The Quick and the Thread

   In this blog post, I reviewed Amanda Lee’s The Quick and the Thread, the first installment in the Embroidery Mystery cozy mystery series. This debut is riveting and keeps you guessing.  It all started for Marcella “Marcy” Singer, who first arrived in Tallulah Falls, Oregon, from San Francisco from her best friend Sadie’s insistence. As the new resident in town, she opened her embroidery shop across from her Sadie’s coffee shop. And at her open house, things turn a bit dicey when she later discovered a dead body with a mysterious message in her storage basement. This started her to discover the mystery of the Four Square Development scheme and those key players into it. She needed to take a closer look into it and why someone had stolen her identity too. The closer she was unraveling the truth, the more precarious the situation would be for her in the end with a shocking twist.

This captivating cozy mystery would have your eyes glued on every page and take up an interest in cross-stitching embroidery. I cared for Marcy on how she’d gotten into the thick of things with a tangled up mess. I could see her easily paired with Todd or Detective Nash, so there’s a potential love triangle in the series. The location of Tallulah Falls Oregon was enchanting and had compelling scenic settings in Northern Oregon. The theme of the story is beware of the past, before it would catch up with you.

This gripping mystery will leave you hooked at the edge of your seat. I rated this book, three out of five stars, for no reason. If you love crafty cozies with non-stop dramatic action, plenty of suspense, and plenty of shocking twists, The Quick and the Thread would be the book for you. This is recommended for fans of Laura Childs, Monica Ferris, Sally Goldenbaum, and other crafty cozies alike.

The Girl Who Survived

   In this blog post, I reviewed Lisa Jackson’s The Girl Who Survived. This dark romantic  thriller is so warped and bone-numbing that keeps you in suspense.  At the tender age of eight, Kara McIntyre had witnessed an atrocity when she lost her whole family to a bloody massacre. Saved by her sister Marlie who later vanished, her step-brother Jonas was accused of the murders. Now after his release due to new evidence, the past had come back to haunt her, while she searched for the truth about what happened that night and why. But it wasn’t easy when someone kept an eye on her and sent her mysterious text messages. And new murders had turned up on the twentieth anniversary for her on that cold and viscous night. Then she ran into Wesley Tate, the son of the man who saved her life in the lake, while losing his own. He was also after the same answers for her. Together, they teamed up to work on this puzzle while they unearthed new clues and she needed a place to hide, going through her distorted and faded memories. The only way to face her fears was to the place where it all started for her at her former home. But in the end, it was a life-and-death battle to remember and to escape from another harrowing ordeal.

This chilling thriller would have you gasping at every turned page. I cared for Kara and became connected to her and her journey to discover the truth. She had lost everyone she cared about in a brutal act of violence, and had the scars to prove and live through it. Now, it happened all over for her. But she had found a formidable alley in Wesley, who wanted to care about her and protect her like his late father did. The dual locations of Whimstick and Bend Oregon painted bone-chilling scenic settings to transport you there. The theme of the story is that you can’t hide from your past, but having a revengeful greed is a lethal sin. 

This shocking romantic thriller will give you goosebumps and chill your skin. I rated this book, four out of five stars, for no reason. If you love heart-stopping romantic thrillers with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and bone-numbing twists, The Girl Who Survived will deliver. This is recommended for fans of Karen Rose, Erica Spindler, Laura McHigh, and all romantic and dark thriller movies and novels.

The Guest Room

   In this blog post, I reviewed Rona Hallsall’s The Guest Room. This shockingly twisted psychological thriller has some domestic suspense elements to keep your head spinning. For Stephanie Baker, all she wanted was to stay in her home, and to be reconnected to her estranged son Max. Due to the divorce with her husband Andy, both he and her daughter Bea wanted her to sell the home. But when push came to shove, she was adamant and stood her ground. Until some incidents had taken place at her home to scare her senseless and made her feel a bit unsafe. Then she met Noah, a homeless man who lived in the shed of her home. At first, she was suspicious about him, but she questioned everyone who wanted to harm her—her ex, Noah, people at work. As she had gotten closer to knowing him better and helping him out, things took a turn for the worst when unsavory people showed up at her home, and then later a house fire.  That’s when Noah saved her life and her daughter Bea became needy. Little did Steph know the truth, when she started adding up the strange happenings at her home and  connected the hard hard truth before it was too late.

This twisted psychological thriller would have you at the edge of your seat.  I cared for  Steph, who wanted to reconnect with her son Max, and to live at her home. I loved how she had a caring nature to help Noah out with his family and residential issues. The dual locations of Harrogate and London had stellar scenic settings from her home to the homeless shelter. The theme is jealousy is a ugly skin when we should love one another equally.

This gripping psychological thriller will have your heart racing and your skin crawl. I rated this book, four out of five stars, for no reason. If you love twisted psychological thrillers with non-stop action, plenty of dramatic suspense, and spine-tingling twists, The Guest Room will keep you up all night. This is recommended for fans of Cara Reinard, Gillian Flynn, and domestic suspense and psychological thriller novels and movies. 

To Be Loved by You

  In this book blog post, I reviewed Debbie Burns’s To Be Loved by You, the sixth installment in the Rescue Me contemporary romance series. This lovely and endearing contemporary romance is compassionate and moving. Ava Graham is a hard-working real estate agent, who grew up in an affectionate farm family near St. Louis, and had her heart broken after one year of marriage. When her baby sister Olivia invited her to volunteer at the High Grove Pet Rescue center’s dog wash, she met Jeremy Washington, when they worked at the same station together. As a potential set-up by her sister and her boyfriend Gabe, they begin to like each other and learn that they both had failed marriages and grew up with tough childhoods. They begin to bond through Ava’s puppy yoga sessions and Jeremy’s plan to foster dogs, they both cared for his charismatic dog Rolo, who was irresistible and loving. If they plan to have a future together, Jeremy needed to face his inner demons along with his past. When Ava injured her arm, she begins to understand where he’s coming from. To get their much-deserved happy ending, they needed to follow their hearts and let the past go.

This heart-wrenching contemporary romance was beautifully written and moved me to tears. I love pet rescue romance stories and yoga. I cared for Ava, who had been dealt with hard times and needed some happiness for a change. I adored Jeremy, who had to make a big leap of faith, and loved how he’s a rescue hero who saved Rolo’s and that adorable kitten Louie’s  life. The dual locations of St. Louis and High Grove has mesmeric scenic settings to take you and transport there right on the page. The theme is in order to heal from emotional scars, it’s best to forgive and not let anything hold you back.

This sensational pet rescue contemporary romance will pull at your heart strings and make you sigh and swoon. I rated this book, five out of five stars, because it was so heartfelt and moving. If you love pet rescue contemporary romance with non-stop action, heart-wrenching  romantic drama, and plenty of sweet intimate moments,  you'll want to read To Be Loved By You. It's recommended for fans who love pet rescue romances like Kelly Moran, Debbie Mason, and Hallmark movies.