Following the Lead

  In this blog post, I reviewed Lynnette Eason’s Following the Trail, the 5th installment in the K-9 Search and Rescue romantic suspense series, this romantic suspense would keep you hook and in suspense from start to finish. It all started for Lacey Jefferson, a K-9 Search and Rescue worker, when she was worried that she haven’t heard back from her sister Fawn. She wasn’t answering her call and believed she might be missing. And that took her and her K-9 dog Scarlett down to her hometown of Timber Creek, North Carolina, a place she haven’t been to in over a decade. To search for Fawn, she requested the help from Creed Payne, the sheriff of Timber Creek, and her former high school boyfriend. Old memories return to the surface of the break-up and how everyone hated her criminal father back then. For Creed, he has a small sheriff’s office in Timber Creek and need a K-9 unit for search and rescue mission. When Lacey retuned back to down requesting his help to look for Fawn, he’d thought of a compelling plan to keep her here with him to lead his K-9 unit. When the search for Fawn turned grim, it was up to Lacey and Creed to search for answers on who wanted her sister dead and why. The closer they’ve gotten to the truth, the most they continued to dig for it while staying out of harm’s way. In the end, would Lacey stay and make a new go at Timber Creek or return back to Charlotte to find her true happiness.

This was a deeply moving and riveting romantic suspense that features K-9 Search and Rescue dogs. That always warms my heart. I cared for Lacey on how she had to go back home to deal with the hurt from the past and stuck to her guns to get to the truth of her sister’s murder. I loved Creed on how he would do anything for Lacey and became a true friend to Scarlett, even by standing in the crossfires of a killer on the loose. I loved how they would thrown together in the mix of things and resolved old hurts from the past to make amends for a brighter future. The location of Timber Creek was idyllic for the scenic settings from Fawn’s home and to the hospital and beyond. The theme of the story is that it’s time to let go of the past to find your future.

This romantic suspense made you want to root for Lacey and Scarlett and cheer them on. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick on the story since it was so good. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no specific reason. If you love heart-stopping romantic suspense novels with plenty of non-stop action, lots of romantic drama, tons of heated suspense, give Following the Lead a read today. This book is recommended for fans who love K-9 centric stories like Margaret Mizushima’s mysteries series, or romantic suspense and thriller novels alike.

I'm Only Wicked With You

  In  this blog post, I reviewed Julie Ann Long’s I’m Only Wicked With You, the first installment in the Palace of Rogues historical romance series. This historical romance novel is deeply enriched with plenty of drama and suspense to keep you on your tenterhooks. Lady Lillias Vaughan wasn’t an ordinary daughter of an earl in London. She’s a bit wild and have done things in an extraordinary way like riding down the rails or mouthing off expletives for example. She might be the talk of the ton, when a duke might calling on her to court her. For American Hugh Cassidy, this Irish bloke was on a mission to find Amelia Woodley across the globe and landed in London to look for her. But then he had met his match with Lady Lillas Vaughan, his complete opposite from her, but understood where she came from. When they’ve gotten to know each other better, heads had turned when they were almost caught in the act. To do the right thing by her, he proposed to her in a fake engagement. But at the time of their announcement, a formidable rival wanted Lillias’ attentions which could be no match set for Hugh, and later break her heart. To find their true happiness, they would proclaim their love for each other and find how they were well-matched from the start.

This was a compelling and riveting historical romance novel. I loved how the opposites attract trope had worked its magic between these two love birds by the end of their love story. I instantly cared about Lillias and how she wanted to do things her way, even if she might have to break some rules in her wild temperament to show how different she truly was from each other. I’ve found Hugh was unique in his character on how he searched for Amelia and found his true love with Lillias on the same trip. The dual locations in central London and the Palace of the Thames and the Heatherfield estates had painted the scenic settings real clearly and vividly in my mind. The theme of the story is we might all different from each other, but we would find our true love where we might least expect it.

This historical romance novel was daring, riveting, and couldn’t put it down. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick on from start to finish since it was real good. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no specific reason. If you love historical romances, with non-stop romantic action, plenty of sparks of intrigue and a heap of heart-stopping dramatic moments, check out this title today.  This book is recommended for those who love historical romances and Bridgerton on Netflix.

The Stars Are Fire

  In this blog post, I reviewed Anita Shreve’s The Stars Are Fire. This historical woman’s fiction novel is deeply heart-wrenching and powerfully moving read. In the late 1940s, Grace Holland is a young devoted mother of two and a wife in Hunts Beach, Maine. Her husband Gene is intolerable and her mother-in-law can’t stand her for some reason. Though Gene’s a good caring father, he has a funny way of showing it. Based on the true account of the wildfire that blazed that area in Maine, he helps the other fire fighters and hot spotters to contain it from spreading. Grace, and her neighbor Rosie, evacuate their homes to seek out shelter from the firestorm. After it ended, everything’s lost when she needs to find a place to call home and sought out her late mother-in-law’s home, and Gene is nowhere to be found and presumed missing if not dead. Grace would have to look for work and take care of her children with her mother’s help during this time. To make ends meets, she works at a clinic and meets new friend there. She also encountered a gifted pianist named Aidan Berne, who slummed in her home, and invited him to stay as a guest. They get to know each other better as his music enchanted her when he had stolen her heart. And when he left to play in Boston, Grace’s nightmare came to life when her husband Gene returned to his mother’s house with a frightful encounter that challenged Grace and pushed her to the limit. She discovered the real truth about her marriage as she seeks a way out of a loveless marriage to protect her children from him and to fight for her freedom to escape him.

This was a heartfelt and powerful woman’s fiction novel with a historical romance slant to it. I cared for Grace on how she cared about her children and tried her best to please Gene. She needed to support her family and do everything she could to avoid going into poverty. Before, during, and even after the fire, she had been dealt with some many life-challenging struggles, one too many she had to face alone. I’ve thought Gene had gotten what he deserved for his mistreatment to Grace and their children. I loved the dual locations of Hunts Beach and Biddesford Maine, which painted a vivid picture of how people lived during that time and what hardships they were dealt with. The scenic settings were picturesque and compelling to transplant yourselves over there. The theme of the story is that life can challenge you in the most difficult times, when you have to rely on yourself. The only nitpick was that there was no indication if Grace filed for divorce and gained primary custody of her children before she made her trips back home.

This historical woman’s fiction was so riveting, I enjoyed it completely to read it and be absorbed into Grace’s story. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick on from start to finish. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no specific reason. If you love historical romances and woman’s fiction novels with non-stop dramatic action, plenty of sparks of intrigue and a heap of heart-stopping moments,  check out The Stars Are Fire today. This book is recommended for those who love historical novels, both romance and fiction, and woman’s fiction novels as well.