Well…I did it. I read the entire Alexis Parker series (by G. K. Parks). And now I’m eagerly waiting on the next book in the series. I did manage to read a few other books outside of the series (2 – from Lucy Score, 1 – from Daniel Priestley & 1 – from Susan M. Boyer). But the main focus of books centered around Alexis Parker. Good thing it’s part of the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program, otherwise I’d be book broke. HA! If you don’t have KU yet, this series will be worth jumping on the KU bandwagon (click here for a membership!).
And with all of those Alexis Parker books, I was able to hit my reading goal for 2020…50 books!! I’ve set the same reading goal for 2021 and have managed to read 2 books so far and nearly finished with a 3rd book. What books did you read in December? Pop them in the comments and tell me your thoughts! Did you meet or beat your 2020 reading goal? What’s your reading goal for 2021?? PS…My star ratings listed below for each book I read
NEW TO ME AUTHORS THIS MONTH
AUTHORS I RETURNED TO THIS MONTH
BOOKS I READ
Muffled Echoes
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Waking up alone, scared, and hurt with no recollection of the last twelve hours could be a sick joke, but this is far worse than some twisted prank. Federal agent Alexis Parker can’t remember where she was or how she ended up unconscious outside a parking garage. The evidence found on her body is inconclusive. Was it an accident, or did she pass out drunk after a night of partying? The briefest flashes from her memory and the sudden uneasiness when in close proximity to others are the only indications that something sinister is brewing, but her colleagues won’t listen.
Just as Alex starts to doubt her conviction that this wasn’t an accident, she experiences an intensely vivid dream. Maybe there’s a reason she can’t remember those twelve hours. Maybe she needs to forget what happened. Afraid of what she knows and even more terrified of what she doesn’t, Alex embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind those missing hours, and may the consequences be damned.
Retracing her steps, Alex becomes embroiled in the most dangerous investigation of her career. The stakes have never been this high or the fear this overwhelming. While she struggles to carry out her duties and uphold the oath she took when she joined the Office of International Operations, she can’t deny that taking the easy way out has never held more appeal, especially when failure certainly means death.
The tenth installment of the series revitalizes the very essence of Alexis Parker and demonstrates precisely what makes her tick, promising plenty of action, suspense, and intrigue along the way.
Crisis of Conscience
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
It’s open season on federal agents, and Alexis Parker is the primary target.
What happens when allies can’t be trusted? Federal agent Alexis Parker is about to find out. After taking some personal time, Alex is back at work and embroiled in an investigation to uncover a traitor inside the Office of International Operations. Her partner, Eddie Lucca, was assigned to flush out the mole, but this is bigger than just one agent, and he needs Alex’s help. Unfortunately, other cases keep getting in the way of their mission.
While being tasked with arresting an identity thief, Alex and Lucca take fire. This isn’t the first time that federal agents have been targeted, but this is their second close call in eight days. It’s clear someone wants Alexis Parker dead and is willing to pay substantially to see it happen. Now the OIO and the local police are in a race to identify the source of the threat and find the evidence needed to bring the party responsible to justice.
As usual, nothing is ever simple. The possibilities are endless. With cold cases turning hot and past enemies coming out of the woodwork, it’s nearly impossible to identify the source of the threat. Even alleged allies pose a substantial risk when one of Alex’s own colleagues is a duplicitous traitor. Lines have been drawn, but the only way to survive may be to cross them.
Oversubscribed
by Daniel Priestley
ABOUT THE BOOK…
Learn how to get your business oversubscribed in a crowded marketplace to make your business stand out and get people lining up to do business with you
Are you constantly chasing customers? Why does it seem like some businesses have their customers begging to purchase their goods or services? Think about it for a moment. When a new iPhone is released, why do customers camp overnight to be the first through the door? In cities with thousands of great restaurants, why do some restaurants require reservations months in advance? Why is it that some consultants, accountants, lawyers and healthcare professionals can charge exponentially more than others? In the modern marketplace, consumer options are virtually endless, intense competition is rife and so much is given away for free online. Often businesses are left scrambling to attract enough customers to make a small profit. Yet the opposite is true for a small number of businesses that do things differently—customers chase them. They have buyers who gladly queue up, pay more, and eagerly wait for the chance to hand over their money for the next thing. How do these businesses do it? More importantly, how can you become one of them?
Oversubscribed is the guide to transforming your business into one which customers fight over! Author Daniel Priestley, a successful entrepreneur who has built and sold businesses around the world, shares proven, real-world methods that will not only grab customers’ attention, but will also have them lining up to buy from you. This invaluable guide will teach you how to drive demand for your products or services far beyond supply and will dramatically increase the success of your business. Now in its second edition, this updated version offers new insights and motivating examples that are right for the 2020s. This book will show you:
The principles and philosophies Oversubscribed businesses live by that are often the opposite of what most businesses do Specific steps for getting into the mind of your customer so they only want to buy from your business How to structure campaigns and product launches that systematically get your business Oversubscribed How to implement a process of signalling to market, and collect signals back from market to build up desire and demand for your products and services
The new edition of Oversubscribed: How to get people lining up to do business with you is a must-read for entrepreneurs, marketers, business leaders and owners, team managers, and business students.
Misplaced Trust
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
With the shake-up at the OIO, Alexis Parker is assigned to assist the DEA on a long-term undercover operation across the country. Being away from home might be just what Alex needs to regain some perspective, especially when Martin’s been so distant lately. But this assignment might be more than either of them bargained for since the death toll continues to rise while hard evidence remains zilch.
After being transplanted across the country and given a cover identity that makes Alex appear to be more of a loner than she actually is, she is recruited by a nearby cult leader. He has a history with drugs and has been accused of sexual abuse, so being forced to live at the commune isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Luckily, Alex’s DEA counterpart, Agent Jackson Decker, is a seasoned undercover operative more than willing to watch her back, even if she questions his ability to conduct a proper investigation. After all, Decker’s been under for eight months with hardly any evidence to show for it. However, the growing number of former cult members turning into dead drug mules indicates that something sinister is brewing.
Parker and Decker need to find enough proof to shut down the cult, put an end to the drug trafficking, and make sure the self-proclaimed religious leader pays for his sins. It’s another hell of a case.
Whitewashed Lies
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
Federal agent Alexis Parker is on a quest to find the truth…
When a bomb goes off in the middle of the night, no one hears the blast except an anonymous tipster. The office building is empty, but the rooms are locked up tight. Even the police and fire department are unable to bypass the advanced security systems. What goes on inside this building? Why was it targeted? The company is a front for something, and based on their abrupt disappearance and the professional clean-up job, Agent Alexis Parker is positive it’s a government cover-up.
While pursuing a lead, she crosses paths with some covert government agents whose only mission is to protect the secrets held within the bombed building, even if that means sabotaging the FBI’s investigation. The stakes get even higher when evidence points to an anarchist hacker group being responsible for the IED. The CIA turned one of the hackers, and now the anarchist group might be seeking revenge. The only thing Alex can do is lead a manhunt to find the bomber and the rogue hacker before another detonation rocks the city and she ends up caught in the crossfire. Will she be able to stop the chaos and carnage that accompany total anarchy?
On Tilt
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
Five years ago, a teenage girl vanished. After a thorough police investigation, the case went cold. Her parents spent the next few years hiring private investigators to search for their daughter, but they’ve had no luck until now.
When Alexis Parker, the newest detective at Cross Investigation, starts poking around, the cold case suddenly turns hot. Even though it’s been five years, some secrets were meant to stay buried, and the men that buried them will do anything to make sure no one discovers why. Now Alex has to determine if this is an isolated incident or if something far more sinister is at play.
Purview of Flashbulbs
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
Hollywood – the glitz, the glamour, and a threatening stalker. Is it all just part of the limelight?
Working in the private sector has its perks, but boring cases isn’t one of them. The most dangerous thing about Alexis Parker’s latest P.I. gig is the selection of foods at craft services, or so she’s been told. Hired as a technical consultant, Alex is supposed to give Dinah Allen, the newest Hollywood It girl, an insider’s look at what it means to be a woman in the FBI, but the last thing Alex wants to do is revisit traumatic experiences for someone’s entertainment.
When strange things start happening on set, Alex finds herself in the midst of an investigation. Dinah has a past that might be coming back to haunt her. There’s a fine line between crazed fan and stalker, and whoever’s obsessed with Dinah just crossed that line.
The Long Game
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
A con artist. A serial killer. And ten million dollars. This time, everything is at stake.
When a man is murdered in front of Alexis Parker, it sends the private investigator into a tailspin that leads to a case of million dollar proportions. In order to get her mind off death, Alex agrees to help Don Klassi, a Martin Technologies board member, with a personal problem. He was swindled out of ten million dollars, but he refuses to go to the police. Unsure if the money is dirty, Alex is hesitant to assist, but she owes it to Martin. At the very least, she wants to make sure Don and his millions won’t sully her boyfriend’s reputation.
Tracking the con artist is easy. Finding the money isn’t. Secret numbered accounts, closed banking policies, and cryptocurrency make the dynamics of the case complicated, so Alex must out con the con man. Becoming his new mark is the only way to figure out where he’s stashing the cash and the coin, but someone else is hot on the grifter’s trail.
Is it another of the con man’s angry victims or someone much more dangerous? Whoever he is, he won’t let anyone get in his way, not even Alexis Parker…
Burning Embers
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
After recent setbacks, private investigator Alexis Parker is ready for a break. She and Martin have plans. Big plans. But when a colleague ropes her into helping on his investigation, everything else might fall to the wayside.
The papers know him as Chef Easton, a rising star in the culinary world. But to Alex, he’s just another client whose life may be in jeopardy. He claims someone burned down his restaurant, but the arson investigators disagree. And so do the police. Could this be a publicity stunt? After all, any press is good press, right?
Alex isn’t convinced, and after receiving a frantic call from Chef Easton, she believes her client is genuinely scared. It’s no secret the city has a firebug. However, proving it might be more trouble than it’s worth. With her reputation and her client’s on the line, Alex will have to proceed carefully. A misstep could cost them their careers, or even worse, it might make the arsonist escalate. Until now, no one’s been hurt in any of the fires, but that’s about to change…
Thick Fog
by G. K. Parks
ABOUT THE BOOK…
The past doesn’t just haunt you. It can kill you…
Nothing good ever happens at 3AM. Nothing. And as Alexis Parker stands in the midst of an active crime scene, she can’t help but recall that admonition.
Her mentor, Mark Jablonsky, a man who’s more of a father to her than the man who adopted her, was rushed into surgery an hour ago. The prognosis unknown, but if the blood soaked sheets are any indication of his chances, then it doesn’t look good.
When Alex resigned from the FBI, she did her best to put everything behind her. She moved on. The nightmares had finally stopped. Until now.
Someone from Alex’s past wants her to regret her decisions. Getting revenge on Mark is only the beginning. If Alex doesn’t act quickly enough, more of her former colleagues will drop like flies. And then, he’ll come for her.
The Mistletoe Kisser
by Lucy Score
ABOUT THE BOOK…
“Just because I don’t run around with a stupid grin on my face all day every day doesn’t mean I’m grumpy.”
Ryan Sosa, grumpy former corporate accountant, has had it up to here with surprises. He didn’t see getting fired coming. And he certainly didn’t anticipate flying across the country to the world’s hippie-est, happiest, most annoying town to save his great-uncle from some mysterious emergency.
Not only is there actual snow on the ground, but the town of Blue Moon appears to have decked its halls with elves on psychedelics. But he doesn’t have time to be snarky about the impending Winter Solstice and Multicultural Holiday Celebration—whatever the hell that is. Not when he’s got a farm to save, a free-range sheep that he may or may not have nudged with his stupid microscopic rental car, and some small-town veterinarian telling him she can’t take the animal off his hands.
Dr. Sammy Ames has a practice to manage and a fundraising crisis to attend to. She doesn’t have time to deal with a big-city grouch who doesn’t remember being her first kiss ever. Especially not since he wants to dump a sheep named Stan on her. So not happening. No matter how cute—and naked—Ryan is when he’s drunk.
Besides, as soon as he solves his uncle’s problem, he’ll be on the first flight out of Blue Moon, never to return again.
It will take a Winter Solstice Miracle or perhaps some matchmaking interference from the Beautification Committee to get these two to see eye-to-eye under the mistletoe…unless they got the Wrong Ryan after all.
The Christmas Fix
by Lucy Score
ABOUT THE BOOK…
She’ll save Christmas just to spite him…
When a late season hurricane hits Merry, Connecticut, city manager and single dad Noah Yates has to inform the already devastated residents that there won’t be a Christmas Festival this year. No festival means no tourism dollars. A disaster of epic proportions for his hometown.
But when home renovation expert slash smoking hot reality TV star Catalina King shows up with a camera crew and a budget big enough to put the town back together again, Noah balks. Hard. The last time Cat was in town she stirred up trouble everywhere she went. (Residents are still talking about the town’s first and only bar fight.) Noah doesn’t need a TV diva capitalizing on his town’s tragedy or filling his daughter’s head with glitz and glam.
Cat is ready and willing to put Merry back in Christmas mode with a holiday special that will leave everyone believing in miracles and get her friends back in the home they love. But there’s one big problem standing in her way. And his name is Noah Yates. He’s wrong about her and she can’t wait to prove it. Ring those jingle bells because it’s on.
Lowcountry Boughs of Holly
by Susan M. Boyer
ABOUT THE BOOK…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but Private Investigator Liz Talbot is struggling to feel festive. She hasn’t seen her best friend, Colleen, in weeks and fears she may never see her again in this life. Meanwhile Nate, Liz’s husband and partner, is spending money like he prints it in the attic on a mysterious family Christmas celebration. Liz’s nerves are shot, and she hasn’t even decked a single hall. But there’s simply no time to fret.
On a morning beach run, Liz spots a wooden rowboat run aground with Santa inside. Did Old Saint Nick have too much eggnog at the boat parade? No indeedy—Santa’s been shot. And he’s none other than C.C. Bounetheau, patriarch of one of Charleston’s wealthiest families.
Liz and Nate already unwrapped quite a few family secrets while searching for the Bounetheau’s missing granddaughter last year—enough to make them swear to steer forever clear of the entire clan. But as Mr. Bounetheau’s body is found in Stella Maris, and Liz and Nate are the police chief’s on-call detectives, they’re on the case.
With no shortage of suspects, Liz and Nate dash to find a killer who may be working his or her way down a naughty list.
Spend Christmas in the Lowcountry with the Talbot family and their friends in Susan M. Boyer’s latest Southern charmer, Lowcountry Boughs of Holly. Tis the season for merry mayhem!
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