Category: 4-Stars

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Book Review: Mistletoe Summer (Applebottom Dog Lovers Book 3) by Abby Tyler

Mistletoe Summer  (Applebottom Dog Lovers Book 3)

by Abby Tyler

Apple Books / B&N / Kobo / GooglePlay

Amazon US /  CA /  AU /  UK

 

It was love at first sight. For their dogs.

Cody Jones didn’t expect to ever return to Applebottom, planning a long life of military service and world travel.

But a devastating injury in Iraq narrows his options, so he begrudgingly helps his mother expand her doggy bakery until he figures out what’s next.

And in walks Melody Hopkins.

Melody is dead broke and takes a summer job painting the new pet store to pay the bills. She’s new to Applebottom and has never encountered the moody, brutally handsome Cody Jones. She isn’t sure she can work around him, but then her tiny Pomeranian Mistletoe refuses to leave Cody’s service dog, a gorgeous Golden Retriever named Tyrus.

The town notices their reluctant friendship and puts them in charge of a grand opening celebration sure to draw visitors to the new store — a Christmas in July pet parade.

Cody doesn’t want to show off his injury to the whole town, but Melody’s infectious optimism convinces him to try. Besides, his service dog Tyrus can’t seem to live without Melody’s little fluff ball. What’s a veteran and a dog dad to do?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

 Delilah gripped her coffee like it was the last Tickle Me Elmo at Walmart.

 

“They have a Christmas in July here. So we start decorations early.” “Why?” Grandma’s eyes met hers with sadness. “Because many of us won’t see another holiday season.”

 

 My Review:

 

While sweet and wholesome is not my typical fare, I am gleefully enjoying Abby Tyler’s delightful small-town romances, this entire series has been sweet enough to cause dental issues. This quick installment covered a lot of ground with a wide range of characters including a seriously wounded and recovering and vet suffering from PTSD, senior citizens, a cancer survivor, teachers, small-town matchmaking busybodies, service dogs, parades, Christmas out of season, and a Manic Pixie Dream Girl – a moniker which required the unlimited resources of Mr. Google to fully appreciate.   The storylines are thoughtfully written, easy to follow, and pleasantly entertaining while observantly insightful and wryly amusing and host a lively and enticing cast of uniquely quirky characters. I’m already eagerly awaiting the next volume.

 

About the Author

Abby Tyler loves puppy dogs, pie, and small towns (she grew up in one!) Her Applebottom Matchmaker Society books combine the sweet and wholesome style of romance she loves with the funny, sometimes a-little-too-truthful characters she remembers from growing up in a place where everyone knew everybody’s business.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Book Review: Mancandy Crush (Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies #5.5) by Tawna Fenske

Mancandy Crush

(Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies #5.5)

 by Tawna Fenske

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N

 

Josh Mattis is totally over getting his heart stomped six years ago, so what’s with the mule kick to the chest when he spots the girl who ghosted him? Turns out she’s not his teenage fling, but her twin sister—and she needs a fake date to her cousin’s wedding.

Valerie Vincent would rather shove sewing needles in her eyes than have one more person tell her she needs adventure. All she needs is a quiet reading nook and a chance to enjoy Bree’s quirky Christmas nuptials in the summer sun at Ponderosa Resort. Okay, she’d also like to skip the pitying looks when her twin trots out her fab new fiancé, but Val can fix all that with one rugged river guide who’s happy to play her arm candy.

As Josh and Val bond over weird eggnog and messed-up mistletoe hunts, the July sun isn’t the only source of scorching heat. Will the past be a blast of icy cold reality, or can their fling last longer than a peppermint fudgesicle on a hot day?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“When you’re eighteen, it’s all hormones and lust and raw, carnal attraction.” “Sounds horrible. How did you endure it?”

I used to be afraid of sharks… I still am, but this was serious. I wouldn’t swim in the pool at the country club because of it… I was captain of my high school swim team, but I still sometimes caught myself checking the lanes for fins.

“I was so afraid of tornadoes that I wouldn’t drive past the trailer park on the south end of town,” I admit. “That’s where they always struck when I heard about them on the news, so it seemed smart to steer clear.” Josh lifts one sandy brow. “Didn’t you grow up in Maine? I didn’t think they had tornadoes there.” “They don’t.”

I used to worry that if I closed my eyes in the shower, an ax murderer would show up and kill me… I got a lot of soap in my eyes.

I don’t care if you have a thousand condoms and a meatball sub in there. I’m not letting you near that damn phone that’ll end up dialing your financial advisor or your parents or something.

My Review:

 

I eagerly zipped through this quick, mischievous, highly amusing, and delectably steamy installment of the cleverly humorous Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies series. The storylines were quickly paced, witty, and observantly insightful of relevant and difficult issues and emotional triggers many people face. I adored Josh and Val as a couple and their thoughtful and gentle concern for each other. The storylines were creative, entertaining, and progressed at speed. I giggle-snorted several times during Val’s well-considered list of best and worst ways of biting the dust, her mental catalog of unusual deaths, and her colorful and comedic confessions of irrational fears.

About the Author    

Website 

Amazon

Goodreads

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.

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Book Review: Once Upon a Cowboy (Almost Royal #2) by Rachel Lacey

 

Once Upon a Cowboy

(Almost Royal #2)

by Rachel Lacey

Amazon  US / UK / AU / CA / B&N / GP / iBooks

 

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME

Megan Perl went from beauty to beast when a car accident left her permanently scarred. Before, Megan was outgoing and vivacious, always with a man at her side. Now? She spends more time behind a camera than in front of it. She’s ready to turn her hobby into something more by offering photography sessions at the castle where she works. This year is dedicated to her career, not men. If only she wasn’t so crazy-attracted to the cowboy who’s renting the stable on the castle grounds…

Jake Reardon is no stranger to tragedy. After a fall left his bride in a coma on their wedding day, he was forced to watch her slowly fade away in a hospital bed. Now, he finds himself in the unwelcome position of virgin widower. At Rosemont Castle, he can finally focus on establishing his career as a horse trainer. The only problem is that his new landlady makes him hotter than the Virginia sun.

Sparks fly every time Jake and Megan cross paths, but there’s no way he’s going to lose his virginity with the woman who manages the property he’s leasing. As their attraction grows, though, so do their emotions. Jake carries his scars inside, but Megan has to wear hers for the world to see. Can love heal their wounds, or will it tear them apart?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… a slow smile spread across his lips, and poof, there went her hormones, exploding for him all over again.

 

Her parents never gave up on a miracle, but at some point over the years, I realized we were just watching her die. Years and years of watching her die.

 

… small town and all. If he was spotted buying condoms, half the population of Towering Pines would know about it in no time.

 

My Review:

 

This was a quick and pleasantly satisfying tale featuring two endearing and resilient main characters who were survivors of tragic events. As a teenaged groom, Jake could do little more than watch as his new bride slipped into a coma then lingered for nine long years. Megan remained self-conscious and insecure after surviving a car accident that had resulted in life-long scarring. Their blossoming relationship provided a sweet, tender, and heartwarmingly gratifying story as they supported each other through new careers and transitions. It was also delectably sensual as the young widower was a quick study and eager to please. Snap!

About the Author

Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She’s been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads 

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Book Review: The Road to Cromer Pier by Martin Gore

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The Road to Cromer Pier

by Martin Gore

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Janet’s first love arrives out of the blue after forty years. Those were simpler times for them both. Sunny childhood beach holidays, fish and chips and big copper pennies clunking into one-armed bandits.

The Wells family has run the Cromer Pier Summertime Special Show for generations. But it’s now 2009 and the recession is biting hard. Owner Janet Wells and daughter Karen are facing an uncertain future. The show must go on, and Janet gambles on a fading talent show star. But both the star and the other cast members have their demons. This is a story of love, loyalty, and luvvies. The road to Cromer Pier might be the end of their careers, or it might just be a new beginning.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Tourists. Bloody tourists. I’ve been doing this show for 30-odd years and I swear they get worse. That child today. I swear he’s been to an Al-Qaeda training camp. ADHD his parents said.

 

‘You know she has a reputation for the drink. What were you thinking of?’ ‘I know she does, but her agent insisted she had dried out.’ Karen laughed. ‘Let’s just say that she might have been dry at one time, but the tide came in this morning.’

 

The fat lady wasn’t singing, but she was certainly warming up. I should have known. In denial, I guess.

 

My Review:

 

This was a departure from my typical reading selections and I enjoyed the change and rerouting of my thought patterns, which is almost always a good thing. Mr. Gore has published but one previous book and I hope he continues to peck away at his keyboard, as he seems to have quite a knack for storytelling. Written in the third-person omniscient POV, the storylines were active, eventful, and abundant with a diverse and quirky cast of unusual and beleaguered characters. The subplots unfolded gradually and carefully with a steady rise in tension, which kept my curiosity primed.

The main timeline involved a period of struggle for the venerable yet aged theater as well as the besieged performers who seemed to be beset in all areas – marital, financial, personal, and professional. England was in the midst of a devastating recession and the theater was in danger of being shuttered, leading to the mode of the day being to scramble and pull together for one last chance, and doing so on hope and a shoestring.

I found one new addition for my Brit Word List with stitch up – which is British informal for being framed or set up.

About the Author

I am a 61-year-old Accountant who semi-retired to explore my love of creative writing. In my career, I held Board level jobs for over twenty-five years, in private, public and third sector organizations. I was born in Coventry, a city then dominated by the car industry and high volume manufacturing. Jaguar, Triumph, Talbot, Rolls Royce, Courtaulds, Massey Ferguson were the major employers, to name but a few.

When I was nine year’s old I told my long-suffering mother that as I liked English composition and drama I was going to be a Playwright. She told me that I should work hard at school and get a proper job. She was right of course.

I started as an Office Junior at Jaguar in 1973 at eleven pounds sixty-four a week. I thus grew up in the strike-torn, class-divided seventies. My first career ended in 2015 when I semi-retired as Director of Corporate services at Humberside Probation. My second career, as a Non-Executive Director, is great as it has allowed me free time to travel and indulge my passion for writing, both in novels and for theatre.

The opportunity to rekindle my interest in writing came in 2009 when I wrote my first pantomime, Cinderella, for my home group, the Walkington Pantomime Players. I have now written eight. I love theatre, particularly musical theatre, and completed the Hull Truck Theatre Playwrite course in 2010. My first play, a comedy called He’s Behind You, had its first highly successful showing in January 2016, so I intend to move forward in all three creative areas.

Pen Pals was my first novel, but a second, The Road to Cromer Pier, will be released in the Summer of 2019.


I’m an old fashioned writer I guess. I want you to laugh and to cry. I want you to believe in my characters and feel that my stories have a beginning, a middle, and a satisfactory ending.

Social Media Links

Twitter – https://twitter.com/AuthorGore

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Martin-Gore-Author-1237780169706466/

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Book Review: Halton (Vested Interest #6) by Melanie Moreland 

Halton

(Vested Interest #6)

by Melanie Moreland 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

A sexy, new standalone in the Vested Interest series. 


When love turns to hate—that’s where I come in.

I’m Halton Andrew Smithers, attorney. Hal to my clients and friends.

Messy divorces, deadbeat dads, runaway wives, cheating partners—I handle them all.

I know the seedy side of love, and it isn’t pretty. I avoid emotional attachments—I’ve seen all too often when hot passion turns to frozen tundra.

I satisfy myself with helping people behind the scenes. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that completes my life.

Until she enters it and everything I believe is turned upside down.

She fills a void I never knew existed, and I know without her, my life will never be the same again.

For the first time, I want to try.

For her.

But am I strong enough? 

 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I would never throw liquor in the face of a woman, no matter what she had done. I had class and manners. And I wouldn’t want to waste the scotch.

 

Time in the world of the law has a totally different meaning. Urgent means I’ll get to it when convenient. As soon as possible could be next week or next month. If a lawyer says he’ll “get right back to you,” grab a coffee. Maybe a sandwich. You’re going to wait a while.

 

I think there is good in everyone… In fact, I’d go as far as to say, there is a little bit of perfection in everyone.

  

My Review:

 

I am enamored with the sexy men of BAM, and although Halton isn’t actually part of the BAM organization, he is BAM adjacent and sexy and successful enough to be an honorary member.   All of Melanie Moreland’s books are class acts with the perfect balance and emotional tone in her emotive storylines, as well as interesting and engaging character and plot development, steamy sensuality, humor, flawed yet lovable heroes, odious baddies to despise, and a heart squeezing romance. I hope she continues with BAM until the founders are old enough for retirement.

 

About the Author

New York Times/USA Today bestselling author Melanie Moreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat, Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them. 
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While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys traveling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip. 
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Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free-falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She’s learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story.
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Melanie is represented by Flavia Viotti at Bookcase Literary Agency. For any questions regarding subsidiary or translation rights please contact her at flavia@bookcaseagency.com
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Book Review: JACKSON (Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas Trilogy #1) by Emily March

JACKSON (Eternity Springs: The McBrides of Texas Trilogy #1)

by Emily March

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N

Kobo / Apple / Google / Macmillan

 

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Emily March comes Jackson, the newest novel in the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series.

Sometimes it takes a new beginning
Caroline Carruthers thinks she buried her dreams along with the love of her life…until a stranger named Celeste dares her to chase a dream all on her own. Moving to Redemption, Texas, is chapter one in Caroline’s new life story. Opening a bookstore is the next. Finding love is the last thing on her mind as she settles into this new place called home. But when she meets a handsome, soulful man who’s also starting over, all bets are off.

to reach a happily-ever-after
Jackson McBride came to Redemption looking only to find himself, not someone to love. Ever since his marriage ended, he’s been bitter. Sure, he used to believe in love—he even has the old song lyrics to prove it—but the Jackson of today is all business. That is, until a beautiful young widow who’s moved to town inspires a change of heart. Could it be that the myth of Redemption’s healing magic is true…and Jackson and Caroline can find a second chance at a happy ending after all?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

While she was girly enough to appreciate being called “ pretty,” she didn’t like “little lady” under any circumstance. Consequently, she had starch in her spine and scissors on her tongue as she lifted her face.

 

Boone was a flirt, but he was an honest flirt. And being a lawyer and a man with baggage, he hardly kissed a woman without getting a permission slip beforehand, signed in triplicate and notarized, prior to lips touching lips.

 

She was terrible. Stiff and awkward. She froze up the same way she did like when she needed to do math in public. She got the choreography of the dance step down, but it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t dance. It was more Frankenstein stumbling out of the castle.

 

She’s a piece of work, Caroline. I know she’s been through a trauma, but she’s a Southern girl. Where’s her grit? Where’s the steel in her magnolia?

 

My Review:

 

Jackson was an easy, sweet, and pleasant read cast with endearing and interesting characters, and was an excellent introduction to bridge an established series and begin a new one. As with the previous books of hers I’ve read, Ms. March’s writing was lushly detailed with periodic hits of wry humor and amusing observations. I was stunned to noticed she currently has thirty-nine books listed on Goodreads, thirty-nine! Of which I’ve only read three, I need to rectify the error of my ways and get crackin’.

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website

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.

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Book Review: One Minute Later by Susan Lewis

One Minute Later

by Susan Lewis

 

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU /

 B&N/ HarperCollins

 

Paperback: 512 pages

 Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 11, 2019)

International bestselling author Susan Lewis’ riveting, unforgettable novel of a woman whose life changes in an instant and the handsome young man with whom she shares a secret history—perfect for readers of Diane Chamberlain, Jodi Picoult and Susan Wiggs.

How well do you know the people you love? For one young woman returning to the past, the answer could be heart-shattering…

Vivi Shager is living her dream. Raised with drive and ambition by a resolutely single mother, Vivi has a thriving law career, a gorgeous apartment in London, and a full calendar that keeps her busy at work and at play. Then on the day of her twenty-seventh birthday, an undiagnosed heart condition sends Vivi’s prospects for the future into a tailspin. After escaping her roots nearly a decade ago, she’s forced to return to her childhood home to be cared for by her devoted and enigmatic mother. Vivi has always known the woman is hiding something and now she’s determined to find out what it is. Though her condition makes her fragile and vulnerable and she’s afraid of what may happen, her spirit remains strong. Then comes an unexpected ray of light.

Josh Raynor, a local veterinarian who his sisters claim is too handsome for his own good, brings a forbidden love to Vivi’s world. Josh and Vivi are soon inseparable, unaware of the past their families share. All Vivi knows is that Josh is wrestling with a demon of his own…

Then quite suddenly the awful truth is staring Vivi in the face and it changes everything.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I felt as though we were fitting back into a place we’d only ever left temporarily. Then, when I saw the house, this house, sad and neglected, I thought, I swear this, I thought it gave a little sigh of relief when it realized it was us— and if you laugh, I’ll leave you.

 

She realized there would be no bucket list for her— or not one that included daredevil stunts, long-haul flights, or weeks of hot, passionate sex on a beach in the South Seas with a younger version of George Clooney.

 

“We’ve become reducetarians.” Sam blinked. “What’s that when it’s at home?” he demanded. “It means we still eat meat… but a lot less of it, which is good for our health, the planet, and animals.”

 

My Review:

 

This was an informative and thoughtfully written book that held my coronary muscle in a vise and had me contemplating the various aspects and complicated issues and emotions surrounding organ donation. Ms. Lewis’s writing was highly emotive and insightful as well as lushly detailed with descriptions that involved all the senses in addition to setting the emotional tone for each scene.

 

Vivi Shager thought she was a healthy woman who had the world by the tail.   She was an intelligent and successful professional who frequently traveled internationally for work and had recently run a marathon. But apparently not, as meeting her friends for lunch to celebrate her twenty-seventh birthday and in a most distressing turn of events, her world and her heart imploded with a series of three heart attacks and was given the life expectancy of one year without a transplant. Not a good birthday at all then. The rest of the book slowly evolved over a year forward and thirty years back with two timelines following two different families until their storylines intersected and a lovely romance blossomed.

 

While the premise and much of Vivi’s narrative was fraught with tension, family drama, and uncertainty; there were more pleasant elements to be found in the back and forth over thirty years of the Raynor family narrative. I adored every generation and timeline of this lively and loving clan, although they also endured more than their fair share of tragedy as well.

 

I cannot imagine the ghoulish and demoralizing effect of waiting for someone to die so I could continue to have a chance at living. Or to rush to the hospital for that long-awaited surgery, only to be stopped in my tracks when the donor’s family would not consent. Devastating. I learned so much about this process that I would have never stopped to consider. I also picked up a new word and a phrase to add to my Brit Vocabulary List with pong – which is British informal for an unpleasant smell, and “What’s that when it’s at home?” – which apparently means ‘I have no clue what you are talking about.’ I will be eagerly waiting for a chance to slip these into use.

 

I was provided with a review copy of this poignant and thought-provoking book by HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.

 

About the Author

Susan Lewis is the internationally bestselling author of more than forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense, and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband, James; stepsons, Michael and Luke; and mischievous dogs, Coco and Lulu.

Find out more at her website, and connect with her on Facebook.

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Book Review: The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer

The Cutting Room

by Ashley Dyer

 

AmazonUS / UK / CA / AU

B&N / HarperCollins

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow (June 18, 2019)

Detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver, introduced in the electrifying Splinter in the Blood, must stop a serial killer whose victims are the centerpiece of his macabre works of art.

While Britain is obsessed with the newest hit true-crime television show, Fact, or Fable? detectives Ruth Lake and Greg Carver are tormented by a fiendish flesh-and-blood killer on the loose.

Lured to a “crime scene” by a mysterious digital invitation, Ruth Lake is horrified by what she finds: a bizarre and gruesome tableau surrounded by a crowd of gawkers. The deadly work is the latest “art installation” designed by a diabolical criminal dubbed the Ferryman. Not only is this criminal cold-blooded; he’s a narcissistic exhibitionist desperate for an audience. He’s also clever at promoting his deadly handiwork. Exploiting England’s current true-crime craze, he uses social media to titillate and terrorize the public.

Ruth is joined in the investigation by her partner Greg Carver, who is slowly regaining his strength after a run-in with another sadistic criminal. But Greg can’t seem to shake the bewildering effects of the head wound that nearly ended him. Are the strange auras blurring his vision an annoying side effect of his injury, or could they be something more . . . a tool to help him see a person’s true nature?

In this utterly engrossing and thrilling tale of suspense, a pair of seasoned detectives face off against a wickedly smart and inventive psychopath in a tense, bloody game that leads to a shocking end.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

His smile somehow managed to convey both apology and mischief.

 

She was four foot ten and almost the same in circumference, she walked with a roll.

 

Drew Scanlon was what Carver, a London incomer, now recognized as a through-and-through Scouse scally. The type that could boast five generations of forebears who were also Scouse scallies, Liverpool born-and-dragged-up going back over a century. To qualify as a true scally, it was necessary to forswear aspiration as poncey and soft. Education was for snobs, steady jobs for knobheads. The trick was to never aspire to anything, do the minimum, and have enough street savvy to stay out of reach of the law.

  

My Review:

 

A cunning serial killer, who was likened to the mythological Ferryman, had Liverpool churning, and his clever use of social media had his popularity soaring and his followers swarming each fresh crime scene for his artistic yet gruesome exhibits featuring the mutilated organs of his victims or graphics/videos of their demise. This was a complex and compelling thriller and I couldn’t seem to gain traction on the mystery, as it was slippery, confounding, multi-textured, and complicated by unreliable and deceitful characters with closets full of their own dark secrets.

 

The writing was intricately detailed with unusual descriptions and shrewd observations that occasionally included unexpected hits of wry humor. The storylines were layer upon layer of baffling clues with the struggling police officers personal issues and agendas swirling and tainting the mix.   The tension mounted and never let up, even upon reaching the last page, which completed this story but left a few loose personal threads to keep us primed to continue with the next installment, which I for one will certainly be watching for.

 

My Brit Vocabulary List expanded with the additions of: Scouse – Liverpool dialect; stab vest – body armor in the US we would call them Kevlar or bulletproof vest; warrant card – Police ID; and scally – rascal or miscreant, usually jobless, uneducated, and prone to crime.

I was provided with a review copy of this chilling thriller by HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours.
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About the Author

Ashley Dyer is a writing duo based in the United Kingdom.

Margaret Murphy is a Writing Fellow and Reading Round Lector for the Royal Literary Fund, a past chair of the Crime Writers Association (CWA), and founder of Murder Squad. A CWA Short Story Dagger winner, she has been shortlisted for the First Blood critics’ award for crime fiction as well as the CWA Dagger in the Library. Under her own name she has published nine psychological suspense and police procedural novels.

Helen Pepper is a senior lecturer in policing at Teesside University. She has been an analyst, forensic scientist, scene of crime officer, CSI, and crime scene manager. She has coauthored, as well as contributed to, professional policing texts. Her expertise is in great demand with crime writers: she is a judge for the CWA’s Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction Award, and is a forensic consultant on both the Vera and Shetland TV series.

Find out more at their website, www.ashley-dyer.com.

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Book Review: Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe by Rosie Green

Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe

by Rosie Green

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

Wedding fever is in the air in the village of Sunnybrook. With Ellie and Zak’s Big Day on the horizon, the sun is shining brightly on the Little Duck Pond Cafe community. But when dark clouds begin to roll in from more than one direction, several close relationships look to be under threat. Will the wedding of the year actually take place at all?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Practically the only bonus of getting older is that you don’t give a flying fart about what other people think of you.

 

Now, what can I get you from the drinks machine to get your strength up? Coffee that’s bitter enough to hold a grudge for years? Or hot chocolate that’s so pale and uninteresting, it could do with a week on a beach in Benidorm?

  

My Review:

 

This was a busy, eventful, and rather tumultuous installment with a variety of stressful events and health issues for several different characters. The devious Ms. Green cunningly provides enough charm and interesting new storylines to feed and maintain our addiction to the series while also dangling several loose ends to keep us craving more. She has also added to my Brit Word List with oxters – an Old English and Scottish word for armpit. I adore obscure words.

About the Author

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. Confetti at the Little Duck Pond Cafe will be the sixth in the series

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Rosie_Green1988

 

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Book Review: Stiff Suit (Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies Book 5) by Tawna Fenske

Stiff Suit (Ponderosa Resort Romantic Comedies Book 5)

by Tawna Fenske

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / 

B&N/ iBooks / Kobo / Google

James “Iceman” Bracelyn is wound tighter than a vintage Rolex. Besides his CEO role at Ponderosa Resort, he’s guardian of the family’s biggest secrets, including a doozy that keeps him up at night. Alone. In that big bed he’d rather not share, thank you very much. 

That’s fine with Lily Archer, who likes her flings flaming hot and fleeting. Her man-eater rep might be slightly exaggerated, but she’ll gladly dial it up to rescue James from himself—and a bottle of Glenlivet—at his brother’s wedding.

Intimacy’s the last thing either one wants, but it’s tough to dodge when they’re drawn together by the world’s drooliest dog, a TPing escapade gone wrong, and a good old-fashioned desktop hookup. That’s problematic for James, whose ability to hide the family’s riskiest secret is complicated by the secret’s refusal to get the hell out of his guest room.

Can Iceman keep his frigid shell intact while falling for the hottest science geek sex goddess he’s ever met, or will the ticking time bomb blow it all to smithereens?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

When footsteps click closer, I freeze like a pervert shoplifting in a porn shop.

 

Come to think of it, there’s not much warmth in the whole Bracelyn family tree. Just endless rows of icicle-covered branches.

 

Things are so far from what I expected that I can’t even remember my expectations anymore.

 

James Bracelyn is sealed up tighter than a clam with lockjaw.

 

My Review:

 

I have enjoyed every book in this cleverly amusing series that I’ve had the chance to pick up. I adored these characters, they were smart and endearing and given to smirk-worthy banter and wordplay that snapped with irreverent levity and sizzle while their storylines were engaging and quickly paced with a few extra spicy bits and unexpected twists. All of which were expertly combined to result in an entertaining, effortless, and pleasurable reading experience that left me smiling with satisfaction and looking forward to the next installment.

 

About the Author    

Website 

Amazon

Goodreads

When Tawna Fenske finished her English lit degree at 22, she celebrated by filling a giant trash bag full of romance novels and dragging it everywhere until she’d read them all. Now she’s a RITA-nominated, USA Today bestselling author who writes humorous fiction, risqué romance, and heartwarming love stories with a quirky twist. Publishers Weekly has praised Tawna’s offbeat romances with multiple starred reviews and noted, “There’s something wonderfully relaxing about being immersed in a story filled with over-the-top characters in undeniably relatable situations. Heartache and humor go hand in hand.”

Tawna lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, stepkids, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets. She loves hiking, snowshoeing, standup paddleboarding, and inventing excuses to sip wine on her back porch. She can peel a banana with her toes and loses an average of twenty pairs of eyeglasses per year. To find out more about Tawna and her books, visit www.tawnafenske.com.