Monthly Archives: July 2021

Love Next Door (Lakeside 1) by Helena Hunting-Review Tour

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Love Next Door (Lakeside 1) by Helena Hunting-Review & Excerpt Tour

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 27, 2021.

When Dillion Stitch left her hometown, she had no intention of going back. But when her brother gets into trouble, Dillion reluctantly agrees to return home to take her place at the family business.

Being back in Pearl Lake after all these years feels familiar, but also brings a few surprises. She’s quick to notice that someone new has shown up at the cottage next door. Dillion gets more than an eyeful when she goes to check out the newcomer and meets Donovan “Van” Firestone—her beloved neighbor’s grandson—in all his unclothed glory.

Having gotten off to a rocky start, it’s not long before they begin bickering with each other all over town. All that back and forth inevitably sparks an undeniable attraction. But Dillion’s family has issues, Van’s family resents him, and neither Dillion nor Van feels truly at ease in the small town. For these Pearl Lake exiles, home isn’t just where the heart is—it’s where things get complicated.

••••••••

REVIEW:LOVE NEXT DOOR is the first instalment in Helena Hunting’s contemporary, adult LAKESIDE erotic, romance series focusing on the people of Pearl Lake. This is Chicago businessman Donovan ‘Van’ Firestone, and twenty-eight year old, business administrator Dillion Stitch’s story line.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Dillion and Van) LOVE NEXT DOOR focuses on the building romance and relationship between Chicago businessman and foundation administrator Donovan ‘Van’ Firestone, and twenty-eight year old, business administrator Dillion Stitch. In the wake of Grammy Bee’s death, Donovan Firestone returns to the small lakeside town of Pearl Lake, where he takes some time to consider everything and more but a tornado called Dillion Stitch is about to turn his well ordered life upside down, as she is the executor of his grandmother’s estate, and the woman with whom he is falling in love but not all is well back home in Chicago, and the backlash is about to come crashing down. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Van and Dillion, and the potential fallout pushes Dillion out of Van’s life, as his life continues to spiral out of control.

Dillion Stitch left Pearl Lake, never to return, but life in the big city wasn’t all it was promised to be. Her brother’s accident, and the family business struggling to make ends meet, Dillion takes over the office, steering everything in the right direction but rumors about Donovan Firestone begin to eat away at our story line heroine rumors that are about to gain momentum with a phone call from back home. Donovan Firestone inherited the bulk of his grandmother’s estate, and with it a potential firestorm of problems including one-Dillion Stitch but nothing was as it appeared to be for beneath the surface continuous surprises were about to shake up their world.

The relationship between Donovan and Dillion begins acrimoniously as both verbally attack the other for reasons unknown. Neither one recognizes the other from years before but Dillion believes Donovan is up to no good, and Donovan only wants time to himself in an effort to forget about life back home. A summer storm finds our couple taking refuge in a hunting cabin where secrets are revealed, and they both reconsider their future, together. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Donovan’s brother Bradley, and their sister Teagan; Dillion’s friends Tawny and Allie, brother Bradley, mother Marilyn, and their father; and electrician/plumber Aaron Saunders-there may be something developing between Teagan and Aaron.

LOVE NEXT DOOR is a story of family, friendships, relationship and love; a story of jealousy and betrayal, secrets and lies. The premise is engaging, entertaining and engrossing;the romance is spicy and seductive; the characters are sassy, feisty and spirited although it did take some time to get over my dislike for our story line heroine.

 

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

I turn on the flashlight and trudge through the brush and past the campfire, which incidentally has been left unattended. It’s down to a smolder, but Van has left out hot dog sticks and a bag of buns.
I keep going, toward Bee’s front porch and the blinding spotlight. Standing in front of the cottage is Van. Shirtless. Sweaty and shirtless. The bright light shines directly on him, accenting the dips and ridges, the smooth planes of muscle.
Van is ripped. Probably because he spends a lot of time at the gym, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. He lifts his ball cap from his head and runs a hand through his deliciously sweaty dark hair before he flips his cap around and replaces it, backward this time.
I roll my eyes at myself. What the hell is wrong with me? Deliciously sweaty. “Hey!” I bark.
He startles and the hammer in his hand goes flying, but he was on the back swing, so it heads in my direction. I sidestep it, and it manages to miss me by about six inches. He spins around, eyes wide as they land on me. “What the fuck?”
“Do you realize what time it is?”
“Do you realize that you scared the living shit out of me and I could’ve hurt you, or myself?” He motions to the hammer lying on the ground next to me.
“Wouldn’t that have been a pity,” I snap.
“What the hell is your damn problem?”
“You.” I point a finger at him. “You are the problem. It’s after ten. There’s a bylaw in place around here that stipulates all construction takes place between the hours of seven a.m. and nine p.m. from June to August, and you’re violating that. And for what? It’s not like whatever you’re doing is going to matter when your damn plan is to parcel out the property!” I’m yelling now, and heaving. And my nipples are peaking under the white tank I wore to bed. I hug myself to hide them.
“This is the second time you’ve said that. What the hell are you talking about?”
“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” I flail for a second and then cross my arms again. “You called me about it. Bee wasn’t gone a couple of weeks, and you were already asking about acreage and subdividing. It doesn’t take a genius to know what your plans are!”
“I don’t even know what you mean by subdividing, and I never called you.”
“Yes, you did!” He’s just so infuriating.
“No. I didn’t. Believe me, I’d remember dealing with someone as hostile as you.”
“I am not hostile.”
“Really?” Van props a fist on his hip. His narrow hip.
I follow the movement, which leads my eyes to his waist, that enticing V of muscle dragging my gaze down farther. Of course, because my brain is a jerk, the image of him naked pops back into my brain.
As if he’s reading my mind, his brow arches. “You’re picturing me naked right now. Aren’t you?”
“What? No!” My eyes snap back up to his.
“Yeah. You are.” His lip curls, somewhere between a smirk and sneer, his tone needling. “You were staring at my crotch, probably thinking about the last time you visually molested my junk. Is that why you stopped by? To check me out again? This whole fake phone call thing is an excuse for you to come back over here and get a look at the goods again.” He runs a hand down his chest.
“You’re an egotistical asshole. I realize that this might be some kind of fun holiday for you, and that you’re probably sleeping until noon every day, but some of us have to be up at the crack of dawn. Bylaw hours are seven a.m. to nine p.m. Next time you break them, expect to get a visit from the sheriff.” I spin around and stomp over to the extension cord, find the place where it’s joined to the lamp, and break the connection, submerging us in darkness. “Next time I won’t be so nice about it.”
“Hate to break it to you, but you weren’t very nice about it this time,” he calls after me.
It drives me crazy how easy it is for him to push my buttons.
A few seconds later I hear an oof and a clatter, which means he’s tripped over something in the dark. I smile to myself. Hopefully this time he’ll get the message.


 

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FOLLOW: NYT and USA Today Bestselling author of The PUCKED Series, Helena Hunting lives outside of Toronto with her amazing family and her two awesome cats, who think the best place to sleep is her keyboard. Helena writes everything from contemporary romance to romance comedy, sports romance and angsty new adult romance.
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Claimed (Lair of the Wolven 1) by JR Ward-Review & Giveaway

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Claimed (Lair of the Wolven 1) by JR Ward-Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

CLAIMED
Lair of the Wolven 1
by JR Ward
Release Date: July 27, 2021
Genre: adult, contemporary, paranormal, romance

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 27, 2021

A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, with a scientist fighting to save the timber wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself…

Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target.

One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something?

As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love… or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?

••••••••

REVIEW:CLAIMED is the first instalment in JR Ward’s contemporary, adult LAIR OF THE WOLVEN paranormal, urban fantasy series-a spin off set in the author’s Black Dagger Brotherhood world. This is drifter/handyman Daniel Joseph, and scientist/wolf behaviorist Lydia Susi’s storyline. CLAIMED can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the BDB series is revealed where necessary.

NOTE: The Wolven are first introduced in JR Ward’s LOVER UNLEASHED, and first appear in THE JACKAL.

Told from third person perspective following two intersecting paths CLAIMED focuses on the search for the truth. Someone is poisoning the wolves at the wolf reserve in and around Walters, Upstate New York, and scientist Lydia Susi is desperate to uncover the truth. With the construction of a new hotel on the edge of the wolf preserve, Lydia is determined to prove the people responsible are the same people connected to the chain of hotels. Daniel Joseph, a new handyman at the Wolf Study Project (WSP) has caught the attention of our story line heroine but someone else has targeted our heroine in the process. As the number of bodies connected to the WSP begin to pile up, Lydia is determined to prove the guilty party is part of the hotel chain, and responsible for poisoning the animals she loves. What ensues is the slow building romance and relationship between Daniel and Lydia, and the fall-out as something more sinister is working behind the scenes to take down our story line couple, and the wolves in the Wolf Study Project.

Meanwhile, Xhex, beloved shellan of the Black Dagger Brother John Matthew begins to relive the nightmares of her time at the Sympath colony, a time that is about to come full-circle. Unable to get a straight answer from her brother, she is sent on a mission that will bring her up close and personal with an experiment she thought was long forgotten. JM, Blay, Rehvenge and Vishous make a cameo appearance

CLAIMED is a slow building and twisted story of secrets and lies; of power and control; of specieism, experiments, betrayal and mistrust. JR Ward pulls the reader into an imaginative and dramatic tale of intrigue, murder, and the supernatural. The romance takes a back seat to the story line premise as the author will not be focusing on one couple per book but a continuing saga of events. CLAIMED ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied by the publisher

Reviewed by Sandy


Excerpt provided by Simon and Schuster

 

CLAIMED
Chapter 1Town of Walters, est. 1834
Upstate New YorkLydia Susi’s Destiny came for her in the veil, on a random Thursday in the early spring.
As she ran along the wooded trail, two miles into a loop that would take her through the preserve’s northeastern acreage, she was measuring the glowing line that topped the contours of the mountains. Soon, the stripe would expand to an aura, and after that, the sun would accept the handoff from the moon, and day would arrive.
Her grandfather had always told her there were two twilights, two gloamings, and if you wanted to find your past, you went into the pines in the evening as the sun went down. If you wanted your future to come to you, you went alone into the forest in the veil, during that sacred transition of night into morning. There, he’d told her, when the distinction between that which ruled the light and that which held domain over the dark was at its narrowest, when the moon and the sun reached for each other before the rotations of their orbits tore them asunder, there was when the mortal could brush up against the infinite and seek answers, direction, guidance.
Of course, that did not mean you got good news. Or what you wanted.
But life was not an à la carte buffet where you could choose everything that went on your plate—another words-of-wisdom from a man who had lived to be 101 years old still smoking a pipe and drinking a glass of sima after his dinner year round.
Why limit spring to just Vappu? he’d said.
Lydia had never believed in his superstitions. She was a researcher, a scientist, and the kinds of things that her isoisa had gone on about did not fit in with that Ph.D. in biology she’d bought on layaway from the federal government and was still paying off.
So no, she was not out looking for any prognosti-cation from the universe this morning. She was get-ting her workout done before she headed into her office at the Wolf Study Project. With the way things had been going lately, she was going to blink and it would be seven at night. Short-staffed and under-funded, everything was a fight for resources at WSP, and by the time she locked things up every evening, she was exhausted. So Carpe Cardio was her motto and why she was out in this misty darkness—
Lydia let her stride peter to a halt.
Her breath pumped in clouds that captured and held the moonlight, and as a breeze came across the trail, her body did the same with the chill, grabbing it out of the air and bringing it in under her wind-breaker.
As she shivered, she looked behind herself. The trail she was on was the widest one in the preserve, a highway rather than a street, but she couldn’t see much into the trees. Pines crowded up close to the shoulders of the packed path, and the fog wafting through the craggy trunks and fluffy boughs obscured the forest even more.
In a quick calculation, she figured she was a good three miles from any other human, two miles from her car at the trailhead’s parking area, and a hundred yards from what had caught her attention.
There, up ahead, something was close to the ground, moving.
Fight or flight, Lydia, she thought. What’s it going to be.
She reached around to the small of her back. There were two cylinders mounted on the strap of her fanny pack, and she left the Mace where it was. Clicking on her flashlight and bringing it forward, she swung the beam in a wide arc—
The eyes flashed over on the left, a set of retinas flaring the light back at her as pinpoints. The stare was about three feet from the ground and the pupils were set close together, as predators’ were.
Lydia looked around again.
“I’m not going to bother you,” she said. But like the gray wolf spoke English?
The growl was soft. And then came the rustling. The animal was prowling toward her.
“Oh, shit.”
Except . . .
Lydia kept the beam down on the fallen pine needles as she, too, walked forward. Something was wrong with the wolf, its gait wobbly and uneven. Yet the spirit of the hunter remained undeterred—and she was identified as its target.
She was about twenty feet away when she got a sense of the fully mature male. He was filled out, at a healthy weight of about a hundred and thirty pounds, and his mottled white, gray, and brown fur was thick and lush, especially at the tail. But his head was hanging at a bad angle, and he was dragging his back paws as he continued to close the distance between them.
It was obvious when the wolf was going to collapse. Though his head remained forward, his body listed to the side, his will staying strong even as his rear legs, and then his forelegs, gave out.
He landed on the soft bed of pine needles on his side, and the struggle was immediate, useless paws batting at thin air and ground cover. As Lydia drew a little closer to him, he snarled, flashing long white fangs, his golden eyes narrowing.
“Shh . . .” she said as she kneeled down.
Her hand shook as she got out her cell phone. As she called a number from her favorites, she tried to keep her breathing steady.
In the flashlight’s beam, she could see the grayness of those gums. The wolf was dying—and she knew why.
“God damn it, pick up, pick up—” Her words ma-chine gun’d from her mouth. “Rick? Wake up, I’ve got another one. On the main trail—what? Yes, it’s the same—enough with the talking, get your ass out of bed. I’m on the loop, about two miles into the—huh? Yes, bring everything, and hurry.”
She cut the connection as her voice gave out.
Letting herself fall back to a sit, she stared into those beautiful eyes and tried to project love, acceptance, gentleness . . . compassion. And something got through, the majestic male’s muzzle relaxing, its paws falling still, his flank rising and falling in a shuddering breath.
Or maybe it was dying right now.
“Help is coming,” she said hoarsely to the animal.


 

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J.R. Ward is the author of more than thirty novels, including those in her #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series. There are more than fifteen million copies of her novels in print worldwide, and they have been published in twenty-six different countries around the world. She lives in the South with her family.

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JR Ward’s publisher (Simon and Schuster) is offering a paper copy of CLAIMED  to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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NOTE: If you are having difficulty commenting after logging onto the site, please refresh the page (at the top of your computer).

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Bloody Love (Lilah Love 6) by Lisa Renee Jones -a review

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Bloody Love (Lilah Love 6) by Lisa Renee Jones -a review

 

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 27, 2021.

One.
Two.
Three.
The cat is in the tree.

As far as Lilah’s concerned, her note writing stalker just gets more stupid everyday. One, two, three, the cat is in the tree? What is that? And what does it have to do with a wedding turned bloody?

Lilah continues to hunt for the monster who killed a bride-to-be while she awaits news on Kane’s chopper that emergency landed in the ocean. She’s angry. She’s worried. She’s ready to kill the man she knows is responsible for Kane’s crash: Pocher.

It’s a race against the clock to save Kane and catch a killer.

Everyone won’t survive.

••••••••

REVIEW:BLOODY LOVE is the sixth instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’ contemporary, adult LILAH LOVE romantic, suspense series focusing on FBI agent Lilah Love. BLOODY LOVE should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book five BLOODY VOWS

NOTE: If you have not read book five, there may be spoilers in my review.

Told from first person perspectives (Lilah Love) BLOODY LOVE picks up immediately after the events of BLOODY VOWS in which Lilah’s fiancé Kane Mendez’ chopper went down in the ocean, and there has been no word as to any survivors. Meanwhile, the investigation into the increasing number of victims who have died under mysterious but similar circumstances continues to reflect on both Kane and Lilah’s personal lives, Lilah and her team begin to dig deeper when a person of interest claims to have information that is pertinent to their case. Demanding immunity, said person takes the team on a ride for their lives.

BLOODY LOVE continues to focus on the dysfunctional family dynamics of Lilah Love’s family, and the build up to her father’s run for higher office. As the political powers set the game into motion, Lilah waits on the side lines for everything to implode.

Lisa Renee Jones pulls the reader into a continuing story of betrayal and power wherein the person with the ultimate control may very well be someone close. The fast paced premise is intriguing, detailed and clever; the characters are powerful, feisty and spirited.

READING ORDER and Previous Reviews
Murder Notes
Murder Girl
Love Me Dead
Love Kills
Bloody Vows

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Haven’t started the series? Book 1-MURDER NOTES is FREE

 

US:amzn.to/3rFWOvt

CA: amzn.to/2KNZFlt

UK: amzn.to/3n0QFXg

Nook: bit.ly/3o5Jpe0

KOBO: bit.ly/34Yh6qt

Apple  https://apple.co/2RJwGPI

 


Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series.

In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is also the author of the bestselling the bestselling DIRTY MONEY and WHITE LIES series. And will be publishing the first book in her Lilah Love suspense series with Amazon Publishing in March 2018.

Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on Twitter and Facebook daily.

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Blood and Ember by Isabel Cooper – a Review

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Blood and Ember by Isabel Cooper – a Review

 

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Description:
A century ago, the Traitor God’s fury left the world broken by violent storms and twisted monsters born of darkness and death. Now those storms are sweeping across the continent again and it will take everything the armies of man can muster to survive. As a sworn knight, Olvir is prepared to do his part–even if that means journeying deep into the magic-tainted Battlefield to face the enemy alone.

Sentinel Vivian Bathari has lost too much to allow her closest friend to make such a sacrifice alone. Besides, there are whispers that Olvir’s strange new powers are somehow connected to the Traitor God, and she’d rather be by his side should the worst occur. But as they travel deep into the heart of danger, their growing attraction burns into mutual desire, and the true depth of Olvir’s connection to the evil haunting their world is made clear. In the end, Vivian will have to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to save their world…and the man she loves.

 

Review:

Blood and Ember by Isabel Cooper is the 3rd and final book in her Stormbringer series.  Refresher: This is an epic fantasy adventure series filled with magic, sword fighting, epic battles, monsters and an evil god.  Sentinels, who start training at a young age, protect the world against a traitor god and his minions who threaten to destroy the world.

Olvir, our hero, is a knight, whom we met in the first book.  Vivian Bathari, our heroine is a Sentinel, and has worked with Olvir, over the years, just being friends.  As the Traitor God continues to create havoc and chaos, all the Sentinels, Knights, and others are losing the battle.  During one attack, Olvir finds himself with some unusual abilities to help defeat the monsters, that seemed to look only at him.  The leaders suspect that his new found powers have some sort of connection to the evil Traitor God, and decide to send him on a journey to the “Battlefield” were it all began. 

Vivian, who is one of the leaders of the Sentinels, decides she and her soulstone sword will join Olvir on his dangerous mission, to help support him.   Vivian also knows if along the way, if Olvir is overtaken by the Traitor God, she will have to kill him.    

As they travel, both Olvir and Vivian begin to feel the growing attraction to each other, which slowly becomes love for them both.  But no matter what, Olvir must retain his own mind and ability, and not succumb to the Traitor God’s powers; or Vivian will have to do what she dreads. The journey was very detailed, with Olvir seeing memories from those years ago, trying to find where to stop the constant attacks and horrible weather that would eventually destroy the world.

What follows is a nonstop action filled battles that has you on the edge of your seat, if they will survive, especially against Thyrad, the Traitor God’s second in command.  Olivr and Vivian work closely together to use their experience and magical skills, along with Ulamir (soulstone sword) to fight the traitor god’s monsters, storms and evil beings. 

This is a difficult review to write, as with so many details and descriptions, it would ruin the book for you.  I said this previously that Cooper creates strong and powerful women (warriors/sentinels) in this series, who are equal to the men.  I really liked Vivian and Olivr together, as they made a great couple. The last half of the book was tense and exciting, as we raced to the climax. 

Blood and Ember is another exciting and well written story by Isabel Cooper, with great couple and secondary characters, excellent fantasy adventure, with was nonstop action. Blood and Ember was a satisfying conclusion to this series, tying up loose ends.  Very well done.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

 

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A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones-Dual Review

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A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram 2) by Darynda Jones-Dual Review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 27, 2021

Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff–and even fuller-time coffee guzzler–Sunshine Vicram, didn’t get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that’s about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he’s not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She’s seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn’t know when to quit, Sunny’s life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay.

••••••••

SANDY’S REVIEW:

A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY is the second instalment in Darynda Jones’ contemporary, adult SUNSHINE VICRAM mystery, suspense, and of-times humorous series focusing on thirty-three year old, Sheriff Sunshine Blaze Vicram and her fifteen year old daughter Aurora ‘Auri’. A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion as there is an ongoing premise throughout.

Told from dual third person perspective (Sunshine and Auri) A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY follows several paths including Del Sol, New Mexico sheriff Sunshine Vicram in the wake of a vicious stabbing, and hit and run at a local bar that left too many questions for our story line heroine. With the stabbing victim in the hospital, and his injured friend and Sunshine’s love interest Levi Ravinder on the hunt for the people responsible, Sunshine and her team of police investigators begin a search for the truth.

Meanwhile, believing her eighty year old neighbor Mrs. Fairborn is a serial killer, Sunshine’s daughter Auri, along with her friends Cruz and Sybil, begin an investigation of their own, only to place themselves in the direct line of fire. As Sunshine continues to search for Levi Ravinder, and the truth about what happened and why, secrets and lies are revealed pulling Sunshine into the past when her life spiralled out of control. A prisoner serving a life sentence for murder wants to come home but his story begins to contradict everything Sunshine thought to be true.

The world building continues to focus on the abduction, fifteen years earlier, of our story line heroine Sunshine Vicram, and the aftermath that would change her life forever. Without any solid evidence as to the who, how and why, Sunshine’s memories of that fateful time slowly begin to reveal a heart breaking connection, and the possibility that what she believes isn’t even close to the truth.

The colorful and energetic secondary and supporting characters include Levi Ravinder, his sister Hailey, and their uncle Wynn; Sunshine’s parents Cyrus and Elaine Freyr: Sunshine’s best friend and fellow law enforcement officer Chief Deputy Quincy Cooper; fellow law enforcement Poetry Rojas, Deputies Zee and Salazar; Auri’s besties Cruz De los Santos, and Sybil St. Aubin; as well as Keith Seabright, a mercenary for hire. The requisite evil has many faces.

A GOOD DAY FOR CHARDONNAY and the SUNSHINE VICRAM series reads similarly to the author’s Charley Davidson series- a best friend, a love interest who remains secretive and aloof, a great team of supporting friends and characters, a couple of teens who begin a series of investigations, and the snark, sarcasm, humor, giggles and laughs that add a little bit of ‘Sunshine’ into your life 😉

A GOOD FOR CHARDONNAY is a detailed and complex story of family, betrayal, secrets, greed, murder and love with spirited characters, a tragic back story, and a heart warming and twisted love affair that has been buried by secrets and lies.

__________

BARB’S REVIEW:
A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones is the 2nd book in her fun Sunshine Vicram series. I loved the first book in this series, and I loved this one even more. Refresher: Sunshine (Sunny) Vicram, our heroine, returned to her home town of Del Sol, New Mexico, as the newly elected sheriff, which she suspects her parents meddled into getting her elected.  Sunny left town years before, at the age of 17; after she suffered a trauma, having been kidnapped and then pregnant, and now comes home having had a seasoned and successful career as a detective, with her 14-year-old daughter, Auri.

Sunny, who seems to never have a day off, as her police team continually calls her for anything, even trying to catch a racoon, and all she wants is to relax with a glass of chardonnay.  Sunny is a tough, independent, smart, funny heroine, which you couldn’t help but love.  The relationship between Sunshine and Auri was wonderful, and I loved how close they were and their cute bantering back and forth throughout the book with each other.

Her best friend, Quincy (chief deputy), is crazy obsessed with this racoon, and calls her to his place, with the rest of the team.  They are a crazy, close and very good team, which gives us plenty of laughs.  While out, the team is called to a bar, as a fight broke out with people getting hurt.  One being Levi Ravinder (Sunny’s secret obsession), and his friend, who has been seriously injured.   The attackers have escaped, and Levi, despite his injuries is determined to find them.  At this point, the storyline splits between the attack at the bar, and discovering clues to an old case of Sunny’s when she was a detective; as well truths are revealed regarding her kidnapping years before.  This becomes an exciting, suspenseful, action filled, edge of your seat adventure, which kept me glued to my seat throughout. What makes this even better is the craziness and fun banter between Sunny, Quincy, Auri, the grandparents, and even Levi; so much fun, releasing the tension.

Auri, who I loved, decides she wants to be like her mom, and gets her boyfriend, Cruz and friend Sybil to help prove that a local 80-year-old lady is a serial killer.  Of course, they constantly get into trouble, but I loved Cruz, who gave me the feel of a young Levi. 

I absolutely loved Levi (he comes from a dangerous family, with one having been the one who kidnapped Sunny all those years ago); they both had feelings for each other; and as we edged slowly toward the end, both will act on their feelings. Levi was so great with Auri, acting almost like a father.  I liked Hailey, another member of the Ravinders, as she and Sunny became secret friends. 

A Good Day for Chardonnay was not only an intense exciting mystery, with lots of heartwarming humor that was a lot of fun, as Sunny, Levi, Auri, Quincy, Zee, Cruz, and others were so great together, making us laugh quite a bit.    I look forward to the next book in this series, as spending more time with Sheriff Sunshine Vicram is a must for me.  I suggest you jump on the bandwagon now, and start with A Bad Day for Sunshine, then A Good Day for Chardonnay, so very well written by a fantastic author, Darynda Jones.

 

Click HERE for review of book one A BAD DAY FOR SUNSHINE

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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Bayou Beauty(Butterfly Bayou 4) by Lexi Blake-a review

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Bayou Beauty(Butterfly Bayou 4) by Lexi Blake-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 27, 2021.

Sylvie Martine was prepared to take Washington D.C. by storm, but she put that dream on hold when her beloved hometown of Papillon, Louisiana, needed her most. Now Sylvie’s the mayor of the tiny town on the bayou that holds her heart. But for Sylvie, this can only be a pit stop on the way to bigger and better things. The last thing she needs is an old love to resurface and threaten her goals.

Rene Darois’s whole life has been about serving his family–no matter how much it hurts. He’s used to sacrificing for his large extended family and the company his grandfather created. But he can’t believe the latest demand: he needs to find a wife and quick or he could lose it all. It would be a horrible situation. But he has just the solution: his high school sweetheart. Sylvie is everything he wants in a wife–smart, funny, and caring–and he planned to woo her anyway.

Now he just has to convince Sylvie that their love is worth it all, or he and the bayou will lose her forever.

••••••••

REVIEW: BAYOU BEAUTY is the fourth instalment in Lexi Blake’s contemporary, adult BUTERFLY BEAUTY romance series. This is thirty-two year old, businessman and heir Rene Darois, and twenty-eight year old, Papillion, Louisiana Mayor Sylvie Martine’s story line. BAYOU BEAUTY can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Sylvie and Rene) BAYOU BEAUTY follows the second chance romance and relationship between is thirty-two year old, businessman and heir Rene Darois, and twenty-eight year old, Papillion, Louisiana Mayor Sylvie Martine. Sylvie Martine has been in love with her brother’s best friend Rene Darois for most of her life but ten years earlier, following a proclamation of need and want, Rene kissed our heroine, then walked out of her life. Fast forward to present day wherein Rene Martine is now Papillion Louisiana’s mayor, previously having worked in Washington DC, and in the ensuing years she has only seen Rene a handful of times. Rene Darois has never forgotten about Sylvie Martine but Sylvie continues to keep her distance much to the chagrin of our story line hero. Rene is in desperate need of a wife, and the only woman that calls to his heart is the woman whose heart he is about to break. What ensues is the marriage of convenience between Rene and Sylvie, and the potential fall-out as someone is sabotaging the Darois family business, and our couple have been targeted in the process.

Rene Darois had been groomed to take over the family business but greed, jealousy, secrets and lies are about to push Rene to walk away in an effort to save the woman he loves. As CEO, Rene has been at the top of his game but the greed and selfishness of several members of the Darois family are pushing at Rene’s barely controlled anger and need to throw it all away. The Darois dysfunctional family dynamics is about to play into the hands of a long, family history of secrets and lies, and in this Rene is growing tired of the betrayal. Sylvie Martine has never forgotten about the boy/man that had stolen her heart but when Rene walked into her office with a proposal of marriage, Sylvie was torn between head and heart knowing this may be her only chance to for a ‘happily ever after’ with the man that she loves.

The relationship between Sylvie and Rene is a friends to lovers, best friend’s younger sister, marriage of convenience for two people whose love for one another is obvious except to the people involved. Most of the family suspects that Rene’s marriage is a fraud but our couple are determined to prove that their marriage is anything but. The $ex scenes are all implied or fade to black.

There is a large ensemble cast of secondary and supporting characters including many of the previous story line couples and characters, and several members of the Dubois family. We welcome the return of Sylvie’s brother and Rene’s best friend Andre, a photojournalist, and of course Sylvie’s mother Marcelle Martine, and Delphine Dellacourt Guidry who like to ‘work’ with the supernatural. The reader is introduced to Rene’s mother Cricket, Rene’s uncle Charles, cousins Gabriel Layton and his sister Ashley, as well as Rene’s right hand man Louis.

BAYOU BEAUTY is a story of family, friendships, relationships and love; of greed, jealousy, secrets and lies; of betrayal and deceit, conflict, power and control. The character driven premise is fast paced and imaginative; the characters are animated, sassy and spirited; the romance is heart warming. BAYOU BEAUTY is another welcome addition to Lexi Blake’s BUTTERFLY BAYOU.

Reading Order and previous reviews
Butterfly Bayou
Baby Bayou
Bayou Dreaming

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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The Runaway Heiress by Meg Tilly – a Review

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The Runaway Heiress by Meg Tilly – a Review

 

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Description:
Sarah Rainsford has been on the run for more than three years. She’s changed identities yet again in hopes of throwing her violent estranged husband, a police lieutenant, off her trail. Since she’s still legally married to him, and he is willing to bend any laws to get his hands on her inheritance, he’ll stop at nothing to locate her.

With a new name and fake ID papers, she lands a job as a personal assistant to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy director Mick Talford. He’s a difficult client but she senses hidden depths to him. Once Mick and Sarah combine forces in a desperate attempt to keep Sarah out of harm’s way, they build a strong bond . . . but with danger trailing them, is it enough to keep them both alive?

 

 

Review:

The Runaway Heiress by Meg Tilly is another one of her wonderful standalone thrillers. Sarah Rainsford, our heroine, has been on the run from an abusive husband (he is a police officer) for 4 years, and wants her inheritance. She manages to escape when he is close to finding her, always changing her identities. 

Sarah gets a job working for Mick Talford (a famous movie director). At first, Mick is not happy, as he preferred a male assistant, but Sarah (using the name Rachel Jones) insists she can do everything. In a short time, Mick begins to realize that Sarah is hiding something, and slowly he gains her trust and she tells him about her being on the run avoiding her husband, who is very dangerous.  Slowly, Mick and Sarah begin to have feelings for each other, and the race is on to find proof of her divorce, and her hidden papers regarding her inheritance; reclaiming her fortune left to her after the death of her parents.

What follows is an exciting, intense, suspenseful adventure; the romance between Sarah and Mick was sweet, as their romance heats up, and the danger escalates for Sarah.  As we race to an exciting and suspenseful climax, there were so many surprise twists that changed the game often. Who can Sarah trust besides Mick?

I do not want to give spoilers, as you will need to read this book, since saying too much more would ruin this for you; especially with the many surprising twists.

The Runaway Heiress was a fun, enjoyable and captivating read, as well as having a great couple, excellent secondary characters, with a sweet romance and mystery thriller.   Meg Tilly once again gives us another great romance suspense to enjoy. I wholly recommend you read The Runaway Heiress.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN (Trouble for Hire 2) by Cynthia Eden- review

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DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN (Trouble for Hire 2) by Cynthia Eden-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 13 ,2021

Big, bad, and currently out of his element…

Odin Shaw thought he’d spend his life on a battlefield. But fate had other plans, and now the ex-Special Forces operative has just landed a new job at his best friend’s PI office. It’s one hell of a life change, and the giant “Viking” is trying to adjust, fast, but then she walks into his life.

Delicate, beautiful, and hunting a killer…

Maisey Bright has been following the news. She knows that the small PI firm just helped track a killer and get the perp locked away—so Maisey figures that the towering man sitting behind the massive desk will be perfect solution for her current predicament. The cops don’t believe her story, so Maisey has no choice. She wants to hire Odin. The job in question? Well, she needs him to help her find proof—irrefutable evidence—that her next-door neighbor is a serial killer.

The gorgeous ones are always a little bit crazy…

Odin figures the case will be a snap. He’ll prove that Maisey’s neighbor is most definitely not a serial killer. He’ll do it in record time, and he’ll score some extra cash for the PI firm. Maybe he’ll even score some points with the lovely—but obviously way too crime-enthusiast-obsessed—Maisey. Piece of cake.

It’s not a piece of cake. It’s a freaking nightmare.

When Odin steps into Maisey’s world, things seem off from the very beginning. Her neighbor is suspicious as hell, and when Maisey is nearly kidnapped after leaving her job, Odin realizes there is much more to the case than meets the eye. A whole lot more. He moves into Maisey’s place to protect her—and to keep an eye on her neighbor. But the close proximity to the maddening Maisey stirs a fierce desire inside of Odin. Maisey is smart, off-beat, sexy…and when he kisses her, Odin is a goner.

But first, the killer…

Odin and Maisey set off to uncover the truth about her neighbor, and as they dig deeper into the disappearances that have plagued the town for the last year, Odin begins to suspect that Maisey may be dead right. He also realizes that he is falling for a woman who now seems be the target of a killer. Looks like it might be time for Odin to go to battle once more. Because there is no way—no way—that anyone will hurt Maisey.

•••••••

REVIEW: DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN is the second instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary,adult TROUBLE FOR HIRE romantic, suspense series focusing on the men and women who work for, or are connected to Trouble For Hire private investigators. This is former ex-Special Forces solider Odin Shaw, and college history teacher/ crime podcaster Maisey Bright’s story line. DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from several third person perspectives including Odin and Maisey DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN follows the search for a possible killer. Maisey Bright believes her next door neighbor Clay Prescott is a serial killer, and one of the victims may be her friend from college, a young woman missing for over a month. Having amassed a large amount of information and clues including the identity of three missing women all connected to her neighbor Clay, Maisey seeks out private investigators Trouble For Hire, in an effort to locate her missing friend. Enter ex-Special Forces soldier turned PI Odin Shaw. What ensues is the search for a killer and the missing women, and the potential fall-out as Maisey becomes the target of a twisted mind.

Odin Shaw knows death and destruction first hand but Maisey Bright is not what he expected when he partnered with his friend Warren Channing. With War on his honeymoon, Odin is reluctant to take Maisey’s case as everything is currently circumstantial evidence from the mind of a wanna-be detective with her own crime podcast but the further Odin is pulled into Maisey’s web, the more he is convinced that there is definitely a ring of truth to Maisey’s story. Maisey Bright is certain her neighbor and psychology professor Clay Prescott is a killer but when all of her information and her laptop go missing, Maisey has no proof, and worries that Odin will drop the case, and never look back.

The relationship between Maisey and Odin beings as a contracted assignment but quickly turns into something more. Odin knows to get involved with a client may divert his attention from the job at hand but something about Maisey pulls Odin in the frenetic pace that is her life, a life that quickly spirals out of control. The $ex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Maisey’s neighbor Professor Clay Prescott, bar owner Ramsey, as well as the return of ex-Special Forces soldier and Odin’s friend Jinx, and IT specialist Ali Carter. Ali and Jinx’s story is next in Jinx, You’re It.

DON’T PLAY WITH ODIN is a story of secrets, lies, betrayal and obsession. The premise is engaging and intriguing with a twist that comes out of left field- a little bit of a red herring. There are a few humorous moments that warrant a giggle or two. The romance is seductive; the characters are colorful and energetic but saying that Maisey Bright is often a little TSTL, placing herself in the direct line of fire, refusing to remain out of the direct line of fire.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review of book one NO ESCAPE FROM WAR

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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