First blog post of the year!!! Today, I will be doing two book reviews–Stolen Angels, which is the ARC by Rita Herron and Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Fenney
Title:- Stolen Angels
Author:- Rita Herron
No. of pages:- 434 pages
Date published:- will be published on 27th January 2022
Publisher:- Bookouture
Genre:- Thriller
Rating:-
Twisting her hands together, she bites back a sob. She only turned her back for a second, and then her daughter was gone. Every mother in town would be hugging their children tighter tonight.
Lara is baking cupcakes when her daughter Ava runs to catch the school bus just one block away. Chasing after her, Lara sees the bus tumbling past, and waves. But Ava never turns up at school.
Detective Ellie Reeves is in arace against time to find her––in missing child cases, every second counts. Searching the small town of Crooked Creek, she finds the child’s bunny in the local park, the toy Ava carried around everywhere. Did Ava ever get on the bus?
While Ellie works around the clock, a local reporter gets a message: There are others missing girls out there. Digging into previous cases, Ellie discovers that another girl went missing on the same day the previous year. How many more children could there be?
Ellie is certain that the date means something––and that the person who sent the message is the key. But the community is up in arms, with everyone worried that their daughter will be next and blaming Ellie. The pressure is mounting, and time is running out to bring Ava home. Can Ellie solve the toughest case of her career––and save Ava––before it’s too late?
An utterly addictive and twist-packed thriller guaranteed to get your heart racing! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.
Content Warning:- Child Abduction
Detective Ellie Reeves is back!
Ava Truman is excited about Christmas and her mother Lara promised to bake her cupcakes. But on that fateful day, Lara had a migraine that she thought she dropped off Ava at the school bus stop. Three hours later, when Lara gets well, she bakes cupcakes and takes them to Ava’s school. But Ava was not in school. Worst of all, the bus driver confirms that Ava never got into the bus. Someone has kidnapped Ava.
And there’s a sexual predator who lives right across from Ava’s house. Now Ellie working along with FBI agent Derrick must find Ava and they both find out that Ava was not the first victim–another girl named Kaylee had gone missing on the day Ava went missing, few years ago. Did the same person who kidnapped Kaylee took Ava?
This is a fast paced thriller. Though there were about more than one hundred chapters, I didn’t feel bored and I was literally hooked into the story. The chapters were short though there were some long chapters. The writing was really good, the author doing a good job drawing the reader into the story. There were so many twists and turns–and too many suspects that you have no idea who actually took Ava. Is it her own father? Or her father’s girlfriend? Or that sexual predator who lives right across the street? Or was it some random stranger? It was so intriguing that I actually couldn’t wait who had kidnapped Ava. The ending was unexpected and I stayed up all night reading the book!
Overall, this book is unputdownable, giving you a rollercoaster ride with twists and turns you never would expect! Worth five stars and I can’t wait for the next one!
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy, and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at http://www.ritaherron.com. You can also find her on Facebook/ritaherron.com and Twitter @ritaherron.
Hey all! 2021 has been a hectic year and hopefully 2022 will be better. In a few hours, we will be celebrating the year 2022 though I would be mostly sleeping by then….
I decided to do a summary of all the books I have read in the Year 2021
Total Number of books I have read:- 230 books
Total number of pages I have read:- 69, 371 pages
Top five thriller books I have read of the year 2021
The Girl from Silent Lake – Leslie Wolfe
Pretty Little Wife – Darby Kane
For Your Own Good- Samantha Downing
Survive the Night – Riley Sager
The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave
Top three historical fictions books I have read of the year 2021
Those I have Lost – Sharon Mass
The Secret Keeper of Jaipur – Alka Joshi
A Web of Secrets – Roberta Kagan
Top books with a comical setting
Dial A for Aunties – Jesse Q Sutanto
For the Love of Friends- Sara Goodman Confino
My Favorite Half Night Stand – Christina Lauren
Best Debut Books of the Year 2021
The Firekeeper’s Daughter – Angeline Boulley
2. Tokyo Ever After – Emiko Jean
3. The Reading List – Sara Nisha Adams
4. My Sweet Girl – Amanda Jayatissa
So what are your best and worst picks of the year 2021?
Date published:- will be published on 13th January 2022
Publisher :- Bookouture
Genre:- Historical Fiction
Rating:-
Inspired by true events, this is a heart-stopping, unforgettable story of ordinary people fighting for survival in the darkest of times. Fans of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and My Name is Eva will be utterly gripped by this beautiful, tragic World War Two novel.
Germany, 1939:Annaliese is trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband Hans has become cold and secretive since starting a new job as a doctor at Dachau. Every morning she watches from her kitchen window as he leaves in his car. The sight of him in the dark uniform of the SS sends shivers of fear down her spine and she longs to escape…
When a tall, handsome Russian prisoner named Alexander is sent from Dachau to work in their garden, lonely Annaliese finds herself drawn to him as they tend to the plants together. In snatched moments and broken whispers, Alexander tells her the shocking truth about the camp. Horrified, Annaliese vows to do everything she can to save him.
But as they grow closer, their feelings for each other put their lives at risk. And Annaliese finds herself in grave danger when she dares to fight for love and freedom…
America, 1989: Turning the pages of the newspaper, Annaliese gasps when she recognizes the face of a man she thought she’d never see again. It makes her heart skip a beat as a rush of wartime memories come flooding back to her. As she reads on, she realizes the past is catching up with her. And she must confront a decades-old secret – or risk losing her only son…
This book is based on true events and reading this book actually made me emotional.
The story starts with Annaliese who is married to Hans Vogel. When the Nazis come to power, Hans, who is a doctor gets a job to work as a doctor at Dachau. Though Annaliese seem to be living a perfect picturesque German family, she is trapped in a loveless marriage as she watches her husband, dressed in dark SS uniform leaving to work.
Soon, her husband, brings in a gardener, a Russian prisoner named Alexander. Annaliese soon finds solace and companionship and the two develop a friendship which in turn become a romantic relationship. Alexander tells Annaliese about the conditions at the camp, leaving her shocked as she vowed to save Alexander.
This book is beautifully written and I have to say, the author has done tremendous amount of research to make this into a factual story. Though the characters in the book are fictional, the emotions and feelings that each of these characters are facing seem too real. The appalling conditions at the camp, the brutal experiments that were conducted at the concentration camp was too disturbing to read that the reader must pause for a second that these things actually did happen in real life. Needless to say, my favorite part in the book was the blossoming romance between Annaliese and Alexander. The ending was really heartbreaking and touching as the story ended in the 1990’s with the death of Annaliese.
Overall, if you are into truly emotional and sensitive historical topic that covers Holocaust, this book is highly recommended. Worth five stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
Debbie Rix has written seven novels, the latest of which – ‘The German Wife’ – will be published on 13th January 2022. As an ex-journalist, historical accuracy is key, and she strives to weave her stories around real life events. ‘The research process is vital,’ she says. ‘I work on the principle that if I find something fascinating, then so too will my readers.’
Her novels have been published in several languages – including Italian and Czech and her 5th novel ‘The Secret Letter’ will soon come out in Russia.
Debbie spends a lot of time in Italy and that country is the setting for 5 of her 7 novels. When not travelling she lives in the Kent countryside with her journalist husband, children, chickens and four cats. She began her career with the BBC – initially as the news reader on Breakfast Time, thereafter appearing as a presenter and reporter on a variety of factual and light entertainment television series. She had a spell as an Agony Aunt, and has also written about gardens and gardening – one of her private passions.
Hello All! Now 2021 is coming to an end and soon 2022 will be coming up next. So many great books seemed to be coming out in the year of 2022 and there are so many books that I couldn’t wait until it get published!
So here is my list of anticipated books of the year 2022
The Book of Cold Cases – Simone St James
After reading The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel, I simply cannot wait for this book to come and has been anticipating for this book. This book will be published on March 15th 2022
A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel.
In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Twomen, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect–a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.
Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases–a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.
They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?
2. The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley
This is another book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on–after reading The Guest List, I couldn’t wait to read Lucy Foley’s next book. This book will be released on February 22nd 2022
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
3. Book Lovers – Emily Henry
I am yet to read The Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation which I already ordered and couldn’t wait to so I am waiting to read this book too. This book will be published on May 3rd 2022
One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…
Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.
Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.
If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves
4. The Maid – Nita Prose
This seem to be having a higher rating on Goodreads and so I cannot wait to read the book–the plot seem to be interesting. Will be released on January 4th 2022
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different—and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart
5. I kissed Shara Wheeler – Casey McQuiston
The plot sounded interesting with good rating on Goodreads and I am yet to read Casey McQuiston books Red White and Blue and One Stop. Will be releasing on May 3rd 2022
From the New York Times bestselling author of One Last Stop and Red, White & Royal Blue comes a debut YA romantic comedy about chasing down what you want, only to find what you need…
Chloe Green is so close to winning. After her moms moved her from SoCal to Alabama for high school, she’s spent the past four years dodging gossipy classmates and a puritanical administration at Willowgrove Christian Academy. The thing that’s kept her going: winning valedictorian. Her only rival: prom queen Shara Wheeler, the principal’s perfect progeny.
But a month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and vanishes.
On a furious hunt for answers, Chloe discovers she’s not the only one Shara kissed. There’s also Smith, Shara’s longtime quarterback sweetheart, and Rory, Shara’s bad boy neighbor with a crush. The three have nothing in common except Shara and the annoyingly cryptic notes she left behind, but together they must untangle Shara’s trail of clues and find her. It’ll be worth it, if Chloe can drag Shara back before graduation to beat her fair-and-square.
Thrown into an unlikely alliance, chasing a ghost through parties, break-ins, puzzles, and secrets revealed on monogrammed stationery, Chloe starts to suspect there might be more to this small town than she thought. And maybe—probably not, but maybe—more to Shara, too.
Fierce, funny, and frank, Casey McQuiston’s I Kissed Shara Wheeler is about breaking the rules, getting messy, and finding love in unexpected places.
6. Violeta – Isabel Allende
I like reading Isabel Allende’s books and so I cannot wait for this latest historical fiction of hers. Will be released on January 25th 2022
This sweeping novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea tells the epic story of Violeta del Valle, a woman whose life spans one hundred years and bears witness to the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century.
Violeta comes into the world on a stormy day in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boisterous sons. From the start, her life will be marked by extraordinary events, for the ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth.
Through her father’s prescience, the family will come through that crisis unscathed, only to face a new one as the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known. Her family loses all and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. There, she will come of age, and her first suitor will come calling. . . .
She tells her story in the form of a letter to someone she loves above all others, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women’s rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.
Told through the eyes of a woman whose unforgettable passion, determination, and sense of humor will carry her through a lifetime of upheaval, Isabel Allende once more brings us an epic that is both fiercely inspiring and deeply emotional.
7. Black Cake – Charmaine Wilerson
In development as a Hulu original series produced by Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey (Harpo Films), and Kapital Entertainment
We can’t choose what we inherit. But can we choose who we become?
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child, challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage, and themselves.
Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?
Charmaine Wilkerson’s debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
8. One Italian Summer – Rebecca Serle
When Katy’s mother dies, she is left reeling. Carol wasn’t just Katy’s mom, but her best friend and first phone call. She had all the answers and now, when Katy needs her the most, she is gone. To make matters worse, their planned mother-daughter trip of a lifetime looms: two weeks in Positano, the magical town Carol spent the summer right before she met Katy’s father. Katy has been waiting years for Carol to take her, and now she is faced with embarking on the adventure alone.
But as soon as she steps foot on the Amalfi Coast, Katy begins to feel her mother’s spirit. Buoyed by the stunning waters, beautiful cliffsides, delightful residents, and, of course, delectable food, Katy feels herself coming back to life.
And then Carol appears—in the flesh, healthy, sun-tanned, and thirty years old. Katy doesn’t understand what is happening, or how—all she can focus on is that she has somehow, impossibly, gotten her mother back. Over the course of one Italian summer, Katy gets to know Carol, not as her mother, but as the young woman before her. She is not exactly who Katy imagined she might be, however, and soon Katy must reconcile the mother who knew everything with the young woman who does not yet have a clue.
9. The Golden Couple – Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekanen
If Avery Chambers can’t fix you in 10 sessions, she won’t take you on as a client. Her successes are phenomenal–she helps people overcome everything from domineering parents to assault–and almost absorb the emptiness she sometimes feels since her husband’s death.
Marissa and Mathew Bishop seem like the golden couple–until Marissa cheats. She wants to repair things, both because she loves her husband and for the sake of their 8-year-old son. After a friend forwards an article about Avery, Marissa takes a chance on this maverick therapist, who lost her license due to controversial methods.
When the Bishops glide through Avery’s door and Marissa reveals her infidelity, all three are set on a collision course. Because the biggest secrets in the room are still hidden, and it’s no longer simply a marriage that’s in danger.
10. The Night Shift – Alex Finlaye
It’s New Year’s Eve 1999. Y2K is expected to end in chaos: planes falling from the sky, elevators plunging to earth, world markets collapsing. A digital apocalypse. None of that happens. But at a Blockbuster Video in Linden, New Jersey, four teenage girls working the night shift are attacked. Only one survives. Police quickly identify a suspect who flees and is never seen again.
Fifteen years later, in the same town, four teenage employees working late at an ice cream store are attacked, and again only one makes it out alive.
Both surviving victims recall the killer speaking only a few final words… “Goodnight, pretty girl.”
In the aftermath, three lives intersect: the survivor of the Blockbuster massacre who’s forced to relive her tragedy; the brother of the original suspect, who’s convinced the police have it wrong; and the FBI agent, who’s determined to solve both cases. On a collision course toward the truth, all three lives will forever be changed, and not everyone will make it out alive.
Twisty, poignant, and redemptive, The Night Shift is a story about the legacy of trauma and how the broken can come out on the other side, and it solidifies Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in the world of thrillers
So which of these books are you waiting most for next year? Leave a comment below!
Date published:- will be published on 17th January 2022
Publisher:- Bookouture
Genre:- Thriller
No. of pages:- 360 pages
Rating:-
You have two days to kill her, or you will be the next to die…
A week ago the body of a young woman named Mia Gallagher was found in an elevator shaft, forty-eight hours after she was snatched from her apartment in Lakemore, Washington.
When a local man confesses to her killing in his suicide note, the police department believe the case is closed. But then another woman goes missing, and forty-eight hours later is found dead. Detective Mackenzie Price is convinced their deaths are connected. Then she finds a letter in the supposed murderer’s house and realizes the sickening truth: the victims are all part of a sinister game, and more lives are at stake.
Someone wants these women dead—but isn’t killing them. Instead they are blackmailing others to do their dirty work: become a murderer, or be the next to die.
When a third woman goes missing, Mack and her partner Detective Nick Blackwood know they have just forty-eight hours to find her alive. Only by hunting down the blackmailer, who’s masterminding this twisted game, will they be able to stop the killings.
But the blackmailer will go to any lengths to get away with murder, and now no one connected to the case is safe. Including Mack. She has spent years healing from her troubled past, learning to open her heart again but—as one of the people closest to her is sucked into the game—could she be about to lose another person she loves?
A pulse-pounding thriller packed with twists, The Dying Game will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Karin Slaughter and Angela Marsons.
Content Warning:- Murder
Detective Mackenzie Price is back with another case!
When a local man commits suicide with a note saying that he killed the recently disappeared and murdered Mia, the police considers the case to be closed. But when another woman disappeared, Mackenzie thinks that the two cases are related. Soon, she was found right when the two women are connected to a powerful family. When the other woman’s body was found and another third woman disappeared, Mackenzie must find the killer before it was too late.
This book, unlike the previous books is more like a police procedural but nonetheless the story had twists and turns and is quite unputdownable and fast paced. The author is indeed a talented writer, using adjectives and phrases and doest a really a good job of drawing the reader into the story. I was literally hooked into the book that I couldn’t see who the killer was. There were so many suspects, the twists in the book were endless that you didn’t know what the ending is going to be like. Overall, I felt like I was going in a roller coaster ride while reading this book!
This was a fast paced thriller packed with twists and turns you wouldn’t expect. Worth five stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
Ruhi Choudhary discovered her passion for writing when she was seven years old and wrote her first Star Trek episode. Being a fan of the dark and twisted, she found her calling in crime thriller.
She likes to write stories that make you a little uncomfortable and characters that you struggle to make up your mind about but stay with you.
She lives in Toronto and spends her days training to be a scientist and wishing it rained more often!
Date published:- will be published on 6th January 2022
Publisher:- Simon and Schuster
Genre:- Romance
Rating:-
*PART TWO in the brand new series from Holly Hepburn, perfect for fans of Cathy Bramley and Katie Fforde**
When Hope loses her husband, she fears her happiest days are behind her. With her connection to London broken, she decides to move home to York to be near her family and try to piece her life back together.
Taking a job at the antique shop she has always loved, she finds herself crossing paths with two very different men. Will, who has recently become the guardian to his niece after the tragic death of his parents. And Ciaran, who she enlists to help solve the mystery of an Egyptian antique. Two men representing two different happy endings.
But can she trust herself to choose the right man? And will that give her the life she really needs?
The brand new series from Holly Hepburn, author of Coming Home to Brightwater Bay. Parts one to four in the new series are available to pre-order now.
This is the part 2 of the Little Shop series. Although I haven’t read the first book of the series, it didn’t really matter as the story was very cheesy and interesting to me.
Hope after her husband’s death returns to York and work at a shop called Little Shop of Hidden Treasures, a shop filled with ancient artifacts and treasures. In one such artifact, she comes across an Egyptian treasure that once belonged to a woman named Eleanor. And while working at the shop she meets two men–Will who is looking after his silent niece Brody after his parents’ death and Ciaran, a university professor she gets acquainted when working to find the secret of the Egyptian treasure.
This is such a cute, story and I actually enjoyed reading it. I do like the bit of a love triangle between Will, Hope and Ciaran even though in the end, I was rooting that Will and Hope will get together which they did in the end. The part about the Egyptian treasure and the story and history behind that treasure intrigued me and piqued my interest. Overall, this is was actually a cute, funny romance novel that will make you laugh and cry at the same time! Worth 4.5 stars! Looking forward to read more books from this series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
Holly Hepburn has wanted to write books for as long she can remember but she was too scared to try. One day she decided to be brave and dipped a toe into the bubble bath of romantic fiction with her first novella, Cupidity, and she’s never looked back. She often tries to be funny to be funny, except for when faced with traffic wardens and border control staff. Her favourite things are making people smile and Aidan Turner.
She’s tried many jobs over the years, from barmaid to market researcher and she even had a brief flirtation with modelling. These days she is mostly found writing.
She lives near London with her grey tabby cat, Portia. They both have an unhealthy obsession with Marmite.
First of all Merry Christmas to all of you all! I know I have been a bit irregular at posting blogs. I have been recently concentrating on finishing up my novel (top secret) so I was actually concentrating more on that but I will be back with more blogs soon!
Date published:- will be published on 27th January 2021
Publisher:- Poisoned Pen Press
No. of pages:- 280 pages
Genre:- Cozy Mysteries
Rating:-
The first in a delicious new culinary cozy series featuring a grilled cheese eatery owner who must solve murders in her small town before she is put under lock and brie
Back in Balsam Dell to heal after the death of her husband, Carly Hale is finally pursuing her lifelong dream—opening Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery. After only five months, business is booming as Vermont vacationers and townspeople alike flock to lunch on her Party Havartis and other grilled cheese concoctions. All but Lyle Bagley, Carly’s one-time high school boyfriend and now town bully who just bought the building that houses her eatery and wants Carly out. After a muenster of a fight, Carly’s forced to put her nose to the rind and find a solution to keep her business afloat.
That is…until Lyle is discovered dead behind the dumpster of Carly’s shop, and one of her employees becomes the prime suspect. In order to save her eatery and prove her friend’s innocence, Carly must sleuth out the killer before she’s the one who gets grilled.
With a delightful cast of characters, an inventive amateur sleuth, and a whole host of cheesy hijinks, Up to No Gouda is the perfect cozy murder mystery to melt into.
Cozy mysteries with a culinary background is one of my favorite type of genres and so I was so excited when I got the first book of the grilled cheese mysteries.
Carly owns a grilled cheese diner which becomes one of the sought out places among Vermont vacationers. But five months into successful business, Carly’s ex-boyfriend from high school and the town’s bully, Lyle wants Carly to vacate the premises. However Carly is not willing to give up her fight and is determined to fight for her place.
But soon, Lyle’s body is found in the parking lot in front of her own diner the next morning and her friend Suzanne, who threatened Lyle the day before Lyle’s murder was the main suspect. Carly knew her friend is not responsible for Lyle’s murder and so she starts investigating the case on her own.
I actually enjoyed reading this book! Besides all these murders and sleuthing, the descriptions of the grilled cheese made me hungry as well. The writing was good and the author does a good job of drawing the reader into the story. Carly’s character also grew into me and I do like how the community as well as friends supported her. It was quite unputdownable, there were too many suspects who had genuine reasons to want Lyle dead. Overall, this was an unputdownable thriller that will keep you hooked into the story and I so cannot wait for the next adventure of Carly! Worth five stars!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion.
Armed with a degree in Criminal Justice, Linda Reilly once contemplated a career in law enforcement. But life took a twist, and instead she found her niche in real estate closings and title examinations, where the dusty tomes in the Registry of Deeds enticed her into solving mysteries of a different sort. A dyed-in-the-wool New Englander, Linda lives in southern New Hampshire with her husband and her rescue cat. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Cat Writers’ Association, she loves solving mysteries of the cozy type. When she’s not pounding away at her keyboard, she can usually be found prowling the shelves of a local bookstore or library. Visit her on the web at lindasreilly.com
Date published:- will be published on January 20th 2022
Publisher:- Bookouture
No. of pages:- 257 pages
Genre:- Women’s Fiction
Rating:- 3/5
The old farmhouse at Tansy Falls. A little patch of paradise in the hills of Vermont. Home to happy couple Connie and Nate. And a long-buried secret that will ignite a devastating spark…
As the summer sun sets over the sleepy Vermont town of Tansy Falls, Connie is reminded of how lucky she is. Every day, when she leaves the job she loves, managing the Covered Bridge Inn with her best friend Piper, she looks forward to returning to the farmhouse she shares with her husband Nate. At home, her flowerbeds overflow with day lilies and the weathered brick walls of her beautiful house glow in the evening light. The air is filled with the scent of the puffed apple pancakes she prepared that morning.
But one night, when Nate returns home, he is distant. He and Connie have been married for a long time, and while the laughter and lingering kisses have dwindled, Connie believed they would be together forever. So when a stranger arrives on their doorstep with a shocking secret about Nate, Connie’s life changes beyond all recognition.
Connie never thought she’d need to start over and live a life without Nate by her side. But as her heart breaks, Piper and the team at the inn are ready to help stitch it back together, with thoughtful advice washed down with warm spiced cider. As Connie begins to feel whole again, distraction arrives in the form of olive-skinned, broad-shouldered newcomer James. Nate has taught Connie that she doesn’t need a man, but James’s arrival helps her discover that she can follow her own dreams too. But as more secrets come to the surface, Connie wonders if she’ll ever truly be able to leave behind her past for good…
This is the second book of the Tansy Falls series. After reading the first book Inn At Tansy Falls, I had high expectations for the second book and couldn’t wait to read the next one.
Well, I am not saying it was bad, but it was’t good as the first one.
Connie and Nate had been married for many years but they have been struggling with their marriage recently and she soon discovered a secret about Nate that explained why he was distant. With the help of her friends at the inn, she tries to live a life without Nate and meets a man named James Oritz who seemed to have swept her off the feet.
First of all let’s start with the good things. The writing was great. The descriptions of the inn, the garden and view made the reader feel like they are the part of the story as well. I really liked the author’s style of writing and the author has a way of drawing the reader into the story. But the bad thing is, the story is bland, boring and not much is going on in the story. First of all, this is not the continuation of the first book, and the characters in the first book are just barely mentioned in the book. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I did with the previous one. Nonetheless, if there’s a third book in the series, then I couldn’t wait to read that one and hopefully will be better than this.
Worth three stars. Mnay thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
Cate made the most of her university degree in Anglo-Saxon Literature by embarking on a career running errands on TV shows including Who Wants to be a Millionaire. After narrowly missing out on the chance to become a weather presenter, she moved into the world of magazine journalism and then ghostwriting, working on novels and autobiographies for a host of celebrities. She has written two best-selling romantic comedies – Just Haven’t Met You Yet and More Than a Feeling – and a festive novel, The Christmas Guest, under the name Daisy Bell. Cate lives in London with her husband and two children, but escapes to her family home in the Vermont mountains whenever she can.
Date Published:- will be published on 5th January 2021
Publisher:- Bookouture
No. of pages:- 338 pages
Genre:- Women’s Fiction
Rating:-
Pearl Flowers has been hiding away for so long that she has forgotten what real life is like. Her quiet routine in a woodland cottage in France is a sanctuary, far away from her past life running a beauty salon. But even when she is sitting at the foot of a beech tree with her drawing pad, surrounded by birdsong, her mind is never still. If she keeps herself distracted and far away, her past can’t hurt her… can it?
But then an unexpected phone call throws her calm world into chaos. Back in the UK, her estranged father Francis is dying. She hasn’t seen him for decades since he pushed her away and destroyed their family. And on his death-bed, Francis leaves her a gift – a diary, written in a code that only Pearl can understand.
As she begins to read her father’s diary, Pearl discovers that for forty years he had been thinking of her almost every day. And as she reads on, secrets begin to emerge from the pages causing her to question everything she thought she knew.
Reeling from the diary’s revelations, Pearl realises that the only way to heal and find true happiness is to face the past. But is she ready to confront her deepest secret, the one she’s been running from all this time?
This utterly tear-jerking and heartwarming novel is for anyone who knows it’s never too late to find happiness. Fans of Matt Haig,Mike GayleandCamille Pagán will fall in love with this beautiful, feel-good story.
This is the book that has all the family drama and that will make you laugh out loud and cry at the same time and that will make you not put the book down.
Pearl receives the news that her father has died and so she and Denny flies to London to attend the funeral from France. Her father has left her his diary, which was written in shorthand–something that only Pearl knows. With her father’s wife demanding to give the diary to her as she firmly believes that it belonged to her, And as Pearl reads her late father’s diary, she gets to know more about her and realizes that he knows more about her despite the fact that they didn’t have a good relationship with each other. Meanwhile, Pearl gets a surprise visit from someone.
This book is written in two perspectives–Pearl and Carrie. You will soon get to know who Carrie is by the middle of the book. The story is beautifully written with the author doing a good job of drawing the reader into the story. This book actually reminded me the likeness of Jodi Picoult, Heather Webber where this book in fact talks about the complications within the family and the relationships between the family members in general. I do like the part where the relationship with Pearl and Carrie were a bit estranged but eventually, it started growing as they both grow into understanding with each other. Overall, I actually enjoyed reading this book. There were some tear jerking moments, some funny parts as well that will make you laugh out loud and also overall, an intense family drama that is well described in the book.
Worth full five stars in my opinion! Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that’s how I’d like you to picture me.
I’ve published five novels. The most recent, ‘Starstruck’, came out in August 2021. The previous one, ‘The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright’, was a top twenty Kindle bestseller. I’ve also published two non-fiction books. I work as a book coach and creative writing tutor.
Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs. I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students’ unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I’ve been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won’t really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.
Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I’m now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.
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