Antiques to Die For

This is another great cozy in the Josie Prescott series, the third one in the series. (I know I've skipped the second one and hope to get to it later this year.) Antiques to Die For is set in the winter, when Josie's boyfriend Ty is offered a new job in D.C. Not only that, her close friend, Rosalie, is murdered, leaving Rosalie's sister an orphan. It's up to Josie to find out who killed her, when it hit close to home, and to find out about a Whistler pallette fraud from a customer. When Josie gets closer to the truth, she's being targeted by a "secret admirer", who wants to scare her away. This is a great read for sure. Kristen

Espionage Ahoy!

The Spy is the third installment of the Isaac Bell series. Set in 1908, this time, Isaac Bell is looking for a spy, who's killing people and targeting people, when someone murdered Arthur Langner. It sets him off to find out who's who and who's telling the truth, coast to coast on a variety of naval ships. There's a lot of drama and action sequences to the very end, when it's up to Bell to apprehend the bad guys, and save the day. Another great action adventure/historical fiction mix for a enjoyable read.

Wired Kingdom

I've had the pleasure of receiving an ARC copy of my Twitter/Facebook friend, Rick Chesler, for his thriller to review, albeit almost a month late. Wired Kingdom starts out with a tagged whale, who's shown on a reality show named Wired Kingdom, which is for educational purposes, and also held contests for viewers who see it stream online the whale's latest move. When a murder is caught on tape by a vicious shark attack, everyone wants that tag. That's when they bring in, Agent Tara Shores from the FBI, who's in charge of the case to investigate the murder and meets with Trevor Lane, who's in charge of Wired Kingdom's website, and Dr. Anastasia Reed, a marine mammalogist, who leads her to the whale. Meanwhile Hector Gonzalez leads his Mexican divers to get the tag and hone in on some cash for his sick daughter, and Eric Stein, the leader of an eco-terrorist group called Ocean Liberation Front is on the race to stop the people from filming it on TV. Things gets heated up, when the whale is caught up on nets, while the race is on to save it, and things gets deadly. There's plenty of twists and turns, if you love a thriller on the ocean. It's a great read.

Friends Till The End

If you love a beautiful heart-warming story, you'll love Talk Before Sleep. It's about two friends, Ann and Ruth, who met at a party, and became fast friends. When Ruth's diagnosed with breast cancer, Ann and Ruth's friends are there for her in support and with love. When the cancer progressed to spread across her body, they cherished every moment they spent with her, making memories as they go along, until she died. A beautiful tear-jerker for a quick read about friendship and living life to the fullest.

As the World Churns

It's been a little over two years, since I've read a Tamar Myers Penn Dutch Inn book. It's good to go back to a great culinary cozy to enjoy with yummy recipes. Out of nineteen books in the series, this is the 16th one, when I hope to read Hell Hath No Curry #15, and the Crepes of Wrath, #9, hopefully, later this year, although I'm reading it out of order. In this installment, As the World Churns, Magdalena is hosting a Hollstein cow competition at her inn, when someone clobbers Doc Shafor. It's up to Magdalena, who faints, and deals with her mother-in-law, and other problems, to find out who kidnapped her pseudo-stepdaughter and her husband, when she learns a shocking twist in the end. I know I have many books in the series I haven't read: #2, #10-14, #17-18. I Hope to be caught up with this series in a year or two.

Double trouble

Wow. This is another great thriller by Kevin O'Brien. A little over a year ago, I've read Left to Die. I hope to read two more thrillers by this author. In this novel, One Last Scream, there's many surprising twists and turns you won't see coming, until it hurts you hurt. Amelia Faraday at age 19 experiences blackouts and other phantom pains, when bad things happen, due to her drinking habits. But people close to her are dying. She receives promotions of a death that might happen. When no one believes her, it's up to her therapist and friend, Karen Carlisle. When the truth of the past unravels later on, they discover a long-forgotten "twin" who's out for revenge and out to get her last. It's up to Karen to stop her.

Fatal Remedies

Last year I've read Friends in High Places (#9) by Donna Leon for a book challenge. This year, I've read Fatal Remedies (#8) by Donna Leon for another book challenge. I hope to read 3-4 more next year, whether for a book challenge or not. This was another great Guido Brunetti mystery series, set in beautiful Italy, when his wife is arrested for vandalism twice, and then it leads to a case he's working on, when there's a murder. As he investigates it, his wife is cleared, when the real reason behind it is fatal for sure. A great quick read to put you right into Italy.

Unexpected Second Chances

This is a beautiful story that could fit into the woman's fiction and the romance niche about second chances for romance. In Coast Road, Jack McGill's ex-wife Rachel ends up in a coma from a car accident, he discovers what he lost with his daughter, what he had with Rachel, and how tropical Big Sur is in your life. He juggled new relationships, two daughters who are struggling and growing up, and the friendships Rachel made, since she moved. He also dealt with his law firm too. Slowly, he realizes he wants it back, when she comes out from the coma to start all over and never leave her side. Meanwhile, Katherine falls in love with one of Rachel's doctor, who've had two failed relationships, since she had breast cancer and reconstructive surgery.

Devil in Winter

If you love great historical romances, you'll love Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower series. Last year, I've read the first one, Secrets of a Summer Night. Now I've read the third one, Devil in Winter, which is Evangeline Jenner's story of how you she won the heart of Sebastian St. Vincent. She proposed a bargain he can't stand to lose: marry her to prevent her evil relations from forcing her into a marriage with her cousin. St. Vincent's agrees to the bargain and marries her, in a marriage of convenience. Lately, after they married, with one night of seduction, they face many challenges, including a dying father, her father's club, and secret enemies who wanted to do her in. When he protects her from them, when one time endangers his life, they can't help, but fall in love with each other in the end. What a splendid story. I hope to read #2 later this year and #4 next year, with the Wallflower's Christmas novel too.

The Reeve's Tale

f you love historical fiction and mystery, then you'll love the Sister Frevisse series. Although this is the ninth out of seventeen books in the series, this is a good series set in Medieval England, one of my favorite historical periods. In this book, the Reeve's Tale, Sister Frevisse helps the reeve, Simon Perryn, with some court cases, when there's an outbreak of the measles. During this time, one man is found dead, and questions are asked on the guilty party. When another dead body turns up, secrets come out with sin, when it hits close to home with a surprise ending. Plenty of action, drama and lots of historical facts about Medieval England that set the scenes for a great wallop of a delightful read.

Testimony

Like the Duke scandal, Testimony is set in a small Vermont town, when one scandal comes to tape, and sets off a chain reactions of events, after it happens, and later on, when you learn what led to it. It shatters families, relationships, friendships, from a variety of POVs that tells the story, until the end, when we learn the shocking truth of what happened, two years ago. This is a strong poignant story that breaks us hearts from one careless mistake. A great novel.

String of Lies

Last year, I've read the first book in the Craft Corner series, Wreath of Deception. Now I've finished book two in the series, String of Lies. Another good cozy with an intriguing mystery in winter. This takes a month after the first murder, when there's rumors of small businesses is being sold to a larger corporation called Holt Meadows. This makes Jo McCallister concerns for her own Craft Corner shop too of being sold. When she learns of her neighbor's shops being sold, and worried for her own, she went to the Holt Manor to talk to Parker Holt himself. And what turns up was his dead body. More than one person had a good reason to kill him, when there's a string of lies popping out of the woodwork to cover their asses. When Jo gets closer to the truth, she might be the next victim of the killer's. An enjoyable read with crafty beading tips.

One of a kind love

Diana Palmer is one of my new favorite romance authors up to date, contemporary or historical. In Lawman, Grace Carver led a tragic life, with a nagging grandmother, with a dangerous past, who's poor and ordinary, and loves life to the fullest. Garon Grier is a FBI agent on a case on a serial child killer, who's her neighbor and fellow ranch hand, who doesn't believe in God, and is a widower. At the start, they become friendly, before he took her on a dates and a whirlwind romance. She wants marriage, he wants sex. When he wants to call it off, he treats her like garbage and scares her, when he's the only one she loved, and seeks a shelter life. In a small town of Jacobsville, TX, everyone protects her and treats Garon like crap, since they're polar opposites. When he comes to apologize, weeks later, after he learns her shocking secret, he understands why she's afraid of men--a secret from her past. When she might be in danger, she agrees to come home under his protection, and faints. Then she learns she's pregnant, when it was deemed impossible, since her tragic past came into light. They marry out of obligation, and because of the baby, which can be precarious to her health ailment. Months later, he finds out, when she's endangered, and needs medical help. In the end, they love each other. What a great story

Mary Mary Quite Contrary...

While I'm waiting for Don't Blink, the Postcard Killers, and the 9th Judgment to come out and to my library, (the 9th Judgment is a bit late), I thought I'll start by adding an earlier classic Alex Cross, Mary Mary. This one is set in Los Angeles, while Alex in on vacation with his family, and dealing with the mother of his second son, Ali, who wants custody of Alex Junior aka Ali. When he's called on this case that deals with a serial killer who's killing the elite in Hollywood, it sends a frenzy with emailed letters and a true shocking twist in the end, while Alex juggles relationships on and off the duty, and being a good father to his kids. A great quick ready for those mysterious at heart.

Shopaholic and Sister

It's been a year or so, since I've read the first book in the Shopaholic. Although I skipped the 2nd and 3rd books in the series, I've read the fourth one so far, Shopaholic and Sister. This one deals, when Becky and Luke return from their almost year long honeymoon, and things changed. Her best friend found somebody new, her husband's acting strange and obsessed with work, and she finds out she has a long-long older sister named Jessica. As Becky gets stuck in debt, she tries to bond with Jess, who can be stubborn as hell, when things blow up for her. She risked her life to try to mend fences, and ended up bonding. In the end, things turned up rosy for Becky, when things are going smooth as well. A delightful read. I hope to read #2 and #3 later this year.

Deadly Twists

Two years ago, I've read my first Ruth Rendell novel. Yesterday, I finished End in Tears, another powerful Wexford mystery set in England, when it starts off with a murder of a teenage girl, and what kind of life she led before her death, and then another teens turns up missing, when she ended up dead. There's a connection between the two girls, when the links fall into place, and a shocking twist right into the end you won't believe. Plus, there's a possible blooming romance between two of Wexford's colleagues, and Wexford's daughter Sylvia's surprising third pregnancy. A good novel all the way around.