The author of the “sweeping, stirring, and heartrending” (Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie) The Light Over London returns with a masterful, glittering novel that whisks you to midcentury Britain as it follows three of the last debutantes to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II.
When it’s announced that 1958 will be the last year debutantes are to be presented at court, thousands of eager mothers and hopeful daughters flood the palace with letters seeking the year’s most coveted invitation: a chance for their daughters to curtsey to the young Queen Elizabeth and officially come out into society.
In an effort to appease her traditional mother, aspiring university student Lily Nichols agrees to become a debutante and do the Season, a glittering and grueling string of countless balls and cocktail parties. In doing so, she befriends two very different women: the cool and aloof Leana Hartford whose apparent perfection hides a darker side and the ambitious Katherine Norman who dreams of a career once she helps her parents find their place among the elite.
But the glorious effervescence of the Season evaporates once Lily learns a devastating secret that threatens to destroy her entire family. Faced with a dark past, she’s forced to ask herself what really matters: her family legacy or her own happiness.
With her signature “intricate, tender, and convincing” (Publishers Weekly) storytelling, Julia Kelly weaves an unforgettable tale of female friendship amid the twilight days of Britain’s grand coming out balls.
Review
Queen Elizabeth will no longer allow presentations in court. So 1958 is the last year of the debutante. Lilly has been chosen to be one of the last debutantes. Lilly is just wanting to please her mother and her grandmother. She really wants to stay in school, but being the dutiful young lady, she agrees to all the balls, lunches and other activities required to come out for the season.
Lilly meets quite a few new friends. However, her mother is not happy with her selection of friends. The further the season moves along, the more Lilly realizes something is wrong. And when Lilly discovers the secret…her life is changed forever.
I enjoyed so much about this novel. The characters, the setting, and the mystery just melded so well together. This is the perfect mix of a book! I swear…I felt like I was right in the middle of the season myself. And my heart went out to Lilly on more than one occasion.
Julia Kelly has become one of my favorite authors. I adored The Last Garden In England. And this latest book has moved right up there with it!
if you need a book to take you away to England…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
A year after THE STEAL, Ania Throne is determined to take back what the Leopard stole from her. Together with her lover and partner, Jerome, she stages a spectacular heist during the Venetian Carnival, to lure out the treacherous mastermind they unmasked. She’s willing to risk it all—until her revenge takes a dangerous twist that could cost her what she loves the most.
Jerome Curtis has given up everything for Ania. She needs his help and he’s fallen head over heels for the world’s most eligible jewelry designer. But when their daring scheme to catch the thief who escaped turns on them, he’s targeted for a crime he never wanted to commit—and he has to find a way out fast.
From a glamorous costume gala to the winter canals of Venice, Ania and Jerome must confront the choices they’ve made and bait a new trap to catch the Leopard, before the Leopard springs his trap on them. This time, the stakes are personal, but with more than diamonds on the line, can they escape the bait or will it separate them forever?
The second novella in To Catch A Leopard, THE BAIT is a nail-biting romantic caper by bestselling authors C.W. Gortner and M.J. Rose.
Review
This is the second novella in the To Catch a Leopard Series. This story is set in Venice. Jerome and Ania are trying to trap the famous burglar, The Leopard. However, the tale twists and Jerome is accused of a crime.
I did not enjoy this one as well as I did the first in this series. I believe it is because I found Ania to be a bit overbearing and spoiled. But, she and Jerome have a unique connection which adds so much to this story.
I also loved the Venice setting. The authors did a great job making it real for the reader. With the bad smells and the crumbling areas of the town, I felt like I was right there!
Need a quick mystery set in beautiful Venice…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.
What a wonderful December…Hubby and I decided to take a last minute trip to Florence, AL for a quick weekend trip. We toured the Muscle Shoals Music Studio and just enjoyed some fun relaxation before the rush of Christmas.
So…add this along with Christmas and family….it was a fantastic December!
Hard to believe 2021 is almost over….now on the the new chapter!
Here are the books I read and listened to in December!
New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan’s suspenseful new mass market original about a college senior’s podcast that delves into an unsolved campus murder of a sorority girl three years earlier, as individual callers explode every fact previously thought to be true.
Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found two weeks later, and the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the Medical Examiner’s, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested.
Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle, he just isn’t sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace’s last hours. He asks listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer, former US Marshal Regan Merritt, to come on and share her expertise.
New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. Another hints at Candace’s secret life…a much darker picture than Lucas imagined—and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own dark secret. The pressure is to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast – before the killer silences him forever.
Review
Lucas has created a podcast about a true crime that occurred on his college campus. He has lots of information about the murder of Candace Swain. And he knows someone out there is hiding something. He brings on former US Marshal Regan Merrit. These two hit a nerve and before long both are in danger…but, there are more secrets to be revealed…you must read this to find out.
Lucas is like a dog with a bone…he is obsessed. I loved his tenacity. You just know he is hiding something! Then there is Regan. She is one of my favorite characters. She has a past she is running from, well, more like trying to hide from. This case brings her back to life and her instincts kick in.
This is not my favorite Allison Brennan book. I enjoy her books but this one was a bit slow at the first. But, the further you get into the story you realize it is a slow build to a sensational ending you will not soon forget!
Need a book with a dramatic ending…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
ALLISON BRENNAN is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels. She has been nominated for Best Paperback Original Thriller by International Thriller Writers and the Daphne du Maurier Award. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, Allison lives in Arizona with her husband, five kids and assorted pets. The Sorority Murder is the first of a new mass market series,
When a bull-riding champion is left holding his friend’s baby, could it be time to put down roots in Gold Valley?
Midwife Mallory Chance is ready for a fresh start in Gold Valley. And when she locks eyes with a handsome cowboy across the saloon, it feels like fate. After too many years wasted on her cheating ex, good girl Mallory is read to cut loose and prioritize herself. But when the dust settles on their hot night, it turns out that her mysterious one-night cowboy is none other than her new landlord – and someone she’ll be seeing very regularly around Gold Valley…
Bull rider Colt Daniels has a wild reputation, but after losing his friend on the rodeo circuit, he’s left it all behind. If only he could walk away from his guilt as easily…or the temptation of Mallory! He can’t offer her the future she deserves – what does a cowboy with a heart as damaged as his know about forever? Then his friend’s tiny daughter ends up in Colt’s care, and he’s in over his head. Colt has never wanted to rely on anyone, but he needs Mallory’s help taking care of the baby he’s beginning to love as his own. But is it all still temporary, or is it their chance at a forever family?
EXCERPT
CHAPTER ONE
It was him. The man. The fantasy man. The one who had haunted her dreams for the past six months.
And he was just like Mallory Chance remembered him.
Tall, broad shoulders, broad chest. Tight black T-shirt and black cowboy hat. His midsection looked hard and solid, and so did his thighs.
He was the sort of man who would have terrified her when she was a teenager. Far too much masculinity to cope with—and why bother?—when there were soft, gentle boy band members to fantasize about from the safe distance of a bedroom wall poster.
The sort of man she’d never had the chance to lust after because she’d made her choices about men at fifteen—again, when she’d been more into boy bands than bad boys and had proclaimed chest hair “gross”—and had therefore been stuck with her teenage sensibilities even as she’d transitioned into adulthood.
He looked like danger. The kind you ran from when you were a girl and wanted to run to when you were a woman.
The hardest-looking man in the room.
The one who would win the bar fight.
The one whose muscles looked like they could carry the weight of the whole world. Or possibly just handily beat up her trifling ex.
But it wasn’t enough that the man had the most incredible body she’d ever seen.
He had dark blond hair, dark stubble covering a square jaw. His mouth was perfectly formed, and while she’d never given much thought to what constituted a perfectly formed mouth, it turned out she knew it when she saw it.
But his eyes…
That night in the Gold Valley Saloon, six months ago, while she’d been seated next to her boyfriend, they’d locked eyes.
And she’d felt it all the way down to her core.
Like a bolt of lightning.
An electric current that had run beneath her skin and down to her bones and had left her feeling changed.
It had been a moment. A brief moment. But she hadn’t been sure how she would breathe through it, let alone carry on like it hadn’t happened.
She’d never experienced anything like it before.
Like she was staring down fate in cowboy boots.
But that had to be ridiculous because she didn’t believe in things like that, and if she did, she’d have to claim Jared as her fate, not some random guy in a bar.
Jared, the man she’d been with since she was fifteen years old.
What was that if not fate?
At least, that was what she told herself. For a long time. Too long.
Fate.
The word whispered over her skin, the concept like firecrackers going off in her stomach.
It was why she had come here tonight, and she would be lying if she said that wasn’t true.
All the whole way from San Francisco she had played the music as loud as she could, had rolled the windows down and shouted Taylor Swift lyrics into the wind. Because her world had been broken open, and because Jared had hated that music.
And it didn’t matter what he liked or didn’t like.
Not anymore.
So she’d done it, because she could. And she had ignored the ten times her cell phone had rung with his number flashing across the screen.
She wasn’t taking him back. Not this time. Not ever again.
In the past he’d left her, and she was the one who felt lost. And every time, she’d just get used to him being gone, he’d call and she’d pick up. She’d tell him to come home. Because she needed him.
She hadn’t known how not to need him. And she’d done her best to make sure he needed her. Because it was in that space where she felt right. Like she was doing the right thing, and like she mattered.
That sweet spot of contentedness and a little bit of penance.
Not this time. This time she’d done the leaving.
With very little forethought, and nothing more than a couple of haphazard emails, she had decided to uproot her entire life and go to the town of Gold Valley.
Mallory had been enchanted by Gold Valley from the first time she had come to visit her brother, Griffin.
She and her parents had come six months ago, along with Jared. It had been wonderful. And he had been horrible. And all of the doubts that bubbled up on occasion had come roaring to the surface during that week.
He’d been bored at dinner; he’d been completely uninterested in all of the quaint brick buildings in town. He’d overslept and missed family breakfasts.
In general, every single one of his bad qualities, every single thing that Griffin hated about him had been on full display.
Your brother already hates me. I’m not going to perform.
He’d said that while lounging in the passenger seat of her car, his sunglasses on, holding his phone up, paying it more attention than he did her, as usual. In the years since they’d started dating, his blond hair had transitioned from floppy boy band to man bun, which was the only way he’d transitioned from boy to man, really. He was still handsome in that smooth way, slim and… Well she’d always found him… Cute.
But he was much less cute when bored and slumped in her car, texting on a phone she’d paid for while he acted aggrieved by the vacation she’d also paid for.
He’d said that her brother hated him. And it was true. Griffin did hate him. But it was based on things like that, not on nothing.
Griffin had never been shy about his feelings for Jared, and it had always hurt Mallory.
She’d idolized Griffin all her life. Her older brother was her hero and always had been. A shining beacon of everything good and successful. Her parents had always been so proud of him. And so had she.
Eight years older than her, she’d been ten when Griffin had moved out, and it had devastated her. Even though it was the natural order of things. It had changed her world, and she felt unspeakably lonely with him gone.
He’d gone off and gotten his own life. Fallen in love, gotten married.
And then he lost his wife and little girl, and Mallory had lost her beloved sister-in-law and cherished niece.
Even though Griffin had survived, in many ways she’d felt like she’d lost him too.
It was only since he’d met Iris that Mallory felt like she really had them back.
Which, other than the natural pull she felt to the town, had been the reason that she’d come to Gold Valley.
She wanted to be near her brother.
And she needed, desperately, to be very far away from Jared.
Her rental wouldn’t be ready for a couple of days, but she just… She hadn’t been able to stay. Not anymore.
And there were a whole lot of conversations that she was due to have. Mostly because Griffin didn’t even know that she was moving to Gold Valley.
Her parents didn’t even know what she was doing.
Par for the course, isn’t it?
Maybe. But there were just… There were some things she just wanted to keep to herself. So she didn’t have to feel the sting of their disappointment. Her own failures mixed together with disapproval from the two people who mattered so much to her.
She’d always tried to cover for Jared too. Every time he’d left and hurt her, she’d tried to minimize it. Every time he’d spent three weeks or a month apart sleeping at another woman’s house, only to come home, she’d tried to hide that.
And she’d tried to forget it.
Her relationship with Jared was fifteen years long. They’d grown up together. Well, he’d grown up less, she’d grown up more. But they’d shaped their lives around each other and she’d felt like…
Like he was the only person who knew everything about her. Things she’d never shared with her parents, never with her brother… He’d been there for.
And in the darkest time, he had been there. And she’d clung to that through every bump in their road.
But this time, he’d cheated. They hadn’t been separated before he’d found his way into another woman’s bed. She’d thought everything was fine. Great. Better than it had been for a long while, in fact.
And that was what hurt the most.
She gritted her teeth. Feeling angry. And she looked back over at her mystery cowboy.
Yeah, the thing was, he had probably cheated on her before. He had probably been cheating for their entire relationship, and she had just believed him every time he ever said that the only times he’d touched another person had been when they were on a break.
That had hurt. It always had. Because she had never…
He was her one and only.
And of all the silly things that had enraged her, the one that had fueled her down I-5 the whole way here, was… That.
Was the fact that she had seen a man that had made her feel things just with one look that no one, not even Jared, had ever made her feel before.
She’d felt that deep connection back then. Sitting there with a man who was tipsy off his sixth beer, which she’d paid for, while she looked at another man who incited some kind of fire in her stomach—it felt unfair. And in that period of time when she’d been in that house she used to share with Jared in a town that she wanted to leave desperately, she just decided she needed to… Go.
And she could stay in a motel until the rental date.
But she needed to be gone. And she had told herself that it wasn’t the vision of that man’s eyes that had propelled her. She had told herself that it wasn’t why, after she checked into the little Wine Country Motel on the edge of Gold Valley, she’d taken a shower and freshened up, put on some makeup for the first time in three weeks and a light, summer dress.
No, she had told herself that none of those things had anything to do with her mystery man.
And then, when she was bored and hungry and had bypassed any number of actual restaurants on the main street of town, walking to the Gold Valley Saloon, she had decided that there was no way she had any hope of seeing that man. Because what were the chances?
But then, in the back of her mind it was there. How people did like their regular bars. How it was possible.
But so not likely that, six months from the first time she had seen him, he would be there. Just happened to be there.
When she was free and unattached, angry and needing desperately to reclaim something… Or rather, claim it for the first time.
But there he was. There he was. And she was frozen to the spot in that Western bar, her feet grounded to the rustic wood floor. People were talking and laughing and dancing all around her. Country music was playing over the jukebox, and there was tension filling the air. Couples were everywhere. New and old, she imagined. Some who had forever. Some who were looking for a night.
But he was alone. Standing there at the back of the bar with the neon light from a beer sign shining over him like an unholy sign from the heavens. She knew it was him. Because she could never have confused him with anyone else. Sure, there were other handsome men in the room. But none of them made her feel like fire.
None of them made her feel like everything she’d ever known before was a pale, cardboard construct, and he might be the only thing that was real.
The only thing that could make her real.
She swallowed hard, walking over to the bar. The bartender was a handsome man, broad chested with a quick smile, tattoos up his brown forearms, a bright gold wedding band and a twinkle in his eye. “Can I help you?”
“Yeah. I… Whiskey. Please.”
“All right. Any particular kind?”
She didn’t know anything about whiskey. “Do you have a special kind that makes you brave?”
He grinned. “Even cheap stuff will do that. Just comes with a headache.”
“It’s my experience that just about everything in life comes with the headache,” she said, trying to smile. And then she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Goose bumps broke out over her arms.
And the fire inside her flared.
That happened a split second before she heard a low, husky voice just behind her.
Maisey Yates is a New York Times bestselling author of over one hundred romance novels. Whether she’s writing strong, hard working cowboys, dissolute princes or multigenerational family stories, she loves getting lost in fictional worlds. An avid knitter with a dangerous yarn addiction and an aversion to housework, Maisey lives with her husband and three kids in rural Oregon. Check out her website, maiseyyates.com or find her on Facebook.
For the hundredth time since they’d made their promise, she wondered if she and Agnes were really going to go through with it, if she was brave and terrible enough….
At the top of the Empire State Building on a freezing December night, two women hold their breath. Frances and Agnes are waiting for the man who has wronged them. They plan to seek the ultimate revenge. Set over the course of a single night, One Night, New York is a detective story, a romance, and a coming-of-age tale. It is also a story of old New York, of bohemian Greenwich Village between the wars, of floozies and artists and addicts – lighting up the world while all around them America burned with the Great Depression.
Review
Agnes has had enough of the abuse from her father! So, she takes off to New York City to find her brother. Agnes is a small-town country girl. So, the big city has many appeals…and many dangers and her brother is tied up into all of them!
Agnes is a character I had big feelings for. She is truly a country bumpkin gone to town. But, it doesn’t take her long to find her niche. And when something happens to her brother, this does not stop her from taking matters into her own hands.
I fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars on this one. The story is very intriguing, I just found a lot of it to be too coincidental. But, the setting and the time period is right in my wheelhouse.
Stephanie Cannon, the narrator, did a wonderful job. I enjoyed how she enhanced all the voices and added the perfect inflection.
Need a twisty tale set in New York City…This is it! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for an honest review.
For fans of Ella Quinn, Amelia Grey, and Bridgerton comes the first in a new historical romance series with all your favorite tropes:
• Friends to lovers romance
• Forbidden romance
• Reluctant dukes
• Tight-knit family saga
The new Duke has a proper scandal brewing.
Quinton Errington is perfectly happy teaching at Cambridge, with his elder brother carrying the duties of being the Duke of Wesley. But when a trip to celebrate Wesley’s last week of bachelorhood ends in tragedy, Quinton, who becomes the Duke, would give anything to have his brother back.
Wesley’s would-be bride, Catherine Greatheart, is left heartbroken and alone. Her grandmother has fallen ill, and Catherine has nowhere left to turn but to the family she was so close to being part of. The new Duke is kind, and she could use a friend.
Between learning how to be the head of his family, mourning his brother, and trying not to fall in love with his late-brother’s fiancée, Quinton will need some help—and it’s a good thing he’s not alone.
Kristin Vayden has published over a dozen titles with Blue Tulip Publishing, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken’s publishing company. Kristin’s inspiration writing romance comes from her tall, dark and handsome husband with killer blue eyes. With five children to chase, she is never at a loss for someone to kiss, something to cook or some mess to clean but she loves every moment of it! Kristin lives with her family in Washington state.
Review
Quin, due to a tragic accident, has now inherited the title of Duke. Lady Catherine Greatheart, his brother’s fiancée, is also thrown into chaos. She has no idea what the future holds for her now. But, as you can guess, these two begin to gravitate toward each other because of the uncertain future.
Now, this is not my normal genre. I have not read this genre in years. This is a unique diversion for me. I enjoyed these two characters and their situation. They just felt like they belonged together. But, like usual in this type of romance, there are no surprises. This story is predictable and a bit too subdued for my tastes. But, it was very good for a quick, easy read.
Need a good romance for the new year…This is it! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for an honest opinion.
Catherine could not sleep. In fact, when she closed her eyes, it was as if she became more awake.
She rose from bed and padded over to her chair by the low-burning fire. There hadn’t been much change to her grandmother’s condition, and if she didn’t improve, the solicitor would likely recommend that Lord Bircham be contacted.
How she hated that he could hold any power over her future! Someone she didn’t know, who hadn’t any understanding of her or her grandmother, was to be given power over an estate he didn’t earn or inherit, all because he was a male relative.
It was bloody well infuriating.
And she wasn’t going to sit back and let it happen.
No.
She’d fought through too much pain, survived too much to allow her future to be dictated to her. This was her family, her estate, her future, and she was going to have a say in it, come what may.
But she needed information.
Who was this Lord Bircham? She had only met him once, and it was so long ago. The fire burned lower in the grate as she watched the embers stir and flare, her thoughts swirling. Who would be the best informant? She could have—should have—asked Quin, but he had done so much already. She didn’t want to rely on him, not for this, though she did have the sneaking suspicion he wasn’t asking for permission, simply going and finding information regardless.
If so, all the better. But she wasn’t going to wait for him.
She wished there was some random gossip she could uncover—it would be the easiest way to find out information—and as soon as she thought of that, a plan formed in her mind.
Who else knew everything except for the ladies of the ton? If there was a scandal, or rumor of one, they would know.
What she needed was someone she could trust, who wouldn’t turn her situation into new gossip, someone who would just give information, not take it. Lord Penderdale—Morgan—had mentioned his younger sister was debuting this season; Joan was her name. Perhaps she would know something? Yet as she considered it, Catherine disregarded the idea.
She needed someone who had listened to the gossip for years, who would know the older scandals, or lack thereof.
Relief flowed through her and she smiled as she thought of a name.
Yes, it was perfect.
And trustworthy.
A sense of peace eased her anxious mind as she started to work out the details. The desk was a short walk from her place near the fire, and with a few steps, she was sitting before a leaf of paper and writing a quick note.
Your Grace,
It would be my sincerest honor to have you over for tea. Would today be acceptable?
Yours,
Catherine Greatheart
Catherine sealed the message and set it just to the side of her desk, awaiting dawn. With a plan formed, she returned to bed, hope filling her heart, and finally fell asleep.
When she awoke, the sunlight was already brightly streaming through her bedroom window. It took only a moment for her to remember her plans from earlier, and with a determination she hadn’t felt in some time, she rose from bed and slipped the letter from her desk. Ringing for her maid, she swept her hair to the side and over her shoulder, pondering the other aspects of her plan that she would need to put into motion today.
As she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she paused. Her grandmother would be proud of her progress, taking control—and doing it regardless of the fear that could easily consume her.
Fear of the unknown.
She nodded to her reflection, determination patching all the leftover cracks that hadn’t been filled before. The door opened, and Millard entered, offering a quick curtsy.
“Good morning. Please have this dispatched to the Duchess of Wesley’s residence.”
Millard took the note. “Shall I have the messenger wait for a reply?”
Catherine thought for a moment. “No.” She was quite certain the Duchess of Wesley would accept the invitation; Quin had already implied she was planning to visit anyway.
“Right away, my lady.” Millard left to give the message to the servant who would deliver it, leaving Catherine with her thoughts once more.
She looked at the clock on the mantel over the fireplace and noted she had a lot of time before she could expect the duchess.
Perfect.
When Millard returned, Catherine put on a lovely day dress. She was going shopping—and not just for clothes, but for everything else that could land her the most important piece of her plan.
A husband.
The season would start soon, and she needed the dresses they’d already ordered to be ready, but with a few changes. She wasn’t a debutante anymore. But neither was she a widow. However, there was a thin line between the two that allowed for some freedom in her choices in clothing. She wasn’t going to sit by idly, waiting for someone to win her heart. No. She had done that and lost nearly everything.
The morning light illuminated her desk as she approached, her need to write a list burning inside her. Something to keep her focused. Something to keep her from settling for less. She inked the pen and hovered over the paper.
Husband requirements:
Rich—no fortune hunters
Not belittling of women in business ventures
Interested in supporting the arts
Established
No gambling history
Kind to his mother/sisters
She studied the list and frowned. That was pretty much every other lady’s list; there wasn’t anything unique about it. She doubted anyone wanted a gambling and abusive man—but she needed, wanted something more than she could articulate.
Love?
Of course, but she wasn’t going to hold out for it. She’d had it once, or close enough. She wanted…
The word hit her with a solid thump in her chest, setting her heart to pounding. A partnership. Not a legal obligation. Not a man to officiate her life. Someone to walk beside her, to listen to her. Heavens, was that asking too much? To have a husband who could take advice from a woman? She grimaced. It shouldn’t be asking too much, but she wondered if maybe it was still difficult to find in a London ballroom. Perhaps she needed more from the Duchess of Wesley than merely information on her cousin. Maybe she needed information on other things too. Other people.
Could she do it? Take that step? Did she dare ask her almost-mother-in-law about other men? Did she have anyone else to ask? No. She didn’t. So, with a bit of a hysterical chuckle, she realized she was going to do the unthinkable. Ask the woman who was going to be her mother-in-law for help on finding a husband.
Good Lord.
She was either making a brilliant plan or a fatal error. And the worst part was that she wouldn’t know till later. She’d need to wrestle with the decision for hours yet, if not days.
But if it worked…
The hope of that echoed through her, filling her and pushing back the fear. The risk was far outweighed by the reward. And right now she needed an ally. She only hoped she’d made the right decision in who.
The first standalone Swedish crime novel by Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of the TV series The Bridge as well as Netflix’s Emmy-winning Marcella.
A dead wolf. A drug deal gone wrong. A female assassin of rarely seen skill. Hannah Wester, a policewoman in the remote northern town of Haparanda, finds herself on the precipice of chaos.
When human remains are found in the stomach of a dead wolf, Hannah knows that this summer won’t be like any other. The remains are linked to a bloody drug deal across the border in Finland. But how did the victim end up in the woods outside of Haparanda? And where have the drugs and money gone?
Hannah and her colleagues leave no stone unturned. But time is scarce and they aren’t the only ones looking. When the secretive and deadly Katja shows up, unexpected and brutal events start to pile up. In just a few days, life in Haparanda is turned upside down. Not least for Hannah, who is finally forced to confront her own past.
Review
Hannah and her team are on the hunt for a killer. The remains of a body are found inside of a wolf. It turns out to be a drug deal gone wrong. But, as the hunt continues, Hannah has to confront some of her own issues.
I enjoyed the setting of Finland and the surrounding area. However, the writing style is bit different at the first. I think because there are a good many characters to introduce and it is a bit descriptive. It took me a bit to get a handle on the rhythm. The story does pick up and so does the suspense! I certainly enjoyed the deductions and the chase for the killer.
Need a unique crime novel…this is it! Grab your copy today
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
About the Author
Hans Rosenfeldt is a Swedish screenwriter, radio presenter, novelist and actor. He created the Scandinavian series The Bridge, which is broadcast in more than 170 countries, as well as the ITV/Netflix series Marcella
The rugged landscape of Sequoia National Park is a challenge on the best of days – but when a park ranger discovers an abandoned exclusive campsite with an empty tent and high-end technical gear scattered on the shores of an alpine lake, the wilderness takes on a sinister new hue.
Thirty-two-year-old Felicity Harland – a former FBI agent who left the service in the wake of a personal tragedy and has taken her skills off the grid – is brought in as chief investigator. As a federal agent with the Investigative Services Bureau, she tackles crimes that occur on National Parks lands: unexplained falls, domestic disputes, and now a possible murder case.
The private company that set up the exclusive camp won’t reveal their client list, leaving Felicity with zero clues. As she struggles to find a lead, she’s also haunted by a painful past that dogs her at every step. But when she meets Ferdinand Huxley, a Navy SEAL turned park ranger, she begins to see the value in not just working with a partner but trusting one, too.
The investigation takes Felicity and Hux deep into a wilderness that tests their physical limits to the extreme – and to the mean streets of Los Angeles, where they begin to learn the grisly truth behind the campers’ disappearance….
Review
Felicity has started her new job as an agent with the Investigative Services Bureau. She will now investigate crimes in National Parks. And her first crime is an unexplained fall…or is it murder!
I enjoyed Felicity. She is strong and smart, plus she is damaged. She has a terrible injury from her past and a huge loss. So, she is struggling to do her best on this case. Enter Hux! He knows how to handle just about any situation and be super nice about it!
Now, I figured out the killer pretty early in the story. But the author has a good many twists and turns that I did second guess myself a couple of times. I also loved the setting of Sequoia National Park. I do not think I have read a book in this setting and now I want to go! Add in Hux…he is kind of captivating…and you have a pretty dang good read!
Natalie Naudus is the narrator. She does and excellent job. Perfect inflection, especially with some of the male voices.
Need a good murder mystery in a fabulous setting…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.
I received this audiobook from the publisher for a honest review.
reecaspieces 