earned 4 out of 5 stars and inspired an urge to explore tarot cards and surreal artists in the early to mid-1900s. This book is recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction and stories based on real characters. 

{click here to purchase on Amazon}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mom who will soon be the shortest person in her family. See how far they’ve all come and check out what else she’s reading on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Alchemy of a Blackbird!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Tuesday, August 1st, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted the next day via email and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Alchemy of a Blackbird, by Claire McMillan

Book Review: Love & Resistance, by Kara H.L. Chen

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Plainstown High was weird in many ways, but one of its strangest rituals was the lap before the morning bell. PHS was designed in a square shape, and everyone would walk the hallways before homeroom each morning, like the school was some kind of large strolling track. Always clockwise. Always from around 7:15 a.m., when people would  start streaming in from the parking lots, to 7:45 a.m., the first bell.

But that wasn’t the weirdest part. And I had been at four different schools and had seen a lot of weird. What was truly strange was that there was a system to the laps, a whole hierarchy compressed into the anything-but-leisurely strolls. People walked in friend clumps, picking up pals at their lockers, occasionally jettisoning one or two into their  homerooms. It was like a traffic roundabout, but instead of cars, you had angsty adolescents.

Like everything else, where you walked was a direct indicator of who you were. The VIPs were in the inner circle. Social outcasts or those without a group would not walk; they would sit in homeroom. (That was me.) The unspoken rule was this: if Mitzi or her people were coming your way, you moved. Those who defied the rules faced consequences.

Olivia Chang’s method for staying invisible as the new Asian girl at several high schools has worked out for her. It’s lonely, but safe, and she’s pretty sure that is better.

Official synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Chang is at her fourth school in seven years. Her self-imposed solitude is lonely but safe. At Plainstown High, however, Olivia’s usual plan of anonymity fails when infamous it-girl Mitzi Clarke makes a pointed racist comment in class. Tired of ignoring things just to survive, Olivia defends herself.  

And that is the end of her invisible life. 

Soon, Olivia joins forces with the Nerd Net: a secret society that's been thwarting Mitzi’s reign of terror for months. Together, they plan to unite the masses and create true change at school.

But in order to succeed, Olivia must do something even more terrifying than lead a movement: trust other people. She might even make true friends along the way . . . if Mitzi doesn’t destroy her first.

What a unique book! Sometimes, the underdogs might get a chance to win, and this is their story. Olivia just can’t keep her mouth shut anymore when the most popular girl in her newest high school makes a racist comment blaming the Asian students for her own less-than-stellar grades. While Olivia initially regrets not holding on to her invisibility, she soon meets the secret Nerd Net, where she’ll find friends and maybe even love.

Besides just teen angst and drama, the story really makes use of Olivia’s interest in government and military strategy and structure. As the Nerd Net made plans of how to "even the playing field" at Plainstown High, Olivia weighed it all against her previous experiences, the lessons her grandfather and mother had taught about navigating the world, and what she had learned through her interest in history and governments.

While not necessarily the expected teen contemplations, Olivia’s assessments and reactions made the book so enjoyable and overall uplifting. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars and would be easy to recommend to any reader who enjoys contemporary YA fiction.

{click here to purchase on Amazon}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother of one teenager and one pre-teen. While they are sure to learn their own lessons in middle school and high school, books like this just remind her that some things may never change. Check out their adventures on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Walking on Fire, by Kathryn Crawley {ends 7/27}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

A haze of smoke filled the air. Greek folk music from the stereo could barely be heard over the din of conversation. Kate sat with Georyia the next Saturday evening in a living room filled with people. They were at the apartment of Georyia’s friend Eleni, a heavyset nurse with a ready smile, who was quizzing Kate about life in America. Greeks seemed to have an insatiable appetite to hear what things were like in the United States.

“Boyfriend in America, Kaitie?” Eleni blew cigarette smoke over her shoulder.

“Only one boyfriend?” Kate said with a laugh, hoping Eleni knew she was joking. She then raised her head and clicked her tongue, Greek-style, to say “no.” No boyfriend. Kate didn’t know when, if ever, she would share the story of her failed marriage to Jim. Divorce was rare in Greece, and Kate still considered hers as an embarrassing failure, a secret not to be divulged. Nor could she imagine describing her life in Colorado where smoking marijuana and sexual freedom were commonplace. Getting high and having casual sex didn’t fit into Greek society.

Kate’s adventure to Greece in 1974 ended up being much more than she expected!

Official synopsis:

Greece. Politics. Love. Danger. Reeling from a failed marriage and spurred on by a burgeoning sense of feminism, twenty-five-year-old Kate accepts a position as a speech therapist in a center for children with cerebral palsy in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is 1974, and the recent end of Greece’s seven-year dictatorship has ignited a fiery anti-American sentiment within the country. Despite this, as her Greek improves, Kate teaches communication to severely disabled children, creates profound friendships, and finds a home in the ancient and historied city. From a dramatic Christmas pig slaughter to a mesmerizing fire walking ceremony, her world expands rapidly—even more so when she falls in love with Thanasis, a handsome Communist.

Through Thanasis, Kate meets people determined to turn a spotlight on their former dictators’ massacre of university students, as well as their record of widespread censorship and torture of dissidents. The more she learns, the more her loyalty to her country and almost everything she was taught in her conservative home state of Texas is challenged. Kate is transformed by her odyssey, but when her very safety is threatened by the politics of her lover, she must choose: risk everything to stay with Thanasis and the Greece that has captured her heart, or remove herself from harm’s way by returning to her homeland?

At the beginning of the story, Kate is a unique combination of independent and naive. She’s lived in a few different states since completing her formal education in speech therapy and getting married ... and divorced. Now she’s ready to really branch out and move half-way around the world for a job in Greece that she saw in a journal. She didn’t speak any Greek when she applied, but the kind woman who hired her assured her that she could pick up enough as she went along in her job helping children. 

Shortly before she packs her things and gets ready to move to Greece for the year, she finds out the political climate isn’t very hospitable to Americans. It gives her a few second thoughts, but she really doesn’t  understand how someone could hate a whole population the way they’re trying to make it sound. The woman from the center who hired her assures her that they’ll be her Greek family and keep her safe. The situation is reasonably comfortable, until Kate starts making some choices and adventures on her own.

While the story takes place almost 50 years ago, it felt contemporary and the descriptions of Greece were beautiful. The commentary about the people, customs, and culture were also interesting. This was an enjoyable book that earned 3 out of 5 stars. It would be recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially in a memoir style. 

{click here to purchase on Amazon}

Becki Bayley enjoys learning about the world by reading historical fiction from the comfort of her porch. Check out her view and what she’s reading on Instagram where she posts as PoshBecki.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Walking on Fire!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, July 27th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Walking on Fire, by Kathryn Crawley

Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Murder Under a Red Moon, by Harini Nagendra {ends 7/23}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Bhargavi had called to say she would be spending the night at Shanthi’s home. Alone together at home for the first time in a long while, Kaveri and Ramu decided to push aside all thoughts of the case for a while over dinner. They lingered over a simple meal of lemon saaru with rice, accompanied by spiced fried potatoes, followed by bowls of vermicelli payasa, as they spoke of everything other than the murder.

Ramu traced the dark shadows under Kaveri’s eye with a gentle finger. ‘You have stepped too close to the case, Kaveri. Set the murder aside for a couple of days. Take a break. You will think better for it.’ He placed a kiss on her forehead. ‘You  look tired, I will clean the dishes.’ Ramu pressed Kaveri back on the chair.

Kaveri continues her non-traditional detective work as she finds herself looking at another case that turns into a murder.

Official synopsis:

When new bride Kaveri Murthy reluctantly agrees to investigate a minor crime to please her domineering mother-in-law—during the blood moon eclipse, no less—she doesn't expect, once again, to stumble upon a murder.

With anti-British sentiment on the rise, a charismatic religious leader growing in influence, and the fight for women's suffrage gaining steam, Bangalore is turning out to be a far more dangerous and treacherous place than Kaveri ever imagined—and everyone's motives are suspect.

Together with the Bangalore Detectives Club—a mixed bag of street urchins, nosy neighbours, an ex-prostitute, and a policeman's wife— Kaveri once again sleuths in her sari and hunts for clues in her beloved 1920s Ford.

But when her life is suddenly put in danger, Kaveri realizes that she might be getting uncomfortably close to the truth. So she must now draw on her wits and find the killer . . . before they find her.

This second book in the Bangalore Detectives Club Mystery series is just as fun as the first! Kaveri is a newlywed in 1920s Bangalore, but her marriage and hobbies are definitely not traditional. Her husband, Ramu, is already supporting her in furthering her education, but he also respects that she’s pretty smart already. After solving a murder in the first book, her popularity among her new neighbors has grown, and they seek out her help in solving crimes.

What starts out as looking over the books of a distant relative’s company suddenly escalates when she and a local policeman walk into the scene of a fresh murder. Ramu loves seeing his wife do what she loves, but he has more than his share of worry over her adventures. He sees plenty of tragedy working at the hospital and doesn’t want it threatening his home life.

As Kaveri investigates more crimes, her compassion has her meeting more people without her privilege in life. Frequently to her mother-in-law’s chagrin, she makes them friends and invites them all to their home. This book sees both Kaveri and her mother-in-law, Bhargavi, trying to get along and appreciate each other more. It made both characters even more likable. This book, like the first, was 4 out of 5 stars. Reading about their life and untangling their mysteries in 1920s Bangalore is always enjoyable.

{click here to purchase on Amazon}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother to two school-aged children, two young cats, and occasionally a few fish. She shares a little of it all, as well as other books she reads on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Murder Under a Red Moon!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Sunday, July 23rd, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Murder Under a Red Moon, by Harini Nagendra

Book Review and GIVEAWAY: The Bridge on Beer River, by Terry Tierney {ends 7/20}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

When I push through the air-locked door, I see the back of a small woman sitting at a terminal on a wooden table lined with a keypunch machine, a card sorter, a tray of punch cards and an overflowing ashtray, all littered with cardboard chads. Next to the table rises a blue cabinet with white block letters identifying the PDP-11 main frame.

As I step up to the raised floor, Angie leans forward and her worn black jeans tighten around her cheeks, pushed up by the cushion of her stool. She spins to face me, resting her elbows on her knees, and she eyes me with a tilt of her head. I try not to stare at the cleavage framed by her wide necked black tee shirt, but she catches my glance. She grins and looks away as she sits up straight.

“You must be Curt,” she says in an official tone as she purses her blackened lips. “Your mustache is famous.”

Feeling suddenly warm despite the frigid air, I take her extended hand for a quick shake before she pulls it away.

“And you’re Angie.”

“Bingo.”

Curt seems to think he keeps to himself, but that’s nearly impossible in a town like Binghamton.

Official synopsis:

A rust belt city in decline retains the solace of romance, which often proves to be an empty promise or even a curse. With a wry perspective and unflappable determination, Curt embodies all the town's ills, including his own problems with drinking, work, and relationships, as he tries to save himself and rescue his friends in his own unconventional and unlawful ways. In The Bridge on Beer River, a novel-in-stories set in Reagan-era Binghamton, New York, characters scramble for subsistence while hoping for love and a better life.

While this is a chronological story of at least part of the fictional Curt’s time in Binghamton, his interactions with the other residents who come and go through the town often read almost like essays. Curt’s story doesn’t feel monumental, but his relationships with the people he knows are a bit more memorable. 

He has a few temporary girlfriends, or sometimes just hook-ups with women who seem to be in a similar stage in life. They all run in the same circles—working at the dairy, dancing at Pearl’s, and drinking or keeping up on gossip at Mother’s. There isn’t a real climax or goal they’re working toward. Most of them are happy to just make ends meet and do it all again the next day.

The writing style of this book was pleasant, and the hours spent immersed in Curt’s life in Binghamton were enjoyable. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars from this reader, and it could be recommended as a comfortable read to those who can remember a little about the start of computers as a part of our lives in the late 1970's and 1980's.

{click here to purchase from Amazon}

Becki Bayley is a Gemini with a Gemini husband, two kids, and two cats. See a few pictures of the books she reads and their family adventures on Instagram, where she posts as PoshBecki.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Bridge on Beer River!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, July 20th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified the next day via email, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

The Bridge on Beer River, by Terry Tierney

Quick Pick Book Review: Have You Seen Her, by Catherine McKenzie

• Opening lines: "We're losing light!" Ben yells over the whir of the blades. "We need to go!"
  
  I turn to look out over the field to the tree line, taking in the scene of the crime. The dark green conifers, with their exposed lower limbs. The trampled glass. A wrapper from a protein bar tumbling over and over like a gymnast. A dark patch in the dirt that looks like it's tinged by rust. 
  
  I can't hear anything but the helicopter's whine, but the screams are still caught in my thoughts—sharp, terrified, then cut out, cut off.
• Reason I picked up the book: I'm a big fan of Catherine McKenzie's books—you can read my previous reviews of them here.
• And what's this book about? 
  A thrilling and timely novel about three women with dark secrets whose lives intersect in the picturesque and perilous Yosemite National Park from the USA TODAY bestselling author of the “propulsive” (Laura Dave, author of The Last Thing He Told Me) Please Join Us.
  
  Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she begins working again with Yosemite Search and Rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her.
  
  She quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. There, she meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older wife, keeping a detailed diary of the goings on of the park, and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram.
  
  When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what any could have imagined in this unputdownable thriller from an author who “never fails to impress” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author).
• Recommended for: Anyone who enjoys thrillers or books with a twist.
• Favorite paragraph: Fuck.
  
  My heart is pounding as I check each comment—the original post and three other people who were wondering where I'd gotten to. Question answered, one of them said. Crazy, someone else said. I'm not sure if they meant me or the situation, but I don't care. These women aren't connected to anyone else I know in New York. No one knew I was going to that gym. I paid for my membership in cash and hid my climbing gear at the back of my closet. 
  
  But then there's a final comment on the threat that stops me cold.
  
  Should we tell the husband?
• Something to know: This was a great thriller read, and the ending really surprised me. I could definitely see it being made into a movie at some point, too.
• What I would have changed: Maybe a little more detailed regarding the ending—it was believable, but I still thought there were one or two plot holes.
• Overall rating: 4 stars out of 5.
• Where can I find this book? Click here to buy on Amazon.

Book Review and GIVEAWAY: A Killer's Game, by Isabella Maldonado {ends 7/10}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Dani assessed her situation, making several observations at once. Doc Tox was alone and had not fired on them despite having the perfect opportunity while she and Toro wrestled with the cobra. Clearly he wanted something from them besides what was in the envelope.

Doc had a white-knuckled grip on the pistol, obviously more comfortable with poisons than firearms. Dani recognized the weapon’s compact, boxy shape as the Glock Model 30 that Chopper had originally brought with him. If Doc was foolish enough to let his guard down, she would have it out of his hand before he could pull the trigger. 

“Why don’t we all see what’s in the envelope together?” she said to him. “Then no one feels left out.”

Doc swung his gaze, and the muzzle of his gun, from Toro to Dani. “How about if both of you are dead and I take what I want?”

Dani Vega is the ultimate girl boss and badass. People may love her or hate her, but they’ll always respect her skills.

Official synopsis:

FBI agent and former military codebreaker Daniela “Dani” Vega witnesses a murder on a Manhattan sidewalk. The victim is chief of staff for a powerful New York senator. The assassin turned informant is Gustavo Toro. His code: hit the target and don’t ask questions. When Dani suspects a complex conspiracy, the only way to take down the mastermind is from the inside, forcing her to partner with Toro. Together they must infiltrate the inner circle at a remote facility.

Except it’s a trap. For all of them.

Locked in a subterranean labyrinth and held captive by an unseen host, Dani, Toro, and others must fight for their lives. Now Dani must stay undercover, unravel a bizarre conspiracy, and survive lethal puzzles. But will Toro be friend or foe? Because in this killer’s game, everything is real: the paranoia, the desperation, and the body count. And only one person can make it out alive.

Non-stop physical and mental action made this book a great page-turner. Dani is just trying to get her morning coffee and make it to a meeting on time, when she’s quickly redirected to a bomb threat, until she witnesses a murder on her way out of the coffee shop. Even as an FBI agent, her day has gotten unpredictable in a hurry, but luckily she has the unique training for her to follow the murder suspect and try to untangle the web of a crime that runs much deeper than the apparent murder on a New York street.

Dani Vega was not the only engaging character in this first book, with at least one more book scheduled featuring the Army Ranger turned FBI agent. Readers also meet her FBI co-workers and NYPD counterparts, and learn of her family relationships and how they shaped the powerful female characters. This book earned 5 out of 5 stars with full-developed characters and a fascinating plot. It could be recommended to those who like strong female main-characters, police procedurals, and psychological thrillers. 

{click here to purchase on Amazon—currently free for Kindle Unlimited}

Becki Bayley enjoys learning what people are passionate about. Talking with someone about their passion can make nearly any subject interesting. See more of what she does with her spare time and the books she reads on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of A Killer's Game!

Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Monday, July 10, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be contacted via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

A Killer's Game, by Isabella Maldonado