A Fatal Waltz

In Tasha Alexander's A Fatal Waltz, the third installment in the Lady Emily historical suspense series, this would grip you in this shocking tale of two cities. When Lady Emily was invited to attend a party, she had to deal with Lord Fortescue who didn't wish to see her marry Colin Hargreaves. Though they've been engaged for a certain period of time, while trying to set a date for the wedding, Emily had to deal with and contend with Colin's former flame Kristiana.  Although not jealous, she didn't tried to let her get to her. During the party, Lord Fortescue winds up murdered as Ivy Brandon's husband is set to prison and framed for the murder.  To help clear his name, she goes to Vienna and look for clues there, while she visits her friend Cecile. In Vienna, she comes across some unsavory characters and have an enemy watching her. When she joined up with Colin, she fears for his life, when someone placed a hit on his life and one of the kaiser's. In a race against time, she returns to London and discovers who's the true culprit there with a shocking ending.


This was another fascinating and gripping good read from start to finish. I cared about Emily and Colin as a whole couple and individually, too. They really have a true romance going and will make their marriage work, when they tie the knot. I did feel a bit of sorry for Mary Fortescue and for Ivy Brandon, who both had gotten the shortened end of the stick. I loved the picturesque descriptions of London and Vienna during the winter holiday season for the locations and the settings. This would sweep you away to do a Viennese Waltz of your own and keep you hooked on reading. This has non-stop action, drama, suspense, intrigue, and sparks of romance.

Will you be daring to try the Fatal Waltz?

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay

In Gillian Royes's the Goat Woman of Largo Bay, the first installment in the Shadrack Myers mystery series, this tale will welcome you to the island coastline of Jamaica. For Shad Myers, he's a bartender and problem solver for his boss Eric Keller, an American who owns the restaurant he works for. When Eric and Shad check out an islet off from the island, they thought they saw a goat in a former hotel that was wiped away from the hurricane. It was a woman named Simone who came there to hide from her past life in America. But when two cons approached her, it was up to Shad and Eric to protect her, while Eric became fascinated for her and had brought her supplies and food by a boat. When her brother Cameron paid them a visit, they learned about Simone's grief and her past as they protected her from outside evil. For Shad, he tried to put the pieces together and on how it was connected to his former life as an ex-con and dirty politics that's been going on in his own country.


This was an intriguing mystery series set in Jamaica. I did like Shad and Eric, two different men who are friends, and totally opposites for each other. I also cared for Simone who had a hard life and a whole lot of emotional baggage to deal with, before she took cover in that rundown hotel. I also liked the vivid descriptions of Jamaica in the locations and settings and learned about their culture, too. This would make you want to raise eyebrows in every page turn, and be hooked into this compelling storyline with non-stop action, drama, a hint of romance, and intrigue along the way.

Will you be curious to know about the goat woman of Largo Bay?

Making Waves

In Laura Moore's Making Waves, the first installment in the Beach Lane contemporary romance series, this debut will make you score big by hitting the waves of love and crash land on the shore with a compelling novel. Dakota Hale is the owner of Premier Services concierge services in the Hamptons. When her uncle Elliott decides to sell the family home of Windhaven to a new buyer, it caused an uproar with her single mother Piper and her aunt Mimi. Between the both of them, they had it in for her, since she wasn't welcome much into the Hale family since childhood. When she met Max Carr, a Wall Street financier, she had agreed to help him redecorate her former family home.  In an instant, they had a business relationship. Later, they had a love affair that had something else. For Max, he wasn't looking for romance, when he hired Dakota. He had a ghost in his past and a prickly thorn in his side at work. For Max and Dakota, things had changed, when she learned she was pregnant with his child and then decided to get married. He had taken care of her and had grown to love her and vice versa, when something had troubled him somewhere down the road. While Piper and Mimi tried to give Dakota a hard time, she had broken free from them and gave them the heave-ho, right after she discovered the truth about her biological father from her own mother.  In the end, they made things work out between them and had fallen in love with each other before their baby was born.


This was a beautiful contemporary romance series debut. I instantly cared about Dakota and on how she tried to make it her own. I had felt compassion for Max and how he was haunted---perhaps tormented--by his twin sister's death. I couldn't stand Mimi and Piper one bit and was glad Dakota told them to stay out of her life in her own way.  I loved the Hampton locations and the surfing scenes on the water along with the central NYC settings. This was a phenomenal read, while you can get swept away by this emotional love story, it would make you feel touched and cry. This has drama, romance, non-stop action and a hint of mystery.

Are you ready to be making waves with this novel?

The Girl who Knew Too Much

In Amanda Quick's the Girl Who Knew Too Much, this tale takes you to the 1930s in this novel that's a cross of historical romance and romantic suspense. For Anna Harris, she had witnessed her former boss's death and discovered a secret notebook. From there, she leaves NYC to Hollywood, changed her name to Irene Glasson, and become a gossip reporter. When she becomes entrenched into a hot story featuring actor Nick Tremayne, she uncovers the truth behind the first death. Along the way, she meets Oliver Ward, a former magician and now the owner of Burning Cove Hotel in California. In an instant, there's a brewing chemistry between them. But the more she dig deeper to the truth to find a connection, she's evicted, loses her job, and threatened by others, when the past had caught up with her. When she fills Oliver in, he helps her set a trap to eliminate him as a threat, since he cares for her. In the end, she had thought she had it put together when the true culprit prepares to do away with her unless she could get to her first in a shocking ending.

This is a real fantastic new story from Amanda Quick (aka Jayne Krentz.) I really cared for Anna/Irene and how she put together this puzzle from start to finish. She's charismatic and has tons of guts to cover this story, while putting herself into danger. I liked Oliver and how he cared for Irene, while he became curious about her. The dual settings of California and bits of New York City were fantastic with surreal imagery to capture that time period wonderfully for the locations. This has everything you could ever want for--romance, non-stop action, drama, mystery, and suspense from start to finish for a great read.

Will you be encaptured to read The Girl Who Knew Too Much today?

Hearse and Buggy

In Laura Bradford's Hearse and Buggy, the first installment in the Amish cozy mystery series, this debut would intrigue you about the Amish and compel you to read more. For Claire Weatherly, she moved from NYC to the Amish community of Heavenly, Pennsylvania, after she was recently divorced from her husband Peter to start a new life. She lives in the inn with her Aunt Diane and runs an Amish craft shop called Heavenly Treasures. She learned about how the previous owner Walter Snow had left town and ran off with their money. And when he was found dead behind her shop, it leaves Claire a good reason to find out more about him. Besides that, she meets Jakob Fisher, a Heavenly PD detective, who was formerly Amish and shunned from the community. Instantly, there's some chemistry behind them as they work together to find out who murdered Walter Snow. They also discover who was behind the pranks and other surprises in the town to cause trouble. Claire also meets Benjamin Miller, a young Amish widower, who she cared for as a friend. While she had gotten herself stuck in an awkward love triangle of sorts, she began to piece together a new life for her and helped solved the mystery of who killed Walter Snow. It was a big shock in the ending to find out who had done it.

This was a great debut from Laura Bradford.  I really enjoyed learning about the Amish lifestyle and learning about Claire immensely. I cared for her and didn't want to see her hurt. I loved the picturesque settings of Heavenly, Pennsylvania, when it was split into two sides between the Amish and English residents. I also cared for Esther and Jacob Fisher as well. This was so beautifully written and touching, though I found one typo, when Paul had replaced her ex-husband's name.... twice. This would enchant you and captivate you with lovely imagery for the locations with non-stop action, drama, suspense, and intrigue. 

Will you check out Hearse and Buggy tonight?

Rain Fall (A Clean Kill in Tokyo)

In Barry Eisler's a Clean Kill in Tokyo (aka Rain Fall), the first installment in the John Rain thriller series, this would hook you on the first page and keep you in suspense right to the end. John Rain is a half-Japanese, half-American assassin, who's specialty was giving his victims "natural causes." It all started when he went after his mark on the subway in Japan and gave him a "heart attack" in Tokyo. Then he gets involved with Midori, a beautiful jazz pianist in a band. When while he tried to get one stop ahead of the people before him, he later learns that she's at risk of being targeted. It had something to do with her father's death and the disk he kept in the special pouch. Between them, they discover what lurks in the dark for them in their past and to get to know each other better. John sets out to meet a journalist who had met with Midori's father before he died, and what was special about the disk. Hot on the trail, they were people who were out to get John and Midori and didn't want the disk to be uncovered and exposed. In a heated moment, Rain went up against William Holtzer, an evil man who wants to see him dead. But not if he could see to it first, when he's apprehended and what's really on the disk, when everything about John's existence had to be erased and to end his love affair with Midori.


This was a great debut into the John Rain thriller series and published with a killer new title and cover art. This would take you into the world of International espionage. I really cared about John Rain and his vivid backstory into the dark world of being an assassin. I also cared about Midori, too, though something weren't meant to be in the end. I loved the brief locations in Virginia and the vast settings throughout Tokyo, above and beyond. This past-faced thriller would make you turn your head and the page and propel you to keep on reading right to the end with non-stop action, suspense, drama and plenty of intrigue.

Will you be a witness to see a clean kill in Tokyo?

Fowl Prey

In Mary Daheim's Fowl Prey, the second installment in the Bed-and-Breakfast Cozy mystery series, this cozy will compel you to keep on reading to the last page. It's a few days before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, when Judith McConigle and her cousin Serena "Renie" Jones head to Canada for a brief respite. When they arrived in the Hotel Clovia, Judith bumped into an old high school friend named Maria. Due to a mix-up with registrations, Maria offered them a room on the fifth floor, due to the cancellation from two guests.  later met the "Elusive Eight" who were all actors at some time and formed an inner circle. That also included Kent "Spud" Forbisher who was Maria's high school sweetheart. During the first day of their stay, they discovered the dead body of Robin "Bob-o" O'Rourke, the popcorn vendor, dead in the elevator shaft. Later his parakeet was found dead too. Between the fog and the RCMP going on strike, it was up to Judith to dig deeper into everyone's lives and Robin's, too, in order to get home for the holidays. And before she knew it, she cracked the case and learned who was the true culprit was and why.


This was another intriguing cozy mystery from Mary Daheim. I cared for Judith and Renie and how they carried on to a new journey since the first book in the series. Thick as thieves, they do crack me up at some times. I also found some of the characters interesting like Spud and Maria, and how they led separate lives. I enjoyed the dual locations of Canada and Seattle with vivid scenic settings to paint the picture of the hotel and the tepid bad weather they had. This would keep you turning the page and guessing from start to finish with a shocking ending that would cinch it all.

Will you be a witness to Fowl Prey today?

Kale to the Queen

In Nell Hampton's Kale to the Queen, the first installment in the Kensington Palace Chef Mystery culinary cozy series, this would take you across the pond for a real treat in this cozy mystery. For Carrie Anne Cole, she just landed her dream job to be the personal chef for the duke and duchess in London. Other than she being American, she had came across a hard time in her first week of the job. One of her chefs was found murdered in a bed of kale in the greenhouse, while the other was placed under suspicion. Other than being the new girl in town, she had dealt about under scrutiny for the people she worked for and to make a good first expression with her culinary skills. While she had to hire new chefs and butted heads with the master chef of the kitchen, she ran into unsavory people, while trying to clear one of the chef's name. Then she had to contend with a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend, while they were on break and parted ways. While she had thought on who had done it and why, she came across the killer and fought for her life to get the answers she was well sought after.

This was a terrific debut introduction to the series. I really cared for Carrie Ann and how she made new friends in the Kensington Palace. I adored Penny and thought Ian Gordon was a bit charming. I also loved the picturesque London settings inside and outside the Kensington Palace for the locations.  Although this had a list of recipes in the back, it sounded yummy to eat. This would make you want to hail and salute royalty, turn the page and keep reading with plenty of suspense, non-stop action, drama and intrigue.

Will you be ready to check out Kale to the Queen today?