SIFTING THROUGH SECRETS by Catherine Bruns
Fiction, Cozy Mystery, part of series
4****

BLURB: When full time baker and reluctant part time sleuth, Sally Muccio, agrees to cater a glamorous baby shower at a customer’s lavish home, she expects a day full of strawberry lemonade cookies, vanilla buttercream icing, and minimal drama. What she doesn’t expect is for the grandma-to-be to offer her fifty thousand dollars to find out who’s trying to kill her. Trudy Delvecchio is rich, pretentious, and without many fans, especially in her own family. While the money is tempting, Sal politely declines the offer. After all, she explains, she’s a baker, not a professional detective. But when Trudy turns up dead the very same evening, with no obvious sign of foul play, something about the entire situation leaves a bitter taste in Sal’s mouth. With a house full of suspects and lies rising faster than oven-proofed dough, Sal will need to sift through many secrets to uncover the truth, or she could be the one left in the dust.

THOUGHTS: I love the Muccio family in this series, especially Grandma Rosa. But all the characters are a hoot. In this one, Sal and her best friend and baker, Josie, are hired to cater an upscale baby shower for a rich, obnoxious woman. After the shower is over, Trudy Delvecchio asks Sal to look into who is trying to kill her. Sal refuses because she doesn’t want anything to do with Trudy, plus she has a two-month-old baby and a toddler at home. She just wants a normal life, preferably one that doesn’t involve murder. Unfortunately, her wishes don’t happen when Trudy ends up the same night she tried to hire Sal. And there are way too many suspects. Her old friend and cop, Brian, draws her in, asking for her help. She reluctantly agrees, but her questions lead to her sister, Gia, being put in danger.

This story was as interesting as the other stories I’ve read in this series. I love the characters the author has created. They are unique and quirky and fun. Even the bad ones. The mystery is good with a lot of suspects and kept me reading to the end. I was a little confused though by Brian actually asking Sal for her help when in the other books he only grudgingly accepted it. Also, I had some other questions that didn’t get solved. I don’t want to go into them here because I don’t want to give things away. But, I will say that overall, I enjoyed this one as much as I did the other books in the series – and I love the addition of those delicious recipes at the end. And I really want some of Rosa’s Braciole!

Recommended.

HIGHWAY TO HAPPY by Kelly Fletcher
Fiction, Contemporary Romance
5*****

BLURB: Sometimes you just need a road trip… I didn’t mean to stare at Adam Woodbury. And I definitely didn’t mean to assume he was homeless. But when you see a man in a small-town café eating like he hasn’t had a real meal in days, then sharing the last bite with his big golden retriever, it’s hard not to wonder. With his sun-streaked hair brushing his shoulders, scruffy face, flannel shirt torn at the elbows, faded jeans, and dusty boots, he looks like he stepped right out of one of those vagabond movies. The kind where the leading man carries secrets in his silence. Turns out, Adam isn’t lost. He’s searching—traveling the back roads of Georgia in a camper van, capturing the world through his camera lens while trying to outrun the ghosts of his past. I should’ve kept my distance. But somehow, this wandering soul with a love for the simple things in life has pulled me out of my comfort zone of real estate contracts and high heels, and into his world of open skies, campfires, and quiet mornings. And the more I learn about the pain he’s running from, the more I realize my heart aches with hope too. Because somewhere between the winding highways and the unexpected moments of shared joy, I’ve started to wonder if this road we ended up on together is leading us home. Highway to Happy is a tender, deeply emotional journey about love, loss, and rediscovering yourself when life takes an unexpected turn.

THOUGHTS: I love this author and there’s a good reason. She puts you right in the world with the characters, and makes them real. They have flaws. They have issues. They make mistakes. In this one, Keri lives in a small Georgia town trying to make a living at a dying real estate business that once belonged to her father. A former beauty queen, she had dreams once upon a time, but life stepped in with the deaths of her father and her beloved grandmother. Now, she’s just trying to do right by them. Then, while eating at the local cafe, she sees a man upside, with his dog. He’s scruffy, wearing torn clothes and driving a beat-up camper van. But he’s also incredibly handsome and something inside her clicks. Adam, a former high-end photographer, is trying to escape his past and the devastating memories that live there. When he meets Keri, a part of him that he thought was closed forever cracks open.

As the two of them get to know each other, they face their pasts. It’s not always easy or pretty, but their bond tightens and they both realize that maybe they can begin to live again – with each other. But as everyone who reads romances knows, the road to a HEA is often filled with potholes and detours and this story is no exception.

This story is full of emotional highs and lows and they feel real. It is written in first person from both Keri and Adam’s point of view, but the author is careful to title each chapter with who you’re with in that chapter. And a HEA that satisfies.

Definitely recommended.

LIFE AFTER by Victoria Smith
Fiction, Paranormal Romance
4****

BLURB: When Mia realizes she’s the only person left in the world, her first thought is that she’s free. After years of abuse by her mother and an accident that makes her financially responsible for her comatose mother’s care, Mia embraces her new life. Though the solitude was intended to torture Mia, it’s the best thing that ever happened to her. She spends the time healing while trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Before long, she realizes she’s not truly alone in her paradise. John claims to be her guardian but insists she needs to go back to her old life. How could that possibly be good? Together they strive to figure out why Mia’s life was manipulated and who is responsible. Their journey uncovers deceit and evil—and their love for each other.

THOUGHTS: Wow. What an emotional ride. The character of Mia is well done and the world building is excellent. Mia has been abused by her mother her entire life. An accident that killed her brother, sent her mother into a nursing home where Mia has had to pay for this woman’s care. She works eighteen hour days, barely scraping by. One night, she opens up to her neighbor about her life. The next morning, she wakes up alone. Completely alone. As in there are stores and cars and houses… but no people anywhere. At first, the solitude bothers her, but she adapts and learns to actually enjoy her new life. But she has the feeling that someone else is there.

John is a guardian who has been watching over Mia. But he realizes something is wrong. Mia shouldn’t be having this much trouble. And why is she alone? John starts to investigates and then actually meets Mia, even though he’s not supposed to. But he has fallen for her. She’s special. And Mia thinks he is too. 

When Mia returns to the real world, she returns with a new focus on life. But John is gone. She goes on, adjusting and living her life even with a broken heart. 

This is an emotional story and some people need to know about the abuse trigger, but Mia is a survivor. If there was anything I wish was different, I wish the story was a little longer. That was really the only thing (and a few editorial issues) that kept it from being 5*****. The ending seemed a bit rushed, but there was a HEA that satisfied. 

Recommended.