Category: ARC

Stranger in a Small Town (Door County: Book 3) by Margaret Watson

Stranger in a Small Town (Door County Book 3) by [Watson, Margaret]

4 Stars

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: August 15th, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Door Country

Small-Town Secrets—Book 1 (review here)

Small-Town Family—Book 2 (review here)

Stranger in a Small Town—Book 3

Where you can find Stranger in a Small Town: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Seth Anderson arrives in Sturgeon Falls determined to prove two things — he never fathered a child, and Kat Macauley is a counterfeiter.

Fiercely protective, passionate and loving, Kat is not what he expected. Also unexpected are his growing feelings for her. To protect his investigation, he doesn’t tell Kat the whole truth. But as he unravels the crime, he has second thoughts about choosing a career over a family.

That won’t matter if Kat can’t forgive him for lying to her. Will his lies, and Kat’s doubts, make it impossible to create a new family?

First Line:

The woman on the bed stirred and her eyes fluttered open.

Stranger in a Small Town by Margaret Watson

My Review:

Stranger in a Small Town is the 3rd book in the Door County series. After reading the first two books, I knew that this book was going to be a good read. I wasn’t disappointed by what I read.

The plotline of Stranger in a Small Town was medium paced and well written. There were no dropped storylines or characters mysteriously disappearing, which added to my enjoyment of reading the book. There was a twist in the plotline that I should have seen coming.

While Stranger in a Small Town is book 3 in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone. But, and I stress but, if you want to understand the different family dynamics and relationships, then I suggest reading the books in order.

The storyline involving Seth, Kat, and Regan was heartbreaking. I liked that the author showed all angles of the story. From Seth’s disbelief to Kat’s anger to Regan’s confusion, it was real. I also liked that the author let Seth process that he had a daughter before starting things off with Kat. After the DNA test came back positive, then it was full steam ahead for the romance.

The secondary storyline with the counterfeit money/the pregnancy (because they are interconnected) was well written. The build-up to who was putting money in the safe box was excellent, as was who was counterfeiting the money. I was surprised by who it was. I didn’t see it coming at all. Talk about a twist.

The pregnancy storyline, which went at the same time as the counterfeiting one, was heartbreaking. It left me in tears. How the author wrapped, that storyline up was heart-wrenching.

I do wish that more information about Seth’s Secret Service service. I was intrigued by it. The author gave the barest glimpse into what he did, and that left me wanting more. It also explained why he was so hard to find when Regan’s mother tried to tell him that she was pregnant.

The romance between Seth and Kat took some time to build up. Kat had trust issues, and she kept lashing out at Seth. But, once those trust issues were gotten over, the romance was on its A Game. That led to some hot and heavy sex scenes.

The end of Stranger in a Small Town was intense. I couldn’t put the book down. I needed to see how the counterfeiting/pregnancy storyline was going to end. While I knew that Kat and Seth were going to have a HEA, I wanted to know how it was going to come about. And the epilogue!! It was a perfect ending to the series.

I would give Stranger in a Small Town an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread Stranger in a Small Town. I am also on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

The Vanished Birds: A Novel by [Jimenez, Simon]

3 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Ray

Date of publication: January 14th 2020

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Where you can find The Vanished Birds: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

A mysterious child lands in the care of a solitary woman, changing both of their lives forever in this captivating debut of connection across space and time.

“This is when your life begins.”

Nia Imani is a woman out of place and outside of time. Decades of travel through the stars are condensed into mere months for her, though the years continue to march steadily onward for everyone she has ever known. Her friends and lovers have aged past her; all she has left is work. Alone and adrift, she lives only for the next paycheck, until the day she meets a mysterious boy, fallen from the sky.

A boy, broken by his past.

The scarred child does not speak, his only form of communication the beautiful and haunting music he plays on an old wooden flute. Captured by his songs and their strange, immediate connection, Nia decides to take the boy in. And over years of starlit travel, these two outsiders discover in each other the things they lack. For him, a home, a place of love and safety. For her, an anchor to the world outside of herself.

For both of them, a family.

But Nia is not the only one who wants the boy. The past hungers for him, and when it catches up, it threatens to tear this makeshift family apart.

First Line:

He was born with an eleventh finger.

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

My Review:

I was on the fence about reviewing The Vanished Birds. To make up my mind, I read the first four reviews on Goodreads. That is something I never do, but I was conflicted. The reviews were evenly conflicted about the book. So, I decided to take a chance on it. For the most part, it was a good book. But some parts made me wonder why they were written, even after finishing the book.

The Vanished Birds had a slow to a medium-paced plotline. When the book focused on Nia and her relationship with Ahro/their travels until he was 16, the book moved at a medium-paced. But, when the book focused on Fumiko Nakajima (past and present) and her travels, it slowed to a crawl. I will be honest; I skimmed over a large part of her story. I started paying attention when she was on the secret base and the events afterward.

I enjoyed reading about the type of space travel that Nia used to go between planets. It fascinated me. I couldn’t imagine being in space for what I would have thought would be a few months and to find out that 15 years have passed.

Nia was a tough cookie to like during the book. She made some questionable decisions that affected the people around her. Nia kept people are arm’s length. She did unbend, slightly, when she met Ahro. She unbent, even more, when Fumiko asked her to keep him safe for 15 years. But, I couldn’t quite bring myself to like her.

When Fumiko was introduced in The Vanished Birds, I didn’t understand what her role was. I mean, it was explained relatively early on that she was the founder of the colonies in space, and she invented the engine that allowed space travel. But I didn’t know why her backstory was being told. It didn’t go with the flow of Nia’s story. Even when her story was brought to the present, I still wondered: “Why?” I also wondered why she was so invested in Ahro. It was explained, and it didn’t show her in a good light.

I loved Ahro. I loved seeing his character growth throughout the book. I wasn’t prepared for what his secret was, though. I honestly thought that it had something to do with music and his affinity for it. So, when it was revealed, I was shocked. I loved watching his relationship with Nia and her crew grow, which made what happened and who caused it such a shock.

I do wish that more time had been spent on the times they visited the planets. There were so many locations!!! All exotic and all made me want more. But that didn’t happen.

I wasn’t a fan of the last half of the book. I had questions about what was going to happen to Nia and Ahro once the dust settles. I also had questions about Fumiko. I can only assume what happened to her. And then there is the question about where Ahro originally came from and who The Kind One was.

I would give The Vanished Birds an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I am on the fence if I would reread The Vanished Birds. I am also on the fence if I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Big Lies in a Small Town: A Novel by [Chamberlain, Diane]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 14th, 2020

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Where you can find Big Lies in a Small Town: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher’s life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn’t expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

First Line:

The children knew it was finally spring, so although the air still held the nip of winter and the grass and weeds crunched beneath their feet, they ran through the fields and woods, yipping with the anticipation of warmer weather.

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

My Review:

When I was approached to review Big Lies in a Small Town, I was a little hesitant to read it. I knew from reading the blurb that this was going to be a dual plotline book, which I am not a fan of. I also knew, from reading the book, that this was going to be an emotional read. I have to be in a certain mood to read a book that I knew was going to make me cry. I ended up accepting the review because I was curious. I wanted to know how the mural and Morgan were tied together.

Big Lies in a Small Town had two fast moving plotlines. I didn’t have an issue with following either plotline. What I liked, and what made the book enjoyable for me to read, was that the flow of the book wasn’t disturbed when going from 1940 and 2018. The author clearly marked those chapters with the names of Morgan or Anna at the beginning.

I had a hard time connecting with Morgan. Her attitude at the beginning wasn’t the best. But as the author got into her backstory, I understood why she acted that way. By the end of the book, I loved her. She was committed 100% to finding out what happened to Anna and to refinishing the mural. I liked that she was able to keep her head on straight during certain situations (the bar fight was one) and that she was able to admit that she had major issues. Her character grew so much during this book and it was wonderful to read.

I didn’t feel the same way about Anna. I liked Anna right from the beginning. She was determined to paint that mural the way she wanted it, not the way the influential men wanted it. I loved that she didn’t care if her friendship with Jesse was causing issues with the “good folk” in town. I also loved that she didn’t back down when Marvin Drapple’s wife and her friends were douchenozzles.

I do want to throw in a trigger warning. There is a somewhat graphic rape scene that ends with the death of the rapist. To be honest, it took me by surprise. I was not expecting it. I wasn’t expecting the aftermath either. What I was expecting was the blatant racism shown when it was in the 1940’s. It was the South. There were derogatory names used. There was the threat of violence (lynching was discussed). So, a warning.

There are a couple of twists in the plotline that took me by surprise. The first one involved Morgan and her release from jail. The other, well, it happened at the end of the book. I should have seen it coming but I didn’t. So, I was taken by surprise.

There was a romance angle to the book. I’m not sure if I like it or not. The only reason being what was happening in the other plotline. Both started about that time.

I learned more about art restoration than I ever wanted to know. I will admit, it was fascinating to read about how to do it. I never thought that much work went into restoring old paintings. But then again, until this book, I never had to think about that.

The end of Big Lies in a Small Town was bittersweet. The 2nd plot twist happened towards the very end of the book. Like I said above, I was taken by surprise. I shouldn’t have been. The very end of the book was a bit frustrating. Only because it ended and I wanted to see that meeting!!

I would give Big Lies in a Small Town an Adult rating. There is no sex (but an explicit rape scene). There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Big Lies in a Small Town. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

A Critical Tangent (Moonlight and Murder: Book 1) by Reily Garrett

A Critical Tangent: A Suspenseful Romantic Thriller (Moonlight and Murder Book 1) by [Garrett, Reily]

3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4 for major sites)

Publisher:

Date of publication: December 29th, 2019

Genre: Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Moonlight and Murder

A Critical Tangent—Book 1

Where you can find A Critical Tangent: Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Enter world where ignorance and darkness mask chaos and deceit.

Keiki’s focus on designing drones shatters one morning when her prototype records the murder of her friend. Captured video detailed the masked killer’s promise to find his witness and finish the job.

Experience has given her good reason to not trust cops, especially when they come knocking on her door. Their suspicions narrow when her roommate disappears without a trace.

Conflicting evidence at a brutal crime scene leaves gossamer threads weaving a complicated web of lies and deceit. Every lead Detective Garnett finds steers the investigation to a deeper, darker network entangling Keiki in a labyrinth of cunning subterfuge.

Garnett is torn between following the letter of the law and protecting the witness determined to clear her name. Can he earn Keiki’s trust in time to save her life, or will a psychotic killer destroy the woman who has demolished his emotional barriers?

First Line:

“Aw, Keiki, if I could find the fun button in your brain, I’d switch it to permanent on.”

Critical Tangent by Reily Garrett

My Review:

When I read the blurb for A Critical Tangent, my attention was caught. I have read very few books where drones have been made part of the plotline. Add in that the drones were part of a murder mystery, and I knew I needed to read the book. Add that it is romantic suspense, and I would have been a fool to turn this book down.

A Critical Tangent had a fast-moving plotline. I like the fast-moving plotline in these genres. My only fault with a fast-moving plotline is that sometimes there are dropped plotlines/characters. I didn’t find that in A Critical Tangent. But I did find that there were some interesting facts (that kept coming up) that would have made for a fantastic secondary storyline. There was a tiny bit of lag towards the middle of the book, but the author was able to bring the book back on track with no trouble.

I was not too fond of Keiki during the first half of the book. She was vehemently anti-police, held back vital information about the case, and was just an overall pain in the bottom to Coyote and Noah during the investigation. I did start to like her in the second half of the book. She didn’t quite do a 180, but she came close.

I liked Noah. I liked that he was able to look at both sides of the case and was able to make decisions based on the facts. I liked that he dealt with Coyote’s insinuations with a sense of humor (at times). I was a little put off that he treated Keiki like she was a kid. By the way, he acted, I was expecting him to be considerably older than her. So, when his age was revealed, I was surprised.

The romance angle of the book was very slight. In hindsight, I am glad that the author wrote it that way. If Keiki and Noah’s romance had been written any other form or introduced sooner in the book, it would have taken away from the main story.

I do want to include a trigger warning. There is a harrowing scene where Keiki and Gabby are being held together. Gabby confesses to Keiki that she has been repeatedly raped and beaten for information. It is a raw scene, and it is made even more so by what happens after Keiki escapes. There are also a couple of smaller scenes where the kidnappers (and Porter) talk about raping Gabby. So, if that triggers you, I would suggest either not reading this book or entirely skipping those scenes.

I was confused by the main plotline at first. While I understood that someone was after Keiki and her drones, I didn’t understand why. Even the small chapter with Gabby and Porter didn’t explain anything. It wasn’t until the middle, when Porter explains everything to Keiki, that it finally made sense. I wish that explanation had come sooner.

I will say that the whole drone/Porter storyline was interesting. My attention was caught when the drone was used to attack Keiki at the Fun Run. I also liked that the author explained everything, down to how they were made. Now Porter did freak me out. He knew things he shouldn’t, and he was gunning for Keiki. I will say that he got what was coming for him.

The end of A Critical Tangent was excellent. The author did a good job wrapping up all of the storylines. I was excited to see how Keiki and Noah ended up. I was also excited when there was a hint as to who the next book was about.

I would give A Critical Tangent an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread A Critical Tangent. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

The God Game by Danny Tobey

The God Game: A Novel by [Tobey, Danny]

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 7th, 2020

Genre: General Fiction

Where you can find The God Game: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

You are invited!
Come inside and play with G.O.D.
Bring your friends!
It’s fun!
But remember the rules. Win and ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.™ Lose, you die!

With those words, Charlie and his friends enter the G.O.D. Game, a video game run by underground hackers and controlled by a mysterious AI that believes it’s God. Through their phone-screens and high-tech glasses, the teens’ realities blur with a virtual world of creeping vines, smoldering torches, runes, glyphs, gods, and mythical creatures. When they accomplish a mission, the game rewards them with expensive tech, revenge on high-school tormentors, and cash flowing from ATMs. Slaying a hydra and drawing a bloody pentagram as payment to a Greek god seem harmless at first. Fun even.

But then the threatening messages start. Worship me. Obey me. Complete a mission, however cruel, or the game reveals their secrets and crushes their dreams. Tasks that seemed harmless at first take on deadly consequences. Mysterious packages show up at their homes. Shadowy figures start following them, appearing around corners, attacking them in parking garages. Who else is playing this game, and how far will they go to win?

And what of the game’s first promise: win, win big, lose, you die? Dying in a virtual world doesn’t really mean death in real life—does it?

As Charlie and his friends try to find a way out of the game, they realize they’ve been manipulated into a bigger web they can’t escape: an AI that learned its cruelty from watching us.

God is always watching, and He says when the game is done.

First Line:

The blue light of the computer screen was flickering on Charlie’s and Peter’s faces, making them look like astronauts lit by the cosmos.

The God Game by Danny Toby

My Review:

I know I start 99.9% of my reviews off like this, but the blurb caught my attention. I have read plenty of books that use gaming a part of their main plotline. I have also read plenty of books where a game is using people for its agenda. So, what was different about this blurb that caught my eye? It was the shiver of suspense that I got from reading it. I needed to know what the GOD game was and how it was played. I will say that this book did deliver on that shiver of suspense, and it added a massive dollop of thriller also.

The God Game’s plotline is super fast. The whole book takes place within a couple of weeks of Charlie and Peter starting the game. It was so fast that I did end up having to reread some chapters because I missed things. Usually, I would be annoyed by that. But in this case, I wasn’t.

The plot for The God Game centers around Charlie and his group of coding friends, “The Vindicators.” Charlie and Peter discover The G.O.D. Game on the dark web. Charlie initially didn’t want to play the game, but Peter talked him into doing it. The G.O.D. Game is augmented reality and to play, The Vindicators got special glasses to play. The game was fun at first. Well, if you call breaking into the school and painting bloody pentagrams first. Since this was a morality based game, each good action was rewarded to Goldz or different prizes. But, each adverse action was rewarded with Blaxx. Get enough Blaxx and terrible things happen. The Vindicators soon find out that there is no getting out of The G.O.D. Game. But Charlie isn’t deterred. He and his friends (well minus Peter) are determined to quit the game. Even if that means someone dies.

There is so much that I want to say about this book. But doing so will end up with me giving away major spoilers. And it’s driving me nuts!! I will say that the author did a fantastic job of keeping me glued to my Kindle. I started reading this at breakfast (after dropping my six-year-old at school), and I was finished by 11 am. It was that good.

I would give The God Game an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The God Game. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Westering Women by Sandra Dallas

Westering Women: A Novel by [Dallas, Sandra]

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: January 7th, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

Where you can find Westering Women: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of Prayers for Sale, an inspiring celebration of sisterhood on the perilous wagon-trail west

“If you are an adventuresome young woman of high moral character and fine health, are you willing to travel to California in search of a good husband?”

It’s February 1852, and all around Chicago Maggie sees the postings soliciting “eligible women” to travel to the gold mines of Goosetown. A young seamstress with a small daughter and several painful secrets, she has nothing to lose.

So she joins forty-three other women and two pious reverends on the dangerous 2,000-mile journey west. None of them are prepared for the hardships they face on the trek through the high plains, mountains, and deserts. Or for the triumphs of finding strengths they did not know they possessed. And not all will make it.

As Maggie gets to know the other women, she soon discovers that she’s not the only one looking to leave dark secrets behind. And when her past catches up with her, it becomes clear a band of sisters will do whatever it takes to protect one of their own.

First Line:

Hidden beneath her black umbrella, Maggie stood in the shelter of the church and stared at the woman reading the broadsheet.

Westering Women by Sandra Dallas

My Review:

When I read the plotline for Westering Women, I realized that I had read a few books about settlers immigrating to the western half of the country. Just on that, I decided to read Westering Women. While I am glad that I read Westering Women, I felt slightly disappointed by it too.

The plotline for Westering Women was medium paced. I didn’t mind it being medium paced. It was well suited for the book. But, I didn’t like the flow of the book. There were points where it lagged. But the author did a great job of getting the book back on track.

The characters in Westering Women made this book. In an age where women were considered weak, they showed the men exactly what they were made of. I loved it. I also loved the variety of women showcased here. From the preacher’s wife to the former prostitute to the unwed teen mother to the upper-class woman with her servant to the abused wife, they were all showed here. I loved seeing this group of women coming together and supporting each other. Whenever something happened to one of the group, they stood together. It did result in some unusual situations.

I am not sure how realistic life on the trail was portrayed, but it made for an exciting read. The views the men had were correct for the time.

I do want to include a trigger warning with this book. Several scenes put me on edge while reading it. There was a scene where a major character relived abuse, the death of her son, and the rape of her four-year-old daughter. There were several scenes of racism (one of the secondary characters was black). There were two scenes of attempted rape. There was a scene of a brutal fight after one of the women was brutally beaten. There was a scene where a child dies from drowning, and one dies from premature birth. I will admit these did affect my rating for the book.

The end of Westering Women broke my heart. I wasn’t expecting the death of one of the women on the train. I sobbed because that woman was one of my favorites. The epilogue also made me cry. But, at the same time, I was left feeling a little unfulfilled. I know it was because of that death.

I would give Westering Women an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is mild language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Westering Women. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Forever My Duke (Unlikely Duchesses: Book 2) by Olivia Drake

Forever My Duke: Unlikely Duchesses by [Drake, Olivia]

3 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks

Date of publication: December 31st, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: Unlikely Duchesses

The Duke I Once Knew—Book 1 (Review Here)

Forever My Duke—Book 2

Where you can find Forever My Duke: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

“I find Miss Fanshawe to be quite charming—for an American.”—The Prince Regent

Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, needs a bride. He even has the perfect one picked out. That is, until he meets the lovely, free-spirited Natalie Fanshawe. She’s the opposite of what a man of his high rank should desire in a wife—an outspoken American who has never even set foot in a London ballroom.

But Natalie doesn’t have time to be swept off her feet by a handsome duke who must be a spoiled scoundrel like every other British lord. And she couldn’t care less about Hadrian’s title. After all, it’s not as if he actually worked to attain his wealth and status. He surely can’t understand what it’s like to be a busy woman, planning to open a school while trying to reunite a six-year-old orphan with his English relatives. Nevertheless, Hadrian launches his campaign to win her heart. Can the utterly delightful American beauty ever find a way to love him…despite his being a duke?

First Line:

Hadrian Ames, the eighth Duke of Clayton, shut the door against the noise of the taproom.

Forever My Duke by Olivia Drake

My Review:

Regency-era romances have always been a favorite of mine to read. I love immersing myself in those types of novels. So, when I saw that Forever My Duke was up for review, I jumped on it. I couldn’t wait to read about the American who captures the Duke. While I enjoyed the book, the female main character got on my nerves. I wasn’t a fan of how the six-year-old was treated by the Earl and his family.

Forever My Duke is the second book in the Unlikely Duchesses series. It can be read as a stand-alone. I did enjoy that. I am not a fan of picking up a book mid-series and then realizing I have to read the previous books. But, at the same time, I wish that there was more of a tie in to the first book. There was no mention of Abby and Max in this book. So, yeah, complete opposite reactions from me.

I did like Natalie. She had gone through a lot before arriving in England. My heart broke for her when she revealed what happened on the day of the massacre. What she did to protect the children. My pity for her did wane a little when she opened her mouth. She was abrasive and defensive. Her opinions on England’s hierarchy, while right, made her even harsh. There were points in the book where I wanted to reach in there and shake her. It got that bad. Plus, she wasn’t a perfect childminder. Leo disappeared several times while in her care. Drove me nuts.

I had to agree with a comment made during the book about Hadrian being uptight. He was very uptight. I loved seeing him gradually unbend. He became an interesting person to read about because of that. I did think it was creepy that he wanted to a) marry his 2nd cousin and b) marry her knowing she was barely 17. I know that is how it was done back then, but it didn’t lessen the ick factor for me. I loved how gentle he was with Natalie and Leo. Made my heart swoon. Of course, I never doubted his feelings for Natalie (who did). His actions at the end of the book with Leo spoke volumes.

I LOVED Leo. For a child who had undergone an extremely traumatic experience, he didn’t act like it. He acted like a typical six-year-old boy. I loved it. I loved that the author didn’t try and make him act like a miniature adult. Instead, he got into situations that a child his age would typically get into. Well, except for the end, with his uncle. But how that ended was flipping hilarious.

I didn’t get a romantic connection between Natalie and Hadrian until halfway through the book. Hadrian was focused on wooing his cousin (which resulted in an amusing secondary storyline). The romance didn’t start until they were at his house in London. Even then, I wouldn’t describe it as an immediate thing. It took some time for Hadrian and Natalie even to acknowledge their feeling. But once they did, it took off.

There were several intertwined storylines in Forever My Duke. The main storyline, Natalie delivering Leo to his maternal grandfather, was intertwined with Hadrian and Natalie’s romance. Intertwined with both storylines was the secondary storyline with Leo’s uncle and Natalie’s mysterious parentage. All of these storylines did make for an engaging read.

The end of Forever My Duke was one of the best I have read to date. Leo was hilarious. I liked that Natalie made amends with certain people from her past. I do wonder who the next book will be about.

I would give Forever My Duke an Adult rating. There is sex. There is no language. There is mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Forever My Duke. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Releasing Keanu (The Kennedy Boys: Book 8) by Siobhan Davis

Releasing Keanu: A Stand-Alone Second Chance Romance (The Kennedy Boys Book 8) by [Davis, Siobhan]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: December 30th, 2019

Genre: Romance

Series: The Kennedy Boys

Finding Kyler—Book 1 (Review Here)

Losing Kyler—Book 2

Keeping Kyler—Book 3

The Irish Getaway—Book 3.5

Loving Kalvin—Book 4

Saving Brad—Book 5

Seducing Kaden—Book 6

Forgiving Keven—Book 7 (Review Here)

Summer in Nantucket—Book 7.5

Releasing Keanu—Book 8

Adoring Keaton—Book 9

Reforming Kent—Book 10

Where you can find Releasing Keanu: Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Keanu
Selena played me.
Confirming I wasted years loving someone who didn’t love me back.
It should be easy to move on, but since she dumped me, I can’t shake her from my thoughts, no matter how hard I try.
Dates and random hookups don’t help, because no one measures up to the girl I still love with my whole heart.
When she appears at my door, begging me for help, I can’t turn her away. My protective instincts kick in, and I grasp this second chance with both hands.
This time, I’m determined to open her eyes.
To help her realize she made a mistake throwing what we had away.
To prove our love is the real deal.

Selena
Keanu has it all wrong.
I let him go because I love him too much to continue holding him back.
And I’ve paid for it every day since.
I didn’t think it was possible to miss someone this much, but my entire being aches for him in a way that isn’t healthy.
It’s why I continue to keep my distance even though it’s killing me inside.
No one understands me the way he does, so, when my ugly past returns, threatening to undo years of progress, he’s the first person I run to.
If anyone can keep me safe, it’s the love of my life.
Maybe, this time, I’m strong enough to be the woman he deserves.
If my past doesn’t take me from him first.

Releasing Keanu is a STANDALONE new adult romance in the Kennedy Boys world. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA.

First Line:

An icy chill creeps up my spine, and I clutch my arms around my shivering, semi-naked body, pulling my bent legs even more tightly to my chest.

Releasing Keanu by Siobhan Davis

My Review:

When I saw that Keanu was getting his story, I was excited. He had not been an enormous presence in the books I have read in the series, but he intrigued me. His heartbreak over breaking up with Selena was palpable. I figured his story was going to be something special. And it didn’t let me down.

Before I get into the review, I do have to give a trigger warning. Before you, all roll your eyes and say, “Really, Jolie,” let me explain. The author chose to include a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. Which I thought was wise, considering the content that she was writing about. See, Selena was kidnapped and used as a sex slave from the ages of 10 to 13. There are some vivid and disturbing scenes of sexual abuse. But, the majority of the book focused on Selena and her recovery. She had extreme PTSD and extreme anxiety because of what she went through. As someone with PTSD, I had to pace myself while reading those scenes because I was triggered myself. So, if you are triggered by human trafficking, sexual abuse (some graphic), forced drug use, physical abuse of children, and graphic details of PTSD and anxiety attacks, I would suggest not reading this book. If not, I would still read with that warning in mind.

The plotline for Releasing Keanu was lightning fast and flowed well. There were no dropped storylines or characters. There was also no lag.

The storyline for Releasing Keanu was compelling and heartbreaking. I loved that the author chose to write about such a difficult subject. Not only did she write about Selena’s time in captivity was tact and grace, but she decided to show how life was afterward. She also explained how the healing process went one step forward and two steps back. I loved it, even if it had me in tears for 80% of the book.

The storyline with Selena’s former captors was interesting. I did find that storyline a little rushed towards the end. I also didn’t get a sense of justice when certain things happened. But, I was happy those evil people were caught. I wish that it wasn’t as anti-climatic as it was.

Selena and Keanu’s romance was breathtaking. Keanu moved so slowly with her. That usually would irritate me to no end, but in this case, it didn’t. He didn’t want to push her and risk her closing upon him. On her end, it was heartbreaking to see her wanting to get closer to Keanu, but she was so afraid. But it was worth it. I do think that the events at the end of the book were a little rushed. But, with what was hanging over their heads, I understood why Selena and Keanu did what they did.

When Selena and Keanu had sex, it was one of the most poignant scenes of the book. The buildup (which included a therapy session) was sweet. It wasn’t supposed to be hot. I did cry during that scene because it represented how far Selena had come in her recovery.

The end of Releasing Keanu was your typical HEA. I did think that the storylines involving Selena’s former captors had a rushed ending. I also thought that what happened to Selena was typical. But, overall, I loved it. I also loved the sneak peek into Keaton’s book.

I would give Releasing Keanu an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Releasing Keanu. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book*

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

The Wives: A Novel by [Fisher, Tarryn]

5 Stars

Publisher: Harlequin – Graydon House Books (U.S. & Canada), Graydon House

Date of publication: December 30th, 2019

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find The Wives: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

Imagine that your husband has two other wives.

You’ve never met the other wives. None of you know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, you can see your husband only one day a week. But you love him so much you don’t care. Or at least that’s what you’ve told yourself.

But one day, while you’re doing laundry, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket—an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives.

You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent, ever.

Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you go to find the truth? Would you risk your own life?

And who is his mysterious third wife?

First Line:

He comes over on Thursday of every week.

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

My Review:

My expectations of The Wives wasn’t high. I thought it was going to be a typical psychological thriller. I should have known from the blurb that wasn’t the case. I loved the twisted journey that this book took me on!!

The plotline of The Wives was full of twists and turns. What I loved about this book was how the author cast doubt on all the main characters. I also liked how she did lightning-fast shifts in the plotline. It was amazing to read and kept my attention to the stories.

I loved Thursday, but I didn’t understand why she would stay in a relationship where she saw her husband once a week. I am not well versed in polygamous/polyamorous relationships, but that scream something was off to me. I loved her slow descent into insanity. There were scenes where I wanted to scream, “No, don’t!!”

I didn’t like Seth. He was responsible for what happened. But, at the same time, I felt terrible for him. He had a hellacious childhood and was scarred by that. He did try to help, but it was too little too late.

Regina was a mystery for the entire book. I couldn’t quite get a handle on her. She had an agenda and was going to carry it out. I do think that she got what she deserved in the end. How she got it, though, I didn’t agree with.

The mystery/thriller/suspense angle of the book was well written. I will say that this book played major mind games with me for the entire book!! Which, again, kept me glued to it. I needed to see what happened.

The end of the book was insane. I couldn’t believe the twists in the plot that were revealed. The major one shocked the heck out me. The other twist that involved Regina shocked me. Mainly because of what happened.

I would give The Wives an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Wives. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**

Seven Letters by J.P. Monninger

Seven Letters

3.5 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin

Date of publication: October 8th, 2019

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Where you can find Seven Letters: Barnes and Noble | Amazon | BookBub

Book Synopsis:

J. P. Monninger, author of the international bestseller The Map That Leads to You, the novel Nicholas Sparks called “romantic and unforgettable”, tells a poignant love story of the ways the world divides two souls—and the way that love brings them together.

Kate Moreton is in Ireland on sabbatical from her teaching position at Dartmouth College when she meets Ozzie Ferriter, a fisherman and a veteran of the American war in Afghanistan. The Ferriter family history dates back centuries on the remote Blasket Islands, and Ozzie – a dual citizen of Ireland and the United States – has retreated to the one place that might offer him peace from a war he cannot seem to leave behind.

Beside the sea, with Ireland’s beauty as a backdrop, the two fall deeply in love and attempt to live on an island of their own making, away from the pressures of the outside world. Ireland writes its own love stories, the legends claim, and the limits of Kate and Ozzie’s love and faith in each other will be tested. When his demons lead Ozzie to become reckless with his life—and Kate’s—she flees for America rather than watch the man she loves self-destruct. But soon a letter arrives informing Kate that her heroic husband has been lost at sea, and Kate must decide whether it is an act of love to follow him or an act of mercy to forget.

First Line:

The Irish tell a story of a man who fell in love with a fairy woman and went with her to live on an island lost to time and trouble.

Seven Letters by J.P. Monninger

My Review:

I don’t know why I kept putting this book off!!! Well, I understand why. Life got in the way, and it wasn’t at the top of my priority list, which happens to the best of us. So, when I realized that I missed the publication date (huge oops!!), I took Seven Letters off of the backburner and read it. It was a good read, and I really should have read it sooner.

Seven Letters went between having a fast-paced plotline, and a medium paced one. That did aggravate me while reading. It provoked me because I like my books to have one speed while reading. If I have to adjust my reading speed continuously, then it takes away from my experience. I also didn’t like that several secondary storylines were either ended abruptly or left hanging.

I liked Kate, but she annoyed me during the book. The choices she made were a huge source of irritation for me. Take her relationship with Ozzie, for instance. She knew he had issues (drinking, possible PTSD), and she jetted once the honeymoon phase was over. But, she did change. Her character matured, and she realized that her choices weren’t the right ones. By the end of the book, she was a different woman, and I liked it.

I felt terrible for Ozzie. But at the same time, I wanted to shake him and say, “Dude, get help!!”. He never told Kate about his time in the service (in his defense, though, she never asked). He never told her about his demons from that time. I do think that he was the better person when he let her go. He knew that his demons were too strong, and he couldn’t live with himself. He needed that time apart to heal.

The romance angle of the book got me. Kate and Ozzie burned fast and bright in the beginning. It was almost too quick and bright, and I knew that something was going to happen. By the second half of the book, they were floundering, and I did wonder if they would ever get past everything. But the end of the book, oh my. Talk about deep romance there. I was in tears from the minute Kate landed in Ireland to the very end.

The end of the book was hard to read. It got almost too much for me to read. I did guess at some of the ending details. The last letter, though, made my heart sing (and I did shed a few tears).

I would give Seven Letters an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Seven Letters. I would recommend it to family and friends.

**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**