Deep Water

  In this blog, I reviewed Emma Bamford’s Deep Water. This psychological thriller takes place on the water. It’s a cross of a a modern-day version of Lord of the Flies with a ghastly spine-tingling twist. It all started when Royal Malaysian Navy Captain Daniel Tengku rescued two people from the sea. One’s unconscious, and the other one that’s shocked to her core. That’s when he met Virginie Durand, a newlywed Englishwoman, who fought for her life against a demented mad man, and her husband Jake, who was in a coma. As they sought shelter onto his ship, she told the harrowing story on how they went to this remote desert island called Amarante, a so-called paradise to be away from civilization from the world. It had all the trappings for it, but it was enriched in a dark history and had to abide by certain communal rules with fellow boat mates in the ocean. At first, everyone was friendly and welcoming, except for one sinister snake in the grass, who would do whatever he wants at a high price to keep his own secrets. As the tale grew darker to when they sought for help weeks later, it was up to Captain Tengku to save them after they’re rescued on dry land before they sailed away back home.

 This dark thriller will give you goosebumps on every turned page to leaving you hanging in suspense from start to finish. I cared for Virginia and Jake on how they’ve found paradise at first and lost it entirely later on. They’re a strong powerful couple who escaped dangerous waters when true love conquers all. The central location of Amarante Island is perfect for this thriller on the water for its scenic settings. The theme of this story is survival of the fittest. 

This spine-tingling psychological thriller is gripping and have you at the edge of your seat. I had nothing to nitpick on this novel since this gave me goosebumps. I rated this book, four out of five stars, because it was a bit dark in nature.  If you love twisted  heart-pounding psychological thrillers that take place on the water, pick up a copy of Deep Water today. This book is recommended for those who love psychological thriller novels like Alex Marwood and Erica Spindler, and loves thrillers in the big and small screen.

Never Gonna Happen

 In this blog post, I reviewed Heidi Stephens’s Never Gonna Happen. This sweet romcom is emotional and tender-hearted with some bits of humor to keep you laughing in stitches. Emily Wilkinson had lost her home due to a fire, dumped her boyfriend and former boss, and was out of the job in Goodwood, England. She’s the only daughter in a loving family who adored her. But what’s she got to do to move forward from this difficult bind? She looked for a new job and found one with live-in arrangements in Chichester by working as a personal assistant to a millionaire named Mr. Charles Hunter. As she helped him with his business affairs, she ran into Jamie, the stable manager, on the first day of the job. Later she didn’t expect to fall for him, the son of her boss, while she tried to keep business away from pleasure. It became complicated when she dealt with the house staff and Jamie’s brother Adam, who had plans to deal with the family estate. As she worked with her boss to come up with a plan, things would be changing for Emily and Jamie unexpectedly for the future. Would they make a go at it?

 This romcom hit all the right spots with humor and romance to tickle my funny bone.  I cared for  Emily, who had dealt with unexpected challenges in her life, and worked her butt off in a new role and environment. She also had an issue with her self-image. Jamie was a charming bloke, who cared for Emily with a whole heart, and became the perfect mate for her. The  dual scenic locations of Goodwood and Chichester were picturesque and charming.  The theme of this story is love can sneak up to you unexpectedly when you least expect it.

This heart-warming romcom is an emotional tear-jerker. I had nothing to nitpick on this novel since I loved it 1000%. I rated this book, five out of five stars, because it was 100% perfect  If you love heart-warming romcoms, check out Never Gonna Happen this summer. This is recommended for those who love romcoms, classic and present-day, and loves Hallmark movies. 

Need You For Keeps

  In this blog post  I reviewed Marina Adair’s Need You for Keeps, the first installment in the Heroes of St. Helena contemporary romance series, this sweet pet-rescue contemporary romance pulls at your heart strings and brings tears to your eyes.  Shay Michaels is an animal lover and a foster parents to unwanted dogs and cat in St. Helena, California. She would do anything to find them a forever home. But not if her neighbors like Deputy Jonah Baudouin had anything to do about it. While he’s running for sheriff,  he ran into Shay, he knew she would be nothing but trouble with her fostering pets. He also dealt with her competition, who’s up to no good to win the election at all costs. Before she landed on the hot seat, she needed a solution to house all the pets in a shelter… and someone to keep an eye on Kitty Fantastic, a runaway kitten. Jonah had enough troubles to last a lifetime: his uncle’s wandering eye, cat-sitting a kitten, and dealing with Shay’s past, though he had developed hard-core feelings for Shay. He didn’t know what to do with them either. He wasn’t going to let anything stop Shay from obtaining his dreams by doing the right thing and sticking by her. But would they get past the hurt to make a go of it in the end?
 
This pet-rescue contemporary romance warmed my heart and gave me all the feels in this book.  I cared for  for Shay who wanted to do the right thing and a had big heart for rescuing pets. Jonah, as her neighbor, and the deputy, made a perfect match for her and became a cat-loving hero in his own right. .The scenic location of St. Helena, California was wistful and charming for its settings.  The theme of this story is to let love find its way to your heart.

This heart-warming contemporary romance is an emotional tear-jerker. I had nothing to nitpick on this novel since I loved it. I rated this book, five out of five stars, because it was lovely and perfect  If you love heart-warming contemporary romances that deal with animal rescues, put Need You for Keeps on the top of your list. This is recommended for those who loved great pet rescue contemporary romance novels from Debbie Burns and Casey Griffin among others.
 

Carolina Moonset

 

In this blog post, I reviewed Matt Goldman's Carolina Moonset. This captivating thriller speaks volume about families, the ties that binds us to them, and old secrets that lurked through the shadows. It all started for Joey Green, who flew to Beaufort, South Carolina, to visit his mother and his ailing father, Marshall. He's a middle-aged divorced father from Chicago and didn't know what to expect when he visited his father for a week. His father has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia, and during this trip, he had hallucinations from people in the past that were interconnected to Hammond Island, and the rich prominent people who owned that land. Joey also did expect to fall in love with his parents neighbor's only daughter Leela, who's also divorced, and had kids of her own. At first, they experimented with dating and unknown feelings for each other. When Thomas Hammond was shot in the thunderstorm, the Beaufort PD believe that Joey's dad did it due to long-stemmed hatred he had against them in the past. It was up to Joey and Leela to put together the pieces together in Beaufort and learn more of his father's secrets in the past. He had brought them together and temporarily split them apart to solve this puzzle. But when the week ends, they go their separate ways until they can be together again with a sweet ending.

This thriller tugs at your heart and kept me in suspended suspense. I cared for Joey who was there for his father and gave him piece of mind. And I thought that Leela was intriguing with her way of thinking to help him out.The scenic location of Beaufort, South Carolina, was mesmerizing for the setting to take place on the swamp and also in the small town. The dual themes of the story are cherish your loved ones when they need you the most and petty jealousy will find its way to sneak up to you for greed.

This fascinating thriller is wonderful and fascinated to read from start to finish. I had nothing to nitpick on this novel. I rated this book, five out of five stars, because it was well-written and has feature film potential. If you love heart-warming thrillers that deal with an unsolved mystery and family, check out Carolina Moonset today. This is recommended for those who loved great novels that's set in the south and has a little love story on the side.

The Fine Art of Murder

 

In this blog post, I reviewed Emily Barnes's The Fine Art of Murder, the first installment in the Katherine Sullivan mystery series. This debut will keep you hooked from the first page. It all started for Katherine Sullivan, a widowed police chief, who returned to Edina Minnesota to visit her daughter Elizabeth and her two grandchildren. When Randolph Pierce, a prominent wealthy son is arrested for Stacey Jordan's murder, she needed to help her daughter and her client out in an unofficial capacity. She teamed up with her late husband's former partner, Nathan Walker, who worked in security with an unique crew. Together, they investigated Stacey's life and unearthed some hidden secrets before she met her untimely demise. While she dealt with the investigation as a private investigator, she talked to her daughter about her family issues, things gotten heated up for Nathan and Katherine to solve this murder in no time.

This delightful mystery debut is captivating and intriguing. I cared for Katherine who wanted to have a normal visit with her family, when it had gotten interrupted by this shocking murder. I loved how she had the balls to go against her former boss and put on her thinking cap as a PI. I also loved how she worked with Nathan and his crew. There's some chemistry brewing between them since they had a long history together. The location of Edina Minnesota made this sleepy small town the perfect play to set a murder. It had picturesque scenic settings from Buckhorn Mansion to her daughter's home pop on the page. The theme of the story is jealousy would lead you to greed when family matters to the heart.

This compelling mystery is a great first start to kick up the series to keep up on reading the other books. I did have one small nitpick, that there were some places when the author should've showed than told more with deep POV, due to some telling words. I rated this book, four out of five stars for no reason. If you love great whodunit murder mysteries, grab a copy of The Fine Art of Murder this summer. This book is recommended for readers who love great capers, cozies, and tons of mysteries like Deborah Crombie, Donna Andrews, and Louise Penny for example.