PERIPHERY by A.A. Dasilva

Fiction, SF Romance

4****

Blurb: Charlotte barely survived the accident that killed her husband four years ago. Resuscitated a savant, she struggles to find meaning in her survival. When she meets Simon, a mysteriously familiar stranger, they are drawn to each other with undeniable magnetism. But Simon is contracted to a black-ops agency. With the agency on her heels, and Simon claiming her heart, Charlotte’s past and future collide when she’s offered a chance to reconnect with her late husband. As secrets are revealed, motives uncovered, and alliances are formed, Charlotte must choose…between the fate of the world and the fate of her heart. Content warnings: Intense medical interventions/injuries, sexual situations (fade to black), profanity, mild violence, and mention of pregnancy loss. 

Thoughts: This was an intriguing book. It didn’t immediately draw me in, but I found I couldn’t put it down. I just kept reading…and reading. And wondering what was going to happen next to the characters as I was drawn into their world(s). Not only were the characters well done, but the imagery was so vivid that I was there with Charlotte in Sy’s home on the bay. Or in her cottage as she took down the shutters and fought with the wasps.

Charlotte is a widow. Her husband, Jared, was killed in an auto accident that nearly killed her. But she came away from the accident with a new ability to understand involved math and physics. And memories of something different. Something she can’t explain—and doesn’t try. Nor can she explain her instant attraction to Sy when she meets him at a bar. The two develop a strong relationship and she begins to understand that the love she had for her dead husband wasn’t really love at all. Then her ex-father-in-law comes back into her life and she finds out things about both Jared and Simon (Sy) that rock her world to the core. She’s not sure which man is the hero and which one is the villain, but she knows where her heart lies. She also discovers that the multiverse is real and she, Jared, and Sy are connected through them all.

I loved the ending, but then the author added on an epilogue and we know that the universe isn’t done with these three. I can’t wait to read the next book.

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”

CHASING SAFE HARBOR by Andrew Grey

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, M/M, Suspense

3***

Blurb: The last thing DEA contractor Thorsen Magnus wanted was an assignment that brings him back to where he grew up, a small town four hours north of San Francisco. He left years ago to get away from his intolerant father and hasn’t been anxious for a reunion. But he has a job to do, and his reward might turn out to be more than he hoped for. Michael Constantine trained as an architect, but now works for his father’s construction company. Unlike his golden child younger brother, he does all his family expects and still feels like he can never do anything right for his father. Needing time to think, he goes to his favorite spot overlooking the ocean, where he witnesses something strange through the fog, and in the process nearly falls right into Thor’s strong arms. Thor had been hoping to see a rendezvous off the coast, but Michael’s presence changes everything. Thor needs to know what he saw, but as attraction builds with Thor’s attempts to get Michael to confide in him, so does Thor’s caution about starting a relationship, no matter how strong the desire. Eventually they agree to work together, but any investigation in a small town has the potential to come close to home and could terminate their fledgling relationship before it really begins.

Thoughts: At only a hundred pages, this was a short, quick read. Thor and Michael are good characters who have family issues—mostly with their fathers. But the two of them work well together. Thor is a DEA contracted agent searching for drug runners in a small town north of San Francisco. He meets Michael while staking out an area where the ships might meet and the two have an instant attraction. Michael helps Thor out and the two draw closer. The heat levels build nicely and the intimate scenes are well-written.

What I had a problem with was the length of the story vs. the subject matter. I really wish we could have found out more about why Thor and his father didn’t get along. And what happened between Michael and his father when he confronted him. I mean, it all worked out nicely in the end, but there could have been a lot more to flesh this story out. And the ending was more a “happy-for-now” rather than a HEA that is the way the author’s books usually end. This one just seemed rushed to me.

Recommended with the caveats above.

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”

LIVE, LOCAL, AND LONG DEAD: Vermont DJ Jaye Jordan’s Green-Up Day ends in murder when not one, but two, bodies turn up in an old park — and one of them was much too close to both her ex and her current man when it was alive and bodacious. Now Jaye, with the help of a colorful (and diverse) cast of townies, will have to clear her men’s names, unravel a World War II-era mystery…and get Grandpa Seymour to the Senior Prom on time. 

Buy:   Live, Local, and Long Dead – The Wild Rose Press Inc

Or Amazon:

Live, Local, and Long Dead (A Vermont Radio Mystery): Knight, Nikki: 9781509257461: Amazon.com: Books

Nikki Knight describes herself as an Author/Anchor/Mom…not in that order. An award-winning weekend anchor at New York City’s 1010 WINS Radio, she writes short stories and novels including the Vermont Radio and Grace the Hit Mom series. Her stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Mystery Magazine, and Black Cat Weekly, online, and in anthologies – and been short-listed for Black Orchid Novella and Derringer Awards. Active in writers’ groups, she’s served as Vice President of the Short Mystery Fiction Society and is currently Co-Vice President of the New York/Tri-State Chapter of Sisters in Crime. As Kathleen Marple Kalb, she writes the Ella Shane and Old Stuff mystery series. She, her husband, and son live in a Connecticut house owned by their cat.

Website:  https://kathleenmarplekalb.com/nikki-knight

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikkiKnightAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NikkiKnightVT

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathleenmarplekalb/

Other: YouTube: NIKKI KNIGHT’S RADIO STORYTIME – YouTube   

I always knew I’d inherit Covett House. But the timing couldn’t be worse. My divorce is still fresh. I’m not even forty. Quite. The last thing I need is pressure to step right into the life Nanna made for herself in Crescent Bay. What do I need with an 1888 Victorian mansion in a tiny northern California coastal town? I live by myself now. But I’m not alone here. There are those half-heard whispers in the night, the reappearance of Nanna’s lost cat…and then there’s the murder. Cherise Tillson died on the floor of the Museum of the Odd and Wondrous, the most eccentric piece of my inheritance, the day after I got to town. But why did she have my name on her person? And what was she doing in the museum at night? To clear my name – and my way out of this small town – I need answers. Nanna’s secrets are more than I bargained for when the cat’s antics reveal an old, ornate key. The key to a hidden garden in the woods behind Covett House, where pale blooms glow under the waxing moon. Where the creatures are strangely attentive. And a dryad waits to give me a piece of her mind. The moon garden threatens what little is left of the life I knew. But discovering midlife magic has made me bold. Or maybe that’s all the strong coffee I’m currently running on. Either way, I’ll make a better life with this second chance. Welcome to the Moon Garden Mysteries paranormal cozy mystery series, a magical blend of paranormal women’s fiction and cozy mystery for those who believe forty marks a new beginning, cats can talk (and you’d better listen), and when you’re guarding a fae portal, chocolate is a girl’s best friend.

Thoughts: Like most books, there were parts of this that I loved, and other parts not so much. The first part of the book seemed slow to me. Then the ending felt very rushed. We’re going along, with Naomi waffling between staying in her newly inherited grandmother’s home, or going back to Sacramento and her life there. That got a little old after a while. And all the angst about not having kids. In other words, I wasn’t overly fond of Naomi. But… the paranormal stuff was really good. Brownies helping around the house, a magical garden, the white stag, a griffin… perfect.

There were just too many things that didn’t quite add up to a great story. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a “good” story, just not a great one. But I’m still interested enough to look for others in the series to find out what happens next.

Recommended for the magical parts of the book if nothing else.

The conclusion to The Victory Series!

Iain Fraser thought he understood his life. Then the brother he didn’t know existed turned it all upside down. Everything he has built, everyone he cares about, is under attack. And every choice he makes to defend it seems to be the wrong one. It’s time to go on offense, but it’s hard to take the fight to the enemy when you can’t find him. Cassandra Michaelson has been in a protective limbo since her husband was killed. Victory has been her entire focus, a cocoon wrapping her up, keeping her safe but also confining her. Fighting Iain’s brother, the man who stripped that protection away, has awakened her again—and made her see not only that she doesn’t have to be alone, doesn’t want to be alone, but also that she wants far more. She wants to fly again. And she wants to fly with Iain. Iain has always been waiting for Cassandra. He hadn’t put his life on hold —in fact, he’d thought he was building something new, away from Victory and from the partnership that shattered when his best friend was killed. But Cass refuses to stay away, stay safe, and now they must work together to trigger their enemy’s end game. What they can be after that will have to wait until—and if—they survive it.

THOUGHTS: Wow. Just wow. This should really be a TV show – or a movie. I’ve read the entire series and this is the perfect conclusion to the series. In this one, Cassandra (the head of the Victory group) and Iain are finally finding the answers they’ve been looking for on who is trying to destroy Victory, and them. All their friends are back to help them figure it all out. And the answers are surprising – not just to me, but to the team as well. 

I love the interaction between all the team members. They’re not just colleagues, but friends who do actually care for one another. Even when they’re angry at one another. And there’s just enough hope at the end that this might not be the complete end. 

If you like thrilling adventure with your romance, definitely pick this one up – and all the rest of the books in the series as well. 

Definitely recommended.

THE CONSEQUENCES by Avis Adams

Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, YA

5*****

Blurb: Olivia Jensen survived the Novel Hepatitis A Virus that devastated her community but is grief-stricken when she learns that her entire family has died. She ventures into the post-apocalyptic world left by storms and disease, searching for solitude to grieve and come to terms with her emotions. Unfortunately, Brian, the boy who has had a crush on her since the second grade, offers his help out of concern for her health. Is he hoping a relationship will blossom? Fat chance. Olivia, still weak from her recovery, must accept Brian’s help to get to the stables and check on her horse. When she is given a chance to help a little girl who will die without medicine, she joins forces with Brian. Together they travel on horseback through snowstorms to a mountain town in search of a doctor who has developed medicine. In a world with no existing infrastructure, Olivia’s community relies on her success. Can they find the doctor and bring her back with them before they freeze in the blizzards?

Thoughts: As several states deal with the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene and the COVID outbreak over the last few years, this book rang a little too true. In this one, the storms called Elprimo have devastated the US, as has a virulent disease that no one expected. Thousands dead, no electricity, no running water, towns devastated by both and cut off from everything because of storm damage.

Olivia and her friend, Brian, go to check on her horse, Shadow, at a nearby farm, but when they get there, Olivia discovers that Shadow has died. Given no chance to grieve, the elderly farmer sends them to a nearby farm to get hay for the remaining horses. Along the way, they find an abandoned 4-year-old girl, and thieves who steal their bikes, then accost them for the horses they’re riding. At the hay farm, they’re tasked with going to a nearby town for medicine for the family. They have to make their way through treacherous roads, a blizzard, and more, then get back home before more people die. I loved the dog with the rips. And how much they depend on the horse not just for transportation, but heart as well.

The two of them learn what it is to depend on each other for their lives and what desperate people are capable of. And that they are stronger than they thought. This is a story about friendship, survival, and strength of character.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced or solicited by anyone.

ISLAND HEAT by Debby Grahl

Fiction, Contemporary Romance/Mystery

4****

Blurb: When bookstore owner Suzanna Shay and writer Austen Kincade meet on a Who Done It mystery cruise, their instant attraction has them more interested in romance than searching for clues. But when the leading actress in the shipboard murder skit, Austen’s publisher’s wife, throws herself at Austen, she’s furious when he rejects her advances and vows to have Austen no matter what it takes. After the ship docks, with plans for a future together, Suzanna and Austen part, unaware vindictive lies will soon test their newfound love and entangle them in a real mystery that proves deadly.

Thoughts: This is a mixture of hot romance (level 4 out of 5 on the flames) and murder mystery — which made for an interesting read. But I will say that it got a tad long at times. It seemed that when Austen and Suzanna weren’t jumping each other, they were trying to avoid Haley (Austen’s publisher’s wife), they were figuring out the whodunnit. So, three things going on, but all interwoven (nicely done!) into a final conclusion.

Austen has dreams of being a thriller writer. While on a murder mystery cruise, he meets up with the publisher he sent his manuscript to and they discuss a contract. He also meets – and is teamed up with – Suzanna. They’re supposed to be trying to solve the cruise murder mystery that was put on as a skit. Instead, they are instantly in lust and spend most of the weekend in bed. Meanwhile, the publisher’s wife has set her cap for Austen and is determined that nothing and no one will get in her way. Unfortunately, Austen doesn’t see things her way so she connives to get him any way she can.

Fast forward a year… Suzanna owns a bookstore in the Outer Banks and is a sponsor of a mystery conference where she hears Austen will be the keynote speaker. She was devastated when he broke up with her and has no idea why. She just knows she will never trust him again.

But… this is a romance.

And a real mystery.

The two team up again (and fall into bed again) to solve the mystery and live HEA. The only thing I was unhappy about was at the end – when there’s so much angst about Austen meeting Suzanna’s mother – but we didn’t get to see that. It was like a big thing and then nothing. Still, overall a good — if a bit long — story.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: all thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not solicited or paid to write this review.

HOME FOR THE HOMICIDES by Rosalie Spielman

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: It’s Christmastime in Army retiree Tessa Treslow’s small Idaho hometown of New Oslo, but someone is determined to play a grinch this season and is robbing local businesses of their holiday cheer! In the midst of preparing for the first annual Running of the Grinches, a fundraiser to support the Sergeant Santa Toy Drive and the local historical society, a string of unfortunate incidents hit the townsfolk hard. It starts with broken windows then progresses to car theft, assault, and arson—each instance accompanied by a clue that clearly ties the crimes together. Tessa organizes a watch patrol for New Oslo, and during her first shift she helps rescue a victim from a fire. Unfortunately, it is clear to Tessa that the woman was already dead before the fire was set. Did the arsonist accidentally kill her…or is something more heinous and less in the spirit of the season at hand? It’s up to Tessa to find out before tragedy strikes again!

Thoughts: Tessa Treslow is ex-army and now works with her aunt Edna doing car engine repairs. Tessa is in her 40s and is a no-nonsense kind of person and when vandals start messing with businesses in town, she is called up to organize a citizen watch. Broken windows and stolen gifts are only the beginning as the events increase to include arson and murder. It’s up to Tessa and her cohorts to figure out who the perp is before things get even worse. But doing so, puts her and her aunt into danger.

This was a good mystery with clues and suspects sprinkled throughout the story. But I have to say, my favorite character was Magnus the Moose, who kept eating their Christmas decorations (the pine/fir boughs used to decorate the truck). Tessa and her family and friends attempt to have a great holiday while thwarting the perp(s) with clever ideas on tracking and stopping them.

Recommended.

With the October 1 release of Unwavering Victory, Natalie J. Damschroder’s newest romantic adventure series is complete!

The first book, Victory on the Edge, is only 99¢!

Unwavering Victory

Iain Fraser thought he understood his life. Then the brother he didn’t know existed turned it all upside down. Everything he has built, everyone he cares about, is under attack. And every choice he makes to defend it seems to be the wrong one. It’s time to go on offense, but it’s hard to take the fight to the enemy when you can’t find him.

Cassandra Michaelson has been in a protective limbo since her husband was killed. Victory has been her entire focus, a cocoon wrapping her up, keeping her safe but also confining her. Fighting Iain’s brother, the man who stripped that protection away, has awakened her again—and made her see not only that she doesn’t have to be alone, doesn’t want to be alone, but also that she wants far more. She wants to fly again. And she wants to fly with Iain.

Iain has always been waiting for Cassandra. He hadn’t put his life on hold—in fact, he’d thought he was building something new, away from Victory and from the partnership that shattered when his best friend was killed. But Cass refuses to stay away, stay safe, and now they must work together to trigger their enemy’s end game. What they can be after that will have to wait until—and if—they survive it.

Check out the series on:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Google Books

Apple

Kobo

AUTHOR NOTE: On the series page, you’ll see The Road to Victory before Victory on the Edge. That novella is a bridge between The Seismic Series (Aftershocks and Resonance) and The Victory Series. It closes out Seismic and introduces Victory. It’s not necessary to start with The Road to Victory if you haven’t read The Seismic Series.

About the Author

Natalie J. Damschroder loves combining end-of-the-world stakes with the relationships that make those stakes personal. Love with a Shot of Adrenaline has infused nearly every story she’s published. Whether you like quick reads you can finish in a day or sinking into longer books, you’ll find something to satisfy your craving for action, romance, and happy endings. She also writes paranormal young adult romance as NJ Damschroder, where all of the same elements apply.

Besides her dozens of published books, what Natalie is most proud of is her family. She and her husband have been married over 30 years and still have the kind of partnership she makes her characters fight for every day. They’ve raised two awesome kids now living their own fulfilling lives, which you would think would mean she’d write more books faster. But she’s enjoying reading, relaxing with good TV, and sleeping too much to give any of that up. In the fall and winter, almost nothing will keep her from cheering for her New England Patriots, even though they don’t win as much anymore. She loves to hear from readers, so don’t hesitate to e-mail her!

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Sometimes bodies are easier to bury than secrets… Coriander Whitlock has been in turmoil for the last few years. After burying her husband, being accused of his murder, and finally finding justice when the real murderer was caught, she is certain she can now quietly disappear into the comforts of the estate she once shared with her husband and tend her garden of herbs, both medicinal and deadly. But fate and a well-meaning, meddling cousin have other plans. Between funerals and seances, Cory is beginning to believe there is a killer on the loose, and each victim appears to be connected to the magic she so staunchly hides from the ton. Being accused of murder is one thing, but a witch? If word spreads of her abilities, the only calling cards she’s likely to receive would be for a date with the executioner. Yet, she cannot hide from the spirits who are calling for her to seek justice again. And when she is thrust into another murder investigation, she must put her faith in the hands of a brooding, infuriating man with the power to upend her life and expose her secrets. It seems London is as determined to give up its ghosts as her cousin is to marry her off to the next eligible widower. Fans of The Last Necromancer and The Parasol Protectorate are sure to enjoy this slow-burn gaslamp fantasy romance.

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Bios:

Rachel Rawlings: USA Today Bestselling author Rachel Rawlings is just an East Coast girl trying to survive the heat and humidity in the South, surrounded by four mini-pigs, four goats, twelve ducks, too many chickens, and four humans. When she isn’t writing Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance she can be found with her nose in a book and a cup of coffee nearby. There may or may not be cookies.

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Misty Simon: Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock… Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world with readers, one laugh at a time. Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania where she is hard at work on her next novel or three.

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