Category: 5-Stars

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Book Review: Covenant (The Forbidden Series #1) by Jeanne McDonald  @JeanneMcDonald_

Covenant
(The Forbidden Series #1)
by Jeanne McDonald

Amazon  / B&N 

 

Verily I say unto you, one of you shall betray me this night…

For as long as she can remember, Cameron Scott has been plagued by migraines and nightmares of creatures, places, and events that couldn’t be real – no matter how realistic they seem.

Toby McCloud has spent his immortal existence bound by the laws established by the Guardians of the Covenant who were destined to protect him and his kind long before he was born.

When Cameron and Toby cross paths, everything seems to fall in and out of place.

A family secret.
A dark past.
A forbidden attraction.

Unseen dangers await as they embark on a profound journey of time, passion, mistrust, deception, and destiny.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

While other girls got boobs from puberty, I got migraines. I would have much preferred the boobs… Puberty was a bitch. Second cousin to Karma.

 

I shivered as I recalled the immortal signature of what I assumed was a demon lurking about the neighborhood. That thick, slimy sensation of being coated from head to toe with sludge made my stomach roil…

It was darker than sludge, but I didn’t catch the scent of sulfur, which was odd. Demons always carried the aroma of Hell on their flesh. It was a defining marker of their defiance in the game of souls.

 

It was at that very moment my stomach decided to truly embarrass me. It let out a sound that would frighten away wild dogs.

 

Several flights of stairs swirled around and around all the way up to the top of the domes. I imagined at any second they would start moving of their own accord, which brought a smile to my face. I’d finally made it to Hogwarts.

My Review:

 

I rarely read this genre as I am far too lazy for all the world-building that is typically involved, yet for this talented author I was willing to give it a go and I am ever so pleased with my brilliant foresight – this was the bomb! Although, I was anxiously second-guessing my choice during the Prologue which featured Jesus as the main character, as ugh – I typically avoid Christian books due to weirdly religious parents. Needless to say, I have more than a passing familiarity with their heavily biased and hypocritical interpretation of the Bible, although my parents’ odd zealotry seemed to have glossed over the existence of Nephilim and the wars and mingling of man and angels. So, of course, I felt compelled to consult with Mr. Google and fell down a rabbit hole, something that seems to occur all too often.

Shaking myself loose and trusting this beloved wordsmith, I read on. Hot damn, this was an intriguing, cleverly contrived, action-packed, and brain-itching page-turner. I had trouble putting it down and am currently on pins and needles and eager to see the next installment. Jeanne McDonald not only has me ensnared but wiggling on the hook. I fervently hope she is banging away on her computer this very moment and near the end at churning out volume two of this curiously addictive series. I never would have believed it possible that I could EVER find Christian mythology this enticing. Ms. McDonald has strong word voodoo and may well have used bewitched ink.

 

 

About the Author

 Twitter

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Jeanne McDonald enjoys writing contemporary romance filled with spice, drama, and humor. As JM Dodd, Jeanne explores the supernatural, relishes in the world of fantasy, and dabbles in contemporary fiction.

Jeanne is the founder of the author co-op, Enchanted Publications, and is an avid supporter of autism awareness.

When she’s not spending time with her amazing son or her dog, Bacon, she can be found reading, writing, enjoying a great film, or cooking for friends. In her house, there’s always music or a podcast playing.

A proud Texan, Jeanne currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her son and Bacon.

You can learn more about Jeanne and her books at www.jmdodd.us

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Book Review: JUST MY LUCK by Adele Parks @AdeleParks

JUST MY LUCK
by Adele Parks

ISBN: 9780778331735

Publisher: MIRA Books

 

Adele Parks has brought her #1 Sunday Times sensation, JUST MY LUCK (MIRA Trade Paperback; April 6, 2021; $17.99) to the US! 

 

Be careful what you wish for… 

 

After spending happy hours, parenting classes, and barbeques together for the last 15 years, Lexi and Jake Greenwood have celebrated and shared almost everything with the Pearsons and the Heathcotes, including their lottery numbers. Then one night, the unthinkable happens. Someone has been telling lies – lies dark enough to burn bridges and tear the tight group of friends apart. When the Greenwoods win a stunning $23 million in the lottery with their group’s numbers shortly after their dramatic falling out, the Heathcotes and Pearsons believe they’re entitled to part of the prize… and the three couples will do anything to claim what is theirs. 

 

Reader beware: the last chapter will change everything. 

 

A compulsively readable portrait of the fragility of friendship, the corrosiveness of sudden wealth, and the dark side of good luck, Adele Parks’ latest domestic thriller will make you think twice about trying your hand at the lottery. 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He is being crass. I am not sure what the elegant response to winning nearly eighteen million pounds is, but I doubt it is demanding the money like a highway robber.

 

These so-called friends of theirs are a bunch of sharks. There are more holes in their stories than there are in my kitchen colander.

 

I think we both wish we were in some sort of nineties cop show where she could open the drawer of her desk and pull out a bottle of whiskey and a couple of glasses.

 

Toma stares at me with unadulterated admiration. It’s the best look one human being can give another. He looks at me with respect, approval, gratitude and eagerness.

 

How do you manage it? … Caring so much for people you don’t even know? In my experience, it’s cruel enough caring for those you do.

 

I wish them well, but mostly I wish them well away from us.

My Review:

 

I couldn’t seem to start this review for over a day, as I needed to ruminate, ponder, and mull. This was a prickly pickle. Most of the characters were not likable or annoyed me greatly as they were snide, greedy, snobby, selfish, unreliable, and conniving. They also disappointed me, as even the few likable ones tended to be wishy-washy and weak. However, I am aware that most people, regardless of culture, have a bit of all of these failings in their bag of traits. And I am also highly aware that as much as the characters were antagonizing me, I couldn’t have stopped reading about them as I was intrigued and rather desperate to know what was going to result from their flailing. The plotlines were maddeningly paced but when I reached the conclusion and looked back, I registered the cunning and shrewd craftsmanship in the storytelling.   Adele Parks is a wily one.

About the Author

Author Website

Twitter: @AdeleParks

Instagram: @adele_parks

Facebook: @OfficialAdeleParks

Goodreads

Adele Parks is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of twenty novels, including Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck, as well as I Invited Her In. Just My Luck is currently in development to be made into a movie. Her novels have sold 4 million copies in the UK alone, and her work has also been translated into thirty-one languages. 

 

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Book Review: Staying Out for the Summer by Mandy Baggot @mandybaggot @aria_fiction

Staying Out for the Summer
by Mandy Baggot

 

Amazon  / B&N / GP/ Apple 

 

After a summer of staying in, it’s time to let your hair down and escape to Greece!

For Lucie Burrows, it’s time to embrace Greek life and put the past behind her! Having spent the summer of 2020 battling a global health crisis, Lucie Burrows is looking forward to a summer out of lockdown.

When best friend, Gavin, finds them the perfect Greek escape Lucie finally starts to think this summer might just go without a hitch. But after a landslide puts the village into a local lockdown, Lucie is thrown together with Michalis Andino, the super sexy village doctor. It’s not quite the holiday she had planned, but things could certainly be worse.

As Lucie relaxes into the Greek way of life, she begins to wonder whether this lockdown might just end in a new life, a new love…

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

She clamped her hands to the few inches of little more than dark brown stubble, now covering her entire scalp. ‘Gavin! What happened?! My hair! I was… I was… always getting called Sandra Oh and now I’m… I’m—’ ‘Sandra Oh No?’ Gavin offered unhelpfully.

 

‘Why does everybody want me to marry and breed?!’ She dropped her fork and folded her arms across her chest. ‘I am not a horse.’

 

‘You were the one who stopped talking, Michalis,’ Dimitri told him. ‘I never wanted to stop listening.’

 

Lucie eyed up the tiny test tube Melina was holding carefully like it contained tears of a dragon.

 

Simon’s softer and more cautious about everything. He literally caresses that coffee machine at work. Unlike Jez, who goes at it like he wants it to bleed.

 

They were both a little red-faced with the frenetic pace Mary and Ariana were setting, leading dancers holding handkerchiefs in a zig-zag formation around a little girl dressed as an effigy of a virus. Earlier there had been an interpretive dance with a troupe of schoolchildren in tortoise costumes battling against another group dressed as dark evil organisms…

 

My Review:

 

I adore Mandy Baggot’s cunningly wry, snort-worthy, and clever sense of humor. Her latest missive features a unique Greek odyssey in a tiny and quirky village with storylines infused with a bit of everything including family drama, well deserved vacations for exhausted pandemic fighting medical professionals, a new and an old holiday romance, diverse characters, terrapin home invasions, culture clashes, divinely amusing comedy, and an oddly conceived festival with fierce costumes for the Flying Tortoise King.   I savored Ms. Baggot’s comical and evocative words between family dramas of my own, which made her sweet and humorous tale exponentially sweeter.

About the Author

Amazon

Goodreads

Website

Twitter 

Facebook

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Mandy Baggot is an internationally bestselling and award-winning romance writer. The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy’s books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech, and Hungarian. Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music, and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.

Follow Aria

Website: www.ariafiction.com

Twitter: @aria_fiction

Facebook: @ariafiction

Instagram: @ariafiction

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Book Review: Kill Me Tomorrow by Britney King @britneyking_ @EJBookPromos

 

Kill Me Tomorrow
 by Britney King
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From the bestselling author of The Social Affair and HER comes a mind-bending thriller that’s soaked with raw sensuality, as an investigator’s search takes a wicked turn when he meets a beautiful and provocative woman.
Ali is a sex therapist-slash-guru, famous for the work she does helping others find pleasure.
The problem: Ali can never quite find it for herself.
Her life’s work makes nothing taboo, nothing off limits. And she’s tried everything short of murder. Although, with the way things are going, it’s not off the table.
When Ethan Lane is hired to investigate the death of a wealthy bachelor, he isn’t expecting to stumble into a string of murders. The victims are men, and all members of a popular dating app. Operating undercover with a profile of his own, he meets the woman of his dreams—who also happens to be his best suspect.
The question: Can Lane stay alive long enough to prove his theory? And does he want to?

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Ali is a fun instrument to play, the kind you’re forever trying to tune…

 

Trust me, no one wants a woman like that. Sarah Shepard is the stench of reality in your nose: the hard facts, the lessons you didn’t want to learn. It takes a lot of mental energy trying to figure out what to do with her.

 

I didn’t want to go the hit-and-run route. I really like my car.

 

We reach my bedroom, which is lit up by dozens of candles. I can’t know for sure whether it’s romantic or whether a human sacrifice is about to take place.

My Review:

 

This was an absorbing and cunningly paced page-turner that I found difficult to put down. Oh, that Britney King, she has clever craft and mad skills.   The storylines bent in on themselves and not once but several times, all while keeping me on my toes and slapping me around when I was so smug in my theories. Honestly, I should know better by now. This wily scribbler brings a multi-course meal with a heady mix of side orders including witty snark, flinch-worthy intrigue, family drama, sensuality, and twisty yet compelling characters that I shouldn’t like yet draw me like a starved dieter at a buffet. I cannot wait to see what she conjures next.

 

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Hello. I’m Britney.

I live in Austin, Texas with my husband, children, a dog named Gatsby, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a pear tree.

When I’m not wrangling the things mentioned above, I write psychological, domestic, and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.


Currently, I’m writing three series and several standalone novels.

The Bedrock Series features an unlikely heroine who should have known better. Turns out, she didn’t. Thus she finds herself tangled in a messy, dangerous, forbidden love story and face-to-face with a madman hell-bent on revenge. The series has been compared to Fatal Attraction, Single White Female, and Basic Instinct.

The Water Series follows the shady love story of an unconventional married couple—he’s an assassin—she kills for fun. It has been compared to a crazier book version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Also, Dexter.

Around The Bend is a heart-pounding standalone, which traces the journey of a well-to-do suburban housewife, and her life as it unravels, thanks to the secrets she keeps. If she were the only one with things she wanted to keep hidden, then maybe it wouldn’t have turned out so bad. But she wasn’t.

The With You Series at its core is a deep love story about unlikely friends who travel the world; trying to find themselves, together and apart. Packed with drama and adventure along with a heavy dose of suspense, it has been compared to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Love, Rosie.

The Social Affair is an intense standalone about a timeless couple who find themselves with a secret admirer they hadn’t bargained for. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, the novel explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience.

It is reminiscent of films such as One Hour Photo and Play Misty For Me. Classics. Without a doubt, connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. If you’d like to connect, shoot me an email. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and occasionally on Twitter.

 

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Book Review: Chasing The Sun by Judy Leigh @JudyLeighWriter @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks

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Chasing The Sun
by Judy Leigh

Amazon  / B&N / GP

Sun, Sangria, and new starts, from the author of the bestselling Five French Hens.

Molly’s seventieth birthday comes as something of a shock. The woman in the mirror certainly looks every day of those seventy years, but inside Molly feels she still has so much more living left to do. Widowed and living alone with her cat Crumper, Molly fears she is slipping into a cliché of old age.

When Molly’s sister Nell appears on her doorstep, distraught that her husband of more than forty years, Phil, has left her for a younger lover, the women decide to seize the day. By the morning, flights are booked, bags are packed, and off they go for an adventure in Spain.

The sun, the sea, the new friends, and the freedom are just the tonic for broken hearts and flagging souls. But even Spain isn’t enough to revive Molly’s spirit. A solo journey to Mexico is booked as Molly continues to chase the sun and to chase happiness. Will she find what she’s looking for in Mexico, or will she discover that true contentment can’t be found on a map, but it might just be found in a new flame.

Judy Leigh is back, with her trademark spirit of joie de vivre, fun, warmth, and timeless lessons in how to live.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

… our neighbour is a handsome Swedish man who sits naked in the hot tub on the roof terrace. What’s not to like about Spain?

 

You need to remember that we’re not living in the sixties now, Ryan. It’s not very flattering to be asked for sex like that – I felt like an after-dinner mint.

 

Ahead to the right was a white three-sided building wrapped around a courtyard, its interior dirt-dark. Molly thought it looked like a rotten molar.

 

It wasn’t every day they saw a teenage mutant ninja turtle crawling along the highway on a moped. And this turtle, Michelangelo with the green face, the orange mask and the wide grimacing tombstone teeth was wearing a tight leather jacket, an orange dress and a long black scarf that ballooned behind, resembling a cape… An American man wound down his window and shouted that she had made his day: the ninja turtles he’d seen on TV when he was a kid had never been cross-dressers. Another man yelled that she must be the most mutant ninja turtle he’d ever seen.

 

My Review:

 

I reveled in this tale of two older sisters who were capriciously traveling on an impulse to escape their restlessness and the drama of their less than satisfying home situation in England. I savored every word and adored the spontaneous and impetuous nature of Molly; she was unpredictable and prone to whimsy and highly amusing hijinks, even at seventy years young.   Molly is my new favorite septuagenarian. Ms. Leigh’s well-crafted storylines and writing style were fluid, engaging, easy to fall into, riotously entertaining, and extremely pleasing. Her wry wit, keenly detailed observations, and shrewd insights resonated with me and I want to amass and read all her clever words. I am now her ardent Fangirl For Life.

 

About the Author

Author Bio: Judy Leigh is the bestselling author of A Grand Old Time and The Age of Misadventure and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall but currently resides in Somerset.

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

Newsletter Sign Up Link: https://mailchi.mp/354a1f3b9119/judyleighnewsletter

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/judy-leigh

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Book Review, Giveaway: Uncork My Love by Rich Amooi @RichAmooi @rararesources  

 

 

Uncork My Love
by Rich Amooi

Amazon  / B&N

A sweet romantic comedy set in beautiful Napa Valley!


Ivy needs a miracle and a drink—not necessarily in that order. With a struggling winery, the only hope of keeping her dream alive is snagging a gold medal at the annual wine competition. She’s determined to win, but she can do it without the help of Ted Jacobs, aka Mr. Know-it-All.

Ted wants to catch lightning in a bottle and create the world’s greatest wine, but he’s smart enough to know he can’t do it alone. When he heads to Napa to keep his grandma from ending up in jail (don’t ask), he meets Ivy. She’s as complex and intoxicating as his award-winning cabernet, but as stubborn as the mule next door when she stomps on his offer to collaborate.

Ted knows it’s risky to mix business with pleasure, but if Ivy would only listen, they might just be the toast of the town.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I wouldn’t work with you if you were the last man on earth.” I took a step closer. “If I were the last man on earth, I wouldn’t have time to work with you because I would be too busy procreating, trying to save the human race.” I glanced at the pregnant woman. “Thanks so much for doing your part.”

 

“And secondly, it is impossible for me or anyone driving up Silverado Trail to see your sign if they’re coming from the south since it’s blocked by the world’s largest bush… If you want more people to enjoy what you have to offer, I suggest trimming your bush!” I winced. “Okay, that didn’t come out right.” It was one thing to see Ivy’s shocked, startled face, but the woman across from us gasped, grabbed her wine, and then took a giant chug.

 

… the last time I had been tested for patience the results came back negative.

 

“They remind me of Ken and Barbie, except Ted and Ivy are anatomically correct, of course. Well, maybe I shouldn’t speak for your family, but Ivy has got all the vital parts in tip-top shape and raring to go.”

 

“You don’t have to worry about Teddy when it comes to being anatomically correct,” Loretta said. “I used to bathe him when he was a little boy, so I have proof. By the way, his shoe size is thirteen now, in case you’re wondering.”

 

You are wrong like a crooked thong.

 

My Review:

 

I grinned, smirked, and chortled while reading this fun, sweet, and amusing tale, which shrewdly featured one of my favorite things on this earth – wine! Meddlesome matchmaking grannies, chili pepper-eating dares, snappy banter, witty quips, humorous verbal sparring, and a blossoming romance were also to be found in abundant supply. I enjoyed this couple as much as I did their entertaining and engaging tale.   Rich Amooi is a sure thing when I need something pleasantly appealing to flush out residual tension or de-stress.   He has never failed to delight and works better than Xanax, and with no prescription needed.

About the Author

Rich Amooi is a Taleflick Discovery Winner, Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Recipient, Holt Medallion Finalist, and the Amazon Bestselling author of 16 romantic comedies, including It’s Not PMS, It’s You, Dying to Meet You, There’s Something About a Cowboy, and Madam Love, Actually.

A former radio personality and wedding DJ, Rich now writes romantic comedies full-time in San Diego, California, and is happily married to a kiss monster imported from Spain. Rich believes in public displays of affection, silliness, infinite possibilities, donuts, gratitude, laughter, and happily ever after.

Social Media Links –

Author website: www.richamooi.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/author.richamooi 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richamooi.author

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichAmooi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/richamooi

Giveaway

Giveaway to Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card (Open INT)

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

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Book Review: The Stills: A Novel (Kinship #3) by Jess Montgomery @JessM_Author @TLCBookTours

The Stills: A Novel
(Kinship #3)
by Jess Montgomery

Amazon  / B&N / GP/ Apple 

The third in Jess Montgomery’s exquisitely written Kinship series, The Stills is a triumph of storytelling by an extraordinary new talent in crime fiction…

Ohio, 1927: Moonshining is a way of life in rural Bronwyn County, and even the otherwise upstanding Sheriff Lily Ross has been known to turn a blind eye when it comes to stills in the area. But when thirteen-year-old Jebediah Ranklin almost dies after drinking tainted moonshine, Lily knows that someone has gone too far, and–with the help of organizer and moonshiner Marvena Whitcomb–is determined to find out who.

But then, Lily’s nemesis, the businessman George Vogel, reappears in town with his new wife, Fiona. Along with them is also her former brother-in-law Luther Ross, now an agent for the newly formed Bureau of Prohibition. To Lily, it seems too much of a coincidence that they should arrive now.

As fall turns to winter, a blizzard closes in. Lily starts to peel back the layers of deception shrouding the town of Kinship, but soon she discovers that many around her seem to be betraying those they hold dear–and that Fiona too may have an agenda of her own.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Week before last, cold shooed warmth into a wish and a memory, then rattled tree limbs to leaflessness with one gnarly hand, while gripping the earth with the other.

 

Lily shakes her head, recollecting how thin yet shuddery the boy’s breath had sounded, like a gossamer curtain between this life and the next, stirred by deep winds.

 

That was always the problem with snakes like Luther. They always seem like they can be telling the truth. Fiona shifts in her chair, suddenly uncomfortable. She seems like she’s telling the truth, too—and it’s a habit that quickly becomes easy to rely on. So thrillingly easy.

 

My Review:

 

This was an intense and angsty read, which is fitting, as it was a tense and angsty period of history during a dire time in a desolate town. The densely packed and well-crafted storylines were highly eventful, complicated, and compelling with insightful and descriptive prose that was often lyrical in nature. The majority of events occurred over a week’s period and featured moonshiners, a missing revenuer, corruption, murder, poisonings, car crashes, ice storms, explosions, snake handlers, a scheming wife, and tons of fiendish subterfuge that required careful reading to savor and properly assimilate.

 

About the Author

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JESS MONTGOMERY is the author of the Kinship Historical Mystery series, inspired by a true-life 1920s female sheriff in Appalachia. You can find out more about her books at www.jessmontgomeryauthor.com, or on Facebook @JessMontgomeryAuthor.

Under Jess’s given name, she is a columnist for Writer’s Digest, “Level Up Your Writing (Life),” and for the Dayton Daily News, focusing on the literary life, authors, and events of her native Dayton, Ohio.

Her first novel in the Kinship Historical Mystery series, THE WIDOWS, won the Readers’ Choice in Fiction for the 2019 Ohioana Awards. Jess is a three-time recipient of the Individual Excellence Award in Literary Arts from the Ohio Arts Council, and has been a John E. Nance Writer in Residence at Thurber House (Columbus, Ohio).

She lives in her native Ohio, and in addition to writing, loves spending time with family and friends, reading, crocheting, baking (especially pies), spoiling her cats and houseplants, hiking, and occasionally fishing.

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Book Review: Let it Show (Juniper Ridge #2) by Tawna Fenske @tawnafenske

 

Let it Show
(Juniper Ridge #2)
by Tawna Fenske

How the hell did I end up on TV faking like I’m not falling for the world’s sexiest shrink?

Yeah, I agreed to live at an old cult compound and let cameras tail me around, but a plotline about a grumpy single dad finding love? Big nope. All I want is a brewery to run and a fresh start with my daughter. Just toss me the keys, keep the psych sessions short, and remind me again why I can’t fall for Dr. Mari Judson.

At least I’m not alone. She’s as thirsty as I am for what’s brewing between us, but Mari runs scared when we get close. Something’s stopping her, and a woman with secrets is a recipe for heartache. Trust me, I know.

Blame her sexy brain, her quirky parrot, or the way my kid adores her, but I can’t quit chasing Mari. It’s bound to blow up like a can of Kolsch tossed down the stairs, so why can’t we stay apart?

And why do I think the good doc is hiding something huge?

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

What the hell was I thinking? I’m starting to wonder if I should tattoo the phrase on my wrist as I grab my keys and sweater and try not to make eye contact with anyone.

 

I can’t stop kissing her, murmuring words that come out in a jumble of syllables even I can’t understand. She’s reduced me to speaking in tongues.

 

“You know I don’t like judgment words.” That’s what I say out loud, but inside my brain shrieks, “bitch” at maximum decibels.

 

“You know, I usually just urge patients to cry it out. Releasing emotions is cathartic.” “You’ve got catharsis handled already… We’re taking care of you with shallow beauty tips and booze.”

My Review:

 

As with every Tawna Fenske book I’ve been fortunate enough to pick up, this was another fun and amusing read with endearing characters tumbling into a sweet and sexy romance, which is my favorite kind, and honestly – they should all be as such! The witty and engaging storylines held numerous interesting, unusual, and entertaining elements such as a fledgling new romance, major life and career transitions, the foibles of being a therapist and a human, a swearing parrot, living in a new reality show community, celebrity, a shifty and shallow ex, damaging secrets, itchy family issues, and beer.   Something to please everyone – and that is not just the former therapist in me talking as that naughty bird certainly put more than a few smirks on my face.

 

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: The Blessed Bones (Detective Clara Jefferies #3) by Kathryn Casey @KathrynCasey  @Bookouture 

The Blessed Bones
(Detective Clara Jefferies #3)
Kathryn Casey

Amazon  / B&N / Apple / GP

She could hear nothing but the sound of her own heartbeat. It was dark and the rough ground scraped against her as she tried to move. Being alone was strange to her—she was so used to her big family, to the noise, the warmth, but the last thing she wanted was for the woman to return…

When Detective Clara Jefferies returned home to Alber, Utah, she knew it would take a long time to convince the closed community to trust her. So she is surprised to be called to private land up in the mountains until she hears that the bones of a young girl have been found. And hidden in the dark depths of the grave are the remains of a baby too…

Digging into the town’s missing persons files, Clara is shocked to discover that pregnant girls have been going missing for years. And when she spots Ash Crawford, the first cop on the scene, praying over the bodies, she begins to suspect that he knows more about the victim than he’s letting on.

With Crawford staying silent, and the identity of the girl still unknown, Clara’s only choice is to visit every family living on the mountaintop, desperate to find what they might be hiding. But doing so means facing the man she was once bound to, and the tall iron gates of the ranch she ran away from all those years ago.

Then another pregnant girl is reported missing, and Clara ramps up her search, racing to find her alive. But can she uncover the town’s dark secrets in time to save both the girl and her unborn child?

A heart-pounding crime thriller that twists and turns like a rollercoaster, leaving you on the edge of your seat. Readers of Lisa Regan, Linda Castillo, and Kendra Elliot will be completely addicted.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

He’s super tall, like a tree. And he had on a big hat. And he showed Mom the picture, and she got upset. Madder than she used to get at my dad before she threw plates at him and we left him.

 

Listening to her, I thought about how my ex-husband had threatened me just a night earlier, saying he’d ban me from Heaven. I considered how beautiful faith could be, but also how a tiny minority, those who falsely claimed to be religious, sometimes tragically misused it to manipulate others. It brought to mind the Bible verse about wolves in sheep’s clothing.

My Review:

 

This was an intense read, full of brutal and vile men hiding behind a ridiculous religion to abuse their children and wives, and idiotic women who enabled and allowed it to continue.   It boggles my mind but it continues to happen all around the world to varying degrees. The storylines were all taut with tension, active, and fraught with desperate and nightmarish situations, intrigue, painfully realistic and jaw-dropping cruelty, and extreme frustration. It was a real page-turner and my brain was rippling with curiosity, distrust, and wild theories. I was so wrong, and actually quite happy about it. Kathryn Casey weaves dark, itchy, and cringe-worthy tales and agilely does so with an uncommonly insightful skill set that kept me reading even though I was flinching. She has mad skills.

About the Author
A novelist and award-winning journalist, Kathryn Casey is the author of eleven highly acclaimed true crime books and the creator of the Sarah Armstrong mystery series. Library Journal picked THE KILLING STORM as one of the best mysteries of 2010. Her latest true crime, IN PLAIN SIGHT, investigates the Kaufman County prosecutor murders, a case that made worldwide headlines. Casey has appeared on Oprah, 20/20, the Today Show, Good Morning America, the Biography Channel, Reelz, The Travel Network, Investigation Discovery, and many other venues. Ann Rule called Casey “one of the best in the true-crime genre.”

 

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Book Review: The Wherryman (DI Tanner #6) by David Blake @DavidDBlake @rararesources 

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The Wherryman
(DI Tanner #6)
by David Blake

Amazon  

 

Four missing children, three murdered men, and the helm of a boat with a blood-red sail, hiding a secret only he can tell.

Returning to the Broads after nearly two years at sea, Tanner moors up next to a boat to find the body of a man whose five-year-old daughter is nowhere to be seen. As a torrent of unwanted memories begins flooding through his mind, an attractive Broads Ranger arrives at the scene with a disturbing tale; one of children being taken by a ghostly figure, standing at the helm of an old wooden boat.

My Rating:

Favorite Quote:

‘I’ve never been much for lounging about in bed.’ ‘Not even after being shot at point-blank range?’ ‘It was only a sawn-off shotgun. Had it been a bazooka, I’d have probably stayed till after lunch.’

My Review:

Woohoo, another home run for the slick and wily wordsmith David Blake. He is a sly one and I adore his underhanded and cunning craftiness for unpredictable twists and turns. What guile!   I am beyond impressed and yearning for more. I am enamored with the walking wounded and scruffy DCI Tanner.

 

About the Author

Consistently ranked within the top 30 most read authors on Amazon.co.uk, David Blake is a full-time author living in North London. To date, he has written eighteen books along with a collection of short stories. He’s currently working on his nineteenth, The Wherryman, which is the next in his series of crime fiction thrillers after Broadland, St. Benet’s, Moorings, Three Rivers and Horsey Mere. When not writing, David likes to spend his time mucking about in boats, often in the Norfolk Broads, where his crime fiction books are based.

Social Media Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DavidBlakeAuthor
Twitter: @DavidDBlake