Category: Contest Winner Announcement

Review: Burdened to Death: A Jamie Brodie Mystery (Jamie Brodie Mysteries Book 3) by Meg Perry

Rating: 4.5🌈

Burdened to Death, the third in the Jamie Brodie Mysteries by Meg Perry, is a complex and compelling story. And it’s one not everyone is going to agree with on how this story ends.

For a novel that’s 128 pages in length, Perry’s woven a tale of incredible complexity, one that includes highly dangerous and damaging subjects such as suicide, the SA scandals within the Catholic Church’s priesthood, and the emotional/traumatic aftermath of those who survived that abuse.

One of those people is the current boyfriend of James Brodie. Pete Ferguson’s confession of his childhood SA trauma in the last novel is continuing to destabilize his relationship with Jamie.

This is one more sensitively handled element of the story and their relationship. The issues are directly connected to Pete’s childhood SA. Both men are in individual therapy (another interesting aspect of the story).

They’re at an emotional impasse when they get a phone call from Kevin, Jamie’s police detective brother, about a dead man who needs identification from Pete.

This dead man will ignite several investigations. Both of them seemingly done by Jamie for Pete, to get closure. But it’s never that simple.

Perry manages to wring out deep, wrenching emotions from current events while revealing new perspectives and past histories about the main characters here . While these events happened decades ago, they feel as fresh as they do now because so much of this is still unresolved and the investigations and lawsuits are still ongoing.

And that will bring us back to the ending. Some will absolutely not be happy or satisfied by this. I can see why. Real life works this way. And it would have worked that way back then.

And somehow I don’t feel as though we’re done with this yet.

Perry showed us that James and Pete made some progress in their relationship. Small steps. After enormous trauma. That’s life.

Thats realistic and a beautiful raw , well written story. And why I keep coming back. On to Researched To Death.

The Jamie Brodie Mysteries – 23 books

✓ Cited to Death

✓ Hoarded to Death

✓ Burdened to Death

◦ Researched to Death

◦ Encountered to Death

◦ Psyched to Death

◦ Stacked to Death

◦ Stoned to Death

◦ Talked to Death

◦ Avenged to Death

◦ Played to Death

◦ Filmed to Death

◦ Trapped to Death

◦ Promoted to Death

◦ Published to Death

◦ Cloistered to Death

◦ Haunted to Death

◦ Obsessed to Death

◦ Deserted to Death

◦ Drugged to Death

◦ Resigned to Death

◦ Snowed to Death

◦ Enchanted to Death

Dirty Laundry: The Jamie Brodie Short Stories (Jamie Brodie Mysteries)

Sequel series:

An Angeles Investigations Mystery

◦ Cheated to Death: Book 1

◦ Hunted to Death Book 2

Buy links:

Burdened to Death (Jamie Brodie Mysteries Book 3)

Blurb:

A phone call in the middle of the night is never good news. When Pete Ferguson’s phone rings, he learns that one of his childhood friends, Mark Jones, has committed suicide. Mark’s family is shocked, and wonders if Mark was abused by the same priest at whose hands Pete suffered. Pete and Mark’s family want answers, and they ask Jamie to find them. Pete is convinced the priest is connected to his friend’s suicide. Jamie isn’t so sure. When the evidence starts pulling them in different directions, will it tear them apart?

• Publication date: October 9, 2013

• Language: English

• Print length: 128 pages

Announcements and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Announcements and Less Than Scattered Thoughts

Announcement 1:

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is Going on Hiatus as of February 1, 2020.  We intend on  returning June 1, 2020.

 

Real life has been complicated and incredibly time consuming of late.  The effects of aging is often not kind, and it’s hard to see it’s impact upon one’s parents.  And then have to deal with it.

Sometimes the change is gradual, and then, without notice, like some out of control vehicle, the changes speedup rapidly, veering off in directions you least expected, leaving you scrambling for time, plans, and someone to provide assistance for you and them.

And it all takes time.

I have tried handling  this, my life, and the blog.  And it hasn’t been going well.  So for now, Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words will go on hiatus February 1 until June.  Our intention is to return then, restored and recovered.

I hope you will return as well.  Trust me, this was a very difficult decision as I love this blog, our reviewers, authors, and readers so.  We make no money off of STRW and do it solely out of love.

We hope you will stay with us all through January and return to us in the summer.

 

Announcement 2:

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Does Not and Will Not Support Dreamspinner Press Through Tours or ARCs, now or in the future.

 

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue  Words has not worked or accepted tours or ARCS since October 2019,  and will not,  (even if they manage to pull off some sort of restructuring deal and avoid bankruptcy) from Dreamspinner Press, its owner Elizabeth North, and any of its associated presses.  Like other bloggers, readers, and tour owners, we too had hoped originally that DSP would turn things around.  Then began the long parade of authors out of Dreamspinner, the lengthy tweets and tales of unpaid royalties (still unpaid royalties and unreturned emails), the impact DSP”s action’s have had on these author’s lives, the immeasurable pain and stress that’s been caused, and, their latest maneuver, makes any support impossible.

I am sorry for those authors still remaining at that firm for whatever reason.  If any of you have ARCs that are self published or published with another press, we will be happy to help you promote those upon our return in the Summer and this January.

On a hilarious side note, when contacted by a certain author for Dreamspinner, asking if we wanted to continue with their tours/ARCS, we politely said not at this time.  And were then informed we were put on their blacklist. lol    A company that acts in such a (insert word of choice here)  manner, imo,  and acts towards to many authors but has a blacklist?  That’s irony. #payyourauthors

A last note on this  subject here.

We also fully throw our support towards those blogs, authors, and readers who have been so brave and vocal in supporting the LGBTQIA+ authors who left Dreamspinners and have been outspoken about the reasons why and the impact on their lives and writing.  This includes Jay of Joyfully Jay, RJ Scoot, Avon Gale, TJ Klune, BA Tortuga, Jodi Payne, Julia Talbot, Sean Kennedy, Sean Michael, Anna Zabo, among others. There are over 80 ex DSP authors, all with the same story.  They need our support.  We  will be here to help them through January and again in the summer when we return.

Plus I will be reading all through my blog’s hiatus so I will have a backlog of books to review come return time!  None of which will be DSP!

 

Now on a more positive note.

Here is Lila’s Short Best of 2019 List:

From Lila:

Best Cover – I Was a Gay Teenage Zombie by Alison Cybe

Best Novel – Not Dead Yet by Jenn Burke

Best Audiobook – Salt Magic, Skin Magic by Lee Welch: narrated by Joel Leslie

Overall Best – Bishop by A.E. Via

Now onto this week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Sunday, January 5:

  • Announcements and This Week At Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Monday, January 6:

  • BLITZ Love on the Spectrum by Alec Nortan
  • BLITZ Life Minus Me by Sara Codair
  • Blog Tour – Inheritance (Deadly Curiosities #4) by Gail Z. Martin
  • A Melanie Review Inheritance (Deadly Curiosities #4) by Gail Z. Martin

Tuesday, January 7:

  • Cover Reveal Signal – Fade In (A Tales of Bryant Romance) – V.L. Locey
  • Reveal Blitz Shots on Goal (Stick Side #3) by Amy Aislin
  • BLITZ Lord of Thundertown by O.F. Cieri
  • A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Devil’s Hour by Aimee Nicole Walker

Wednesday, January 8:

  • BLITZ Boiling Over by Thea McAlistair
  • AUDIO BLITZ All the Way to Shore by CJane Elliott
  • REVIEW TOUR – A.E. VIA – PROMISES: PART 1 (BOUNTY HUNTERS #1)
  • An Alisa Audio Review A.E. VIA – PROMISES: PART 1 (BOUNTY HUNTERS #1)

Thursday, January 9:

  • BLOG TOUR Devil’s Hour by Aimee Nicole Walker
  • A MelanieM Review: The Hunt for Red Fluffy (Brimstone #6) by Angel Martinez

Friday, January 10:

  • Release Blitz – Biker Daddy (The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale Book 1) by Gianni Holmes
  • A Chaos Moondrawn Review: Forbidden Bond by Lee Colgin

Saturday, January 11:

  • A MelanieM Review: Head in the Game by Jeff Adams

Check Out the Review Tour and Giveaway for What Lies Beneath (Lancaster Falls Trilogy #1) by R.J. Scott

 
Length: 67,000 words approx.

Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
Blurb



In the hottest summer on record, Iron Lake reservoir is emptying, revealing secrets that were intended to stay hidden beneath the water. The tragic story of a missing man is a media sensation, and abruptly the writer and the cop falling in love is just a postscript to horrors neither could have imagined.


Best Selling Horror writer Chris Lassiter struggles for inspiration and he’s close to never writing again. His life has become an endless loop of nothing but empty pages, personal appearances, and a marketing machine that is systematically destroying his muse. In a desperate attempt to force Chris to complete unfinished manuscripts his agent buys a remote cabin. All Chris has to do is hide away and write, but he’s lost his muse, and not even he can make stories appear from thin air.


Sawyer Wiseman left town for Chicago, chasing the excitement and potential of being a big city cop, rising the ranks, and making his mark. A case gone horribly wrong draws him back to Lancaster Falls. Working for the tiny police department in the town he’d been running from, digging into cold cases and police corruption, he spends his day’s healing, and his nights hoping the nightmares of his last case leave him alone.

Read Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words review here.  We highly recommend it. 

USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott writes stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, a happily ever after.


RJ Scott is the author of over one hundred romance books, writing emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing.


The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.


She’s always thrilled to hear from readers, bloggers and other writers. Please contact via the links below:

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Addendum to Our Best of Lists Posts This Sunday ~ Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Readers Best of 2018

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Readers Best of 2018

 

I didn’t want our Readers Lists to get lost among all the lists so here are the last of our reader’s Best of 2018 as well.  Thank you both for your continued contributions to our blog all year long.  I have always looked forward to every book you both have recommended and every comment you have left.  Happy New Year to you both and gift certificates await for you to show our appreciation for your support!  Please contact Stella at your convenience.

Best of 2018 ! Reader’s Lists

 

Purple Reader’s

I’ll have to look into some of H.B.’s. I’ll start by listing some of the best reads that I’d recommend from my book group, all deservedly winners of some pretty high-level lit awards:
– LESS – Andrew Sean Greer (just the Pulitzer is all)
– THE GREAT BELIEVERS – Rebecca Makkai (yeah, that ole shortlist for Natl Book Award, oh, and Oprah Summer Top)
– A FAVORITE SON – Michael Scott Garvin (IPPY Award, Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal)
– EVERYTHING BEGINS AND ENDS AT THE KENTUCKY CLUB – Benjamin Alire Sáenz (PEN/Faulkner Award)
– A LOVE LIKE BLOOD – Victor Yates (Lammy for Best Debut)

And H.B.’s

I don’t have many favorites for this year. Here’s a list of a few of my faves:
Anáil Dhragain: Dragon’s Breath (The Pendhragains 1) by Stephan Knox
Gheidh by Marishka Grayson
Falling Out of Fate by Madeleine Ribbon
Bloodraven (Bloodraven 1) by P.L. Nunn
Balefire (Whyborne & Griffin, 10) by Jordan L. Hawk
Shattered Heart by Nikki McCoy
The Boyfriend Game (#BOYFRIENDSBYBLOVED 1) by Stella Starling
In Other Words…Murder (Holmes & Moriarity, 4) by Josh Lanyon