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#BookReview Crimson Lake Road (Desert Plains #2) by Victor Methos @AmazonPub #CrimsonLakeRoad #VictorMethos #DesertPlains

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#BookReview Crimson Lake Road (Desert Plains #2) by Victor Methos @AmazonPub #CrimsonLakeRoad #VictorMethos #DesertPlains Title: Crimson Lake Road

Author: Victor Methos

Series: Desert Plains #2

Published by: Thomas & Mercer on Feb. 9, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 380

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Bestselling author Victor Methos’s acclaimed series continues as prosecutor Jessica Yardley races to catch an art-obsessed serial killer before she becomes his next masterpiece.

Retiring prosecutor Jessica Yardley can’t turn down one last investigation. This time, it’s a set of murders inspired by a series of grisly paintings called The Night Things. She’s the only one who can catch the killer, who’s left a trail of bodies in a rural community outside of Las Vegas.

But the more Jessica finds out, the less clear her case becomes. Out of options, she’s forced to consult her serial killer ex-husband—to gain additional insight into the crimes and the killer’s motivations.

By the time Jessica realizes that pursuing this case is a deadly mistake, it’s too late to turn back. Can she catch the killer, or will she be the final addition to a killer’s masterpiece?

Review:

Gripping, illusive, and dark!

In this engrossing sequel, Crimson Lake Road, Methos has written another ominous, unpredictable thriller featuring Assistant U.S. Attorney, Jessica Yardley and FBI Special Agent, Cason Baldwin as they work together to solve a case involving two women drugged, posed, and left in an isolated cabin to die, a missing teenage girl, and a serial killer who seems to have an unusual fascination for a series of four paintings depicting victims who have been tortured, posed, and in some cases eviscerated and a horrifying fixation on bringing art to life.

The prose is crisp and tight. The characters are multilayered, flawed, and troubled. And the plot is a disturbing tale of intrigue, surprises, red herrings, deception, abuse, revenge, violence, suspicious motivations, and murder.

Overall, Crimson Lake Road is another fast-paced, tortuous, sophisticated tale by Methos that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, satisfied, and curious to see what his devious mind will come up with next.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Victor Methos

Victor Methos is the bestselling author of over 50 novels and is nominated for the prestigious Edgar Award for best novel by the Mystery Writers of America. He attended law school at the University of Utah and has been both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, having conducted more than 100 trials ranging from homicides and death penalty cases, to defending the rights of Native American tribes to practice their religion freely, and fighting for the rights of the mentally and physically disabled.
Methos' books have sold more than a million copies worldwide and have been #1 bestselling hits in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Australia and throughout the world. He currently splits his time between Utah and Las Vegas.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Duke Heist (The Wild Wynchesters #1) by Erica Ridley @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #TheDukeHeist #EricaRidley #TheWildWynchesters

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#BookReview The Duke Heist (The Wild Wynchesters #1) by Erica Ridley @readforeverpub @grandcentralpub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #TheDukeHeist #EricaRidley #TheWildWynchesters Title: The Duke Heist

Author: Erica Ridley

Series: The Wild Wynchesters #1

Published by: Forever on Feb. 9, 2021

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 332

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 10/10

A NYT bestselling author kicks off a new Regency series of “irresistible romance and a family of delightful scoundrels” as a woman looking to recover a stolen painting accidentally kidnaps a duke instead. (Eloisa James)

Chloe Wynchester is completely forgettable—a curse that gives her the ability to blend into any crowd. When the only father she’s ever known makes a dying wish for his adopted family of orphans to recover a missing painting, she’s the first one her siblings turn to for stealing it back. No one expects that in doing so, she’ll also abduct a handsome duke.

Lawrence Gosling, the Duke of Faircliffe, is tortured by his father’s mistakes. To repair his estate’s ruined reputation, he must wed a highborn heiress. Yet when he finds himself in a carriage being driven hell-for-leather down the cobblestone streets of London by a beautiful woman who refuses to heed his commands, he fears his heart is hers. But how can he sacrifice his family’s legacy to follow true love?

Review:

Humorous, passionate, and fabulously entertaining!

The Duke Heist is a heartwarming, playful romp that sweeps you away to London during 1817 and into the life of Chloe Wynchester, a clever pickpocket who is determined to reclaim a family painting stolen by the late Duke of Faircliffe at any cost, even if it means befriending the handsome, newly appointed Duke of Faircliffe, Lawrence Gosling who is in the process of securing a wealthy bride to save his inherited dukedom from financial ruin.

The prose is amusing and light. The characters are unique, intelligent, and a wee bit zany. And the plot is a delightfully enchanting tale full of family, friendship, societal expectations, scheming behaviour, tricky situations, desire, and steamy romance.

Overall, The Duke Heist is an enticing, swoon-worthy, outrageously funny read by Ridley that hands down has some of the best characters I’ve ever read about in a historical romance novel. They’re a talented, eccentric, compassionate group of misfits you can’t help but root for, and I am super excited to read about all the hijinks this family of scoundrels gets up to next. 

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

               

 

 

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Erica Ridley

Erica Ridley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical romance novels. When not reading or writing romances, Erica can be found riding camels in Africa, zip-lining through rain forests in Costa Rica, or getting hopelessly lost in the middle of Budapest.

Photo courtesy of Forever website.

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#BookReview The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheSundayGirl #PipDrysdale #bookmarkedbylandmark

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#BookReview The Sunday Girl by Pip Drysdale @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheSundayGirl #PipDrysdale #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: The Sunday Girl

Author: Pip Drysdale

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Feb. 16, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 300

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8/10

Any woman who’s ever been involved with a bad, bad man and been dumped will understand what it feels like to be broken, broken-hearted, and bent on revenge.

Taylor Bishop is hurt, angry, and wants to destroy Angus Hollingsworth in the way he destroyed her: ‘Insidiously. Irreparably. Like a puzzle he’d slowly dissembled, stolen a couple of pieces from, and then discarded, knowing that nobody would ever be able to put it back together ever again.’

So Taylor consults The Art of War and makes a plan. Then she takes the next irrevocable step-one that will change her life forever.

Things start to spiral out of her control-and The Sunday Girlbecomes impossible to put down. It’s a tale of love gone wrong…and revenge done right.

Review:

Ominous, relentless and intense!

The Sunday Girl is a character-driven, domestic thriller that takes you into the life of Taylor Bishop, a 29-year-old analyst who decides to use the principles found in Tzu’s, The Art of War to damage, destroy, and ruin the life of Angus, her successful banker, boyfriend after he not only leaks a video onto the internet of her engaged in a threesome but also decides to take his previous ex, Kim on the holiday they had planned together.

The prose is taut and gritty. The characters are vulnerable, consumed, and ruthless. And the plot does a nice job of building tension and unease as it subtly intertwines and unravels an intricate tale of lies, secrets, abuse, control, manipulation, violence, and vengeance.

Overall, The Sunday Girl is a dark, unnerving, satisfying read that delves into how much relationships define us and reminds us that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

 

This novel is available in paperback now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Pip Drysdale

Pip Drysdale is a writer, musician and actor who grew up in Africa and Australia. At 20 she moved to New York to study acting, worked in indie films and off-off Broadway theatre, started writing songs and made four records. After graduating with a BA in English, Pip moved to London where she played shows across Europe and started writing books. Her debut novel, The Sunday Girl, was a bestseller and has been published in the United States, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Strangers We Know was also a bestseller and is being developed for television. The Paris Affair is her third book.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn with George Vecsey @GrandCentralPub #CoalMinersDaughter #LorettaLynn #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn with George Vecsey @GrandCentralPub #CoalMinersDaughter #LorettaLynn #GrandCentralPub Title: Coal Miner's Daughter

Author: Loretta Lynn

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 16, 2021

Pages: 320

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

New York Times bestselling author and Nashville legend Loretta Lynn tells the story of her rise from deep poverty in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, to the top of the male-dominated country music industry.

Reissued for the 40th Anniversary of the Oscar-winning, Sissy Spacek-starring film of the same name, Coal Miner’s Daughter recounts Loretta Lynn’s astonishing journey to become one of the original queens of country music. Loretta grew up dirt poor in the mountains of Kentucky, she was married at thirteen years old, and became a mother soon after. At the age of twenty-four, her husband, Doo, gave her a guitar as an anniversary present.

Soon, she began penning songs and singing in front of honky-tonk audiences, and, through years of hard work, talent, and true grit, eventually made her way to Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry, eventually securing her place in country music history. Loretta’s prolific and influential songwriting made her the first woman to receive a gold record in country music, and got her named the first female Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Association. This riveting memoir introduces readers to all the highs and lows on her road to success and the tough, smart, funny, and fascinating woman behind the legend.

Review:

Honest, fascinating, and inspiring!

Coal Miner’s Daughter is the candid, informative story of Loretta Lynn’s personal and professional successes, hardships, struggles, and accomplishments as a daughter, wife, mother, and famous country music star.

The writing is sincere and insightful. The characters are funny, focused, and humble. And the novel is an intriguing, introspective, entertaining tale of one woman’s life from her poverty-stricken Kentucky mountain roots to the lights, glamour, and fame of Nashville.

You know how sometimes people will ask what is one book that totally exceeded your expectations. Well in 2021, one of those books for me will be Coal Miner’s Daughter. Honestly, I’m not a huge country music fan, but this novel is such a forthright, absorbing, captivating tale about one woman’s ability to conquer a male-dominated industry through hard work, determination, integrity, loyalty, and grit that it’s hard to not love it.

 

This new expanded and updated edition will be available on Feb. 16, 2021.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                      

 

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter whose groundbreaking career spans almost sixty years, with such famous hits as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" and "Coal Miner's Daughter," as well as a biographic film New York Times bestselling book of the same name. With more than forty-five million albums sold worldwide, multiple gold albums, and numerous awards and accolades, Loretta is the most awarded female country recording artist and the only female ACM Artist of the Decade. She's known not only for her still-incredible voice, but also for her down-to-earth quality, quick wit, and humor.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview The Unwilling by John Hart @StMartinsPress #TheUnwilling #JohnHart

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#BookReview The Unwilling by John Hart @StMartinsPress #TheUnwilling #JohnHart Title: The Unwilling

Author: John Hart

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 409

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Set in the South at the height of the Vietnam War, The Unwilling combines crime, suspense and searing glimpses into the human mind and soul in New York Times bestselling author John Hart’s singular style.

Gibby’s older brothers have already been to war. One died there. The other came back misunderstood and hard, a decorated killer now freshly released from a three-year stint in prison.

Jason won’t speak of the war or of his time behind bars, but he wants a relationship with the younger brother he hasn’t known for years. Determined to make that connection, he coaxes Gibby into a day at the lake: long hours of sunshine and whisky and older women.

But the day turns ugly when the four encounter a prison transfer bus on a stretch of empty road. Beautiful but drunk, one of the women taunts the prisoners, leading to a riot on the bus. The woman finds it funny in the moment, but is savagely murdered soon after.

Given his violent history, suspicion turns first to Jason; but when the second woman is kidnapped, the police suspect Gibby, too. Determined to prove Jason innocent, Gibby must avoid the cops and dive deep into his brother’s hidden life, a dark world of heroin, guns and outlaw motorcycle gangs.

What he discovers there is a truth more bleak than he could have imagined: not just the identity of the killer and the reasons for Tyra’s murder, but the forces that shaped his brother in Vietnam, the reason he was framed, and why the most dangerous man alive wants him back in prison.

This is crime fiction at its most raw, an exploration of family and the past, of prison and war and the indelible marks they leave.

Review:

Frightful, atmospheric, and spine-chilling!

The Unwilling is an engrossing, gritty novel that transports you to Charleston, South Carolina, during 1972 when the Vietnam War is still being waged and Detective Bill French, unfortunately, finds himself mixed up in a complex investigation involving a heinous killer with a penchant for sadism, and a young murder victim that seems to have known both his teenage son, Gibby and his delinquent, adult son, Jason a little too well.

The prose is meticulous and crisp. The characters are raw, scarred, and maudlin. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine effortlessly into an ominous tale filled with mixed emotions, manipulation, deceit, corruption, grief, violence, and murder.

I have to admit that I have been a huge fan of John Hart since 2006 when he published his debut novel, The King of Lies. And even though I didn’t love The Unwilling as much as some of his older ones, it is still an intricate, sinister, well-written whodunit filled with an abundance of deeply flawed characters that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About John Hart

JOHN HART is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, and of THE UNWILLING, which will be released on February 2, 2021. The only author in history to win the best novel Edgar Award for consecutive novels, Hart has also won the Barry Award, the Southern Independent Bookseller’s Award for Fiction, the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and the North Carolina Award for Literature. His novels have been translated into thirty language and can be found in over seventy countries. “My only real dream,” John declares, “has been to write well and to be published well.”

He lives in Virginia with his wife, two daughters, and four dogs.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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#BookReview Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) by Heidi McLaughlin @AmazonPub #UntilThen #HeidiMcLaughlin #CapeHarbor

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#BookReview Until Then (Cape Harbor #2) by Heidi McLaughlin @AmazonPub #UntilThen #HeidiMcLaughlin #CapeHarbor Title: Until Then

Author: Heidi McLaughlin

Series: Cape Harbor #2

Published by: Montlake Romance on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 348

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

From New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin comes an uplifting story about two old friends finding new love.

Rennie Wallace has it all: a boyfriend, a good job, a best friend who lives a stone’s throw away…but something’s missing. She isn’t sure what until she returns to Cape Harbor, her favorite home away from home. There, she crosses paths with an old love, Graham. Rennie’s drawn to him but senses their paths in life have wandered too far apart.

Graham Chamberlain has returned to Cape Harbor to care for his brother, the town alcoholic. Managing and serving drinks at his family’s bar, Graham can’t believe how mundane his life has become. He’s resigned himself to living for others, his own desires for adventure and romance taking a back seat to running the family business—until Rennie walks through his door.

Graham feels the weight of his small-town life; Rennie has a boyfriend and a busy life in the city. But neither can deny the rekindled spark between them. Will they find their way back to one another?

Review:

Emotional, sobering, and optimistic!

Until Then is a sweet, slow-burning, second-chance romance that takes us into the life of the hardworking, Rennie Wallace who at first glance seems to have it all, a successful career and a handsome fiance, but when events send her back to the small town of Cape Harbor, Washington for the first time in fifteen years, and she comes face-to-face with Graham Chamberlain her on-again, off-again friend and lover from college timing may once again become everything.

The prose is heartfelt and genuine. The characters are supportive, compassionate, and kind. And the plot is an uplifting mix of relationship dynamics, introspection, communication, heartbreak, trust, family, friendship, community, and unconditional love.

Overall, Until Then is a charming, authentic, tender addition to the Cape Harbor series by McLaughlin that definitely has the perfect amount of hope, heart, and humour to keep me yearning for more.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Heidi McLaughlin

Heidi McLaughlin is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of The Beaumont Series, The Boys of Summer, and The Archers.

Originally, from the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in picturesque Vermont, with her husband, two daughters, and their three dogs.

In 2012, Heidi turned her passion for reading into a full-fledged literary career, writing over twenty novels, including the acclaimed Forever My Girl.

When writing isn’t occupying her time, you can find her sitting courtside at either of her daughters’ basketball games.

Heidi’s first novel, Forever My Girl, has been adapted into a motion picture with LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions, starring Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe, and opened in theaters on January 19, 2018.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Family by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @GrandCentralPub #TheFamily #LouiseJensen #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview The Family by Louise Jensen @Fab_fiction @GrandCentralPub #TheFamily #LouiseJensen #GrandCentralPub Title: The Family

Author: Louise Jensen

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

At Oak Leaf Farm you will find a haven.
Welcome to The Family.

Laura is grieving after the sudden death of her husband. Struggling to cope emotionally and financially, Laura is grateful when a local community, Oak Leaf Organics, offer her and her 17-year-old daughter Tilly a home.

But as Laura and Tilly settle into life with their new “family,” sinister things begin to happen. When one of the community dies in suspicious circumstances Laura wants to leave but Tilly, enthralled by the charismatic leader, Alex, refuses to go.

Desperately searching for a way to save her daughter, Laura uncovers a horrifying secret but Alex and his family aren’t the only ones with something to hide. Just as Laura has been digging into their past, they’ve been digging into hers and she discovers the terrifying reason they invited her and Tilly in, and why they’ll never let them leave…

Review:

Dark, suspenseful, and unnerving!

The Family is a creepy, engrossing tale that takes you into the lives of Laura, a widowed mother, and Tilly her seventeen-year-old daughter as they each grapple with grief, community whispers, financial insecurity, and a new home on the Oak Leaf Organics commune where things may not be quite as they first appeared and danger might lurk around every corner.

The prose is tight and intense. The characters are vulnerable, secretive, and troubled. And the plot told from differing perspectives unravels quickly into a gripping tale full of twists, turns, shocking revelations, familial drama, lies, deception, instability, obsession, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Family is another sinister, entertaining, character-driven thriller by Jensen that does a wonderful job of combining the isolating atmosphere of commune living with unsavoury characters, poor choices, and eerie motivations.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Louise Jensen

Louise Jensen is a USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers. Her first two novels, The Sister and The Gift, were both international bestsellers, and have been sold for translation to sixteen countries. Her debut novel, The Sister, was nominated for The Goodreads Awards Debut of 2016.

Louise lives in Northamptonshire with her husband, children, madcap dog, and a rather naughty cat. She loves to hear from readers and writers and can be found at LouiseJensen.co.uk, where she regularly blogs flash fiction.

Photograph by T. M. Elliston.

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#BookReview Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson @HTPBooks @Bookclubbish #HTPBooks #LadiesoftheHouse #LaurenEdmondson #Bookclubbish

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#BookReview Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson @HTPBooks @Bookclubbish #HTPBooks #LadiesoftheHouse #LaurenEdmondson #Bookclubbish Title: Ladies of the House

Author: Lauren Edmondson

Published by: Graydon House on Feb. 9, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 9/10

No surprise is a good surprise. At least according to thirty-four-year-old Daisy Richardson. So when it’s revealed in dramatic fashion that her esteemed father had been involved in a public scandal before his untimely death, Daisy’s life becomes complicated—and fast.

For one, the Richardsons must now sell the family home in Georgetown they can no longer afford, and Daisy’s mother is holding on with an iron grip. Her younger sister, Wallis, is ready to move on to bigger and better things but falls fast and hard for the most inconvenient person possible. And then there’s Atlas, Daisy’s best friend. She’s always wished they could be more, but now he’s writing an exposé on the one subject she’s been desperate to avoid: her father.

Daisy’s plan is to maintain a low profile as she works to keep her family intact amid social exile, public shaming, and quickly dwindling savings. But the spotlight always seems to find the Richardsons, and when another twist in the scandal comes to light, Daisy must confront the consequences of her continued silence and summon the courage to stand up and accept the power of her own voice.

Review:

Fresh, uplifting, and witty!

Ladies of the House is a charming, engaging tale that takes us to Washington, DC, and into the lives of three, strong, unique women as they each learn in their own way to cope with the death of their patriarch, Senator Gregory Richardson, and the subsequent trail of adultery, deception, controversy, scandal, and corruption he left in his wake.

The writing is clever and sharp. The characters are complex, angry, insecure, and loyal. And the plot unfolds and unravels quickly into a tender tale of family, friendship, trust, reputation, financial ruin, unrequited love, independence, happiness, and finding one’s true self.

Overall, Ladies of the House is an enjoyable, entertaining, modern retelling of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility that’s an outstanding debut by Edmondson with its endearing characters, heartfelt moments, contemporary storyline, and ending that will leave you with a smile.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to HTP Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lauren Edmondson

Lauren Edmondson has a BA from Williams College and an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. She teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College and lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband and daughter. Ladies of the House is her first novel.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid @st_reid @entangledpub @angelamelamud #HerWickedMarquess #StacyReid #SinfulWallflowers

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#BookReview Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid @st_reid @entangledpub @angelamelamud #HerWickedMarquess #StacyReid #SinfulWallflowers Title: Her Wicked Marquess

Author: Stacy Reid

Series: Sinful Wallflowers #2

Published by: Entangled Publishing on Dec. 29, 2020

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 383

Format: Paperback

Source: Entangled Publishing, Angela Melamud

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Miss Maryann Fitzwilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.

When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas St. Ives, the Marquess of Rothbury, climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable. She anonymously claims that the bedchamber belonged to none other than Miss Fitzwilliam, tarnishing her own reputation—and chances of the dastardly union her family secured for her. Now she just needs to convince the marquess to keep his silence.

Turns out Nicolas allows for the scandal to perpetuate for his own reasons… But when Maryann’s parents hold fast to their arranged marriage plan, it’ll take a scandal of epic proportions for these two to get out of this together.

Review:

Dark, edgy, and passionate!

Her Wicked Marquess is an engaging, rousing tale featuring the intelligent, fiery, MaryAnn Fitzwilliam who will do whatever it takes to escape a loveless marriage to the elderly Lord Stamford to whom she is betrothed, and the handsome, rakish Nicolas St. Ives who is determined to identify and seek revenge on all those who violated his childhood friend five years prior.

The prose is enticing and fluid. The characters are troubled, protective, and witty. And the plot is an alluring, mysterious mix of societal expectations, family, friendship, secrets, scandal, tender moments, retribution, and unconditional love.

Overall, Her Wicked Marquess is a sultry, adventurous, entertaining tale by Reid that is a pleasant surprise with its exceptional character development, unexpected ending, and twisty, surprising storyline that is quite atypical and somewhat grittier than you usually find in this genre.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

               

 

 

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Angela Melamud for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Stacy Reid

I am an unapologetic romance lover. I read it. I write it. Enough said. Well..I also have a warrior way "Never give up on my dreams." I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime and playing video games with my love, Dusean.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen @Iris_Johansen @royjohansen @GrandCentralPub #BlinkofanEye #KendraMichaelsSeries #GrandCentralPub

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#BookReview Blink of an Eye (Kendra Michaels #8) by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen @Iris_Johansen @royjohansen @GrandCentralPub #BlinkofanEye #KendraMichaelsSeries #GrandCentralPub Title: Blink of an Eye

Author: Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen

Series: Kendra Michaels #8

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 343

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

A #1 New York Times bestselling author and an Edgar Award winner team up to deliver this gripping new novel featuring investigator Kendra Michaels—whose observational skills are worthy of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

Delilah Winter is one of the hottest pop stars on the planet, so how in the world was she kidnapped right in the middle of a show at the famous Hollywood Bowl? If anyone can figure it out, it’s Dr. Kendra Michaels, who works with local and federal authorities on only the most impossible cases. Blind for the first twenty years of her life until a revolutionary surgical procedure allowed her to regain her sight, Kendra uses her powers of observation—honed during her years in the dark—to detect what other investigators don’t. She agrees to lead the race to rescue the young singer before time runs out.

Joined by Jessie Mercado, the singer’s former bodyguard and a military hero, Kendra closes in on the hideout location but not before casualties mount up. Desperate for leads, Kendra must set aside her personal feelings when agent-for-hire Adam Lynch also volunteers his special skills to aid in the search.

But as the abductor’s true purpose becomes clear, the trio uncover a plot they never could have imagined—leading to a showdown they won’t soon forget.

Review:

Tight, propulsive, and sinister!

Blink of an Eye is an ominous, charged, pacey thriller that sees FBI consultant Kendra Michaels teaming up with her friend and former security advisor, Jessie Mercado, along with DOJ Special Agent Adam Lynch to investigate and hopefully negotiate the safe return of famous popstar, Deliah Winter after she is ruthlessly kidnapped during a live performance at the Hollywood Bowl.

The writing is meticulous and crisp. The characters are multilayered, talented, and resourceful. And the plot is a compelling web of clues, deduction, lies, obsession, manipulation, violence, and murder.

Overall, Blink of an Eye is another action-packed, suspenseful, fast-paced addition to the Kendra Michaels series by Johansen and Johansen that has just the right amount of mystery, intensity, and intrigue to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and leave fans of the series more than satisfied.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Iris Johansen

Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.

She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

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About Roy Johansen

Roy Johansen is a New York Times-bestselling mystery/suspense author and screenwriter.

He was awarded the Edgar Allen Poe award from the Mystery Writers of America in the Best Television Miniseries or Movie category for his original screenplay "Murder 101". He continues to write screenplays for Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Disney, and MGM.

He has written several mystery/suspense novels on his own, but Roy Johansen also collaborates with his mother, Iris Johansen, on several best-selling mystery novels, including Storm Cycle, The Hannah Bryson series, and The Kendra Michaels series.

Photo courtesy of Author's Website.

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