DANGEROUS DESCENT by Evie Jacobs

Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary

4 1/2****

Blurb: Pilot Elise Hughes left the family business in the Florida Keys and now flies the rich and powerful to and from the Rocky Mountains. When she has to execute a by-the-book emergency landing, it’s no big deal. But being stranded in a small town with her handsome new colleague is something else entirely. Obsessed with getting justice for his murdered father, undercover FBI agent Eric Erickson believes retribution is finally within reach. Until things get complicated. And dangerous. And he’s forced to face a few too many realities—including Elise’s connection to a well-known crime boss. After Elise is kidnapped by the same man who took Eric’s father, he has a choice to make—find Elise or exact revenge. Meanwhile she has a choice of her own—trust the dangerous family she never knew she had or the man who’s been lying to her from the start.

Thoughts: I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic suspense story. There’s enough romance without it being over the top, and enough danger to keep the excitement going right until the end. This is the first book from this new author, and I hope to see more from her – as well as maybe these two characters. I can maybe see a series? Maybe with the brothers? Plus, we did leave one bad guy out there kind of dangling in the wind so I hope future books will deal with him.

The characters are good and their relationship builds from kind of instant lust to actual love so it works well. The setting descriptions are done well-enough that we are grounded in where we are – loved the way Eric reacted to the heat and humidity of southern Florida!

All in all, this was a story that captured my interest from the beginning and held onto it until the last page.

Definitely recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

IN THE TIME OF SPIRITS by Beth Ford

Fiction, Historical, Women’s Fiction, Spiritualism

3***

Blurb: An epic adventure through the world of the nineteenth-century spiritualist movement. In 1890, Addy Cohart is determined to defy convention and remain unmarried-until she meets William Fairley, a psychic medium who gives her hope as she grieves the sudden death of her parents. Addy becomes a devotee of the spiritualist movement, but as she takes on a larger role as William’s assistant, she realizes that all may not be as it seems. As the couple moves from New York to London to Paris, Addy is forced to confront the fact that William’s talents may be a ruse, and that he may even be a criminal. She must decide whom to trust and where to place her loyalties. What price is she willing to pay to protect her love and keep her faith?

Thoughts: I thought this story had an interesting premise. Addy is a young woman living with her parents in Washington, DC. Her mother wants her to marry Addy’s lifetime friend, Arthur, but Addy wants nothing to do with marriage. She wants to be an independent woman. Plus, she’s interested in the new spiritualism movement, something both her mother and Arthur disapprove of. After her parents’ death in a fire, Addy decides to travel the world. Then she meets William, a “psychic” in New York. After a whirlwind romance, they marry and Addy thinks the world is finally hers. But then things go south and she discovers that William is not what she thought. But he is her husband. For better or worse.

I liked Addy in the beginning, but kind of didn’t by the end. And the end is what bothered me about the book. It was definitely not how I saw the ending coming. I guess I wanted more from her. Still, she did take things into her own hands and made plans for the future. So good for her. As for William, I pretty much knew what he was from the beginning, so that didn’t surprise me.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe? It’s not a bad story, though the beginning is a bit flowery. And the end…wasn’t wild about it, but I guess it worked. So, recommended with those caveats.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

NORTHERN LIGHTS IN HIS EYES by Andrew Grey

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Gay, Steamy Heat

5*****

Blurb: When Garvin Haverton lost his husband, he lost himself. Unable to bear the reminders of their love, he left his friends in Los Angeles for the remote Alaskan wilderness, cut ties with his old life, and started over. Model William Moreau has let Garvin hide for long enough. He misses his friendship, and he has to know if the spark he felt between them could ignite the love of a lifetime. So he packs a bag, books a flight, rents a car… and almost gets himself killed in a blizzard. When William shows up half-frozen, Garvin is furious. Unlike William, he doesn’t need to be rescued. He has a life in new friends, a dog, a job. But he can’t kick William out into the cold, and it doesn’t take many long, cold Alaskan nights before he realizes that he may have a life, but he hasn’t moved on. He could do that with William. The chemistry between them could heat his little cabin all on its own. But William’s life is in LA, and Garvin can’t go back. Is their unlooked-for romance doomed from the start?

Thoughts: It’s rare that a setting is so well done that it comes across almost as a character in and of itself. This story is one of those rare occurrences. Set in a small village in the Alaskan wilderness, the descriptions are so vivid that you can really picture it. Especially when the artist friend Devon describes the way the light plays off the snow and how it’s not all white. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a description so beautifully done. Kudos to the author for this.

Then there’s the bits about the cold and how dangerous it is and how dehydrating. I actually laughed at the one point where Garvin wants to go out the next day because it might actually get up to freezing and be nice for an outing.

Finally, there are the characters. Garvin is perfectly flawed in that he buried himself in his grief and hid away from those who cared about him. Enter William, a friend who wants to be more, but he has to track down Garvin and convince him to join the living. Then there are the friends at the general store and how everyone helps everyone. And there’s a little bit of danger with the explosion, the avalanche, the miners… and it’s amazing how William jumps in to help. The pull between the two men is well-done and their issues give them conflict. And the HEA ending satisfied.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

MY SO-CALLED LUCK by Jennifer Fischetto

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

5*****

Blurb: Welcome to Chance, a town founded on luck and filled with secrets. Sofie Rinaldi is just an ordinary young woman working at the local diner and dreaming of more than her small town life. That is, until she suddenly finds she can conjure up mystical spells. Too bad she hasn’t a clue what she’s doing. And when people start dying around her, she’s left wondering if her spells are somehow responsible. Can Sophie discover the truth about the deaths in Chance… or has her luck finally run out?

Thoughts: This was a fun book to read. Sofie is 25, lives at home with her dad above his diner where she works as a waitress. She recently discovered that she is a witch who can put spells on people through food. Unfortunately, she has no clue what she’s doing and karma bites her hard a few times. When the local football coach is killed, she wonders if one of her spells was responsible. And when her dad is arrested for his murder, she knows she has to figure things out fast. Add in a mother who’s been absent for most of her life and a cute newspaper journalist who was an old nemesis, but may be something else now.

The characters were well done as was the setting. Loved that the little town changed their name and all the shops to things to do with luck. Kind of knew who the baddie was early on, but that didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the story. The murder was solved but there were enough threads that we know there’s going to be more coming in this series.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

CRUEL CHARADE by Alana Lorens

Fiction, Thriller,

4****

Blurb: Miami attorney Bet Lenard has had a rough year. She’s battling an unknown illness that drives her to drink to cope with her pain. Her lawyer husband has divorced her and taken the best part of their business, their home and their children. On the night of May 16, 1996, Bet finds herself in the Everglades in the middle of the night, drugged, lost and next to a burned car with a dead body in it. Hoping she’s hit bottom, Bet must drag herself out of her living hell and discover who tried to kill her. Was it her ex-husband, not satisfied with stealing everything that mattered? An angry client, unhappy with the outcome of their case? Her best friend’s husband, livid that Bet’s restraining order kicked him out of her life forever? Police officers fuming that Bet helped a client convict a dirty cop who was their friend? She has no idea.
As she tries to sort out the motives behind her would-be killer, even more suspects come to light. The only thing keeping Bet sane is her relationship with her therapist, who encourages her to struggle and survive, despite everything that’s gone wrong. How will Bet discover the truth and bring her enemy to justice before they strike again and, this time, succeed?

Thoughts: There is a lot going on in this story. It’s all about Bet Lenard, and the story is in her POV, but it goes back and forth from present time to her past so you get all the reasons behind what’s happening in the back story. Bet is nearly killed in the Everglades in a car fire. She barely gets back from that before other things start happening. As a criminal lawyer, she’s often worked with dangerous people, but she’s not sure who is doing this to her—and there are a lot of possibilities, including her ex-husband.

There’s enough going on in this story that you definitely will not get bored – right up to the last page! Just when you think everything is solved, you turn the page and… it’s not! Nicely done. The only thing that kept me from giving this five stars was the back-and-forth in past/present. Not one of my favorite types of writing, but overall, the story is excellent.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

SEEING GRAY by C.E. Brown

Fiction, YA Urban Fantasy

5*****

Blurb: Celestials have been killing Seers for centuries, as prophesy states that a Seer will overthrow Celestial rule. Worried for Zoey’s safety, her parents forbid her from registering as a Seer and interacting with the Celestials, Fae, and Demons who hide among humankind. Zoey is forced to wear a necklace that hides magic from her and conceals her magic from them. Witness to her mother’s murder at the hands of a Demon, Zoey vows to track down her mother’s killer and make him pay. Embracing her magic, Zoey is brought deeper into the mythical world by an unlikely ally and wonders if perhaps her parents were right to keep her out of it. Will she avenge her mother’s death, or will she meet the same untimely fate?

Thoughts: Although this is obviously part of a serialized story (which I normally do not care for), I really enjoyed this. The main characters did accomplish what they set out to do, but we also know there is a lot more to come.

Zoey is a Seer whose mother refused to register her as a Mythic and tries to keep her hidden from the Mythic world. But Zoey can’t wait to be registered as she believes all good things will come from that. But she finds out that it’s not all good. When she “Sees” the demon who murders her mother, she vows revenge and meets an unlikely ally in the form of Tristan, a demon enforcer who’s hot in more ways than one. They form an unlikely alliance as both need something only the other can get.

Zoey is a great character. She is rash and impulsive—which gets her into a lot of trouble. In fact, all the characters are great, as is the world building. We get to see all the different realms and species – like Carrion, the troll that Zoey befriends. There is a lot to like about this book and I am looking forward to more in the series.

Definitely recommended.

Disclaimer: Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

THE STONE WITCH OF FLORENCE by Kelly Sweeney

Fiction, Historical, Medieval Magical Mystery

3***

Blurb: Ancient sorcery. Magic gemstones. Only one woman can save a city in ruins…
1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return. Ginevra obliges, assuming the city’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence’s churches for priceless relics—the city’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again. But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…

Thoughts: I found this story a little hard to get into, but once I did, it was fascinating, though a little slow at times for me. I did find it dragged a bit even though I liked the history mixed with mysticism. The imagery is amazing and the characters realistic – even for the era. This story takes place in the 1300s in Florence, Italy, during the height of the Black Plague. The main character, Ginevra, is a stone witch—someone who has an affinity with magic, especially gems. All she has wanted all her life is to be recognized by the guild of doctors as a healer. But women are not permitted to be doctors. So she stays in the shadows, helping those who come to her with her potions and magical lapidary (stone) applications. The story is heavily focused on church politics, but does a good job of adding in the elements of gemstone magic, alchemy, and more.

The author’s attention to detail as well as the extensive “author notes” at the back of the book show that she did her homework well. Her research is extensive and shows through with the knowledge of what a person in this time period would be up against, especially if thought to be a witch.

I liked the ending when the Inquisitor Michele and she become friends as they hunt for the lost relics and how, in the end, he accepts that God is working through her and helps her.

Recommended to those who enjoy a medieval tale of magic and the religious issues of the time.

Disclaimer: Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC. All thoughts are mine and are not influenced by anyone.

Book:                                      Truth and Dare

Series:                                     The Wonder of Wildflowers

Author:                                   Ann M. Trader

Release Date & Copyright:    7/15/24

Publisher:                               The Wild Rose Press

Genre:                                     Contemporary Romance

Heat Level:                             Steamy (Champagne Line at TWRP)

Book Buy Link:          Books2Read Universal Link

Blurb:

A bright and talented environmental engineer, Goldie Vreeland understands facts and figures, but Max Corda, her secret office obsession, remains a puzzle. On the eve of a business trip to a coastal island, fate intervenes, pairing her with her sexy crush. As she thinks about sharing the same space with Max for a week, her world veers dangerously off course. Fueled by success as engineer and president of his family’s firm, recently divorced Max needs to jumpstart his life. When his father unexpectedly assigns him to Goldie’s project, his closely guarded attraction to her comes front and center. Thoughts of spending a week alone with this beautiful intelligent woman make his internal compass glitch. Romance stirs with the island breeze, so simple when they’re hundreds of miles away from normal. But as Goldie and Max return to reality, will they discover real love is more than a game?

Author Bio:

I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring recipes on the lighter side of southern comfort foods. I’m a member of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, and I love relaxing on my back porch to read and write. These days I take walks around my neighborhood, but when I was sixteen, I hiked the Grand Canyon with a group of friends. I love watching television dramas (in no special order): Palm Royale, The Buccaneers, The Bear, Emily in Paris, Outlander, Shrinking, Shogun, Outer Banks, Stranger Things, The Crown, and Peaky Blinders and reading a great romance book.

Social Media Links:

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Website:  https://annmtrader.com

Tagline:  Truth makes love real, and with a dare…it’s for keeps.

Excerpt:

Max walked toward me, thumb hooked under the shoulder strap of his bag, and smiled. Clearly, he aces the masculinity test with no preparation at all. He tilted his head, like he was thinking over something. Obviously, he had no idea he could ask me anything, and I’d say yes. Readily. Breathlessly.

 “So,” he said, dragging out the word, “about dinner tonight—”

 “Oh, I got it,” I said, waking up my phone. “Sofia texted me everything. Reservations downstairs at seven o’clock.” From the look of his furrowed brow, I wondered if I had a fleck of apple skin stuck between my teeth from my mid-flight snack.

 “Yeah…there’s been a slight change of plans. You and Ethan were having dinner downstairs. I have something else planned for us.”

 Us. The word sounded dreamy coming from his mouth, floating through the air like a kite in springtime. My toes curled inside my sandals.

 “That text,” he said, gaze flickering to his phone, “was from one of my best friends from college. We’re meeting him and his wife for supper. I don’t know what the hell got into Ethan.” He rubbed his knuckles under his chin. “You can’t come to the coast and eat hotel food. Even this hotel’s food.”

 I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “No, of course not.”

 “We’re meeting Jack and Leigh at Thibodeaux’s at eight.”

 Thibodeaux’s. The name twirled through my thoughts.

 Max leaned a shoulder on the wall, and our gazes met. “It’s this fantastic urban grill—gorgeous waterfront views—fresh catch served daily. Exceptional food and service—”

 As exceptional as you…?

 “—so, how’s that sound?”

 My heart skipped a pair of beats, then I relaxed into my natural Goldie grin. “Sounds wonderful.”

For some reason, over the past two weeks, I have been inundated with requests for reviews and/or spotlights. While I love this, and love to help out my fellow authors, I know some of you are wondering why I haven’t posted your review yet. Well, it’s mostly because I currently have twenty-five requests on my list and I’m only one person and… I am guilty of trying to not turn down a request (exceptions do apply though!). So, yes, it is all my fault, but I promise you, I will get to your review as soon as I possibly can.

You see, I do actually have a life (though my kids might argue with that) outside of my reviews. I am also a writer. And a volunteer at the local library where I’m currently doing inventory and cataloging. And helping out a friend who got hit by a car two weeks ago (she is laid up with two broken legs, a broken wrist and concussion). And all the other stuff that goes with living a life.

So I promise, I will get to your book. Just give me some time. 🙂

And enjoy your life! Don’t forget to go out and have some fun. And hug your families and friends.

Hugs everyone!