Book Review: A Summer In Sonoma

Author:  Robyn Carr
Title: A Summer In Sonoma
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: June 29, 2010
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: They've been best friends since seventh grade. But this summer, on the threshold of thirty, four women are going to need each other more than ever.

Cassie has sworn off romance. Yet deep down, she's still looking for Mr. Forever. A long-haired biker doesn't figure into her plans, so where's the harm in touring the back roads of Sonoma on a Harley with Walt Arneson?

Julie married her high school sweetheart—who can get her pregnant with a mere glance—too young and now wonders how her life became all about leaky faucets and checkbook balances. Maybe love isn't enough to sustain the hottest couple in town.

Marty's firefighter husband has forgotten all about romance, and an old flame begins to look mighty tempting.

Beth, a doctor trapped in a body that's betrayed her yet again, is becoming a difficult patient and a secretive friend. Life can change in an instant…or a summer. And having friends to lean on can only up the chances of happily ever after.

Review:  A Summer In Sonoma is a story about the lives of four friends at different places in their lives.  At times I had a love/hate relationship with most of the characters in this book.  All four of them were hard to like at times. I think Beth is the only one that didn't do something that make me think she was a nasty piece of work.

Julie and Marty are both nagging wives at times. Julie got the award for woman who needed to be shaken to have some sense brought into her. She pretty much stayed that way throughout the whole book. I had a hard time liking her from the start because she was really the nagging wife. Granted she had a reason, but she really nagged hard without sharing any information with her husband. And dear lord she was a baby factory, and she liked it that way. Cue more shaking from me.

Let's not get me started on Marty. I absolutely hated her. Nothing she did made me like her any better. Her relationship is on the rocks and rightly so. And then she attempts to have a fling. GAH! I hated her with every fiber of my being. Not that her husband was great. He was thick in the head, but he was trying. She needed a club over the head.

Beth I liked, but she was the one with the most difficult to deal with troubles and she didn't want to share with anyone. I don't know how any one person could face what she did, mostly alone until a friend found out her situation.

Then there's Cassie. The book starts out with her and a big triggering moment. A near rape, but she is saved by a big burly biker. Not the kind of guy she wants to fall for, but she does eventually, because looks can be deceiving.

I think what these characters are the most would be real. The only thing that really puts them in that fantasy fictional realm is that in high school they were all, you guessed it, cheerleaders.

It was an enjoyable and often frustrating read. I'm just glad these ladies aren't in my life

Rating: 3 flowers

Pump Up Your Book Book Tour Review: The Summer Retreat

THE SUMMER RETREAT by Sheila Roberts, Women's Fiction/Romance, 384 pp., $6.47 (paperback) $6.99 (Kindle)

Title: THE SUMMER RETREAT
Author: Sheila Roberts
Publisher: Harlequin/MIRA
Pages: 384
Genre: Women’s Fiction/Romance

Celeste Jones has plans for a perfect summer with her boyfriend (and hopefully soon-to-be fiancé)—until he dumps her to be with the woman he’s had on the side for months. Heartbroken and furious, Celeste resolves to move on. When the going gets tough, the tough…okay, the not-so-tough go to the beach.

As soon as school lets out for the summer, she waves goodbye to her first-graders, packs up her bikini and heads for Moonlight Harbor, where she knows her big sister, Jenna, will receive her with open arms. Jenna could probably use some help at the Driftwood Inn, and Celeste is happy to do chores around the place in exchange for a relaxing summer escape. She just needs something—or someone—to distract her from her troubles.

Finding The One can be tricky, and Jenna is determined to make sure Celeste gets it right this time around. Not that Jenna’s an expert. She’s still trying to sort out her own love life. But if both sisters listen to their hearts, eventually they’re bound to discover that life—and love—is good at the beach.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

______________________

Review: Celeste is getting over a breakup by spending her summer with her sister at Moonlight Harbor.

This is a small town story, filled with loads of unique characters.  I wasn't totally on board with Celeste's "love loser" thing.  She's an older heroine, which I really like. You don't see the ladies in their 30s much in an honest to God romance, but her almost "boy crazy" need to have a man and be married, irked me a little, ok, it irked me a lot.  Her behavior at times didn't really match at 36 year old woman either. If you would have told me she was in the 22-26 age range, than her behavior was more suited. However, even though Celeste was boy crazy and liked to party? and gave up her job as a teacher FOR NO REASON except for a possible proposal, she was really sweet and more than a bit naive.

There was a lot going on in Moonlight Harbor too. There was drama on the town council and drama in the church, especially has Celeste caught the eye of the pastor and anyone can tell, Celeste isn't going to make the perfect pastor's wife at least in the viewpoint the author has set up for us, where ministers aren't allowed to enjoy anything in life and they have to be totally judgmental etc. Seriously, when Paul didn't like Nemo, I didn't like Paul and it made me wonder why Celeste, when she was clearly NOT REALLY IN LOVE with this guy, wanted to stick with him. I mean being a wife shouldn't be someone's life goal, and it was obvious that was Celeste's only goal.

Then there's Henry. I don't think enough time was really spent with him, yet he was the important part of the weird, yet sweet love triangle that Sheila has created in this story. He was fun and funny and more human in his actions that then the other characters.

This is definitely the perfect get ready for summer read for a lazy afternoon. You'll love getting to know all the townspeople as well as Celeste's relationship woes. Its also pure unadulterated fluff.

Rating: 4 flowers

Celeste Jones had kissed so many frogs looking for her prince, she should have turned green and grown warts on her lips. But she’d finally gotten it right in the man department. Emerson Willis was strong and smart. And sexy. Masculine and excitingly alpha. And a spectacular dancer. And sexy. And a cop. Did it get any sexier than that? They’d been together a year, and what a great year it had been. He’d spent so much time at her place, he might as well have moved in, but he felt it wouldn’t look good, with her being a teacher and all. As if first-graders knew anything about the birds and the bees or cared what their teacher did in her off hours. As if anyone cared what anyone did with anyone else these days. It had been sweet of him to think of that, though, and she loved him all the more for it.

Still, why not make what they had official since it was so great? “We’re having a good time,” he was always saying. “Relax and enjoy the ride.”

She could do that. Spring had come, and she was looking ahead to a summer of off-roading, trips to Eastern Washington to visit the wineries, hitting the The Summer Retreat, Sheila Roberts

 

Best-selling author Sheila Roberts has seen her books published in a dozen different languages and made into movies for both the Hallmark and Lifetime channels. She’s happily married with three children and lives in the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not hanging out with girlfriends, speaking to women’s groups or going dancing with her husband she can be found writing about those things near and dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.

Her latest book is the women’s fiction/romance, THE SUMMER RETREAT.

Website Address:  http://www.sheilasplace.com
Twitter Address:  http://www.twitter.com/_Sheila_Roberts
Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/funwithsheila/

TLC Book Tours Book Review: California Girls

About California Girls

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (February 26, 2019)

The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…

Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.

Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.

Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.

But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I love Susan Mallery's books. They are light fluffy reads that make me feel good. I wish this one was as good as some of the others I've read. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, because I absolutely love books about sisters. However there were two characters I just couldn't like, Finola and the mother. OMG, these two women needed slapped upside their heads. Finola was so self absorbed and the mother, all she cared about was getting grandchildren. She didn't seem to really care about any of her daughter's happiness or unhappiness.  I think because my mother was such a wonderful, caring woman, I can't deal with mother figures like this. She absolutely brings out the feminist in me.

All three women are very different and dealing with issues in their life, most of them being the end of a relationship. That's where this book kind of lost me, because I couldn't wrap my head around a whole family of women having their relationships go south at the same time. (Well except for Zennie, her breakup wasn't really an earth shattering one). That said, I loved Zennie and her selflessness, even when having the baby for her friend was becoming burdensome. I wouldn't mind revisiting her life to see how Bernie handles still being friends with her, as their baby grows up. That could be a very interesting story indeed.

I can't pick which sister I most identified with, but I loved Ali, because her breakup just sucked. Plus..well...Daniel was so lovely. I think of all the characters Ali grew more as a person as the story went on. Finola, became more accepting of her responsibility in the breakup of her marriage, but other than that, she wasn't much different. I wanted to hate Nigel for being an ass, in the way he dealt with things, but in some ways, I wanted to see if these two people could make a go of their relationship after a betrayal, though I did appreciate that Finola didn't quite get the romance novel happily ever after.

This was an enjoyable read...definitely one for the beach.

Rating: 4 flowers

About Susan Mallery

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Connect with Susan

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TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Spite Game

THE SPITE GAME

About The Spite Game

Paperback: 336 Pages

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (November 1, 2018)

Everyone does bad things when no one is watching

Mercilessly bullied in high school, Ava knows she needs to put the past behind her and move on, but she can’t—not until she’s exacted precise, catastrophic revenge on the people who hurt her the most.

First, she watches Saanvi. Flawlessly chic and working hard at a top architectural firm, Saanvi has it all together on the surface. But everyone does bad things when they think no one is watching and Ava only wants what’s fair—to destroy Saanvi’s life the way her own was destroyed.

Next, she watches Cass. She’s there as Cass tries on wedding dresses, she’s there when Cass picks out a cake, she’s there when Cass betrays her fiancé. She’s the reason Cass’s entire future comes crashing down.

Finally, Ava watches Mel. Mel was always the ringleader and if anyone has to pay, it’s her. But one tiny slipup and Ava realizes the truth: Mel knows she’s being watched, and she’s ready to play Ava’s games to the bitter end.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review:  The Spite Game is my kind of revenge book. Ava was a girl who wanted to be friends with three girls that she probably shouldn't have wanted to be friends with. They treat her like crap and she lets them, which is beyond me. She also keeps going back for more. Again, I shake my head at that, though there is some sort of spark between her and Mel, the Queen B as I liked to call her, and the B stands for something not so nice.

Its years later and Ava is ready to seek revenge on the "mean girls" from her past. Truth be told as you see her past through flashbacks its hard not to say that these girls deserve it. They are nasty and that's really being kind. All the bad stuff being brought about my Mel.

Ava though, is off her nut, as the case may be. She's just as bad as the mean girls that bullied her and she hurts other people along the way.

The ending was not what I expected at all but it did tie an event from the past with the present in a really neat way. It also left you wondering if she'll do something to her sister at some later point. (I'll keep quiet about what Bea knows, because..well... SPOILERS)

I see this as a sort of new adult thriller, which is unique. I don't find many thrillers with younger characters in the lead parts, and as I said, Ava is in her early twenties.

This book was absolutely fabulous and I mean that in a Patsy and Edwina kind of way. This is one that you won't be able to put down.

Rating: 5 flowers

About Anna Snoekstra

Anna Snoekstra was born in Canberra, Australia to two civil servants. At the age of seventeen she decided to avoid a full time job and a steady wage to move to Melbourne and become a writer. She studied Creative Writing and Cinema at The University of Melbourne, followed by Screenwriting at RMIT University.

After finishing university, Anna wrote for independent films and fringe theatre, and directed music videos. During this time, she worked as a christmas elf, cheesemonger, a waitress, a barista, a nanny, a receptionist, a cinema attendant and a film reviewer.

Connect with Anna

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TLC Book Tours Book Review: Best Friends Forever

Author: Margot Hunt
Title: Best Friends Forever
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: Jan 23, 2018
Book Blurb: Kat Grant and Alice Campbell have a friendship forged in shared confidences and long lunches lubricated by expensive wine. Though they’re very different women—the artsy socialite and the struggling suburbanite—they’re each other’s rocks. But even rocks crumble under pressure. Like when Kat’s financier husband, Howard, plunges to his death from the second-floor balcony of their South Florida mansion.

Howard was a jerk, a drunk, a bully and, police say, a murder victim. The questions begin piling up. Like why Kat has suddenly gone dark: no calls, no texts and no chance her wealthy family will let Alice see her. Why investigators are looking so hard in Alice’s direction. Who stands to get hurt next. And who is the cool liar—the masterful manipulator behind it all.

Review: Best Friends Forever is a fabulous thriller that reads a bit like women's fiction, which makes it a little different from most of the thrillers I've been reading lately.

It really is proof that you never really know someone. Kat and Alice are two friends from very different backgrounds. It is hard to believe that they could even become friends, that's how different they are.  Kat is uber rich, whereas Alice and her family are in that middle class trying to make ends meet arena.

The book is told from Alice's point of view and we see her life in the present as she's questioned about Howard's murder, (He was pushed from the balcony in his home) and we see the evolution of her friendship with Kat.

This friendship is definitely disturbing. Kat is not right in the head. There's a lot of focus on her husband, Howard being an alcoholic however no one talks about the fact that Kat is pretty much a huge lush.

Kat is definitely not a likable character, but as the murder investigation goes on and more things come to light about Alice, you start to feel less sorry for her.

This is definitely an unputdownable (I love this new not real word).

The ending =  mind blown. Definitely an "I did not see that coming moment.'

Even if thrillers aren't your genre of choice, this book will pull you in. The characters are just so well written and intriguing. This book is not to be missed.

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Sisters Like Us

About Sisters Like Us

Paperback: 432 pages

Publisher: MIRA (January 23, 2018)

The grass is always greener on your sister’s side of the fence…

Divorce left Harper Szymanski with a name no one can spell, a house she can’t afford and a teenage daughter who’s pulling away. With her fledgling virtual-assistant business, she’s scrambling to maintain her overbearing mother’s ridiculous Susie Homemaker standards and still pay the bills, thanks to clients like Lucas, the annoying playboy cop who claims he hangs around for Harper’s fresh-baked cookies.

Spending half her life in school hasn’t prepared Dr. Stacey Bloom for her most daunting challenge—motherhood. She didn’t inherit the nurturing gene like Harper and is in deep denial that a baby is coming. Worse, her mother will be horrified to learn that Stacey’s husband plans to be a stay-at-home dad…assuming Stacey can first find the courage to tell Mom she’s already six months pregnant.

Separately they may be a mess, but together Harper and Stacey can survive anything—their indomitable mother, overwhelming maternity stores and ex’s weddings. Sisters Like Us is a delightful look at sisters, mothers and daughters in today’s fast-paced world, told with Susan Mallery’s trademark warmth and humor.

“Fresh and engaging… There’s a generational subtext that mirrors reality and the complexities of adult relationships…filled with promise of a new serial that’s worth following.” -Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“Mallery enthralls [and] thoroughly involves readers in the lives of her characters as they face realistic, believable problems and search for their own happy endings.” -Publishers Weekly

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I think I have a thing for dysfunctional family novels right now. Its hard to get more dysfunctional than the two sisters Harper and Stacey and Harper's daughter Becca. If you toss mom Bunny into the mix, you get one heck of a looney family.

Harper and Stacey are probably the most different sisters I've read about. Harper is maternal, people pleasing and a perfectionist and Stacey is...well, at times she seems like a female version of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.

I had a hard time figuring out how Stacey went 6 months without telling her mother that she was pregnant. Granted, Bunny is not the mother we'd all want. She's definitely not the most likable character, and lord knows I could understand not wanting to tell her, but dang..how can you hide something like that.

I loved how Stacey gained mothering skills while still remaining the same nerdy awkward woman. Her husband, Kit was fabulous, a real "Mr. Mom." Kit's nephew Ashton is a nice addition to the mix and his relationship with Becca helps the two young people grow. Ashton is definitely more mature, but as you learn his background, that makes a lot of sense. He also seems to help Stacey grow into her motherhood. You know she's not going to be a perfect mom, but Ashton brings out her nurturing side.

Becca is Harper's daughter and she's going through everything a teenage girl goes through. OK, maybe not when it comes to inheriting her aunts doberman's and her car. The dogs, are character's unto themselves. I loved them all!

I had the most issues with Harper. She just tried too hard to be perfect. It was hard to deal with her, even though she really did nothing wrong. Well, except be too nice, especially to Bunny who was a piece of work. I really think Bunny needs a book of her own so we can understand her craziness.

Then there's Lucas. I started out loving him, even though he has women issues, but he did two things that ticked me off and by the end of the book I was ready to shake Harper. I didn't care that this was a romance and she was the one that needed a happily ever after. What he did to get Harper and how he messed things up were deal breakers for me. I did like how easily Harper took him back

This is the fourth book in the Mischief Bay series, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Harper and Stacey are quirky...ok, weird, but fun and lovable. I was quickly immersed in their lives and I didn't want to leave Mischief Bay

Rating: 4 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Silent Fountain

About The Silent Fountain

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: MIRA (October 31, 2017)

Hollywood, 1978 

Tragedy sends troubled film star Vivien Lockhart into the arms of Giovanni Moretti—and it seems her fortunes have finally changed. Until she meets his sister and learns that her new husband’s past holds dark secrets…

Tuscany, Present day 

Lucy Whittaker needs to disappear. But her new home, the crumbling Castillo Barbarossa, is far from the secluded paradise it seemed. Strange sounds come from the attic. The owner of the house will never meet her in person.

The fountain in the courtyard is silent—but has never run dry.

Across the decades, Vivien and Lucy find themselves trapped in the idyllic Italian villa. 

And if they are ever to truly escape its walls, they must first unearth its secrets…

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I can't say that I've ever heard of Victoria Fox before I read this book, but after perusing Goodreads, there are several of her previous novels that are going to be added to my TBR pile.

Reading this felt like a cross between Victoria Holt with a hint of the Hollywood master, Jackie Collins. OK, maybe not Jackie Collins, but somewhere close by.

The novel starts out slow and I had to fight to like Lucy at first. She wasn't the easiest character to get into, especially with the hints of what was happening in her life. In fact, for her relationship co-dependency I wanted to smack her really hard more than once.

But when the book took off, boy did it take off.

It is told through two time periods, the last 70's through the 80s and the present. I have to say, Lucy's part of the story didn't really interest me. Her issues and her behavior at the start of the book were hard to get by. It was Vivien's story that grabbed me and kept me turning the pages.

From an abusive childhood, to days of sort of prostitution and finally as a star. Vivien's life is full of everything. Then after a tragic accident she meets Gio.

You can't even begin to describe her relationship with him, especially once she meets his sister. I had ideas about Isabella from the start. I'm glad that the things I thought about her and her brother weren't true, but oh the stuff that sister got up to.

And the ending.

There are no words. As Vivien's story plays out you will cry. I actually screamed at my kindle towards the end. "NO NO NO NO NO!" Because Ms Fox dangled some happiness before our eyes and than she tossed it to the ground and jumped all over it.

Bittersweet.

That was the ending.

Its a fabulous read and definitely one that puts Victoria on my auto buy list

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Reviews: Lilac Lane

About Lilac Lane

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: MIRA (October 17, 2017)

No one writes about friends, family and home better than Sherryl Woods. Told with warmth and humor, Lilac Lane is a brand-new story in her beloved Chesapeake Shores series, one readers all over the world have waited two years to read!

At the heart of Lilac Lane is Keira Malone, who raised her three children alone after her first marriage broke apart, and who, after years of guarding her heart, finally finds love again. But that love is short-lived when her fiancé suffers a fatal heart attack. Grieving and unsure of what’s next, Keira agrees to move from Dublin to Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, to spend time with her daughter, Moira, and her new granddaughter, Kate, as well as to help her son-in-law, Luke, with his Irish pub, O’Briens.

Not wanting to live underfoot, she rents a charming cottage on Lilac Lane, replete with views of the ocean and her neighbor’s thriving garden—not to mention views of the neighbor himself. The neighbor is none other than Bryan Laramie, the brusque and moody chef at the pub, with whom Keira is constantly butting heads. But things get real when Bryan’s long-lost daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a baby, shows up out of the blue. As Bryan and Keira each delve into their pasts, reopening wounds, the rest of the town is gearing up for the Fall Festival Irish Stew cook-off, and making no bones about whose side they’re on. It’s Kitchen Wars meets This is Your Life—a recipe for disaster…or a new take on love?

You won’t want to miss this epic return to Chesapeake Shores, a place we’re betting you’ll want to stay forever.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: There are a handful of authors that you associate with small town fiction, Sherryl Woods is one of them.  This book is a return to Chesapeake Shores. It is book 14 in this series. I've read several of these. This is the perfect time to revisit this town, as the series is now a Hallmark series.

This is a novel of second chances, which you find a lot in the small town novels by authors like Sherryl and Debbie Macomber.

Keira and Bryan are a rather unlikely couple. There romance is one that isn't really a hot and heavy sort of thing, but then again, in books like this, I've always found that romance is usually subdued to the point that it is barely there.  The meddling from Keira's family makes for some fun moments.

I enjoyed getting to know Moira and Luke, who I hadn't read about before. (Again, I've just read random books in this series). 

I liked that the characters aren't the usual twentysomethings that you usually find in romances, or even thirty somethings. These are mature people that have real life issues.  Heck, poor Keira even lost her fiance to a heart attack, which is what prompted the family meddling to get her to come to Chesapeake Shores. 

The O'Neill family does their best to push Keira and Bryan together even though they don't really get along all that well. That alone is a recipe for love. I loved the oil and water nature of their relationship. It wasn't that they didn't get along, it was more that they didn't know how to.

Bryan's story is really the one that makes this book so good, and a lot of that doesn't really get to the reader until the book is more than halfway through, but when it does. Oh goodness, have a few tissues ready.

The twist that Sherryl took with Bryan's first marriage was definitely an interesting one, and one that doesn't allow for much sympathy for Melody. I found I could have none for her and though Ash was a stand up guy, the lie he and Melody perpetrated was truly cruel when you really start to think about it. It is probably the only part of the book that didn't sit well with me. 

I found the book to be a little bit on the long side, but it was still a very welcome addition to this series. I definitely need to go back and fill in some of the gaps in this series, because this was truly a lovely read.

I hope Ms Woods decides to bring Keira's sons to Chesapeake Shores. I would love to see these bad boys turn good.

Rating: 4 flowers

About Sherryl Woods

With her roots firmly planted in the South, Sherryl Woods has written many of her more than 100 books in that distinctive setting, whether in her home state of Virginia, her adopted state, Florida, or her much-adored South Carolina. Sherryl is best known for her ability to creating endearing small town communities and families. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition.

Connect with Sherryl

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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: The Awkward Path To Getting Lucky

About The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: MIRA (July 25, 2017)

In thirty-four days, it will have been exactly two years to the day since I’ve had sex.  

Having sex wasn’t exactly high on Kat Carmichael’s priority list while her successful bakery was taking off, especially since things hadn’t been working very well in that department. And the last time she and her boyfriend, Ryan, even attempted the act, they found it to be physically impossible—resulting in pain and disappointment for Kat instead of sunshine and orgasms.

With just over a month until their four-year anniversary, Kat calls for a break in her relationship with Ryan, encouraging him to see other people while she throws herself into physical therapy. Yet even with the well-intentioned (but wildly inappropriate) attempts at help from her best friends, Kat quickly discovers that a solo mission may not be the best approach.

Fortunately, physical therapist Ben Cleary, the shop’s best (looking) customer, volunteers to help out—strictly as a friend, of course. But as the line between love and friendship begins to blur, Kat stands to lose much more than a functioning set of lady bits if she can’t figure out what to hang on to…and what to let go.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review:  If you are having a bad day. Read this book. If you like to laugh out loud when you read. Read this book. If you are just looking for a really good, fun read. Read this book

This book was so funny. Kat has vaginismus,which is a disease of the hoo ha that I have never heard of until I read this book. I had to look it up to make sure that this was a real thing. Then I immediately started to wonder why an author would want to write a story about a woman with a broken hoo ha, or as Kat comes to call hers, her "Special." (Which got me thinking that it could have been "My precious")

So poor Kat has a vagina that is broken and she hasn't been able to have sex in two years and she really hasn't done anything about it. (I can honestly understand that). She takes a break from her longtime boyfriend to fix herself.

This is where the real hilarity ensues. Getting Kat's "Special" working involves a lot of crazy stuff.

Enter, Ben, a physical therapist who quickly becomes something to Kat, though for awhile no one is sure what.

I don't think I've ever laughed so much during one book.  This book was wonderful and Kat's friendships are really what made this book so good. Everyone should have friends like Liz, Butter and Shannon. They keep things real when things get crazy and/or real, which is quite often.

I highly recommend this book!

Rating: 5 flowers

TLC Book Tours Book Review: Lord of the Privateers

About Lord of the Privateers

• Series: Adventurers Quartet
• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: MIRA (December 27, 2016)

The eldest of the Frobisher brothers and widely known as the lord of the privateers, Royd Frobisher expects to execute the final leg of the rescue mission his brothers have been pursuing. What he does not expect is to be pressured into taking his emotional nemesis, childhood sweetheart, ex-handfasted bride, and current business partner, Isobel Carmichael, with him. But is it Isobel doing the pressuring, or his own restless unfulfilled psyche?

Resolute, determined, and an all but unstoppable force of nature, Isobel has a mission of her own—find her cousin Katherine and bring her safely home. And if, along the way, she can rid herself of the lingering dreams of a life with Royd that still haunt her, well and good.

Neither expects the shock that awaits them as they set sail aboard Royd’s ship, much less the new horizons that open before them as they call into London, then, armed with the necessary orders and all arrangements in place, embark on a full-scale rescue-assault on the mining compound buried in the jungle.

Yet even with the support of his brothers and their ladies and, once rescued, all the ex-captives, Royd and Isobel discover that freeing the captives is only half the battle. In order to identify and convict the backers behind the illicit enterprise—and protect the government from catastrophic destabilization—they must return to the ballrooms of the haut ton, and with the help of a small army of supporters, hunt the villains on their home ground.

But having found each other again, having glimpsed the heaven that could be theirs again, how much are they willing to risk in the name of duty?

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Review: I have been following this series from the the beginning. This is the final book in the Adventurers Quartet. I've enjoyed this series, but all of the books could stand some trimming. This book, like the other three clocks in at over 500 pages. 

I have no problem with chunky books except when they plod along. This has been an ongoing problem in this series. I think if each book were closer to 350 pages, the reads would be more satisfying. I also think if romance played more of a role in the stories, the books would be more enjoyable.

In this book we see Isobel and Royd who were handfasted 8 years prior, but one of Royd's missions caused the relationship to falter. When they meet again, Royd discovers he's a father and instantly wants to resume their relationship. (Not just for the child, he still loves Isobel)

The story is stagnant from this point until they actually start their journey to Africa too the settlement. 

The plus to this book, is that there is much going on with all the characters from the previous books. Its nice that this book brings everyone together.

The best part of this story is when they are in Africa freeing the captives. There's a lot going on and it holds your interest, which is more than can be said for most of the rest of the book.

Stephanie Laurens is very good at writing adventure stories. That's the best part of this series. The romance has been pretty much on the back burner on all the stories in the series. The first book focuses on the married Frobishers, which was very different, but it allowed the story to focus on the adventure, so that was the strongest book in the series.

Isobel and Royd sort of fell back into their relationship comfortably without any conflict, which would have spiced things up. If Duncan would have been more prominent in the story maybe things could have had some spice or some arguements, or anything.

I wanted a spectacular finale for this series, but it sort of fizzled, especially as the ending was so drawn out. I mean really drawn out. The last bit of drama before things wrapped up just went totally against how smart Isobel was throughout the novel.

I really wanted something more out of a series I've been reading for a year.

Rating: 3 flowers

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Book Review: A Buccaneer At Heart

Author: Stephanie Laurens
Title: A Buccaneer at Heart
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: May 1, 2016
Buy: Amazon
Book Blurb: 
After a decade of captaining diplomatic voyages for Frobisher Shipping, alongside covert missions for the Crown, Captain Robert Frobisher decides that establishing a home—with hearth and wife—should be his next challenge. But an unexpected mission intervenes. Although Robert sees himself as a conservative businessman-cum-diplomat and this mission is far from his usual sphere, it nevertheless falls within the scope of his abilities. As matters are urgent, he agrees to depart for West Africa forthwith.

To Robert, his way forward is clear: Get to Freetown, determine the location of a slavers' camp, return to London with the information, and then proceed to find himself a wife.

Already in Freetown, Miss Aileen Hopkins is set on finding her younger brother Will, a naval lieutenant who has mysteriously disappeared. Find Will and rescue him; determined and resolute, Aileen is not about to allow anyone to turn her from her path.

But all too quickly, that path grows dark and dangerous. And then Robert Frobisher appears and attempts to divert her in more ways than one.

Accustomed to managing diplomats and bureaucrats, Robert discovers that manipulating a twenty-seven-year-old spinster lies outside his area of expertise. Prodded by an insistent need to protect Aileen, he realizes that joining forces with her is the surest path to meeting all the challenges before him—completing his mission, keeping her safe, and securing the woman he wants as his wife.

But the villains strike and disrupt their careful plans—leaving Robert and Aileen no choice but to attempt a last throw of the dice to complete his mission and further her brother's rescue.

Compelled to protect those weaker than themselves and bring retribution to a heartless enemy, they plunge into the jungle with only their talents and inner strengths to aid them—and with the courage of their hearts as their guide.

The first voyage is one of exploration, the second one of discovery. The third journey brings maturity, while the fourth is a voyage of second chances. Continue the journey and follow the adventure, the mystery, and the romances to the cataclysmic end.

Review: I read the first book in this series and enjoyed it immensely. This book however did not live up to the standards of the first book.

This book gets billed as a regency romance and it really isn't that at all. Its more like an adventure novel with a touch, and I do mean a touch of romance.

Most of the book is long and drawn out. 500 + pages of plodding adventure story.  Robert and Aileen didn't even meet until the book was about 30% in. That's very frustrating, at least for this reader.

The flow of the story is nice though, and if you didn't read the first book, you can jump in and you'll be given enough back story not to be confused, but really, this book is part of a quartet and they really should be read in order so you get the proper flow.

There's a lot going on in Freetown with missing adults and children. It is Robert's job to find out where the missing people are going. He didn't plan on meeting Aileen who is just as capable of being a help on his mission, as she has an interest in it, her brother is one of the missing.

The two do work well together and there is a spark between them, but not enough of one to make for a satisfying romance. Truth be told, the sex scenes just didn't it for me, because the romance was secondary to the story, in fact, the romance was barely there, so any love scenes just didn't work.

Once Robert and Aileen have the information they needed to take back to London the story really slowed down to a snails pace (and that's being insulting to the snails) Ms. Laurens spent ample time setting up who the next book would be about too which added even more to a story that would have been better if it were about 100 pages shorter.

I also couldn't figure out the title of the book, as it had nothing to do with the story at all. I'm invested in the mystery that is at the center of these stories, so I will read on, but I hope this is the only miss in the series.

Review: 3 flowers