Thursday, January 30, 2014

Hell's Belles

Meet Jesse aka Jezebel. She wasn't your ordinary female. She was a demon on the run from Hell, a succubus who changed into a female human form. From Salem MA to NYC, she learned a lot about human life in Jackie Kessler's Hell's Belles. When she fell for Paul, she hid her secret from evil and those who inhabited other humans as their hosts. She came across some interesting characters, especially when she posed as an exotic dancer and experienced an universal love. We experienced what led Jezebel down the road to run from Hell in flashbacks from past to present. There was a lot of humorous interaction when this uncanny female demon had an infectious sense of humor. Danger, love and plenty of laughs in this urban fantasy-paranormal romance that's out of world... from Hell and beyond.

This was a great introduction to urban fantasy. To have a female demon as the lead was priceless in more ways than one. I liked how we were flashed back and forth to see how she'd gotten to where she was today.. as an exotic dancer. I did feel bad for her, since she had Hell chasing her, come fire or high water. I loved how she had sparking chemistry with Paul. I also loved the Salem and NYC locations as well too. This was packed with hilarious humor, tons of drama and good action. You would also fall in love with the series.

Ready to meet Jesse? Why don't you give this a try?

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Swimming with the Dead

Take a break from the cold and hit the tropical waters in the British Virgin Islands. That's where Kathy Brandt took us in her debut novel in her underwater investigation cozy series. Hannah Sampson was a Denver cop and on assignment. When someone murdered the local secretary in her boss's office from a break-in, it set the scene for this wild mystery. By request of her boss to find out who killed his son in the BVI from a diving excursion, Hannah Sampson headed to the islands by assignment. With her scuba diving expertise for search and rescue in recovery, her arrival to the British Virgin Islands was nothing but a warm rescue. From there, people claimed it was an "accidental drowning." It was up to Hannah to dispel the truth, when she went under the water and found out for herself, when she learned more about his life. She found love and friends over there. From Hannah's POV, we learned more about her past and heartaches, and how she loved to scuba and sail on the water. The closer the truth she was to finding out, the more dangerous she was above and under the surface of the water. Under the sea, there lies within the answers she sought after in Swimming with the Dead...

This was an intense and dramatic mystery. I loved the concept of underwater investigations and in tropical locations. From Florida to the Caribbean, it had a certain flair to it. I loved Hannah and her love of adventure for solving crimes in the water. I loved some of her Bahamaian friends she made with and one she had fallen for. You really get a sense of being under the sea with intricate scenic descriptions.

Get ready to take a splash! Check out a copy today!

Sunday, January 26, 2014

An Appetite for Murder

If you're tired of this Polar Vortex winter weather, get warmed up with Lucy Burdette's Key West Food Critic Mystery cozy series.  In  An Appetite for Murder, Hayley Snow was new to the Florida Keys and got burned by her boyfriend Chad. In attempts to land a posh food critic job for the local newspaper, she confronted her ex-boyfriend's latest squeeze. From there, she'd gotten embroiled into a mess, when the police suspect her of killing her. In hopes of clearing her name, she did everything in her power to find out who wanted Kristen Faulkner dead. The closer the truth she was of finding out, the more dangerous the situation was to her. With lots of twists and turns and recipes to feast on or die for, this new cozy series was divine with a new love interest for Hayley in the books to come.

This new culinary cozy debut had a twist or two. I loved the backdrop of the Florida Keys for the scenic settings. Very vivid and rich with colors. I did feel bad for Hayley, who wanted to break into the food criticism role for the newspapers. But I loved Hayley, who had a lot of spunk and went to Lorenzo, a tarot reader, for sound advice. she was someone to root for in the rest of the series as well. I didn't care much for Josh or Kristen either. This would hook you in for an enjoyable light read.

Ready to dine in? Order a copy today!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Wild For You

Hot, hot, hot! That's how I would describe this sizzling new contemporary series from Sophia Knightly. in Wild for You, when Clay Blackthorne signed on to protect Marisol Calderon from a stalker, he got more than he bargained for. She was a handful. But when they first met, while he went undercover as her bodyguard, the sparks were flying between them. So hot enough, it could melt better. When the more threats escalated against her, the more dangerous their situation ended up to be... right into her nail salon. Everyone's under suspicion, when Clay proposed a marriage of convenience. He had a secret of his own. As he closed in on her stalker, he realized how much he loved her. Ay caliente! What a lovely way to burn...

This was a steamy contemporary romance to burn your cold nights away. I loved Marisol and her brother's close friendship. I loved how Clay vowed to protect her, before he had fallen in love with her, and his devoted to his best friend and his job. The location of Florida was very picturesque and perfect to set the scene. Plenty of drama and hot chemistry between Clay and Marisol with intense action. From the first to last page, you would be taken on a wild ride between these two soul mates.

Ready to get wild? Check out a copy today!

Friday, January 24, 2014

The Ice Princess

In Camilla Lackberg's debut Swedish crime thriller, The Ice Princess,  she took us to the dark side of Sweden. When Erica Falck, a Swedish true crime writer, discovered her childhood friend was dead in her bathtub, she started on the path to discover who killed her friend. Between that latest discovery, she dealt with a crisis with her sister and her evil brother-in-law for a battle of her childhood home. As the police start the investigation on her friend's murder, she teamed up with her childhood flame, Patrik Hedstrom. Together, they unraveled family secrets and her friend's hidden past, when it was now connected to a disappearance of a resident from a long-time ago and another murder. Many surprises were in store for Erica and Patrik, when someone was the real culprit in Sweden.

This was a wonderful introduction to the Erica Falck series. We do get to know more about her Swedish life as a true crime writer and to her family. I loved how she was brought into the smack of a middle of a crime that hit too close to home, while she was embroiled on her own family drama. I enjoyed her and her sister, but didn't care too much for her icky brother-in-law. I loved the chemistry between Erika and Patrik too. Nice drama, great suspense, and a hint of love into this brilliant crime debut.

Ready to make a cold trip to Sweden? Pack up with a copy today!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Deception

This may be set up like a true crime novel. In actuality, this was a standalone from Scottish crime writer, Denise Mina. When Lachlan's wife was in jail, awaiting her sentencing for her murders, it was up to him to discover the truth of what's fact or fiction, when he wanted to help plan for her appeal. The closer the truth he got, the more Susie avoided telling him the truth and played mind games with him, after she went to prison. Between fighting for his wife's life, raising their infant daughter and dodging the press, it was more for him to bear, when he discovered more secrets from his wife. In truth, she's a psychopath and ruthless. You have to feel for Lachlan and poor Margie. There was some shocking twists and turns close to the end, which blew Lachlan away and puts the end to the madness in Deception.

I really felt bad for Lachlan and Margie to go through such ordeal. I didn't like it, how Lachlan fell in love with the nanny. Talk about strange love! I loved the depictions in Scotland and in the prison, when Lachlan felt like he was a pariah. I couldn't feel much for Susie, except for such numbness. I loved the dramatic twists and turns in the end. So I won't say much about the surprise ending, since it was quite factual-based, too.

Don't be deceived! Pick up a copy today!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Mystral Murder

If you like a light read for your Kindle, try Lee Hanson's Mystral Murder, the third installment in the Julie O'Hara series. When Julie, a body language expert, and Joe, her significant other, embarked on the Mystral cruise, there was adventure and danger on the high seas from Florida to the Caribbean. When Adrienne Paradis went overboard, everyone was a suspect in Julie's eyes... even Joe, who had an alcohol problem. There was drama, suspense, and a hint of a humorous romance in here. When Julie caught on to the true suspect, it was up to her and Joe to stop her, before she was the next one drowning in the water. This had a little of something for everybody here.

 This was a lovely new cozy for me to read. I enjoyed Julie used her skills as a body language expert to solve this murder. Eye contact, body language and lip sync were the silent cues she picked up as well. I liked the chemistry she had for Joe, someone she cared for much. I didn't care Michelle for much in the beginning, until we got to know her better. I didn't like Gabriel either. Any mysteries set on water makes it more amusing than ever to solve a crime.

Ready to come aboard on this mystery? Try this mystery today!



Saturday, January 18, 2014

No One Left to Tell

No One Left to Tell, the second book in the No One series, was another fabulous thriller from Jordan Dane. She had elements to make it an even hotter romantic suspense. When there was a murder in Chicago, it stunned even Detective Raven Mackenzie from the CPD. We saw how Raven dealt with the crisis and the murder with the partner. Her vulnerability was exposed, when there was someone after her to make her his own. But when she met Christian Delacorte, a man with a troubled past, their chemistry was instant and the sparks fly. But the danger raised another notch. This was a great novel with tons of suspense and sexual tension to kill you enthralled into the danger zone.

In this dark thriller, this also gave me cold chills and thrills down my spine. I liked the pairing of Raven and Christian, when they were on the hunt for her partner's killer. I did became worried with Christian and his past. This would give you an overall real feeling to care about them with every gripping page.

Dare to read this in the dark? Give this thriller a try with the lights on!


No One Left to Tell

Family secrets, murder, dirty cops and politicians, that's what Paige Holden and Grayson Smith had uncovered in Karen Rose's No One Left to Tell, the 13th book in the romantic suspense series. When Paige planned to meet Elena Munoz to talk about her case, someone eliminated her, when she died in Paige's hands. From there, it started a shocking chain reaction across Baltimore. Paige had her old wounds and secrets that she dared to keep, when she fled from her life from her best friend's death. When she ran into Grayson Smith, he had  stunning secret of his own. As they come together and join forces, the chemistry between them heated up and started a firestorm. The closer they were finding out the truth, they get closer to their own perilous attempts of death. Before they know it, they would have no one to tell them the truth before it was too late. And the shocking twist was in the ending.

This was another intense and explosive romantic suspense from Karen Rose. I did care about Gray and Paige, when they both harbored dangerous secrets that brought them closer together. I loved the Baltimore location for this novel, too. This would make you feel cold and numb all over and shaking in the end. Great drama, very good non-stop action and lots of tension, and plenty of intrigue and hot romance, too.

Will you have no one left to tell about this great book? Check it out now!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Knock Out

In the 13th installment of the FBI thriller series by Catherine Coulter, it was really a Knock Out of a story--in two ways than one. It all started, when there was a bank robbery in action and the ensuing aftermath. Two young robbers were out for blood, seeking revenge, and wanted Dillon Savich dead. They wrecked havoc everywhere they went, while they were on the run and hiding out. Meanwhile, young Autumn Backman needed Dillon's help with a sticky family situation down South. With her peculiar psychic ability, she connected to him via her telepathy. Back and forth, they helped Sheriff Ethan Merriweather with Autumn's uncles who wanted her for their own sick cult. They gave everyone a knockout of their own with their psychic power and stymie them to do whatever they want by looking into their eyes. He fought the Backman family with a dose of his own medicine of his own with Lacey Sherlock, before their lives were on the line. Lots of action, drama, high-intense suspense throughout this thriller to give you a knockout punch of your own. TKO!

This was a fascinating storyline with a helluva angle for a plotline. I loved how Lacey and Dillon came to the aid of poor Autumn, who was caught up in a big mess.  I loved the California angle, when it went down to Alabama and other parts of the deep south. I did feel bad for Autumn and her mom. I didn't like her family one bit. But I loved the connection between Ethan and Autumn's mom. The cult angle was a shocking twist or two on how they manipulated people at their own wicked expense. Great drama, good suspenseful action, and a whopper for a thriller.

Ready for your Knock Out?  Buy a copy today!

Monday, January 13, 2014

The Unlikely Spy

Like the old adage went: All is fair in love and war. But all bets were off, when it's World War Two. From USA to England and Germany in Europe, that's a war brewing between Hitler and Churchill in this historical espionage thriller. This had a little bit of everything for a good thriller to get you hooked and caught up in the action. The Unlikely Spy was about one female spy who changed everything for war and risked her life--and her heart. Catherine Blake wasn't your ordinary woman. It was just a ruse and a façade. Peter Jordan worked for the Navy as an engineer, a widower with a young son back at home, who fell for her. And Albert Vicary was on the trail to cover her tracks. Like a ping-pong match, you witnessed how the Germans, the Brits and the Americans, fought in this long war. With historical accurate action with a fictional twist, there were so many surprises in store for this novel with a devastating ending. This stand alone will get you hooked into his two spy thriller series as well.

This was an excellent historical thriller that took place during the second World War. I did feel sad for Peter, when he lost his wife and worked on a top-secret job working on the bridge. I liked Vicary, who was lonely and craved intriguing attention. We do get to be in the front row seat for this action-packed novel with real life events and characters from the past. I didn't care for much for Catherine Blake, who used everyone to her own gain. I did feel true emotions for Jenny, who wanted to be free from her father and fell for a German soldier. Every character had a central side story to this gripping novel from page one to the end.

Ready for a thrill ride? Check this stand alone novel today! 

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Last to Die

Get ready for an explosive thriller in the latest--tenth--installment by Tess Gerritsen. In Last to Die, Jane and Maura were on their most difficult case yet. When three children lost their parents and their foster parents, they were sent to Evensong school in the wilderness in Maine. But it wasn't just an ordinary school, when every kid have been touched by sadness and violence in their lives. They learned exceptional skills for survival. As they discovered the hidden nuances between the shocking truth of a secret connection between them, there was an underlying cover up of what's truth and fiction, when they were the only ones last to die. As Jane dealt with a conflict in her family,  Maura contemplated a drastic move. Someone terrorized the children in the school, while they get closer to the truth, the explosive ending blows you away that you'll never see it coming.

This was an interesting medical thriller with the twist. I loved how Maura and Jane cared about the students of the academy, who were all special and different, and lost a parent--especially three of them with a common bond. I continue to love the Maine connection for the school. The death scenes were a bit brutal, like a bitter pill to swallow. This would make you hold you breath and leave you asking for more to read after the first page.

Ready to get blown away? Check this out today!



Friday, January 10, 2014

The Ugly Duchess

You'll fall in love with fairy tale and true classic romances again. In Eloisa James's The Ugly Duchess, the fourth installment in the Fairy Tales Book Series, she spun a beautiful historical romance, based on Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling, and weaved an intricate heartfelt story of her own. Theodora "Theo" Saxby was a plain Jane and very gifted in the arts. James Ryburn was her childhood best friend and "surrogate brother", when she became the ward of the Duke of Ashbrook. Surrounded by debt, his father dared James to woo and wed Theo for her money. From there, she learned later the truth behind their marriage and the outrage behind those "ugly duchess" rumors around the ton. She kicked him out of the house. For seven years,  James was a privateer sailing the high seals and sacrificing his life. Right before she declared him dead, James resurfaced and reclaimed her as his own.

This beautiful  historical romance reminded us that beauty is only skin deep, and the inside really matters and counts. I loved the Ugly Duckling comparison to the classic fairy tale with an enchanted twist. I watched how Theo became confident and graceful as a beautiful lithe swan in her own way. It made me want to root for her to become strong. I cried, sighed, and smiled with a light heart, that they worked things out, when their love withstood the hands of time. You'll fall in love with them again, like they did for each other and built a marriage out of faith, honesty and love for their own fairy tale ending.

Check out this enchanted love story right now!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Love on Mimosa Lane

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Elizabeth  Barrett Browning said it best, when she penned her classic poem. In Love on Mimosa Lane, you'll fall in love in the third installment of the Seasons of the Heart series. Read in part of the series or stand alone, this one will pull at your heart strings for sure. Chandlerville was a small close-knit community in Georgia, still recovering and healing from a school shooting, months ago. All Lawrence "Law" Beaumont wanted was a safe place to raise his daughter and to bring them together. When Kristen Hemmings, the assistant principal at his daughter's school asked him to coach a troubled student in his soccer team, from there, the love affair started from the residents. Trust, love, friendship, honesty and faith were the keys for the essential key ingredients in this beautiful contemporary romance. There was love in the air between Kristen and Law, when it wasn't easy with his vindictive ex-wife Libby making threats. There was love of a community who stuck and came together. A love between parents, biological and foster, to their kids. This novel pulled at your heartstrings, when you fall in love with Law and Kristen's romance and root them on to belong together.

This was a most definitely a five-star contemporary romance to move you to tears and melt your heart. This was a terrific love story about belonging to a small community and to find one as your soul mate. I loved the backdrop of Chandlerville, Georgia, for the small-town knit community that have been rocked by a school tragedy. I loved how Kristen Hemmings took charge as the new principal for the school and connected with the staff and students. I loved how Law changed to be a better father for his own daughter. They had a great group of friends and neighbors to help support them. I didn't care for much for Law's ex, who wasn't a great mother to his daughter either.  A great romance that's filled with a hint of drama about the matters in the heart.

Ready to go to Mimosa Lane? Grab a copy today!

Monday, January 6, 2014

I'll Walk Alone

In I'll Walk Alone, Mary Higgins Clark introduced us to a shocking and twisted tale of identity theft. Two years ago, Alexandra "Zan" Moreland's three-year-old son went missing without a trace. Now when new photographs of her abducting her own son from her stroller showed up, they shone the same spotlight on her and proclaimed her guilt. When the stacked odds were against her, she'll do anything to prove her innocence. For Zan as a rising star in interior design, someone wanted to stick it to her. Her former boss and rival, her former son's babysitter, and even her ex-husband. But there's someone who's even more sinister to do her in and had someone imitating her and ruining her in by hacking her accounts and making her look real bad. In this spine-tingling mystery, the shocking truth on who really done it and why in the end, when Zan walked alone, exonerated, with her head held high. MHC's the queen of suspense did it again with a quick read.

This was one of her finest ones yet to date. I hated the people who blamed Zan for her own abduction of her son. Everyone was out to get her. I didn't like her former boss or her ex-husband. But when the identity theft happened to her, I knew she wasn't guilty at all. I cared for Zan and hoped everything would be okay. I liked the whole story. It gave me goosebumps and made me sigh and cringe.

Ready to catch an identity thief? Give this one a go!



Sunday, January 5, 2014

Doing Harm

You'll be hooked on the first page in this thrill ride for debut author Kelly Parsons. I had the privilege of reading this via Netgalley with his debut medical thriller, Doing Harm. Told in first person and in real time, you'll be taken in with action-packed, page-turning, adrenalin-rushed novel. Dr. Stephen Mitchell was an upcoming surgeon in a prominent university hospital with a promising career as a medical professor. He loved his career as a surgeon and his family, too. When when he met his medical student, Gigi Maxwell, all bets were off. She was the most wicked person around and messed with his mind. Via Steven's mind, we saw what he'd seen, when she turned his world around and exploded it. When two of his patients died on his watch, he later learned it was nothing but a sicked perverted game of life and death, a cat-and-mouse game to the finish with every scene. You'll be rooting for Steven along the way and booing for Gigi, the most heinous villainess you'll ever met in a novel. This was a future best-seller on your hands.

I loved the Boston backdrop in this excellent medical thriller. I adored Steven and his devotion to his career and family, while trying to make both ends meet. I hated Gigi for everything she was and stood for.  She made me cringe and my hair crawl, like a stray black cat. I hated when one of Steven's colleagues had gotten killed in the mix-up. I really felt bad for Sally as well. Some characters I couldn't stand as well. But you would really love this book with action-packed suspense and borderline medical drama.

Ready to get hooked on a new book? Grab this book today!

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Tunnel Vision

In Gary Braver's Tunnel Vision, he asked the age old question about life and death, and if there was an afterlife. In the first part, it dealt with Zack Kashian's bicycle accident. For months, he was in a coma and then woke up to speak in Aramaic. People believed he was a miracle and to heal like Jesus. In the second part, we were introduced to some religious-crazed heinous people who experiment on near-death experiences. But there was a hit man out there on a religious bent. Although there were some religious overtones over here, it asked about the boundaries of religion and science, no matter what your religion was. When Zack's suspension grew deeper and darker, it freaked him out. With Sarah as his close ally, it made him wonder and to step away. And when truth became reality before it settled in, it made him want to dig deep the truth to a shocking ending, where all roads lead to a divine intervention and a satisfying conclusion. A nice crossover with science fiction/religion inserted into this pulse-racing medical thriller.

This thriler enthralled me with religious and scientific elements. From the start, I cared about Zack, since he had a bicycle accident and went into the coma. I didn't care for much who preyed on his vulnerability with that secret medical society. I loved the connection between Sarah and Zack.  They had great chemistry together. I also cared for Zack, when he went to search for his long-lost father, until he died. That was moving and touching as I cried tears. This explored the phenomenon of miracles of a religious nature.

Ready to talk to God? Give this one a go today!