Monday, December 31, 2018

Killer Knots

In Nancy Cohen's Killer Knots, the 9th installment in the Bad Hair Day Cozy mystery series, get ready to set sail for adventure on a cruise. When Marla Shore and her fiancé Dalton Vail, and her future daughter-in-law Brianna go on a family vacation on a cruise, it was nothing but a pleasurable ride for her. First someone had sent her a message and had gotten her name wrong, when she was placed at the table with a couple of people who worked in an art museum. As she had gotten to know them, she had learned that everyone had a secret to hide, and the art curator had an art auction with a well-known artist named Eldon Tusk, who mysterious had fallen to his death. And that artist had the same connection to Marla's past as a model. Besides heated tensions amounting on the ride, she had to deal with the tension between her future in-laws and some people missing the cruise or having an accident on the ship. As soon as she had gotten to know more about Tusk's accident and what happened to their shipmates, she grows closer and closer to the truth, until someone had waylaid them at one of the Caribbean ports. When the truth is known, it's a life-and-death battle on the last day of the cruise when she faces the killer spot on.

This was a compelling new installment in the Bad Hair Day Mystery series. I did care for Marla and how she decided to tie the knot with Dalton, while her future mother-in-law had put the pressure on her during the trip. I did care for Dalton and Brianna, who have tried to enjoy that pleasurable cruise.  I did like some of her cruisemates and did feel sorry they were duped into that cruise too. I did love the vast scenic locations along the Caribbean from Mexico to St. Maarten and back to Florida that had mesmerizing settings in every port city. This would take you on adventure with high-stakes drama, non-stop action, bone-chilling suspense and plenty of intrigue to lure you in.

Give Killer Knots a try and go for the ride today.




Emerald Windows

In Terri  Blackstock's Emerald Windows, this inspirational thriller will make you believe in God and to make you believe in yourself. Brooke Martin was a high school student and talented artist. At the night of the graduation, an innocent hug turned scandalous between her and her art teacher, Nick Marcello. Then she left Hayden to work in St. Louis. Seven years later, she's been offered a chance of a lifetime to come home to Hayden and help work on her church's stained glass windows. But it would bring old feelings for her and to work with Nick, while everyone like Abby Hemphill would see to it to ruin them. People doubted and questioned something so innocent in the wrong way. Though while she worked on the stained glass restoration project, she tried to get to know her younger sister Roxy, who's been withdrawn and having issues of her own at age 17. No matter how hard Abby Hemphill tried to ruin them, they managed to finish the project anyway and came close together with God and to fall in love, when an ugly scandal would rear its ugly head for the Hemphills since turnabout is fair play in the end.

This was a pure inspirational thriller about following your heart and letting God build your dreams. I did care about Brooke on how something so friendly and innocent be misinterpreted. I did love how she became her own rising star in the stained glass field. I did feel bad on how she was shunned and mistreated, past and present. But I did care for Nick who never gave up on his dreams to continue his art world and to guide Sonny, his nephew,  to listen to his calling. I did like the scenic locations of Hayden and St. Louis and how mesmerizing the settings could be inside and outside the church. This would make you believe in yourself and not second-guess yourself with inspirational drama, non-stop action, intrigue, and a spark of mystery.

Will you be there to visit the Emerald Windows at the church today?


Sunday, December 30, 2018

On the Other Side of the Door

In Nicci French's The Other Side of the Door, this chilling novel of suspense will you leave you breathless in every turned page. It all started for Bonnie Graham, a high school music teacher, who discovered a dead body at the other side of her friend's flat's door. Like Rena Olsen's The Girl Before, it's platformed with scenes of what events happened before the discovery and what happened afterwards. At first, Bonnie and her friend, Sonia, were the ones that discovered the dead body of Hayden Booth, a star musician who happened to join their band for an one-time-only event for her friend Danielle's wedding. When he first appeared on the scene to rehearse with them, tensions were so high, it could be cut with a knife. While Bonnie was seeing Neal, she grew attracted to him. But when Hayden got violent with her, things had come to a head. After Bonnie and Sonia disposed of the body and the evidence with it, they did the best to cover up their tracks. But when he was reported missing to the police, it complicated things and made things ten times worse. Everyone had a reason to hate him for one reason or another as secret and lies unraveled like a ball of yarn. And while the police questioned her, it made her nervous as she suspected one person or another who had killed him with a cold-blooded killer. Later on, she figured it out and came head to head to someone she was close to in an ear-splitting explosive climax at how things ended and how things started when she opened the door.

This was a phenomenal and bone-chilling suspenseful novel that would keep you at the edge of your seat. I did care for Bonnie and how she had gotten entangled into a deadly mess of secrets and lies and a lot of backstabbing. I did think she was a better match for Neal than for Amos, though Hayden was rough around the edges and a bit troublesome with a violent and shady past. I was suspicious of Sonia in more ways than one, which left me undecided about her true nature throughout the novel. I did love the glorious and vast locations throughout London and the other towns nearby that painted a vivid scene for this gripping novel. This would reel you in and have you hooked on the first page that make you want you to read more with non-stop action, intense drama, explosive suspense, and a lot of suspicious mysteries from start to finish.

Will you find out what happened at the Other Side of the Door today?




Saturday, December 29, 2018

Murder in an Irish Village

In Carlene O'Connor's Murder in an Irish Village, the first installment in the Irish Village mystery series, this debut has mesmerizing Irish settings and locales before your eyes.  It all started for twenty-two-year-old Siobhan O'Sullivan, the oldest of the O'Sullivan Six siblings, who acted like a guardian to her youngest siblings ever since their parents were killed in a car accident. She also runs the family bistro and brings in local customers to help support them. But when Niall Murphy claims that his brother Billy is innocent for the accident, he wanted money out of them to prove it. After a fight between neighbors, Siobhan discovered Niall's dead body at the back of the bistro, stabbed with a pair of scissors. That's when she rang her family family friend, Garda Macdara Flannery, whom she had  crush on for a long time. When her brother James is a prime suspect of the murder, she would do anything to clear her brother's name, even ask her neighbors if Niall was blackmailing them for secrets. While they didn't want her to interfere into their private lives, she had to know and suspected everyone. Until she was threatened with a note and a neighbor was later found dead, it was up to Siobhan to deal with this matter and place her life--and-heart--on the line to stop the culprit in the tracks with a surprising ending.

This was a surprising and charming Irish mystery debut. I did love the gorgeous scenic settings in Kildare, Cork County, Ireland and the majestic locations built around the small-knit town. It would transport you there, even if you haven't traveled to Ireland for vacation.  I did feel for Siobhan, who had a heavy weight placed on her shoulders to care for her siblings and to help manage the bistro too. I did find her a bit charming and spirited as well to do what she had to do. I could see Macdara be a position love interest for her and protect her and her family in his own way. This would entice you to read this Irish caper with intrigue, suspense, non-stop action and plenty of drama for a small village.

Will you take a trip to Ireland to read Murder in an Irish Village today?


Friday, December 28, 2018

A Cookie Before Dying

In Virginia Lowell's A Cookie Before Dying, the second installment in the Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery series, this would leave you bewildered for a twisted tale. It all started for Olivia Greyson and Maddie Briggs, that someone littered newspapers on their lawn, and had broken into the Vegetable Plate store next door. When Livie wanted to find out what they found out what it was all about, she eavesdropped into the conversation between Charlene Critch and an unknown man arguing out loud. During the storm, that same man had wound up dead by a knife wound of some sort. And Livie's brother, Jason, was the prime suspect, who confessed for the murder. But Livie didn't believe him and did some snooping around to clear his name. It seemed that everyone in Chatterley Heights had a bone to pick with him. Also during the same storm, they saw someone dancing like a ballerina. As Maddie and Olivia tried to pick up the pieces between stolen cookie cutters and what's Charlene's big secret. In attempts to smoke out the killer after hours at her store, things get heated when she connects the dots to solve the mystery on whodunit and why.

This was a great new edition to the Cookie Cutter cozy mystery. I adore that small-town of Chatterley Heights, Maryland, which was close to the D.C. border. I did care about Olivia and how she took it Spunky and how she worked so well with Maddie on baking cookies to sell to others. I also did feel a bit sorry for Charlene and Valentina, who ended up seriously hurt by a madman. I did like Maddie and feel like some issues she needed to clear up on her relationship with Lucas. I did like those cookies they made, so delectable to make at home. This would make you salivate and take a bite out  of a crime with non-stop action, suspense, sprinkles of intrigue, and a dash of mystery.

Will you be there to take a taste of A Cookie Before Dying today?




Thursday, December 27, 2018

Red Delicious Death

In Sheila Connolly's Red Delicious Death, the third installment in the Orchard culinary cozy series, get ready to sink your teeth into a juicy mystery and take a bite out of crime too. It all started for Meg Corey, who was still new to Granford and the orchard harvesting business, when her best friend Lauren had asked her for help. The Czarneckis, Brian and Nicole, were fresh out of culinary school and newly married to start a local food restaurant of their own in their small-town community. Of course, when they first discovered the Stebbins old family home, they had some bumpy obstacles along the way. They needed to go through the proper paperwork to get everything approved and they needed Mrs. Goldwaithe's approval on the Select Board meeting. But when their sous chef Sam Anderson wound up dead in a pigsty, it shocked that small town on who could do such a thing. It made Meg wonder if it anything to do with his sexual orientation or something else entirely different. As she helped the Czarneckis anyway she could with their restaurant business, things are getting cozy between her and Seth Chapin, her neighbor among other things around the town. As soon as she figured it on whodunit, it had a shocking ending with a twist in the end.

This was another compelling culinary cozy in the Orchard culinary mystery series. This held my attention from the first page to the end. I did care for Meg and how she managed to run an orchard and how she helped the Czarneckis out as a new friend. As she learned about apple orchards, I've learned a great deal too. I also cared for Seth who's pretty smitten with Meg and is always there for her in a pinch. I did love how the small-town community came together for the cooperative restaurant idea when everyone would benefit each other. This would entice you and lure you in with non-stop drama, suspense, hint of mystery, and plenty of action.

Will you take a bite out of Red Delicious Death today?




Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Love in Catalina Cove

In Brenda Jackson's Love in Catalina Cove, the first installment in the Catalina Cove contemporary romance series, this love story would sweep you off your feet and carry out away with the store. At age sixteen,Vashti Alcindor had gotten pregnant and kept the secrecy of who fathered her baby. She was told she had lost her son after birth. Now as a grown divorced woman who works in New York City, she received the call from her best friend Bryce that her aunt's inn was in disrepair and it needs to be sold. She flew to Catalina Cove in New Orleans and sped away in a Corvette to her former hometown. SThat's when she ran into Sheriff Sawyer Grisham, a widower with a teenage daughter, who pulled her off and gave her a ticket. At that first meeting, sparks fly across the sky between them, and they later had a casual relationship with each other. Vashti had plans to sell her aunt's inn and return to New York, but for Sawyer, he had convinced her otherwise before she left at the airport. It took her awhile for her to agree to it. And when she returned, she visited Ms. Gertie, a woman with dementia, and a midwife in her community, who knew a secret about her past: her parents lied to her about everything, when they had outright denied it. It began to question her more as she hired a PI to get to the truth, while she made plans to restore her aunt's inn in good shape and to stay in Catalina Cove. The relationship between Vashti and Sawyer had became exclusive, when she later discovered the truth about the baby that she unknowingly gave up for adoption had a surprising twist or two in the end.

This was a passionate and sensual contemporary romance. I did like the seaswept locations of New Orleans, New York City, Sacramento, and even in Waco, Texas. I did love the small-town community of Catalina Cove came together and supported Vashti now, unlike how they did it in the past. I did care for Vashti and what she went through in the beginning, and how she made a name of herself in Catalina Cove.  I did find Sawyer attractive for a hot molten piece of dark chocolate for eye-candy. This would make you want to fan yourself and drink a tall glass of water or two to cool you down with sizzling romance, non-stop action, suspense, and sparks of mystery.

Will you find Love in Catalina Cove today?




Sunday, December 23, 2018

The Clincher

In Lisa Preston's the Clincher, the first installment in the Horseshoer Mystery series, you'll be hooked and lassoed into the wild world of horseshoes and clinching.  Meet Rainy Day. She's a high school dropout who works for a barn in small-town Cowdry, Oregon, when she works as a horseshoer for barn. When she works for the Flying Cross ranch, her first assignment is for Patsy-Lynn Harper, who runs the ranch. Things tend to go well, except when later on, Patsy-Lynn turned up in a supposedly "suicide." Though Rainy doesn't know the Harpers real well, she became to suspect everyone who came close in contact with her: from her ranch-hands, herders, and even her step-son. And when the police ask her questions about rasps and other horseshoeing equipment, it brought back to the memories of her past. Of how life were unkind to her as a teenager, when she was forced to give up a baby, and when she met her landlord, Guy Kittridge, who was also the chef for the ranch. Though she pays his rent, they have a sweet kind of kindred relationship that he really cares about Rainy and wants a life with her. As Rainy investigates the prime suspect further from a missing mare, a pregnant mare, and missing tools, she runs into trouble of her own with Patsy's step-son Junior. And she becomes a victim of his wrath when she suspects him of killing Patsy. When Guy saves her, it would be up them to stop him before he gets away with murder.

This was an interesting and intriguing introduction to this series. You get to learn a lot about horseshoeing and clinching and how to take care of horses in a ranch. I did care for Rainy and how she had dealt with so much in the past, and in the present as the only female clincher in Cowdry, Oregon. I did care for Guy, who seems to be good for her, and is also there for her in every way. I did like the small-town location of Cowdry, Oregon, and the barn settings around it to paint a vivid picture. This would make you fall in love with horses and be compelled to read Rainy's story with non-stop action, drama, suspense, and hints of sparking mystery of every page.

Will you check out the Clincher today?



Saturday, December 22, 2018

The Black Widow

In Daniel Silva's The Black Widow, the 16th installment in the Gabriel Allon military/espionage series,  this novel focused on red-hot real-life events that's ongoing overseas today. For Gabriel Allon, he's a legendary art restorer and Israeli field operative who's supposedly "died" a year ago. But when ISIS attacks the Weinberg Center in France, it was up to him to come up with a plan to stop the known leader of the ISIS caliphate in his tracks. With his sources in Frances, English, USA and Israel, they had gathered intelligence from a ISIS recruiter that appeared valuable to them. And before they knew, ISIS had attacked Amsterdam before it was too late. With a little research, Gabriel found the perfect way to infiltrate ISIS by recruiting a French Palestinian doctor named Natalie Mizrahi. With vigorous training, they transformed her to Dr. Leila Hadawi and made her a "black widow",  a female recruit to mourn the loss of the dead as a suicide bomber. Before she knew it, Leila had been ingrained and met Safia Bourdane, a blonde "black widow" who started those attacks. And with their friendship, Natalie goes to Syria and learns about why they needed her services-later she discovered the real reason: to treat the monster known as Saladin and to gain his confidence by tending to his medical needs. She did that and later learned what he would be up to and the next target would be in the USA. Now it would be up to Natalie to inform Gabriel before it would be too late for the final attack...

This was an amazing and a mesmerizing espionage thriller that deals with real-life issues in current events.  I did care for Gabriel as a newly doted father who was about to embark on a new role, though his first wife Leah was catatonic with the emotional scars of the past twenty years ago. I also cared for Natalie on how she chose to undergo a dangerous operation and risked her life for it. I do see some sparks between her and Mikhail as he cared for her. The vast locations that spread from the Middle East, Europe and the USA were vividly enticing and compelling with every action-packed scenic setting. This would have you at the edge of the seat with non-stop action, suspense, drama and hard-core intrigue.

Will you be there to stop the Black Widow today?






Friday, December 21, 2018

Dangerously Dark

In Colette London's Dangerously Dark, the second installment in the Chocolate Whisperer Culinary Cozy mystery series, this one would hook you and tempt you on the first page. When Hayden Mundy-Moore first arrived in Portland, she was there to help her best friend Carissa with her wedding details as her matron of honor. But right before Carissa could say "I Do", her fiancé is found dead in the trailer for the Chocolate After Dark tour. While Carissa grievedthe loss for Declan Murphy, it was up to Hayden to do some snoop and check out the CAD tour from Cartaroma. But as Hayden and her bodyguard Danny observe the people of the tour, they took a real good look into Declan's life. Hayden came across a poisoning of sort in her own drink, an accidental shelving incident, and multiple scare tactics to throw her off the tracks of the culprit. She suspected the people who knew Declan best, even Carissa, since it seemed that everyone had a motive to do him in by liquid nitrogen. And when one of her prime suspects had figured it out, she ended up in a car accident that almost claimed her life. While Hayden and Danny had bet their money on whodunit, Hayden had later suspected the one who had harmed her in a toxic face-off.

This was another delectable culinary cozy installment that had scrumptious chocolate recipes at the back of the book to try out. I did like the theme of a chocolate tour for this story line. I did care for Hayden and how she tried to help out Carissa the best she could under the circumstances. I also thought that maybe Danny's hiding his true feelings for her, while Travis seems to be an enigma behind the scenes. I did like the location of Portland and how chocolate making came to life. The settings were mesmerizing and compelling on every page. This would make you salivate for intense drama, entice you with non-stop action, and has fast-paced suspense in this bone-chilling cozy mystery.

Will you be tempted to read Dangerously Dark today?




Tuesday, December 18, 2018

When the Flood Falls

In J.E.  Barnard's When the Flood Falls, the first installment in the Falls Mystery series, this gripping debut will send you chills all over from the first page to the last. Lacey McCrae was an ex-Mountie in  Bragg Creek, when they prepare for the flood of the Eagle River. And while she worked for a security farm, her friend Deandra "Dee" Phillips asked her for her help with a particular issue. She believed that someone's been stalking her. So she informed her boss to set up some video surveillance. But things get heated up when she dealt with protestors, partying hockey players, and a security job at the museum. As she dug deeper into Dee's case, she had a line of suspecting including Dee's ex and her own issues of PTSD from her abusive husband. At the night of the gala, things got weary and suspicious with the people who were there. And when Dee was a victim of a hit-and-run, things might've got personal when Lacey sought up help from her friends and neighbors. She learned how she lost a dog last winter and other juicy tidbits. When she shed light into Jarrad Fiske, a hockey player, he turned up missing and later dead in the river. Somehow he ended up caught in the middle of a scandalous taped mess when she later learned in the thick of things, who was the truly culprit was in the middle of the flood.

This is a compelling tale that sets around in Calgary/Bragg Creek Canada. I did love the locations set around the Calgary regional area that took place for the story. The scenic settings was enticing and so vivid to pop on the screen. I did care for Lacey who had dealt with so much before a career change and a new location to call home. I also cared for Dee who endured so much from having a rat for an ex-husband to have someone stalk her and almost killing her. This would leave you hooked on the first page with non-stop action, bone-chilling drama, intense suspense and a lot of mystery.

Will you be there to solve the case in When the Flood Falls?


Sunday, December 9, 2018

The Eagle Catcher

In Margaret Coel's The Eagle Catcher, the first installment in the Wind River Reservation serial mystery series, if you're a fan of Tony and Anne Hillerman's novels, you would enjoy this series. It all started when Father John O'Malley had found Harvey Castle's dead body inside of his tipi. That's when he alerted the BIA and the tribal police about his findings. They start looking for answers and pinpoint the blame to his nephew Anthony, who had a heated argument with him before his murder. Father John called Vicky Holden, who was half-Arapaho and half-Caucasian, to represent him. While the police believe they have found the man, both Vicky and Father John think otherwise and dug a little bit deeper into Harvey's office to look for answers. Along the way, they point their fingers to other suspects which included Ned Cooley, who's running for governor of Wyoming, and Jasper Owens, a wealthy oilman. The closer they get to know the truth, the more things take a drastic turn when Father John gets assaulted and Vicky gets abducted by the suspect. Together, they would learn the real history behind the motive in a gripping life-and-death showdown that would leave you at the edge of your seat.

This was a great introduction to the Wind River Reservation mystery series. We get to learn more about the Arapahos and how they were treated in the past--and even in the present. I did care about Father John and how he helped his parishioners on the reservation. I also cared about Vicky who gave up so much after a difficult marriage to be her own person. I loved how the scenic settings came to life from the reservation and outside of city limits for each location. This would have you hooked with nonstop drama, action, intense intrigue, and plenty of mystery to make you ask who in the end.

Will you be there to find the Eagle Catcher today?




Saturday, December 8, 2018

The Moscow Sleepers

In Stella Rimington's The Moscow Sleepers, the 10th installment in the Liz Carlyle espionage thriller series, this novel follows a riveting tale that could take place in our own country. For Liz Carlyle, an agent with MI5, it all started when a mysterious Swiss man visited a Russian man in an American hospice before he died. That started the investigation on who the man was and what he was after, when the FBI had contacted London. With a thorough background search, they followed the leads to a mysterious school called the Bartholomew Manor in Southwold. For Liz and her partner Peggy Kinsolving, they dig a little bit deeper into what made that school so unsavory and what purpose did they have to teach refugee students computer skills. Before it unraveled faster than a ball of yarn, one of their own agents, Bruno MacKay, did his own investigation in Russia and discovered the truth between two Russian brothers while in Germany, Dieter Nimitz thought he had knew his wife Irma. But she had her own secrets of her own to share and she's connected to the English school. When the secretary wound up dead and a brave student escaped the school, things heated up and took a dangerous turn for Mi5 and in Germany, when they managed to tie up loose ends and extract Bruno out safely before his cover would be blown.

This was a compelling and intriguing spy thriller from Dame Stella Rimington, who worked in Mi5 many years ago. I did care for Liz and how she managed to piece together the clues into this case even if she did reunite with Richard Pearson, a former flame, and a chief constable who worked the same case. I did like how she helped Peggy land the promotion and how she managed to get out of the creepy school carefully. I thought Peggy was gripping and an interesting person. I loved the vast variety of locations from Vermont, London, Berlin and Moscow--each had a stellar and mesmerizing scenic settings for each point of the story. This would keep you hooked into every page with non-stop action, high-stakes drama, intense suspense and a lot of mystery going on.

Will you be there to stop the Moscow Sleepers today?



Monday, December 3, 2018

On Magnolia Lane

In Denise Hunter's On Magnolia Lane, the third installment in the Blue Ridge inspirational romance series, this newest novel would uplift your heart and make you feel God's love. Daisy Pendleton had an idyllic life in Cooper Creek, Georgia. She worked at a floral shop with her mother and grandmother when a mysterious woman entered her store to request a bouquet of flowers. That made Daisy curious and to follow her the next time she spotted her.. and that was at her late father's grave.  When she confronted her, she learned the shocking trust about her father's infidelity and that they could be half-sisters. Blindsided by this devastating blow, they had a DNA test to confirm the allegations and it turned up true. She had always thought good things about her father and never thought it would shatter her life like broken glass. She didn't think she would be a perfect wife for Jack with all f her misgivings. Besides all this, Pastor Jack McReady had been in love with Daisy for two years at his church. But he had never found the place or time to tell her. He had known her as a friend and her pastor. And with some encouragement from a friend, he created a profile on the online dating app Flutter as "TJ." From there, they started a friendship when they talked freely about each other and had gotten to know each other better about their own lives. She confronted Jack about what's going on her with her mother and how she helped create a fundraiser for the Hope House's repairs. While things were getting a bit too close for Daisy and Jack aka "TJ", she dealt with the betrayal that her mother knew about her father's affair and how he fathered Julia, Daisy's half-sister. With a little encouragement, things came to ahead at the concert, when she discovered the truth behind "TJ" and how she had forgiven his deceit later when they had finally found each other in the rain with a happy ending of their own.

This was an endearing and lovely new installment in the Blue Ridge series. These novels are so inspirational and lifts your heart with well-written and moving words about trusting God and finding love. I cared for Daisy and how she helped Millie's reading issues, how she's close with her family, and how she helped the Hope House. She also reserved a special place in her heart for Pastor Jack and didn't know the truth about how he felt about her until it bit her on the nose. I cared for Jack and how she cared for Daisy and didn't mind her dyslexic issues. I loved how he cared for the church and for his growing community while he was enlightening everyone with nothing but gospel and the truth around him, even for his feelings for Daisy. I loved the scenic settings and lovely locations around Cooper Creek and how this community came together for a fundraiser for a good cause. This would  make you believe with your heart with non-stop action, drama, suspense, and a hint of sweet romance.

Will you stop by for a visit on Magnolia Lane today?