reecaspieces

Overview

In the village of Fairhaven—nestled between Washington state’s Bellingham Bay and the Cascade Mountains, home to writers’ retreat Pines & Quill—friends and family have gathered for the union of Sean McPherson and Emma Benton. Sean has been working with the FBI and local police to help solve crimes, particularly murders bearing the mark of crime boss Georgio “The Bull” Gambino. Emma, who has just learned to walk again, has begun to feel at home and hopes to one day raise a family.

But just as the festivities begin and corks fly, an explosion shatters everything, killing one and injuring others. From Bellingham to San Francisco and New Orleans, the chase is on to discover who’s dead set on ensuring the newlyweds don’t live happily ever after.

The writers currently in residence at Pines & Quill include a vineyard owner, a Bryn Mawr College professor, a special education teacher accompanied by her seeing-eye dog, and an intuitive who can’t—or won’t—identify the killer. Gambino has a knack for finding people in even the most inaccessible places to do his bidding. Could one of the writers be on his payroll?

Review

Sean and Emma are getting married. They have the perfect setting of Pines and Quill, a writing retreat in the mountains of Washington State. But, just as the reception gets into full swing an explosion rocks their world and threatens their new life together.

There is so much that I love about this series. I love the atmospheric setting of Pines and Quill. I love the dog Hemingway. But most of all, I love Sean McPherson. He is smart, kind and charismatic! And he has met the love of his life, Emma. These two are fantastic together!

This story had me loving the chase! I swear I finished this in one day! The intensity and the guessing game is on target to keep you glued to the pages.

I do think this is my favorite book out of the three. I do recommend reading them in order but it’s not mandatory. You can see my reviews here: Indelible , Iconoclast.

Need a thriller with fabulous characters…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

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THE PERFUMIST OF PARIS

Author: Alka Joshi
ISBN: 9780778386148

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Publisher: MIRA Books

BOOK SUMMARY:
“A stunning portrait of a woman blossoming into her full power…this is Alka Joshi’s best book yet!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick The Henna Artist, the final chapter in Alka Joshi’s New York Times bestselling Jaipur trilogy takes readers to 1970s Paris, where Radha’s budding career as a perfumer must compete with the demands of her family and the secrets of her past.

Paris, 1974. Radha is now living in Paris with her husband, Pierre, and their two daughters. She still grieves for the baby boy she gave up years ago, when she was only a child herself, but she loves being a mother to her daughters, and she’s finally found her passion—the treasure trove of scents.

She has an exciting and challenging position working for a master perfumer, helping to design completely new fragrances for clients and building her career one scent at a time. She only wishes Pierre could understand her need to work. She feels his frustration, but she can’t give up this thing that drives her.

Tasked with her first major project, Radha travels to India, where she enlists the help of her sister, Lakshmi, and the courtesans of Agra—women who use the power of fragrance to seduce, tease and entice. She’s on the cusp of a breakthrough when she finds out the son she never told her husband about is heading to Paris to find her—upending her carefully managed world and threatening to destroy a vulnerable marriage.

Review

Radha has two beautiful young girls and a wonderful job as a perfumist for a prestigious perfume house in Paris. However, her husband is wanting her to stay home and raise the girls and to give up her career. When she receives a promotion and is asked to travel to India to do some research, this puts her marriage in jeopardy.

I absolutely loved the first book in the series, The Henna Artist. The second book, The Secret Keeper was just ok. This one was in between.

I really enjoyed learning about the perfumes. I have read several books about this process, so this really captivated me. However, I felt the author spent a great deal of time on the subject of Pierre and the issue of his wife working and I was not a fan of Pierre. So, that may have been part of the problem. But, I did love Radha and her intelligence. I just felt the plot needed a little more.

Need a story which will have you reminiscing and remembering some fascinating smells…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Author BIO:

Born in India and raised in the U.S. since she was nine, Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi’s debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, & is in development as a TV series. Her second novel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (2021), is followed by The Perfumist of Paris (2023). Find her online at http://www.alkajoshi.com.

SOCIAL:
Author Website: http://www.alkajoshi.com TWITTER: @alkajoshi
FB: @alkajoshi2019
Insta: @thealkajoshi

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18257842.Alka_Joshi

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The Jaipur Trilogy

Book 1: The Henna Artist

Book 2: The Secret Keeper of Jaipur

Book 3: The Perfumist of Paris

Overview

Your next stay-up-all-night thriller, about identical triplets who have a nasty habit of killing their boyfriends, and what happens when the youngest commits their worst crime yet: falling in love with her mark.

Make him want you.
Make him love you.
Make him dead.

Sissy has an…interesting family. Always the careful one, always the cautious one, she has handled the cleanup while her serial killer sisters have carved a path of carnage across the U.S. Now, as they arrive in the Arizona heat, Sissy must step up and embrace the family pastime of making a man fall in love and then murdering him. Her first target? A young widower named Edison—and their mutual attraction is instant. While their relationship progresses, and most couples would be thinking about picking out china patterns and moving in together, Sissy’s family is reminding her to think about picking out burial sites and moving on.

Then something happens that Sissy never anticipated: She begins to feel protective of Edison, and before she can help it, she’s fallen in love. But the clock is ticking, and her sisters are growing restless. It becomes clear that the gravesite she chooses will hide a body no matter what happens; but if she betrays her family, will it be hers?

Review

Identical triplets, separated in the foster system, have now become a team. A team of serial killers. Sissy has always handled the clean up but now she has been given her own target. And she has chosen Edison. But, Sissy begins to get too close and the other sisters are not letting her forget her mission!

I think my problem with this book is I absolutely hated all of the characters. There was absolutely nothing at all which interested me. I also found them and the story very predictable. That being said, there was still something that kept me reading. The sisters interactions and the intensity of their plan is pretty extreme.

Need a good tale with murder ever present in the characters’ minds…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

This beautiful new novel by the beloved author of Open House and Talk Before Sleep tells the story of two young people growing up in Mason, Missouri, and how Arthur Moses, a shy young man, becomes the wise and compassionate person listeners loved in The Story of Arthur Truluv.

Nola McCollum is the most desirable girl in Arthur’s class, and he is thrilled when they become friends. But Arthur wants far more than friendship. Unfortunately, Nola has a crush on the wrong Moses—Arthur’s older brother, Frank, who is busy pursuing his own love interest and avoiding the boys’ father, a war veteran with a drinking problem and a penchant for starting fights. When a sudden tragedy rocks the family’s world, Arthur struggles to come to terms with his grief. In the end, it is nature that helps him to understand how to go on, beyond loss, and create a life of forgiveness and empathy. But what can he do about Nola, who seems confused about what she wants in life, and only half aware of the one who loves her most?

Full of unforgettable characters and written with Elizabeth Berg’s characteristic warmth, humor, and insight into people, Earth’s the Right Place for Love is about the power of kindness, character, and family, and how love can grow when you least expect it.

Review

Arthur has fallen hard for Nola. But Nola only has eyes for Arthur’s brother Frank. So, Arthur strikes up a friendship with Nola. As hard as he tries, Nola is determined to stay friends. Then tragedy strikes Arthur’s household and his life is changed forever.

I love this series. Arthur is such a wonderful character. This novel is about his young life and the events which changed his family dynamics. But, as this novel brings to light, Arthur has always been a kind, sweet person. And he has always shown his ability to love even in the harshness of abuse.

This is not my favorite in this series. My favorite is the very first one, The Story of Arthur Truluv. So, if you get a chance, grab that one too. It is not necessary to read these in order. But I do believe the first one really endears the reader to Arthur. He is such a wonderful, kindhearted individual you do not want to miss!

Need a great tale about Arthur…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review

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Overview

A librarian investigates her husband’s dark past and winds up dead. Now it’s up to her best friend to uncover the truth.

Becca’s life is turned upside down when she finds Jenn dead in the bathtub. Soon she begins to unspool the secrets Jenn kept in life, including a troubled marriage to Rick and two dead wives in his past. The more Becca learns, the more determined she becomes to get justice for Jenn, even if the clues surrounding her death aren’t quite adding up.…

Over a year before her death, Jenn begins to notice her husband acting strangely. Using her skills as a librarian, she digs into Rick’s past—and falls down a rabbit hole far deeper and darker than she bargained for. She’s already beaten the odds by living longer than his other dead wives. But now she fears her time is up.

This page-turning story of marriage, friendship, and motherhood is a first foray into thriller by USA Today bestseller Annette Lyon.

Overview

Jenn has finally met the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with. They marry and then things start to slowly fall apart. Jenn is a librarian and she begins to do research on her husband. She soon discovers that he is not the man she thought. He has a horrible past and now she must protect herself and her newborn baby.

This novel kept me intrigued from start to finish. I had no idea at first what actually happened. But, as the story unfolded, I had so many emotions! I wanted to beat up her husband so badly. I also wanted to grab Jenn and shake her and say “Stand up for yourself!” So, I will say this, the ending is a bit out of character for Jenn. This just didn’t sit too well with me. She is not the same someone portrayed throughout this book! But, you read this and let me know your thoughts.

Need a good family, suspense drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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Overview

Filled with vivid details, shocking truths, and two sly, strong women who bring panache and humor to every scene. I’m simply in awe of the masterful, magical way Lauren Willig makes history come alive.” — Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Place

“A winning epic of war and friendship. Readers will devour this riveting tale.”–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig: a dramatic coming-of-age story with a dual timeline and a single heroine—a bold and adventuring young woman who finds herself caught up in two very different wars on both sides of the Atlantic.

September 1896: An aspiring archaeologist, Smith College graduate Betsy Hayes travels to Athens, desperate to break into the male-dominated field of excavation. In the midst of the heat and dust of Greece she finds an unlikely ally in Charles, Baron de Robecourt, one of the few men who takes her academic passion seriously. But when a simmering conflict between Greece and Turkey erupts into open warfare, Betsy throws herself into the conflict as a nurse, not knowing that the decision will change her life forever—and cause a deep and painful rift with her oldest friend, Ava.

June 1898: Betsy has sworn off war nursing—but when she gets the word that her estranged friend Ava is headed to Cuba with Clara Barton and the Red Cross to patch up the wounded in the Spanish-American War, Betsy determines to stop her the only way she knows how: by joining in her place. Battling heat, disease, and her own demons, Betsy follows Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders straight to the heart of the fighting, where she is forced to confront her greatest fears to save both old friends and new….

Set during an electrifying era of nation-building, idealism, and upheaval, Two Wars and a Wedding is the tale of two remarkable women striving to make their place in a man’s world—an unforgettable saga of friendship, love, and fighting for what is right.

Review

Betsy is an ambitious archaeologist. She knows she can do the job she is just struggling with the men which think she can’t. Then she has a love interest which is not to her best advantage. But, this does not stop her. She falls for him hard and fast. This changes her stars and her complete direction of her life and dreams.

There is a lot I learned in this novel. I had no idea about many of the issues during the Spanish-American war. And the incompetence of the army medical teams really set me off! Betsy managed this like a pro and I applaud this character and her tenacity.

This is not my favorite book by this author and for the life of me I don’t know why. The setting is very unusual with the war in Cuba and the archaeological digs in Greece. Plus, Betsy is a very strong female character. She is amazing! So, it has all the earmarks of a 5 star read for me. I just felt something was missing. I will be honest, it has a lot of detail and the fluctuations between time periods could have been better. But you need to read this yourself and let me know.

Need a unique historical fiction…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

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