#BookReview #BlogTour The Beauty of Broken Things by Victoria Connelly @VictoriaDarcy @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour The Beauty of Broken Things by Victoria Connelly @VictoriaDarcy @rararesources

#BookReview #BlogTour The Beauty of Broken Things by Victoria Connelly @VictoriaDarcy @rararesources Title: The Beauty of Broken Things

Author: Victoria Connelly

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Jun. 9, 2020

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 314

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Rachel's Random Resources

Book Rating: 8/10

United by tragedy, can two broken souls make each other whole?

After the tragic loss of his wife, Helen, Luke Hansard is desperate to keep her memory alive. In an effort to stay close to her, he reaches out to an online friend Helen often mentioned: a reclusive photographer with a curious interest in beautiful but broken objects. But first he must find her—and she doesn’t want to be found.

Orla Kendrick lives alone in the ruins of a remote Suffolk castle, hiding from the haunting past that has left her physically and emotionally scarred. In her fortress, she can keep a safe distance from prying eyes, surrounded by her broken treasures and insulated from the world outside.

When Luke tracks Orla down, he is determined to help her in the way Helen wanted to: by encouraging her out of her isolation and back into the world. But Orla has never seen her refuge as a prison and, when painful secrets and dangerous threats begin to resurface, Luke’s good deed is turned on its head.

As they work through their grief for Helen in very different ways, will these two broken souls be able to heal?


Review:

Heartbreaking, hopeful, and absorbing!

The Beauty of Broken Things is a moving, sensitive tale set in the idyllic Suffolk countryside that takes us into the lives of Orla Kendrick and Luke Hansard, two strangers whose budding friendship helps them learn how to support, heal, grow, take chances, start anew, and grieve the tragedies they’ve each endured.

The prose is emotive and smooth. The characters are vulnerable, scarred, and compassionate. And the plot is a captivating tale full of love, loss, family, tragedy, courage, community, contentment, anxiety, and unconditional friendship.

Overall, The Beauty of Broken Things is a pensive, tender, evocative tale by Connelly that reminds us that life can be unpredictable and full of curveballs, but it’s how we approach, handle and survive all these messy, complicated, highs-and-lows that truly make all the difference.

 

This book is available now. 

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

 

 

Thank you to Victoria Connelly and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Victoria Connelly

Victoria Connelly studied English literature at Worcester University, got married in a medieval castle in the Yorkshire Dales and now lives in rural Suffolk with her artist husband, a young springer spaniel and a flock of ex-battery hens.
She is the author of two bestselling series, Austen Addicts and The Book Lovers, as well as many other novels and novellas. Her first published novel, Flights of Angels, was made into a film in 2008 by Ziegler Films in Germany. The Runaway Actress was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Comedy Novel award.
Ms Connelly loves books, films, walking, historic buildings and animals. If she isn’t at her keyboard writing, she can usually be found in her garden, with either a trowel in her hand or a hen on her lap.

 

#BookReview #Excerpt The Dare (Briar U #4) by Elle Kennedy @ElleKennedy @ninabocci #TheDare #BriarU

#BookReview #Excerpt The Dare (Briar U #4) by Elle Kennedy @ElleKennedy @ninabocci #TheDare #BriarU Title: The Dare

Author: Elle Kennedy

Series: Briar U #4

Published by: Elle Kennedy Inc. on Jun. 16, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 344

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Elle Kennedy

Book Rating: 9/10

Get ready for another binge-worthy romance from New York Times bestselling author Elle Kennedy!

College was supposed to be my chance to get over my ugly-duckling complex and spread my wings. Instead, I wound up in a sorority full of mean girls. I already have a hard time fitting in, so when my Kappa Chi sisters issue the challenge, I can’t say no.

The dare: seduce the hottest new hockey player in the junior class.

Conor Edwards is a regular at Greek Row parties…and in Greek Row sorority beds. He’s the one you fall for before you learn that guys like him don’t give girls like me a second glance. Except Mr. Popular throws me for a loop—rather than laughing in my face, he does me a solid by letting me take him upstairs to pretend we’re getting busy. 

Even crazier, now he wants to keep pretending. Turns out Conor loves games, and he thinks it’s fun to pull the wool over my frenemies’ eyes. 

But resisting his easy charm and surfer-boy hotness is darn near impossible. Though I’m realizing there’s much more to Conor’s story than his fan club can see.

And the longer this silly ruse goes on, the greater the danger of it all blowing up in my face.


Review:

Lighthearted, charming, and angsty!

The Dare is a sweet, steamy, college romance featuring the intelligent, quiet Taylor who’s finding it harder and harder to keep from falling for her fake boyfriend, and the hot, outgoing Conor who may have finally found the one girl who makes him want more.

The writing is honest and emotive. The characters are warm, kind, and endearing. And the plot is an alluring blend of friendship, family, drama, emotion, attraction, heat, insecurities, self-discovery, happiness, taking chances, awkward moments, college antics, delicious dirty talk, and budding romance.

Overall, The Dare is a witty, passionate, swoon-worthy finale to the Briar U series by Kennedy that will leave fans of New Adult novels delightfully satisfied and wishing for more. 

This novel is available now.

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

         

 

 

EXCERPT:

“Thank you,” she breathes the moment we’re alone.

“No problem. Mind if I make myself comfortable?”

“Um, yeah. I mean, no. I don’t mind. Sit if you want. Or—wow, okay, you’re lying down.”

I grin at her visible nervousness. It’s cute. While I stretch out my six-foot-two frame amid the stuffed animals and decorative pillows on the bed, she remains the startled rabbit plastered against the door and breathing heavily.

“Gotta be honest,” I tell her, entwining my hands behind my head, “I’ve never seen a girl so unhappy to be locked in a bedroom with me.”

This has the desired effect of loosening her shoulders and even eliciting a shy smile. “I have no doubt.”

“I’m Conor, by the way.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, I know.”

“What’s the eyeroll for?” I ask, playing wounded.

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just, I know who you are. You’re, like, campus famous.”

The more I watch her, hands braced at her sides against the door, one knee bent, dirty-blonde hair a little messy and draped over one shoulder, I can’t help picturing myself holding her arms above her head while I explore her body with my mouth. She’s got very kissable skin.

“Taylor Marsh,” she blurts out, and I realize I don’t know how long we were silent until then.

I scoot to the far side of the bed and put a pillow beside me as a divider. “Come on. If we’re going to be in here awhile, let’s at least make friends.”

Taylor laughs out a breath and with it she releases a bit more tension. She’s got a nice smile. Bright, warm. It takes a bit more coaxing, however, to get her on the bed.

“This isn’t like a move,” she tells me, lining up stuffed animal guards to patrol the pillow wall between us. “I’m not some sort of weirdo who tricks men into getting in bed with her and then mauls them.”

“Sure.” I nod with mock seriousness. “But a little mauling would be okay.”

 

Thank you to Elle Kennedy for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elle Kennedy

A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a B.A. in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer, and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager.

Elle currently writes for various publishers. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

#BookReview 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @HBGCanada #28Summers

#BookReview 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand @elinhilderbrand @littlebrown @HBGCanada #28Summers Title: 28 Summers

Author: Elin Hilderbrand

Published by: Little Brown and Company on Jun. 16, 2020

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 432

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: HBG Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

By the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of ’69: Their secret love affair has lasted for decades — but this could be the summer that changes everything.

When Mallory Blessing’s son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he’s not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It’s the late spring of 2020 and Jake’s wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.

There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?

Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother’s bachelor party. Cooper’s friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere — through marriage, children, and Ursula’s stratospheric political rise — until Mallory learns she’s dying.

Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.


Review:

Poignant, pensive, and nostalgic!

28 Summers is a lush, intimate tale that sweeps you away to the shores of Nantucket island and into the life of Mallory Blessing, a young woman who after inheriting a cottage from her late aunt and falling in love with her brother’s best friend from college in 1993 spends the next twenty-seven years fondly anticipating and savouring the last weekend of summer when she gets to spend three days of joy and pleasure with the one man who will always own her heart.

The writing is rich and emotive. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are multilayered, genuine, and humanly flawed. And the compelling plot is a delightfully clever blend of moral dilemmas, family drama, relationship dynamics, and lighthearted beach read.

Overall, 28 Summers is another immersive, touching, astute tale by Hilderbrand that highlights once again her innate ability to delve into all the messy emotional and psychological entanglements that exist between family members, friends, and lovers, and proves why year-after-year she’s the queen of the must-read novel of the summer.

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

Thank you to HBG Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand is a mother of three, an avid runner, reader, and traveler, and the author of twenty-three novels. She grew up outside Philadelphia, and has lived on Nantucket for more than twenty years.

#BookReview Rage & Ruin (The Harbinger #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout @JLArmentrout @InkyardPress @HarlequinBooks @Bookclubbish #HarlequinPublicityTeam #TheHarbingerSeries #JenniferLArmentrout

#BookReview Rage & Ruin (The Harbinger #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout @JLArmentrout @InkyardPress @HarlequinBooks @Bookclubbish #HarlequinPublicityTeam #TheHarbingerSeries #JenniferLArmentrout Title: Rage and Ruin

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: The Harbinger #2

Published by: Inkyard Press on Jun. 9, 2020

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 576

Format: Hardcover

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 10/10

Half-angel Trinity and her bonded gargoyle protector, Zayne, have been working with demons to stop the apocalypse while avoiding falling in love. The Harbinger is coming…but who or what is it? All of humankind may fall if Trinity and Zayne can’t win the race against time as dark forces gather.

As tensions rise, they must stay close together and patrol the DC streets at night, seeking signs of the Harbinger, an entity that is killing Wardens and demons with no seeming rhyme or reason. Forbidden to be with each other, Zayne and Trinity fight their feelings and turn to unusual sources for help—the demon Roth and his cohorts. But as deaths pile up and they uncover a sinister plot involving the local high school and endangering someone dear to Zayne, Trin realizes she is being led…herded…played for some unknown end. As anger builds and feelings spiral out of control, it becomes clear that rage may be the ruin of them all.


Review:

Fierce, gripping, and action-packed!

Rage and Ruin is a suspenseful, thrilling tale that picks up right where Storm and Fury left off taking us back into the lives of trueborn Trinity and her protector Zayne as they adapt to their newly formed bond, resist the evergrowing attraction building between them, and hunt down the ever-elusive Harbinger that is increasingly leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake.

The prose is seductive and intense. The characters are complex, fiery, and stubborn. And the plot is a creative, riveting tale of twists, turns, passion, angst, wrath, loyalty, heartbreak, duty, sizzling tension, violence, humour, forbidden romance, and supernatural abilities.

Overall, Rage and Ruin is another epic tale by Armentrout that features lots of bloody battles, determination, grit, sexual chemistry, heat, adventure, angels, demons, spirits, and fantastical elements. It keeps you invested, engaged, and on the edge of your seat from the very first page, and with its shocking, cliffhanger ending will undoubtedly leave you counting down the days until the third and final novel in this trilogy becomes available, and the battle between good and evil finally comes to a head.

 

This book is available now.

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

          

 

 

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

 

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Photography courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Just Like That by Cole McCade @thisblackmagic @CarinaPress @HarlequinBooks @Bookclubbish #HarlequinPublicityTeam #CarinaAdores #ColeMcCade

#BookReview Just Like That by Cole McCade @thisblackmagic @CarinaPress @HarlequinBooks @Bookclubbish #HarlequinPublicityTeam #CarinaAdores #ColeMcCade Title: Just Like That

Author: Cole McCade

Series: Albin Academy #1

Published by: Carina Adores on Jun. 30, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 8/10

Carina Adores is home to highly romantic contemporary love stories featuring beloved romance tropes, where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Summer Hemlock never meant to come back to Omen, Massachusetts.

But with his mother in need of help, Summer has no choice but to return to his hometown, take up a teaching residency at the Albin Academy boarding school—and work directly under the man who made his teenage years miserable.

Professor Fox Iseya.

Forbidding, aloof, commanding: psychology instructor Iseya is a cipher who’s always fascinated and intimidated shy, anxious Summer. But that fascination turns into something more when the older man challenges Summer to be brave. What starts as a daily game to reward Summer with a kiss for every obstacle overcome turns passionate, and a professional relationship turns quickly personal.

Yet Iseya’s walls of grief may be too high for someone like Summer to climb…until Summer’s infectious warmth shows Fox everything he’s been missing in life.

Now both men must be brave enough to trust each other, to take that leap.

To find the love they’ve always needed…

Just like that.

In Just Like That, critically acclaimed author Cole McCade introduces us to Albin Academy: a private boys’ school where some of the world’s richest families send their problem children to learn discipline and maturity, out of the public eye.


Review:

Intimate, passionate, and sweet!

Just Like That is a seductive, May-December romance that features the nervous, impulsive Summer Hemlock, a former student who returns after seven years to work for his teenage crush, and the stern widower, Fox Iseya, a psychology professor who begrudgingly agrees to reward his new assistant with a kiss a day for conquering his fears.

The prose is smooth and fluid. The characters are multilayered, genuine, and honest. And the plot is a fervent tale filled with life, love, family, intimacy, grief, chemistry, heat, desire, romance, light drama, and relationship dynamics.

Overall, Just Like That is a tender, heartwarming, engaging tale by McCade that’s a promising start for this new Albin Academy series.

 

This book is publishing on June 30, 2020.

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

          

 

 

Thank you to Carina Adores for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Cole McCade

Cole McCade is a New Orleans-born Southern boy without the Southern accent, currently residing somewhere in Seattle. He spends his days as a suit-and-tie corporate consultant and business writer, and his nights writing contemporary romance and erotica that flirt with the edge of taboo--when he's not being tackled by two hyperactive cats.

#BlogTour #BookReview Taking His Shot (Hot Jocks #7) by Kendall Ryan @KendallRyan1 #hotjocks

#BlogTour #BookReview Taking His Shot (Hot Jocks #7) by Kendall Ryan @KendallRyan1 #hotjocks

#BlogTour #BookReview Taking His Shot (Hot Jocks #7) by Kendall Ryan @KendallRyan1 #hotjocks Title: Taking His Shot

Author: Kendall Ryan

Series: Hot Jocks #7

Published by: Dream Press on Jun. 9, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 302

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Kendall Ryan

Book Rating: 10/10

She says she doesn’t date players.

She swears up and down that she’ll never handle my stick.

We’ll see about that, sweetheart.

When I win the pleasure of Harper’s company at a charity auction, I get exactly one date—one shot to win over the gorgeous and feisty brunette.

Game on. I play hard, and I love a challenge.

But just when I think I’ve finally carved out my shot . . . a huge secret implodes around us, threatening everything we’ve built.


Review:

Sporty, sexy, and satisfying!

Taking His Shot is a passionate, sweet RomCom about the intelligent, feisty Harper who knows she needs more of a social life but is adamant she won’t date hockey players and the dreamy, hunky Jordan who’s finally ready for a little more than just casual hookups and is willing to work as hard as necessary to make it happen.

The writing is light and crisp. The characters are charismatic, kind, and fun-loving. And the plot is the perfect blend of drama, emotion, humour, heat, witty banter, chemistry, friendship, romance, and hockey.

Overall, Taking His Shot is the seventh and final novel in the Hot Jocks series, and even though it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters we’ve come to know and love from the previous novels, it is nevertheless a fabulous ending, perhaps my favourite of them all, to a superb series that I am definitely going to miss.

This book is available now.

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

           

 

 

Thank you to Kendall Ryan for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kendall Ryan

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

 

 

#BookReview The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon @FarrahRochon @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #Forever20 #FarrahRochon #TheBoyfriendProject

#BookReview The Boyfriend Project by Farrah Rochon @FarrahRochon @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #Forever20 #FarrahRochon #TheBoyfriendProject Title: The Boyfriend Project

Author: Farrah Rochon

Published by: Forever on Jun. 9, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 9/10

USA Today bestselling author Farrah Rochon launches a new series about three young women who become friends when the live Tweeting of a disastrous date leads them to discover they’ve all been duped by the same man.

Samiah Brooks never thought she would be “that” girl. But a live tweet of a horrific date just revealed the painful truth: she’s been catfished by a three-timing jerk of a boyfriend. Suddenly Samiah-along with his two other “girlfriends,” London and Taylor-have gone viral online. Now the three new besties are making a pact to spend the next six months investing in themselves. No men, no dating, and no worrying about their relationship status . . .

For once Samiah is putting herself first, and that includes finally developing the app she’s always dreamed of creating. Which is the exact moment she meets the deliciously sexy, honey-eyed Daniel Collins at work. What are the chances? When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a coincidence. But is Daniel really boyfriend material or is he maybe just a little too good to be true?


Review:

Clever, humorous, and sassy!

The Boyfriend Project is a flirty, charming rom-com about the hardworking, driven Samiah Brooks who after facing the humiliation of a date who likes to three-time and a lifestyle that caters to a little too much work and not enough play struggles to stick to the no-dating pact she makes with her new friends when the deliciously handsome, sweet but spicy, Daniel Collins starts at her firm.

The prose is witty and sharp. The characters are focused, amusing, and brazen. And the plot is a lighthearted, funny blend of life, love, introspection, friendship, secrets, deception, awkward situations, embarrassing moments, taking chances, and the ups-and-downs of being an intelligent, successful, African-American woman in a high-tech world.

Overall, The Boyfriend Project is a sexy, simmering, entertaining read by Rochon that’s brimming with empowerment, female friendships, and swoon-worthy romance.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

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

 

About Farrah Rochon

USA Today bestselling author Farrah Rochon hails from a small town just west of New Orleans. She has garnered much acclaim for her Holmes Brothers, New York Sabers, Bayou Dreams and Moments in Maplesville series. When she is not writing in her favorite coffee shop, Farrah spends most of her time reading, cooking, traveling the world, visiting Walt Disney World, and catching her favorite Broadway shows. An admitted sports fanatic, Farrah feeds her addiction to football by watching New Orleans Saints games on Sunday afternoons.

Photography by Tamara Roybiskie.

#BookReview Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman @ackermanbooks @HarlequinBooks @Bookclubbish #HarlequinPublicityTeam #RedSkyOverHawaii

#BookReview Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman @ackermanbooks @HarlequinBooks @Bookclubbish #HarlequinPublicityTeam #RedSkyOverHawaii Title: Red Sky Over Hawaii

Author: Sara Ackerman

Published by: Mira Books on Jun. 9, 2020

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 9/10

Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky Over Hawaii immerses the reader in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds.

The attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything for Lana Hitchcock. Arriving home on the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is left alone to untangle the clues of his legacy, which lead to a secret property tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. When the government starts taking away her neighbors as suspected sympathizers, Lana shelters two young German girls, a Japanese fisherman and his son. As tensions escalate, they are forced into hiding—only to discover the hideaway house is not what they expected.

When a detainment camp is established nearby, Lana struggles to keep the secrets of those in her care. Trust could have dangerous consequences. As their lives weave together, Lana begins to understand the true meaning of family and how the bonds of love carry us through the worst times.


Review:

Enticing, exotic, and touching!

Red Sky Over Hawaii is a tender, heartwarming tale that sweeps you away to the island of Hawaii in the days, hours, and minutes leading up to Pearl Harbor and the year after and into the life of Lana Hitchcock, a young woman who after losing her father suddenly takes on the responsibility of hiding four individuals whose nationality makes them a target for detainment and internment.

The prose is expressive and lush. The characters are multilayered, troubled, strong, and compassionate. And the plot is an evocative tale of life, loss, love, self-discovery, war, secrets, friendship, determination, survival, romance, and the true meaning of family.

Overall, Red Sky Over Hawaii is a beautifully written, informative, absorbing tale with intriguing characters that I devoured from start to finish. I’m a huge fan of Sara Ackerman’s writing, and this novel didn’t disappoint. If you enjoy well researched WWII novels with a fresh and unique perspective, then I highly recommend it.

This novel is available now.

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

                

 

 

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

 

About Sara Ackerman

Sara writes books about love and life, and all of their messy and beautiful imperfections. Born and raised in Hawaii, she studied journalism and later earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She is the author of historical novels Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers and The Lieutenant's Nurse, with several more in the works. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing, and sees no end to its untapped stories. Sara lives on the Big Island with her boyfriend and a houseful of bossy animals.

#BookReview The Mobster’s Lament by Ray Celestin @PGCBooks @MantleBooks #TheMobstersLament

#BookReview The Mobster’s Lament by Ray Celestin @PGCBooks @MantleBooks #TheMobstersLament Title: The Mobster's Lament

Author: Ray Celestin

Series: City Blues Quartet #3

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jun. 1, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 576

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Award-winning author Ray Celestin’s The Mobster’s Lament is both a gripping crime novel and a vivid, panoramic portrait of 1940s New York as the mob rises to the height of its powers.

From the acclaimed author of The Axeman’s Jazz and Dead Man’s Blues, Ray Celestin’s gripping third book follows a gangster’s last chance to escape the clutches of New York’s mafia families, but as a blizzard descends on NYC, a ruthless serial killer is tracking his every move.

New York, 1947. Mob fixer Gabriel Leveson’s plans to flee the city are put on hold when he is tasked with tracking down stolen mob money by ‘the boss of all bosses,’ Frank Costello. But while he’s busy looking, he doesn’t notice who’s watching him.

Meanwhile, Private Investigator Ida Young and her old partner, Michael Talbot, must prove the innocence of Talbot’s son Tom, who has been accused of the brutal murders of four people in a Harlem flophouse. With all the evidence pointing towards him, their only chance of exoneration is to find the killer themselves.

Whilst across town, Ida’s childhood friend, Louis Armstrong, is on the brink of bankruptcy, when a promoter approaches him with a strange offer to reignite his career.

Both a gripping neo-noir crime novel and a vivid, panoramic portrait of New York, The Mobster’s Lament takes you to the heart of a city where the Mob has risen to the height of its powers.


Review:

Gritty, atmospheric, and action-packed!

The Mobster’s Lament is a pacey, enthralling thriller set in New York City in the late 1940s when America was still recovering from war, politicians were as dirty as they come, Italian gangsters were running the streets, the Copacabana nightclub was the place to see and be seen, and Jazz was still dominating the airwaves.

The prose is crisp and clear. The characters are focused, driven, and multilayered. And the plot is a fast-paced, riveting tale full of twists, turns, action, intrigue, power, corruption, deduction, duplicity, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Mobster’s Lament is another sinister, compelling, exceptionally absorbing, gangster tale by Celestin that does a fantastic job of blending real-life historical figures, insightful information, and gripping fiction into an unputdownable story.

This book is available now.

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

                 

 

 

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

 

About Ray Celestin

Ray Celestin is a novelist and screenwriter based in London. His debut novel, The Axeman’s Jazz, won the CWA New Blood Dagger for best debut crime novel of the year, and was featured on numerous ‘Books of the Year’ lists. His follow-up, Dead Man’s Blues, won the Historia Historical Thriller of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for a number of other awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year. The novels are part of a series – ‘The City Blues Quartet’ – which charts the twin histories of jazz and the mob through the middle 50 years of the twentieth century. The Mobster’s Lament is the third instalment in this series.

#BookReview #Giveaway The Persuasion (Eve Duncan #26) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #ThePersuasion #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview #Giveaway The Persuasion (Eve Duncan #26) by Iris Johansen @Iris_Johansen @GrandCentralPub #ThePersuasion #GrandCentralPub Title: The Persuasion

Author: Iris Johansen

Series: Eve Duncan #26

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 2, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 464

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 7.5/10

When Eve Duncan’s daughter, Jane MacGuire, becomes a madman’s target, Jane must team up with longtime love interest Seth Caleb in this suspense novel from the #1 bestselling author of Smokescreen.
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and ex-Navy Seal Joe Quinn are about to give Seth Caleb their trust for the most important duty of his life: keeping their daughter, Jane MacGuire, safe at any cost. Because Jane’s talent as an artist has brought her to the attention of a madman.
Seth, Jane’s longtime ally and fierce protector, is determined to keep her out of danger, but that becomes nearly impossible when Jane is forced to take matters into her own hands and confronts the man who wants her for himself…and wants Seth Caleb dead.
As Jane and Seth chase down their blood-thirsty adversary, they finally commit to one another — in the culmination of the love story that fans have been waiting for. As the two come face-to-face with danger, one thing is made clear: it will take both of them working together to confront and defeat this evil.


Review:

Fast-paced, sinister, and intense!

In this latest novel by Johansen, The Persuasion, Eve and Joe’s daughter, Jane MacGuire finds herself the target of a ruthless killer obsessed with owning the priceless Cira’s treasure, and begrudgingly in need of some assistance from her ex-lover Seth Caleb, a man of many special talents and a secretive past of his own.

The prose is ominous and tight. The characters are multilayered, unique, and resourceful. And the plot is a suspenseful tale full of familial drama, tension, obsession, death, kidnapping, cruelty, desperation, violence, and murder, all interwoven with a sliver of the supernatural.

Overall, The Persuasion won’t disappoint fans of Johansen and the Eve Duncan series who’ve come to expect and love her menacing tales, action-packed plots, and smidges of heat.

 

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.

 

GIVEAWAY!

 

I’m giving two people a chance to win a copy of The Persuasion. To enter please visit my Instagram page HERE

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sponsoring the giveaway! All giveaway information can be found in the Instagram Giveaway Post. Books will be mailed by the publisher to the randomly chosen winners. Good luck!

 

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.