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Book Review: Death by Dark Waters (DCI Satterthwaite Mystery#1) by Jo Allen

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Death by Dark Waters
(DCI Satterthwaite Mystery#1)
by Jo Allen

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA /

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The charred remains of a child are discovered – a child no one seems to have missed…

It’s high summer, and the lakes are in the midst of an unrelenting heatwave. Uncontrollable fell fires are breaking out across the moors faster than they can be extinguished. When firefighters uncover the body of a dead child at the heart of the latest blaze, Detective Chief Inspector Jude Satterthwaite’s arson investigation turns to one of murder.

Jude was born and bred in the Lake District. He knows everyone… and everyone knows him. Except his intriguing new Detective Sergeant, Ashleigh O’Halloran, who is running from a dangerous past and has secrets of her own to hide…

Temperatures – and tension – in the village are rising, and with the body count rising Jude and his team race against the clock to catch the killer before it’s too late…

The first in the gripping, Lake District-set, DCI Jude Satterthwaite series.

 

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quotes:

 

Aware of her inability to leave him be, she nevertheless couldn’t help herself, so that sometimes she thought she spent all her time watching out for him, not so that she could avoid him, but so she could give him grief. Sometimes when she looked at Jude, with his cool determination to stay civil, she realised she didn’t like herself very much, that there was a bitterness within her heart that surfaced only when she was with him. Three years after they’d split, she should have been over it.

 

She preferred someone a little less tempestuous and with a slightly sweeter nature, though experience and the wreckage of her marriage had taught her circumspection. Scott, her estranged husband, was living proof that sweetness and calm didn’t preclude a man being a two-timing bastard.

 

Laurie might, if called upon, prove a match for a baton-wielding thug or two, but it was evident that he had no weapons sufficient to repel a woman in her fifties who didn’t understand the meaning of the word no.

 

Clever, compassionate and mostly silent, his best friend was a bunch of contradictions. A vegetarian, teetotal, chain-smoking gay churchgoer, he was the model of common sense, the man who showed the importance of balance and sometimes, he felt, kept him sane.

 

… still staring out at the tiny garden in the house he’d bought just to be free of all his memories of her. But it didn’t work like that. Memories weren’t something you packed into boxes, unpacked when you were ready, or sorted into piles for keeping or reusing or recycling, or simply throwing away. They clung to you with the tenacity of the devil, and ambushed you when you least expected them to.

 

My Review:

 

Jo Allen’s clever debut was a well-crafted and slow-building tale of abduction, arson, and murder. The narrative was loaded with insightfully keen observations of human nature at both ends of the ethical and moral spectrum, as such, we were privy to the light and dark sides of Ms. Allen’s flawed, oddly compelling, and complex characters. As a new transfer to the team, Detective Sergeant Ashleigh was forced to hit the ground running and she quickly proved herself to be not only up for the task but a major asset, despite her uncanny tendency to annoy her new boss while doing so.   The case was complicated and compounded by difficult personalities on both sides of the law, and I found the characters’ backstories to be as compelling as the current case they were working. I am chomping at the bit to start the next in the series, Death At Eden’s End, which is already locked and loaded on my beloved Kindle.

 

About the Author

Jo Allen was born in Wolverhampton and is a graduate of Edinburgh, Strathclyde and the Open University. After a career in economic consultancy, she took up writing and was first published under the name Jennifer Young in genres of short stories, romance, and romantic suspense. In 2017 she took the plunge and began writing the genre she most likes to read – crime. Now living in Edinburgh, she spends as much time as possible in the English Lakes. In common with all her favorite characters, she loves football (she’s a season ticket holder with her beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers) and cats.

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Book Review: Why She Ran by Geraldine Hogan

Why She Ran
by Geraldine Hogan

Amazon US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / Apple / Kobo / GP

 

‘Rachel. They must have made a mistake. A mother would know?’ She let her words pour into the emptiness of the kitchen. She began to shiver. ‘I can’t feel anything,’ she said softly and rocked back and forth, as if she was a huge child, seeking solace in the simple gesture.

When young, pretty nurse Rachel McDermott is found murdered in the harsh lights of the hospital kitchen where she works, her mother can’t accept the news, and the small Irish town of Corbally reels in disbelief. Rushing to the scene, Detective Iris Locke vows to find the sick killer, whatever it takes.

The last person to see Rachel alive was her close friend, sixteen-year-old Eleanor Marshall, a troubled teenager, estranged from her family. Eleanor was spotted fleeing the kitchen where Rachel’s body was found and becomes the main suspect. Iris has a search party combing the endless woods near the Comeragh mountains where they believe she is hiding. But Iris is consumed with worry for the vulnerable girl and can’t shake a prickly disquiet that Eleanor shouldn’t be a suspect.

Eleanor’s sister agrees but a day later, when she is found dead in the area Eleanor is hiding, things don’t look good for the runaway teen. Iris can’t see Eleanor, who still sleeps with her childhood teddy bear, as someone who would kill her little sister and her best friend, but all the evidence seems to point that way.

Sleep-deprived and desperate to find the truth, Iris takes a closer look into Rachel’s background and discovers that she was keeping strange, shadowy company the night before she died. Convinced that Eleanor is in terrible danger, Iris sets out to find her, in the icy-cold woods, alone. But what if somebody else makes their way through the darkness and reaches Iris and Eleanor first?

This gripping mystery thriller is perfect for fans of Carol Wyer, Robert Dugoni and LJ Ross.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Even the way Pardy pecked her way around her food got right under Iris’s skin. Never trust a woman who doesn’t enjoy her food, or a woman who wants sergeant stripes so badly she’d walk over anyone to get them. Jo Pardy ate like a mouse, rationing it out in tiny bites, a speck here, a crumb there; at times almost bovine-like back chewing went on, and sometimes it was all Iris could do to stop herself force-feeding the girl a half a dozen biscuits at once just to get it over with.

 

He’d only searched for it half-heartedly, after all, where Slattery came from, real men didn’t wear jewellery –apart from the Bishop, but then since he wore robes that resembled an old woman’s dress, he was hardly the most obvious male role model.

 

I think Kit Marshall would sell his granny for a bunch of hydrangeas so he could come up smelling of flowers, that’s all.’

 

The words floated for a second or two in the air between them, like soft bubbles, perfect, honest. They’d never fit back in their box again.

 

Maureen was just sixty, but she was an old-fashioned sixty, with tweed skirts and a fondness for headscarves, knotted into submission between her first and second chin.

 

She’s as mad as a bag of weasels.

  My Review:

 

I was once again in awe not only of her Ms. Hogan’s oddly compelling plot and storylines, but also of her wily character development and captivating storytelling. Her evocative word choices and unique, keenly honed, and striking arrangements of words and ancillary details sparked sharp and smoothly calibrated visuals to scroll through my gray matter. The little pea in my brain must have been smoking and was definitely singed while working through this well-crafted, multi-layered, and complex tale that slowly and slyly unraveled with an unpredictable ending I never saw coming.

 

I admire and covet Ms. Hogan’s word skills and craftiness as much as I adore her oddly enticing, deeply flawed, strong, complicated, peculiarly intriguing and irresistible characters – who were so well developed and vividly described they virtually leapt from the page. I eagerly anticipate delving into more engaging and suspenseful tales from this talented scribe.

About the author

Geraldine Hogan was born in Ireland. She gained an Honors Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree in Training and Management from University College, Galway. She is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author of four contemporary fiction novels under the pen name Faith Hogan.
Silent Night is her first crime novel, her second is due out in December 2019.
She is currently working on her next novel. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children, and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She’s a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker, and reluctant jogger – except of course when it is raining!

 

You can find out more about Geraldine here:
Facebook
Twitter @gerhogan
https://www.instagram.com/faithhoganauthor/

 

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Book Review, Giveaway: In the Heart of Windy Pines by Holly Tierney-Bedord

In the Heart of Windy Pines
by Holly Tierney-Bedord

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA

 

From the author of Kindle Unlimited All-Star winner, Sweet Hollow Women, comes a new novella featuring characters from Murder at Mistletoe Manor, Carnage at the Christmas Party, and The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club!

Klarinda Snow is the innkeeper of Mistletoe Manor in beautiful, remote, Windy Pines, Idaho, where she brings her unique brand of hospitality to the tiny mountain town.

When she finds her inn unexpectedly fully booked on a snowy Tuesday night in November, it brings back memories of a tragedy years before. Before she knows what hit her, she and her trusty team of employees (Myrtle, Pierre, and her new night manager, Josephine), have found themselves back at the task of solving another mystery at Mistletoe Manor!

While this book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novella, if you plan to read the books in the Windy Pines Mystery series or The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club, it’s highly recommended you read those first, as this book contains spoilers that could affect your ability to enjoy them.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Stop. Stop with the dad jokes, he silently begged himself as he trudged up the stairs. Like his heartburn and tension headaches, they’d become another constantly recurring infliction he couldn’t shake.

She’d been blonde and plump, only five feet tall, button-nosed and red-cheeked. The poster child for being underestimated.

She had that comfortably, happily hungover feeling that comes with spending time with someone special. When their presence still seems to be a part of you, even a day later.

And, like many an old man who still thought he was young, he fancied himself to be a bit of a Liam Neeson-type of undercover badass. Even when he was just running out to the hardware store for new weedwacker strings, he liked to act as suspiciously as possible.

My Review:

 

This tale was a continuation of the Windy Pines cozy mystery series, and although I have only read one of the previous installments I had no difficulty following the story. The quirky cast of characters including the Barbershop Reindeer Sweater Oldies Quartet carried over and expanded considerably with a new group of rude and oddly behaving guests to Klarinda Snow’s inn, the Mistletoe Manor, and the site of a murder in the last installment, which couldn’t have been good for her business.   Poor Klarinda, stumbling upon a frozen corpse, yet again.

The storylines were slowly built with sudden bursts of significant activity, secrets, and revelations. Clues and clever sparks of amusing levity were randomly disbursed with a few hidden like Easter eggs. The overall tone of this tale was more leaden than the last, due to the malaise and rather dispiriting personal issues the visitors were experiencing prior to and during their stays. To my great relief, the author wisely provided a quickly devised yet satisfactory ending to conclude the story on an upbeat, as I must have my HEA lest I begin filling the air with a tirade of invectives while stamping my little foot in pique, and surely no one wants to see that. 😉

 

About the Author

Holly Tierney-Bedord lives in Madison, Wisconsin. She’s the author of over twenty books including The Woman America Loves a Latte, The Port Elspeth Jewelry Making Club, and Kindle Unlimited All-Star winner Sweet Hollow Women.
For more information or to subscribe to Holly’s newsletter, visit www.hollytierneybedord.com.

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Book Review: Six Steps to Happiness by Suzie Tullett

 

Six Steps to Happiness 

by Suzie Tullett

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA / B&N

When Ronnie’s husband, Nick, leaves her for their next-door neighbor, Gaye, Ronnie’s life starts to fall apart.

Devastated by the break-up of her marriage, Ronnie is desperate for Nick and Gaye to set up home elsewhere. But Nick and Gaye won’t budge.

To add to her problems, Ronnie’s daughter and mother-in-law decide to stage an intervention. With her family keeping a close eye on her, Ronnie is forced to become more devious in her actions to get rid of Nick and Gaye.

But just how far will she go?

And is moving on ever that easy?

Six Steps to Happiness is a hilarious look at just how far one woman will go to recover from a broken heart and find happiness again.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

That woman does have more neck than a giraffe.

 

“How could you do this to me?” she asked. Staring down at step one, she read the words again: Join a gym… Continuing to stare at the note, Ronnie sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was join the Lycra brigade and start pumping iron.

 

I’d wait until he was so enamoured by my presence, I could tell him I was Vlad the Impaler’s love child and he wouldn’t care.

 

“We’re the three amigos.” “The three musketeers,” Bea said. Ronnie laughed. “More like the three stooges.”

 

She smeared brick number six with cement and squashed her wedding ring into the mixture. “There,” she said, and forcing the whole thing back in place, closed off the last bit of the hole. “Finished.”

  

My Review:

 

This was my first experience with the deft and agile wordsmithing of Suzie Tullett and I am enamored with her crafty scribblings.   Her writing sparkled with deviously clever wit, insightful observations, and humorous descriptions that filled my gray matter with sharp visuals and kept a near-constant smirk on my face.   I adored Ronnie despite her flaws and enjoyed her journey as she schemed and wreaked her vengeance, found her footing, and forged a new identity separate from her ex-husband. For a previous homebody – and to my gleeful amusement – Ronnie seemed destined for one hapless and extremely embarrassing misadventure after another following the shocking betrayal by her worm of a husband.   I enjoyed her evolution and was rooting for her all the way.

Suzie Tullett is an author of contemporary humorous fiction and romantic comedy. She has a Masters Degree in Television & Radio Scriptwriting and worked as a scriptwriter before becoming a full-time novelist. Her motto is ‘live, laugh, love’ and when she’s not busy creating her own literary masterpieces, she usually has her head in someone else’s.

Suzie lives in a tiny hamlet in the middle of the French countryside, along with her husband and two Greek rescue dogs.

 

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Book Review: The Girl Who Came Home to Cornwall (Tremarnock Book 5) by Emma Burstall

The Girl Who Came Home to Cornwall

(Tremarnock Book 5)

by Emma Burstall

Amazon US / UK / AU  /   B&N / Kobo / Google Play / iBooks

Escape to the Cornish coast with a new heartwarming Tremarnock novel, perfect for fans of Jill Mansell and Philippa Ashley.

In the quaint Cornish village of Tremarnock, Chabela Penhallow arrives for a holiday and to discover more about her Cornish ancestors. But, as always with newcomers to the small seaside town, rumours start to fly about this beautiful stranger. Is there more to her than meets the eye?

Meanwhile, Rob and Liz Hart’s marriage is on the rocks, but only one of them knows the real reason. Once the secret is out, will they be able to handle the repercussions or will it destroy their life together?

For the residents of Tremarnock, the revelations will either bond or break them – forever.

‘A charming, warm-hearted read … Pure escapism’ ALICE PETERSON.

‘The literary equivalent of a gin and tonic on a hot summer’s day … A delicious, delightful and decadent tale’ BOOKISH JOTTINGS.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

His plate was balanced on his lap and when she caught his eye, he looked away quickly, lifted his scone with both hands and nervously nibbled the edge, like a squirrel with a nut.

 

Chabela herself was woefully untidy. Her main filing system consisted of a large folder emblazoned with the words ‘VERY IMPORTANT STUFF’.

 

‘The buggers saw me coming and prepared to attack, I know they did.’ Just as he spoke, another bird, high above, let out a squawk and a gooey splat landed on the toe of his boot, followed by a second, a few feet from Liz’s shoe. ‘Right, that’s it!’ Robert was incandescent. ‘This is war!’

 

Señorita Penhallow, You’re more to me than life itself. I would do anything for you – climb mountains, fight sharks, even sit on cactuses.

 

My Review:

 

Ms. Burnstall provided me with thoughtful entertainment by creating an amusing and interesting village full of unique inhabitants, with a few tipping well over into the category of eccentric. Her latest tale was a pleasant escape and much-needed diversion to help me endure the torturous and disheartening monotony of Jury Duty. I much preferred spending my time with her odd collection of individuals while they squabbled, gossiped, celebrated, and rubbed along with difficulties and issues that were not uncommon yet vexing none the less.   The storylines were slowly developed yet easy to follow and held my attention while they spanned the globe from Cornwall to Mexico and back again. And while the emotional tone was not always breezy, clever observations, amusing descriptions, and comical situations were scattered throughout.   I particularly enjoyed the levity provided by the ongoing battle of the birds.

 

Most of all, I adored the sweet heart of the not so simple Simon and was intrigued by his quirks, twitches, and peculiar traits.   Simon’s wardrobe seemed to be coordinated with the color of mulch and his rigid routines and very brown nature seemed to be the antithesis of the lovely and lively Chabela, the new visitor from Mexico whose presence seemed to be curiously shaking up the village.   Culture clashes, bigotry, and stereotyping led to unfortunate misunderstandings but luckily the character of Chabela was more tolerant and forgiving of their pettiness than I would have been. Given the large slate of village characters, I am curious to explore the previous books in this series.

About the Author

Emma Burstall was a newspaper journalist in Devon and Cornwall before becoming a full-time author. Tremarnock, the first novel in her series set in a delightful Cornish village, was published in 2015 and became a top-10 bestseller.

Follow Emma:

Twitter: @EmmaBurstall

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Website: emmaburstall.com

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Book Review: THE GLITTERING HOUR by Iona Grey

THE GLITTERING HOUR

by Iona Grey

 

An unforgettable historical about true love found and lost and the secrets we keep from one another from an award-winning author

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her.

Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina’s orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what’s safe over what’s right.

Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey’s The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Blackwood Park was full of ghosts. Its empty corridors echoed with the whispers of lost voices and snatches of old laughter. It was a house where the past felt more vivid than the present, which was nothing more than a stretch of endless days fading into uniform blankness.

 

… there was a bowl of paperwhite daffodils on the table by her armchair. Their delicate perfume was fresh in a room that smelled of stopped clocks and old paper.

 

I resented the rules and restrictions and the rigidness … The hypocrisy and control… Their favourite punishment was to withhold food, and I resented being sent to bed hungry while downstairs seven courses were being served in the dining room and people were only picking at each of them. And the more resentful I was the naughtier I became and the more I was punished… I spent my childhood feeling permanently ravenous.

 

Don’t you be shy about ringing the bell or going down to find her if it doesn’t appear –she’s got a head like a sieve, that one. Not that I imagine she’ll have much time for daydreaming today. Miss Lovelock’s had her up and down like a fiddler’s elbow already this morning, fetching tea and toast and hot water cans and whatnot.

 

‘Someone once told me that a woman’s body is like a piano. It’s up to the man whether he chooses to pick out a nursery rhyme with one finger, or learn how to play a symphony. I suppose that was the first movement’… ‘I’m terribly ignorant about culture,’ she whispered. ‘Remind me – how many movements are there in a symphony?’

 

Secrets and half-truths seemed to swirl through the corridors on icy currents of air.

 

 My Review:

 

This was a feast of a book. The Glittering Hour was thoughtfully written and cunningly insightful as well as shrewdly observant. It was a slowly evolving and highly emotive story that was skillfully crafted and elegantly told, and I absorbed it as if it were being injected straight into my gray matter while vivid imagery flickered behind my eyes. There were four-hundred-eighty beautifully written pages and I read them ever so slowly as I wanted to savor each perfectly chosen word, even though the storylines turned me inside out, stung my eyes, pinched my heart, and put hot rocks in my throat. Iona Grey is found treasure and a new addition at the very top of my list of favorite authors.

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads

IONA GREY is the author of the award-winning Letters to the Lost. She has a degree in English Literature and Language from Manchester University, an obsession with history and an enduring fascination with the lives of women in the twentieth century. She lives in rural Cheshire with her husband and three daughters.

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Book Review: Burn (Men of Inked – Heatwave #2) by Chelle Bliss

Burn (Men of Inked: Heatwave #2) 

by USA Today bestselling author

Chelle Bliss

 

AVAILABLE NOW!

✦Amazon: smarturl.it/burn-amzn

✦Apple Books: smarturl.it/burn-apple

🎧Audio:
📘Paperback:
✦Barnes & Noble: menofinked.com/burn-ppr-bn
📕Hardcover:
✦Barnes & Noble: menofinked.com/burn-hard-bn

Genre: Contemporary Romance 
#Burn #MenofInked #ChelleBliss #ReleaseBlitz #BlogTour
#BareNakedWords

 

Blurb
 

She thought she’d never fall in love, but then he rode into her world covered in ink and wrapped in chaos.
He never expected his past to follow him into his future, but nothing stays hidden for long.


Burn is book two in the Men of Inked: Heatwave series by Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss. The Men of Inked: Heatwave series features steamy romance, hot heroes, and strong women.
 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“I ain’t dying, fool. I’m like Iron Man. The bullets bounce off.” Bear pounds on his chest, trying to prove his manhood.

 

Bear winces as his eyes soak me in. “He looks like hell,” he argues. James glares at Bear, slapping him in the chest with the back of his hand… Bear shrugs. “Wasn’t joking. Look at him.” He throws out his arm toward me. “If hell had a look, it would be that.”

 

She shrugs, giving me a smile. “My life is so boring. Like, if white paint had a life, the shade would be Tamara.”

 

 My Review:

 

This volume was action-packed and filled to the brim with smirk-worthy sizzle and sass, licentious humor, volatile family issues, life-threatening peril, bad-boy biker attraction, brassy levity, and only a small bit of slightly over the top melodrama.   Sigh, I loves me some Chelle Bliss.

 

Heatwave Series Page: menofinked.com/heatwave
Flame – Book 1: menofinked.com/burn
Burn – Book 2: menofinked.com/flame
Wildfire – Book 3: menofinked.com/wildfire
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Meet The Author

USA Today bestselling author Chelle Bliss currently lives in a small town near the Gulf of Mexico. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, and coffee fiend. She’s written over ten books and has two series available. She loves spending her free time with her boyfriend, 2 cats, and her hamster.

Before becoming a writer, Chelle taught high school history for over ten years. She holds a master’s degree in Instructional Technology and a bachelor’s in History. Although history is her first love, writing has become her dream job and she can’t imagine doing anything else.
WEBSITE – FACEBOOK – NEWSLETTER – TWITTER – INSTAGRAM

 

 

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Book Review: Eve’s Christmas by Julie Butterfield

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Eve’s Christmas

by Julie Butterfield

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

Working for a department store where Christmas arrives in August, Eve prefers her own festivities to be low key with nothing more complicated than an oven-ready turkey and frozen peas while she spends the day in her pajamas. Unfortunately, this year her husband has invited his best friend to visit, the glamorous and sophisticated Abby, and Eve reluctantly decides that she needs to inject a little sparkle into their laid back and slightly shabby Christmas. So the celebrations are upgraded to include champagne and canapes along with homemade gravy and organic turkey and plans are made for a Christmas that looks as though it has emerged from the pages of a glossy magazine.

But even the best-laid plans can go wrong and as Eve struggles with her mini Yorkshire puddings and an interfering cat, she is suddenly faced with an unexpected guest and an explosive secret that threatens to put her vision of a perfect Christmas in jeopardy.

 

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

‘She is nice. Most of the time. But that’s not the point!’ Eve wailed. ‘I’ve worked so hard planning for this Christmas and she’s turned up like Mary Poppins with a bag full of magic!’

 

Eve was actually superfluous to requirements, which strangely was how she often felt in the company of Abby.

 

… the masses of beautiful deep green and red berry foliage on her kitchen windowsill had been pushed aside by an indignant cat who liked to sit there to clean his whiskers. Looking at her watch, Eve decided that keeping on top of her beautifully decorated home was becoming a full-time task and she was already starting to slip behind her schedule…

 

There was still a slightly strange smell in the kitchen, a combination of hot chocolate, cat vomit, and the oven sending out wafts of warm air. Eve decided she would ignore it. Hopefully, the delicious smell of her buffet would soon overcome the current slightly rancid smell.

 

I suggest you make it clear to him my darling. And sort your head out… Slap him, don’t feed him for a week but for goodness sake Eve, forgive him…

  

My Review:

 

I gleefully snorted and even barked aloud a few times as I read this delightfully amusing corker of a tale. This is the fourth Julie Butterfield book I have picked up and each one has been unfailingly engaging, crisply written, and laced with clever wit as well as colorful insights that call forth vivid imagery.   I wore a smile the majority of the time I spent with the besieged, beleaguered, and slightly demented Eve; although I will confess, she behaved much better than I would have in her shoes

About the Author

Amazon
Goodreads
Website

Julie Butterfield belongs to the rather large group of ‘always wanted to write’ authors who finally found the time to sit down and put pen to paper – or rather fingers to keyboard.
She wrote her first book purely for pleasure and was very surprised to discover that so many people enjoyed the story and wanted more, so she decided to carry on writing.
It has to be pointed out that her first novel, ‘Did I Mention I Won The Lottery’ is a complete work of fiction and she did not, in fact, receive millions in her bank account and forget to mention it to her husband – even though he still asks her every day if she has anything to tell him!

 

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Book Review: A Coldwater Christmas (Coldwater Texas #4) by Delores Fossen 

A Coldwater Christmas

(Coldwater Texas #4)

by Delores Fossen 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA /

 B&N / GP / Apple 

Sometimes a little Christmas magic can rekindle the most unexpected romances…

Sheriff Kace Laramie and his brothers found long-awaited happiness when they moved to Coldwater, Texas, as foster children. But the feel-good story has one bittersweet twist—his brief marriage to local rich girl Jana Parker. When that blew up, Kace vowed never to marry again and has kept Jana mostly off his mind…until she comes back to town, needing his help.

Recently divorced for a second time, Jana just wants to create a good life for her young daughter—and keep her mother from marrying Kace’s gold-digging father. Asking him for help may be wrong given their history. But as the stakes—and their chemistry—make the Christmas season sizzle, Jana knows how much more wrong it would be to let a love this magical slip away again…

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

“Kace, the baby whisperer,” Nico joked. Kace gave him a look that could have frozen hell.

 

… a nurse came moseying into the room. Kace knew her, of course, and he groaned softly. It was Annabelle Mason. She was eighty if she was a day and as slow as a sloth unless it came to gossip.

 

In addition to bad art, her mom also had a penchant for experimental furniture. There was the tiger print couch, complete with roaring tiger heads for sofa arms. Odd-shaped yellow-and-green leather accent chairs that looked like blobs of melting butter or the remnants of a bad cold.

 

He was like a big ice-cream sundae to a dieting woman. Delicious and very much wanted.

 

Her mom was in a Peter-and-her-against-the-world kind of mindset that didn’t allow for the possibility that she was marrying an anus wart.

 

She wouldn’t have gotten that answer right even with a multiple choice.

 

My Review:

 

I have barely scratched the surface on this prolific wordsmith’s body of work, but I have vastly enjoyed every Dolores Fossen book I have ever picked up.   Her engaging small-town stories are laced with quirky homespun levity, feature likable and relatable characters, and are easy to fall into and a snap to follow.   Each time I have read one of her books, I have experienced a strong craving to stop and read her entire listing. A Coldwater Christmas was one of her best and a second-chance, adult contemporary, small-town romance that was as highly amusing as it was actively paced. I smirked and giggle-snorted at the delightfully comical visuals her clever words effortlessly called to mind. Ms. Fossen has a lifer fangirl in me – unless she switches genres and starts writing about zombies.

Excerpt

 

“Someone put a stink bomb in Peter’s car,” Jana explained. Best to get into the bargaining/wake-up she needed to do. She gave her mother a chance to let that sink in, but Eileen only gave her a blank look. “The stink bomb went off and caused the accident.”

That erased the blankness, and Eileen’s eyes widened as much as her nearly frozen face would allow. She moved her phone, no doubt to call Peter again, but Jana took hold of her hand to stop her.

“Someone obviously doesn’t like Peter,” Jana went on. “In fact, someone might hate him so much that they want to do him harm.”

Eileen frantically shook her head. Then, she huffed. “Are you trying again to make me think badly about him?”

Jana couldn’t exactly deny that. “You texted me and said you were having second thoughts about marrying him,” she reminded Eileen.

“Second thoughts about having the wedding here.” Eileen huffed again. “I considered maybe having the ceremony in the church instead.”

So, not the right second thoughts. That meant Jana had to spell this out for her mother. “Someone wants to harm Peter,” she repeated.

“Do you mean one of his former girlfriends, the ones you keep telling me about?”

Jana had indeed told her mother about Peter’s previous relationships, including one with an exotic dancer and with Kace’s mother. Ditto for telling Eileen about his failed business ventures and spelling out in the nth detail about him running out on his family. None of that had put a damper on Eileen’s feelings, but maybe this would.

“If someone’s trying to harm him,” Jana went on, “then you could be hurt, too. You could become this person’s target. That’s why I’m asking you to put the wedding on hold until we can figure out what’s going on with him.”

Eileen stared at her a very long moment, and then when she huffed, Jana made a huff of her own. Her mother definitely wasn’t buying this.

“Honestly, Jana, when will you give up this witch hunt about Peter?” Eileen asked, and she managed a frown.

“When I’m convinced that he’s the good and decent man you believe he is. He abandoned his family,” Jana pointed out for the umpteenth time.

Another long stare from her mother. “That’s really what this is about. Kace and his brothers. But specifically Kace. I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think you still had feelings for your first ex-husband.”

Jana hadn’t missed the condemning tone that went with first and ex. Eileen abhorred divorce as much as she did wrinkles and gray hairs. But Jana had to admit—privately—that she still got a punch of lust whenever she was around Kace. That definitely didn’t happen with ex number two, Dominick. However, that probably had something to do with the hurt and betrayal still being so fresh with him.

At least Jana hoped that’s all there was to it. 

While she was hoping, she added that she wished the images of a naked Kace would quit popping up like a jack-in-the-box into her head. Images of them kissing, too. And yes, of them in bed.

About Delores Fossen

USA Today bestselling author, Delores Fossen, has sold over 70 novels with millions of copies of her books in print worldwide. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the prestigious Rita ®. In addition, she’s had nearly a hundred short stories and articles published in national magazines.

Connect with Delores

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Book Review, Giveaway: The Slayings in Sydenham (The London Murder Mysteries Book 7) by Alice Castle

The Slayings in Sydenham

(The London Murder Mysteries Book 7)

by Alice Castle

 

Amazon US / UK / AU / CA 

 

A dangerous move…

Single mum and super sleuth, Beth Haldane, has been set her most daunting task yet by handsome cop boyfriend Inspector Harry York. He wants her to find them a new home – outside Dulwich! Beth can hardly bear the idea, so when a young estate agent turns up dead, she diverts her energies to nailing the killer instead.

As it turns out, more or less everyone in Dulwich who has ever moved house may have a motive. But do some of the richest residents have an even stronger reason to murder the agent than others? What on earth is up with Dr Grover, head of prestigious private school, Wyatt’s? Does Beth’s uber-mummy nemesis, Belinda MacKenzie, have more reason than usual to be swaggering about the village? And who is sending Beth sinister text messages?

Join Beth for her seventh thrilling adventure amid the mean streets of south London, in The Slayings in Sydenham!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

The girl now flicked her eyes very slightly up and down Beth’s own random assembly of clothes and readjusted her smile. A series of noughts seemed to be vanishing off her estimation of Beth’s net worth.

 

The telly that the three-piece suite had no doubt been grouped around was conspicuous by its absence, leaving the chairs looking like a group of worshippers in search of a deity.

 

Harry says I’m like a cadaver dog. Honestly, if I never see another dead body as long as I live, that would suit me just fine.

 

…his funds had to stretch, like cheap prosecco at a second wedding.

 

It was no good stressing discretion to Nina. If she hadn’t currently worked in the estate agents, her dream job would have been town crier, complete with a medieval-style tabard and handbell as she went around announcing items of juicy gossip to all and sundry.

 

My Review:

 

Alice Castle’s clever levity and diabolically witty observations had me smirking and snorting while delving into the latest misadventures of my favorite tiny pixie booted snoop. Beth Haldane is one of my all-time favorite characters. Beth is deliciously flawed, which makes her all the more appealing to me as she is a somewhat lazy and cheapskate busybody who is militantly stubborn and highly prone to daydreaming, equivocation, and procrastination.

 

I covet Ms. Castle’s clever wordplay and her vocabulary is to be greatly admired, unlike her character of Nina who had me hooting with gleeful delight at her malaprops and misuages, not that I have ever been known to make such grievous errors myself ~ snort. The storylines were well-crafted with a writing style that was as engaging as it was highly amusing and bestowed yet another new word for my Brit Words and Phrases List with wittered on – which means to jabber. Much like my reviewing style…

About the Author

Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European hit and sold out in two weeks.

Death in Dulwich was published in September 2017 and has been a number one best-seller in the UK, US, France, Spain and Germany. A sequel, The Girl in the Gallery was published in December 2017 to critical acclaim and also hit the number one spot. Calamity in Camberwell, the third book in the London Murder Mystery series, was published in August 2018, with Homicide in Herne Hill following in October 2018. Revenge on the Rye came out in December 2018. The Body in Belair Park will be published on 25th June 2019. Alice is currently working on the seventh London Murder Mystery adventure, The Slayings in Sydenham. Once again, it will feature Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.

Alice is also a mummy blogger and book reviewer via her website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliceMCastle

Links to buy books: http://www.MyBook.to/GirlintheGallery http://www.myBook.to/1DeathinDulwich,

http://myBook.to/CiC

http://myBook.to/homicideinhernehill

http://myBook.to/revengeontherye

http://myBook.to/BodyinBelair

Death in Dulwich is now also out as an audiobook: https://www.audible.com/pd/B07N1VNMLT/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-140657&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_140657_rh_us

Alice lives in south London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.

 

Giveaway

Win a signed copy of The Slayings in Sydenham

(Open to UK and US Only)

*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 dispatch or delivery of the prize.

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