One Reckless Summer

When you read One Reckless Summer by Toni Blake, you're on a ride for your life. We're introduced to former "good girl" Jenny Toliver, who's comes home to Destiny Ohio from a divorce. Who said who can't come home? Destiny isn't your type of hometown. It's close knit, small and town, with a beautiful view of a lake and stars. We see Jenny on her homecoming when she reunited with her father and her friends. But we see how her life was in the past and even now, since her mother's death years ago, and how her dad is protective of her and finds a new love of his own. But you root for Jenny and how she changed her life in a whole different way. When trouble with a capital T comes to town, Mick Brody, a bad boy who rocks her world, and carries a deep secret of his own. This type of contemporary romance has some erotic spice to it to make it stand on its own. This is an enjoyable new romance series to love.

Permed to Death

If you love fresh and entertaining cozies, this one is for you. Nancy Cohen's Permed to Death, the first book in the Bad Hair Day Mystery series, took place in Plantation, Florida. We were introduced to Marla Shore and her fellow colleagues at her salon. They were eccentric and had their own shares. And when a fellow customer died in their salon, it made Marla curious. There was an instant connection between Marla, a Jewish divorcee, and Detective Vail, a handsome detective on the case, who wasn't  so Jewish. We also meet her family and friends. There was a lot of drama in her own life, and root for Marla, who won't back down on preserving her reputation and her salon. This was a good page-turner. Marla's not just an ordinary heroine who has some flair in this series.

I loved the location in Plantation Florida and the hair salon setting. That set it apart from the other cozy mysteries out there. I enjoyed Marla and her gang at the salon. It's so rare to see a Jewish character, except for the Faye Kellerman Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. And Detective Vail wasn't bad himself for a piece of eye-candy. Their connection had good chemistry together. We care about Marla's family as well and why she wanted to clear her name.

Check out this cozy today, while you're waiting for your next haircut! 

Unknown Means

This is another good installment for the Evelyn James forensic series-albeit the last one after Trace Evidence, before Elizabeth Becka became Lisa Black to write a new series still set in Cleveland. We're so wrapped up into Evelyn's life as a forensic scientist, a single mother of a teenage daughter, and a new love interest in her life, who wants to take it one step further. When she's on a case with many curvy twists and turns and a possible connection to her best friend's attack, it's almost too close to call when it hits home. There's plenty of non-stop action as we're enveloped into Evelyn's life and welcome into her world, 24/7, with many surprises along the way.

Nobody's Darling

This is a beautiful historical romance set in 1840s USA and England. We're introduced to two different people from two different classes, Esmerelda Fine from royalty in England and Billy Darling from Calamity NM, an outlaw and a dirt farmer's son. Instantly from the beginning, those two worlds collide when they meet and sparks fly. We're drawn into both of their worlds when we see things from them. A tale of opposites attract and defying the odds when it comes to add. We learn more about both of their lives and see how well-matched they are when it comes to Fate. This is a "darling" romance to become a classic.

The Orchid Shroud

This is the second book I read in the Death in the Dordogne series. It's beautifully set in France and deals with orchids as a theme. This one has a bit of a historical fiction aspect to it, to give the storyline an authentic theme. We learn some much about orchids here and French culture and life in the vineyards. This has a paranormal feel to it a tiny bit. We do care much about Mara's relationship with Julian and how others treat her, since she's Canadian. There's plenty twists and turns in this storyline to keep you guessing, right to the surprising twist in the end.

Red-Blooded Murder

If you love great thrillers, you'll also love the second installment in the Izzy McNeil series. In Red-Blooded Murder, it picked up six months later from Red Hot Lies. We really have gotten involved into Izzy's world, when she tackled a lot that have been going on in her life. And man, did she have a full plate in this series? We saw Izzy on an emotional roller coaster ride. I really became worried about her, since she became stuck and embroiled into another murder mystery of her own, when she was the center of the attention. Not only that, she juggled relationships and moonlighted in another job. But we watched how close she was to her mom, brother and step-dad. Fast-paced for a great ride.

This was a great continuation of the Izzy McNeil series. Once again, I love the backdrop of Chicago for this storyline. The tension between Izzy and Sam was tight and tough.  I didn't care for much for the second murder she encountered that placed her in the spotlight. I hated for Izzy to lose another friend when she was murdered. But I liked how she teamed up to moonlight with Mayburn. Plenty of good drama and suspense in this legal thriller.

Ready to catch a criminal? Give this book a go!

Some Girls Bite

If you love great urban fantasy novels with a hint of romance, you'll love the Chicagoland Vampires series. Meet (Caroline) Merit. We're introduced to her. She's not a typical grad student. When she's attacked by vampires, her world is changed. And we watch it unfold in front of our eyes. When Merit learns about becoming a vampire, so do we. We witness everything including a possible love triangle between two Vampire masters and her role of the house. Life's not easy for Merit in Chicago. But when you read this novel, you'll be rooting for her all the way. She's not an ordinary hero, but maybe a future unsung hero. I liked her since I've read the first page.