The Scent of Lilacs

In Ann  Gabhart's The Scent of Lilacs, the first installment in the Heart of Hollyhill Christian-Inspirational novel series, this heart-warming story will tug at our heart string about faith and family. Set in the 1960s, for fourteen-year-old Jocelyn "Jocie" Green,  she lived in Hollyhill, Kentucky with her single father and never knew her mother. When she asked God in a prayed for a dog, he delivered her a dog she named Zeb, who might be her friend Wes's lost dog. Then she prayed for her sister Tabitha to return home. Once again, God had granted her wish. Tabitha, at age twenty, returns at their doorstep. She haven't seen her sister in seven years, when she left with her mother to go to California.  Since then, she had stuck to her father like glue and had her Aunt Love to help take care of her. Her father, David, was the interim pastor for the church and needed a vote to be the permanent preacher. But he had a problem, someone named Ogden Martin, who had it in for him and wanted him away. Meanwhile when Tabitha returns, she brought up a new problem of her own--she's pregnant and keeping the baby. And that cause of problem for David's position at the church. For Josie, she's getting to learn a lot more about the truth of her mother and the secret her aunt Love had kept close to her chest.  Meanwhile, she ran away in a midst of a tornado brewing, and later learned what really makes a family and how God provides us all.

This was a truly moving and inspirational novel about God's family and your own family in a small community. I instantly cared for Jocie who's a bit curious and a bit adventurous for her young age. I did feel bad that she never knew about her mother who had abandoned her for her own selfless reasons. But for David to take it on as his own gets high points for me to preach at church and being. single father. Maybe something would come out of his relationship with Leigh. I also did feel bad for Love who had lost the love of her life and so much more at the tender age of twenty too. The Brooke family had been dealt a whole lot of hardships throughout the years. I loved the 1960s eras to show social issues and current events for that time period like Elvis and JFK's murder by a cold-blooded assassin in a small town in Kentucky.  This would make you sigh and weep and shake your heads a few times and a believer in God too with non-stop action, drama, suspense and a hint of inspiration to find your own faith.

Will you witness the Scent of Lilacs today?

Every Moves She Makes

In Jannine Gallant's Every Make She Makes, the first installment in the Who's Watching Now romantic suspense series, this compelling debut will send you shivers with every turning page. For Rachel Carpenter, a divorced mother of three girls, and a former soap actress, she had an ideal life for her family. But when her eldest daughter Lark got into hot trouble with her, she thought a time away to a peaceful camp is what they needed. That's when she met Kane Lafferty, a cop who's dealing with some issues of his own, and met her there. He was met her through Rachel's sister's boyfriend Nolan at the time and brought out the idea. For Rachel and Kane, they had instant chemistry to heat up their relationship, when they needed to take things slow. But someone was watching Rachel and wanting her for his own. After the camp, things get dicey and accelerated, when her stalker came after her outside of her home, and then near her family. Kane decided to take things seriously and personally to look into the dilemma with the sheriff's office and started to narrow it down to two suspects they had met from the same camp. And when things turned desperate for Rachel, she would do anything to protect her daughters and face her perverted creep  as Kane would deal with his inner demons and face them dead on to fight for her life.


This was a fantastic debut for this romantic suspense series. It had tons of hot romance and intense suspense with a lot of danger going around. I did care for Rachel and her three daughters and how she dealt with a rebellious teen and handled a lecherous stalker in the woods. I did think she rushed into things way too fast with  her relationship with Kane.  I did think he was a hot piece of eye candy and declared how he felt about her and his job with the SFPD. I loved the Granite Lake Retreat for the camp and the other beautiful scenic locations around California. This novel wtould seam up your windows with red-hot romance, intense suspense, a lot of drama and tons of action.

Will you read Every Move She Makes today?

 

The Cottages of Silver Beach

In RaeAnne Thayne's The Cottages of Silver Beach, the 8th installment in the Haven Point contemporary romance series, this sweet love story would enchant you with a heart-warming plot line. For Megan Hamilton, she had been the innkeeper of her family's inn in Haven Point, Idaho, and had put her dreams on hold twice. First she had to help take care of her grandmother before she had died, and then with her sister-in-law's disappearance seven years ago, she gave her brother a lending hand. She had lost a lot in her life and had given up a lot too, especially when her boyfriend Wyatt died a few years ago. Then Elliott Bailey re-entered her life and rented one of her cottages for some down time. As a FBI agent and true crime writer, he had nursed an injured shoulder and needed quiet.  But for Megan, her brother Luke had been under a cloud of suspicion for her sister-in-law's disappearance for seven years and lived a hard life. When she caught Elliott digging into the case, she became suspicious and later got to know him better. Later, they took a road trip to Denver for her first photo exhibit at a gallery, when they got to know each other better and the chemistry was red-hot as a burning flame. The closer they get to the truth of what happened, the more they question their feelings for each other and a possible future of new beginnings of second chances.


This was a sweet and romantic contemporary romance novel that warmed my heart all over. I instantly cared for Megan and how she dealt with some many hardships in her life including a touch-as-nails abusive father. I also cared for Elliott and how he opened his heart to see things clearly and not abrasive or cold as she thought. I loved the dual locations of Haven Point, Idaho, and Denver, Colorado, at the side. The scenery was breath-taking and picturesque to take you to Silver Beach and around the small town community in Idaho. This would make you a believer to follow your heart and to shoot for the stars to go for the dreams. This has a big scoop of romance, non-stop action, drama, and a hint of mystery to keep you amazed at the end.

Will you pay a visit to the Cottages of Silver Beach today?

The Face of a Stranger

In Anne Perry's The Face of the Stranger, the first installment in the William Monk historical mystery series, this debut of this new mystery would leave you bewildered and feeling cold. For William Monk, he had a serious problem. After a ransom accident, he had hit his head and lost his memory. He didn't know who he was or remembered anything at all, except that was a policeman. Set in the late 1850s in England, his first assignment back on the job was finding out who brutally murdered Joscelin Grey, a prominent man from royalty at the Shelburne Hall. Hard-pressed by his boss Runcorn to find the killer, he needed to look inside Grey's wife, both personal and private. While he did that, he looked for glimpses of memories to help him remember, and what lead to the accident, especially the investigation into Latterly's death that's been deemed a suicide. For Monk, he tried to put the pieces together and see if they connected together. As soon as the memory surfaces, he believes he could've killed Grey. And in order to prove his innocence, he would look deeper and remember the last person who saw and why it happened in the name of the law with a bone-chilling ending.

This was a gripping and fantastic new mystery debut by Anne Perry. No wonder my late mother loved reading books in her series so much. I loved the time period of 1850s England to set the mood and the pace for the crime scene. It had picturesque scenic scenes for the location in and around London from one place to another. I cared for Monk, who had lost his memory and needed to come to his senses and remember what happened, since one thing had lead to another. I did find some sense of pity to the Grey family and sadness to the Latterlys since they were connected from one another. This would hook you on the first pace and keep you reading these long chapters to discover what he had discovered. It's well-packed with drama, non-stop action, intrigue and plenty of suspense to keep you up at night.

Will you come to the Face of the Stranger tonight?

Death and the Pot of Chowder

In Cornelia Kidd's Death and the Pot of Chowder, the first installment in the Maine Murder Cozy Mystery series, this debut would whip you a recipe of decadent foods and a twisted case of murder. For Anna Winslow, she was born and raised on Quarry Island, Maine, and had her husband Burt and teenage son to complete the perfect family life. But she never knew much about her biological father, until she received a letter from his attorney about his will and about her half-sister Izzy. Later she met her at the airport, though younger than her and half-Korean, she welcomed her into her family and learned about her culinary career and her dreams to open her own restaurant. Besides all this, her brother-in-law Carl had gone missing on his boat to go lobstering along the lake. When his boat turns up, he's presumed he had drowned, and later revealed to be murdered. This makes Anna question around her on the island about who wanted him dead, when the police had suspected Burt, and  then her son Jake acted weird with his best friend Matt. In order to clear her husband's name, she had developed a timeline with help from Izzie and dig dug down to learn the family secrets. Then she would realize who the killer is and how closer to her than she could ever think.


This was an enticing and compelling new cozy debut from Cornelia Kidd. We do get a sense of island life and learned a lot about Quarry Island, Maine. I did care for Anna, who married young and had Jake at a young age, and how she put her dreams on hold when she helped her step-father out in the office. I also liked how we had a diverse character such as Izzie to show her Asian delights and how she became welcomed to the Winslow household. I loved how she had dreams to make her new life on the island as her new home with Anna. I did became worried about Burt and Jake as the story unfolded and played out. I did like the breath-taking scenery of Maine for the location for this series. This would give you an appetite of new recipes to try and be hooked on a new cozy to read with non-stop action, drama, suspense and a scoop of mystery to finish it off.

Will you be ready to read Death and the Pot of Chowder today?

Ice Station

In Matthew Reilly's Ice Station, the first installment in the Shane Schofield action-adventure adventure, this debut will break no boundaries and leave you feeling cold all over. When USMC's Lt. Shane Schofield received a SOS at the Wilkes Ice Station in Antaractica, the cold place in earth, this was no ordinary rescue mission. At first Schofield and his team had responded to a rescue mission, when a group of scientists were held captive by French paratroopers. But things aren't what they seem to be, when things turn hostile and lead into a battlefield on ice. It had left Schofield and his squadron members caught off guard to rescue those civilians and prepared to fight. But they had to deal with other obstacles along the way to get everyone in safety--killer whales and aggressive elephant seals for starters. But sooner than later, some of his squad members were either injured or killed in action, fighting for their country against British and French soldiers. If that wasn't enough, something did sit right with Schofield when he believed there might be a spy among his troop and an enemy out there with the others from the ICG, a secret spy agency to make sure the USA comes on top and be the best, even if they had to kill others in their way. And they would need the help from two Washington Post reporters, Peter and Allison Cameron, to blow this cover wide open. In order to survive the elements and hostile enemies, he would unearth the big secret behind it and come back home to Hawaii alone.

This was a pretty decent action-adventure debut from Matthew Reilly, though I have found it a bit too violent and gory for this novel. It needed to be tone down a bit in my honest opinion. I did care for Schofield and how he survived a brutal fight out there in the Station... and how he dealt with his scars above his eyes. I also found Kirsty a smart girl and found Wendy, the seal, a real charming arctic pet.  I did find Gant a remarkable solider who had defied and defeated the odds. The location of having it set in Antartica was really ideal and stellar with some scenic settings in the D.C. area, too. I did like how action-packed and fast-paced it was from stone to finish with intense action, lots of drama and tons for suspenseful scenes too.  This would leave you breathless and a bit numbing and cold right to the end.

Will you take a trip to the Ice Station today?

Order of Protection

In Lexi Blake's Order of Protection, the first installment in the Courting Justice romantic suspense series, this novel would leave you breathless and hot and bothered. For Taylor Winston-Hughes, better known as Win to others, she led a privileged life and became a heiress. As a former reality TV star, she was tired of that life and sought refuge from a storm. And that's when she met Henry Garrison, known as the Monster of Manhattan, a defensive attorney to defended celebrities in trial. During that one stormy night, she needed him the most to help her keep her haunted nightmares at bay.  The chemistry between them became instant. But things changed, when she was almost killed at a party, her best friend Brie was murdered, putting Win as the prime suspect on the hot seat. Henry didn't know about her reality show stardom and turned cold, when he had dealt with some issues of his own, like with his ex-wife and his alcoholism. While  she stayed in his home for him to protect her from the onslaught of angry fans, his firm defended her to seek out the truth and the secrets that lied behind it, including who wanted to kill her multiple times. Then they would test their relationship and became seek a future of their own right to the bitter end.

This was a gripping introduction to this  hot and steamy new romantic suspense series from Lexi Blake. I did care for Win as she dealt with many hardships in her life and how she faced her eating disorder. I became proud of her for leaving the reality show lifestyle to start a safer life from her own. I did find Henry dashing and compelling as her lawyer and later her lover, when she made him melt like better and thaw those iciness in his veins. He no longer became a monster and took the bull by the proverbial reins. This two make a formidable couple to take NYC by storm. The locations were mesmerizing and memorable all around Manhattan from the beaches to the courthouse for the scenic settings. This would make you compel to read more of Win's story and become a fan with non-stop action, hot romance, intense drama and plenty of intrigue from start to finish.

 Will you need an order of protection tonight?

One Rough Man

In Brad Taylor's One Rough Man, the first installment in the Pike Logan military/political thriller series, this debut would have you at the edge of your seat from start to finish. Pike Logan was a devoted family man and a Navy SEAL. He promised his wife that he would retire after one last tour of duty, when the call came in to serve for his country. But while he was in action, he learned about the devastating news that his family was killed by a brutal home invasion. And that had pushed him over the edge and to distance himself from the Taskforce. For Jennifer Cahill, she wanted to search for her uncle and to help him with the journey to find the missing treasure in a temple in Central America. That's when Pike meets her at the most unexpected time, when someone wanted to rough her up. From there, he saved her life and went to help her to search for clues and ran into a notorious drug log and two people who had mugged him-those two people were terrorists and on a mission of their own. From there, they needed to track them down on a grueling trek all the way into Europe, when one ruthless person who has a connection to the White House wants them out of the way at all costs. It's up to them to stop this WMD in its tracks before it self-destructs and calls a third world war with an explosive ending that would blow you away.

This was a mind-blown military/political thriller that would have you at the edge of your seat from start to finish. It would leave you hanging on every page and keep you hooked on this fantastic and powerful journey. I did care for Pike and how he dealt with the impact of the loss of his wife and daughter in his own way and how he took charge to help out Jennifer at the worst inopportune times. I did care for her and how she somehow impacted his life in a good way to make a remarkable team--a force to be reckoned with too. This would keep you in suspense with mind-blowing vivid imagery and scenic locations from Central America to Europe and back to the USA. This has non-stop action, intrigue, plenty of drama and a lot of mystery with hot topic political issues in current news.

Will you be unstoppable with this One Rough Man today?

Death by Honeymoon

In Jaden Skye's Death by Honeymoon, the first installment in the Caribbean Murder Mystery series, this novel will knock you over like an undercurrent in a riptide. For Cindy Blaine, she thought she had married the man of her dreams. But during her honeymoon in the Barbados, things went wrong. After she had taken a nap, she discovered Clint's dead body washed away on the shore. Devastated by her grief, she returned home for his burial in New York and didn't believe it was an "accident" either.  At first, her in-laws had given her a hard time and put the pressure on her to move. But as Cindy dug deeper to the truth, things got a little hairy when her sister was in a car accident. More than ever, she's convinced that it was meant for her and looked for answers and searched for clues to discover more on Client's life. What shocked her was how hard-pressed his former co-workers wanted to buy her silence and keep things mum. When she turned to a closest ally to her late husband, things do get heated when he turned up dead. Now she would seek help from the FBI and get down to the truth to the scene of the crime to seek out justice and get closure for her and her family.

This was a gripping and astonishing debut to this mystery series. I did care for Cindy when she had found happiness and had it taken away in an instant. I did became concerned on how she kept on digging for answers and how obstacles stand in her way. I also liked Ann and some of the characters, except for Greerson and her former in-laws. I did like the dual locations of New York and the not-so-tropical paradise in the Barbados when things turn deadly by the tide. But the scenic settings were picturesque and compelled me to read. This would have you moan and shake your heads and scowl a few times. This has non-stop action, intense drama, suspense and plenty of intrigue on every page.

Will you be a witness to a death on a honeymoon today?

Free Fall

In Emmy Curtis's Free Fall, the third installment in the Elite Ops military romantic suspense series, this novel would have you at the edge of your seat with nail-biting action every step of the way. For Casey Jacobs, she uncovered something dark and dangerous at TGO, the place she worked for. When there's a conspiracy theory of what happened to her missing pilots. In a blink of an eye, she's on the r run where she's running for her hide. For Corporal Duke Cameron of the Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base, he was supposed to be on a date with Casey. But when he ran into her in D.C., he became more than curious but suspicious of her and her actions. The people at TGO would do anything to silence her and want her more than dead, when there's a military contract on the line. When Casey and Duke look for clues and the truth, it sent them across the country with new unearthed dirt. The chemistry between them is hotter than ever when they do more than hit the road. With their lives on the line, they lay it all on the table and stop TGO in their tracks with the plain hard truth to see justice served.


This was a fantastic and red hot military romantic suspense novel. I instantly cared for Casey Jacobs and Duke Cameron, as a couple and separately. I loved Duke's bravado and how he went out on a limb for her. I also adored Casey's ambition to uncover the truth and put the stop to the blazing madness from TGO--they had it coming from the get-go. I did feel sorry for Eleanor, Missy and Dexter, who ended up victims in that brewing crossfire. I loved the trifecta of amazing scenic settings and gripping locations of Las Vegas, Washington D.C. area and in Connecticut too. This would make you drink a tall glass of water or iced tea to cool you off and fan yourself from the scorching heat that Casey and Duke had made. This has non-stop action, drama, suspense and tons of fiery romance every step of the way.

Will you be there for the Free Fall to happen today?

The Birdwatcher

In William Shaw's The Birdwatcher, this standalone thriller will have you at the edge of your seat. For DI William South, he shouldn't be at this murder scene. But when he arrived at the home of the victim, he knew the victim as his friend Bob Rayner. While he investigated the case with DI Alex Cupidi his newest partner, things became complicated between them. For South, it had drudged up memories of the past, painful flashbacks of when he lived in Ireland with his mouth and how he dealt with an abusive and violent father in a rough childhood. As we get to know more about him, we know how he became a birder in his youth and how he still is today as a past hobby. When someone turned up in the sea and presumed missing, he knew who the person was and had been looking for. More memories resurfaced about the crime he committed in the past and how it was recovered up by a closest ally of his family. One of these days, he would have to fess up and pay the piper. As he dredged up more clues to his friend's death, he became distant from Cupidi and pieced the puzzle together. The closer he had gotten to the truth, it had put him in a line of fire of the least person he suspected after all... who would do anything to stand in his way to keep it from coming out.

This was a gripping thriller inside-out of how South became interesting in birdwatcher and how he became the person he is today... with a dark past of his own. I did care about him, when he was young via flashbacks, and how he dealt with police work by covering up that secret, which could be explained as self-defense. I did also care for Cupidi and her daughter Zoe, who became excellent secondary characters to the plot and possible series spinoff in the future. I really liked the dual locations of England and Ireland, past and present, which showcased the scenes real well and around the storyline. This would make you fascinated and curious about South further and shake your heads a few times with non-stop action, drama, suspense, intrigue and a dollop of mystery.

Will you check out the Birdwatcher today?

Something Secret This Way Comes

In Sierra Dean's Something Secret This Way Comes, the first installment in the Secret McQueen urban fantasy series, this novel has a dangerous bite and might give you goosebumps and whiplash too. Meet Secret McQueen, a twenty-two-year-old vampire bounty hunter who's more than out of this world. She's half-vampire and half-werewolf, her mother abandoned her and raised by her grandmother as her own. Now she's been assigned to the Vampire Council to look for Alexandre Peyton, a rogue vamp who wants to rule the world with his people. And she knew where to look for him, since she had ran into him in the past. She also runs into the wolf king, Lucas Rain, and his second-in-command, Desmond, who has a connection to her and a soul-bonding love triangle form. Besides having nightmares of the worst kind that predicted her future, she's a dangerous woman on a mission and discovered where his coven is. That's when things got dicey and lethal, when he left a mark on a dangerous path. When she accidentally saved someone's lives, he had turned an innocent woman into one of his own. And now it's up to Secret to track him down and learned some unexpected secrets of her own, when it could be brutal to learn the truth and eliminate your rival at all costs.

This was a most intriguing urban fantasy that has a little bit of a paranormal romance too. I did care for Secret and how she handled herself as a hybrid who had accepted who she is and came to be at a young age. I also liked Holden as her handler and Lucas and Desmond makes a nice catch for two werewolves who have a strong connection to her. I also found Calliope a hoot and a most reliable ally for Secret. I did like the NYC location for the settings and the vivid scenes from page to page. This would make you flip your own lid and keep you hooked on every page with intrigue, suspense, non-stop action and tons of drama.

Will you keep a secret in Something Secret This Way Comes today?

Beyond the Pale

In Clare O'Donahue's Beyond the Pale, the first installment in the World of Spies mystery series, this tale would leave you at the edge of your seat, clueless, and maybe a bit bewildered. For married couple and college professors, Finn and Hollis Larsson, they lead a very sedentary and normal life. But Hollis wants to travel for their vacation, while Finn prefers to watch baseball. When Hollis's former flame, David Agnelli, who knew her background from Quantico, sent her an email out of the blue, asking to meet him in person, she became curious and brought Finn with her. Later, they found out he wants them to go to Ireland to look for a missing agent and to locate a rare book manuscript. Curious and intrigued, they agreed to go to Ireland and look for clues there. They also ran into some other people who wish to look for the same manuscript, including Interpol, the CIA, MI-6, and a notorious crime organization. Every where they look, they didn't know who to turn or to trust, when they hit some obstacles and death threats along the way. Until they discovered where it was, an unlikely enemy who wishes not to be found out and who would do anything to stop them, it put Finn and Hollis in a precarious situation to set things right and settle the score.

This was a gripping and compelling mystery that has all the elements of a spy novel and plenty of drama to keep you guessing for more. I cared for Finn and Hollis and how they devoted to each other and to their work at the same college. I also loved how they protected each other and had each other's back, every step of the way. The dual locations of Chicago and Ireland were sublime and eye-catching with visual and mesmerizing settings, especially in the Aran Islands too. This would keep you hooked to turn every page and raise a brow or two from start to finish with drama, suspense, action and non-stop intrigue too.

Will you be ready to head to Ireland in Beyond the Pale today?