Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Guaranteed to Bleed by Julie Mulhern

Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, for Guaranteed to Bleed by Julie Mulhern.  Please leave a comment or question for Julie to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter her tour wide giveaway, where Julie will award one (1) digital copy of her book to five (5) randomly drawn commenters, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You can also follow all of the stops on her tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.

I Love October by Julie Mulhern

I love October. It has always been my favorite month.

In Missouri, the sky turns a shade of blue so saturated with color that if you look at it too long it will mark your soul.

It is a month of turning leaves and apple picking and pumpkin carving.

It is a month of scary movies on television and bite-sized Snickers bars undermining my willpower.

Boots. Need I say more?

It is the month when fresh tomatoes disappear, replaced by comfort food—apple pie and beef stew and roasted potatoes.

And now, October is the month when Guaranteed to Bleed comes into the world.

Here’s a peek at a fall Sunday Brunch at the country club with Ellison and her parents…

EXCERPT

“That girl, Alice, is a mess.” She (Mother) glanced at my father. “Harrington, dear, flag down a waiter. I want a Bloody Mary, spicy with a double shot of vodka.” She returned her attention to me. “It’s not entirely the girl’s fault.” She lowered her voice. “With a mother who drinks like that, there aren’t too many possible outcomes.”

I refrained from answering. So did Daddy. We were both too fond of breathing to say anything about double shots of vodka.

Mother’s eyes narrowed as if she’d read my thoughts. “Isn’t it a bit late in the season for that dress?”

The dress, a Diane Von Furstenburg wrap, was brand new. “I don’t think so.”

“Really?” She raised a brow. “The color seems awfully summery to me.”

The color fell somewhere between coral and bittersweet. It was perfect for autumn. “I like it.”

“You look lovely, sugar.” Daddy grinned at me. His eyes twinkled as if he found Mother’s snitty mood amusing.

Mother sniffed and looked at her watch. She might have even tapped her foot beneath the cover of the tablecloth.

My insides—vital organs like my heart and stomach and large intestines—began to liquefy. Any moment now, Hunter Tafft would walk through the door and I wasn’t ready to see him.

Guaranteedto Bleed

By Julie Mulhern
The Country Club Murders #2

Publisher: Henery Press

Release Date:  October 13, 2015

Genre:  Historical Mystery/Female Sleuth

Format:  eBook/Print

Length:  268 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1943390052

ASIN:  B011PJCKPW

Buy Links:  Amazon      B&N    

About the book: 

With his dying breath, Bobby Lowell begs Ellison Russell, “Tell her I love her.”

Unable to refuse, Ellison struggles to find the girl the murdered boy loved. Too bad an epically bad blind date, a vindictive graffiti artist, and multiple trips to the emergency room keep getting in the way.

Worse, a killer has Ellison in his sights, her newly-rebellious daughter is missing, and there’s yet another body in her hostas. Mother won’t be pleased.

Now Ellison must track down not one but two runaway teenagers, keep her promise to Bobby and elude the killer—all before her next charity gala committee meeting.

_______________________

About The Author: 

Julie Mulhern is a Kansas City native who grew up on a steady diet of Agatha Christie. She spends her spare time whipping up gourmet meals for her family, working out at the gym and finding new ways to keep her house spotlessly clean–and she’s got an active imagination. Truth is—she’s an expert at calling for take-out, she grumbles about walking the dog and the dust bunnies under the bed have grown into dust lions.

Author Links:

Webpage – www.juliemulhern.com

Goodreads –https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573907.Julie_Mulhern

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/juliekmulhern?ref=hl

Twitter – https://twitter.com/JulieKMulhern

It’s not every day a woman stumbles across a dead body during a high school football game while looking for a dropped pricy French lipstick, but that’s how Ellison Russell, stumbles across the body of Bobby Lowell at the beginning of Guaranteed to Bleed by Julie Mulhern.  Filled with colorful characters, both new and old, two dead bodies, runaway teenage girls and a killer determined to add Ellison to the ranks of the dead, the second entry in The Country Club Murders is even better than the first.  If you like female sleuths and books set during the hazy days of the 70’s, then this is a series you won’t want to miss.

Ms. Mulhern continues to develop Ellison Russell’s character right from the start; a successful artist, a recent widow and an uncomfortable member of Kansas City’s society elite, Ellison has just returned with her daughter, Grace, from a cruise intended to take her mind off her husband’s death.  Stumbling across an injured teenager she knows while looking for a dropped lipstick was not a part of Ellison’s Friday night plans.  Neither was having to get stiches or coming home to an impromptu slumber party being hosted by her daughter.  

Trying to fulfill her promise to the dying boy puts Ellison on the trail of another killer and in danger. Since I had already connected with Ellison’s character in The Deep End, the first book in the series, I looked forward to reading about more of her adventures and was not disappointed.  Still trying to resolve her feelings about her social position, Ellison is also avoiding romance and the two men who she continues to stumble across, lawyer Hunter Tafft and detective Anarchy Jones.  Both have romance on their mind.  

The secondary characters are also well developed and it was a lot of fun reconnecting with both Hunter and Anarchy, as well as Ellison’s daughter Grace, and of course Ellison’s parents.  Ellison’s mother reminds me of someone in my own family during that time period and Ellison's dad always makes me smile.  Introducing a handful of new characters related to the young boy’s death via friendship with Grace, Ms. Mulhern takes us back through life in the 70’s and how much our society has changed.  If you lived thru the 70’s, it’s a great opportunity to reminisce and if you didn't live through the 70's, it 's a great crash course through the best parts.  

Will Ellison discover who killed Bobby Lowell?  Will she discover which girl he loved?  And will Ellison decide to take a chance on love?  You’ll have to read Guaranteed to Bleed to find out.  I enjoyed it and look forward to reading about Ellison’s next adventure.

My Rating; 5 out 5 Crowns.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley as a part of a book tour.  This had no influence on my opinion of the reading material provided or review.