End of the Road by Karen Michelle Nutt (Spotlight, excerpt, review, and GIVEAWAY) GFT

End of the Road

by Karen Michelle Nutt

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GENRE:   Paranormal Mystery/Ghost/Romance

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BLURB:

Lars Gunner, the frontman for Silent Plaids, died 23 years ago and his death was ruled an unfortunate accident. Despite the fact he can't recall what happened to him in his last moments of life, he is convinced he was murdered. He has been trapped in limbo until his daughter, Cecilia, unearths his journal and is able to see him. She seeks help from Kaleb, a psychic, but as they resurrect the past, the secrets and lies surrounding Lars' rock and roll life just may be the death of them too.

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EXCERPT

(It is coming up on the anniversary of rock star legend, Lars Gunner's death, 23 years and counting. Every year, Cecilia's mother remembers the good old days by watching old movies and drinking herself into oblivion. Worried, Cecilia pays her mother a visit.)

"He's here, you know," her mother whispered and her breath smelled like an ashtray.

"Who's here?" she asked.

Her mother moved away from her grip and walked over to the black roadie box, which had wheels and a handle to make transporting equipment, music sheets, and other such items from place to place that much easier. Her father had taken this one with him on the road since his first concert when singing for his supper hadn't been a joke but a reality. He never replaced it with a new one when the band had finally made it big and gourmet banquets were set out for them as if they were royalty. It was like having a lucky sock or coin, but his lucky item just happened to be a beat up old roadie box. Her mother had one too, but hers had been custom made with leopard fur and pink rhinestones.

Her mother's hand slid over the black box, pausing over the dent in one corner as if that particular dent held a fond memory. "Right after your father died, you would come in here and stare at this beat up old thing. I would ask you what you were doing." She glanced over her shoulder at her. "Do you remember what you said?"

She shook her head. Of course, she didn't. She was a toddler and those memories at that age were far and in between and a bit fuzzy at best.

"You would say: Daddy's playing his guitar and singing to me." Her mother pulled her wrap closer around her for what little good the thin piece of material would do to keep her warm. "You were always his little girl. Even in death, you loved him more than me."

 Amazon link

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Karen Michelle Nutt resides in California with her husband. Though her three children are grown and starting their own adventures, she still has a houseful of demanding pets. Jack, her Chorkie, is her writing buddy and sits long hours with her at the computer.

When she's not time traveling, fighting outlaws, or otherworldly creatures, she creates pre-made book covers to order at Gillian's Book Covers, "Judge Your Book By Its Cover".

Whether your reading fancy is paranormal, historical or time travel, all her stories capture the rich array of emotions that accompany the most fabulous human phenomena—falling in love.

Visit the author at her:

Website

Blog

Gillian’sBook Covers, “Judge Your Book By Its Cover”

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Amazon Author Page 

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My review: 

3.5 out of stars

End of the Road by Karen Michelle Nutt is a paranormal mystery story that centers on Cecilia Gunner’s quest to solve the mystery surrounding her rock star father’s death…assisted by his ghost. Psychic Kaleb Houston becomes part of the investigation and may prove to be the most important discovery of all, both to Cecilia and her father.

This is a fun story that combines mystery and romance in a gradually unfolding tale that shifts between the past and present. I like the glimpses of the music world and the delightful repartee that result from arguing with a man who has never had the chance to be a true father and is still twenty-seven years old in a world that has had more than two decades of progress. This was a fascinating look at a dysfunctional family with the delightful twist of input from a previously stifled member who can only be heard by a couple of people. Some of the action was predictable and it would be nice to have a little more depth to some of the characters, but the combination of psychic phenomena and emotional scenes keep one rooting for Cecilia to find a way to help her dad and find her own closure and makes this an enjoyable tale.

A copy of this title was provided to me for review