Deadly Charade by Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood

Title:  Deadly Charade

Author:  Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood

Narrated by:  Cynthia Farrell

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 33 minutes

Source: Thank you to @lynetteeason, @bestinsuspense, @revellfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of the physical copy of Deadly Charade. Audiobook purchased from Audible.

What is your favorite story involving a treasure hunt?

FBI Special Agents Kira Miller and Bryce Lambers are going undercover as a newlywed couple to break into a suspected Russian crime ring.  As Kira finds her feelings growing for Bryce, the mystery and adventure deepens.  Will they crack the crime ring while also finding the hidden treasure?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I liked how Bryce’s late grandpa and his journals figured into the mystery.  His grandpa was a great man who helped to raise him, and he also was obsessed with finding hidden treasure.

·       There was great chemistry between the leads, Kira and Bryce.  I enjoyed reading their developing relationship and love for each other.

·       The audiobook was interesting, and I enjoyed the accents that the narrator used.

·       I enjoyed the suspense and action in the story.  The story kept me engaged and guessing until the end.  Romantic suspense is one of my favorite genres and this was a great example of it.

·       There were great faith elements in the story as Kira finds her way back to God.

·       Bryce was neglected as a child and Kria was an orphan.  They both have trust issues and must work through them.

·       I love a good treasure hunt story.  I don’t want to go into detail and wreck the plot, but I did greatly enjoy the treasure hunt in this book.

·       This is the first book in the FBI New Recruits series.

·       The mystery was inspired by the real-life mystery of the Amber room which I had not heard of before.  Once I heard of it in this book, I did some online sleuthing, and I am intrigued.

·       The story started slowly, but it was really intense through the end.

·       The genres included:  romantic suspense, fake marriage, action, mystery, contemporary, treasure hunt, inspirational, and Christian.

Overall, Deadly Charade by Lynette Eason and Kelly Underwood as an entertaining romantic suspense story with a treasure hunt and crime ring. I enjoyed it!

Three Steps Behind by Dani Pettrey

 

Do you prefer series or standalone books?

Thank you to @authordanipettrey, @bethanyhousefiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of Three Steps Behind.

Harper has returned from a humanitarian trip oversees in Syria where she was held captive and almost killed.  Many of her friends didn’t make it.  She has returned to the United States and protection from a private investigator, Deckard MacLeod.  She has only just arrived when she discovers that her friend Taylor has died.  Did her friend die naturally in her early 30’s?  Something doesn’t seem right and so Harper and Deckard start to investigate.  Will they find out what happened to Taylor?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This book starts off with a bang.  The first chapter was exciting and terrifying and really pulled you into the story.

·       This is the third book in the Jeopardy Falls series.  I had a hard time getting into the story at first.  It seemed like character overload, and I wasn’t really sure what was going on.  If I had read the other book in series, I would have hit this story running.  It was an entertaining story once I got into it, so I think I need to go back and read the first couple of book.

·       This was a clean read with kisses only. There are some triggers such as kidnapping, childhood trauma, missing family, murder, etc.

·       I would classify this read as a romantic suspense thriller.  It was very action-packed.

·       I loved Deckard.  He is devoted to his siblings.  He really supported Harper through her trials and healing.

·       There was also a second romantic suspense storyline between Deckard’s estranged sister, Bristol, and Aubry.  It was entertaining as well.

·       The book ended on a cliffhanger that set up book 4.  I need to read the first two books in the series as I wait for book 4!

Overall, Three Steps Behind by Dani Pettrey was an action-packed romantic suspense story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason

 

Dawn or twilight?  Which do you prefer?  I am not a morning person and will always prefer twilight!

Thank you to @lynetteeason, @revellfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of Twilight Tactics.

FBI agents Sully Sulivan and Piper Whitaker are taking are care of and hiding 14-year-old witness Ollie Callahan.  Ollie witnessed a mob hit and is being hid until the trial.  As each of their locations has been compromised, Sully hopes that Broken Chain Ranch, which is the home of an old cousin and friend, will be a safe place.

Maya runs Broken Chain Ranch as a miliary vet retreat, a place where veterans can heal from PTSD and gain tools to deal with their lives.  Her friend and fellow vet, Elana, teaches wilderness skills at the ranch.  Elena bonds with Ollie but has secrets of her own. When the ranch comes under attack, is it Ollie or Elena the mysterious attackers are after?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was an action-packed book that you can’t put down!

·       This was a contemporary romance suspense novel.

·       It was a clean read and Christian.

·       Twilight Tactics was the first in the new series, Soldiers in Shadows.  I can’t wait for the next book.

·       I really liked the relationships between characters such as Sully and Ollie, Elena and Ollie, and Sully and Elena.

·       This book also investigated the dark world of prepper and cult lifestyles.  How can you get out of such a situation?

·       The overall theme of the book was that you can be broken, but you can take control of your life, heal, and have a fresh start.  I liked this theme.

·       Ollie is an orphan that has been shuffled through foster care and has experienced things that no teen should have experienced.  I really felt for her.

·       This book is set in the rural Tennessee mountains.

·       It was told through multiple point of views: Elena, Sully, and Ollie.

·       This story was fast paced and kept from on the edge of my seat from the first page through the end.

Overall, Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason is an action packed contemporary romantic suspense novel with great characters that kept me on the edge of my seat.  It was a great start to a new series.

The Summer that Changed Everything by Brenda Novak

 

Title:  The Summer that Changed Everything

Author:  Brenda Novak

Narrated by:  Courtney Patterson

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 39 minutes

Source: Thank-you to @netgalley for review copy.

Do you have one summer that was more memorable than the rest?  Why?  I’ve had a few the summer I was at college in grad school, the summer I got married, etc.

As a teenager, Lucy Sinclair’s father was tried and convicted of murdering three people that she knew, including a teenage girl that was described as her rival, Aurora, for her boyfriend, Ford.  The town shunned her, and Lucy moved away.  Now fifteen years later, she has returned, and she wants to figure out if her Dad was really guilty or not.  Ford is also back for the summer and sparks fly.  Who killed Aurora and why?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a Brenda Novak Book Group Read for June, and it was another great book club meeting on Facebook.  I finished it up in early July.

·       The plot for this novel was intriguing.

·       Lucy and Ford had a second chance romance, a trope I usually enjoy.  Ford was expecting a baby with his not quite ex-wife, which threw me off from this romance.

·       I just overall couldn’t get behind the romance.  I don’t like married leads dating people while saying that their spouse just doesn’t get them.  Get divorced, spend some time on your own, and then date. 

·       There was good suspense in the story.

·       I liked the small-town Virginia coastal town setting.

·       The audiobook was interesting to listen to.  It had a good narrator.  She acted out all the parts.  There were multiple POVs including males.  It would have been nice to have additional narrators.

·       The mystery was slow burn.

·       There was a good wrap-up and ending.  I really liked the suspense at the end.

Overall, The Summer That Changed Everything by Brenda Novak was a good romantic suspense novel.  I liked the story and mystery, but I didn’t care for the romance.

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Title:  Where Secrets Lie

Author:  Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

Narrated by:  Karen Peakes

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 16 minutes

Source: Thank-you NetGalley for the Audiobook Review Copy and Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @tnzfiction for the physical book copy as part of the Bibliolifestyle Book Tour.

What is your favorite book series?

Savannah Webster and her ex-husband Hez are trying to give their love a second chance.  They had previously been married, but their marriage broke when they lost their child and Hez turned to alcohol. Things look bright until Savannah finds an empty wine bottle in Hez’s garbage.  Has he turned back to alcohol?  Savannah takes on a new role as the president of her beloved Tupelo Grove University and Hez starts a new legal clinic.  Together they discover many problems with finances at the university including someone at the university using it as a front for a smuggling ring.  Will they be able to save the university?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the second book in the Tupelo Grove series.  I enjoyed the settings, characters, and suspense in the first book and was excited to read more in the series.  I would definitely recommend reading both books in order in this series. 

·       There is a theme of forgiveness throughout the novel paired together with the desire for revenge.

·       This novel also showed that the path of love is not always simple and takes work. 

·       This was a great family drama that was action packed and showed the importance of family.

·       It was a clean read.

·       I really enjoyed the audiobook narration.  The narrator did different voices for each character and even had a British accent for Savannah’s nephew, Simon.

·       There were faith elements throughout the novel relative to forgiveness and a character’s death.

·       Colleen Coble and Rick Acker are a great writing team.  Colleen is an experienced writer and Rick knows the legal ins and outs.

·       The novel had a fantastic ending with a mic drop moment.  I can’t wait to see what happens next and look forward to the third book in the series.

·       I also like the authors note at the end which included interesting information about artifact smuggling.

Overall, Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is a great Southern romantic suspense novel.  I highly recommend this enjoyable series.

Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer (Austenprose PR Tour)

 

What book did you read over the weekend?  I read Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer while camping this weekend and I couldn’t put this book down!

Kathryn lives in two worlds.  In 1888, she is a Victorian lady from a rich and socially prominent  family while in 1938 she is a museum curator putting together an exhibit for the British Museum on Jack the Ripper.  She lives a day in one world, goes to sleep, and then wakes up in the other.  She has until the age of 25 to pick the timeline that she would like to live in forever.  As she goes through the material for the museum exhibit in 1938, she realizes that her beloved sister in 1888 is Jack the Ripper’s last victim.  How can she save her sister in 1888, but not impact history?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the fifth book in the timeless series.  I seem to love each book even more than the last book.  This book can be read as a standalone, but it’s fun to see returning characters from other books and know their back stories.

·       I really liked how Kathryn was able to use both timelines to put together the clues to solve the mystery of her sister’s exile from her family, and to solve the ultimate mystery of who was Jack the Ripper.  It definitely kept me riveted!!  I have always been fascinated by Jack the Ripper and I though author Gabrielle Meyer really put the facts together in an engaging way while also putting together an interesting theory of who the Ripper was and why he committed his crimes.

·       The love between Kathryn and Austen in 1888 was palpable and alive.  I greatly enjoyed their romance.  It was very poignant in the future timeline when she saw old Austen from afar and he would not come to her.

·       This is a clean read.  There is some kissing.  Jack the Ripper and his crimes are discussed, but they happen off screen and the story doesn’t go into detail on the gruesomeness of the crimes.

·       There were lots of goodies at the end of this novel including an author’s note, historical note, a chapter from the next novel, and discussion questions.  I can’t wait for November and the next novel in this series – Through Each Tomorrow.  One setting is Fredericksburg, Virginia.  I have visited that beautiful city a few times in my life.

Overall, Every Hour Until Then is a captivating time travel historical romance with plenty of mystery and suspense and great characters.  I highly recommend it and this entire series!

Book Source: Thank-you to @gabrielle_meyer @bethanyhousefiction @austenprose for the review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Tour

Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What book would you like to reread?  I remember loving Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen ten years ago and I loved it just as much reading it again.  I read the new 10^th anniversary edition in one day!

Hannah Rogers was formerly the companion of Lady Mayfield.  She has returned to ask for her job back after mysteriously disappearing months before.  Lady Marianna Mayfield rehires her to go on a trip with her and her husband Sir John Mayfield.  Sir John is trying to remove Marianna from being near her lover.  Along the way, the carriage is involved in a terrible accident.  Hannah wakes up confused and is being called Lady Mayfield.  She realizes being Lady Mayfield could solve many of her problems.  How will Hannah get out of this predicament?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       There were great characters, twists, and turns in this story.  I loved the twists and turns, and I don’t want to ruin it for other readers.

·       I also enjoyed the faith element and how Hannah tried to do the right thing by everyone and God.

·       This novel was set in Regency England and has shades of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte mixed with Jane Austen’s Lady Susan.  I love author Julie Klassen and how her novels are a perfect blend of Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen.

·       This is clean read, but there are some more sensual scenes that involve feelings of longing and kissing.  Adultery is on the main stage in this novel.

·       I liked how the characters, especially Hannah are conflicted and have a lot to work through.

·       There were also great well rounded side characters such as Dr. Parrish, Becky, and Mrs. Turrell.  I enjoyed them and their relationships with Hannah.

·       There is a love triangle as part of this story, and I always love a good love triangle.

What has changed in this edition?  From Julie Klassen, “I toned down the sensuality in a few scenes, expanded Mrs. Turrill’s wise mentor role a bit, improved and streamlined the writing in several places, and corrected many small historical inaccuracies throughout. The characters and story itself are the same, but I am very grateful for this opportunity to improve the first edition—I’ve learned a lot in the last ten years!”

Overall, Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen is romantic historical suspense at its best.  I highly recommend it.

Thank-you to @julie.k.klassen @bethanyhousefiction @austenprose for the review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Tour.

The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What genre is your comfort read?  One of my favorite types of comfort reads is Gothic romantic suspense.

Governess Diana Taylor has been sent by her Godmother to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to teach her Godmother’s niece, Emma Fallbrook, and to investigate the mystery of her Godmother’s brother’s (the former Baronet’s) death.  The new owner of the estate is the former baronet’s nephew, Captain William Fallbrook.  The Captain is home recovering from a wound.  He is handsome and charismatic, but it’s rumored he has a woman in every port.  Is he all that he seems?  What is the mermaid’s curse, and did it cause the previous baronet’s death?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked how Diana was a caring governess and helped her ward Emma build her confidence by trying to figure out the facts behind the death of her father as well as help her with her learning disability.  Diana was a strong woman and kept on working on solving the mystery, while helping others and finding romance for herself.  I always enjoy stories that involve governesses.

·       The Captain was an intriguing and mysterious romantic figure.

·       I loved all the references to Jane Eyre.  The entire novel had a Jane Eyre vibe to it, but I especially loved the meeting of Diana and the Captain.  It reminded me so much of the meeting between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester.

·       The cover of this novel is beautiful.  Blue is my favorite color.

·       This is the first novel in the new series – The Audacious Sisterhood of the Smoke and Fire.  I like the series title.  I can’t wait for the next book. I also hope that Diana and her sisters will be able to start their own school as they planned.

·       I loved the mysteries and the gothic romance.  It was a great escapism read and reminded me of some of my favorite authors in this genre including Daphne Du Maurier, Victoria, Holt, and Mary Stewart. 

·       This was a clean read.  The book had a good romance, but mostly focused on the mystery.

·       This novel had a great setting.  I always love mysterious manors on the coast of Cornwall.

Overall, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall by Syrie James was a riveting start to a great new series with a captivating Gothic romantic suspense mystery.

Book Source:  Review copy from Dragonblade Publishing as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

She vowed to solve a murder.

Now she’s in danger of losing her heart … and her very life.

Diana Taylor, a bright and spirited governess who has sworn off love, is sent to Pendowar Hall in Cornwall to honor a pledge. She vows to teach her godmother’s niece and to find out who was behind the suspicious death of the former baronet. But her new charge is also a mystery, as is the man who inherited the ancient coastal estate—the charismatic but brooding Royal Navy Captain William Fallbrook, who is home on leave to recover from an injury.

As Diana investigates, her feelings for the enigmatic Captain Fallbrook blossom, and her guard goes up. Pendowar Hall is brimming with secrets as well as a frightening legend about a Mermaid’s Curse. What is behind the mysterious footsteps in the night? Is there more to the story of the tragic deaths of the former baronet’s wife and son? What secrets is Captain Fallbrook hiding? Can she trust the man who has stolen her heart?

He looks to be entranced by Diana, even though her determination to dig up the past seems to get on his last nerve. Soon, Diana’s bold quest to unmask his uncle’s killer leads her into terrifying danger, for someone is determined to end her life before she can discover the truth.

ADVANCE PRAISE

"Syrie James launches her 'Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire' series with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, a page-turning Victorian Gothic that invokes all the romance, mystery, and atmosphere of a Brontë novel. I couldn't put it down!" —Mimi Matthews, USA Today bestselling author of The Belles of London series

"James kicks off her new series ‘The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire’ with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, a wonderfully atmospheric and suspenseful tale brimming with everything that fans of Victorian historical romance and mystery love: a bright and feisty heroine, a perfectly Gothic coastal estate full of secrets, and the brooding and mysterious navy captain in charge of it all." —Natalie Jenner, international bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society, Bloomsbury Girls, and Every Time We Say Goodbye

"A pitch perfect homage to the classic Gothic novel — I loved it! The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall is packed with intrigue, mystery, treachery, and tension — and brimming with romance! I couldn't put it down and eagerly await the next installment of James' new series!" —Katherine Reay, author of The London House and The Berlin Letters

AUTHOR BIO

SYRIE JAMES is the author of 14 critically acclaimed novels of historical fiction, romance, mystery and suspense, and young adult including The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, Nocturne, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë, and Dracula My Love that have been international, USA Today, and Amazon bestsellers, and are published in more than 20 languages. Her books have been Library Journal Editor's Picks of the Year, received starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus, and won numerous awards including the Audiobook Audie, the Women's National Book Association Great Group Read, Romantic Read of the Week (Barnes and Noble), Best Novel of the Year (Romance Reviews), and Best Snowbound Romance (BookBub).

A member of the Writers Guild of America, Sisters in Crime, Dramatist's Guild, Historical Novel Society, and Jane Austen Society of North America, Syrie has sold many scripts to film and TV, addressed organizations and literary conferences across the U.S. and in Canada, England, and Australia, and her stage plays been produced across North America.

Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart

 

Title:  Rose Cottage

Author:  Mary Stewart

Narrated by:  Samantha Eggar

Publisher: Phoenix Books, Inc.

Length: Approximately 3 hours and 14 minutes

Source: Checked out with Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!   I also purchased a hardcover copy of this book at the Milwaukee Public Library used book sale many years ago.

Do you like to read at the library?  I used to when I was younger, but now I go to the library to pick up books or attend book club meetings and read elsewhere.

Kate (Kathy) Herrick returns to her childhood home, Rose Cottage, on an errand from her Grandmother to receive some family treasures from a safe in the wall.  When Kate arrives, she discovers the treasures are missing.  Who took them and why?  Will family secrets from the past be resolved?

I read this book for a Mary Stewart Buddy Read that @deesreads put together on Instagram.  I’m late in the game, but I was glad to join.  Rose Cottage was the book for June, and I got to it a bit late at the start of July.  I read a lot of Mary Stewart’s novels when I was in college.  I found them to be great escapism reading for taking my mind off my engineering studies.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Rose Cottage is light romantic suspense set in the 1940s after WWII.

·       This novel was written towards the end of Mary Stewart’s life in the 1990s.  This novel was much more of a cozy read than her earlier works.  The entire novel had a sense of nostalgia woven into the story.

·       The mystery was ever evolving.  First it was, what happened to the valuables in Grandma’s safe, but overall, it was, who is Kathy’s father?

·       The romance was sweet but was more in the background of the story.

·       The book was a very short and quick read.

·       There was great character building and background in this short novel.  I enjoyed all the characters in the small village.  It was great for Kate to return to the place she grew up in after being widowed in WWII.

·       The audiobook was excellent.  Narrator Samantha Eggar did a great job of acting out the characters voices.

Overall, Rose Cottage is a short light romantic suspense novel that is a good comfort read.

What We Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @tnzfiction for the review copy of What We Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker.

Have you started any new series (book, TV, or movie) that you are enjoying lately?  What We Hide is a new series (Tupelo Grove) by two new to me authors, Colleen Coble and Rick Acker.  I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait for the rest of the series.

Savannah Webster is a history professor at Tupelo Grove University.  Her roots stretch far back at the university as her family helped to start it a century ago.  She has moved forward with her life after a tragedy destroyed her family a couple of years before.  Her estranged husband, Hex arrives, hoping for a second chance.  After Savannah unwittingly becomes a prime suspect in a murder case, she turns to Hex to assist her as her lawyer.  Why are people being murdered at Tupelo Grove University and what does it have to do with the “Willard Treasure,” pre-Columbian artifacts that are owned by the University?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I enjoyed the characters, especially Savannah and Hez.  The book explored their past relationship, the tragedy of losing their daughter, and mistakes that were made along the way.  There is still love there, will they find their way back to each other?

·       Hez’s rescue dog Cody was a hoot and a great character himself.

·       The novel explored the grief of losing a child.  I felt like my heart was ripped out when the novel described what happened to Savannah and Hez’s daughter, Ella.

·       It also explored addiction. After Ella’s death, Hez turned to alcohol, pills, and work to mask his pain.  He has since been in recovery and is working on staying clean.

·       I love romantic suspense and this novel was a great example of it.  I really enjoyed the mystery.  It felt like Savannah and Hez were in peril and that the chemistry between them was palpable.

·       I was intrigued that the murder victims have a slip of paper with a Ray Bradbury book title on it found near them.  As Savannah has Ray Bradbury novels in her office, suspicion turns on her.

·       The novel had a theme of forgiveness.  “But it was all white noise to him, empty phrases he’d heard a thousand times growing up.  How exactly was he supposed to ‘accept God’s forgiveness,’ ‘experience healing grace,’ and so on?  None of those platitudes would let him go back and undo that terrible day.”

·       This book was a page turner that kept me reading far too late into the night.

·       The story was told through three different viewpoints:  Savannah, Hex, and an unnamed third person involved in the crime which kept the plot moving quickly.

·       The ending was a great cliffhanger, and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Overall, What We Hide by Colleen Coble and Rick Aker is a great new romantic suspense novel that kept me on the edge of my seat.  Book two cannot come fast enough!