Barbara Ellen Brink

Barbara's Thin Line Between Truth & Fiction

Barbara

What are you reading in the New Year?

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Welcome to the New Year!

They say if you stay busy, time goes by faster. When you are at work and are longing to go home, that might be a good thing. But looking back at 2017, I feel like it went by so fast that it was sort of a blur. There was a lot going on for me and my family. A wedding, foot surgery, another wedding, the writing and release of MidSummer Madness… and suddenly Christmas was here.

Now that we’re living in sub-zero temperatures again, maybe we’ll all have time to slow down and smell the icicles. I vote to stay inside with a cup of hot coffee, and read a good book.

I have enjoyed many new authors this past year. They aren’t actually new authors, just new to me. But I love finding a fun novel or series that I can add to my reading list. After all, you can never have too many books on your Ereader, or too much chocolate in your desk drawer.

In case you’ve read all of my books and are looking for something new to fill your days until my next release… Here are a few titles I read in 2017 and truly enjoyed. Most are authors I haven’t read before, but Sibella and Diana are continuing favorites. I linked them all with Amazon but I’m sure you can get them at other stores as well.

The Illegal Gardener by Sara Alexi

The Closing (Whippoorwill Hollow Book 1) by Ken Oder

Shattered Image (Chain of Lakes Book 1) by Stacy Monson

The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

The Moon Stands Still (Raleigh Harmon Mysteries #7) Sibella Giorello

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

If you haven’t read my Double Barrel Mysteries series yet… here’s a link to AWESOME!

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year and lots of time to read! Leave a comment and tell me what book you’re reading right now!

Thanks for stopping,

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the Grace Award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pup.
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Book lovers rejoice! Cyber Monday is here!!

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Today I’ve joined with authors, Brenda S Anderson, Stacy Monson, Dawn Ford, and Don & Stephanie Pritchard to bring you a great selection of books at Cyber Monday sale prices that can’t be beat! Pick up your favorite genre… mystery, romance, suspense, or women’s fiction, or try them all. At these prices, you can’t go wrong!

CHAIN OF LAKES SERIES 3-in-1 Box Set by Stacy Monson

Sale Price: $4.99 for all 3 full-length novels.

Brand new release! All three books of the Chain of Lakes series in one! As you meander through Uptown, canoe the chain of lakes, and spend time at Faith Community Church, you’ll feel like part of the community. Set includes: Readers Favorite winner, Shattered Image; multi-award-winning Dance of Grace; and 2017 release, The Color of Truth.

Available at: Amazon | iBooks| B&N | Kobo | Other

 

THE COLOR OF TRUTH by Stacy Monson

Sale Price: $0.99 (reg. price $3.99)

Sam managed to pull his life together after some rocky teen years, only to have his new life blown to bits. Marti believes the lies she’s lived under her whole life; she’s never known anything different. A better life seems unattainable to both.

Available at: Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Other

 

KNEE-HIGH LIES by Dawn Ford

Kindle Sale Price $1.99 (reg. price $3.99)
FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Paperback Sale Price: $9.99 (reg. price $12.99)

Avery Denton’s summer heats up when a family scandal unfolds, but not everyone believes the worst in Avery. Jaxson Stewart believes the best of Avery, but what if it’s all lies she tells so no one finds out the real truth?

Available at: Amazon

 

STRANDED by Don & Stephanie Prichard

Sale Price: $2.99 (reg. price $5.99)
FREE on Kindle Unlimited

A Marine Corps reservist sets sail on an anniversary cruise with his wife but ends up shipwrecked and bereaved on an uninhabited jungle island where he must protect the lives of three other survivors, unaware that one of them is responsible for his wife’s death.

Available at: Amazon

 

ROADKILL (Double Barrel Mysteries #1) by Barbara Ellen Brink

Sale price: $2.99 (reg. price $4.99)

After getting shot in the line of duty, Minneapolis detective Blake Gunner and his actress wife Shelby decide to check out of the city in favor of small town life. Staying at a dilapidated Bed & Breakfast in the Upper Peninsula they get pulled into the cold case of an unsolved hit-and-run, and find that Port Scuttlebutt isn’t as Mayberry innocent as it appears on the surface. It holds secrets as dangerous as a Lake Superior rip current.

Available at: Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo

MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER (Double Barrel Mysteries #2) by Barbara Ellen Brink

Sale price: $2.99 (reg. price $4.99)

Renovating the old boathouse into offices for Double Barrel Investigations, Blake and Shelby Gunner get sidetracked when a Port Scuttlebutt citizen is accused of murder. Someone buried his ex-wife under his woodpile, making Pete look as guilty as a cocker spaniel surrounded by chicken feathers. Can Blake and Shelby find the killer before someone else goes missing?

Available at: Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo

 

PIECES OF GRANITE (Coming Home Series Prequel) by Brenda S. Anderson

Sale price: $0.99 (reg. price $2.99)

When a couple learns that the baby they’re expecting has Down syndrome, their marriage, family, and faith is put to the test. Thought-provoking prequel in the gritty and true-to-life Coming Home Series.

Available at: Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | Other

 

WHERE THE HEART IS SERIES 3-in-1 Box Set by Brenda S. Anderson

Sale price: $4.99 (reg. price $9.99)

3 books for the price of 1! This 3-in-1 Special Edition Box Set includes all three novels in the contemporary Christian romance Where the Heart Is series. Over 1,300 pages of compelling characters, authentic situations, faith, family, laughter, and tears. Includes Bonus Content–proposal stories–not found in original releases!

Available at: Amazon

~~~

Hope you found a book or two to fill your holidays with the joy of reading! Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of a dozen novels, the wife of one faithful husband, the walker of one spoiled dog, the mother of two grown children, the rider of one yellow Ducati motorcycle, and a child of God.

 

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MIDSUMMER MADNESS & Double Barrel deals!

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This week the 3rd book in my Double Barrel Mysteries released worldwide. MIDSUMMER MADNESS continues Blake and Shelby Gunner’s story as part-time private eyes and co-owners in the Drunken Sailor Bed & Breakfast.

There is a lot going on in Port Scuttlebutt these days. Double Barrel Investigations is up and running, and Shelby’s dream to direct community theatre is closer than ever as the Port Playhouse is nearly complete, but a life-changing curveball throws both Blake and Shelby for a loop. Add to that the body of a man washed up on the bank of Lake Superior and you’ve got an unforgettable summer!

Pick up a copy today! MIDSUMMER MADNESS

To celebrate the new release, I have discounted the first two books in the series as well. This month you can pick up ROADKILL and MUCH ADO ABOUT MURDER for 40% off the regular price. Just $2.99 each!

While all the crazy people go shopping at the mall, you can relax in your easy chair with a cup of coffee, a piece of pie, and a good book. That’s where I’ll be.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, and holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by! Leave a comment and say hi!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the Grace Award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pup.

 

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Book Review: Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore

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Today on the blog I have a book review. As you know, I am partial to mystery, suspense and thriller novels. CRISIS SHOT falls right in that sweet spot between all of those.

Author Janice Cantore has become my go-to author for whenever I have the urge to read a really good, meaty, cop book. Her heroines are real people, struggling with personal lives, family, and friends, all while protecting and serving the public interest and dealing with constant politics on the job.

Crisis Shot is about a female division commander in Long Beach, California who has to shoot a teenager to save a fellow officer’s life and is lambasted in the media until she is forced out of her job. She gets a job as Chief in a small town in Oregon and hopes she can put it all behind her, but some people still believe the bad press regardless of her exoneration and she has to work doubly hard for the respect of her fellow officers as well as many of the townspeople.

When a man is murdered and a well-loved pastor’s wife goes missing, she is put to the test to prove her mettle and ability and along the way she has cause to question all she thought she believed about faith and trust in the God of the universe.

This is obviously the first book in the Line of Duty series, so I’m looking forward to the next edition to follow Chief Tess O’Rourke’s progress in Rogue’s Hollow and whether or not she finds time to date deputy Steve Logan.

*I was given a complimentary copy of Crisis Shot from Tyndale Publishing for review purposes.

You can purchase CRISIS SHOT here: Amazon  Barnes&Noble

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of The Fredrickson Winery Series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, Second Chances series, and The Double Barrel Mysteries series. She lives in Minnesota and yearns for Hawaii.

 

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Oh, the madness in Port Scuttlebutt!

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COVER REVEAL day!!!

It’s time to rejoice!

MIDSUMMER MADNESS is available for pre-order NOW! Scroll down to the links for all of your favorite stores at the bottom of the page. PreOrder your copy today and be first to learn all the recent happenings in Port Scuttlebutt!

~They say, Lake Superior never gives up her dead. They also say, you can’t keep a good man down. Sometimes spur-of-the-moment murders don’t go as planned.

Blake and Shelby Gunner are pulled into yet another murder mystery in this 3rd installment of the Double Barrel Mysteries. Hired to find a stolen fishing boat, they end up catching a dead body and a trail of rose petals.

There is a lot going on in Port Scuttlebutt these days and the August sunshine seems to be causing a bit of Midsummer Madness. ~

If you haven’t read the 1st two books in the Double Barrel Mysteries, check them out on my bookstore page.

PreOrder Today and get the lowest price of the season!!

Amazon   Barnes&Noble   KOBO   iBookstore

 

What do you think about the new cover? Are you excited to get back for a visit to Port Scuttlebutt? Leave a comment below!

Thanks for stopping!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.

 

 

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A storm in the pages…

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Today on the blog, my friend and fellow author, Nike N. Chillemi, is going to introduce you to her new romantic suspense novella and tell you a little about the storm she went through to get it ready to publish. (ever heard of Hurricane Irma?) I know you will enjoy her writing because I’ve read some of her books and they are terrific! So enjoy! 

Authors Are Like the Postman ~ neither snow, nor rain…

By Nike N. Chillemi

Since I live in Jacksonville, Florida, the snow part doesn’t apply to me. Boy, oh, boy, the rain part sure does. After getting hit by Hurricane Irma, it was a struggle to get my New Adult novella, THAT SPECIAL ONE published in a timely manner. Still, I was determined.

The novella opens with the start of college for Freshman Ivy Chalmers. So, naturally I wanted to release the book in September. Since I’m an indie author, I have some flexibility as to the release date. I had hoped for the second week in September. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irma hit Jacksonville on September 11th. As can be imagined, this put something of a crimp in my plans.

After the storm left Jacksonville, nearly the entire city was without power, which was incredible for me to comprehend at the time. My power was restored after three days. Those were three long days without light, water (because electric runs water in Jacksonville), or WiFi. Even after my power was back, I had no WiFi. I had to publish THAT SPECIAL ONE using WiFi at the public library. I knew there was a reason God created libraries.

THAT SPECIAL ONE in a nut shell…

New Adult Christian Romantic Suspense Novella

College freshman Ivy Chalmers moved in with her aunt and uncle in Arroyo, Texas. She needed to get away from her alcoholic and weed smoking mother. Ivy longed for a different life than the revolving-door-men in her mom’s life. Making a one-eighty, she vowed not to make a serious dating commitment unless she knew it would be that really ‘special relationship.’

Corey Jones had been the man in his house since age twelve, when his alcoholic dad abandoned him and his mom. Once in a while, his dad showed up trying to extort money from them using threats. Then his blue-haired, self-centered cousin Ava came to live with them and the way she treats his mom enrages him.

Ivy is thrilled when she meets an upper classman from a neighboring college and thinks he might be ‘that guy.’ When she is horribly betrayed, her world is thrown upside-down, and she plunges into a depression. In a steady and kind of clumsy way, Corey is there for her during her worst moments. But his family is plagued with alcoholism, the life she had with her mom, the life she ran away from. What’s wrong with her that she attracts the wrong guys? As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s an arsonist terrorizing their tiny village.

Author Bio:

Like so many writers, Nike Chillemi started at a very young age. Her first major work was a Crayola, fully-illustrated book she penned as a little girl (colored might be more accurate) about her then off-the-chart love of horses. Today, you might call her a crime fictionista with a humorous side. Her passion is crime fiction. She likes her bad guys really bad and her good guys smarter and better.

Nike is the founding board member of the Grace Awards and its Chair, a reader’s choice awards for excellence in Christian fiction. She has been a judge in the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016 Carol Awards in the suspense, mystery, and romantic suspense categories; and an Inspy Awards 2010 judge in the Suspense/Thriller/Mystery category. Her four novel Sanctuary Point series (out of print), set in the mid-1940s has finaled, won an award, and garnered critical acclaim. The first novel in the Veronica “Ronnie” Ingels/Dawson Hughes series HARMFUL INTENT won in the Grace Awards 2014 Mystery/Romantic Suspense/Thriller/Historical Suspense category. She has written book reviews for The Christian Pulse online magazine. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and John 3:16 Marketing Network. http://nikechillemi.wordpress.com/

Get your kindle copy of That Special One

~~Thanks for stopping by! Have a question for Nike about Hurricane Irma or her new book? Please leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pup.
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