Under a thick canopy of pine trees, Cassidy Wilder frantically searches for a hiding place. Her breath catches in her mouth as she hears heavy footsteps. She says a silent prayer, but she knows he’s closing in on her. She knows it’s too late…

When a robbery at a local store ends with multiple deaths and the abduction of sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Cassidy Wilder, FBI agent Beth Katz and her partner Dax Styles are called in. Visiting Cassidy’s family home just a couple of blocks away from the quiet little store where she went missing, Beth’s heart breaks as she talks to her grieving parents and promises to find their daughter.

Looking at CCTV footage, Beth is horrified to see how calm the killer is as he shoots everyone in the store before forcing the terrified Cassidy to follow him into his truck. Then Beth uncovers multiple robberies just like this one, where all witnesses are killed and a young girl is taken. All of the victims are taken at night and found dead the following morning, so Beth knows time is running out to save Cassidy.

When Cassidy’s lifeless body is discovered dumped on a busy highway near a patch of forest, Beth is devastated. And as more girls go missing, she fears the murderer is escalating. A breakthrough finally comes when she finds a name written in blood next to one of the bodies. Beth knows she’s close to catching the killer and is determined to stop any more lives from being taken—even if it means serving her own form of justice. Will she be able to resist the urge to take a life herself? Or will she become the killer’s next victim?

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She often compared herself to science-fiction characters who by no fault of their own had been the issue of two opposite species. In her case, both sides of her had different ideas of how to deal with monsters and each had a convincing argument for being themselves. Yes, she often referred to herself as two people because in reality that’s what she’d become.

Covering up crimes of the rich and powerful wasn’t new, but it made those responsible as guilty as the perpetrator. Beth might well be a serial killer, but she’d never been corrupt. She followed a set of rules and stuck to them.

My Review:

Silly me for jumping into this series with the third installment yet I didn’t struggle to keep up. However, I am eaten up with a fatal case of curiosity about the prior books and itching to read them as well. The crimes were disturbing and twisted, as were the individuals who were committing them. The storylines were complicated, well-nuanced, and multi-layered while each character was complex and cunningly crafted, even the secondary ones. D.K. Hood has mad skills although I worry for her neighbors if they give her grief.

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Kirsten’s smile in response to our confirmed dinner plans is blinding. All that fake ceramic in her mouth should come with a potentially-damaging-to-the-eye warning.

On a scale of one to ten, my femininity is at a solid six, seven when I make an effort. Kirsten is an eleven. Kirsten and her bridal party combined are six figures.

…she studies me. Like a cheetah would study a gazelle she can’t wait to eat alive.

“I promise to love you, your four cats, six hens, and thousand rescue books for as long as my heart shall beat… I promise to love you even when you finish all the hot water in the shower and sing Taylor Swift at the top of your lungs for half an hour non-stop.” “I promise to love you even when you kick me under the covers at night and hog all the blankets.” “I promise to always be there when you need me and be strong when you’re vulnerable. I promise to never lie to you, to always tell you the truth, even when it hurts.” “I promise to keep on loving you every day, until my last breath, even when you get gray hair or when you lose your teeth, because you are the love of my life… and I will never stop loving you.”

My Review:

I reveled in this divinely amusing tale, it sparkled with clever humor and endearing characters. I adore Camilla Isley and I declare this book is her best missive yet. The gal has seriously strong word voodoo and never fails to pull me into a delightful vortex of quirky and authentic characters with real-world problems that are so much more fun than my own.

Her Feud
(The Drew Family # 7)
by  Emma Tallon  

Family is everything to Lily Drew and she’s always battled to keep hers together. But following the death of her only daughter, Ruby, and after losing her son, Connor, to a rival firm, Lily feels like everything she’s fought so hard to protect is about to fall apart: and when a turf war between two rival gangs starts on the Drew’s doorstep, Lily must pick a side…

The right choice could take the firm to a whole new level and bring her beloved son back into the fold. But get it wrong and her empire could come crashing down, and all of their lives could be in danger.

When Lily makes a bold decision and goes up against the most powerful firm in the city, she puts all of her men on the case. But the job goes wrong, and when one of London’s most dangerous crime bosses comes after the family, hellbent on revenge, Lily’s heart pounds. Did she just put everyone she loves in danger? And when the bitter feud ends, what will be left of the Drews?

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Of the three brothers, Sean had always been the quietest, using his words sparingly, as if each one cost him something.

He mashed his lips together as the idea settled like a bruise on his heart.

Truths ain’t something to apologise for. Not in a world full of liars.

Billie’s lonely heart finally felt as though it had found a home here, in this family. And after all these years of wondering why she was so unlovable, and trying to ignore the hollow void where family was supposed to be, that simple acceptance was the most beautiful feeling in the world.

My Review:

This was my first time reading the prolific Emma Tallon and I will confess, I flinched more than a few times. She has conjured a tense and cringe-worthy tale of the British underworld brimming with complicated storylines full of unpredictable twists, and a full roster of complex characters who weren’t immune to violence. I undoubtedly would have gotten more out of this installment had I read the previous books in the series and was familiar with their gritty histories, yet, flinching aside, I was able to keep up and remained enmeshed and curious as to how it would unravel.

Emma Tallon is a British author of gripping, gritty, organised crime thrillers. With a number of bestsellers published by Bookouture since early 2017, Emma continues to write full time and has many ideas in the pipeline for future novels.

Good advice doesn’t age, and as life starts to look brighter, Beth begins to wonder if she could track down Evelyn and thank her for her help. But as Beth uncovers more about Evelyn’s story, it becomes clear that everything is not as it seems. And now Beth is determined to bring peace to Evelyn as she has to her.

A spell-binding, heart-warming story of friendship, love and being brave enough to be yourself.

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Rob’s betrayal had taken more from me than just him, and I didn’t think I’d ever forgive him for that.

I recognised the pattern from my parents’ house, where the tea set was always locked away in a cabinet ‘for best’, as if they were waiting for the Queen to come for tea.

When it came down to it, things didn’t change as much over the decades as we might think. Love– with friends, family or lovers– had always been the glue that held everything together. It was merely the details that changed.

My Review:

My first Clare Swatman experience and I picked an excellent one to start on my path to enlightenment. Her writing style was emotive and thoughtful yet easy to follow with a unique premise and well-nuanced storylines and narratives that pulled me in and held me close.

Beth was forced to start over while navigating a painful divorce, realistic single-parenting problems, and unexpected life lessons. She gradually worked her way towards healing by anonymously helping others as an agony aunt on her newly developed website after finding inspiration from a stash of old letters written and answered some thirty years prior.

I felt every bump of Beth’s journey and reveled in her successes and was well pleased and satisfied by the story’s end. I will most definitely be perusing Ms. Swatman’s listings for similar gems.

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Sometimes, I could feel you toying with the latch to your heart, but never once did you dare to open it.

Do you plan to dishonour us with your presence for much longer, John?

John, please, spare me your clichés! I’m thirty- three years old and I’ve been single for thirty- four of them.

Emma exuded a proud, confident elegance. She had always been like this: imbued with a flawless balance between strength and fragility, conviction and doubt, the woman she became and the girl she would forever be.

My Review:

I was captivated by this cleverly woven tale. The storytelling was brilliant, easy to follow, emotive, and cunningly paced with storylines populated by unique yet knowable and authentic inhabitants. Despite the loathsomeness of the main character I had a hard time putting my Kindle down as I was curious as to where his path was going to take him.

John Fisher was as an absolute ogre of an individual, so any change in his behavior could only be an improvement. I enjoyed his journey and the powerful epiphanies that rocked his world during his forced leave of absence. I was delighted by the conclusion and found the reading experience fully satisfying. Richard Plourde is crafty scribbler with undeniably strong word voodoo.

My Rating:

My Review: 

I rarely read paranormal stories but I was intrigued by the blurb and fell right into this tale shortly after starting page one. The characters and storylines were complicated, multi-layered, and difficult to get a bead on, causing the little pea in my brain to rattle non-stop. I was a willing victim to Ms. Merriman’s addictive storytelling and tumbled into an oddly disconcerting vortex that sucked me deeper and deeper into a misty plain of lost and/or helpful spirits.

The writing was so absorbing and easy to follow, that I felt I was as if I were fully present alongside the restless Rylan as she interacted with the living and departed. Despite diving into the series with the third installment, I felt no confusion or difficulties, but rather an intense yen to gather the two previous books for my reading enjoyment as well as to slate my curiosity about her previous adventures that led to her current state of affairs.

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Of course, my dear, we are British. We don’t make a fuss. It’s unbecoming and makes for awkward situations. We don’t want another Titanic on our hands.

She looks like the village milkmaid next to you, because you look like a queen.

My Review:

This was an active tale placing Mona Moon and her new royal husband aboard an ocean liner containing jewel thieves, murderers, Pinkerton agents, pirates, a sinking ship, fascists, socialites, and Noel Coward. I revel in the clever and entertaining manner in which Ms. Keam weaves historical figures and events into her compelling stories. I tend to keep Mr. Google busy during perusal.