Book Review: The Jackal

Author: J. R. Ward

Title: The Jackal

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publish Date: August 18, 2020

Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

The location of the glymera’s notorious prison camp was lost after the raids. When a freak accident provides Nyx clues to where her sister may still be doing time, she becomes determined to find the secret subterranean labyrinth. Embarking on a journey under the earth, she learns a terrible truth—and meets a male who changes everything forever.

The Jackal has been in the camp for so long he cannot recall anything of the freedom he once knew. Trapped by circumstances out of his control, he helps Nyx because he cannot help himself. After she discovers what happened to her sister, getting her back out becomes a deadly mission for them both.

United by a passion they can’t deny, they work together on an escape plan for Nyx—even though their destiny is to be forever apart. And as the Black Dagger Brotherhood is called upon for help, and Rhage discovers he has a half-brother who’s falsely imprisoned, a devious warden plots the deaths of them all…even the Brothers.

Review: To say I struggled with this book would be an understatement. I have heard about the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for ages and I thought reading the first book in a spin off series would give me an idea of whether or not to go and read the rest.

I probably won't.

For me this was more violent than I usually like. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not all about hearts and flowers where vampires are concerned but this was just not my cup of tea, so to speak.

I could totally see this being done for tv and I think this story might even, dare I say it, work better there, than on print. The characters, Nyx and Jack really needed something more to bring them to life for me. I never felt truly invested in either of them.

Nyx goes off, half cocked to find her sister who was imprisoned for murder. Jack is imprisoned for something he didn't do. The backstory on Jack is by far the most interesting part of the book for me than anything about Nyx.

The time spent in the prison looking for Janelle felt like forever when it was only a few days. That made the instant love between the two main characters feel outrageous, but they are vampires, so anything is possible, right?

There definitely were a few interesting plot twists involving Janelle and also involving Jack, which felt sort of contrived for me, because as the story was going on, something had to happen or it would just keep plodding along with no direction. I wish the twist would have given more oomph to the story, but it only gave a small "wow" before it fizzled.

I was hoping for something great with this book, but it really was a mediocre read for me.

Rating: 3 flowers

Book Review: The Secrets of Love Story Bridge

Author: Phaedra Patrick
Title: The Secrets Of Love Story Bridge
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: April 28, 2020
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: A single father gets an unexpected second chance at love in the heartwarming new novel from the author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

It’s summer in the city and passions are soaring along with the temperature—for everyone but Mitchell Fisher, who hates all things romance. He relishes his job cutting off the padlocks that couples fasten to the famous “love story” bridge. Only his young daughter, Poppy, knows that behind his prickly veneer, Mitchell still grieves the loss of her mother.

Then one hot day, everything changes when Mitchell courageously rescues a woman who falls from the bridge into the river. He’s surprised to feel an unexpected connection to her, but she disappears before he can ask her name. Desperate to find out her identity, Mitchell is shocked to learn she’s been missing for almost a year. He teams up with her spirited sister, Liza, on a quest to find her again. However, she’s left only one clue behind—a message on the padlock she hung on the bridge.

Brimming with Phaedra Patrick’s signature charm and a sparkling cast of characters, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge follows one man’s journey to unlock his heart and discover new beginnings in the unlikeliest places.

Review:  When I started this book, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it much, considering the main character is a single dad and a rather curmudgeonly one, at that. Even when Mitchell saves the life of the young woman on the bridge, his personality didn't improve much.

However when his daughter's music teacher happens to be the woman's sister, he really gets wrapped up in trying to find out more of the mysterious woman in yellow, also known as Yvette.

This is where the story starts taking off, because the somewhat cynical Mitchell, who was overworked and very regimented starts to get his world shaken up by Liza and her family. The quest to find out where Yvette is, changes his life in so many ways, and its really easy to see that these changes are for the better. Mitchell becomes more human and more open to romance.

When I first started this book, I thought this book was going to be a romance novel or something a little bit in the hearts and flowers vein, but it was more than that. It was the mystery of Yvette and the secrets that she kept. It was the bridge with all the locks and their message of love. It was the letters, written to Mitchell sharing their stories.

I loved seeing Mitchell change as the book progresses. I loved learning about his relationship with his partner Anita, who was killed in an accident several years before.

The real star of this book is Poppy, his daughter. It really is a great thing when a child is a real character in a book and not just a plot device to move things along in the story. Poppy is just wonderfully refreshing and a bright child. Yes, she helped move the story along but she helped her dad grow as a person and maybe she even helped him see his feelings were growing when it came to Liza.

This was really a delightful read.


Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Who Slays The Wicked

Author: C. S. Harris
Title:  Who Slays The Wicked
Publish Date: April 9. 2019
Publisher: Berkley
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: The death of a fiendish nobleman strikes close to home as Sebastian St. Cyr is tasked with finding the killer to save his young cousin from persecution in this riveting new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Why Kill the Innocent....

When the handsome but dissolute young gentleman Lord Ashworth is found brutally murdered, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is called in by Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy to help catch the killer. Just seven months before, Sebastian had suspected Ashworth of aiding one of his longtime friends and companions in the kidnapping and murder of a string of vulnerable street children. But Sebastian was never able to prove Ashworth's complicity. Nor was he able to prevent his troubled, headstrong young niece Stephanie from entering into a disastrous marriage with the dangerous nobleman.

Stephanie has survived the difficult birth of twin sons. But Sebastian soon discovers that her marriage has quickly degenerated into a sham. Ashworth abandoned his pregnant bride at his father's Park Street mansion and has continued living an essentially bachelor existence. And mounting evidence--ranging from a small bloody handprint to a woman's silk stocking--suggests that Ashworth's killer was a woman. Sebastian is tasked with unraveling the shocking nest of secrets surrounding Ashworth's life to keep Stephanie from being punished for his death.

Review: This is the first Sebastian St. Cyr mystery that I've read, and I have to say I'm totally impressed by it. Its the 14th book in, and I will say because of continuity, it might be best to read the series in order. There was a lot of things referenced from past books here, but it didn't detract from the main mystery at hand. It did make me want to go back and read the series from the beginning.

This is a wonderful historical mystery series, set during Regency times. The attention to detail to superb and the characters are really well fleshed out. Sebastian is a really strong character and so is his wife, Hero. I would have loved to have had more time with her in this story.

Sebastian is investigating the murder of a young Lord, who happens to be married to Sebastian's niece. This is where things get tricky. Basically Ashworth is the type of man, that everyone wanted to kill. He's nasty, perverted and just an all around scum sucking pig. The more you learn about him, the more you might think everyone got together to hack him apart, because he deserved it.

You also learn that everyone has something to hide. (well except for me and my monkey..pardon the Beatles pun) Sebastian isn't quite sure what his niece is lying about, but he knows she's lying, and he also isn't sure that she isn't involved in some way with the murder of her husband.

This novel takes you to the darkest places in London, learning about the rag and bone men as well as well as erm..poop shovelers, all of which have a part in the story, along with the Grand Duchess of Russia and her companions.

The mystery was very well crafted and it was truly one of the few books I've read where I really couldn't figure out who might have killed Ashworth. Of course, there were so many, and all of them had good reason to want to kill him too.

If you are a fan of historical novels and mysteries, this is series you have to immerse yourself in!

Rating: 5 flowers

ARC Book Review: Christmas Once Again

Author: Jina Bacarr
Title: Christmas Once Again
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publish Date: Oct 10, 2019
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: All she wants for Christmas is to save the man she loves… On a cold December day in 1955, Kate Arden got on a train to go home for Christmas. This is the story of what happened when she got off that train. In 1943. In 1943 Kate Arden was engaged to the man she loved, Jeffrey Rushbrooke. She was devastated and heartbroken when he was called up for wartime duty and later killed on a secret mission in France. But what if Kate could change that? What if she could warn him and save his life before Christmas? Or will fate have a bigger surprise in store for her? Christmas Once Again is a sweeping, heartbreakingly romantic novel - it's one woman's chance to follow a different path and mend her broken heart...



Review: Christmas Once Again is my first holiday romance of 2019, but it isn't my first book by Jina Bacarr. I know her more for the erotic romances for the Spice line, so I wasn't sure what to expect with a novel dealing with time travel and WWII.

What I got was a very pleasant surprise and one that definitely made me feel all tingly inside. Its the story of Kate who lost the man she loved during the war. A letter received 12 years later and a trip home send her back in time, where she does her best to save him and maybe even fix a few mistakes she made back then.

I instantly connected to Kate who was a strong woman that made her way in the world after losing her love. The time travel in the story was perfect. Kate's journey into her past was done so well. I loved watching her reconnect with her family and the way she tried to change things other than whether Jeff lived or died. I think everyone wishes that they did some things differently in their life, and Kate got to do than.

Jina wove a really beautiful story, complete with a baddy, aka a future evil mother in law. I really wonder what Kate's life is going to turn out like once Mrs. Rushbrooke is family? Cos that lady was pretty nasty.

The holiday setting is more a backdrop and a setup for the story, but it makes for a beautiful way of reconnecting, which is what the holiday is about.

If you like time travel novels and WWII this a fabulous book you won't want to miss

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Unbroken Cowboy

Author: Maisey Yates
Title: Unbroken Cowboy
Publisher: HQN
Publish Date: April 23, 2019
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: In Gold Valley, Oregon, forbidden love just might be the sweetest…

Dane Parker traded in his trailer-park roots for glory as a bull rider. But when a serious injury sidelines him for months, it’s the first time he can’t just pull himself up by his bootstraps. The last thing he wants to deal with is sweet family friend Bea treating him like one of her wounded animals—or the unexpected attraction that suddenly flares between them.

Beatrix Leighton has loved Dane for years, while he’s always seen her as another sister. When she enlists his help to start her animal sanctuary, she thinks it will give him purpose. Instead, it brings all the desire she feels for him to the boiling point. Bea’s father taught her early on that love means loss. But could her forbidden crush turn into a love that will last a lifetime?

Review:  I have mixed feelings about this book. For the most part, even with the sex between Beatrix and Dane that doesn't happen until halfway through the book, this is a sweet read. Bea is adorable, until she has sex with Dane.

Allow me to explain. She's a poor little rich girl with a lot of issues because of family stuff. (To say anymore would be a spoiler) She's crushed on Dane and is a 24 year old virgin as a result.

REALLY! WTF!

This is a trope I'm getting sick of.

Pine....pine...pine over one guy...never knowing or getting involved with anyone...because that one crush has just spoiled you for the whole world.

Uh...NO!

I can deal with the virginity thing if this were a Christian based novel..but nope..not that.

And Dane is a rodeo rider who got pretty messed up..and Bea is taking care of him because he's quasi- family. Her brother was married to his sister.....

Is your head spinning yet?

Dane has spent his life working to be something and to make something to prove that he's important to his dad, who he hasn't seen since he was 13.

There's a lot of Daddy issues in this book, did I mention that?

Dane is also pretty grumpy, but his situation warrants it really. He's in pain and he's fighting with himself over what he can actually do now that his career may be over.

But the two get together and things should be happy happy joy joy. Right?

No that's not how romance works..there must be conflict.

Only the conflict made me want to beat Bea with a stick or a crowbar or drop an anvil on her head.

These two characters both had a pity party theme about them that drove me a little bit nuts at times.  Bea was sweet though, and I loved that she was a caring animal lover. I adored Evan, the panty thieving, Cheerio eating raccoon. Even Dane, grumpy though he was, wasn't as bad boy as he might seem.

It was a good enough read, but definitely not something that stood out for me.

Rating: 3 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Silver Shoes

About The Silver Shoes

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: She Writes Press (June 19, 2018)

In her second novel, Jill G. Hall, author of The Black Velvet Coat, brings readers another dual tale of two dynamic women from two very different eras searching for fulfillment.

San Francisco artist Anne McFarland has been distracted by a cross-country romance with sexy Sergio and has veered from her creative path. While visiting him in New York, she buys a pair of rhinestone shoes in an antique shop that spark her imagination and lead her on a quest to learn more about the shoes’ original owner.

Almost ninety years earlier, Clair Deveraux, a sheltered 1929 New York debutante, tries to reside within the bounds of polite society and please her father. But when she meets Winnie, a carefree Macy’s shop girl, Clair is lured into the steamy side of Manhattan--a place filled with speakeasies, flappers, and the beat of “that devil music”--and her true desires explode wide open. Secrets and lies heap up until her father loses everything in the stock market crash and Clair becomes entangled in the burlesque world in an effort to save her family and herself.

Ultimately, both Anne and Clair--two very different women living in very different eras--attain true fulfillment . . . with some help from their silver shoes.

Praise

“The crash of 1929, speakeasies and musical reviews, artistic challenges, family secrets, secret desires, romantic complications?these are just a few of the ingredients in Jill G. Hall’s wonderful new novel, The Silver Shoes. Clair and Anne are two compelling characters born decades apart into drastically different circumstances. Each must face her own dilemmas and neither has an easy solution.” —Judy Reeves, author of Wild Women, Wild Voices

“What a delight! Hall captivates and pulls the reader in; the story is as sparkling and fun as the silver shoes that connect the two women together--pure entertainment!” —Michelle Cox, Author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series

"You’ll be cheering for both of these heroines as they insist on finding their own way as artists, no matter what the men in their lives want them to be. Hall's descriptions of Anne's visual art, inspired by the silver shoes, are delicious." —Janice Steinberg, art journalist and author of The Tin Horse

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Review:  I was totally taken in by the blurb for this book, because I love Beatriz Williams and this looked like it could be a similar style of book, and in a way it was.

Jill G. Hall writes a very fast paced novel from both sides of the story, both the present and the past. I just wish she would have done a little more research in some of the little details. The Big Bang Theory was referenced and Sheldon became Sherman...and Claire's father in 1929 bought A T & T stock. There was no A T & T until Ma Bell was split up in the 1980's. For me these were some big errors and it was hard to get past them.

Like most of the stories that are written in dueling time periods, I found myself more drawn to the past. Clair was definitely the more likable of the two heroines. She was also easier to relate to, even though I'm hardly a wealthy deb.

She was very spunky and really managed to break away from her controlling father. He was more than a bit much, and it was hard to believe that she didn't try to run away from him to start her own life.

Claire had the more interesting story, especially as the reader is allowed to see what happened to her mother and later with the despicable Farley.

I also loved Winnie and the other girls/women Clair met at the speakeasy and later burlesque house. They really made the story.  The early scenes with Winnie were really great. She was really a fun good time girl. I also got a hankering for nonpareil candies back when Clair visited her at Macy's

Anne is a woman of thirty, but her actions put me in mind of a much younger and definitely less mature woman and from the very minute we were introduced to her boyfriend Sergio, I didn't like him. He was too snotty for me. No matter what he did, even though he wasn't a bad guy, I just couldn't like him.

Its a pair of silver shoes that tie both of the stories together and the contents of the box they came in.

This was an enjoyable read and I definitely will read more by Jill Hall.

Rating: 4 flowers

About the Author

Jill G. Hall is the author of The Black Velvet Coat, an International Book Award Finalist for Best New Fiction. Her poems have appeared in a variety of publications, including A Year in Ink, The Avocet, and Wild Women, Wild Voices. On her blog, Crealivity, she shares personal musings about the art of practicing a creative lifestyle. She is a seasoned presenter at seminars, readings, and community events. In addition to writing, Hall practices yoga, tap dances, and enjoys spending time in nature. Learn more at www.jillghall.com, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Goddess Fish Promotions: You Never Forget Your First Earl

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ella will be awarding a signed copy of the book (International Giveaway) to 5 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

With her three good friends all recently married, Elizabeth Turley is ready for some husband-hunting of her own. One gentleman in particular sparks her interest. Geoffrey, Earl of Harrington is tall, handsome, and dashing. He’s also just a bit too sure of himself. But Elizabeth has observed enough about the rules of attraction to pique the earl’s attention. Yet once she has it, the discovery of a troubling secret taints her future happiness . . .

Lord Harrington must marry or lose a prestigious position in Brussels, and pretty, well-connected Elizabeth fits his needs admirably. But could it be that he has underestimated his bride? She doesn’t bat an eye in the face of the danger they encounter overseas. She’s strong-willed, intelligent, and more enticing each day—yet also more indifferent to him. Now Geoffrey faces his greatest challenge: to woo and win his own wife, or risk losing her for good . . .

Read an Excerpt:

“It would not be only you pretending you might be interested in me,” Lord Littleton explained. “I would be seen to be interested in you as well.”

This still seemed unnecessary. Either Lord Harrington would want her for herself or not. She did not like to engage in deceptions. “To what purpose?”

“My dear lady.” Lord Littleton possessed himself of her hands, his gaze capturing hers.

Good Lord, the man was dangerous. She sent a prayer of thanks to the deity that she was not affected by him. “Do you do that on purpose?”

He shook his head and stared at her. “Do what?”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at him. “Look into a woman’s eyes as if she were the only lady on earth you wished to be with.”

“Ah, no,” he said a little sheepishly. “It just happens. I can’t seem to stop myself.”

“It’s like this, Lizzy”—her brother cut in—“any gentleman who’s interested in a lady don’t wish to see another man making up to her.” He gave his friend a disgusted look. “Littleton agreed to help, but you can see how dangerous it is for him to be in Town. He truly can’t help himself from flirting, and he’ll soon find himself in a bumble-bath if he remains too long. He’s not ready for a leg-shackle yet, but he’d be bound to raise some lady’s expectations and that won’t do.”

“That’s it exactly.” Lord Littleton must have realized he was still holding Elizabeth’s hands and released them. “But that’s not the only reason Turley and I thought I’d be the best one. You see, Harrington and I never got on well together. That will give him the extra incentive to court you properly.”

“And,” Gavin added, “Littleton is so full of juice that he is just as eligible as Harrington. Other than the title that is.”

Her brother and Lord Littleton focused their gazes on her, and she glanced from one man to the other. “I understand.” Or she thought she did. Men were such strange creatures. She wondered why Lord Harrington did not like Lord Littleton. He seemed amiable enough. “Very well, then. How do we begin?”

Review: Ella Quinn has got me back into reading regency romances again. This was the genre that I fell in love with when I first started reading adult romances when I was in junior high...ok..I was younger than that.

Her books have great characters.

Elizabeth is a strong heroine but she wants a love match. Geoffery is trying to find a perfect diplomats wife. Geoffery isn't exactly the most likable hero. He's ambitious and is more career oriented than looking for love. He's a little bit dim sometimes too. That's what makes the book fun! OK, Geoff is more than just dim, he's the kind of guy you want to shake some sense into. I wanted to do that so many times in this book.

You'll remember Geoffery from her last book, The Marquis and I. If you haven't read that book, you are definitely missing out. I liked revisited the other characters from The Worthington series. Charlotte, who was Geoff's first choice of a bride is Elizabeth's best friend.

Elizabeth is such a sweet character. Like most ladies, she is looking for a love match, and between her friends and family and Geoff's family they work to get him to fall in love with her, and it seems like it is working, until shortly after the wedding.

This is really when you want to shake Geoff.

As they travel to Brussels, she takes control and becomes a "qualified" wife of a diplomat. It is in being such a good wife that she was hurt.

Ms. Quinn, it is not fair to make me cry like that over a character. I had to keep reminding myself that this is romance and that nothing would happen to Elizabeth, but it still made me tear up.

The ending was perfect.

I look forward to the next book in the series.

Rating: 5 flowers

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a Portuguese Water Dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement.

Website: http://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor

Blog: http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Forget-Your-First-Worthingtons/dp/1420145185/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/you-never-forget-your-first-earl-ella-quinn/1127062571?ean=9781420145182#/

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Kappy King & the Puppy Kaper

Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery) by Amy Lillard

Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery) 

Cozy Mystery 1st in Series 

Setting - Pennsylvania 

Zebra (December 26, 2017) An Imprint of Kensington Books Paperback: 352 pages 

ISBN-13: 978-1420142976 

E-Book ASIN: B06XZQTCQH

Content to be unmarried and plain-spoken, Kathryn “Kappy” King is an odd-woman-out in the Amish community of Blue Sky, Pennsylvania. But she’s skilled at making the special kapps local women need to cover their hair. And she might be the only one who can unearth the danger hiding in this peaceful valley . . .

When Kappy's neighbor, Ruth Peachey, turns up dead in her yard, everyone in Blue Sky believes it’s a tragic accident. Until the Englisch police find the gentle dog breeder was deliberately struck down—and arrest her mentally-challenged son, Jimmy, for the crime . . .

Jimmy’s sister, Edie, returns to Blue Sky clear his name, yet no one will speak to a shunned former Amish woman, much less give her information. Determined to help, Kappy starts digging for the truth among her seemingly-innocent neighbors. But suddenly a series of suspicious “accidents” threatens Edie and the Peachey farm—property Edie is determined to protect for her brother’s future.

Now, as danger looms large in the small community, Kappy must bait a trap for a killer snapping hard at her heels. And Edie must decide whether to make a home once more in the town she thought she’d left behind . . .

Review: I'm a sucker for Amish books and an Amish cozy mystery is probably one of the best things for me.

This book brought me so much joy! It was truly fun and quite different. I've read Amish mysteries before, but never a cozy mystery.

Kappy is a spinster, who makes the "caps" that Amish ladies wear. She's a little bit odd, but she's very lovable

When her neighbor is found murdered and her handicapped son is arrested, Kappy steps in helping out Ruth's daughter Edie find the killer. Edie is under the Bann for leaving the Amish community after being baptized. I'm pretty sure this friendship goes against much of the Amish belief when it came to "shunning" but I loved Kappy and Edie because they were so different. Edie is a bit naive for a woman who has been living away from the Amish for 10 years.

This book was the perfect cozy, full of fun and funny characters that you will fall in love with. Its fast paced and well, once you start reading you won't want to put the book done. I know I didn't.

The way Edie and Kappy went about hunting Ruth's killer was a bit madcap, but it made things more fun.

There weren't many people with a reason to want someone like Ruth dead, so as they checked off suspects things got really interesting. I really wasn't expecting  the killer to be who it was.

I look forward to reading more books about Kappy and Edie, and I kind of hope Edie returns to the fold.

Rating: 5 flowers

Amy Lillard is the award-winning author of more than twenty novels, including the Wells Landing series, The Quilting Circle novels, the Sugarcreek Amish Mysteries and the Kappy King Mysteries. Born and raised in Mississippi, she now lives with her husband and son in Oklahoma. Please visit her online at www.AmyWritesRomance.com.

Author Links:

• amywritesromance.com
• Facebook: @AmyLillard918
• Twitter: @AmyWritesRomance
• Goodreads

Purchase Links

• Barnes & Noble / http://bit.ly/2z4jdep
• Hudson Booksellers / http://bit.ly/2zKFaMJ
• Amazon / http://amzn.to/2msMglR
• Books-A-Million / http://bit.ly/2ihSO23
• IndieBound / http://bit.ly/2A1lW8y
• Walmart / http://bit.ly/2iXr1n8

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Thief's Mark

Author: Carla Neggers
Title: Thief's Mark
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: Aug 29, 2017
Book Blurb: A murder in a quiet English village, long-buried secrets and a man's search for answers about his traumatic past entangle FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan in the latest edge-of-your-seat Sharpe & Donovan novel

As a young boy, Oliver York witnessed the murder of his wealthy parents in their London apartment. The killers kidnapped him and held him in an isolated Scottish ruin, but he escaped, thwarting their plans for ransom. Now, after thirty years on the run, one of the two men Oliver identified as his tormentors may have surfaced.

Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan are enjoying the final day of their Irish honeymoon when a break-in at the home of Emma's grandfather, private art detective Wendell Sharpe, points to Oliver. The Sharpes have a complicated relationship with the likable, reclusive Englishman, an expert in Celtic mythology and international art thief who taunted Wendell for years. Emma and Colin postpone meetings in London with their elite FBI team and head straight to Oliver. But when they arrive at York's country home, a man is dead and Oliver has vanished.

As the danger mounts, new questions arise about Oliver's account of his boyhood trauma. Do Emma and Colin dare trust him? With the trail leading beyond Oliver's small village to Ireland, Scotland and their own turf in the US, the stakes are high, and Emma and Colin must unravel the decades-old tangle of secrets and lies before a killer strikes again.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I have a tendency to job head first into a series, with whatever book I find first. This was not a 100% of a good idea with this series, as the lives of most of the characters are pretty complicated. However it didn't take me long to get into the story, which I loved, even though the pacing was very slow.

I loved the setting and more than that I loved Emma and Colin. I like stories with established relationships. The book opens as Emma and Colin are finishing up their honeymoon. Even better, as the story goes along, I learned Emma was once a nun! I really have to go back and read the earlier books, just to learn how she came to marry Colin.  This is the seventh installment of the Sharpe and Donovan series.

There are so many characters in this intricate mystery, that involves a thirty year old murder and a child, who was kidnapped and is now a grown man, turned art thief, turned MI5 informant. Oliver reminds me a bit of Neal Caffery from White Collar. He's a criminal but he's lovable. You can definitely understand why Henrietta has feelings she's trying to hide from him.

Most of the action takes place in the last quarter of the book. Its a slow buildup, kind of like a children's toy that you wind up and then let it loose. Once the action starts, it doesn't stop and the end results definitely aren't what you are likely expecting.

I liked the complexity of the secondary characters that really felt more like main characters; Martin, Ruthie, Henrietta, and Finian to name but a few and of course the dog, Alfred, named after Batman's butler.

The setting is fabulous. I really hope to get the other books so that this series will pull together for me.

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: A Mother Like Mine

About A Mother Like Mine

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Berkley (August 8, 2017)

Welcome to England’s beautiful Lake District, where a reluctant reunion forges a new bond between a daughter and her wayward mother….

Abby Rhodes is just starting to get her life on track. After her fiancé’s unexpected death, she returned with her young son to the small village where she grew up and threw herself into helping her ailing grandmother run the town’s beach café. Then one evening, her mother, Laura, shows up in Hartley-by-the-Sea and announces her plan to stay. After twenty years away, she now wants to focus on the future—and has no intention, it seems, of revisiting the painful past.

Laura Rhodes has made a lot of mistakes, and many of them concern her daughter. But as Abby gets little glimpses into her mother’s life, she begins to realize there are depths to Laura she never knew. Slowly, Abby and Laura start making tentative steps toward each other, only to have life become even more complicated when an unexpected tragedy arises. Together, the two women will discover truths both sad and surprising that draw them closer to a new understanding of what it means to truly forgive someone you love.

“With lush coastal imagery and well-drawn characters, Hewitt immerses the reader in the deeply personal struggles and triumphs of Rachel and Claire. At turns introspective and exhilarating, this novel proves that it’s never too late to start over.”—Booklist

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Review:  If you are a fan of emotional reads, A Mother Like Mine should be at the top of your list. I read this book in one day! Yes, you read that right, one day. That seldom happens for me. I was so taken in by the characters that I could not put this book down for very long.

Its the story of a Mother and her daughter, who have been separated for years. Laura, the mum, has not been a mother to Abby, who is now a mom of 5 year old Noah.

So there's family drama.

Then there's Gran, Mary. She's not your typical Gran figure either. She's not well and Laura's return gives her hope that everyone can reconcile.

This was such a wonderful story of two women who were really nothing to each other except that they are mother and daughter.

I liked how they slowly built a new relationship, though not one that is too sweet and gooey that it is unbelievable, but one that is comfortable and loving, and most of that grew from Laura coming to love and care for her grandson. (And Laura the type of woman that would make a good gran)

These women go through so much in this story, loss and rehashing of the past, all while trying to build a life of her own.

Abby and Laura are two very different women and at times you loved them and other times you hated them, but no matter how you felt, you were cheering for them.

I didn't realize when I started this book that it was part of a series. There is no need to start from the beginning these are stand alone novels. You don't want to miss this book. It is truly a wonderful novel of family and second chances. I hope to revisit Abby and Laura's lives in a future book.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Kate Hewitt

Kate Hewitt is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books, including the Hartley-by-the-Sea novels Rainy Day Sisters and Now and Then Friends, and more recently, the Willoughby Close series. A former New Yorker, she now lives in Wales with her husband five children. She also writes as Katharine Swartz.

Connect with Kate

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Great Escapes Book Tours Book Review: Bad To The Bone

 

Linda O Johnson
Bad To The Bone
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series Midnight Ink 
(May 8, 2017)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0738746289
E-Book ASIN: B01M0SXJTR

Synopsis

Veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly, owner of the Barkery & Biscuits bakery for dogs, is reluctant to sell her recipes to pet food manufacturer VimPets. Jack Loroco, a VimPets representative, assures Carrie that it would be a great opportunity to grow her business. His promising new relationship with Carrie’s friend, Billi Matlock, doesn’t hurt his cause. But the budding romance takes a bad turn when Wanda Addler, another VimPets employee, sets her sights on Jack. After threatening to ruin Jack’s career if he doesn’t give her what she wants, Wanda is found dead. Jack and Billi are put at the top of the suspect list, and Carrie is doggone determined to rescue them from a life behind bars.

 

Review:  Just looking at the title you have to know that this is a doggie cozy series. I'm a sucker for animal-centric series. This is book 3 in the series. I haven't read the first two, but that didn't cause me any problems. I will admit that reading this book made me want to go ahead and read the first books, because of the relationships that had developed already and the ones that formed and changed prior to the events in the book, especially the Jack and Carrie and then Jack and Billi thing.

I really liked Carrie she was a fun character and when a book is told from the first person, that character has to be fun. She is a typical cozy mystery heroine, but she's also one that cares about her job. (If you read cozies like I do, you know that a lot of these characters drop everything to solve the murder, that's not quite the case here). Carrie loves her bakery and barkery and her work at the vet clinic where her boyfriend Reed works as a vet.

The other thing that really feels different to me with this book, is how focused on the relationships Linda is. You quickly see how close Carrie is with Reed, even though they technically aren't totally committed, but there's a lot of dinner dates and some sex, though that is alluded to rather than shown, so anyone with delicate sensibilities won't be offended.

Another thing that I found unusual was the real lack of sleuthing that went on. The book was close to half over when Carrie started to look into Wanda's death. (Let me just say, Wanda is the character that most deserves to be offed in any cozy I've ever read) There was a lot of push for her to keep her nose out of things, which is expected, but the way the story was going it was pretty easy to believe that Carrie, might not investigate on her own

I liked that she wanted to find the killer because both suspects were friends, though she didn't rule them out.

I did want more from the mystery though, especially since there were so many people that had good reason to dislike the victim, including possibly a person from VimPets that Wanda, may or may not have been involved with, in her quest to get to the top. Speaking of VimPets, I really hope down the line, Carrie decides not to sell that company a recipe from her shop, I didn't get a good vibe from any of the execs we met in the story.

When the ending came around I was really surprised at who killed her, and a little bit let down. There were signs that something wasn't right with this character, but nothing that made you think, wow, they have a good reason to kill Wanda.

This was a cute mystery that will pass an afternoon easily.

About The Author –

Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year.   Since then, Linda, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published more short stories, novellas, and 38 romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery Series, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne.  She additionally writes the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink.  Her latest cozy mystery series, the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries are also from Midnight Ink.

  Author Links: Webpage:  www.LindaOJohnston.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaOJohnston Purchase Links: Amazon  B&N 
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TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Illusionists Apprentice

About The Illusionist’s Apprentice

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 7, 2017)

Prepare to be amazed by THE ILLUSIONIST’S APPRENTICE. Wren Lockhart, the talented magician at the heart of Kristy Cambron’s spellbinding tale of Jazz Age Boston, is the fierce, brilliant, guarded headliner you’ve been waiting for. This novel will have your pulse pounding and your mind racing to keep up with reversals, betrayals and surprises from the first page to the last. Like her characters, Cambron works magic so compelling and persuasive, she deserves a standing ovation. –Greer Macallister, bestselling author of THE MAGICIAN’S LIE and GIRL IN DISGUISE. 

Harry Houdini’s one-time apprentice holds fantastic secrets about the greatest illusionist in the world. But someone wants to claim them . . . or silence her before she can reveal them on her own.

Boston, 1926. Jenny “Wren” Lockhart is a bold eccentric—even for a female vaudevillian. As notorious for her inherited wealth and gentleman’s dress as she is for her unsavory upbringing in the back halls of a vaudeville theater, Wren lives in a world that challenges all manner of conventions.

In the months following Houdini’s death, Wren is drawn into a web of mystery surrounding a spiritualist by the name of Horace Stapleton, a man defamed by Houdini’s ardent debunking of fraudulent mystics in the years leading up to his death. But in a public illusion that goes terribly wrong, one man is dead and another stands charged with his murder. Though he’s known as one of her teacher’s greatest critics, Wren must decide to become the one thing she never wanted to be: Stapleton’s defender.

Forced to team up with the newly formed FBI, Wren races against time and an unknown enemy, all to prove the innocence of a hated man. In a world of illusion, of the vaudeville halls that showcase the flamboyant and the strange, Wren’s carefully constructed world threatens to collapse around her. Layered with mystery, illusion, and the artistry of the Jazz Age’s bygone vaudeville era, The Illusionist’s Apprentice is a journey through love and loss and the underpinnings of faith on each life’s stage.

‘Cambron takes readers on an amazing journey into the world of vaudeville illusionists during the Roaring Twenties. This novel includes an intriguing mystery that adds adventure and suspense to the intricately detailed historical drama . . . The romance is wonderfully portrayed as well, rounding out the story with tenderness.’ (RT Book Reviews – 4 1/2 stars TOP PICK)

“Cambron’s lithe prose pulls together past and present and her attention to historical detail grounds the narrative to the last breathtaking moments.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Purchase Links

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Review: Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. This story was wonderful and the cover is just stunning. I'm a sucker for good covers.

What I found interesting about this book was that it gives the impression of being a mystery, and it is, but it really is the story of Wren and Elliot and how they fall in love. Its not an obvious love story either, it builds slowly as things progress and there is more danger, as they search for answers into how a man was supposedly raised from the dead and died seconds later.

Wren gets dragged into the FBI investigation and Elliot gets drawn into the vaudeville world. As we learn more about the case we also get Wren's backstory, as her real identity comes into play and is part of the reason Elliot needed her help. Wren was Harry Houdini's assistant before his death, and she helped him prove that people like Horace Stapleton were frauds.

It's Stapleton that has tried to bring a man back from the dead and that man is who gets Wren pulled in.

The best part of this novel are the bits of Wren's life before she came to New York. You get a glimpse at how she became the quirky performer that she is. Its through these parts of the that you finally piece together what was going on, and how she was connected to this.

My heart broke for Wren many times in this story. She lost so much and had so much responsibility

This was such a beautifully written book. Kristy's writing reminds me a bit of Rhys Bowen, especially her Molly Murphy series.

This is a must read for historical fiction lovers.

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Sinful Scottish Laird

About Sinful Scottish Laird

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books (February 28, 2017)

A young widow puts her sexy suitors to the test in New York Times bestselling author Julia London’s scintillating return to the idyllic Scottish Highlands. 

Widowed and forced to remarry in three years’ time or forfeit her son’s inheritance, Daisy Bristol, Lady Chatwick, has plenty of suitors vying for her hand…and her fortune. But a letter from a long-lost love sends Daisy and her young son to her Scottish Highland estate to buy time for his return. Along the way she encounters the powerful Cailean Mackenzie, laird of Arrandale and a notorious smuggler, and she is utterly—though unwillingly—bewitched.

Cailean has no use for any Sassenach in his glen. But Daisy’s brazen, flirtatious nature and alluring beauty intrigue him. When her first love appears unexpectedly at her estate, Cailean knows that a passionate woman like Daisy cannot marry this man. And to prevent the union, Cailean must put his own life at risk to win her heart.

Purchase Links

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Review: Finally a historical romance that has romance in it. I should have known that Julia London wouldn't disappoint.

Cailean and Daisy are a fabulous duo. He had a bad relationship with an English woman and Daisy is a widow, whose husband left a will that states that she had to marry within three years of his death or forfeit her son's inheritance.

That was the main reason I wanted to read this book. What husband is going to tell his wife to remarry STAT after his death or else their would be nothing for their child? I wish there would have been some explanation as to why Chadwick would have cut off his heir, if his wife didn't remarry. That was the only thing that struck me as odd.

Before I go into the review, I have to say that early on in the book there were two things that appealed to my tv geek. When Daisy was asking Belinda about Cailean's allure..I went all "Miranda" geeky, as Stevie, who was Miranda's bff was always going on about allure.

Then there was a mention of "Your Auntie Grizelda."  That's one of the silliest songs by The Monkees.

I can't believe how much I liked this book. It is everything I like in a historical romance. Granted, it suffers from the one issue I have with most books in this genre these days. Its a little too long. I'm a lover of the regency romance that was only about 200 pages long. (I grew up on these). Even the standard historical novels weren't as long. They got their point across, they had hot sex and the HEA.

I was oddly surprised that Cailean and Daisy didn't really have sex until the book was nearly half through. The chemistry between these two was amazing, even as Cailean fought against it. I also loved how he really took to Daisy's son Ellis. It was so easy to see that these two belonged together no matter what.

From the get go, I knew that there was something not right with Robert, Daisy's love from before her marriage. I wish he wouldn't have turned out to be such a fink, from the time he appeared in Scotland, I knew he wasn't all she was hoping he would be.

But I'm not complaining, because this book was such fun.  If you like historical romance, don't miss this book!

Rating: 5 flowers