A Reference to Murder

In Kym Roberts's A Reference to Murder, the second installment in the Book Barn Cozy mystery series, this newest edition is intriguing and compelling to keep you in suspense. While Charli Rae Warren worked in the family-run bookstore in Lone Rock, Texas, she's up to her eyebrows on a new case. It all started when the local rodeo competition comes to town and draw up a media attention. And one of the stars, Dalton Hibbs, is looking to ride in honor of his late brother Wyatt's memory, who had gone missing eight years before. While he had his eyes set on Scarlet, heads will turn and eyes will not roll. But suspicions stirred up trouble when people thought Dalton killed his brother. Before the competition, he strangely disappeared and later feared dead when Scarlet and Charli Rae find two dug graves along with his phone. But while they had a vigil for him, Charli winds up in a possible love triangle with Cade and Mateo--and maybe a rectangular when another local cowboy wants to date her. But as she looked for answers inside the bull-riding rodeo circuit, she ends up thrown over into the pen of a dangerous doped up bull, leaving her bruised all over. Before the competition, Dalton turns up alive and well--all for a publicity stunt no less. But then he's later charged of his brother's murder and from his agent's murder. Now's it up to Charli and Scarlet to find out who done it and why it was too late... and it's a life-and-death situation for Charli too.

This was another great installment in the Book Barn Cozy mystery series. I still loved that Charli's biracial and is beloved by everyone in her home town and loves books too. I also cared for her and how she wanted to protect Scarlet from being hurt and from getting to the heart of the matter, even if she put herself in harm's way. Though I did think she might be a little over her heard when she got hurt in the bull ring. I still think Princess the armadillo is a hoot for a family pet. The theme in this story is that doping can be dangerous to animals, just like it is for athletes to up their game.  And home is where the heart is when everyone loves a good book to read. I loved the small-town feel in Lone Rock Texas and how the community looks after each other. The rodeo scenes were lovely and the locations were mesmerizing for the settings too.

If you love an adventurous cozy with some bits of humors, a scoop of non-stop drama, a dollop of suspense, and plenty of action in every turned page, check out A Reference for Murder today!

Salt Water Taffie

In Janice Thompson's Salt Water Taffie, the first installment in the Boardwalk Brides inspirational romance series, this beautiful love story would touch you and move your heart. Told in 194-pages, it all started when Taffie Carini's taffy making machine had trouble working in her family-run candy store in Atlantic City and along the Boardwalk. Weeks before her parents plan to retire and travel across in a RV, she's the only one in her family that runs the store and makes the candy. But since it's so old, it needs to keep up with the times before it gets sold and the winter times is the slowest period for their business. Taffie's also learning how to run a business at college and having trouble with the numbers to keep track of the books. But when they call the Antonelli's, a local appliance repair company on the strip, that's when Ryan Antonelli enters her shop and changes her life. After he fixed the machine, Ryan and Taffie bond as both of their families had known each other and go to church t believe in God. Slowly, they became to date and deal with some challenges along the way as they explored their feelings for each other. Their folks predict that he's a keeper and the one for her to plan a wedding. While Ryan doesn't picture himself working in the family business for the rest of his life, he wants to finish his marketing degree and start his own firm in Atlantic City... including coming up a year-round business plan to help Carini's Confections stay afloat and not sold into a casino. When Ryan's father had a second stroke, it changed everything for both families as Taffie and Ryan solidify their future together with love and trusting God with a happy ending.

This was a beautiful and inspirational light Christian romance to read in one setting. I cared for both Taffie and Ryan as a newly found couple and as individuals seeking their own faith to trust in God. I loved how they were both Italians and their families knew each other along the strip. And I loved how they came together as a group to support each other from thick and thin. I loved Taffie on how she stuck to her guns and let herself fall in love with Ryan. I also thought Casey a hoot and how Ryan dealt with a lot of weight on his shoulders. The theme of this novel is to trust in God and let Him guard you to the right path for finding love and for building dreams for you and your career.  I loved the settings along Atlantic City and also on the beach during the summer.

If you believe in God and love a light read with inspirational romance, a spark of non-stop action, a scoop of drama, and a sprinkle of mystery, you should give Salt Water Taffie a try today.

Ice Storm

In Anne Stuart's Ice Storm, the 4th installment in the Ice romantic suspense series, this 347-paged novel had a lot of nitty-gritty with insane scenes to keep you hooked. For Isobel Lambert, she's ruthless and in charge of the Committee, a secret covert operation that deals with clandestine affairs across the globe. But when they want her to go retrieve Josef Serrafin, a ruthless serial killer to London, all bets are off. She comes face-to-face to someone in the past named Killian. The first person she loved and hated at the same time when he left her for dead 18 years ago when she was known as Mary Isobel Curwen. With a new face and a new look on life, she's known as Madame Isabel Lambert. She'd thought she had killed him then when it came back to haunt her. No one had made her feel so cold-blooded and frigid with ice before, not even her husband before he died. During the trek back to London, they faced the truth about their feelings back then while they dealt with someone who tried to kill them--or mainly her. And that shocking revelation of having a mole who had his sights on her made her feel cold as hell. Back in London, things comes ahead and sparks fly since they discover what they felt for each other after this time and destroy the one person who stood in her way in the end.

This was a fantastic and gripping romantic suspense from start to finish. I cared about Mary Isobel (Isobel) when we've gotten to know about her as a young vulnerable woman in the past. And I also cared about how she dealt with a most complicated mission and what obstacles stood in her way. I loved how this show the trope of a love/hate relationship with a friend/enemy plotline. I've thought Killian was a bit mysterious and dangerous at the same time. The theme was to be careful who you trust in your life, whether it's a former co-worker or a lover, or how love can melt the iciest hearts with a quick thaw. I loved the vast locations from London to USA to Europe and the Middle East. Those scenic settings made it compelling and enticing that it spanned the globe for some dangerous missions set upon them.

If you're looking for excitement, adventure, plenty of non-stop drama, tons of action, lots of sexy intrigue, and sparks of mystery, brace you to encounter this Ice Storm today!

This Little Dark Place

In A.S. Hatch's, This Little Dark Place, this shocking 288-paged thriller is so startling and borderline creepy from start to finish. It all started when Daniel told Lucy about how and why he got incarcerated in a letter. We're introduced to Daniel and Victoria, a loving couple who's been trying to make a baby and start a family.  But later on, things grew distant when Dan worked in his workshop and Vic paid less attention to him.  That's when he started correspondence with Ruby, who spent time behind bars for assaulting her partner Lee. After losing his mother Ivy and a baby, they move into his inherited cottage in the countryside. Before the move, Vic spends more time at the gym and less with him until they grew apart and went their separate way. Time alone in the cottage, he resumed his correspondence until it grew creepier, deeper and darker and a bit more intimate. Later, when Ruby's free, she tracks Dan down at his home and helps decorate it. But he didn't know if he could believe her or trust her. Later, when Vic wants to reunite with him, Dan needed to do something with Ruby. But when he disposes her, things turn deadly with a shocking ending on what happened to Dan.

This debut had given me goosebumps to creep along the spine. It had all the elements to help you keep you up at night. I did care about Dan and Vic's relationship in the beginning and became worried about the split toward the middle. I've thought Dan was a bit of a hard-worker who should've spent more time with her a tiny bit more. I did become suspicious of his pen pal relationship with Ruby, when it all started to be innocent in a neutral manner. The theme here is to be careful on whom you can trust, whether in person or online. I did wish we knew Dan and Vic's last names when we first met them. I did love the vast locations throughout England from London to Wilder and everywhere in between that paint excellent scenic pictures for the paintings.

If you love to stay up at night,  you'll love This Little Dark Place, which is filled with twists and turns, plenty of suspense, non-stop action, heart-pounding drama, and lots of mystery to keep you page-turning to the end.

Tracking Game

In Margaret Mizushuma's Tracking Game, the 5th installment in the Timber Creek 5-9 Mystery series, this caper tells a wild tale of deception and betrayal, along with secrets and lies. It all started when Deputy Mattie Cobb reports on the scene of a car fire during the night of the dance. With her K-9 partner, Robo, they rush to retrieve two bodies from a burning car--one of them was dead and the other one was barely alive as he saved his life. That's where she started her investigation into Nate Fletcher's murder and who wanted him dead and set his van on fire. When she reported the bad news to his family, she learned interesting insight into Nate's life and his outfitting company. More than ever, she dug a little bit deeper with the rest of the Timber Creek County Sheriff's Office, which made them question some of them with motives. Meanwhile, Cole Walker, Mattie's significant other, is the local vet, and is dealing with some issues of his own concerning his two daughters, his ex-wife's battle with Depression, and his feelings for Mattie going forward. But things get wild and dicey, when they've found another dead body that's been mauled by a wild animal on the loose. Now it was up to them to track down that tiger and finds out how it'd gotten there and who wanted their next victim dead. Things come close of being slippery and dicey for Mattie, when she confronts the murderer and the tiger dead on in an intense climax.

This was a fantastic K-9 Mystery that's well written in 282 pages. I love stories that deal with K-9s and with the wild. I cared for Mattie and how she knew her stuff on how to use Robo for solving crimes. I loved the way they worked together as a team and how he protected her devotedly. I could see how she felt about Cole and how she waffled with parts of her past. Robo was a charmer for her dog and Cole was a good father who works with all sorts of animals, domestic and wild, and cared for his family. The theme of the story is that trafficking animals and drugs were illegal and be careful of others, whether it's family, friends or foes. Secrets will have a way to find themselves out into the open too. I loved the vast locations in Colorado from the campsites in the wild and all around the Denver area with mesmerizing scenic settings.

If you love amazing K-9 stories and love a great mystery that's filled with lots of non-stop action, plenty of suspense, drama, and a gripping mystery, check out Tracking Game and the rest of the Timber Creek Mystery series today!

Legend in Green Velvet

In Elizabeth Peters's Legend in Green Velvet, this standalone mystery she'd written 43 years ago, is compelling on every page. For Susan, she always loved Scotland and the rich cultural history behind it. As a young archeology student from America, she's been invited to join a dig at the Scottish highlands to look for hidden buried treasure. But things aren't what they seem when she runs into someone dressed at a legendary Scottish knight in costume. Hooked on a Scottish poem from Tammas, she runs into James Erskine as she looks for clues. When they went to look for the Scotch poet, they discover his dead body at his home and later they went on the lam as they were accused of his murderers. It's up to Jaime and Susan to hide out in disguise and to go to the dig when they discover some treachery and treason from her fellow classmates, it had thrown their lives into peril as they dig deeper between the sacred treasure of Scotland and what lied beneath it when the real culprits reared his head to finish them off for good.

Before she wrote the Amelia Peabody archeological mystery series, this 352-word standalone mystery was a bit interesting to read one of her earlier works. I did think it was bogged down by a lot of Scottish history which was said in dialogue and in prose. And we didn't know her last name was in the end, when it should've be introduced in the beginning when Jamie met Susan for example. I did care for Susan loves for Scotland and for looking for treasures in archeological digs for the Stone of Scone. I did think James was a bit dashing to see him dressed in a sporran and kilt. There's a little bit chemistry between the both of them. The themes are to follow your heart to look for treasure and to enrich yourselves in new cultural experiences, and to be careful to whom you trust in your life. I enjoyed being transported to Scotland and learn about its rich culture and his history in the majestic settings and scenic locations for this story on every page.

If you're looking for adventure with tons of action, non-stop drama, plenty of suspense, and a hint of mystery, give the Legend in Green Velvet a try today?

Risk It All

In Katie Ruggle's Risk It All, the second installment in the Rocky Mountain Bounty Hunters romantic suspense series, this 362-paged novel had action, suspense, and a lot of drama. For Cara Pax, she wants to be a kindergarten teacher. But ever since her mother Jane skipped bail with a priceless necklace, it's up to Cara and her sisters to locate her in their own bounty-hunting firm to make own meets. Cara always wanted to get in the front lines to do fieldwork instead of working research details with her sister Norah. Ever since she wanted to tail Henry Kavenski, an accused murder who skipped bail, she accidentally crossed paths with him when he saved her life from being hit by the car.  While he tried to derail her from tailing him or for going after Geoffrey Abbott, a tax-evader, they've been many unfortunate run-ins when someone tried to kill her more than once with Henry saving her lie. While on the run, she sought shelter at a cabin and get to know more about each other in an intimate way and more about the crime he was accused of. Tempted by a dangerous flirtation, sparks fly between them when they was unstoppable chemistry ever since they first kissed. Now they continued to seek shelter, Henry's life was on the line when he almost drowned in the river as Cara had to rescue him in return. Their hearts and feelings on the line when secrets are revealed in a gripping ending that changes everything.

This was a great new romantic suspense. I instantly cared for Cara and her sisters, when they were dealt with the plight of their mother's misdeeds and how they would make ends meet. The theme for this story is that opposites attract and that risk everything you want to go for your dreams. I admired Cara's goal to be a kindergarten teacher, but I can't see her with teaching kids. Since she loves adventure over research, I can picture her in a more active occupation whether indoors or outdoors like maybe a gym teacher? I do love the plot for the endless search to find Jane and the necklace and how her sisters would find their love match while on the job. I do love the Rocky Mountain locations from Denver, Langston and Red Hawk with the picturesque settings for the scenes.

If you love fast-paced romantic suspense with lots of non-stop action, plenty of heart-stopping drama, sexy suspense, and some serious humorous points, check out Risk It All today!

Say Nothing

In Brad Parks's Say Nothing, this crime novel is shocking and startling when nothing appears what it seams. For Judge Scott Sampson, nothing could go wrong in his perfect healthy life with a doting wife and two adoring children. But life changed in an instant, when he received a mysterious text right before he would file a briefing for a court case. Both Scott and his wife Alison learned that their kids were kidnapped at school and someone posed as her to take them home. From there, someone's been watching him and every move in the courtroom. When he laid down the directed verdict in one case, his son returns home without his sister who was left hostage somewhere else. Suspicions took center stage when Scott wondered if it was his wife, when she points the finger to their Turkish nanny Justina. Then during a gripping patent case that's in the stock market's spotlight, all eyes are on him to make the right call by a brief text. Scott becomes worries when his hired PI turns up missing and doesn't respond to his calls while he focused his suspicions on someone he works with or the case in general. When more evidence comes into focus, they later learn who's really behind the scenes and why when it hits real close to home and how evil people can be with a life-and-death situation in the end.

This was a gripping and intense crime novel with a lot of mystery elements to keep you at the edge of your seat. I really felt bad for Alison, who's going through a major stressful health crisis at this time of need. I did feel the love she had for Scott and her children. I also felt bad for Scott who had to deal with a lot of drama at home and at work, while he had to be strong enough for everyone involved. I loved the locations in the courtroom, the farm, and the home on the beach in Virginia. I've found the settings both mesmerizing and enticing to pull you in for a wild and insane ride. This would hook you on the first page with non-stop action, plenty of drama, and lots of intrigue and mystery to go a long way.

Will you be there to Say Nothing and read this fantastic crime novel today?

Hold My Hand

In MJ Ford's Hold My Hand, this startling crime thriller is riveting and will keep you guessing and reading for more. When Josie Masters was eight years old, she witnessed a clown hold a little boy's hand from the circus and disappear from her sight. Now thirty years later, she's a detective with the Avon and Somerset police, when Dylan Jones's body was found buried underground. Fresh at the scene, she recognized the clothes he wore at the time, when memories of the past had came back to haunt her. At the same time, another boy turns up missing, when he's transferred to another CID division to help assist with the case. The race is on to find him as the clock's ticking, when new unearthed discoveries about the "clown mask" connection to the previous case. While she worked with her colleagues on this new case, she visits her own family home and deals with her ex, Ben, and running into a familiar face from her past. For Jo, she needs to find a connection between both cases and to find this missing boy. But, due to press leaks, when she was feeling the heat from her DCI, because she might be way too close, she must be closer to the truth and dug deeper until it had hit way too close to home for her to discover a shocking lead in the climax that would blow you away...

This was an amazing and gripping dark thriller for MJ Ford's debut. I did care for Josie and how she persevered and made a name for herself in the police world. I felt bad for her that she had to deal with Ben who wouldn't take no for an answer, though they did work together to solve the case and piece them together to form a big puzzle. I loved how she was well connected to her brother's family and how she never stopped guessing for clues to look for answers. I loved the locations from Bath to Somerset and Avon and how they painted a dimly sinister picture for the grisly settings and compelling scenes. This would leave you breathless with non-stop action, plenty of fast-paced drama, lots of intrigue and wallops of mystery from start to finish.

Will you be there to help Jo solve the crimes in Hold My Hand?