Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is a sweet and sassy contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson.
Captain Ava Capp has been flying from her past for a decade. She’d much rather leave it, and her home state, behind forever. But when she finds herself back in Minnesota, against her better judgment, everything goes sideways in a way she never expected it to.
M.E. Dr. Tom Baker has never forgotten Ava and the cold case she ran away from. When she shows up unexpectedly in town, in spite of himself, sparks fly. Which is terrible because he can’t stop his growing attraction to her. Can these two Type-A’s let their guards down and work together to put Ava’s tragic past behind her for good? And keep their hands off each other at the same time?
Review
Ava is an airline pilot, a very good one at that! She is actually famous. (you will need to read this to find out why.) She has to fly into her hometown and she is not happy about it. Then her past comes back to bite her in the butt…
This story is a little spastic in places. I could not decide if it was a mystery or a romcom. I basically think the author changed her mind in the middle of this book and made it a romcom. And some of the conversations were confusing. I am not sure if it was the format of the early ebook or if it was just the way it was written.
I know it sound like I did not enjoy this book. But, I did enjoy it to a degree. I loved Ava. She is strong and funny, hilarious, as a matter of fact. Then there is Tom. These two together really make the whole story worth reading.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
MaryJanice Davidson is the international best-selling author of several books, including the Betsy the Vampire Queen series. Her books have been translated into several languages and are available in fifteen countries. She writes a bi-weekly column for USA Today and frequently speaks to book clubs, writer’s groups, teaches writing workshops, and attends conferences all over the world. She has published books, novellas, articles, short stories, recipes, and movie reviews.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Courtney Evan Tate’s The Last to See Her (MIRA; 12/29) is a twisty, fast-paced domestic suspense about sisters, secrets and betrayal–for fans of B.A. Paris and Riley Sager. Genevieve, a writer, is about to finalize her divorce from her cheating husband Todd. So when her sister Meg, an ambitious physician, has a convention to attend in New York City, she invites Gen along to celebrate her return to single life. It will be a perfect sisters’ getaway in the big city! But things go awry when, on their first evening at the hotel, Gen decides to take a late night walk and disappears without a trace. Eventually she is officially declared a missing person. Suspicion soon falls on her sister Meg, who was the last person to see her. Through twists and turns, it is revealed that Meg has been sleeping with her brother-in-law Todd… And then there is a question of a newly purchased insurance policy that just has just gone into effect before Gen’s disappearance. Both Todd and Meg deny any knowledge of it. But has an actual crime been committed? Can it be proven? And if so, who is really the guilty one?
Review
Genevieve is getting divorced. She and her sister, Meg, decide to go to NYC for a girls weekend. They get a little tipsy and Gen goes out for a little air and to clear her head. She never returns. Meg is the last to see her and the first to become a suspect.
Todd, Genevieve’s cheating husband, is a character everyone loves to hate. He is materialistic and a cheater. I just wanted to punch him a time or two! Then there is Meg! Meg is over the top. As a reader, you really start to like her…until you don’t. I just did not understand her thought process. I just wanted to shake some sense into her. And finally there is Genevieve…you will just have to read it to find out.
What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive! This book is deceiving in more ways than one. I thought I figured it out…then it twisted again and again. I love a book which keeps me guessing. This one does it!
Grab your copy today! You will not be sorry! This book has a little bit of everything!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.
About the author
Courtney Evan Tate is the nom de plume (and darker side) of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Courtney Cole. As Courtney Evan Tate, she is the author of Such Dark Things and I’ll Be Watching You. Courtney grew up in rural Kansas and now lives with her husband and kids in Florida, where spends her days dreaming of new characters and storylines and surprising plot twists and writing them beneath rustling palm trees. Visit her on Facebook or at courtneycolewriters.com
Title: Mine to Keep Author: Rhenna Morgan Series: NOLA Knights, #3 Imprint: Carina Press Genre: Contemporary Romance eBook & Audiobook On-Sale: December 14, 2020 Mass Market Paperback On-Sale: December 29, 2020
Book Description:
Bonnie Drummond is from the wrong side of the tracks, raised in a family of liars and criminals. No matter how hard she tries to stay on the straight and narrow, she always finds herself sucked back into the family drama, forced to sacrifice everything she’s earned to protect her family. But this time they’ve gone too far—crossed the wrong people—and to save them she’ll have to put her life on the line. Roman Kozlov, enforcer for a New Orleans mafiya family, is the poster child for the life Bonnie is struggling to escape. But he’s also as alluring as he is dangerous, and it doesn’t take long for their lives to begin to mesh. With Roman, Bonnie finds the family she never had. As their race for answers heats up, so too does the budding romance between them. And with danger nipping at her heels and love threatening her heart, Bonnie must come face-to-face with her past if she wants to have a future. NOLA Knights
Book 1: His to Defend Book 2: Hers to Tame Book 3: Mine to Keep
She’d lost her damned mind. Or at least had temporary insanity—probably induced by too much adrenaline. One of the two had to be the problem, because Bonnie had sure as hell never been known to let her mouth run rampant the way it had in front of Roman and Cassie fifteen minutes ago.
Perched in the middle rear seat of Roman’s supped-up truck, Bonnie stilled her jiggling knee for the third time in five minutes and stared out her window for any sign of the massive Russian. “What’s he doing, anyway?”
Cassie twisted from the front passenger seat, the length of time it took for her gaze to come into focus making it seem she’d been somewhere else entirely. “Who, Roman?” She scanned the front yard and shrugged her shoulder. “No telling. Maybe looking for clues? Or he could just be making sure the place is all locked up.”
Now, that was funny. Almost impossible to laugh at considering the anvil sitting in her stomach, but funny, nonetheless. “There’s nothing in there worth stealing. My family’s more the transitory type when it comes to possessions.”
See? There it was again. Her mouthing off and sharing shit she’d held back for most of her life.
Cassie didn’t seem to notice. Just twisted in her seat and cocked her head to one side. “So, what do you think about Roman?”
That he’s huge, hot and could probably make Satan piss his pants.
Before the uncensored answer could jump past her lips, she rearranged her backpack lying across her thighs. “He seems…nice.”
“Nice?” Cassie echoed back with open disbelief. “That’s it?”
Okay, he’s intimidating as fuck and somehow made me blurt out all my family’s dirty laundry in less than three sentences.
Also not a wise confession.
“Well, what do you want me to say? My mind’s all screwed up after the day I’ve had. He could have polka dots and a unicorn horn sticking out of his head and I’d probably have missed it.”
Liar.
All right, fine. So, she’d taken a healthy inventory. He was at least six-foot-four, for Christ’s sake, and packed more muscle than that slick black suit of his had a prayer of hiding.
And those tattoos at the base of his fingers and on the backs of his hands…she had no clue what they were or meant, but they were sexy AF.
Cassie’s face sobered. “I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. I know you’re worried about your brother and dad, but I’ve wanted you to meet my family for so freaking long, I got carried away.”
Roman prowled into view from the far side of the with concentration.
Cassie followed Bonnie’s gaze out the windows, noted Roman’s trajectory toward the truck and lowered her voice. “You have to admit, though. He’s pretty handsome.”
Bonnie shook her head. “Handsome belongs on guys like Hugh Jackman and Orlando Bloom. That guy’s got badass motherfucker written all over him.”
Cassie’s head snapped back in surprise just as Roman opened the door and climbed into the cab.
Great. More verbal diarrhea. Though, she had a feeling Cassie didn’t take the comment the way she’d intended it. To Bonnie’s mind, Roman’s mega short dark hair and tightly cropped beard was hella hot, and he could probably sharpen a knife on the hard angles of his jawline. His eyes were killer, too. Hooded in a way that made you have to really work to figure out what color they were.
Recently widowed Sylvie Andrus moves with her young son, Jason, to a small river town, and discovers she must solve a two-century old mystery to rid herself of the ghost who haunts her. Still grieving, she finds the ghost of her husband, Ned, waiting in her new home to seduce her. Jason warns Sylvie the ghost is evil but, swept up by her yearning for her husband and determined to reveal what happened to Clarinda Braxton, a Revolutionary Era painter who disappeared without a trace in 1794, she delays, putting her son’s life in peril.
Review
Sylvie and her son have moved into an old house in a quaint little River town. She is recently widowed and struggling to overcome her recent loss. Little does she know she is being possessed by a ghost, Clarinda Braxton. And Sylvie must solve her murder to get her to go away. And to complicate matters even more, the ghost of her husband shows up.
I love a good ghost story and this one is wonderful. Plus, it is a little different than the normal ghost story. It has tons of history and mystery. This makes for a fast paced thriller you do not want to miss. As a matter of fact you could probably read it in one sitting. It is told in two different time periods but the characters are fascinating and you just can’t stop!
I received this novel from the author for a honest review.
About The Author:
Ginny Fite, author of Blue Girl on the Night Dream Sea, the thriller No End of Bad, and the dark mystery thrillers Cromwell’s Folly, No Good Deed Left Undone, and Lying, Cheating, and Occasionally Murder is an award-winning writer and journalist.
She’s also been a spokesperson for a governor and for a member of Congress, for colleges and universities, and a robotics R&D company. With degrees from Rutgers University and Johns Hopkins University, she also studied at the School for Women Healers and the Maryland Poetry Therapy Institute.
In addition to her novels, she is the author of I Should Be Dead by Now, a collection of humorous lamentations about aging, three books of poetry– The Last Thousand Years, The Pearl Fisher, and Throwing Caution– and a short story collection, What Goes Around.
She is addicted to Twitter and posts as @Unwrinkledbrain. She resides in Harpers Ferry, WV. Website http://ginnyfite.com/
“Ginny Fite weaves a fascinating tale of an undiscovered murder, a grieving widow, a mysterious ghost and the history that connects them. A love story and a ghost story, POSSESSION celebrates the courage of women to overcome tragedy and grief.”—K.P. Robbins, The Stonehenge Scrolls
“As we’ve come to expect of keen-eyed author Ginny Fite, Possession is masterful. In a cyclone of peril and malevolence this novel spirals us back to chilling events of the 18th century, then lets the consequences fall on a 21st century mother and son. For a story with compelling characters that is both haunting and heartwarming, Possession delivers the goods. –Lee W. Doty, Tidal Kin
“Ginny Fite strikes again, taking us on a wild ride in Possession—an unusual blend of mystery, feminism, and horror told in dual storylines. I consumed this book in a few sittings, desperate for resolution.” –Leslie M. Rollins, Good-Time Girl
From author Kia Abdullah, Take It Back is a harrowing and twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the last page is turned.
One victim. Four accused. Who is telling the truth?
Zara Kaleel, one of London’s brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.
When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie’s best friend doesn’t believe her.
But Zara does—and she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.
Review
Zara is an attorney who has given up her high powered job to help victims of sexual assault. One day, a victim called Jodie Wolfe arrived at the center. She has severe facial deformities due to a disease. But, she has accused 4 Muslim boys of rape. Did I mention Zara is Muslim? Well, this sends the whole city into turmoil.
Wow! This book grabbed you by the throat at the beginning and never let go. I swear…I didn’t know who was telling the truth and who was lying. At the end, I had to actually put the book down a minute and breathe. There are so many aspects to this novel. It is very complex and not for the faint of heart. Between Jodie and her terrible situation, Zara and her Muslim ties, and the 4 teenage boys accused of this crime, my mind was racing and I could not read it fast enough.
Now, this book is not for everyone. I read another review (and I NEVER DO THAT!). She hated this book for various reasons. The reasons she hated it are the reasons I enjoyed it. The intensity, the way the author manipulated the reader, the twists and turns…but the subject matter is tough! So be aware.
I found this book fantastically complex and heart wrenching!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
The bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about a twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women’s lives—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue.
From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City’s creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red Scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine’s Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.
Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girlsdeftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.
About the Author
Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of historical novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including THE LIONS OF FIFTH AVENUE (a GMA book club pick) and THE CHELSEA GIRLS. She began her career in New York City as an actress, working on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in regional theater. After getting a master’s degree at Columbia Journalism School, she fell in love with writing, leapfrogging from editor to freelance journalist before finally settling down to write fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and she’s based in New York City.
Three generations of women—and the love, loss, sacrifice, and secrets that can bind them forever or tear them apart.
Millicent Glenn is self-sufficient and contentedly alone in the Cincinnati suburbs. As she nears her ninety-first birthday, her daughter Jane, with whom she’s weathered a shaky relationship, suddenly moves back home. Then Millie’s granddaughter shares the thrilling surprise that she’s pregnant. But for Millie, the news stirs heartbreaking memories of a past she’s kept hidden for too long. Maybe it’s time she shared something, too. Millie’s last wish? For Jane to forgive her.
Sixty years ago Millie was living a dream. She had a husband she adored, a job of her own, a precious baby girl, and another child on the way. They were the perfect family. All it took was one irreversible moment to shatter everything, reshaping Millie’s life and the lives of generations to come.
As Millie’s old wounds are exposed, so are the secrets she’s kept for so long. Finally revealing them to her daughter might be the greatest risk a mother could take in the name of love.
About The Author:
Tori Whitaker grew up in the Midwest. She now resides outside of Atlanta, Georgia, where she and her husband of more than forty years live near their two sons and their families. Tori belongs to the Historical Novel Society, and her feature article, “Multi-Period Novels: The Keys to Weaving Together Two Stories from Different Time Periods,” appeared in the Historical Novels Review. Tori graduated from Indiana University and is chief marketing officer for a national law firm. She is also an alum of the Yale Writers’ Workshop. Millicent Glenn’s Last Wish is her first novel. https://toriwhitaker.com/
Millie is getting close to her 91st birthday. She is still able to live by herself and is very independent. Then her daughter, Jane, shows up and moves in with her. Plus, her granddaughter has some wonderful news. But, all of this brings on some terrible memories. And it is time for Millie to share.
There are a lot of aspects covered in the novel. The main one…the struggle of women in the 50s. It was frowned up on by society for a woman to work. Women could not open their own checking account without their husband’s permission. And even their healthcare involved a husband’s opinion. Oh! How far women have come.
Another aspect which I found unique…assumptions. I have to be careful here…I do not want to give anything away. One of the characters overheard something and this lead to assumptions. This changed a relationship and affected many outcomes.
This story also includes a pretty rough tragedy. So get the tissues ready. I had to set the book aside for a few minutes and breathe.
If you need a good novel about life, family and especially love…THIS IS IT!
I received a copy from the publisher for a honest review.
A dozen women join a secret 1850s Arctic expedition—and a sensational murder trial unfolds when some of them don’t come back.
Eccentric Lady Jane Franklin makes an outlandish offer to adventurer Virginia Reeve: take a dozen women, trek into the Arctic, and find her husband’s lost expedition. Four parties have failed to find him, and Lady Franklin wants a radical new approach: put the women in charge.
A year later, Virginia stands trial for murder. Survivors of the expedition willing to publicly support her sit in the front row. There are only five. What happened out there on the ice?
Set against the unforgiving backdrop of one of the world’s most inhospitable locations, USA Today bestselling author Greer Macallister uses the true story of Lady Jane Franklin’s tireless attempts to find her husband’s lost expedition as a jumping-off point to spin a tale of bravery, intrigue, perseverance and hope.
Review
Lady Jane Franklin hires Virginia Reeve to take 12 women on a trek to the Arctic to find her husband. This expedition ends tragically. Virginia also ends up on trial for murder. One of the women on the trip dies and her family needs to blame someone! However, there is a lot of double dealing, secrecy and lies.
This book is told in various time periods, settings and various points of view. This bothers many readers. However, the author handled this excellently and I had no trouble keeping up.
Now, there are several parts I enjoyed more than others. I loved the courtroom scenes. That is where the true mystery lies. This section is intriguing and unique.
The part about the expedition is just ok. This is why I gave the book a 4 instead of a 5 star. The expedition should have been the most exciting. But I just did not enjoy this part as much as I expected.
All that being said…this is a unique read about strong women overcoming many facets of life! Grab your copy today! You will be glad you did!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
From the award-winning author of Trace of Evil, a detective dealing with the scars of her past must solve a seemingly unconnected string of murders, and face the impossible question of what to do when the killer may be hiding amongst the ones you know, in Alice Blanchard’s The Wicked Hour.
“Readers will welcome a return to Burning Lake with Natalie at the helm.”—Associated Press
“Lockhart is a relatable new heroine on the police-procedural scene, and one who will appeal to readers of Tana French.”—Booklist
The day after Burning Lake’s notorious, debauched Halloween celebration, Detective Natalie Lockhart uncovers a heartbreaking scene—a young woman, dead and lying in a dumpster. There’s no clue to who she is, save for a mystifying tattoo on her arm, and a callus underneath her chin. She’s not from around here. No one knows who she is.
As Natalie retraces the young woman’s steps leading up to her death, she uncovers a deeper, darker horror—a string of murders and disappearances, seemingly unconnected, that may have ties to each other—and explain the abrupt disappearance of her best friend years ago.
As she digs deeper within the mind of the hunter, Natalie finds a darkness she could never have imagined. And as she draws closer to the truth, the killer is weaving a trap for her that may prove inescapable.
Review
Detective Natalie Lockhart has uncovered a string of murders in her town. She is fighting her own demons as she is searching for the murderer. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she realizes the murderer is someone she would never suspect. Or maybe not!
There are quite a few missteps in this book. The author repeats herself several times about several things. If she says once…she says MULTIPLE times about her friend disappearing in high school and the person who was accused of her death kills himself. I also recommend reading the first in this series. I have not read the first one and that may have helped me follow some of this story.
I did enjoy the suspense built around these disappearances. I also connected with Natalie. She is struggling to overcome the death of her sister (this is where reading the first book would have been helpful). The author did a great job with Natalie’s pain and with her strength to overcome. Plus, the mystery surrounding the murders is intense and unique.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.
Well! November has come and gone! I did not do a whole lot this month. After a busy October, I decided to sit my happy little butt at home and work and read. So without further ado…
Escapades
I wanted to share some of the beautiful foliage around my home. We had some wonderful colors this year.
I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the nature around them. Sometimes it just puts things into perspective.
I also did…just a little scrapbooking this month. I made some cards using the one sheet wonder technique. Easy and quick if you need to make a lot of cards in a short amount of time.
Now…on to the escapes. I did not post a lot this month. I actually read a lot of books which will be released in December. I will do the same in December. My January is PACKED and I need to stay ahead! So, some of these books you will see the review in December. SO STAY TUNED! Lots of good ones coming up!
reecaspieces 