Category: 4-Stars

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Book Review: Until We Are Lost by Leslie Archer @TLCBookTours

Until We Are Lost
by Leslie Archer

Amazon | GP | B&N

Hardcover: 414 Pages

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (February 2, 2021)

When Tara Peary’s twin sister Sophie goes missing, Tara dives into New York’s underbelly to find her. Sophie is the one person who’s ever truly understood her, and Tara knows her sister isn’t the only one who needs help.

Tara is also on the run emotionally from her complicated childhood. Her memories are threatening to overwhelm her emotions and derail the hunt for Sophie. A psychotherapist keeps her afloat, but when Tara begins dating her therapist’s young tech-millionaire neighbor, she risks losing the only lifelines she has left.

The more Tara uncovers about her sister’s disappearance and the dark side of the rich elite, the less certain of the truth she becomes. As Tara reaches the center of the mystery, spanning from her childhood home in Georgia to a Southern California beach, she has to decide whether the truth is a price she’s willing to pay.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I don’t seem to work and play well with others. Stupidity gets on my nerves.

 

Seasons change, but not in Hollywood. It’s as if time didn’t move on there, and all the plastic surgery was a desperate attempt to make sure it remained that way.

 

Maybe to distinguish herself from other evangelists, she made exorcisms her specialty… Whether the exorcisms worked, I couldn’t say. But they did appear to, which, in religion, is the same thing.

 

I am like nested Russian dolls, she thinks, each part of me inside the other, going deeper and deeper, darker and darker. Tara shivers then, and she knows the meaning of someone walking on her grave.

My Review:

 

This was an intense and challenging read, which was evidenced in the fact that it took me three times longer to read it than any other book of the same length as I needed to periodically put my Kindle down and seek out a pleasant distraction. The storylines were throbbing with tension, angst, conflict, and inner turmoil; yet written with incredible insight and painful awareness.

I was intrigued and repelled Tara’s disturbing family history as her parents were odious. Her zealot mother was the worst type of loathsome hypocrite; I despised her before I even knew the half of it. All the characters, even the secondary ones, were complicated, dark, and deeply twisted, yet so compellingly written they viciously stabbed at my curiosity. Very few were even likable beings with the dog Hickory being the only one that truly was, and he didn’t fare so well.

I learned two new words and phrases used by Tara’s evangelical faith healer mother to describe myself, I am “resolutely apostate” and apparently have a “Jezebel spirit.” Amen!

About Leslie Archer

Leslie Archer is the nom de plume of a New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels.

Connect with Leslie

Website 

 

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Book Review: High Treason at the Grand Hotel (Fiona Figg Mystery #2) by Kelly Oliver @TLCBookTours @KellyOliverBook

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High Treason at the Grand Hotel
(Fiona Figg Mystery #2)
by Kelly Oliver

Amazon | B & N | IndieBound | GP 

 Publisher: Historia (January 5, 2021)
Paperback: 276 pages

Paris. 1917. Never underestimate the power of a good hat… or a sharp hatpin.

Sent by the War Office to follow the notorious Black Panther, file clerk turned secret agent Fiona Figg is under strict orders not to get too close and not to wear any of her usual “get-ups.”

But what self-respecting British spy can resist a good disguise?

Within hours of her arrival in Paris, Fiona is up to her fake eyebrows in missing maids, jewel thieves, double agents, and high treason.

When Fiona is found dressed as a bellboy holding a bloody paperknife over the body of a dead countess, it’s not just her career that’s on the block.

Her next date might be with Madame Guillotine.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I needed to straighten my desk and get my files in order. My father liked to say, outward order conceals inward turmoil. If so, my soul must be a cyclone. And if the reverse were true, the slobs in this office had the souls of monks.

 

Sitting behind his mammoth wooden desk, eyelids flicking, the petite Captain Hall looked like a turtle encased in its shell.

 

The only thing an admirer ever gave me was a head cold.

 

“If anything, the war teaches us to savor the moment.” She tightened the strings on her purse. Maybe she had a point. “Think of all those unfortunate women on the Titanic who waved away the dessert cart.” She winked.

My Review:

 

The headstrong and quick-witted filing clerk turned intrepid wartime spy Fiona Figg’s second adventure has her hopping to the continent and sampling the wares of Paris, which even in the straits of WWI was bustling far merrier than dreary old London. Fiona ignored all the dire warnings and sharp orders given to her to leave her “costumes” at home and packed more disguises in her luggage than actual clothing, so she couldn’t let them go to waste now could she? Her adoring visits to the costume shop remind me of the highly amusing yet bungling Inspector Clouseau of the Pink Panther movies.

She was to keep a low profile and merely gather information, no way! There was no holding her back as she was soon embroiled in several murders, thrown in a filthy jail cell with horrible men, and took on a side hobby of tracking a jewel thief and possible serial killer in her spare time when not hobnobbing with Mata Hari. I aspire to her bold level of daredevil audaciousness!

I have enjoyed Ms. Oliver’s wry humor and clever storytelling, she has amused and kept me well entertained for several days. I am now even more enamored with historical cozy mysteries after reading the first two of her series and am looking forward to the next planned installment when the Feisty Fiona Figg will be off to Austria behind enemy lines to meet the King and Queen at a royal ball. How thrilling!

My curiosity was further tipped by information tucked into the Afterward about several of the characters in the books being notables and real-life figures of the time. So, of course, a visit to my friend Mr. Google was required and I fell down an ever-familiar rabbit hole while looking up the infamous Mata Hari. Funny how that happens… Yet another case of amusing fiction leading me into an interesting history lesson.

 

About Kelly Oliver

Kelly Oliver grew up in the Northwest, Montana, Idaho, and Washington states. Her maternal grandfather was a forest ranger committed to saving the trees, and her paternal grandfather was a logger hell-bent on cutting them down. On both sides, her ancestors were some of the first settlers in Northern Idaho. In her own unlikely story, Kelly went from eating a steady diet of wild game shot by her dad to becoming a vegetarian while studying philosophy and pondering animal minds. Competing with peers who’d come from private schools and posh families “back East,” Kelly’s working-class backwoods grit has served her well. And much to her parent’s surprise, she’s managed to feed and clothe herself as a professional philosopher.

When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly Oliver is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. She earned her B.A. from Gonzaga University and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She is the author of thirteen scholarly books, ten anthologies, and over 100 articles, including work on campus rape, reproductive technologies, women and the media, film noir, and Alfred Hitchcock. Her work has been translated into seven languages, and she has published an op-ed on loving our pets in The New York Times. She has been interviewed on ABC television news, the Canadian Broadcasting Network, and various radio programs.

Kelly lives in Nashville with her husband, Benigno Trigo, and her furry family, Mischief and Mayhem.

Find out more about Kelly at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Book Review: Betrayal at Ravenswick (Fiona Figg Mystery #1) by Kelly Oliver @TLCBookTours @KellyOliverBook

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Betrayal at Ravenswick
(Fiona Figg Mystery #1)
by Kelly Oliver

•Publisher: Historia (March 10, 2020)
Paperback: 240 pages

Amazon | B&N | IndieBound

 

What’s the best way to purge an unfaithful husband?

Become a spy for British Intelligence, of course.

Desperate to get out of London and determined to help the war effort, Fiona Figg volunteers to go undercover.

It keeps her from thinking about Andrew, her philandering husband.

At Ravenswick Abbey a charming South African war correspondent has tongues wagging.

His friends say he’s a crack huntsman. The War Office is convinced he’s a traitor. Fiona thinks he’s a pompous prig.

What sort of name is Fredrick Fredricks anyway?

Too bad Fiona doesn’t own a Wolseley pith helmet. At Ravenswick a murderer is on the prowl, and it’s not just the big-game hunter who’s ready to pounce.

Reader’s Favorite Award for Best Historical Novel

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Mr. Knox flashed a toothy smile, the kind that made nuns blush.

When Ernest laughed he sounded like a goose taking flight.

I admired the rose bushes, wishing I had a green thumb. I was too much of a city girl to grow anything except my hair…

In my opinion, her husband’s wandering eye seemed more in line with male maladies best cured by poison.

I could hear my father’s voice in my head, “Stiff upper lip, my girl, that’s the English way.” Wouldn’t he be surprised to see a mustache sprouting from mine?

The reflection in the mirror didn’t seem to belong to me, but to some long-lost twin, who looked like me but lived a parallel life more exciting than my own.

 

 

My Review:

 

This was my first time reading Kelly Oliver and I had to wonder, what took me so long? This was an enjoyable and entertaining historical cozy mystery set in 1914 England during WWI and written from the first-person POV of a female file clerk turned working in the War Office who was sent on a spy mission and having the time of her life. Just what a newly divorced woman shot of a philandering husband would need to relocate her identity and self-confidence. The entertaining storylines were rather complicated with a large cast of unusual and untrustworthy characters, but I enjoyed the chase and her multiple missteps.

While there wasn’t a vile cliffhanger to rankle and stir my ire, the tale did not fully resolve and will continue on through subsequent installments. I can live with that since I have the next volume locked on loaded on my beloved Kindle.

I obtained two new items to add to my ever-growing Brit Words and Phrases list with a rum do which is a messy circumstance plagued with bad luck, poor fortune, or deliberate sabotage. And a hair receiver, which Mr. Google informed me, along with colorful examples, was a small pot or jar with a hole in the top that was used in the Victorian era and was typically made of ceramic, bronze, or crystal. It was kept on the dressing table to store their personal hair after being collected from brushes and combs. Said hair was used in jewelry and art – umm, no thank you.

About Kelly Oliver

Kelly Oliver grew up in the Northwest, Montana, Idaho, and Washington states. Her maternal grandfather was a forest ranger committed to saving the trees, and her paternal grandfather was a logger hell-bent on cutting them down. On both sides, her ancestors were some of the first settlers in Northern Idaho. In her own unlikely story, Kelly went from eating a steady diet of wild game shot by her dad to becoming a vegetarian while studying philosophy and pondering animal minds. Competing with peers who’d come from private schools and posh families “back East,” Kelly’s working-class backwoods grit has served her well. And much to her parent’s surprise, she’s managed to feed and clothe herself as a professional philosopher.

When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly Oliver is a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. She earned her B.A. from Gonzaga University and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She is the author of thirteen scholarly books, ten anthologies, and over 100 articles, including work on campus rape, reproductive technologies, women and the media, film noir, and Alfred Hitchcock. Her work has been translated into seven languages, and she has published an op-ed on loving our pets in The New York Times. She has been interviewed on ABC television news, the Canadian Broadcasting Network, and various radio programs.

Kelly lives in Nashville with her husband, Benigno Trigo, and her furry family, Mischief and Mayhem.

Find out more about Kelly at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Book Review: The Forever Girl (Wildstone #6) by Jill Shalvis @JillShalvis @WmMorrowBooks

The Forever Girl
(Wildstone #6)
by Jill Shalvis 

Amazon  / B&N / GP / Apple

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis does it once again with a heartfelt story of family, forgiveness, and secrets that have the power to change the course of more than one life.

When Maze returns to Wildstone for the wedding of her estranged BFF and the sister of her heart, it’s also a reunion of a once ragtag team of teenagers who had only each other until a tragedy tore them apart and scattered them wide.

Now as adults together again in the lake house, there are secrets and resentments mixed up in all the amazing childhood memories. Unexpectedly, they instantly fall back into their roles: Maze their reckless leader, Cat the den mother, Heather the beloved baby sister, and Walker, a man of mystery.

Life has changed all four of them in immeasurable ways. Maze and Cat must decide if they can rebuild their friendship, and Maze discovers her long-held attraction to Walker hasn’t faded with the years but has only grown stronger.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She’d grown up with big dogs, so she didn’t quite get the appeal of the little ones. They yipped. They had a Napoleon complex. Last week at the dog park, they’d terrorized a big dog into peeing on them.

 

She’d kept all this bottled in because . . . well, that’s what she did, always. There were lots of corked bottles of emotion deep inside her.

 

“Healthy relationships are about the three Cs.” “Calamity, cluelessness, and catastrophe?” Maze asked.

 

Somewhere along the way, she’d become the sidekick in her own story.

 

Oh my God… I can’t go to jail, who’ll take care of Sammie? And plus there’s scratchy toilet paper in jail, and I’m too short for the orange coveralls they make you wear!

 

You don’t need to be in the beginning of a child’s story to change the ending.

My Review:

 

This story carried considerably more angst than any Jill Shalvis book I’ve ever read. Not that I’ve read a lot of them, but it was a noticeable difference when contrasted with the brilliance of her previous works that I’ve been lucky enough to lay my greedy and grubby hands on. The majority of said angst radiated out of the main character of Maze, who was difficult for me to warm up to as Maze took stubbornness to a new level of tenacious obstinance. I grew to care for her, although I still wanted to periodically give her a few smacks with my Kindle to disrupt her egocentrism.

As always, Ms. Shalvis’s writing was easy to follow, cleverly nuanced, well-paced, and amusingly engaging with a compelling cast of complex and quirky characters. The storylines and issues combated were relevant and relatable to many regardless of family situation, as every family unit has at least a few obnoxious members if not an entire limb on the family tree, or as in the case of mine, riddled with a plethora of pervasive pestilence starting from the root level and extending to the very top leaf.  😉

Author Info

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis writes warm, funny, sexy contemporary romances and women’s fiction. An Amazon, BN & iBooks bestseller, she’s also a two-time RITA winner and has more than 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide.

WEBSITE |FACEBOOK |TWITTER |GOODREADS

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Book Review: The Lake House (Love Heart Lane Series, Book 5) by Christie Barlow @ChristieJBarlow @rararesources

The Lake House
(Love Heart Lane Series, Book 5)
by Christie Barlow 

Amazon  / Apple / GP

There’s a newcomer to the village of Heartcross and she’s never been more in need of a friend. Ella is ready to start afresh ––and that could mean there’s love on the horizon in the form of the gorgeous Roman, the local water taxi driver. Every day Roman is there to ferry Ella to the restaurant on the other side of the lake and every night he makes sure she gets home safe. But Roman has secrets of his own…

Can the Love Heart Lane community offer Ella a chance of a new life? Or will the ghosts of her past catch up with her?

My Rating:

My Review:

 

Heartcross sounds a bit like Hotel California as once people come, they “never leave.” I adored the character of Roman, of course, he could only exist between the covers of a book as he is too good to be true. I’m enjoying this sweet series as the storylines are relatable, the characters are likable, and each book can stand alone quite well with the previously featured characters and locals continuing on with updated storylines in subsequent volumes. And no obnoxious cliffhangers insight. This is how a series should be!

 

About the Author

Christie Barlow is the author of ten bestselling romantic comedies including A Home at Honeysuckle Farm, Love Heart Lane and Clover Cottage. She lives in a ramshackle cottage in a quaint village in the heart of Staffordshire with her four children and two dogs.

Her writing career has come as a lovely surprise when Christie decided to write a book to teach her children a valuable life lesson and show them that they are capable of achieving their dreams. Christie’s dream was to become a writer and the book she wrote to prove a point went on to become a #1 bestseller in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia.

When Christie isn’t writing she enjoys playing the piano, is a keen gardener and loves to paint and upcycle furniture.

Christie is an ambassador for the @ZuriProject alongside Patron of the charity, Emmerdale’s Bhasker Patel. They raise money and awareness for communities in Uganda.

Christie loves to hear from her readers and you can get in touch via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Social Media Links –

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christie_barlow/?hl=en

Twitter @ChristieJBarlow

Facebook page Christie Barlow author

 

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Book Review: Beneath Cornish Skies by Kate Ryder  @KateRyder_Books @rararesources 

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Beneath Cornish Skies
by Kate Ryder

 

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP

To an outsider, Cassandra Shaw‘s life looks perfect. She lives in a beautiful, luxurious house in the English countryside, with a handsome, wealthy boyfriend who insists she needn’t do a day’s work in her life. But Cassie knows that something is not right. Her boyfriend has grown colder, treating her more like a housekeeper than a future wife. And her time feels empty and purposeless.
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Cassandra has always been riddled with insecurities and self-doubt, but, just for once, she decides to take a chance on a new beginning. She answers an advert for a live-in nanny, dog walker, cook, and all-around ‘Superhuman’ for a family living in a rambling manor house on the rugged North Cornish coast. The work is hard and tiring, but Cassie has never felt so fulfilled.
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As Cassie learns to connect with the natural beauty unfolding around her, Cornwall starts to offer up its secrets. Soon, Cassie starts wondering if she was drawn to this isolated part of the coast for a reason. Why was she guided to Foxcombe Manor? What are the flashes of light she sees in the valley? Is it her imagination or does someone brush past her? And who is the mysterious man living deep in the woods?
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A beautiful romance with a hint of ghostliness, Beneath Cornish Skies is for anyone who has ever longed to start their lives again.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

It’s odd how a relationship can end on such a seemingly small, inconsequential incident. But that’s what happened, and however many times I went over the minutiae of our life together there was never any satisfactory explanation as to how we had unravelled so spectacularly without my noticing.

 

People are usually unaware of the chains of cause and effect created by their actions, but life is a blending of choices that opens doors to new experiences. Essentially, we are constantly reshaping our futures… Just remember, Cass. You may not be able to control the wind but you can control your sails.

My Review:

 

This was a moody and atmospheric hybrid women’s fiction/romance with ghostly paranormal undertones and a varied assortment of generations of British characters. The storylines were vividly etched with lush descriptions and brain-snagging details while also providing interesting lessons on Cornwall history, marine biology, and botany. I was simultaneously entertained and educated, which rarely happens!

The main character of Cassandra/Cass initially resided in the lap of luxury yet she was not fulfilled and realized her life was shallow and without real joy. I personally don’t know a thing about enduring a luxurious lifestyle but do know how easily one can fall into slogging through a repetitive cycle of dull day-to-day numbness and ignoring troublesome issues we chose not to deal with. However, I cannot see myself turning a blind eye to repetitive, blatant, and overt betrayal and struggled with Cassandra’s continued pull towards a man who had callously and insultingly admitted to doing so. She needed a few pinches and maybe a connection with my favorite purple crocs to her backside to jar her head loose. But that is just me – and I can be fierce. Just ask my quivering husband; I keep the little man in fear.   😉

About the Author

 Kate Ryder is an award-winning, Amazon Kindle international best seller who writes timeslip and romantic suspense in a true-to-life narrative. On leaving school she studied drama but soon discovered her preference for writing plays rather than performing them! Since then, she has worked in the publishing, tour operating, and property industries, and has traveled widely.

Kate is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors. In 2017, she signed a 4-book contract with Aria (a digital imprint of award-winning independent publisher, Head of Zeus).

Summer in a Cornish Cove, a contemporary romantic suspense set on the Lizard Peninsula, gained her a nomination for the RNA’s 2018 Joan Hessayon award, while its standalone sequel, Cottage on a Cornish Cliff, reached the heady heights of #2 in Kindle Literary Sagas.

‘Secrets of the Mist’, a mysterious timeslip romance, not only achieved #1 Kindle bestseller flags in the UK, Canada, and Australia but also reached #49 in Amazon UK Paid Kindle. In the original, self-published version (The Forgotten Promise) it was awarded the first Chill with a Book “Book of the Month”.

Originally hailing from the South East of England, today Kate lives on the Cornish side of the beautiful Tamar Valley with her husband and a collection of animals.

Social Media Links 

 

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Book Review: Single Mother by Samantha Hayes @samhayes  @bookouture

Single Mother
by Samantha Hayes 

I will do anything to protect my daughter. She’s all I’ve ever wanted and all I really have, but the moment I opened that letter and accepted the inheritance, I walked us right into a dangerous trap.

I know I should have got her to tell me who she’s been talking to on the phone late at night, and where she was the day I went to pick her up from school and couldn’t find her, but she’s not spoken a word since she found that little pile of bones buried in the garden.

And now she’s missing…

A jaw-dropping, addictive, and totally twisty psychological thriller that will have you sleeping with the light on! Perfect for anyone who loved The Girl on the Train, Friend Request, or The Wife Between Us.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I choose my wines like I choose my men, he’d told her. Full-bodied and fruity. And always very expensive.

 

‘Excellent. On both counts,’ he says through a mouth so pursed, Mel wonders if his lips have a drawstring.

 

… weird is the new normal around here…

 

Some people just make it their business not to like others in life, Kate. Remember, it says nothing bad about you, but everything rotten about them.

My Review:

 

This maddeningly paced book was all kinds of twisty and flinchingly cold prickly, and at times, quite disconcerting. And man-oh-man, did I want to give several annoyingly frustrating characters a few good pinches and the wiffle/waffling main character a few smacks with my favorite purple crocs to dislodge her cranium from her colon. However, you could not have pried my beloved kindle from my hands with a crowbar as I was entrenched, incensed, and deeply invested. I was on a mission to get to the bottom of this lethally muddled and more than a bit creepy conundrum before allowing the sandman to make an appearance.   And I did but, oh, my. Now I may not sleep due to ruminating about the ending.   I had my wild theories and reasonably well-considered hypothesis, and while I could smugly crow that I was right about most of it, I must confess that when I am wrong, I am very very wrong… and I was devastatingly off the mark with my favorite character. Never saw it coming, and I just love when that happens.

About the Author
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Samantha Hayes grew up in a creative family where her love of writing began as a child. Samantha has written eight thrillers in total, including the bestselling Until You’re Mine. The Independent said “fantastically written and very tense” while Good Housekeeping said, “Her believable psychological thrillers are completely gripping.” Samantha’s books are published in 22 languages at the last count.

When not writing, Samantha loves to cook, go to the gym, see friends, and drink nice wine. She is also studying for a degree in psychotherapy. She has three grown-up children and lives in Warwickshire.

 

 

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Book Review: Saint Vandal’s Day (Death by Cupcake, #7) by D.E. Haggerty   @dehaggerty

Saint Vandal’s Day
(Death by Cupcake, #7)
by D.E. Haggerty 

 

St. Valentine’s Day is THE perfect day for a wedding. Unless a vandal is trying to ruin your life that is.

Callie is finally getting her dream wedding. On St. Valentine’s Day no less. Only a vandal is determined to destroy her bakery before the wedding can occur. Anna, self-proclaimed best cupcake baker this side of the Mississippi, is not letting anything happen to the cupcake bakery. No way. Barista extraordinaire Kristie jumps at the chance to help as well. Together the three women launch a mission to find the jerk who thinks it’s okay to attack the bakery.

Will the gals of Callie’s Cakes find the vandal and save the cupcake bakery before Callie’s dream wedding is ruined?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Okay, Lucy and Ethel, break it up and tell me what in the name of coffee is going on here.

 

Anna marches to the beat of her own drummer and I’m pretty sure her drummer resembles Animal from The Muppet Show.

 

Tyler, is totally a hottie. He’s also a firefighter. Whenever he shows up at the café in his uniform, the women fan themselves and threaten to light fires so they can watch him in action… Tyler is the reason firefighter calendars were invented.

 

I’m not blackmailing you. I’m trying to positively incentivize you.

My Review:

 

My favorite cupcake brigade was under siege by an internet troll who dared to slur the pixie’s skills on Yelp… oh my. The offensive assault started online before being taken to the street with property damage to the bakery. The police were oddly no help despite connubial bliss with two of the city’s finest… No problem, these gals have an industrial-sized can opener for the can of whoop-ass the indignant little sprite was ready to unleash.

This was a delightfully fun and tasty treat before my New Year’s soul-killing diet deprivation starts in earnest to atone for all the self-indulgences of December. Who am I kidding? The size of my thighs tell a different truth and give testament that the bu-fat/buffet, all-you-can-eat banquet experience was more likely to have started when the costumes and candy started appearing well before Halloween.   The storylines were engaging, amusing, and tickled my curiosity in equal measure. I adore this crew and while I am more like Callie in every way, I am also drawn to the spunky Anna and aspire to be more like her, which gives added incentive for the dreaded diet to succeed. I’ll get right on that, maybe tomorrow…

D.E. Haggerty is actually just plain old Dena, but she thinks using initials makes her sound sophisticated and maybe even grown-up. She was born and raised in the U.S. but considers herself a Dutchie and not only because it sounds way cooler. After a stint in the U.S. Army, she escaped the US to join her husband in Holland. She fled Holland over ten years ago when she couldn’t stand the idea of being a lawyer for one single second more. Turns out Bed & Breakfast owner in Germany didn’t do it for her either. When the hubby got a job in Istanbul, she jumped ship and decided to give this whole writer thing a go. She’s now back in Holland, which she considers home. Sorry, Mom.

Join my newsletter for free stories, writing updates & great deals on books here:

https://www.subscribepage.com/dehaggerty

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Book Review: MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER by T.A. Willberg @Tess_Amy_

 

MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER
by T.A. Willberg

Harlequin / Park Row Books

 

 

The letter was short. A name, a time, a place.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder plunges readers into the heart of London, to the secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped Scotland Yard.

Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant at Miss Brickett’s receives a letter of warning, detailing a name, a time, and a place. She goes to investigate but finds the room empty. At the stroke of midnight, she is murdered by a killer she can’t see―her death the only sign she wasn’t alone. It becomes chillingly clear that the person responsible must also work for Miss Brickett’s, making everyone a suspect.

Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and colleague is framed for the crime, to clear his name she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett’s and secrets dating back to WWII. Masterful, clever, and deliciously suspenseful, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fresh take on the Agatha Christie-style locked-room murder mystery, with an exciting new heroine detective.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

But that was the thing about death, as Marion knew so well. No matter how much the deceased were loved, life does not wait for the grieving. Though on the inside everything will change and what used to matter falls away, the routine and ordinary remain unchallenged.

 

My Review:

 

This is not my typical genre and I struggled a bit with the unfamiliar world-building, complex storylines, and vast cast of uniquely drawn and unorthodox characters, but my curiosity was well and truly poked and continually primed throughout this deeply puzzling and intriguing tale. Ms. Willberg deftly staged her scenes and players with intricate and unfailingly compelling descriptions so finely detailed that sharp visuals danced through my gray matter with the smoothness of a film reel.

This would be an excellent series for the big or small screen. The unusual storylines and writing style were polished, well-honed, and maddeningly paced; keeping me on edge with dark and gloomy settings, untrustworthy characters, questionable hidden agendas, and ingenious and creative gadgets. I coveted their resourceful tools and could put some of those items to good use for myself on a despicable neighbor or three.

About the Author

Author Website

Twitter: @Tess_Amy_

Facebook: @tawillberg

Instagram: @ta_willberg

T.A. Willberg was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and holds a chiropractic master’s degree from the Durban University of Technology. MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER is her debut novel and launch of her detective series. She currently lives in Malta with her partner.

 

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Book Review: Boone (Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas #3) by Emily March 

Boone
(Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas #3)
by Emily March 

Amazon  / B&N / GP/ Apple 

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 In Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas, New York Times bestselling author Emily March presents a brand new arc set in the Lone Star State that features a family-linked trilogy within the author’s romantic series.

With his smooth talk, rugged good looks, and deep pockets, native Texan Boone McBride appears to be a man who has it all. Few people know about the heartbreak behind his decision to leave home, family, and career for the isolation of a small town in the Colorado Rockies. Luckily, time and life in Eternity Springs have worked their healing magic upon his wounded soul, so when he meets obviously troubled Hannah Dupree, Boone sees a chance to pay his good fortune forward. The last thing he anticipates is tumbling into love.

 

Tragedy has taken everything Hannah loves, and her will to keep going is failing. So when Boone strides into her life determined to save her, it’s easier to go along with him than to resist. Soon she is drawn into the fabric of life in Eternity Springs, and as her spirit begins to heal, her strength returns, and she’s able to go toe-to-toe with this hardheaded, big-hearted Texan. But just when love blooms and happiness is within their grasp, shadows from the past threaten. Hannah and Boone must stand strong and united in order to defeat old ghosts—if they are to create a brand-new life together.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I know you’re probably wondering why a single guy built a house this big. You have to understand that we’re wall-to-wall Texans from Memorial Day to Labor Day… I can’t tell you how many times friends or relatives call from the front porch of hell to tell me they’ve had a sudden hankering to see me.” “The front porch of hell?” “Texas in the summertime.”

 

“What about you? Do you sing?” “Only if I’m trying to scare raccoons away.”

 

“I mean it, Boone. No more going lawyer on me. You’re too good at it.” “Thank you.” “That wasn’t a compliment.”

 

“You are looking for a romance battle plan. You got a name for your operation?… It helps. Believe me… Give it a name.” “Did you have a name for your plan to win Gillian?” Jackson asked. “I did. I came up with it when I spied a critter as Gillian and I were hiking the canyon.” He paused dramatically. “Operation Horny Toad.”

 

Unbelievable… Outmaneuvered by a Yankee. I’m going to have to turn in my cowboy card.

 

My Review:

 

I adored this sweet couple and their supportive and tender romance. Their storylines were refreshingly free of contrived conflict and overarching angst, which I find so tedious.   Although both main characters had uniquely compelling and heartbreaking back-stories, their relationship with each other was thoughtful, caring, and eventfully sizzling. Ms. March’s engaging and smooth writing style was easy to follow with relevant and realistic modern-day issues, family drama, wry humor, amusing levity, and witty banter.

 

About the Author
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Emily March is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the heartwarming Eternity Springs series. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeño relish has made her a tailgating legend.