Before the Scandal

In Suzanne Enoch's Before the Scandal, the second installment in the Notorious Gentlemen series, get ready to be hooked into a wild ride of romance and danger. When Colonel Phineas Bromley received a mysterious missive from his sister Elizabeth, he took a leave from fighting the war and returned home to London. Little did he know and later find, someone tries to push his family into ruin. First the fire, then the wells, and the loose bloodhound. Phin needed his ally Thad Gordon, and someone close to help him discover the truth. Ten years ago, before the scandal when he accidentally handicapped his brother, Phin and Alyse were friends. Now he had returned from the war, he gets to know her more intimately and becomes her friend. For Alyse, she's been forced to be her aunt's companion and with her cousin, both people she couldn't stand to be with, ever since her parents died. As Phin learns more shocking revelations, he believed it was his neighbor Richard Donnelly, who wants the land for himself and insinuates himself into his family by courting Beth.  Both Phin and Alyse create a secret alliance of intimate proportions as she spies for her cousin and vice versa. Undercover, Phin poses as the French Highwayman to make some noise. Now her cousin Richard needs her to point the finger to Phin with a handsome bribe. When push comes to shove, Phin has the right evidence to make Richard confess and makes Alyse his own.

This was a fascinating and thrilling historical romance to read. I loved Phin and Alyse's story to read and how it captivated me from the beginning. I found Phin real charming and Alyse a real doll to put up with Richard and her aunt. I loved the ruse of the Highwayman concept real enduring as I liked the settings of England from the Bath ruins and to the Bromley house for the location's scenery. This made me want to swoon and sigh with their intimateness in every page with non-stop action, plenty of heated romance, lots of drama and intrigue along the way.

Will you be tempted to seek vengeance before the scandal?

A Merciful Death

In Kendra Elliott's A Merciful Death, the first installment in the Mercy Kilpatrick romantic suspense series, you said you can never go home again. FBI Mercy Kilpatrick was raised and born a prepper in a small rural town called Eagle's Nest in Oregon. A family tragedy had forced her to leave her home. Fifteen years later, she arrived on the scene on the prepper murders in own home town. Her family won't give her the time or day, as she dealt with the grisly crime scene and rumors of a cave man in her neck of the words. She meets Chief Truman Daly, who's uncle was one of the latest preppers murdered in his home. While she tries not to let herself fall in love with Daly, she comes face to face with a shocking reality of the missing weapons and broken murders. It reminded her on what drove her away from her home, when she tried to connect the dots from the past to the present cases on her own. Though her siblings had slightly welcomed her back in their fold, she reviews the past rape-murder cases to the one that came close of hitting home. In the end, she faces her own demons and dealt with one-two punch of when the truth comes out from her brother, before tragedy hits home again as she follows her heart to find love.

This was a really fantastic romantic suspense. I really cared for Mercy and  how she wished to find peace and solace with her family. Maybe within time, they would forgive her. I liked how she teamed up with Truman and didn't expect to find romance with him during tough crime scenes. I hated Craig for what he had done, even towards the end. It was really callous. I've found Eagle's Nest really picturesque for a small prepper town with its sights and sounds for the locations and settings. This would really keep you up at night and wonder who's really out there. This has romance, drama, non-stop action and plenty of intrigue.

Are you ready to encounter a merciful death?

Nightshade

In Susan Wittig Albert's Nightshade, the 16th installment in the China Bayles mystery series, this tale dealt with hard core topics and bitter rivals that came from the past. After China's friend Ruby grieved the loss of her lover Colin, China dealt with her half-brother's mysterious visit to see her. She didn't know him about him, until it was too late. When her husband Mike McQuaid was supposed to met him to talk about reopening the investigation on their father's murder, Miles ended up a victim himself. Devastated, both Mike and China dealt with the blow, when they tried to figure out the connections between cold cases from the past and how it was connected to his death, while they assorted out his estate and affairs. For Mike McQuaid, he met Ellie Hanson, Miles's aunt, who grew her own tomatillo farm and had her own bone to pick against her own cousin. And somehow the family tree connection branched off to them and there, when she stored China's father old burnt-old Cadillac. Together they tied off the loose ends to make some sense of things, before things had gotten heated and darn right ugly with the shocking truth in the dark. 

This was another gripping and startling mystery that gets right to the core and the heart of the matter. I cared for China and Mike's relationship and how they put the pieces together to solve this unsolved mystery. I'm glad that Sheila and Ruby could put their differences together and become friends again.  I adored the Pecan Springs area in Texas along with its iconic landmarks for a picturesque and vivid locations and settings. This would take you for a great ride with plenty twists and turns on this page-turning emotional roller coaster ride. It has great suspense, intrigue, non-stop action and plenty of action with great factual tidbits on the plant nightshade.

Would you be wise to watch your step with Nightshade today?

While My Pretty One Knits

In Anne Canadeo's While My Pretty One Knits, the first installment in the Black Sheep Knitting Cozy Mystery series, this tale would get you all tangled up in knitted knots with a compelling storyline. When local book author Cara Newhouse arrived in Maggie Messina's book signing and felting demonstration, she had hidden a terrible secret. It all started when it would be brought to light, when Maggie's craft store rival Amanda Goran made an appearance and acting good-spirited with a new look at her store. Something was up with her change of attitude. After the book signing, word came about on her suspicious death at her own home. And the police believed Maggie had something to do with her murder as a suspect, when her fellow knitter friends thought it might Amanda's own ex-husband Peter. To help Maggie get off the hook, they dug deeper into Amanda's life, when more suspicious robberies made them raise their own eyebrows. For Lucy Binger, she had put the pieces together, when she rescued Tink, one of Amanda's dog, and had taken him to the vet, which made him real sick. Not only had she had eyes on the new vet as a possible love interest, she made some other shocking discoveries between Amanda's and Cara's alliance with the key evidence, when things came to a head with a heated confrontation between her and fight for their lives to bring her to justice.



This was a great new craft cozy mystery to read and enjoy. You learn a lot about knitting and felting and other new crafty ideas in the back of the book, too. I adored Lucy and her fellow Black Sheep knitting friends, when they had a knitting night and helped piece together this murder. I loved the idealistic Plum Harbor location set in Massachusetts for a picturesque setting in majestic scenery. I could see Lucy and Matt hooking up with more dates in future books in the series. This would get you hooked into knitting and into the series with drama, non-stop action, a hint of romance and plenty of intrigue along the way.

Will you give While My Pretty One Knits a try today?

Absolute Trust

In Piper Drake's Absolute Trust, Athe third installment in the True Heroes romantic suspense series, hold onto your hats for an action-packed novel. Brandon Forte and Sophie Kim had been friends and former sweethearts in high school, before he left for the military.  Now since he's retired and works for Hope's Crossing Kennels, an animal clinic outfitted to train dogs who fought in the war with their handlers. And Haydn, a beloved German Shepherd with a prosthetic leg, had been trained in the kennel. It all started when Sophie's car bombed and injured her ankle in the process. From there, it was all systems go, when Brandon protected her and was on a hunt for the perps who did this to her. When Sophie was let go from her job, something was up, especially when a certain mercenary organization him to request his services. While Brandon and his team look for clues on who wanted to do this to her, Sophie and Brandon grew closer to confide in each other about how they felt for each other, then and now. As soon as he put his life on the line for her, he would do anything for her to catch the perp and bring them down, one way or another, just to be with her and her life.

In this novel, there was so much to love about it. I loved how it featured a diverse couple between Sophie and Brandon, and how diverse Haydn was with three paws to become a canine star in his own right. This is a novel you can't put down. I cared about Sophie and Brandon, while they worked their past issues out and how he protected her one way or another. I also loved how they put their trust on each other, the same as he trusted Haydn too.  I loved the Philly background settings and locations for this picturesque scenery, including the kennel. I also liked Lyn and Elisa as well and the other characters as well. This has a lot of blood-pumping non-stop action, suspense, romance, and intrigue that you keep you at the edge of your seat.

Will you have Absolute Trust to pick up this sexy hot romantic suspense novel?

Love Irrestibly

In Julie James's Love Irresistibly, the 4th installment in the FBI/US Attorney contemporary romance series, this enchanting romance novel would wow you with such powerful writing to sweep you off your feet. It all started with a favor from US Attorney Cade Morgan, a former college football player, who needed help nailing the corrupt politicians from Brooke Parker. After she applied, she asked him for a favor or two in return to help her out in her end. Brooke Parker's the general counsel for Sterling Restaurants, who's busy work schedule had put a damper into her relationships in life and love. From there, they had a casual relationship with each other, which lead to great sex, and getting to know each other better. But both of them had issues to prevent them from going forward--Cade learned about his half-brother and has bitter memories of his own biological father growing up. Brooke wants balance in her life and to enjoy herself, even when a new opportunity for her job growth sprouted and prompted her with her decision. With things moving up and forward, maybe too fast for them, they learned to love each other as a couple and have new promotions in their promising career for a happy ending.

This was a fantastic contemporary romance novel. I really loved Brooke and Cade as a couple and their quirky texts to each other. I adored Ford and Brooke's friends and Cade's FBI agent buddies.  I did snort one time, when Brooke accidentally shared something on Facebook. I loved the Chicago backdrop for the locations and the settings. It was so vivid and only so awesome. This would make you laugh/snort, swoon, cheer for Cade and Brooke, and how they've made peace with their right decisions. Plenty of sexy romance, drama, non-stop action and intrigue on every page.

Check this out today!

The Dress Shop of Dreams

In Menna Van Praag's The Dress Shop of Dreams, be prepared for this enchanting novel to take your breathless with its amazing story-telling. For Cora Carraway, she lived with her grandmother in an apartment above the dress shop. Parentless at a young age, she wanted to be a scientist like her late parents. With the encouragement of her grandmother Etta, she prompts Detective Henry Dixon to reopen the case and look into it for her. Walt Cooper worked at the bookstore next door and always cared and loved Cora for many years, and had kept his cryptic mother's notebook close to his heart. At night, he reads classic novels over the radio with an uplifting voice to help pay the books. Since he doesn't read the letters the women sent, his boss Dylan took matters into his own hands and wrote them for her. But when he meets Milly, someone who had been seeing, he realized what Dylan had done and followed his heart. Even Etta had kept an old secret with the affair she had someone, who later became a priest.  Years later, she confessed to him what she withheld from him all this time with a happy ending.

This was a beautifully written woman's fiction novel with a touch of magical realism. I adore Cora and Walt as childhood sweetheart, who grew up together and both losing parents at a young age. And they both lived and worked together on the same block, too. I loved Etta and her magical dress shop of dreams and how it had put a spell to those owned the dress with a magically stitched star in the seams. I loved the English locations and settings from Oxford and throughout the novel.  This would make you believe in yourself and to follow your heart and dreams with every propelling and turned page.  This has romance, non-stop drama, a hint of magical realism and action along the way with a sparkle of intrigue.

Will you check out the Dress Shop of Dreams?

Summer of the Dead

In Julia Keller's The Season of the Dead, the 3rd installment in the Bell Elkins thriller series, it was one hot summer when the crime rate went up a notch. For Bell Elkins, the county prosecutor for Acker's Gap, West Virginia, she had a full plate on her hands. First her sister Shirley has been released from prison to start her new free life, while she waited for her daughter Carla to visit her that summer. But as she investigated the murder of Freddie Arnett, things took a dangerous turn for the residents of her small town. To make matters worse, someone had been killed at a bar fight, when she had found a lone business card. Besides trying to square away with her sister's needs, she had two homicides to find a connection between the two cases. For Lindy Crabtree, she worked at the gas station to support herself and her sick dad who worked the coal mines and had asbestos poisoning with no much time to life. As she searched for clues to her mother's childhood, someone tried to scare her and clobbered her with a rock. When Bell learned of this assault, things came to a head when the chips fall into place into this puzzle and later stirred this sick plot beyond reason. In the end, both Lindy and Bell were dealt a hard blow at the reality of who would do it and why.

This was a great thriller with so many twists you didn't see coming. I cared about Belfa and how she dealt with a lot in that one hot and dangerous summer. I liked Nick Fogelsong and Brenda Lovejoy. I also cared about Lindy and how she had dealt with carrying the heavy load for her and her father.  Acker's Gap was a picturesque small town with its close-knit community. I could paint the picture of it in my mind. This would hook you and ground you to your chair from the first page to the last with non-stop drama, action, suspense, and plenty of mystery.

Will you be ready to handle the Summer of the Dead?

Scandal in Silver

In Sandra Chastain's Scandal in Silver, the first installment in the Alexander sisters historical romance series, you'll be swept away by a beautiful and enchanting love story that came from the heart. During the Civil War, Sabrina's father wanted to mine the silver dream and be rich. But when he died in a cave-in, it left Sabrina and her four sisters alone. They needed someone to help mine the ore and to bury her father with their proper burial. So Sabrina left to go for help and encountered a treasonous massacre of Confederate soldiers and rescued the Misfits who were beaten and held captive. Sabrina rescues them and makes them her prisoners at her mountain home.  That's when she met Captain Quinton Colter, who had endured a lot of heartache of his own during the war. He was on a mission to confront a traitor who turned them in as the ultimate scapegoats. Not only did Sabrina fell in love with Colter, so did her sisters with Colter's men, except for her half-sister Raven, who was learning the ropes of her Native American Arapaho heritage with her grandfather. Other than dealing with danger on a war-torn ground, they followed their hearts to start a future in the end and a bright new adventure.

This was a beautiful classic loveswept story from the late Sandra Chastain. This was so romantic and enduring at the end of the Civil War. I cared for Sabrina and her sisters, who followed their hearts and set out for a romantic adventure with a former Yankee Rebel. This was so profound and enchanted to see how they dealt with loss and love in a swift timespan along the Colorado Territory. I loved the background of Colorado and the Civil War theme for the locations of that time period. This would make you sigh and cry and faint by these former soldiers as it would tug your heart strings real tight. Get swept away with romance, non-stop action, drama, intrigue and adventure.

Will you be daring to be a scandal in silver today?

State of the Onion

In Julie Hyzy's State of the Onion, the first installment in the White House Chef Mystery, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. For Olivia Parras, her dream job is to be the executive chef of the White House and be in charge of the staff and menus. But she had a couple of obstacles in the way. It all started, when she picked up a present for her mentor Henry Cooler, who was retiring from his job. But when they were an intruder who invaded the White House's lawn, Ollie put a stop to it with her skillet. But as soon as the intruder was escorted away, she became hooked and intrigued into his warning shot about the president being in danger. Little did they know, things weren't cut and dried as it seemed. She had to contend with a lurking terrorist in the midst to followed her around, an insensitive sensitivity director who made life unbearable, and an arch rival for the coveted spot. With all this, she put herself into danger and became close of being killed, when she uncovered a ghastly plot from someone she knows in disguise. In the end, she came on top and unearthed a big hatched plot to ruin world peace between the nations.

This was a great culinary cozy debut with a great cast of characters. I liked Ollie and her determination to reach for the goals. I think she makes a great couple with Tom. I couldn't stand Sargent and Laurel Anne Braun. I loved the locations of the inner workings of the White House and the Washington D.C. Metro area. We do learn what goes behind the scenes in the White House's kitchen that you don't hear or see on TV. This would make you whet your appetite in every page turn and take you on a great journey. This was intrigue, suspense, non-stop action and plenty of drama.

Will you crave a reading of State of the Onion?