29 March 2024

Molten Death (An Orchid Isle Mystery) by Leslie Karst Book Tour Plus Recipe!


About Molten Death

Molten Death (An Orchid Isle Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – the Big Island of Hawai‘i
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Severn House (April 2, 2024)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1448312167
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1448312160
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CKWF5VWT

A glimpse of a quickly melting corpse at the foot of a volcano has amateur sleuth and food enthusiast Valerie Corbin shocked. But how can she investigate a murder, when there’s no evidence the victim ever existed?

The first Orchid Isle cozy mystery, set in tropical Hilo, Hawai’i, introduces a fun and feisty LGBTQ+ couple who swap surfing lessons for sleuthing sessions!

Retired caterer Valerie Corbin and her wife Kristen have come to the Big Island of Hawai’i to treat themselves to a well-earned tropical vacation. After the recent loss of her brother, Valerie is in sore need of a distraction from her troubles and is looking forward to enjoying the delicious food and vibrant culture the state has to offer.

Early one morning, the couple and their friend – tattooed local boy, Isaac – set out to see an active lava flow, and Valerie is mesmerized by the shape-shifting mass of orange and red creeping over the field of black rock. Spying a boot in the distance, she strides off alone, pondering how it could have gotten there, only to realize to her horror that the boot is still attached to a leg – a leg which is slowly being engulfed by the hot lava.

Valerie’s convinced a murder has been committed – but as she’s the only witness to the now-vanished corpse, who’s going to believe her?

Determined to prove what she saw, and get justice for the unknown victim, Valerie launches her own investigation. But, thrown into a Hawaiian culture far from the luaus and tiki bars of glossy tourist magazines, she soon begins to fear she may be the next one to end up entombed in shiny black rock . . .

The amiable characters, stunning backdrop and culinary delights make this the perfect cozy of fans who enjoy a tropical vacation with a twisty murder mystery and compelling Hawai’ian culture – paired with an added bonus of recipes of local Hawai’ian dishes!

In addition to Molten DeathLeslie Karst is the author of the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari mystery series and Justice is Served: A Tale of Scallops, the Law, and Cooking for RBG. After years waiting tables and singing in a new wave rock band, she decided she was ready for a “real” job and ended up at Stanford Law School. 

It was during her career as an attorney that Leslie rediscovered her youthful passion for food and cooking and once more returned to school—this time to earn a degree in culinary arts. Now retired from the law, Leslie spends her time cooking, cycling, gardening, observing cocktail hour promptly at five o’clock, and of course writing. She and her wife split their time between Santa Cruz, California and Hilo, Hawai‘i.

Author Links

Website 

http://www.lesliekarstauthor.com/

Chicks on the Case 

https://chicksonthecase.com/

Mystery Lovers Kitchen

 https://www.mysteryloverskitchen.com/

Facebook 

https://www.facebook.com/lesliekarstauthor/

Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/lesliekarst/

GoodReads 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14220589.Leslie_Karst

BookBub

 https://www.bookbub.com/authors/leslie-karst

Purchase Links 

Amazon – B&N – Bookshop.org 



CelticLady’s Reviews—Recipe

Leslie Karst—Recipe from Molten Death



Sesame-Shoyu Poke


(serves 2 as a main dish, or 4 as an appetizer)


Poke (pronounced “poh-kay”) is a delectable dish prepared with marinated, raw fish—often ahi tuna—similar in some ways to ceviche. It is thought to have been made by ancient Polynesians centuries before Western contact, who prepared it with local reef fish, seaweed, crushed kukui nut (candlenut), and sea salt.


It wasn’t until the 1960s, however, that the name “poke” (Hawaiian for “sliced crosswise into pieces”) was given to the dish, and not until the 1990s that it became well known outside of Hawai‘i. Poke’s rise in popularity is due largely to the efforts of Hawaiian chef and television personality, Sam Choy, who tirelessly promoted the local delicacy and even started a poke contest, an event still held each March in Kona, on the Big Island. 


Modern poke recipes commonly include shoyu (soy sauce) and roasted sesame oil, ingredients brought to the islands by Japanese and Chinese immigrants, as well as new innovations such as avocado, kimchee, and Sriracha mayonnaise.


Sesame-Shoyu Poke


Ingredients


1 pound sushi-grade ahi tuna, cut into ½ inch cubes

2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil

4 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoon oyster sauce

4 tablespoons green onions, coarsely chopped

4 tablespoons yellow or white onion, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoon sesame seeds


Direction


If your tuna has a dark bloodline running through it, cut this away and discard, as it has an unpleasant flavor. You’ll need about 1 ¾ pounds of ahi that contains a bloodline in order to end up with 1 ½ pounds of useable fish. 


Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate, covered, at least ½ hour (or up to 6 hours) before it’s time to eat. Serve it with crackers or chips as an appetizer, or over steamed rice for a traditional “poke bowl.” 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

March 29 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT  

March 29 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE

March 30 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

March 30 – Elicia’s Book Haven – REVIEW

March 31 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

March 31 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

April 1 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 1 –Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

April 2 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

April 3 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW*

April 3 – Novels Alive – REFVIEW

April 4 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

April 4 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

April 5 – Cozy Up WIth Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

April 6 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

April 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

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Hellbound A Coffee and Creme Paranormal Romance by Tamela Miles Book Tour! @SilverDaggerBookTours @sassysleepingbeauties @tamelamilesbooks

*•.¸(`*•.¸ðŸ’•¨*💕´ðŸ“šðŸ’•ðŸ’• ¸.•*´)¸.•*
It's about to get one hundred proof hot as Hell and all

bets are off.

Hellbound

A Coffee and Creme Paranormal Romance

by Tamela Miles

Genre: Paranormal Romance

 Coffee shop owner and sometimes barista Kian's

 youthful, tragic mistake still haunts him but it doesn't

 stop him from wanting just one week of steamy passion

 with beautiful Sanaa, who also only wants one week of

 his loving because of a failed relationship that has

 made her skittish.

Kian is a condemned man and, unless he learns about the power of love and redemption, this year will be his last on earth.

Is it possible that falling for Sanaa is the solution to his ninety nine problems?

Can Sanaa learn to forget her past mistake in loving the wrong guy and consider that Kian may be the one?

The only sure thing is it's about to get one hundred proof hot as Hell and all bets are off.

Author Note: This is a second edition, with some new content. The first edition was published in 2017.

"I don’t want to give anything away except to say that there is sex, betrayal, surprises, and a fight between good and evil. This was a short story but was not lacking at all."

-- Linda Tonis from the Paranormal Romance Guild

** On Sale for Only .99 cents March 28-29th!! **

Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads


Tamela Miles is a school psychologist with Ed.S degree and a graduate of California State University San Bernardino and California State University Dominguez Hills. She is also a former flight attendant. She grew up in Altadena, California in that tumultuous time known as the 1980s. She now resides with her family in the Inland Empire, CA. She's a horror/paranormal romance writer mainly because it feels so good having her characters do bad things and, later, pondering what makes them so bad and why they can never seem to change their wicked ways.

She enjoys emails from people who like her work. In fact, she loves emails. She can be contacted at tamelamiles@yahoo.com or her Facebook page, Tamela Miles Books. She also welcomes reader reviews and enjoys the feedback from people who love to read as much as she does.

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“Has this suddenly become complicated for you, too?” Saana lifted her head from the rhythmic beating of his heart. They lie in darkness, languid after the loving.


“Exponentially, baby,” Kian responded, holding her close with his eyes closed.


“But, emotional complications won’t stop the inevitable. By the end of the week, I won’t be a part of your life anymore. I won’t see your beautiful face wearing a sweet smile, I won’t hear you whispering in my ear as I please you. I won’t be here to see you accomplish great things in life. That will all belong to some other man.”


Sanaa sat up beside him, playing with his hair as he rested. “I could love you, Kian. Honestly. If I let myself go, I could be madly, deeply, panties-on-my-head in love with you.” She sighed deeply. “But, I think we should proceed as we agreed to. Friends with benefits. Right?”


Kian opened his eyes, caressing her back. “Right.” His heart sank in his chest, even as he said the word. Leaving her to go on with her life with some other man seemed…wrong.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

$15 Amazon


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28 March 2024

Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart by Marie S. Crosswell New Release Blitz! @ninestarpress

Title:  Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart

Author: Marie S. Crosswell

Publisher:  NineStar Press

Release Date: 03/26/2024

Heat Level: 1 - No Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 49300

Genre: Contemporary Western, contemporary, Lit/genre fiction, Arizona, M/M, asexual, aromantic, bisexual, law enforcement, cowboy, platonic, companionship, crime/robbery, gun violence, bartenders, blue collar, friends to partners

Add to Goodreads


When Montgomery Clarke saves Deputy Sam Roswell’s life during an armed robbery, both men go home thinking they’ll never cross paths again. Instead, a friendship blossoms between them as they work together to track down a wanted man: the surviving robber who escaped the scene of the crime with a sack of cash. 

Drawn to each other despite their starkly different personalities, Montgomery and Sam quickly bond in a way neither man has with anyone else in years. Their friendship awakens Sam’s long-buried and unexplored romantic feelings for men, while reviving Montgomery’s deepest longing: for a platonic life partner. Sparked by violence, Sam and Montgomery’s connection becomes cemented in yet another dangerous confrontation when they finally catch up to Joel Troutman, the robber on the run. 

A year later, Montgomery and Sam are best friends with an exceptionally intimate relationship. What should be their first happy Christmas season together, however, suddenly turns sour when Montgomery gives Sam the cold shoulder without explanation. Brought together once again by crime—this time, one involving a teenage girl—Sam and Montgomery reckon with their feelings for each other. Will they remain friends or become partners?

Warning: Language

Lone Star on a Cowboy Heart

Marie S. Crosswell © 2024
All Rights Reserved

Prescott, Arizona

September 2014

Sam Roswell stops for dinner at the Dog Bowl Diner in his civvies, his department-issued sidearm locked in his desk drawer at the sheriff’s office. He chats up his waitress just to feel better about eating alone, then watches the other people in the diner, half cop on the lookout for mischief and half wishing he could meet a new friend. There’s a young couple with a pair of restless kids who can’t stay seated longer than a minute, an old husband and wife tucked into a two-person booth, three men and a woman side by side at the chrome-rimmed counter, and some teenagers hanging out on the other side of the place. None of them pay him any attention.

Two men wearing black knit masks over their faces dart into the diner, each of them leading with a gun. Sam freezes in his seat, watching in disbelief as they split up to cover the room.

The man in a long-sleeved navy blue T-shirt moves into the more heavily populated section of the diner and shouts, “Everybody take out your wallets. Now!”

The second man, wearing a dark red T-shirt under his jacket, goes up to the counter and points his gun at the first employee he sees. “Open the register! Open it!”

The blonde waitress with big hair hurries to the cash register positioned at the right end of the counter and tries to obey, hands twitching and eyes panicked. She fails at her first attempt.

“Hurry up!” Red Tee yells, steel revolver gleaming in the white light of the ceiling bulbs.

The register drawer clicks and slides open, and the waitress yanks stacks of bills out of their compartments and drops them on the countertop.

“Put the money in the bag! Put it in the fucking bag!”

She scrambles for the cash with one hand, then shoves it into the cloth bag Red Tee slid onto the countertop. He snatches the bag away from her and passes it to his accomplice, who holds it in front of the family with kids.

“Put your wallets in the fucking bag and pass it on,” Blue Tee says to them. “Now!”

One of the children starts to cry, pink-faced and whimpering.

A boy sitting at the table of teenagers bolts for the door, but Red Tee gets hold of the hood on his sweatshirt and yanks him back.

“Where the fuck are you going?” Red Tee yells, wrapping his free arm around the boy’s neck and pressing his gun into the boy’s head. “Huh?”

One of the teen girls yelps.

Sam stands up and makes for Red Tee, plucking his badge off his belt as he goes. His pulse races, waves of adrenaline washing through him. He’s not thinking, his body drawn to the trouble like a piece of metal to a magnet.

“Hey, hey,” he says, too soft-spoken for the circumstance. He holds the badge in his hand, so everyone can see it. “Just calm down. The kid’s not going anywhere. Send him back to his seat, and you and your pal can get out of here.”

“A cop, huh?” Red Tee says, arm still wrapped around the teenager’s neck, the gun unrelenting against his skull. “We got us a fucking cop in here.”

Blue Tee glances over at Sam, still following the bag of money around his section of the diner as it changes hands.

“Where’s your gun, asshole?” Red Tee says to Sam.

“Let the boy go,” Sam replies. “You got your money. You don’t have to hurt anyone.”

Red Tee stares at him through the eyeholes in his mask, silent for a long beat, then pushes the teenager away from him. He points his gun at Sam’s chest.

“He don’t even have a fuckin’ gun,” says Blue Tee, the bag of money in his hand. “Don’t be stupid. Let’s fuckin’ go.”

Sam’s standing with his hands up in front of him, badge in the left.

Red Tee doesn’t budge, staring him down with the revolver.

“I said, let’s go,” Blue Tee barks.

“Fuck this cop,” says Red Tee as he cocks back the hammer on his revolver.

BANG!

Purchase

NineStar Press | Books2Read


Marie S. Crosswell writes long fiction, short fiction, and poetry.
Her novellas Texas, Hold Your Queens; Alchemy; Cold, Cold Water; and The Silence of Lightning are available online wherever digital books are sold. Her short fiction has appeared in Thuglit, Betty Fedora, Plots with Guns, Tough, and other indie crime fiction publications. She’s a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College where she studied creative writing and friendship. She lives in the American West. Visit her Website for more!

#bookaddiction #bookshelf #mustread #instabook #fortheloveofbooks #bookrecs #newbook #readersofinsta #tbrpile #whattoread #newbook #weekendreads #asexual #contemporary
 
One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!
 

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War of the Mind by Dana Claire Book Tour! @IndiePenPR #WarOfTheMind #NowLive #danaclairebooks #authordanaclaire

 

Immense grief causes demigod Calli to do the unthinkable and use her powers to erase herself from the memories of her beloved Henrik. Calli rebuilds herself and her crew, only to be reunited with Henrick by order of the crown to stop Perseus and his accomplices before it’s too late. As remnants of their passion haunt their voyage, will their wounded hearts find their way back to each other, or will past choices stand in their way? Readers who love pirate adventures and Greek mythology with forced proximity and second-chance romances will want to devour Dana Claire’s new Young Adult Novel, War of the Mind.

 

 His sacrifice could save humanity. Her revenge could turn it to stone. 

When immense grief turns demigod Calli Bordeaux’s heart to vengeance, she does the unthinkable. Using her powers, she erases herself from the memories of her beloved, Henrik, so that he cannot join her hunt for the notorious pirate Captain Fredrick, Henrik’s savage father. Shattered, Calli rebuilds herself and the crew of her parent’s ship to vanquish her enemy, only to discover a piece of Henrik came with her after all. 

Unaware that he lost the greatest love of his life, former pirate turned royal guard, Henrik, sets out with Cava’s navy to find a woman the gods forsook and the humans fear. Medusa. Her latest rampage of stony destruction is not mindless slaughter but self-preservation from pirate assassins. The demi-god Perseus has put a bounty on her severed head, seeking the power it possesses to slowly slaughter mankind. United by order of the crown, Calli and Henrik must stop Perseus and his pirate accomplices before it’s too late.

 Echoes of their past passion haunt their voyage, tipping them into turmoil when humanity needs them most. Can their wounded hearts find their way back to each other in time? Or will the barriers constructed by past choices stand in the way as the world around them turns to stone?

Add to Goodreads Here!

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt

Copyright 2024 Dana Claire

My head snapped up. Hope fisted my heart. “My parents? You spoke to them? What did they—”

“I thought The Freedom was pursuing Captain Fredrick and The Black Hollow,” Henrik interrupted. He took the book from my grasp and thrust it into Savina’s beckoning fingers. 

“No. I haven’t spoken to them.” Savina addressed me before returning her gaze to Henrik. “And yes. They were following your father—or they are.” Savina gripped the sides of the ledger, her knuckles whitening. “We don’t know any more than that. Captain Fredrick’s ship and Medusa were seen in Sottom at the same time. We think there is a connection. We thought The Freedom was trailing them, but we lost contact. I don’t know where either ship or Medusa is now. That’s why I’m waiting for Conleth to return with news.”

My arms trembled. Where in the underworld had my parents gone?

Savina pointed to the wingback chairs next to a pair of end tables. “Sit.”

Henrik guided me across the room. His calluses scratched the threads of my blouse as he coaxed me down with gentle pressure on my shoulders. My knees wobbled, and I flopped into the seat. 

“Is that why Captain Niles took interest?” Henrik asked. “He has stacks of Jacarian maps marked up with circles around mountain sides and x’s laid in front of cave entrances.” He arched an eyebrow. “What is he looking for?”

Savina looked down at the leather-bound book, then back up to Henrik. “Is that where these came from?” Her voice built like a thunderclap, lifting her half out of her seat. “Did you two board The Serpent’s Snare by yourselves and steal this?” 

Before Henrik or I could confirm or deny, the king’s voice boomed behind us. “Savina, are you in there?” 

The door swung open. I twisted, and the look of raw devastation marring Conleth’s face spurred me to my feet. His black hair stood on end as if he’d been pulling it. Creases of worry marred his lips. Behind him, my great-uncle Hermes scoured the room like a man who’d wandered away from a shipwreck, brown eyes red-rimmed. I’d never seen either man cry. Not much could break them, but I knew the sort of bereavement that painted the windows to their soul’s crimson would sever my heart as well. 

“Oh, my gods. What happened?” Savina rounded the desk, stopping before her husband. “Tell me, Conleth. Who’s dead?”

The second she asked, I knew. Their missing ship, my uncles’ dried tears, the silence. I dropped to my knees, a sob wracking my chest. 

“No, no, no.” Impossible. My father was a demi-god born from Apollo and Calliope with the power to heal and bring men to their knees with his song; my mother, Lou, the fierce captain of the first all-female-crewed pirate ship, The Freedom. Together, they’d navigated the seas with the greatest warriors and battled amidst the waves like gods. Poseidon’s kingdom was their domain. No enemy could thwart them there. 

“Cal?” Henrik called out, but Conleth quickly moved in front of him, blocking his path to me.

Hermes ignored everyone else. With an ease only my great-uncle possessed, he walked over and knelt to cradle my head in his hands.

I fought his embrace as my chest threatened to collapse and crush my heart. I refused to believe they were gone.

“Let me go!” Henrik shouted at Conleth, but I didn’t dare look at him. 

“I’m so sorry,” my uncle whispered.

“My parents are dead. Are you sure?” 

Hermes’s nod tore a sob from Savina. He rubbed his thumbs under my eyes, catching the droplets on his skin. Uncontrollable tears gushed like a river that escaped its bed.

I swallowed the giant knot that had twisted in my throat. “I don’t believe you. It can’t be.” My father grew up with sirens. He swam with them. His peers called him the Emperor of the Sea for a reason. How could he possibly die on the water? And my mother. She embodied the tides, the very salt-water air she breathed. How could she just be gone?

“It’s true.” My uncle reached for me.

I shook my head. None of this made sense. “My brother?” Adelphi had been on The Freedom as well. My parents would never let someone steal his soul away to the underworld. Not if they could help it.

“Also gone.” Hermes dropped his arms.

A burning fury surged through me, scorching my grief down to hot embers. “Who killed my family?”

My uncle looked away for the first time, his almond-shaped eyes darting over my head. Without meeting my gaze, he breathed, “Captain Fredrick of The Black Hollow.”

 

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

About Dana Claire

 

Dana Claire is an award-winning author whose stories explore identity, fate, and destiny at the crossroads of romance and adventure. Her love of romantic tension, the supernatural, and non- stop action has elicited positive feedback from many readers, as their online reviews reveal her flair for spine-tingling action and unforgettable characters. 

Dana is now sharing her stories through speaking events and book signings, introducing more readers to the worlds she created. She lives in Los Angeles, CA with her adoring husband living her dreams: writing books, telling stories, and changing the world, one reader at a time.

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