GHOST APPEAL by Louisa West

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: I didn’t choose the boo life. The boo life chose me.
I’m Ivy Hearst and I’ve always had a spook-tacular talent for seeing ghosts. It’s just part of who I am. When I was small it used to give me the heebie-jeebies, but as I got older I learned to embrace my gift. Now, as a spiritual medium, I get to help others handle their own spirit experiences and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Normally. Seeing the ghost of a dearly departed client whose house I just performed a spiritual cleansing in? That’s a new one. And it’s landed me in hot water. Now I’ve gotta put my gift to work and ghost-bust a murderer. With a bossy apparition all up in my business and the Savannah PD side-eying me as a suspect, this won’t be easy. A web of mystery and danger is being woven around me. Evil spirits and the killer are closing in, and I’ll have to walk the shadowy line between the dead and the living to uncover the truth. The clock is ticking, and the supernatural forces around me are only growing stronger. Can I bring a murderer to justice before I get thrown in the slammer–or into the afterlife myself? Ghost Appeal is the prequel novella to Louisa West’s new series of Sleepy Hollow Mysteries. In it, Louisa does a great job introducing the reader to her main character, spiritual medium Ivy Hearst. Set in the haunted city of Savannah, Ivy has been able to see ghosts all her life and has chosen to help others deal with their supernatural visitors. However when a particularly dangerous entity sets its sights on Ivy she is forced to make a change that will take her all the way to Sleepy Hollow, NY. This is a great beginning to what promises to be a fun new series. Ms. West has done a great job setting the stage for book one and I can’t wait to read it.

THOUGHTS: What an interesting start to a new series. Ivy lives in Savannah, Georgia and deals with ghosts. But demons? That’s a whole ‘nuther world—and not a good one. She takes on Polly, a witch, as a client to help cleanse her home of a dark spirit but things don’t go exactly to plan as the next day Polly shows up on her doorstep—dead. In order to prove that she didn’t do the deed, she needs to find the real killer, but it means dipping into some dark places that could mean her own death. Getting away from the evil that is pursuing her, she needs to leave Savannah. With the help of a friend, she gets a job in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Yes, that Sleepy Hollow! And the series is off and running.

Interesting characters, good setting (hot and humid!), twists and turns that keep you interested. And a good prequel to the upcoming stories.

Recommended.

FOR MY NEXT TRICK… by Andrew Grey

Fiction, M/M Contemporary Romance, Cruise, novella (88 pages)

4****

Blurb: Nathaniel picked his pocket, stole his watch, put him in his own handcuffs… and that was just the foreplay. Nathaniel Weatherby works as a cruise ship magician and comedian. He’s also a thief, or at least he was. He left his family and their family business behind some years ago and uses his skills to entertain rather than cheat and steal. But when jewelry goes missing on board, his past comes back to haunt him. Maryland police officer Randy Messier is on the cruise ship hoping for a little vacation, but also to keep his eyes open. There have been rumors, and the cruise line is determined to keep its passengers safe. Randy isn’t sure what to do when he gets pulled on stage, but he doesn’t expect Nathaniel to comically rob him blind and leave him in his own handcuffs. After getting Randy’s attention on stage, the two men circle each like moths to each other’s flame, drawing them ever closer. But when jewelry is stolen, Randy’s first suspicion falls on Nathaniel. Even when Nathaniel has an alibi, Randy still isn’t convinced. It becomes clear that the only way for them to possibly move forward is to catch the real thief. Even then, their growing attraction might not be enough.

THOUGHTS: This isn’t the “Love Boat” but there is definitely romance on the high seas as Nathaniel meets Randy while both are working on a high-end cruise ship. Nathaniel is a professional magician working as entertainment for the cruise while Randy is a Baltimore detective working undercover with security to find a thief. When jewels go missing, Randy’s first thought is Nathaniel, but cameras prove it wasn’t him. Unfortunately, Nathaniel knows who the thief is and goes about trying to help Randy catch them. Meanwhile, romance blossoms for both men and they have to figure out a way to make things work.

The characters are realistic and I loved the interaction between Randy and Nathaniel when the magician pulls him up on stage and uses him as a patsy, lifting his wallet, ID, and even his handcuffs – which Nathaniel easily gets out of and clicks on Randy while they’re dancing in front of the audience. Best scene of the book for me. And the ending was perfect. Nicely done.

Recommended.

MURDER SHE WROTE: SNOWY WITH A CHANCE OF MURDER by Jessica Fletcher

Cozy Mystery, Series, co-writer: Barbara Early

5*****

Blurb: In a nod to Rear Window, this newest entry in the USA Today bestselling Murder, She Wrote series finds Jessica Fletcher coping with an injury that leaves her homebound—and a murder just outside her window! Jessica Fletcher has taken a nasty spill on the ice, leaving her in a wheelchair for several weeks. She tries to work on her latest manuscript but finds herself distracted by a new neighbor moving in across the street. There’s good reason for her to be distracted, because soon after unpacking his sparse belongings, Mr. Rymer is out in the front yard, building somewhat risqué ( naked) snow sculptures. While Cabot Cove debates whether the sculptures are a protected form of art or a public display of lewdness, someone starts destroying them at night. Rymer doesn’t seem upset. He just makes new ones. No need to get the police involved over a little snow, he says. Especially when there’s plenty more of it and a blizzard in the forecast. The morning after the storm, Jessica looks out the window to see a new sculpture across the street—and the body of Mr. Rymer half-buried in the snow. Can Jessica catch a cold-blooded killer from her chair by the window?

THOUGHTS: I love this series, just as I did the old TV shows, and this one is no different. In fact, while reading it, I can “hear” Jessica’s voice and Seth’s and all the other Cabot Cove old-timers. And this far into a series, I know how the characters are supposed to act and that things will turn out just right in the end – which they do.

In this one, Jessica is supposed to go on a cruise, but in leaving her house, she slips on ice and takes a nasty fall which leaves her wheelchair bound for several weeks. Seth helps her hire a live-in caretaker who will help her out until she’s okay again. Alice is a sweet girl who does a lot for Jessica. In addition there’s a regular flow of neighbors and friends through the house (mostly the kitchen) to help keep Jessica company – and to gossip about the “sculptor” who moved into the rental across the street. His snow art has the genteel folks of Cabot Cove chatting for days about his graphic, and sometimes lewd, snow sculptures. Enough to make someone made enough to destroy them. In addition, there’s a thief running around stealing clothes and food, and there are two deaths – a food truck owner, and the artist. Even though Jessica can’t get around very well, what she digs up helps the sheriff solve the mysteries.

Problems: It was obvious to me right away that something was going on with Jessica and who was doing it, but I didn’t quite know why until the end so that was well done. I also didn’t much care for the extraneous bits with Alice’s writing – it did kind of make sense in the end, but it was more like filler than anything. But I will have to say I laughed at Jessica’s issues with driving the wheelchair. Nice bit of comedic relief there. Overall, a decent addition to the series.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley 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” 

LUCK BE A LADY by Gemma Halliday and T.Sue VerSteeg

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: Tessie King has just inherited the biggest casino in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada: the Royal Lakeside. What she didn’t bargain for are the problems she’d inherit with it. Having left Tahoe years ago, the underbelly of the casino trade is a far cry from the art world Tessie is used to. High-stakes cons, inside jobs, wise guys… Tessie quickly realizes she’s in way over her head. And things go from bad to worse when questions start to arise about the nature of her father’s death. Enter FBI agent Devin Ryder, member of the Nevada Organized Crime Task Force. He’s had his eye on the Royal Palace for months, and with the suspicious death of its leader, Ryder now has Tessie squarely in his sights. If Tessie doesn’t want to be running her casino from behind bars, she needs to find out how her father really died, who’s behind it, why, and how to get them into Agent Ryder’s hot little hands before he gets his hands on her. All the while catching a con-man, beating the competition, and running a multi-million dollar business.
Tough job? Fo’get about it. All in a day’s work for this lady luck.

THOUGHTS: This was an interesting cozy mystery in that you had the usual trope of a young, single woman returning to where she spent part of her childhood and meeting up with old friends, but that’s where the comparison to other cozies stops. Tess has returned to the casino her father owned only to find out that upon his death, she became the new owner. She hasn’t been there in several years and even while growing up only spent some holidays and summer vacations there. He divorced her mother when she was two and her mother moved from Lake Tahoe to San Francisco. So they weren’t close. But Tess discovers how much her father actually cared for her – and then she finds out that he was murdered. And she is the head of the casino for only ten days until the board of directors meet. And someone is stealing big money and jewels from the patrons. And the head of security doesn’t want her there. But she has her best friend from when they were kids – he now works the front desk. And her teen heart throb who is a famous snowboarder who helps promote the casino. And a hot FBI agent who’s looking into possible mafia connections.

Tess has a lot on the line if she’s going to get ahead of what’s happening. Plus, she needs to decide if this is what she wants—give up being the curator for her art gallery in order to take on all the issues with the casino. But her father didn’t raise her to be a quitter.

Recommended.

THE ONE-WEEK WRITING WORKSHOP by Karin Adams

Nonfiction, Self-help, Writing

5*****

Blurb: It’s time to crush the blank page, shed your writer’s angst and write the novel you were meant to write! All the magic and enthusiasm of acclaimed author Karin Adams’ in-person writing workshops—now in book form! You’ve always wanted to write a novel and have been nurturing a great idea. Maybe you’ve read books by writing experts, perhaps even taken a class or two. But as you sit down alone with the blank page, despite all the dreaming, planning and learning—nothing happens. Or if the writing does start to flow, it soon dries up. Why is writing a novel so hard? You’re not uncreative. And the learning and planning you’ve done isn’t suddenly useless! Rather, you’re facing that overwhelming gap between the story you’re imagining and the book you want to write. It’s enough to stop most people from trying at all. But that doesn’t have to be you! In The One Week Writing Workshop, author Karin Adams helps you to overcome the overwhelm. She breaks the writing process down into a series of bite-sized, actionable tasks within a proven seven-step method. It’s the method Karin herself uses, and the one she has taught to thousands of workshop participants since 2010. This is not another book to read before you start your draft—it’s the book you grab when you want to actually start writing your novel. While The One Week Writing Workshop emphasizes taking action now, it also circles back to story essentials as you go. If you’ve read other writing books, it will complement, reinforce and add fresh perspectives to what you’ve learned. If you’ve never studied creative writing before, The One Week Writing Workshop is the perfect book for getting yourself grounded while you get busy writing! Structured as a seven-day workshop, each chapter is a lively session guiding you through energizing tasks that get you working on and actively growing your story. Throughout the book, you have lots of choice so that you can further tailor the experience for you and your novel.

THOUGHTS: How would you like to have a top-level writing workshop for less than twenty bucks? You’ll get that in this book. You’ll find activities to help you consolidate ideas, create characters, develop settings, and come up with a plot as well as write and revise your novel. No, you will not write a full novel in seven days, but you will find strategies to help unblock you, if needed, or get going on that novel. The author gives you advice in a clear, concise manner that you can come back to again and again. It is useful for both the beginner and experienced writer.

The book has warm-up exercises like “take a writing walk” or clip photos of people or settings and write about them. Use visual or auditory tricks, and other activities. I especially liked the section on giving yourself permission to step away if needed, for a week and do something absolutely *not* related to writing. Then come back to it. The book Is broken down into seven days, but you can take as many days as you need. You might want to even read the whole book first, then come back and go through the exercises.

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” 

Blurb: Paradise is shaken when the body of a young woman is dragged onto a university research vessel during a class outing in Hilo Bay. Cleo Cooper is shaken when she finds her favorite student is on the hook for the murder. Danger lurks on land and sea as Cleo and her friends are enticed to search for the true killer. In between paddling, swimming, and arguing with her boyfriend, Cleo discovers all is not what it seems on the Big Island of Hawaii. Will she find the truth before she becomes the next victim? If you love exotic danger entwined with romance check out Evil Alice and the Borzoi!

Buy Links

About the Author: DK Coutant graduated from Davidson College with a Psychology degree, and initially applied her behavioral training to animals at Sea World, working with dolphins and whales. After a couple of years, she realized that scrubbing fish buckets might get old, and went back to Graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology, specializing in Cross-Cultural Issues. She began her academic career in Maine. A few years later, she made the jump to Hawaii and worked at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, rising to Department Chair of the Psychology Department. After many happy years in Hawaii,  her love for travel led her to make the move out of academics. She accepted positions as a professional geopolitical forecaster with GJ, Inc and Rand Forecasting Initiative. She splits her time between Olympia, WA and Santa Fe, NM, with her husband and an Old English Sheepdog, Beasley. Evil Alice and Borzoi was released by the Wild Rose Press in 2023, and the second in the Cleo Cooper Mysteries, Elegance and Evil is planned for release in 2025.

Website: https://www.dkcoutant.com/

OF FLAME AND FURY by Mikala Bridge

Fiction, YA fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Enemies to Lovers, Action/Adventure

5*****

Blurb: On an island built from ash and shrouded in fire, phoenix racing is a sport just as profitable as it is deadly. Seventeen-year-old Kel Varra and her team of underdogs, the Crimson Howlers, are desperate to win the annual races and the fortune that comes with it. But the Howlers need a new rider, which leads Kel to join forces with Warren “Coup” Coupers – an arrogant rival she can’t get out of her head. As tensions rise on and off the track, Kel’s home is mistakenly burned down, and she’s forced to take a job from a mysterious tech mogul with an unsettling interest in her phoenix, Savita. This sets in motion a conspiracy that threatens everyone Kel cares for, especially Coup, for whom her embers of resentment are quickly igniting into something dangerously new. Heart-pounding pages full of steamy romance, fiery confessions, political scheming, and volatile magic culminate in a final twist readers will never see coming.

THOUGHTS: Wow. There are not enough words to describe how intense and fantastical this book is. It is full of angst, passion, action, danger, betrayal, and more. The world-building is beyond scope, drawing you immediately into Kel’s world. In this one, all the action centers around phoenix birds. Yes, the mythological birds that burn to a crisp, then are reborn. Only in this one, they are huge and are used by riders in races. Flaming races that can get you killed. From the first page where Kel, a trainer, is racing her phoenix, Savita in order to earn enough money to save her home, you are drawn into her world. An unfortunate accident gets her rider killed and she is forced to take on another rider—Coup—an arrogant rider with too much attitude. But there’s something about him that both draws Kel and repels her.

They, along with Coup’s brother and Kel’s best friend reluctantly agree to work for a large company who can provide Kel with everything she needs to save Savita from being taken away for her debts.  But it comes with a price that might be too high for them to pay.

The only downside I found to this was the end – and the missing epilogue in this ARC. I really, really wanted to know what happened to Kel and Savita! Maybe in the print version? Or a second book? I hope so.

Definitely recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for sharing this ARC. All opinions are my own and are not required, requested, or influenced by anyone or anything.

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, #5 in series

4****

Blurb: It’s Saint Patrick’s Day weekend in chilly upstate New York, and Samantha Davies, children’s picture book author and sometime sleuth, is excited to attend the annual outdoors games put on by the local Wings Falls fire company. It will be a weekend filled with fun activities such as a skillet toss, four-wheeler race, and the ever-popular decorated wooden outhouse race across the ice. Sam is looking forward to dancing the night away with her beau, police detective Hank Johnson at the Firefighter’s Ball. Sam’s rug hooking group, the Loopy Ladies is sponsoring one of the outhouses and their senior member, Gladys O’Malley, will have the honor of riding on the “throne” to the finish line. Only not all goes as planned when the neighboring fire company’s chief is found in Gladys’ place—frozen solid and dead as a doornail! To make matters worse, both Gladys’ and Sam’s fingerprints are all over the evidence at the murder scene, taking them from attendees to suspects. Now it’s up to Sam to clear their names and get to the truth. The only problem is the victim had disagreements with almost everyone in town, from the Wings Falls fire chief to a sexy blonde named Sunny Foxx—with two xx’s—and a slew of other suspects. Can Sam find the killer before the Luck of the Irish runs out for her? Or will she become chilled to the bone when the killer catches up to her…

THOUGHTS: I love these stories, and this one is no different. Porkchop – a lovable dachshund- makes a return appearance as do the Loopy Ladies. Sam and her rug-looping friends decorate a homemade outhouse with their rugs for the upcoming races, but when then arrive, rather than the race, they find a dead body in theirs. And the race is on to find out who the perp is before Sam gets accused of murder.

Recommended.

Review: Dark Hearts Aflame by Amber Daulton

Fiction, Dark Romance, Contemporary, Steamy

4****

Blurb: A drug lord on the run. A cartel princess in hiding. All it takes is a spark to set their world ablaze. Bristol Rieger, better known as Thorn, left his criminal life behind for a fresh start in Mexico. Flying under the radar of the government and the cartels alike, his best-laid plans go awry when a woman from his narco days discovers his whereabouts. Carmen Lozano, however, is no longer the innocent girl he remembers. Carmen escaped the chains of her tiara and her abusive marriage to join a group of resistance fighters. The last thing she expected was the now-retired capo setting out to seduce her with his wicked touch. Embracing the blood on his hands is easy, but his secrets wear on her patience. When their enemies close in, Bristol will have to summon his inner monster to protect her. But can that monster be tamed again?

THOUGHTS: Wow. If you like dark action, passion, romantic suspense mixed with drug cartels and violence, you’ll love this book. This is the first one in a series dealing with the Lozano Cartel. This one concerns Carmen Lozano, daughter of the drug lord who turns into a fighter for the resistance. She wants out of this life, but her father won’t allow that. People do not defy him. She becomes the wife of a violent abuser who she eventually escapes by faking her death. Then she meets Bristol, who once worked for the Cartel but also escaped. The connection between the two is so intense and the author shows this through her character development. Not just the main characters, but the secondary ones as well. We learn a lot through all of them and their interactions. In addition, the settings add to the overall flavor of the book. There is a warning included with the book: Scenes featuring torture/violence, kidnapping, attempted assault, drug use, and suicide (discussed) may be uncomfortable for some readers.

Take this warning seriously because there are a lot of scenes that some readers may find “distasteful”.

But… that doesn’t mean that the writing isn’t good – because it is. Very good. It evokes emotions – good and bad – and draws you very definitely into this dark and dangerous world.

Recommended with caveats.