We actually took a vacation this month. Yes! We did! We took off to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We have not been up to this part of the country for quite some time. We usually follow the St. Louis Cardinals on a road trip. But, this is a unique year, to say the least. We had a wonderful time and we will definitely be back.
If you ever get a chance, check this part of the country out. It is beautiful.
From a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Newly minted homicide detective Sydney Parnell faces a savage killer whose endgame is to capture her. And keep her.
Iraqi war vet and former railway cop Sydney Parnell is now the youngest homicide detective in Denver’s Major Crimes Unit. In the past, gut instinct has served her and her K9 partner well. But it’s not a trait Len Bandoni, her old nemesis turned reluctant mentor, admires. Not until Sydney’s instincts lead to their first case: a man tortured and beaten to death, then left in a refrigerated train car with cryptic messages carved into his body.
The victim is a well-liked member of an elite club called the Superior Gentlemen. At first glance, the club appears harmless. But beneath its refined surface swim darker currents.
As Sydney; her K9 partner, Clyde; and Bandoni investigate the grisly murder, the three develop a bond that carries them through a shocking series of crimes and a horrifying conspiracy that threatens the detectives’ lives and promises to bring their beloved city to its knees.
Review
Sydney has started her new job as the youngest detective on the Denver Police Force. She has a lot to prove. And when Sydney’s first murder case does not even have a body….she is struggling to find out exactly what is going on.
Sydney is a character after my own heart. She is smart and she is tough. She is a marine for goodness sakes. So, don’t mess with her. But this does not stop some people from trying. When this murder leads her to an elite, underground club her life becomes a target.
And then there is Clyde. Clyde is her K9 partner and he is the best character in the book!
I do not know how I have missed this author. But, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It moves quickly and I was hooked on the cryptic symbols….you have to read this to find out. Captivating to say the least. I have not read the other books in this series and I will remedy that soon. This is a stand alone read and you do not want to miss it! Plus! It has a dog! I am all about a dog!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
I had a slow audible month. I only listened to one book. I then started a 32 hour book and I am not near finished with it. Plus, my headphones broke 😭😭😭
Here is the one and only audio book for July.
I will be honest. I was a little disappointed in this read. It just did not keep my attention like most of Jo Nesbo’s books do. This is the first of the Harry Hole series. I have already jumped ahead and read part of this series. So that may be part of the issue. But, I am glad I went back and picked it up.
The Sinister Sisterhood – devious, deadly and dedicated
50% of author royalties from this book go to animal welfare charities
Elle’s dreams of domestic bliss are devastated by David’s deceiving dalliances. Abandoned and alone, she needs a new life-plan and it’s thrust upon her by her tiger-loving aunt in India. She must conserve the creatures and hunt the hunters.
Converted to the cause, Elle’s committed to combating cruel animal exploitation whether it’s trading in endangered animal parts or trophy hunting.
But she can’t do it on her own. What she needs is money and a terrific team beneath her and it takes time to find the right people to bring in money and carry out the campaign.
What Elle gets is an assortment of wicked women with their own attributes and agendas. But the battle gets bigger. There’s a mysterious mastermind building an execrable empire on the back of coveted creatures’ carcases.
The Sisterhood are devious, deadly and dedicated – but not necessarily to Elle’s cause.
Can they succeed in getting what they want?
Can Elle eliminate her enemy before he fulfils his fiendish fur fetishes?
Be they in England, America, Russia or China- the team are going to have a damned good try!
About the Author
Jane was obsessed with horror, adventure, and humorous literature from an early age thanks mainly to her grandmother’s book collection. By the age of twelve, she was writing funny genre-busting stories about vampires and gangsters while still wanting to be both a vet and an artist.
Flunked A-level exams closed doors. But inspired by men who advised her against accountancy as a career, she took it on and made a success of it. She emerged with the unpronounceable letters FCCA after her name and financial stability. In the blink of an eye, she transformed from boss behind a desk to art student drawing naked men.
An art degree later, she found herself in her dream-cum-nightmare house which needed major building work and landscaping. Finances dictated she return to paid employment and for several years she alternated between interim contracts and managing the land – especially planting hedges and trees. When the trees refused to talk back to her, she discovered Social Media. It wasn’t long before she was murdering people online.
Inspired into mass murder for the Create 50 book Twisted 50 Volume 2, her story The Violin Case was selected for publication. She has since brought out her own volume of little horrors, The Shockalot Box.
With Sinister Sisterhood, Jane wanted to pull together her passion for writing, her love of animals and the belief that women can be just as capable and as horrible as men. So pleased is she to be an author with Bad Press ink, she hasn’t even thought about murdering any of them. Yet. In the meantime she would like to thank them all for putting this book together.
Jane was put off living up mountains when she nearly gave birth at the top of one. She also avoids rivers and canals after badly injuring herself and nearly drowning in the Norfolk Broads. Her offspring having left the nest, she lives with her husband in a nice flat field in East Anglia surrounded by rabbits, deer, squirrels, foxes, badgers, horses and two cats.
San Francisco, 1906. Violet is one of three people grateful for the destruction of the big earthquake. It leaves her and her two best friends unexpectedly wealthy–if the secret that binds them together stays buried beneath the rubble. Fearing discovery, the women strike out on their own, and orphaned, wallflower Violet reinvents herself.
When a whirlwind romance with the city’s most eligible widower, Harry Carlyle, lands her in a luxurious mansion as the second Mrs. Carlyle, it seems like her dreams of happiness and love have come true. But all is not right in the Carlyle home, and Violet soon finds herself trapped by the lingering specter of the first Mrs. Carlyle, and by the inescapable secrets of her own violent history.
Review
Violet, Cora and Flossie escape the orphanage fire in the nick of time. They run away and try to create a life of their own. It is not as easy as it seems. They end up in a brothel. But, as the years go along, they realize they are trapped in this life. Then the earthquake happens and all three girls are rich due to unforeseen circumstances.
Violet ends up as a shop girl and she finds the man of her dreams, Harry Carlyle. But, he starts to fall mysteriously ill. Then, many strange things start to happen. Violet actually worries that the first Mrs. Carlyle is haunting her.
This is a wicked tale. I enjoyed every minute of it. I was captivated by the weird happenings in the house and then when he fell ill….oh boy!
I did figure out part of the story. But there is a little twist in the end. This is a super good read with awesome characters and a wonderful setting!
I actually feel this is 4.5 stars…you round up right?!?! Grab your copy today! You will be glad you did!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
From Michele Campbell, the bestselling author of It’s Always the Husbandcomes a new blockbuster thriller in The Wife Who Knew Too Much.
Meet the first Mrs. Ford Beautiful. Accomplished. Wealthy beyond imagination. Married to a much younger man. And now, she’s dead.
Meet the second Mrs. Ford. Waitress. Small-town girl. Married to a man she never forgot, From a summer romance ten years before. And now, she’s wealthy beyond imagination.
Who is Connor Ford? Two women loved him. And knew him as only wives can know. Set amongst the glittering mansions of the Hamptons, The Wife Who Knew Too Much is a decadent summer thriller about the lives of those who will do anything for love and money. Who is the victim? Who is the villain? And who will be next to die?
Review
Well! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive! This book is all about deception! And it is all over money!
Nina is a wealthy (and I MEAN wealthy!) widow. She marries a much younger man named Conner. Conner signed a prenup. If Nina leaves Conner or she dies, he gets millions. If Conner cheats, he gets nothing.
Enter Tabitha. Tabitha is a waitress from Conner’s youth. They had a fling growing up and Conner has come back to rekindle….or has he? Anyway, he is back in Tabitha’s life. But, is it because he loves her, or is it more sinister.
This story had me on the edge of my seat. Honestly, I had no idea which way it was going to turn. And it did not turn out the way I expected. I have to be careful what I say…it would be very easy to give it away. You MUST read this to find out. Half the time I wanted to slap Conner and the other half I was wondering what he was up to. Or even if he was up to anything.
Grab your copy today! You will not be disappointed!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Lou Ann Hunter’s mother, Patricia, has always had a passionate nature, which explains why she’s been married and divorced five times and spooned enough male patients to be ousted from three elderly care facilities. She also has Alzheimer’s, which is why she wants to spend the rest of her life surrounded by childhood memories at Sutton Hall, her family’s decrepit plantation home in Louisiana.
Lou Ann, a.k.a. Lulu the Love Guru, has built an empire preaching sex, love, and relationship advice to the women of America—mostly by defying the example her mother has set for her. But with Patricia suddenly in need of a fulltime caretaker, Lou Ann reluctantly agrees to step out of the spotlight and indulge her mother’s wishes, even if it means trading in her Louboutins and Chanel N°5 for boots and mosquito repellant.
Upon her arrival at Sutton Hall, Lou Ann discovers that very little functions as it should—least of all Patricia’s mind. And as she adjusts to this new and inevitably temporary dynamic with the help of a local handyman and a live-in nurse, she is forced to confront the reality that neither her nor her mother’s future is going according to plan.
Heartrending at times and laugh-out-loud funny at others,How Lulu Lost Her Mind is the book for everyone and their mother. Fans of Emily Giffin, Kristan Higgins, and Jill Shalvis won’t be able to forget it.
Review
Lulu has been summoned to the care home where her mother is a soon to be Ex-resident! Once again her mother, Patricia, has been found in a mans room…well…you get the idea. Lulu has to change all her plans and business engagements and take her mother home with her. But, that is not the end of Patricia’s escapades. Patricia wants to go to her family home in Louisiana. And boy…this changes everything in Lulu’s world.
Patricia tickles me to death. She is constantly in trouble. And that never stops her from going at it again! She is a mover and a shaker, well, when her mind allows her to be. And she sure does have Lulu’s number. She can send Lulu into a tail spin.
This is a cute read. I just kept expecting more to happen. The story seems to stall and never really go anywhere. But, it is laugh out loud funny in places. And Patricia just keeps the story moving with her antics.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.
The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer—but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war?
As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.
An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil.
Review
Eva’s father is taken one night by the Nazis. Eva and her mother were spared because they were helping out a neighbor. They flee Paris and Eva, by chance, begins a life as a forger to help young Jewish children escape the Nazis.
This is a great story based on a real person. Eva is a strong woman during this terrible time period. She is determined to preserve all the real names of the children. Eva has to change the real names to fake ones and she understands when the war is over, someone will be looking for them.
This story did move a little slow for me, especially in the middle. But, I enjoyed the premise of preserving the names of all the children which were saved. And to know people risked their lives to see that happen is a great joy during this time of war. Kristin Harmel did a great job with the history and the intensity surrounding this tale. Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
An irresistible historical debut, THE WOMAN BEFORE WALLIS (MIRA Trade Paperback; July 21, 2020) is set in the glamorous world of British and American royalty in the 1920s, based on the true story of the woman who owned Prince Edward’s heart before introducing him to her dear friend Wallis. Perfect for fans of Netflix’s The Crown and Jennifer Robson’s The Gown. Before Edward, Prince of Wales famously abdicated his throne for American divorcee Wallis Simpson, he loved another American woman: Thelma Morgan Furness, sister to the first Gloria Vanderbilt. This is her story.
The daughters of an American diplomat, Thelma and Gloria Morgan were stars of New York social scene in the early 1920s, dubbed “the magnificent Morgans.” Both would marry into wealth and privilege beyond their imaginations, Gloria to Reggie Vanderbilt, and Thelma to a viscount. Thelma begins an affair with Edward, the dashing Prince of Wales, that will last nearly five years. Then, in 1934, Thelma’s life is upended by her sister Gloria’s custody trial — a headline- grabbing drama known as The Matter of Vanderbilt, which dominates global news for months and raises the bar for tabloid sensationalism. Back in New York, sued by members of her late husband’s family on charges of negligence, unfit parenting and homosexuality, Gloria needs her twin’s support more than ever. But as her sister gains international notoriety, Thelma fears that her own fall from grace might not be far behind.
Review
Thelma and her twin sister Gloria are daughters of a diplomat and are a big part of the 1920s social scene. Thelma has an affair with Edward, Prince of Wales. Gloria is the widow of a Vanderbilt and becomes ensnared in the child custody case of the century.
Oh wow! This book is full of history and famous people. I have said this before and I will say it again…I LOVE A BOOK WHICH HAS ME RESEARCHING! And boy…this one had me looking up all kinds of stuff, The Prince of Wales, Gloria Vanderbilt, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney. I knew a good bit about the people in the novel but there is so much in this story and I just wanted to know more.
Now, let me say, I am giving this 5 stars but it has a few problems. It is a bit wordy in places and it is too long…in my opinion. But, this is a story about a woman in history which I knew very little about. So, I was captivated from the start. This novel is very well researched and wonderfully crafted! And isn’t this cover absolutely gorgeous!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Author Bio:
Bryn Turnbull is a writer of historical fiction with a penchant for fountain pens and antique furniture. Equipped with a Master of Letters in Creative Writing from the University of St. Andrews, a Master of Professional Communication from Ryerson University, and a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding the stories of women found within the cracks of the historical record. When she’s not writing, Bryn can be found exploring new coffee shops, spending time with her family in cottage country, or traveling. She lives in Toronto, and can generally be found with a book in hand.
A Texas Ranger gets the shock of his life when he comes face to face with a woman from his past in USA TODAY bestselling author Delores Fossen’s latest suspense!
A past tragedy destroyed their love. A vulnerable newborn brings them back together.
Within moments of discovering a baby on his doorstep, Texas Ranger Eli Slater finds himself being held at gunpoint by his ex, Ashlyn Darrow. She claims she was tipped off that the still-gorgeous cowboy kidnapped her newly adopted daughter because of the bad blood that defines their past. They quickly realize Eli’s been set up and now Eli is determined to protect Ashlyn and her daughter. But regaining her trust will be as easy as ignoring the attraction even a lifetime apart can’t erase…
From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served.
For more action-packed stories, check out the other books in the Longview Ridge Ranch series: Book 1: Safety Breach Book 2: A Threat to His Family Book 3: Settling an Old Score Book 4: His Brand of Justice
About the author
USA Today bestselling author Delores Fossen is a former Air Force officer who’s sold over 100 novels. She’s received the Booksellers’ Best Award for romantic suspense, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award and was a finalist for the Rita ®. You can contact the author through her webpage at: http://www.deloresfossen.com
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