Nanny Dearest

  In  this blog post, I reviewed Flora Collins’s Nanny Dearest. This adult domestic suspense is riveting, dark and twisted with every turned page.  Susanna Keller’s life have been turned upside-down when her father died a year ago. At a chance encounter, she’s reunited with Annaliese “Annie” Whittaker, her former nanny she had when she was three years old. This reunion had brought back memories of her past and her turbulent childhood when she lost her mother from cancer. From Annie’s POV told in the 1990s from flashback, it all started from a simple job for her to take care of Suzy and the household, Suzy’s father was too busy with work and her mother didn’t pay close attention to her only daughter. She clapped her eyes on Suzy and prepared to insinuate into the family further. When Suzy mentions this to her friend Beth, she becomes leery and suspicious of her. The more she felt better about her life from quitting her job to alienating herself from her friends, she’s been sucked into Annie’s warped life like a cult survivor, believe everything she said was the truth about her childhood and her parents. Then she becomes suspicious of her and her actions, playing everyone like a fool, until she discovered the truth and prepared to confront her dead on. Though she denied it, Annie wanted Suzy for herself, driving a wedge into her life, wanting to make her for her own. With every little discovery she uncovered, she distanced herself from Annie and broken free from her hold until they had a final confrontation at her former home, which would blow you away.

This was a dark domestic suspense that’s captivating and gives you chills all over. I cared for Suzy on how she lost both her parents and had her friends to lean on, until Annie resurfaced into her life like a deadweight dummy.  Besides dealing with her grief, she was a sucker and a true believer on Annie’s lies about the past and how she destroyed her family. I loved how she stood up to her in the end. Annie, I had l liked in the beginning, but then I became suspicious of her and her motives, especially with her own niece and nephew. I loved the New York City area for the central location which had fantastic scenic settings, past and present.  The theme of the story is that don’t lie on who you are, or it would sneak up on you.

I loved how it dealt with grief and possibly mental health, which does hit close to home. It also showed the perception of how people view you and how you view others in the same light.  It gave me goosebumps and chills all over. My only nitpick was that we didn’t know Suzy’s parents first names until it was mentioned later in the story, when it should’ve been introduced in the first flashback. And African-American and Black are technically the same thing, when African-American should be the correct form to describe brown-skinned people. I rate this book, four out of five stars, because there were some thing I didn’t like what Annie did in Suzy’s life. This is recommended to everyone who loves to read domestic suspense and thriller novels.

If you love heart-stopping domestic suspense with twisted non-stop action, plenty of dark suspense, and lots of shocking drama, Nanny Dearest will make you leave the light on at night.

You Can Run

  In this blog post, I reviewed Karen Cleveland’s You Can Run. This adult psychological thriller is outstanding and heart-pounding at the same time. It all started for Jill Smith, who worked for the CIA as a case operations officer, when she received a mysterious phone about her son Owen. If she didn’t put in a request to approve Falcon as a confidential source, they would take her son. When she did, they returned him to her. But that turn of events made Jill leery and wary about who’s watching her son at day care. So drastic times goes for drastic measures: she resigned from the dream job and moved to Florida with her husband Drew and her son Owen. Fast forward four years later, she never told anyone about that phone call, but she couldn’t help looking over her shoulder. Now until Alex Charles, a reporter for the newspaper, had tracked her down after she received anonymous tip about a news-breaking story. Together, they teamed up to find the truth on who’s behind the ransoming demands to publish the story and influencing fake information about a potential war. When they kidnap her children, it becomes personal for Jill and discovers the culprits which hits close to home for her and a fight for survival with an earth-shattering ending.  

This was an amazing and exciting thriller that deals with timely events that you might hear about in the news someday. It makes you second guess and question everything you hear about the media concerning “fake news” reports. I cared about Jill, who would do anything to protect her children, and would stop to nothing to get the truth and the heart of the matter. No matter what it takes, even if it might cause concern in her marriage to Drew. I also adored Alex who wanted to make her late mother proud by following her dreams to receive a Pulitizer award in journalism, even if it cost her marriage to Miles who wanted children. She learned to move and helped Jill in any way possible and also did the right thing by keeping her family out of the press and protecting her sources too.  I loved the D.C. area and the Florida locations—both places had compelling and mesmerizing scenic settings. The theme of the story is no matter what you say or do, you can’t run from your past because it would catch up to you later on.

I loved how it dealt with the timely issue of fake news and the concept of a war from an unlikely source who’s been spewing the truth. Since Karen Cleveland used to work as a CIA analyst, everything appeared realistic and matter-of-factly to read this type of thriller. I loved how she had a diverse cast with Alex being African-American, and how they make a dynamic truth-seeking duo when they teamed up with each other. I couldn’t find anything negative to say about it since this was a heart-stopping jaw-dropping thriller. I rate this book, four out of five stars for no specific reason. 

 If you love heart-stopping thrillers with non-stop action, plenty of suspense, lots of jaw-dropping drama, You Can Run has it all. This is recommended to everyone who loves to  read all types of thrillers, especially those deals with spies/espionage.

Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch

  In Carolyn Brown’s Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch, the first installment in the Ryan family contemporary romance series, this sweet second chance friends-to-lovers love story about Addy and Jesse warms your heart.  After twenty years with the Air Force as a medic, Jesse Ryan returns home to Honey Grove, Texas, to return to his family’s ranch. But he runs into Addison Hall, his childhood best friend Addison Hall, and his daughter Mia, he didn’t know he had with her in an on-night stand. While he returns to ranching, he gets to know Mia, who’s a bit rebellious in nature, and sparks ignite and fly between him and Addy. As his father’s live-in nurse, Addison kept Mia a secret for him and didn’t want it to ruin his dreams. While she managed to be a single mother for so long, she kept her friends for him a secret, though it did run rampant every time he kissed her or touched her. While they did with family business in the small town, they’ve gotten to get past Mia’s wild side and the town gossip, they’ve had to follow their hearts to get the happiness they truly deserved and wanted for so long.

This was a beautiful love story that pulled at my heart strings and feel deep emotions about this second chance romance. I adored Jesse on how he dealt with the situation about learning about Mia and taken hold of the situation at his home ranch. I loved how he wanted to stay close at home and be where he belonged with Addy. He never left anybody ruffle his feathers. And I loved how Addy remained devoted to the Ryan family and took care of Sonny and how she wanted Mia to care for Jesse like she did. They do work well together and made a great team. I really liked the small town of Honey Grove, Texas, and the ranch settings of working with alpacas, sheep, and other livestock. It made me want to visit the place by picturing myself there. The theme of the story is everyone deserves a second chance to find their true love, even as friends.

I couldn’t find anything negative to say about it since this was a beautiful heartfelt contemporary romance. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because of a couple of minor glaring errors on misused dialogue tags and internal thoughts on my e-arc from last summer. This is recommended to everyone who loves to read second chance contemporary romance novels or Hallmark movies. If you love heart-stopping sweet contemporary romances with non-stop action, plenty of romantic drama, lots of sparks, and a dose of heat, you'll stop by for a visit at Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch.

Organized for Homicide

  In this blog post, I reviewed Ritter Ames’s Organized for Homicide, the 2nd installment in the Organized Cozy Mystery series. This  captivating cozy mystery is a perfect light read. It all started for Kate McKenzie and her friend and business partner Meg Berman to help a family prepare to move across the country. As organizers in their moving business, nothing was all that it seems when they discovered a dead body. When the police came on the scene, they suspected Sydney Collier, the victim’s daughter, who had motive to kill her mother, Lila. Both Meg and Kate didn’t believe she had done it and wanted to prove her innocence while they also took care of their families at home. Together, when Kate had dug close to the truth of who had motive to do It and why, the more it brought her closer to danger with a startling ending.

This was an interesting cozy mystery to read in one or two sittings. I really liked how it had organization tips before every chapter, which is always a bonus. I cared for Kate on how she handled the situation with her two daughters, Sam and Suzy, and how she worked well with Meg on the business side. We do care about her as a business woman, a wife, and a caring mother, who has an instinct to find the truth to prove Sydney’s innocence to solve this crime. I really liked the small town of Hazelton, Vermont for the central locations—it’s picturesque with the scenic settings in the New England region. The theme of the story is jealousy might stand in your way of being successful.

I couldn’t find anything negative to say about it since this was a well-written mystery with well-rounded characters to care about and to root for. This was a compelling light read. I rate this book, three out of four stars, because it’s a terrific cozy series to sink your teeth into. This is recommended to all fans who love light cozies and mysteries of all sorts to add to your TBR list.  If you love intriguing cozies with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and lots of intrigue to keep you guessing, Organized for Homicide is perfect for you.