Last One to Die
(Detective Nikki Cassidy #2)
by Dana Perry

Favorite Quotes:

That’s what happens when you dig into the past. You can never be sure what you’re going to find back there.

There are no boundaries for evil. It could be found anywhere.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re overly critical and sometimes just need to keep your mouth shut?” “A few people.” “You should listen to them.” He smiled.

Gilmore was a remarkably unremarkable man. Somewhere in his forties, thin, balding, dressed in drab clothes, no real charisma of any kind when he talked.

My Review:

This was an unpredictable, action-packed, twisted, and busy tale that kept the little pea in my brain hopping and my neck in knots. I had a hard time putting this one down, even when I had to, and I certainly did not see this ending coming. Dana Perry is definitely perfecting his craft.

When a fortieth birthday celebration leads to a ghostly visitor, four friends find themselves navigating surprising mysteries and spiritual hijinks, in this clever debut from Melissa Holtz.

Alyssa Mann isn’t adventurous, not since her husband died and she found herself the single mom of a teenage daughter. But there’s no way to avoid celebrating the big 4-0, so when her best friends drag her out for drinks and a tarot reading, she throws caution to the wind and decides to see what the spirits have to say. It’s all fun and games, until she wakes up the next morning with a wicked hangover—and a ghost perched on the edge of her bed.

Sheer panic sends her running to get help from Nick West, the (very attractive) detective who lives next door. When he finds no one inside, Alyssa has to accept that she really did see a ghost. As the dearly departed keep appearing, Alyssa and her friends do their best to learn how to control her newfound power. Trading insults with ghosts, tracking down family heirlooms, and getting closer to the skeptical but helpful Nick is more fun than Alyssa imagined. But when looking into one ghost’s past reveals unexpected—and unwelcome—facts about Alyssa’s late husband’s death, she discovers she just may be in over her head.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

We all know she’s about as comforting as sitting on a cactus.

“Have your cell phones ready in case we have to call 9-1-1; this looks like a potential sex trafficking situation,” I call over my shoulder to Nina. Lanie turns to me, nose scrunched and eyes squinted in something like disgust. “We’d be a bit past their target.”

When death comes for me, I want to head straight to that promised beam of light and be whisked off to the land of wine and chocolate.

“Listen, Alyssa, I’m a man of few words for good reason. My dad always said, ‘If you don’t speak, you don’t say stupid shit.’” His head dips and our eyes connect. “It stuck with me. But sometimes, I forget that sage advice and say stupid shit anyway.”

My Review:

I adored this cleverly penned tale of realistic woo-woo. Melissa Holtz has wickedly strong word voodoo and quickly had me ensnared with her witty arrangements of words. The storylines were lively, engaging, highly amusing, and creative, as well as insightfully written, and poignant. The characters were an interesting mix of quirk among both the living and the dead.

I so want to be a member of their Gin and Tarot Club and am already looking forward to more from this wily wordsmith and am fervently hoping she continues on with this one as a series.

About the Author

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Melissa Holtz is a former publicist and marketing expert in the romance genre. Now in an advisory role to several bestselling authors, she consults on industry marketing trends. An Enchanting Case of Spirits is her debut novel.

Continue reading “Book Review: Escape to the Rome Apartment (The Italian Escape Book 3) by Kerry Fisher    @kerryfisherwrites @bookouture”

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“I can’t believe that you’re actually comparing yourself to J. Edgar Hoover, Nikki.” “Why not?” “History has shown us that J. Edgar Hoover was a pretty mean, petty and despicable person.” “Yeah, but we both liked to wear dresses.”

I’m what they call a ‘jailbird dater.’… There’s something wild and daring and kinkily crazy about it— it just gives me a thrill I could never get out of dating normal men on the outside of prison walls. Is it dangerous? No, it’s probably the safest dating you can do. I mean they’re in prison. They’re under control twenty-four-seven. So don’t you see? Meeting up with a prison inmate like that is not as dangerous as picking up some strange guy in a singles bar or on Tinder or any other dating spot or app.

My Review:

I gained several new brain wrinkles perusing this tale, but one such wrinkle concerning what happens on the dark web was rather chilling and had the little pea in my brain shuddering. I already know too many things I don’t want to know.

The premise was original, and the plot was well-contrived and unpredictable with active story threads that went in all directions yet managed to converge back in a cohesive manner. The majority of the characters were realistically flawed and most were deeply damaged yet still functional. Many were also unlikable yet they still held my attention and provoked my curiosity.

I’m in for the ride to read the rest of the series.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

At twenty-two, their youngest brother had yet to develop a sense of responsibility, relying instead on impish charm and a smile that was hard to resist. His siblings had long ago learned not to lend him anything they wanted to see again.

Yellowish china pump handles stood tall above the polished wood of the bar itself, presided over by a burly man who looked to Harry as though he was one impertinent comment away from a good brawl.

A word of warning, though. That toffee-nosed accent of yours creeps through every now and then. You should work on that before you do any more snooping.

My Review:

This was a fun and clever start to a new historical cozy series, and I do loves a good cozy. The premise of this one is quite appealing and unique, desperate people writing to the Baker Street address of the great Sherlock Holmes, begging the infamous detective to help them with various problems. A major problem being that while Sherlock Holmes didn’t exist beyond print, his address was real, although it happened to be belong to a bank.

It fell upon a wily and independent minded young woman, laboring away in a small windowless broom closet, to type out individual responses to each correspondent. How many of us remember using carbon paper?

This was my first exposure to the agile and creative scribblings of Holly Hepburn and I found her writing style to be smooth, immersive, and easy to follow, with issues and scenarios true to the period. I adored her conjured characters and look forward to more of these adventures.

Ex in the City
by Portia MacIntosh

Amazon  / B&N / BB

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

He’s not so much my one that got away, more the one I was lucky to get away from.

My eyebrows, over the years, went on a real journey, and not a nice one like a holiday, a chaotic one, like Lord of the Rings.

I swear it’s darker over there, where they’re sitting, because even the sun finds them a bit much. It’s almost as though they’ve drawn an invisible circle around themselves, creating an impenetrable bubble of hostility and drama.

…he’s matured like a fine wine, whereas I’m maturing more like a cheese.

Jo claps her hands so loudly that one of the older women at the other side of the playground ducks.

My Review:

I enjoy the clever stylings and humorous content in the writing style of this amusing scribe, her characters’ inner musings and colorful observations never fail to keep me smirking throughout perusal. I do love a good second-chance romance and copious servings of wry humor helped to prevent the angst and regrets of their bumpy past from overpowering the tone of this one. The storylines were somewhat slow and taunting initially, which found me a bit restless and annoyed, although Ms. MacItosh redeemed herself with her deft lashings of comedic wit. I remain her devoted acolyte.

About the Author

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Portia MacIntosh is the bestselling author of over 20 romantic comedy novels.

From disastrous dates to destination weddings, Portia’s romcoms are the perfect way to escape from day to day life, visiting sunny beaches in the summer and snowy villages at Christmas time. Whether it’s southern Italy or the Yorkshire coast, Portia’s stories are the holiday you’re craving, conveniently packed in between the pages.

Formerly a journalist, Portia has left the city, swapping the music biz for the moors, to live the (not so) quiet life with her husband and her dog in Yorkshire.

Favorite Quotes:

She and Nicola were the golden twins. They had apparently fought a fierce battle to come out of the womb first and hadn’t stopped since, their ferocious rivalry spurring both of them on to stratospheric heights. Childhood family games of Trivial Pursuit had frequently led to fisticuffs and Twister was banned in the Martin household for fear it would lead to a repeat of The Great Battle of Christmas 1990.

His dark beard was so impressive it deserved its own Instagram account.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped in horror. Not so much a blushing bride as a victim of a zombie apocalypse.

Pen looked as if she had spent last night bathing in Evian while being massaged by angels. Being near her made Clio shrivel by comparison.

Pies devoured, she was grabbing handfuls of cakes now. Pink, white, honey-glazed, she didn’t care. She just kept shoving them in her mouth. Crumbs were flying around her like the confetti… At other tables, people guarded their cakes and their teapots, as if expecting her to attack.

Clio looked a little too enthusiastic for Amber’s liking. The kickboxing instructor had reported back to Amber that Clio scared him and asked whether she had any unresolved issues.

…it felt like they were strangers at a bad party before anyone finds the booze.

My Review:

I’ve had so much fun reading this series that I never want it to end. Katie Marsh has such a delightful wit that I want to immerse myself in her entire listing. Her brilliant and clever arrangements of words were buoyant,  agile, and so keenly honed they kept a smooth reel flowing through my gray matter and often had me chuckling as well as barking aloud with laughter. In addition to the hilarious scenarios the trio fell into and the unfortunate hen party activity choices forced upon them, a well-plotted mystery was afoot that only the Bad Girls could have solved. I adore them all and am eagerly awaiting the next installment.