Category: Book Reviews

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: A Hollow Sky (An Alex Ripley Mystery #2) by M. Sean Coleman

A Hollow Sky

(An Alex Ripley Mystery #2)

by M. Sean Coleman

Amazon UK / US / AU / CA

Red Dog Press

A SUSPENSEFUL, ATMOSPHERIC THRILLER.

Jane Hewitt had been miraculously healed—cured of a terminal cancer that had been eating away at her body for months. After one meeting with an incredible young woman, Jane rose from her wheelchair and walked out, believing that her lifetime of devoted faith had been rewarded.

The next day, Jane died in her husband’s arms, devastated that her God had deserted her. Her husband, Ian, blames her hastened death on the faith healer she visited. But that faith healer is a teenage girl called Megan, who has been in a coma for five years and has no say over how her gift is used.

When Ian is arrested after being accused of breaking into Megan’s house and trying to tamper with her life support, he turns to the only person he knows can help clear his name, and stop this family deceiving any other victims—Dr. Alex Ripley, the so-called Miracle Detective.

Fascinated by Megan’s case, and needing a distraction, Ripley finds herself on Holy Island, off the coast of North Wales, caught up in an investigation that will prove more sinister and dangerous than she could have imagined. Ian is not the first person to complain about Megan and her supporters, but he seems to be the only one left alive. For now.

A Hollow Sky is the second Alex Ripley Mystery

 

My Rating:

My Review:

 

Sean Coleman has conjured an original and brilliantly connived plot to immerse his favorite busybody.   If I were one of Mr. Coleman’s friends I would be rather cautious about tipping his ire, he seems quite crafty in causing annoyances to miraculously disappear. While the mystery was slower to develop and not as eerie as his recent stunning release of The Cuckoo Wood, the sly and twisty storylines of A Hollow Sky were tautly written with canny misdirections and clever sleight of hand that kept me guessing to the final chapter.

I couldn’t bring myself to trust or admire any of these shifty yet vividly detailed characters; not the self-serving tight-knit villagers, the deluded and greedy mother, or least of all the slick religious charlatans who were exploiting a sick child as well as the gullible people they were fleecing who were desperate enough to expect a death-defying cure from a comatose child. I was repulsed by the spectacle and despised them all while my fervent curiosity remained fully engaged to the extremely precarious climax, which had me full of body tension and holding my breath.

I must not forget to mention that the devilish Mr. Coleman began and ended this tale with Dr. Ripley’s own personal drama with disconcerting yet exciting news which was then quickly placed in a holding pattern while waiting for more information, only to be dangled again at the very end to taunt and tantalize me while I wait for the heinously cunning Mr. Coleman to pound out the next caper. Curses! I want to give him a good pinch for teasing me so but must confess that I’m on the hook… this guy knows his stuff!

I was able to harvest one new addition for my Brit vocabulary list with chock-a-block, which apparently has several meanings such as overly full or overflowing as well as disgruntled or fed-up.

Author Bio 

 

 

Born in the UK and raised in South Africa, M. Sean Coleman developed a love for reading and writing novels in his early teens, thanks to two incredibly passionate English teachers who infected him with their love of words and stories. Over the intervening years, he has written film and television drama, cross-platform series, an interactive children’s storybook, and a graphic novel series.


He finally found his niche as a thriller writer when he was asked to write a novel as part of the cross-platform project, Netwars. His first book, The Code, was published six months later, with the sequel, Down Time, hot on its heels. There was no going back.


He is obsessed with crime, mystery and thriller stories, especially those with a fresh or surprising angle. He writes novels from his home in The Cotswolds, where he lives with his husband and their three red dogs.

Social Media Links –  

www.facebook.com/mseancoleman.author

www.twitter.com/mseancoleman

 

Giveaway

Win paperback copies of The Cuckoo Wood and A Hollow Sky, a cool tote bag with book quote from the publisher, a branded bookmark and some chocolates (Open INT)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Book Review: Mavis and Dot by Angela Petch

Mavis and Dot

by Angela Petch

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

 

A warm slice of life, funny, feel-good, yet poignant. Introducing two eccentric ladies who form an unlikely friendship. Meet Mavis and Dot – two colorful, retired ladies who live in Worthington-on-Sea, where there are charity shops galore. Apart from bargain hunting, they manage to tangle themselves in escapades involving illegal immigrants, nightclubs, nude modeling, errant toupees and more. And then there’s Mal, the lovable dog who nobody else wants. A gently humorous, often side-splitting, heart-warming snapshot of two memorable characters with past secrets and passions. Escape for a couple of hours into this snapshot of a faded, British seaside town. You’ll laugh and cry but probably laugh more.

“This book is quirky and individual, and has great pathos…[it] will resonate with a lot of readers.” Gill Kaye – Editor of Ingenu(e).

Written with a light touch in memory of a dear friend who passed away from ovarian cancer, Angela Petch’s seaside tale is a departure from her successful Tuscan novels.

All profits from the sale of the books will go towards research into the cure for cancer.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

They had a good scavenge in the charity shop. Dot found a pair of crotchless tights and held them up to the window to see if there were any ladders. Mavis hurried over and snatched them away. ‘You don’t want those, surely? They’re… you know…’ Dot snatched them back. ‘Yes, I do. Very sensible, comfortable and with draughts in the right places.’ ‘They’re from Ann Summers,’ Mavis said, lowering her voice. ‘Who’s she?’ ‘It’s a brand for – for –’ Mavis searched for an explanation, conscious of the grinning youth rifling through a pile of LPs on a nearby shelf. ‘They’re for entertaining, Dot…’ ‘What are you talking about? I never throw dinner parties these days.’

 

She pouted and twirled, then swept her untidy curls up with a fuchsia hairband from the Pound Shop. It was a little on the tight side but, as well as keeping her hair off her face, it had the same effect as a facelift, pulling her eyebrows up and back into a permanent look of surprise. Why people went to the bother of having painful operations at exorbitant prices to remove wrinkles, when they could buy a cheap hair-band to achieve the same effect was beyond her comprehension.

 

‘I’ve got a gateau here to share – reduced for quick sale.’ He held out a chocolate cake decorated with one half of a bridal couple arranged on top. ‘The Baker’s Dozen let me have this cheap because the bride changed her mind the day before the big event and apparently picked up the marzipan groom and stamped on him in the shop.’

 

She offered him a biscuit and he declined. ‘I have to watch my figure, Mave.’ ‘So do I,’ she said, popping a whole fig roll into her mouth. ‘I watch it grow.’

 

‘Goodie! I could do with a new fornicator,’ Mavis said. Lance snorted. ‘Do what?’ ‘A fornicator,’ repeated Mavis. ‘You know – a sort of frou-frou thingummybob to wear on the head.’ His eyes widened. ‘Well, I’ve not heard about that in all my experience of kinky doings.’ ‘What on earth are you on about, Lance? I’m going to my niece’s wedding after Christmas and I need a fornicator to finish off my outfit. Something in scarlet to go with my new dress.’ ‘Oh!’ laughed Lance. ‘I think you mean a fascinator.

 

Dot tutted and peeled off her cotton gloves. ‘Let’s pretend to be ladylike for one hour at least. Please, Mavis.’ Mavis took a swig of the fizzy wine, making sure to stick out her little finger as she held the glass.

 

My Review:

 

Mavis and Dot was found treasure and I fell right into this delightful and cleverly written tale, laced with witty and wry humor, and featuring two newly acquainted elderly spinsters both recently relocated to their small village.  Mavis was short and rotund while Dot was tall and thin.  Both were penny-pinching skinflints and the only thing they enjoyed more than a good tipple was finding bargains and planned junking jaunt outings to the second-hand rummage stores, church jumbles, and charity shops.  The outfits Mavis put together from her finds were quite colorful although prone to be ill-fitting, haphazardly patched, and rather outlandish, which led to her being mistaken for a drag queen on one of her evening escapades.

Each and every one of Ms. Petch’s quirky characters was deliciously peculiar and colorfully drawn. I adored them to no end.  Yet I loved Mavis the most and without reservation, as she was so fun to envision and had such sass and bravado.  Mavis also had a tendency to muddle her words, which provided me with more than a few giggle-snorts – such as when she confused agoraphobics for aerobics, fornicator for fascinator, tepee for toupee, and anti-backups for antibiotics.

Angela Petch is a new discovery for me and I found her writing to be refreshingly crisp and packed with clever levity and amusing wit.  The storylines were bright and shiny and cunningly crafted.  Her writing was skillfully amusing yet also poignant and keenly insightful.  Her artful narratives were vividly detailed with humorous and revealing observations that had me laughing aloud and kept a near-constant smirk on my face while I soaked up Mavis’ daring antics, rich fantasy life, fuzzy interpretations, and lusty daydreams.  I adored these eccentric yet highly appealing characters as they fascinated me and left me desirous of knowing every little thing about them.

I hit the mother-load for new additions to my Brit vocabulary list with manky (dirty, worthless, or rotten), faff (waste of time or energy), punnet (a small shallow basket often used for fruit and vegetables), and Knickerbocker Glory, which is an ice cream sundae in a tall glass.

Does it need saying that Angela Petch has a new and scarily rabid fangirl?  I sincerely hope she doesn’t startle easily…

 

Author Bio

A prize-winning author, Angela Petch lives half the year in West Sussex and the summer months in a remote valley in the Tuscan Apennines. She recently signed a two-book deal with Bookouture for her Tuscan novels and “Mavis and Dot” is a temporary departure from her usual genre. She has traveled all her life: born in Germany, she spent six years as a child living in Rome, worked in Amsterdam after finishing her degree in Italian, moved to Italy for her job, then to Tanzania for three years. Her head is full of stories and she always carries a pen and notebook to capture more ideas.

In May 2017, Angela Petch won PRIMA’S monthly short story competition and recently had a dozen stories published by The People’s Friend magazine.

“Mavis and Dot” was written in memory of a dear friend who lost her battle with ovarian cancer. All profits from sales of the book will go towards research into a cure for cancer.

 

LINKS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJaneClarePetch/

Twitter: @Angela_Petch

Website: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com

TUSCAN NOVELS

    “Tuscan Roots” (to be reissued by Bookouture in 2019) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tuscan-Roots-tangle-Italian-Apennines-ebook/dp/B01DDQDMDE/

“Now and Then in Tuscany” – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Then-Tuscany-Italian-journeys-ebook/dp/B06Y8Y17MG

MAVIS AND DOT

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07JM3KJSB

https://mybook.to/MDot 

 

Posted on

Book Review, Giveaway: Five Ladies Go Skiing by Karen Aldous

Five Ladies Go Skiing

by Karen Aldous

Amazon /  iBooks /   Kobo  /   NOOK

 

A delightful new novel of love and friendship from Karen Aldous…

Ginny is alone now after losing her husband, so her friends (her F.L.O.W.E.R.S) decide with his first memorial imminent, learning to ski in the Swiss Alps would be a great distraction for her. What Ginny’s friends fail to add to the equation, however, is their own distractions! The baggage they carry with them not only threatens their skiing but scales mountainous emotions throughout the trip. The questions then are…can their friendships survive, and can Ginny ever trust enough to love again?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

What are we like? I mean, sixty-year-old women, pissed as old farts, falling about in the snow. What would our children think?

 

Goodness me, if I had a penny for each time Anthony annoyed me, I’d give Bill Gates a run for his money. I thought it was just Anthony. It’s quite a relief to hear you’ve got grumpy old men too.

My Review:

 

Copious amounts of wine and consumption of delicious food in a beautiful setting during the holiday season for five ladies over sixty, four of which were novice skiers on their first ski trip – what could possibly go wrong other than leading me astray from my diet? If only they could have left all their life stressors and secrets behind.   Each of the five main characters was either struggling or feeling less than satisfied with their life, yet they were more concerned with the special handling their widowed friend seemed to require rather than sharing their own worries and scandals. I admired the premise and subplots, however, the storylines moved at a glacial pace. The plot was gradually developed yet insightful and realistic with glimmers of humor and brightly detailed descriptions that conjured keen visuals. The pervading aura was angsty and fractious with various connubial and familial concerns and complaints, which unfortunately became rather tiresome as the ladies repeatedly obsessed over their issues in their inner musings before finally giving voice to their troubles and working through them. Fun new additions to my Brit and Aussie word lists were garnered with chook (Aussie slang for a chicken or older woman), arvo (Aussie talk for the afternoon), wide boy (a nefarious or deceptive business operator), and screaming abdabs (extreme anxiety and also an alcoholic’s DT).

 

Author Bio –

Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling, and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Much of Karen’s inspiration comes from her travels and meeting people. The UK, France, Greece, Switzerland, Italy, and parts of the USA and Asia are just some you will experience in her books to date. However, wherever she goes, new characters emerge in ‘Karen’s World’ screaming at her to tell their stories; past or present. She loves to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives – but struggle to control them! And, of course, there’s always a gorgeous hunk or two!

See more… http://www.karenaldous.co.uk/about-me/

 

Social Media Links –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenAldousAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenAldous_

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenaldous_/

 

Giveaway 

Win 5 x Paperback copies of

Five Ladies Go Skiing

(UK Only)

 

*Terms and Conditions –Please note prize will be distributed once the paperback is available (published 13th December).  UK entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will be passed to the giveaway organizer and used only for the fulfillment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for dispatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted on

Book Review: Out of the Dark by Josie Kerr

Out of the Dark

by Josie Kerr

Amazon / B&N

 

Daniel Beaujardin spent fifteen years serving his country in the United States Marine Corps until a roadside bomb ended his military career. When a former teammate offers him a job in Atlanta, Dan, left scarred and partially blind from the accident, jumps at the opportunity for a fresh start.

Three years after his partner’s death, Alexander Westport is still simply going through the motions. Work, softball practice, and the occasional family dinner is how he spends his time, but Alex knows he’s not really living.

An anonymous encounter at a local gay club first brings Dan and Alex together, and after a second chance meeting, the men strike up a friendship that quickly turns romantic. When professional and personal troubles threaten their fledgling relationship, Dan and Alex learn battles fought together are won more easily than those faced alone.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

I know you’ve always liked eyes. You have since I caught you kissing that photo of Elijah Wood when you were fourteen.

 

My Review:

 

Sizzle and snap – this book was a scorcher, it started off steamy then bloomed into a tender sweet love story between two lonely, mature, and swoon-worthy men. Sigh, why do all the best ones bat for the other team? I adored this couple, they were extra special and Ms. Kerr has created an engaging, heart squeezing, and insightful story to showcase them while kicking off her new series. What a bold move to start off with an M/M romance as an anchor, although the storylines easily meshed and connected with her DS Fight Club crew. I enjoy her unique brand of clever and snarky levity and thoughtful and emotive HEA tales.


Josie Kerr   

Website

Twitter  authorjosiekerr

Goodreads

Josie Kerr is a transplanted West Texan living on the edge of semi-profoundly rural Georgia, a.k.a. the southernmost edge of the northernmost county in Metro Atlanta.

She has an M.Ed. in Secondary English Education but discovered that she hated high school more the second time than she did the first, so she decided to meld her love of technology with her education background and became an Instructional Designer. When not writing articles about how to fire someone without getting sued or why you should really not apply for jobs using your SexxyStud99@aol.com email address, she writes steamy romance novels that feature grown-up Heroes and Heroines.

Posted on

Book Review: Tales from the Pays d’Oc by Patricia Feinberg Stoner

Tales from the Pays d’Oc

by Patricia Feinberg Stoner

Amazon US / UK 

 

Twenty-one tales of life, love, and laughter in the land of sun and vines.  

What is Matthieu doing up an olive tree?  Why won’t Joséphine ever eat pizza again? Who went four by fourth? And who rescued two hapless Americans at Armageddon Falls?

Travel to the Languedoc, feel the scorch of the sun on your shoulders, smell the dust and the lavender and the ripening grapes and follow the adventures of the Saturday Club and the regulars at l’Estaminet.

In this collection of stories, Patricia Feinberg Stoner revisits the territory of her memoir, ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc’ with a whole host of new and familiar characters.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Any big, butch vehicle with large knobbly tyres and an excess of mud flaps would set his eyes a-spark, but what he really loved were Land Rovers. And by Land Rovers, of course, he meant Series and Defenders. Not for him the high-falutin’ Range Rover, nor the serviceable but still sleek Discovery – these he called Bland Rovers, and he treated them with disdain.

 

Morbignan la Crèbe, a small village in the Languedoc…

Principal industry, winter and summer: gossip.

Secondary industry: wine.

 

Today Jeannette and her husband were coming to stay, and bringing the new baby. On the whole, Gaston approved of the fact that the baby was grey and white and fluffy rather than pink and squalling. As a grandfather of seven he was blasé about small humans, but dogs he loved.

 

Perhaps this was a teeny exaggeration, but Matthieu was never one to let a few facts spoil a good story.

 

The ladies of the village clung to their old ways: tightly-permed heads in steel grey or the eye-watering auburn universally referred to as menopause red.

 

My Review:

 

Being a complete Philistine, I had no idea what or where the Pays d’Oc was, so I went to the source of all things – Mr. Google – who informed me it is a very productive wine region along the Mediterranean coast.   I like wine, and I like Mediterraneans, so it seemed like a good fit. This was a collection of amusing and inter-related short stories featuring a large cast of international characters and their precocious pets.   Each well-written story was laced with clever humor and delightful observations. My favorites were The Boar Wars and those involving the precious little dogs named Visitor and Useless.

 

About Patricia Feinberg Stoner

 

Patricia Feinberg Stoner is a former journalist, advertising copywriter, and publicist. For four years she and her husband were accidental expatriates in the Languedoc, southern France.  During that time she wrote a series of magazine articles which eventually became her first book about the Languedoc: ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc.’

 

Now back in the UK, she lives with her husband in the pretty West Sussex village of Rustington, where Michael Flanders encountered a gnu and the mobility scooter is king. 

 

 She spends much of her time writing short stories and comic verses. Her first book, ‘Paw Prints in the Butter’, is a collection of comic poems for cat lovers and is sold in aid of a local animal charity.  In 2017 she published her second book of comic verse: ‘The Little Book of Rude Limericks’.

 

In the autumn of 2018, Patricia returns to the locale of ‘At Home in the Pays d’Oc’ with a new collection of stories: ‘Tales from the Pays d’Oc’.

 

Patricia welcomes visitors to her Facebook page (Paw Prints in the Butter) and to her blog www.paw-prints-in-the-butter.com.

 

You may occasionally find her on Twitter @perdisma.

Posted on

Book Review: Murder Served Cold by Paula Williams

 

Murder Served Cold

by Paula Williams

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

 

A quiet English village where nothing ever happens.   Until…..

After her boyfriend runs out on her with the contents of their joint bank account, Kat Latcham has no choice but to return to the tiny Somerset village of Much Winchmoor where she grew up.  A place, she reckons, that is not so much sleepy as comatose and she longs for something to happen to lessen the boredom of living with her parents.

But when she and her childhood friend, Will Manning, discover a body and Will’s father, John, is arrested for the murder, Kat suddenly realizes that she should have heeded the saying “Be careful what you wish for”.

Much Winchmoor is a hotbed of gossip and everyone is convinced John Manning is guilty.  Only Kat and Will believe he’s innocent. When there’s a second murder Kat is sure she knows the identity of the murderer – and set out to prove it.  But in doing so she almost becomes the murderer’s third victim.

Readers of Sue Grafton might enjoy the Much Winchmoor series of cozy murder mysteries spiked with humor and sprinkled with romance.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If spreading gossip was an Olympic sport, Elsie Flintlock would be a quadruple gold medallist. They had no need of super-fast broadband in this village. Elsie and her cronies were quicker than the speed of light.

 

Take your time, sweetheart… You don’t have to sample all the chocolates in the box to find the one that’s right for you. He’ll come along soon enough.

 

… that’s a pretty top you’re almost wearing. What was it before? A handkerchief?

 

Eddie says living with me at the moment is like living on the edge of an active volcano, just waiting for the next eruption.

 

My Review:

 

Paula Williams is off to an excellent start for her new cozy series with an engaging mystery and lovable heroine. I enjoyed her breezy and amusing writing style as well as getting to know the hapless Katie. Katie had hit a rough patch after an unfortunate string of bad luck in her love life and career – as she had lost both. Her cad of a boyfriend took off with her friend as well as her car, money, and treasured Dr. Who swag. The nerve! After the further indignity of losing her job, Katie was forced to suck it up and move back into her parents’ home with her London style fashion of purple hair and ripped jeans. She chafed at having to leave behind the freedom and anonymity of the big city to return to a small village of busybodies where the majority of the population liked nothing more than plopping down in the pub and imbibing in the amusing and intriguingly named beer of Ferret’s Kneecaps while spreading malicious gossip.

Katie meant well but she was a bit of an idiot. She was young and gullible as well as oblivious, self-involved, and impulsive; yet always surprised when people became antagonized with her when she couldn’t stop snooping, or follow directions, or pay attention. She also had a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time but luckily she was also well-loved and indulged by her parents. Katie was a mess, yet I kind of adored her, as I was once very much like her as a plucky young adult – before I became old and jaded 😉

Score – I extracted a few colorful new additions to my Brit word list with oik, which is British slang for low class or obnoxious; and the phrase “what a tip,” which Mr. Google indicated was a dump or pile of rubbish.

 

Author Bio –

Paula Williams is living her dream.  She has written all her life – her earliest efforts involved blackmailing her unfortunate younger brothers into appearing in her plays and pageants. But it is only in recent years, when she turned her attention to writing short stories and serials for women’s magazines that she discovered, to her surprise, that people with better judgment than her brothers actually liked what she wrote and were prepared to pay her for it.

Now, she writes every day in a lovely, book-lined study in her home in Somerset, where she lives with her husband and a handsome but not always obedient rescue Dalmatian called Duke.  She still writes for magazines but also now writes novels. A member of both the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Crime Writers’ Association, her novels often feature a murder or two and are always sprinkled with humor and spiced with a touch of romance.

She also writes a monthly column, Ideas Store, for the writers’ magazine, Writers’ Forum and has a blog at paulawilliamswriter.wordpress.com.  Her facebook author page is https://www.facebook.com/paula.williams.author . And she tweets at @paulawilliams44.

Not only that but when she’s not writing, she’s either tutoring, leading writing workshops or giving talks on writing at writing festivals and conferences and to organized groups.  She’s appeared several times on local radio – in fact, she’ll talk about writing to anyone who’ll stand still long enough to listen.

But, as with the best of dreams, she worries that one day she’s going to wake up and find she still has to bully her brothers into reading ‘the play what she wrote’.

Social Media Links –

Facebook.   https://www.facebook.com/paula.williams.author

Blog. paulawilliamswriter.wordpress.com

Twitter. @paulawilliams44

 

 

Posted on

Book Review: One Hundred Christmas Kisses (An Aspen Cove Romance Book 6) by Kelly Collins

One Hundred Christmas Kisses 

(An Aspen Cove Romance Book 6) 

by Kelly Collins 

Amazon 

One Hundred Christmas Kisses is a holiday story you won’t want to miss. 


Kelly Collins invites you to celebrate small-town Christmas in Aspen Cove, where North Star wishes and love’s first kisses have the power to heal.

It’s been a decade since veterinarian Charlotte Parker has been home to Aspen Cove. After the death of her mother, she hasn’t been able to bring herself to face her painful past. But if ever there’s a time to start over, it’s Christmas. What she doesn’t expect is to find the man of her dreams staying in the room next to hers at B’s Bed and Breakfast.

War hero Trig Whatley is looking for a place to call home. Since losing his leg in Afghanistan, he hasn’t found a place to fit in or a woman who can see him for the strong, whole man he is. When he accepts his friend’s invitation to come for a visit, he discovers so much more is waiting for him in the tiny mountain town than just a good time.

Will Charlotte and Trig find their forever under the mistletoe or will they go their separate ways by the time everyone in town is singing Auld Lang Syne? Find out in One Hundred Christmas Kisses.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

  

Many women have said that chocolate is better than sex. She hadn’t indulged in enough of either lately to make a solid call.

 

“I lost some weight,” he’d replied. “Really? You look just as fit and sexy as always.” “No, really, I took off a hundred and ten pounds of careless bitch.”

 

He was as friendly as a cat on fire.

 

It was funny to see her father blush… Charlie looked at the couple in front of her and said, “Old dog— new tricks.” Agatha laughed. “Sweetheart, they are never too old to train.”

 

Just remember when it comes to marrying me there are no refunds or returns. I come as is.

 

My Review:

 

If Aspen Cove were real I would be making travel arrangements, as the sassy characters Ms. Collins has populated this quirky little town with have been good fun and people worth knowing. This briskly paced and charming holiday novella was an engaging and eventful tale that further increased the population of the tiny town as well as advanced the business community all while developing a sweet romance filled with toe-curling kisses, wry humor, crisp quips, and an obese basset hound with a bacon addiction.

 

ABOUT KELLY COLLINS   

Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping the love alive.

Always a romantic, she is inspired by real-time events mixed with a dose of fiction. She encourages her readers to reach the happily ever after but bask in the afterglow of the perfectly imperfect love.

Kelly lives in Colorado with her husband of twenty-five years. She loves hockey, shiny objects and has a new-found appreciation for green smoothies.

Posted on

Book Review: Deception by C.A. Harms

Deception 

by C.A. Harms

Amazon 

 

Deception: The act of deceiving someone.

That became a pattern in my life. It was the way the chips fell. I’m destined to be that girl that fell for the wrong guy. If he was a liar and a cheat, I found him or he found me. It didn’t really matter how it happened, it just always did.

But when I met Jake, I thought he was different. He was just a guy trying to get by, much like me in a sense. He was happy with the little things in life…he made me feel safe and settled.

That was until I found out that his name, his life, and the man he pretended to be, were nothing but a fraud. He used me to get the answers he needed, and in the process, he managed to take my last ounce of hope and crush it.

I just wanted him gone. I wanted to forget the times we shared, the laughs we had. I wanted to ignore the fact that he’d so easily found a place in my heart.

Only there was one problem… I wasn’t allowed to forget.

I am reminded daily of him. Each morning, I have no choice but to look into the same, beautiful eyes he possessed. I see his smile, and that same shade of dark melted chocolate hair that at one point, I loved running my fingers through.

Every single day I reminded of the fact that the father of my child is nothing more than a man that truly never existed.

 
 

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 I would have waited a lifetime to hear those words, but I’m glad I didn’t have to.

My Review:

While I haven’t read her entire body of work, of those books that I have read I have concluded that C.A. Harms excels in writing highly engaging and poignant NA romances with generous helpings of angst, scorching sensual steam, and irreverent and highly amusing humor. This observation continues forward although her current book was considerably lighter on the humor and heavier on the angst than her more recent offerings. While I often feel exasperated with an over-serving of angst and conflict, I adored Deception anyway, although I seem to be pouting some over her neglect of my appetite for comedic balance; I’m sure she will make it up to me in the near future.

 About The Author 

I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are the greatest part of my days, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my best friend for seventeen years and looking forward to many more.

I am one of those authors that adore my readers. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write.

FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCAHarms/
INSTAGRAM: Instagram.com/authorcaharms/
NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/1xsgHCS
AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/C.A.-Harms/e/B0…

Posted on

Book Review: My Quickie Wedding (Heartbreak Hotel #3) by Christie Ridgway

My Quickie Wedding

by Christie Ridgway

Amazon / B&N

 

Instant. Attraction.

It heats the blood, causes the heart to race, and messes with the making of rational decisions. A person, may, for example, find themselves saying “I do” to a near-stranger on an impulsive overnight in Sin City.

The next morning, an aghast Connor Montgomery and Jojo Thatcher stare at each other over the tangled bed sheets. How had this happened? Neither is eager to acknowledge they followed a reckless urge and got hitched. Surely, it’s a bad nightmare.

Or maybe, just maybe, the beginning of a dream come true.

My Quickie Wedding is book three in the Heartbreak Hotel series and is a STANDALONE NOVELLA.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

That aghast expression would make any man take off, even as he’d briefly hoped—like an idiot—that the previous hours had all been a teenage-style wet dream followed by the kind of nightmare where you had to take a test buck naked in a language you’d never studied.

 

I’m your time and place, Jojo. I’m your person to share things with, sad and happy and all that’s in between.

 

My Review:

 

This installment was fast-paced, scorching the sheets sexy, a quick and easy read, and such a pleasant way to spend the part of the afternoon. I enjoyed Jojo and Connor as a couple, the instalove trope worked perfectly for them as they had more natural chemistry than they knew what to do with. Their story moved along at a brisk pace yet even had time for brief glimpses of the previous pairings from books one and two.   The Heartbreak Hotel’s reputation for love connections remains safe and well-merited.

About the Author

Goodreads   Amazon

Christie Ridgway is the author of over 60 novels of contemporary romance. All her books are both sexy and emotional and tell about heroes and heroines who learn to believe in the power of love. A USA Today bestseller, Christie is a six-time RITA finalist and has won best contemporary romance of the year and career achievement awards from Romantic Times Book Reviews.

A native of California, Christie now resides in the southern part of the state with her family. Inspired by the beaches, mountains, and cities that surround her, she writes tales of sunny days and steamy nights.

Posted on

Book Review: Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café (The Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 4) by Rosie Green

Snowed In at The Little Duck Pond Café

The Little Duck Pond Cafe, Book 4

by Rosie Green

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

 

The biggest snowfall in years has blanketed Sunnybrook, cutting the village off from the outside world. For Fen, who finds herself snowed in at The Little Duck Pond Cafe, it’s little more than a minor inconvenience. Her love life is finally running smoothly; it looks as if she’s found the perfect man for her.

 

But then a shocking secret threatens to destroy Fen’s new-found happiness.

Will being snowed in be the final straw? Or will Fen find a way through the snowdrifts to the perfect love?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘I’ll be okay, Lellie,’ Maisie assures her earnestly. ‘Daddy says you fuss too much because you love me like I love Goldie.’ Ellie laughs and turns to Zak, who’s next to her on the sofa. Zak grins. ‘It’s true. I’m not sure anyone could love a hamster quite as much as Maisie loves Goldie.’

 

Most methods of contraception are found to be slightly less than wholly effective. But two thick winter coats, I can confirm, are one hundred percent foolproof.

 

I definitely don’t wish her any harm. A small Chinese burn, perhaps, but nothing major.

 

My Review:

 

The clever wordsmith known as Rosie Green strikes again with another sweet and entertaining installment of her Little Duck Pond series, I’ve read all four and have enjoyed each one. This somewhat angsty and heart-squeezing novella continued the freshly bloomed relationship between Fen and Rob but trouble soon surfaced (within a week) when Rob was caught in a small lie of omission, which then snowballed when he was caught in another one, and then yet another rather big one… sigh. MEN! But Fen, being rather naïve and inexperienced and prone to social anxiety and humiliation over the least little thing, was crushed and stewed in her angst, oh the drama. But what holiday season would be complete without at least a little light drama?

In addition to the Fen/Rob saga, Ms. Green also continued with ongoing events of the café and small village community. I adore the denizens of this quirky little hamlet. And instead of new Brit words for my ongoing list, today I have gleaned two unfamiliar British idioms with “gone down a storm” (well received) and “pushes the boat out” (to celebrate lavishly). I can always count on Ms. Green to further my education.

 

Author Bio

Rosie Green has been scribbling stories ever since she was little. Back then they were rip-roaring adventure tales with a young heroine in perilous danger of falling off a cliff or being tied up by ‘the baddies’. Thankfully, Rosie has moved on somewhat, and now much prefers to write romantic comedies that melt your heart and make you smile, with really not much perilous danger involved at all, unless you count the heroine losing her heart in love.

 

Rosie’s brand new series of novellas is centered on life in a village café. The first two stories in the series are: Spring at The Little Duck Pond Cafe and Summer at The Little Duck Pond Café.

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988