Category: 4-Stars

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Book Review, Giveaway: It’s In His Forever (Red River Valley #5) by Shelly Alexander

It’s In His Forever

(Red River Valley #5)

by Shelly Alexander

 

AMAZON  | CA  |  UK |  AU

 

Red River’s most eligible bachelor has been keeping secrets…

Flight medic Langston Brooks has built a good life for himself in his hometown of Red River. He’s got it all—a close-knit group of friends and family, an exciting career on a life-flight helicopter, and ridiculously good looks that have made him one of Red River’s most eligible bachelors. The only thing missing is someone to share it with.

His secret lover for the past decade isn’t a forever kind of girl. Not with a tarnished reputation over something she didn’t do, and it’s still following her. Now that she’s brought an international winter sports event to Red River, it’s her ticket out of town. She can finally make a clean break as soon as she collects the nice payday that’s coming her way. The only problem with her plan is she’ll have to leave Langston behind, too.

After keeping their relationship under wraps for years—at her insistence—she finally breaks it off with Langston for good. Moving on alone is best for everyone, especially Red River’s sexy flight medic, who doesn’t deserve the baggage from her troubled past. When they’re forced to work together to make the event a success, can she keep up the pretense that she doesn’t love him anymore? Or will she finally give in and become his forever love?

Return to Red River–where the nights are cool and the romance is hot–in this sexy novella.

Find out who hot alpha flight medic, Langston Brooks has been seeing on the sly for years. After keeping their love affair a secret for a decade, will they finally get their happily ever after?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Chairperson Clydelle was old, and the council was preoccupied with a discussion about the Chamber of Commerce building needing new gutters before the spring melt started, but her hearing had satellite capabilities when she wanted to scoop the latest gossip.

Mrs. O’s cranberry pecan scones were Sandra’s favorite treat. A secret weapon, and he wasn’t going to bring a knife to a gun fight. He was bringing something much more powerful. Pastries.

Without breaking client-attorney privilege, want to know what I’ve learned by practicing law in a small town?… Everybody has a secret. Small towns are like soap operas.

I get an examination from Doc Holloway and an ambulance ride with some handsome paramedics…They don’t call it the wise years for nothing. It’s one of the only perks of living to be a ripe old age… Well that and vodka. It goes nicely with lemonade on a hot summer day.

“What’s a girl to do, now that the fire department has banned me from watching them wash the fire engine in the summer?” Probably because she wouldn’t stop offering to put a twenty in their utility belts if they’d take off their shirt.

My Review:

 

If you are looking for a quickly paced, light, and amusing diversion with bits of small-town complications and angst mixed with a bit of steam, a lot of snow, and a HEA love story – then look no further. I have enjoyed all the lively installments of Shelly Alexander’s Red River Valley Series, each can be read as a standalone yet interconnect and revisit characters from past volumes.

Be sure to check out the rest of the series by bestselling author Shelly Alexander:

IT’S IN HIS HEART-Coop & Ella’s story
IT’S IN HIS TOUCH-Blake & Angelique’s story
IT’S IN HIS SMILE-Talmadge & Miranda’s story
IT’S IN HIS ARMS-Mitchell & Lorenda’s story

 $50 Amazon Giveaway


About the Author

A 2014 Golden Heart® finalist, Shelly Alexander grew up traveling the world, earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, and worked in the business world for twenty-five years. With four older brothers, she watched every Star Trek episode ever made, joined the softball team instead of ballet class, and played with G.I. Joes while the Barbie Corvette stayed tucked in the closet. When she had three sons of her own, she decided to escape her male-dominated world by reading romance novels and has been hooked ever since. Now, she spends her days writing steamy contemporary romances while tending to a miniature schnauzer named Omer, a tiny toy poodle named Mozart, and a pet boa named Zeus.

Follow Shelly here:

Website http://shellyalexander.net/

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

Twitter https://twitter.com/ShellyCAlexande

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12166814.Shelly_Alexander

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shelly-alexander-fe4d94bf-321c-4611-afcb-28a7bb80cc02

Email shelly@shellyalexander.net

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Book Review: The Spitfire Girls by Soraya M. Lane

The Spitfire Girls

by Soraya M. Lane

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU / B&N

 

Three skilled aviators determined to help win the war. Three brave women who know their place is not at home.

At the height of World War II, the British Air Transport Auxiliary need help. A group of young women volunteer for action, but the perils of their new job don’t end on the tarmac. Things are tough in the air, but on the ground, their abilities as pilots are constantly questioned.

There is friction from the start between the new recruits. Spirited American Lizzie turns heads with her audacity, but few can deny her flying skills. She couldn’t be more different from shy, petite Ruby, who is far from diminutive in the sky. It falls to pragmatic pilot May to bring the women together and create a formidable team capable of bringing the aircraft home.

As these very different women fight to prove themselves up to the task at hand, they are faced with challenges and tragedies at every turn. They must fight for equal pay and respect while handling aircraft that are dangerously ill-equipped; meanwhile, lives continue to be lost in the tumult of war.

Determined to assist the war effort doing what they love, can May, Lizzie and Ruby put aside their differences to overcome adversity, and will they find love in the skies?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Ruby is no sidekick, nor is she relegated to office duties… She might look like a doll –in fact I was told by our doctor that a gust of wind might blow her over –but put her up in the cockpit and she’s got the heart of a lion and the bravery of a team of men.

And how in God’s name did you manage to convince a bunch of old men to let women ferry fighter planes? I’ve been petitioning for years – I want to wring all their wrinkly old necks!

I’m in some sort of hell. Honestly, I know hospital was bad, but I’d do anything to be back there and not under the same roof as my mother.

… she smiled when she saw it was a piece of metal welded into a small circle. ‘I promise I’ll give you a proper ring when the war is over,’ he said, pushing it onto her finger. ‘But for now, this is from the damaged engine of a Spitfire.’

We are told as little girls what our expectations should be, and it’s made abundantly clear what our limitations are, but I’m standing here today to tell you that there are no limitations for women, or at least not in the sky. You don’t need to be a burly six-foot man to fly an enormous four-engine bomber, but you do need a brain and single-minded determination. It’s no wonder men feel threatened by us…

They used us when they needed us, and now they want to pretend we’re the inferior sex all over again.

 

My Review:

 

I don’t often read historical fiction but I enjoyed this enlightening tale that equally threaded fact with fiction in featuring the adventurous and brave trailblazing women of WWII aviation. I learned so much, proving my mother’s lectures to be incorrect about my perusal of fiction being a waste of time. The storylines were engaging and entertaining with each of the women being given a uniquely flawed personality and individual quirks, some not so endearing as the brash American Lizzie was an arrogant show-boater, she was ambitious and overly endowed with confidence to the point of obnoxious entitlement. I admired her moxie though, and I also appreciated her spirit and drive.

Lizzie’s nose was eventually lowered, somewhat painfully, but I admired Ms. Lane’s insightful depiction of all the pilots’ various learning curves. I cannot imagine the pressure they were under and I doubt few people realized the danger they were in as they had no weapons, no instruments, no radios, and no artillery, yet they were delivering bombers and other aircraft in a war zone and flying damaged aircraft back for repair or unserviceable craft to the junkyard – which I would believe to have been the most dangerous missions of all. And they did this in poor weather, for twenty percent less pay, among rampant disrespect from the military and often their own families; and although they were pivotal in winning the war, they were quickly iced once the war was over as they were seen as “taking jobs away from men.” My indignation and ire burn hotly – which is why I don’t often read historical books… These courageous gals became known as the ‘Attagirls,’ I like that, sounds sassy!

This was my first experience with Ms. Lane’s words and one I would readily repeat. I found her writing to be easily accessible, engaging, emotive, cleverly amusing, and well-balanced. I noticed two separate listings for her work on Goodreads; one as Soraya M. Lane and one under Soraya Lane, with different types of books on each.

About the Author

Goodreads

Amazon

Website

#1 Kindle Bestselling Author of Wives of War and Hearts of Resistance. Enter here to win one of 100 ebook copies of my upcoming release, The Spitfire Girls! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh…

As a child, Soraya dreamed of becoming an author. Fast forward more than a few years, and Soraya is now living her dream! Soraya describes being an author as “the best career in the world”, and she hopes to be writing romance for many years to come.

Soraya loves spending her days thinking up characters for books, and her home is a constant source of inspiration. She lives with her own real-life hero and two sons on a small farm in New Zealand, surrounded by animals and with an office overlooking a field where their horses graze.

Add my upcoming release, The Spitfire Girls, to your Goodreads shelf today!

For more information about Soraya, her books and her writing life, visit sorayalane.com or www.facebook.com/SorayaLaneAuthor, or follow her on twitter @Soraya_Lane. She would love to hear from you.

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Book Review: The Last Wingman (Wingmen Book 6) by Daisy Prescott

The Last Wingman

(Wingmen Book 6)

by Daisy Prescott

Amazon US / UK / AU/ CA 

 

Jonah Kingston is the last wingman standing.

June Moxee doesn’t care if he’s the last man on earth.

I haven’t exactly avoided relationships, but love has never been a priority. Solitude doesn’t bother me and being alone doesn’t mean being lonely. Until she moved to the island and I had to reconsider everything.

June seems content running her yarn shop, knitting with the local church ladies, and avoiding me. She’s a temptress in a handknit sweater. And for some reason, she’s not a fan of mine. It might be the tattoos. Or the beard. Or the fact that we’re polar opposites.

A woman has finally caught my attention. Too bad she thinks she hates me.

Good thing I’m stubborn enough to try to change her mind.

The Last Wingman is the sixth standalone, lighthearted small town romance in the Wingmen series. You do not have to read the previous books first to enjoy this book.

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“You may suck. We’re not making any permanent commitments. Think of this as your audition.” This is my life now. A probationary team member for trivia night. I think my days of hanging out in the clubs and going to the coolest concerts in Seattle might be behind me…We’ve entered the Thunderdome of Trivia.

“Ugh. Why is it always the guy who swears he’s just being friendly who turns out to be the biggest creeper?” “The worst,” Diane agrees. “Most likely to send you a dick pic while telling everyone what a nice guy he is.” … Erik and I exchange uncomfortable looks. “For the record, I’ve never sent anyone such a picture,” I reassure them. “My dick is like Big Foot. Zero photographic evidence.”

I’m a hot minute away from hoisting my pants to my ribs and handing out Werther’s Originals. What fool thought working with teens would keep me young and hip?

Women are supposed to have a gene that makes us love all infants and huff their baby essence like it’s the secret elixir of life.

“Ball sack.” Chuckling, I read the swirling text on a tote bag out loud. “You sell something called a ball sack?” “Knitters have dirty minds and we love puns. We also need cute bags to carry our yarn and needles. That tote is a big seller.” … “I like big balls and I cannot lie. Knit me baby one more line. Knit fast, die warm.” I keep reading as I spin the vertical rack. “All you knit is love.” … “I feel personally deceived by all of those sweet women at the farmers’ market selling baby booties and scarves.”

She bats her eyes at me. Stifling a laugh, I wink back. Out of all of the women in the knitting group, Thea’s the biggest flirt. At the end of my first visit, she came right up to me with her walker and asked if I knew what a cougar was.

“Connie was telling everyone at the bank about the poker game.” “Great. She gives new meaning to the word teller.”

 

My Review:

 

I was largely unfamiliar with the Wingman set yet I smirked my way through this last and end of an era volume to what appears to be a cleverly amusing rom/com series. Reading the finale had me coveting the previous installments as their small-town appears to be populated by a large sector of the quirkiest citizens living in the free world. Written from a first person POV of Jonah, a heavily tattooed, pierced, and bearded man in black who was adorable, unexpectedly sweet, and thoughtfully insightful. His crush on the prickly yet vividly colorful June was delightfully narrated in his inner musings. I enjoyed the witty levity, endearingly awkward main characters, frequent Harry Potter references, and engaging storylines. I’m a smitten kitten for the Wingmen.

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Daisy Prescott writes romantic comedies about real love.

Her Modern Love Stories feature characters in their thirties and forties finding and rediscovering love in unexpected and humorous ways. Her Wingmen books star regular guys who often have beards, drive trucks, and love deeply once they fall. Daisy’s Love with Altitude latest small town, rom-com series is set in Aspen, Colorado. Bewitched is a magical serial set in Salem, Massachusetts. Don’t miss her standalone, Tinfoil Heart, a rom-com about love, letting go, and little green men.

AUTHOR LINKS:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | Newsletter

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Book Review: Only With You by Layla Hagen

Only With You
(The Connor Family #4)
by Layla Hagen 

Carter Sloane is famous for one thing: winning cases. He’s a sharp, astute lawyer, who always gets his way. In his private life, he’s completely in over his head when it comes to raising his two nieces.

When he moves into a new office, he just can’t take his eyes off the fiercely independent woman across the street. He’d love to touch and kiss that irresistible body.

Valentina “Val” Connor is proud of her booming fragrance company. If only she were half as successful in her love life… Between trusting the wrong men and sheer bad luck, Val is convinced she’ll never find the one.

But with his sophisticated charm and sex-appeal, Carter is hell-bent on proving to her that he can turn her luck around. Val’s senses warn her to stay away from men like him—even if her body is begging her to cave. But when she finds out about Carter’s nieces, she steps in to help, doting on them with love and care.

As Val and Carter grow closer, one thing is clear to him: He’d move mountains to make her happy, but with Val’s career soaring, how can he ask her to commit to the chaos of his life?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I popped open a bottle of Pinot too, for good measure. The sour alcohol matched my soured mood and heart perfectly. Belatedly, I also realized it sent a clear signal. Our wine system wasn’t a secret: Pinot for moping, Chardonnay for celebrating.

What do you even need all these muscles for? You’re a lawyer. You carry out your fights with words.

The soul never gets old. We just forget to be children. Another saying of my dad’s.

You couldn’t make someone want you in their life, no matter how much you tried. You couldn’t love for two…

My Review:

Written in my favorite dual POV, this latest addition to the Conner series was extra sexy, I actually started to perspire while reading. I enjoyed the sweet and steamy romance, all the secondary storylines, amusing banter, and the many enticing characters in addition to the main pair who couldn’t seem to keep their hands off each other. I need to know what type of supplements they took as I would love to buy some.

About Layla Hagen   

Website | Twitter | Facebook 

Layla Hagen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She fell in love with books when she was nine years old, and her love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.

She writes steamy and romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.

She is represented by fabulous Louise Fury (The Bent Agency) 

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Book Review: Meant for You (The Connor Family #3) by Layla Hagen

Meant for You

 (The Connor Family #3)

by Layla Hagen

AmazonUK  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07KF5NGMC/

Amazon CA  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KF5NGMC/

AmazonAU  https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07KF5NGMC/

iBooks  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1438131272

B&N  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/meant-for-you-layla-hagen/1128072540?ean=2940156312498

Kobo https://www.kobo.com/at/en/ebook/meant-for-you-2

GooglePlay https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=DBh5DwAAQBAJ

Will Connor lives his life by simple rules: take care of those he loves, give one hundred percent to his job, and never ignore his instincts. So when he meets Paige, he doesn’t plan to ignore their crazy chemistry or the way her pretty smile strips him of all defenses…

As the development director of a non-profit, Paige Lamonica has met her fair share of people. But Will is something else entirely. The hot detective is a little too confident, and far too easy on the eye. She loves that he goes toe-to-toe with her at every turn. When Will asks her to attend his sister’s wedding with him, she thinks he just wants to throw off his scent some relatives with a penchant for matchmaking. She couldn’t be more wrong. Will wants her.

When she teases him, he teases her right back. When she pushes his buttons, he repays her with scorching hot kisses. Paige discovers that there’s more to Will than she thought. With every layer she peels off, she craves more…

But as the daughter of an army man, Paige has never wanted to get involved with someone on the force. Can Will persuade her to give in to their growing love?

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My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

I practically flew to him. It felt that way, at least. Like I was so light that my feet weren’t even touching the ground, merely skipping over the surface.

 

“Just keep your eyes open for a smart and very sexy guy. Strong arms are important. Six-pack always a plus. Great skills in bed are also a requirement, but obviously, there’s no way to check that beforehand.” … I made a mental note never to ask about girl talk again.

 

My Review:

 

Layla Hagen is my go-to gal when I need something light and amusing as well as sweet and steamy. Her alpha males are full of swagger but quickly learn the importance of groveling when needed. I enjoyed the sweet pairing of Will and Paige, they were a feisty and sweary couple who could go toe-to-toe as well as scorch the sheets with their volcanically hot sexcapades.

About Layla Hagen   

Website | Twitter | Facebook 

Layla Hagen is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She fell in love with books when she was nine years old, and her love affair with stories continues even now, many years later.

She writes steamy and romantic stories and can’t wait to share them with the world.

She is represented by fabulous Louise Fury (The Bent Agency) 

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Book Review: Springtime at Hope Cottage (Sweetwater Springs #2) by Annie Rains

Springtime at Hope Cottage

(Sweetwater Springs #2)

by Annie Rains

Amazon US/ UK / CA / AU / B&N

 

Fans of RaeAnne Thayne and Debbie Mason will want to cozy up with this small-town series from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains.

As an editor at a major New York City magazine, Josie Kellum is always on the go…until an injury sidelines her in the small town of Sweetwater Springs. Luckily, her new physical therapist is easy going and easy on the eyes. When their sessions start to heat up, in more ways than one, Josie is intrigued. But she has a city and career she loves waiting for her. So why does the thought of leaving him suddenly feel a lot like leaving home?

Tucker Locklear is just starting to move on after his wife’s death. While he can’t deny his attraction to the gorgeous, vivacious Josie, he won’t risk the pain of losing someone again. The sooner he gets Josie back on her feet and back to her real life, the safer he’ll be. But in Sweetwater Springs, love has a way of mending even the most damaged heart.

Includes the bonus short story “Last Chance Bride” from Hope Ramsay.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

 

“I just wanted to tell you how I felt. Then I wanted to take you inside and show you.” A slow grin emerged on her lips. “I’ve always loved show-and-tell,” she whispered.

 

My Review:

 

This is such an adorably sweet and easy to follow small-town series with relevant family issues, secrets, and heart-squeezing moments. I enjoyed the colorful descriptions and stories of the quirky and eccentric characters inhabiting Sweetwater, each with their own unique spin that makes them stand out several shades from the norm.   I also greatly appreciated the long-overdue implementation of a Native American as a successful and hard-working professional as a main character. I adored the kindness and thoughtful patience and insights of Tuck and look forward to peeling back his sister’s tale in a future installment.

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling author who writes small-town love stories set in fictional towns on the coast of North Carolina. Raised in one of America’s largest military communities, Annie often features heroes who fight for their countries, while also fighting for a place to call home and a good woman to love. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and three children, or reading a book by one of her favorite authors.

Website /  Goodreads / Amazon / Facebook / Twitter

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Book Review: Let Me Burn by Carrie Elks

Let Me Burn

(Angel Sands Book 1)

by Carrie Elks 

Amazon US / UK / Universal 

She isn’t looking for love. He’s not planning on staying around. But when they meet, sparks fly… 
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Lucas Russell lives for his job as a big city firefighter. But when he’s forced to take extended leave following an accident, he returns to his small hometown to stay at the beach cottage his grandparents left him. The problem is, he’s not used to having so much time on his hands.  After a broken engagement, Ember Kennedy isn’t ready for love right now. But she didn’t count on meeting a handsome firefighter with a dimpled smile. After Lucas saves her from one awkward situation too many, she can’t stop thinking about him.
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Ember finds Lucas impossible to resist, and he’s determined not to let her. As long summer days melt into sultry, passionate nights what begins as a fling develops into something much deeper. Until the day Ember’s ex-fiancé returns to town and threatens to destroy the fragile connection that’s building between them.

*This stand-alone romance is low on angst and big on feels. If you enjoy a heartwarming read that’s sweet with heat, Let Me Burn is for you*

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Hey, if life gives you lemons—” “Add a little tequila,”

 

“She’s beautiful and she’s funny but she’s fresh out of a relationship.” “How fresh?” “I’m not sure. A few months maybe.” “That’s not fresh… That’s rancid. She’s probably ready for another date.”

 

If he’d felt like the King of the World before, now he felt like he’d expanded his empire to include the rest of the galaxy… “I like you, Lucas Russell,” she whispered. “I like you a lot.” Forget the galaxy, he was king of the universe.

 

He’s gorgeous. And a natural with kids. I only have to look at him and my ovaries start to flutter.

 

My Review:

 

Lucas and Ember were the sweetest couple and easily fell into a fun, satisfying, considerate, sexy, and supportive relationship. Let Me Burn was a pleasant start to a promising new series and an enjoyable and welcome change from angsty stories with constant conflict and drama. The writing and storylines were engaging, well-paced, lively, easy to follow, and performed an excellent job of introducing the characters and establishing the foundation for subsequent installments. I am anxious to see who will be the focus of the next book as I am already curious about several of the characters.

About the Author

 Twitter – CarrieElks

Facebook – CarrieElksAuthor

Goodreads – 7266211.Carrie_Elks

Website – https://carrieelks.com

Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out. Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.

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Book Review: What If (Small Town Big Love Series #1) by Kelly Collins

What If 

(Small Town Big Love Series #1)

by Kelly Collins 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

She’s a town icon. He’s all business. Will their rivalry bring ruin or romance?  Graphic artist Lucy Shoemaker has never known a life outside of Blackwood. And she’s determined to show the world why she loves her quaint Colorado hometown. But when a billionaire arrives looking to sell the land, Lucy feels both outrage and an irrepressible attraction…

John Blackwood usually gets what he wants. He never expected that selling the Podunk town would send him directly into a firecracker of a local. John knows that Lucy won’t stop causing him problems…but is that why he can’t get her off his mind?

With compromise off the table, will John and Lucy’s passion disappear along with Blackwood or can they discover love’s common ground?

What If… is a standalone contemporary romance with sizzling chemistry. If you like headstrong heroines, small-town drama, and a fresh twist on billionaire boyfriends, then you’ll adore Kelly Collins’ sassy saga.

Buy What If… to negotiate romance today! 

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

If sin had a look, he’d be the model.

 

All her life she’d tried to shove a hundred-pound dream into a ten-pound bag and it never worked.

 

She thought that whoever had designed the bra should be given an award equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize. Anything that could make a pair of ordinary breasts extraordinary deserved recognition. A Grammy? An Oscar? A mammogrammy? The booby prize, she thought with a giggle.

 

The dark room was lit by beer signs and the bright eyes of jealous women.

 

“Are they hoping money will just fall off you?” She laughed, imagining people following him with cups, hoping for his pockets to empty into them.

My Review:

 

I always seem to start a new series with an equal measure of hopeful anticipation and trepidation. Will it be too similar, too different, too complicated, or too familiar? Silly me, I should know better by now when it comes to Kelly Collins. Although, the style and tone of What If seemed considerably different from her usual and the main characters were a bit of a challenge for me to warm up to, especial Lucy. Lucy had a difficult personality; she was a childishly impulsive drama llama who was flippant, hot-tempered, testy, and obstinately resistant to change. I did enjoy her feisty sass and smart mouth –  takes one to know one. 😉

I also initially had doubts about John, the wealthy and sex on legs Lamborghini driving lothario, who currently holds the lofty position of my current BBF. I was afraid he was playing Lucy to influence her into moving out of her home and business space without fuss to allow his family to sell their holding without issue, and he kind of was and kind of wasn’t. Of course, Lucy’s heated tantrums and behavioral outbursts led to increasingly hotter exchanges and sheet-scorching sensual encounters. The storylines were original, easy to follow, and held my interest despite a considerable amount of conflict and the pervasive angsty uncertainty about the vexing issue of Lucy’s future living situation.

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.

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Book Review: It Never Goes Away (Brighton’s No.1 Private Detective #3) by Tom Trott

It Never Goes Away

  (Brighton’s No.1 Private Detective #3)

by Tom Trott

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU 

From No.1 Private Detective to No.1 Suspect

A cryptic message from an old friend leads Joe Grabarz to an abandoned farmhouse in the middle of the South Downs. But Joe is too late, someone else has got there first: his friend is dead, and all the evidence points to him.

Ten years ago the farmhouse was the scene of three infamous murders when a young boy killed his mother, father, and little sister. Now an adult, he was released from prison with a new identity. Could he be involved? The farmhouse also sits on valuable land, fought over in a struggle between building houses and drilling for shale gas. But could it really be worth killing for? Whatever is going on, Joe knows one thing for sure: his friend’s murder is just a tiny part of it.

To bring the killer to justice Joe must dig up the past, and reckon with his own, because no matter how hard you work, it never goes away.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He had a strong nose with a bridge that could support haulage, a jaw that could grind stones, and a face that rested in a scowl.

 

He didn’t reply for a couple of minutes, going over the story in his head, different wrinkles twitching as though his face was being prickled with electricity.

 

That look could boil an egg.

 

We’re not all carnivores… not all the time. It’s the lifecycle of a lawyer, Mr Grabarz: you start out with morals, then pretty soon you have to pay your rent so you sell them, then before you know it you’ve got a Mercedes on the drive and you desperately try to buy them back.

 

She had a mass of curly red hair that spilled out in all directions, and wore a purple one of those fashionable but comfy Scandinavian jumpers under a blue Anorak. In the middle of it all sat the sort of face that instantly inspires friendly feelings. They should make her as a cuddly doll for children who can’t sleep.

My Review:

 

It Never Goes Away picked up three years after the end of the last book and Joe had been quite prosperous in between as he was enjoying a nicer apartment, better wardrobe with Italian leather shoes, a nice new office with associates, and was driving a Jag. He feared he had gotten soft, and too bad for him, this tale was none stop danger and high activity with car chases and crashes and running for his life from violent criminals while also dodging the police. The story has as many twists and turns as a nest of snakes and was as complicated as the highly compelling characters of Joe and his arch nemesis, Max. I will admit to falling into a fuzzy state of confusion more than once, but I’d follow the enigmatic Joe through a blizzard as he is like my mailman – he may occasionally be late but he always delivers.

 

New additions to my Brit word list include prang – which is British informal for a car crash; and near the knuckle – a risqué joke, typically about sex and likely to offend. Mr. Google was unable to help me with the idiom of a man being “far too wet” but I am assuming it means wimpy. But you know what usually happens when I ass/u/me…

Author Bio 

 Born in Brighton, I went to school in here, worked many jobs here, and have never lived anywhere else. I first started writing at school, where I and a group of friends devised and performed comedy plays for assemblies, much to the amusement of our fellow pupils. The young ones would cheer (and the old ones would groan) as we stepped up onto the stage, the buzz was tangible. It has been with me ever since.

As an adult I have written a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival; Daye’s Work, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel; and won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest. I published my first novel, You Can’t Make Old Friends, in 2016; my second, Choose Your Parents Wisely, in 2017, my third, The Benevolent Dictator, in 2018, and now my fourth, It Never Goes Away, in 2019. When I’m not writing books, I’m writing about writing, books, and film on Medium.

My inspirations as a writer come from a diverse range of storytellers, but I have a particular love for the works of Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Joel & Ethan Coen, Arthur Conan-Doyle, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Bryan Fuller, Ira Levin, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Towne, JRR Tolkien, and many many more books and films beside. If you can’t find me, or I’m not answering my phone, I’m probably at the cinema.

Social Media Links 

 www.twitter.com/tjtrott

www.facebook.com/tomtrottbooks

www.tomtrott.com

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Book Review: Choose Your Parents Wisely (Brighton’s No.1 Private Detective #2) by Tom Trott

Choose Your Parents Wisely

(Brighton’s No.1 Private Detective #2)

by Tom Trott

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU 

One missing girl and the whole city goes crazy.

It’s been three days, and now everyone in Brighton is looking for her. There is an army of police searching, her picture is on every front page, and the public can’t get enough of it. Gangs of good citizens are going door to door, turning their neighbors’ houses upside down, but still, no one can find her.

For Brighton’s No.1 Private Detective, Joe Grabarz, it brings back too many memories of his first case, another missing girl, when he learned too many lessons the hard way. No one was going door to door then. No one cared. But her mum and dad weren’t nearly as photogenic, nor quite so saintly.

It’s a lesson Joe learned long ago that has come back to haunt him: choose your parents wisely.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Despite being only fifty-something she had the coiffured helmet of hair you expect to see on a pensioner. Hairsprayed to the point where it could be removed in one piece and swapped for something different. Except that it couldn’t, of course, because if it could there was no way you would choose that one. I could see why her husband had left her, I couldn’t live with that hair either.

 

I had broken my oath to stay calm. In fact I had probably broken a record for the fastest broken oath in history. But that was just a practice run. From now on. Again: I will stay calm.

 

I’ve always known there was something wrong with me. They say the secret ingredient when making a baby is love. I’m what you get when you leave it out.

 

This was a place where in twilight elves lurked and fairies larked. But right now, rich people were lurking and larking instead.

 

My Review:

 

Thomas Trott has provided another compelling and clever read which was a bit dark, twisted, and complicated, while also smartly crafted, quickly paced, and cunningly plotted. Choose Your Parents Wisely involved three mysteries and two timelines. The timelines narrated his first and most recent cases, each with missing children, and were despairingly similar. The third mystery involved his questionable parentage, which I was never quite certain if the background info was accurate or a possible shakedown. The two timelines were not clearly delineated, nor were they always easily differentiated, which was occasionally frustrating but I was up for the challenge as I adore Mr. Trott’s stylized writing, oddly compelling characters, sardonic humor, and the stealthily placed levity he deftly laced among the tense and dangerous situations our tarnished hero, Joe Grabarz, found himself in. I am enamored with Joe; he appears to be a tried and true smart ass, yet he has a soft heart. Joe would quickly agree to my first observation but would hotly deny the later. I adored his witty banter and snarky quips; even his meaningless conversations often appeared to be amusingly combative. Lucky me, I have one more grand adventure ahead with the enigmatic shamus as I have the newest installment, It Never Goes Away, patiently idling on my new Kindle.

 

Author Bio 

 Born in Brighton, I went to school in here, worked many jobs here, and have never lived anywhere else. I first started writing at school, where I and a group of friends devised and performed comedy plays for assemblies, much to the amusement of our fellow pupils. The young ones would cheer (and the old ones would groan) as we stepped up onto the stage, the buzz was tangible. It has been with me ever since.

As an adult I have written a short comedy play that was performed at the Theatre Royal Brighton in May 2014 as part of the Brighton Festival; Daye’s Work, a television pilot for the local Brighton channel; and won the Empire Award (thriller category) in the 2015 New York Screenplay Contest. I published my first novel, You Can’t Make Old Friends, in 2016; my second, Choose Your Parents Wisely, in 2017, my third, The Benevolent Dictator, in 2018, and now my fourth, It Never Goes Away, in 2019. When I’m not writing books, I’m writing about writing, books, and film on Medium.

My inspirations as a writer come from a diverse range of storytellers, but I have a particular love for the works of Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, Joel & Ethan Coen, Arthur Conan-Doyle, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Bryan Fuller, Ira Levin, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Towne, JRR Tolkien, and many many more books and films beside. If you can’t find me, or I’m not answering my phone, I’m probably at the cinema.

Social Media Links 

 www.twitter.com/tjtrott

www.facebook.com/tomtrottbooks

www.tomtrott.com