Thursday, October 31, 2019

Book Review: Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-- and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine--and what he will become is far stranger.
 

Amazon

                              MY REVIEW:

Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)Old Man's War by John Scalzi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, I was hooked right from the beginning. I have had this book for a few years now and I kept putting it off. I don't know why I didn't read this when I got it. Very action packed and makes you do a lot of thinking. Would you actually sign up to be a part of a military program when you are in your 70's? You can never see your friends and family again. You will never be able to go to Earth again. You will be fighting aliens on other planets.
This is so unique and different than anything I have ever read before. I could not put it down and the whole time I am scratching my head and trying to figure out is it worth leaving everything behind but then you never know how long you will have to live anyways. This is the first book of the series and I am hoping sometime to finish the series.




John Scalzi

John Scalzi

Goodreads Author


Born
in The United States
Website

Genre

Influences
Robert Heinlein, Dorothy Parker, HL Mencken, Coke Zero

Member Since
December 2007


John Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.

(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)




View all my reviews

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Blog Tour: Single All the Way by Karen King





Book Description:

Snow is falling, bells are ringing… and my heart is broken. I pick up the phone to tell my mother about Oliver and me. But before I can, she says, ‘I don’t exactly know how to tell you this… But I’m leaving your dad.’

Single together for the first time, 34-year-old Meg and her warm-hearted, long-suffering mother Sally are cancelling Christmas, and running away to a tiny cottage on the Cornish coast. For Meg, it is the perfect place to heal, away from all the mistletoe, while for her mother it has a special, and secret, place in her heart – from a love story that seems a lifetime ago…

Meg and Sally find they’re getting to know themselves, and each other, better than ever before. But as they are unable to resist getting involved in the village Christmas celebrations, they encounter two handsome local strangers.

Sometimes, it’s being away from home that helps you realise where your heart is. What neither woman knows is that, by the time the new year rolls around, one woman will have fallen in love with her husband all over again, and one marriage will be over for good…

An escapist, romantic and heart-warming novel for fans of One Day in December and No One Cancels Christmas.  


                                  MY REVIEW:


Single All the WaySingle All the Way by Karen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Meg is 34 and wants to start a family before she gets to old to have kids. Her husband keeps putting it off and then finally tells her he never wants kids. She feels like she wasted her life and that he lied to her and led her on so she leaves. He feels they should be happy just the 2 of them because they love each other.
As Meg is ready to tell her mom she receives a phone call from her mom that she left her dad. She isn't happy and hasn't been for awhile. He is happy just sitting home and puttering around in his garden and she wants to go out and see the world. So Meg and her mom, Sally go on vacation together and to make it even harder is that it s Christmas.
We watch these 2 women , who are mother and daughter deal with their decision and try to understand each other's feelings. I found both of them very confused but pretty much set on what they want. Their spouses think they are selfish and only thinking of themselves. I did not see that at all. I found 2 women who have always wanted their life a certain way and now being told no and to be happy with what they do have. Very emotional on a lot of levels.
I received this ARC from Bookouture and NetGalley for a review.



Author Bio:

Karen King was born in Birmingham and has always enjoyed reading and writing. A multi-published author of children’s books and romantic fiction, her rom-com The Cornish Hotel by the Sea became an international Amazon bestseller. She is delighted to now be part of the Bookouture team. She now lives in Spain and intends to spend her time writing romances while her husband, Dave, grows vegetables and tends to the zillions of fruit trees on their land – when she isn’t sunbathing or swimming in the pool, that is.  

@karen_king




View all my reviews



Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Blog Tour Blitz: Dorothy in the Land of Monster by Garten Gevedon






Dorothy In the Land of Monsters
Garten Gevedon
(Oz ReVamped, #1)
Publication date: October 11th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult
Shifters, Zombies, and Vampires? Oh my!
My name is Dorothy Gale, and I think I might be dead.
When my dog Toto and I got swept up in a twister, we landed in hell. A very colorful hell. Like a rainbow dripping in blood. Now it looks as though this dreadful underworld plagued with vampires, zombies, and shifters will be the site of my eternal damnation.
They say this terrifying land called Oz isn’t hell or purgatory and escape is possible, but first I must survive the journey down the blood-soaked yellow brick road to the only place in Oz where vampires dare not tread—The City of Emeralds.
With enchanted footwear and the help of my three new friends—a friendly zombie, a massive shifter lion, and a heartless axe murderer of evil night creatures (who also happens to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen)—Toto and I have a chance to make it to the Vampire Free Zone. When we get there, I must convince the most powerful wizard in this magical land of monsters to send us out of this radiant nightmare and back to the world of the living. They say he’s just as frightening as this monstrous land, that he detests visitors, and even the most horrifying creatures cower in his presence. But I must seek him out. And when I find him, I’ll do whatever it takes to make him send me home.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo


                                       MY REVIEW:

Dorothy in the Land of Monsters (Oz ReVamped, #1)Dorothy in the Land of Monsters by Garten Gevedon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was different but fun to read. Dorothy get taken away by the tornado and Toto is not described as the Toto we know but as a bloodhound.
They land in Hell. Described as a colorful Hell dripped in blood.This alternate world has vampires, zombies and shifters. The City of Emeralds is where she needs to go and follow the blood-soaked yellow brick road. Her footwear are silver boots which went on her feet when the house she was in landed on and killed the wicked vampire of the west. The City of Emeralds is also a vampire free zone.
Dorothy meets up with a friendly zombie, a massive shifter werelion and a heartless ax murderer, who is very hot!! So Dorothy has to find the powerful Oz so he can send her home and help her new friends.
I would have liked to have given this 5 stars because this was so different and I do like retellings of fairytales and other stories. The only problem I had was that Dorothy was 16 and there was instant love and how they can't be apart and there will never be anyone else for her. At 16 that is a little weird. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this take on the Wizard of Oz.
I received this ARC from Xpresso and NetGalley for a  review.


View all my reviews

EXCERPT:
Gray everywhere. As I stand on the porch of my aunt and uncle’s home, all I can see is the great gray expanse of prairie on every side. No trees, houses, buildings, people, nothing at all breaks the broad sweep of flat gray country that reaches to the edge of the gray sky in every direction. The sun scorched the plowed fields into a dusty, gray mass that expands to the horizon line, the endless gloom broken only by the little black shadows of the fissures running through it like the marbling of a corpse.
Even the grass is dead and gray—the hot sun singed the blades until they were the same lifeless gray color that blankets everything. Years ago, the house was a pristine white, but the torrid summer sun burned and blistered the paint and the heavy winter rains battered it away, and now the house is as weathered and gray as everything else here. It’s fitting for what it’s like to live here in Middle of Nowhere, Kansas. It looks like what it is—bleak, leached of any color, any excitement, anything interesting at all—drained of life. Gray is gray is gray is my life. It surrounds me from all sides, all the time. And it sucks. Thanks a lot, climate change.
I came to live with my Uncle Henry and Aunt Emily on a crappy little farm when my parents died in a car accident. I was thirteen. Because Emily was the only family I had left, she got stuck with me. She could have refused me and left me as a ward of the state, but she was kind enough to take me in. Even though I don’t share the same connection with Emily and Henry that I did with my parents, they’re still family—the only family I have—so, I may complain about this being the middle of nowhere, but it’s better than being in an orphanage or foster care or some group home. Yeah, their place is tiny, and old, but at least it has four walls, a floor, and a roof.
The two-bedroom farmhouse I live in is as weathered and brittle as the farm it’s set on. One story with no attic and no basement, the only feature it has is a cyclone cellar which we’ve had yet to use since I’ve lived here. It may lack color and any of the luxuries most people in America have these days—cable, wifi, consistent hot water to shower with—but I am grateful I have somewhere to live, even if life here is so gray that the grayness proliferates, turning everything in it to a gray as dry as dust.
When Aunt Emily came here to live with Uncle Henry, she was a young, pretty, vivacious woman with golden hair and bright emerald green eyes—or I thought I remembered her that way. Even she’s gray now. Just like it changed this once green land, the sun and wind have changed her, and her once sparkling green eyes are now dim and muted, tinged with a melancholy gray. Living here in this sweltering, exanimate world has stolen her radiance and left her ashen. It’s exhausted the red from her cheeks and lips, and now they’re pallid and gray too. Once she was curvy and a little plump. Now she’s gaunt and never smiles. Can’t blame her for never smiling, living in this dull, gray crap hole.
When I first came to her, Aunt Emily would startle when I laughed. She’d scream and look at me like I was nuts, shocked I could find anything to laugh at in this gray place. Uncomfortable and bored out of my skull, I’d laugh trying to entertain myself, trying not to let the depression get the best of me, but after being here for four years, I get it now—what is there to laugh about when all that’s here is gray?
Uncle Henry never laughs either. Morning to night, all he does is work hard. If he knows what joy is, he doesn’t let on. From his gray beard to his rough boots, Henry is also gray, stern, and solemn. With a permanent stone face, he almost never speaks. It’s like he’s made of hard, gray stone. If he didn’t work so much trying to make this gray land yield something, I’d think he was stone—a gray statue of a man.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s me that’s gray, or the lens I see the world through. Before my parents died, my life was a bright white, like a pristine sheet of paper wishing for a colorful story to grace its surface. Then the black smear of tragedy struck, and it’s as though the thousands of tears I shed diffused the black that blemished my bright whiteness, spreading it over the unsullied parts like watercolor, leaving my world gray. But I don’t think I’m gray. Not yet. I don’t think it has spread to me yet.
—“Dorothy in the Land of Monsters” Oz ReVamped #1

Chapter 1 – The Cyclone, pgs. 1-2

Author Bio:
Garten Gevedon lives in New York City with her family. She's a sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal author who loves taking fairy tales and turning them inside out. You can visit her online at www.gartengevedon.com.


XBTBanner1


Monday, October 28, 2019

Blog Tour: Blood Night by Heather Graham


We are beyond excited to be celebrating this release from Heather Graham with you today by participating in the blog tour! BLOOD NIGHT is part of her Krewe of Hunters series and it is releasing as part of 1001 Dark Nights. Check out the book trailer from the title below. Click here to grab your copy now


Purchase your copy of BLOOD NIGHT today!

Amazon US    |    Amazon UK   |   Amazon CA   |   Amazon AU


About BLOOD NIGHT: 

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Heather Graham comes a new story in her Krewe of Hunters series…

Any member of the Krewe of Hunters is accustomed to the strange. And to conversing now and then with the dead.

For Andre Rousseau and Cheyenne Donegal, an encounter with the deceased in a cemetery is certainly nothing new.

But this year, Halloween is taking them across the pond—unofficially.

Their experiences in life haven’t prepared them for what’s to come.

Cheyenne’s distant cousin and dear friend Emily Donegal has called from London. Murder has come to her neighborhood, with bodies just outside Highgate Cemetery, drained of blood.

The last victim was found at Emily’s doorstep, and evidence seems to be arising not just against her fiancé, Eric, but against Emily, too. But Emily isn’t just afraid of the law—many in the great city are beginning to believe that the historic Vampire of Highgate is making himself known, aided and abetted by adherents. Some are even angry and frightened enough to believe they should take matters into their own hands.

Andre and Cheyenne know they’re in for serious trouble when they arrive, and they soon come to realize that the trouble might be deadly not just for Emily and Eric, but for themselves as well.

There’s help to be found in the beautiful and historic old cemetery.

And as All Hallows Eve looms, they’ll be in a race against time, seeking the truth before the infamous vampire has a chance to strike again.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**


                                  MY REVIEW:


Blood Night (Krewe of Hunters)Blood Night by Heather Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Novella from the Krewe of Hunters series. Andre and Cheyenne converse with the dead and spend some time in the cemetery. This Halloween they end up somewhere different because they were called to London. Cheyenne's cousin, Emily, has called her that bodies have been found outside a cemetery drained of blood. One was found outside Emily's doorstep and things point to her and her fiance Eric. They are fighting against an infamous vampire and they need to wrap this all up before they are all in danger of losing their lives.
This was a quick read and I enjoyed getting to know these characters.
I received this ARC from Inkslinger for review,


View all my reviews


Add BLOOD NIGHT to your Goodreads TBR here!

Purchase your copy of BLOOD NIGHT today!

Amazon US    |    Amazon UK   |   Amazon CA   |   Amazon AU


BOOK TRAILER

REVIEW QUOTES FOR HEATHER GRAHAM'S NOVELS: 

"Heather Graham knows what readers want."

"Graham deftly weaves elements of mystery, the paranormal and romance into a tight plot that will keep the reader guessing at the true nature of the killer's evil."

"Suspenseful and dark."

"If you like mixing a bit of the creepy with a dash of sinister and spine-chilling reading with your romance, be sure to read Heather Graham's latest."






About HEATHER GRAHAM:

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham has always been an avid reader, from classics to sci-fi, mystery, horror, thriller, romance, and all kinds of non-fiction. She’s fairly certain that her mom’s deliciously crazy family–arriving in the US a bit before her birth from Ireland–gave her the love of storytelling. She started out in theater and commercials, but once her children began to arrive, she stayed home and gave writing a try. She’s incredibly grateful to be doing what she’s doing for a living. Heather belongs to MWA, RWA, Sisters in Crime, HWA, and ITW, and has the recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Award, a Silver Bullet for charitable works, and this year, she will receive the Thriller Master title from ITW. She has over 200 novels in print, and has been published in 22 languages.



Connect With Her: 

Website  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads   |  Twitter  |  Bookbub



\

Book Review: A Cowboy For Christmas by Sara Richardson

A Cowboy for Christmas (Rocky Mountain Riders, #6)

Come home to Topaz Falls, Colorado, where the best way to spend Christmas is in the arms of a cowboy!

When the beloved Farm Café in Topaz Falls burns to the ground, widow Darla Michaels comes up with the perfect plan to help her friends rebuild -- a Cowboy Christmas Festival complete with a sexy bachelor auction and a benefit rodeo. But to pull it off, she has to pretend to be engaged to Ty Forrester, the irresistible bull rider who keeps testing her keep-things-casual policy.

A fake fiancée wasn't on Ty's Christmas list this year, but it's the only way to get his family to visit over the holidays so his NFL-star brother can draw more tourists to the festival. The engagement wouldn't be such a problem if Ty wasn't starting to have real feelings for Darla. Knowing he can't go on pretending, Ty prepares to tell his family the truth--but then he and Darla discover a precious little Christmas surprise that just might help them embrace a whole new life together.

: Includes a bonus story

Buy this on Amazon 

                               MY REVIEW:


A Cowboy for Christmas (Rocky Mountain Riders, #6)A Cowboy for Christmas by Sara  Richardson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When the town's cafe burns down Darla makes a plan to have a fundraiser to help raise money to build it back up. Even adding in a bachelor auction and cowboy calendar. She wants Ty's help and his brother but then has to pretend to be his fiance when his family comes to town. Darla and Ty have been friends with benefits for awhile. She does not want a relationship because she has been a widow for 10 years and does not want to lose someone again and have her heart hurt.
Ty's brother, Rhett, is a player in the NFL and a womanizer. Ty's parents don't miss to many of Rhett's games but have never ever gone to one of Ty's bull riding rodeos. Even when he has paid for their tickets. He feels like he isn't good enough and his brother is the favorite.
Then another surprise happens between Ty and Darla that will make them rethink where they stand with each other and their fake engagement.
This was such a fun read and once you get to know Ty, Darla, Rhett and the rest of Ty's family them things start to come together and the honesty starts.
I received this from Forever and NetGalley for an honest review.


Sara  Richardson

Born
in Denver, The United States
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
May 2014


Contemporary romance author Sara Richardson has been a communications manager, copy writer, magazine editor, and whitewater rafting guide. The day after graduating with a master’s degree in journalism, Sara realized she was too empathetic to be a journalist and starting writing her first novel instead. A lifelong fascination with true love quickly led her to the romance genre.

Her Heart of the Rockies series was published by Grand Central Forever in 2015. In 2016, her debut novel, No Better Man, was nominated for a RITA in the best first book category. Sara is passionate about writing stories that inspire people to believe in love and always enjoys connecting with readers. Learn more at www.sararichardson.com.




View all my reviews


Book Reveal: Disenchanted by Brianna Sugalski








Disenchanted
Brianna Sugalski
Published by: Parliament House
Publication date: March 10th 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Centuries ago, the flames of a terrible war engulfed the sprawling wildwood of Brittany, displacing hoards of monsters in its wake. These beasts fled to the remaining patches of forest, the largest known as Brocèliande—home to the elusive Fae, and within unsettling proximity to the mortal kingdom.
***
A Breton princess at the peak of the French Renaissance, Lilac lives prisoner in her parents’ castle after a wicked secret is revealed on the eve of her tenth birthday soirée. Years later, her coronation ceremony looms, and between the riotous townsfolk and scheming nobleman bent on snatching the throne, Lilac prepares for the worst… Until a mysterious letter arrives from The Witch of Lupine Grotto, detailing a curious offer to cure her darkness forever.
Lilac begrudgingly trades her coronet for a cloak and ventures into the forest Brocéliande in pursuit of the impious enchantress at the edge of town. With only the protection of an inherited dagger—and unsolicited help of the gregarious stranger who inserts himself on her quest—she must traverse Brocèliande and return in time to claim her rightful position as sovereign monarch.
This is the story of a cursed princess,

A crestfallen killer,
The town that wants them to burn,
And the witch that can save them both.


Author Bio:
With an education in Mass Communication—and an engrossment in all that is curios, conundrum, and bewitching—Brianna Sugalski is a writer and blogger for The Parliament House Press. Previously, she was a contributor for Lifestyle & Fashion online magazine, Sarah Scoop, and also served as Copy Editor and Editor-In-Chief at her school publications. All this time spent writing paid off; her New Adult/ Dark Fantasy novel, DISENCHANTED, was recently acquired for publication, and is slated for release in Spring of 2020.


Brianna was born and raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, but now travels every few years with her husband and two children. As the first writer in a family whose majority works in the medical field, she also feels an important calling to heal others as an artist—though she is content doing so through the often underestimated power of communication. She admires many luminaries of the Victorian Era; the romanticism of period literature has inspired her to paint vibrant settings of nature and narratives that readers will hopefully enjoy.
Ultimately, she aspires to make readers laugh, to challenge their perspectives and to help them discover the magical meaning of their own powers within.


XBTBanner1




Sunday, October 27, 2019

Blog Tour: The Gift of Happiness by Holly Martin



The Gift of HappinessChristmas has arrived in the little village of Happiness, promising snowflakes, hot chocolate and plenty of seasonal romance. So snuggle up and fall in love with the gorgeously cosy new story from the bestselling author of Christmas at Lilac Cottage…

Christmas has always been such an important part of Ruby Marlowe’s life and at a time of year that always holds so many memories, Ruby likes to throw herself into the magic of the season head first. So when she is offered the opportunity to open a year-round Christmas shop in the little village of Happiness it seems like a dream come true.

Accepting the offer has absolutely nothing to do with sexy Jacob Harrington, the sculptor she had a fling with in the village during the summer.

After all, Jacob is known to love the ladies and has never had a commitment. Ruby, on the other hand, made the ultimate vow of love and suffered heart-wrenching loss in return. She vows she will never be committed to a man again.

But when fate throws Ruby and Jacob together in this town in the most magical of seasons, will more than snowflakes fall? As the Christmas celebrations get underway and Ruby tries to spread her own Christmas magic over the little village, can love sparkle and come back to life.


                              MY REVIEW:


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is the 2nd book of this series. It is set in The Village of Happiness and at Christmas time. Ruby Marlowe has moved to Happiness and with her the store she owns which is all Christmas. When she gets there she realizes she has to share the store with a sculptor. Only to find out it is a man she had a fling with last summer and thought she would never see again. The sculptor, Jacob, is a ladies man and has all the women wanting him. Even the older ladies flirt with him. There is 1 woman though who really wants him and is very nasty to Ruby.
The books starts out with Ruby playing a prank that actually ends up saving an animals life. Ruby fits right into this town and even gets everyone involved in events for Christmas. The times that she has to spend with Jacob brings them closer but she doesn't want to get involved with anyone and have her heart broken like it was years ago. She doesn't feel that it is worth having a relationship and falling in love but Jacob is out to prove her wrong.
I received this from Inkslinger for a review.

View all my reviews

Amazon


Holly MartinHolly Martin

Born
Birmingham, The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
October 2013


Holly lives in a little white cottage by the sea. She studied media at university which led to a very glitzy career as a hotel receptionist followed by a even more glamorous two years working in a bank. The moment that one of her colleagues received the much coveted carriage clock for fifteen years’ service was the moment when she knew she had to escape. She quit her job and returned to university to train to be a teacher. Three years later, she emerged wide eyed and terrified that she now had responsibility for the development of thirty young minds. She taught for four years and then escaped the classroom to teach history workshops, dressing up as a Viking one day and an Egyptian High Priestess the next. But the long journeys around the UK and many hours sat on the M25 gave her a lot of time to plan out her stories and she now writes full time, doing what she loves.

Holly has been writing for 8 years. She was shortlisted for the New Talent Award at the Festival of Romance. Her short story won the Sunlounger competition and was published in the Sunlounger anthology. She won the Carina Valentine’s competition at the Festival of Romance 2013 with her novel The Guestbook. She was shortlisted for Best Romantic Read, Best eBook and Innovation in Romantic Fiction at the Festival of Romance 2014. She is the bestselling author of 18 books






Book Review: Christmas With a Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Christmas with a Cowboy (Longhorn Canyon, #5)

A rugged Texas cowboy gets into the Christmas spirit to prove himself to the woman he loves in this heartwarming fifth novel of the USA Today bestselling series.

Maverick Callahan lives up to his reputation as a freewheeling cowboy. But a year ago he fell head-over-heels for an extraordinary woman he met while on vacation, a woman he was convinced he'd never see again. So when she appears on his doorstep like a Christmas miracle, Maverick is determined not to waste his lucky break.

Bridget O'Malley's world has flipped upside down. As the new guardian of her best friend's baby, she hasn't had a moment to think about the Texas rancher who broke her heart. He's just as sexy as ever, but she knows better than anyone that he's not the settling-down type. As the trees are trimmed and mistletoe hung, will some holiday magic help Bridget trust this carefree cowboy with her heart and her future?

Includes a bonus novella, "Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas" by Sara Richardson!


AMAZON

                                                  MY REVIEW:

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Maverick is on holiday when he meets Bridget. It was a very short relationship and he can't get her out of his mind. They will never see each other again. It is about a year later he goes to see his grandmother and Bridget is the one taking care of her, with a baby in tow. But it isn't his. Her best friend's were killed in a car accident and she became guardian of the baby.
I loved this book. For a guy who never wanted to settle down or have kids he is so good with children and they all love him. Other women see him as a brother and he is there for everyone. SO much so that Bridget misunderstands a couple of things and then realizes it and feels like a fool. Maverick knows she is the one for him but she keeps saying she is going back home when his grandmother is all better and he doesn't want to leave the ranch. You will have to read this to find out what happened between these 2 and where they want to settle down.
I received this from Forever and NetGalley for a review.



Carolyn Brown

Carolyn Brown


Website

Genre

Folks ask me where I get my ideas. Three kids, fifteen grandchildren, two great grandchildren. Note: I was a very young grandmother! Life is a zoo around here when they all come home. In one Sunday afternoon there's enough ideas to keep me writing for years and years. Seriously, ideas pop up at the craziest times. When one sinks its roots into my mind, I have no choice but to write the story. And while I'm writing the characters peek over my shoulder and make sure I'm telling it right and not exaggerating too much. Pesky little devils, they are!

I have a wonderful agent, Erin Niumata, who continues to work magic and sell my work. I'm very lucky to have her and my editors who continue to believe in me.







Friday, October 25, 2019

Book review: The Flower Show Murder by Faith Martin

The Flower Show Murder (Monica Noble, #2)

Discover a new series of murder mysteries set in an idyllic English village. From million-selling author Faith Martin.


Meet Monica Noble: the vicar’s wife with a taste for solving crimes.


Please note this book was first published as “UNHOLY WHIFF OF DEATH” under Faith Martin’s pen name JOYCE CATO.


SMELL THE ROSES AND DIE!


Monica Noble is thrilled to be asked to judge a neighbouring village’s flower show, even if she can't tell a begonia from an azalea!


Her fellow judge Vicar James Davies inhales deeply from a large bloom and drops dead in the tent. At first everyone thinks he’s had a heart attack, but the doctor on hand is suspicious and calls in the police.


A second murder quickly follows, this time of one of the main suspects.


Monica must help Chief Inspector Jason Dury to solve the two murders and find the killer — fast, before anyone else pays the ultimate price.


This is the second of a series of enjoyable murder mysteries with great characters and baffling crimes which will keep you gripped till the final page.


Perfect for fans of classic whodunits by authors like Agatha Christie, LJ Ross, TE Kinsey, and J.R. Ellis.


MONICA NOBLE was widowed young, leaving her to raise her feisty daughter on her own. That is, until she met and fell in love with Graham Noble, a country vicar (pastor), who enticed her to leave her high-flying job in advertising in the city and move to the Cotswold countryside. There she found bucolic life very pleasant indeed — until murder started to rear its ugly head. And she discovered, to everyone's surprise, that she had a flair for solving the most unholy of crimes.


FAITH MARTIN is the million-selling author of the DETECTIVE HILLARY GREENE and JENNY STARLING mysteries, which have topped the global best-seller charts.


What readers are saying about The Flower Show Murder


"Really enjoyed it." Aileen


"A thoroughly engaging read." Ruth


"Keeps the tension until the end." Annemarie


More MONICA NOBLE mysteries coming soon. Join the Joffe Books mailing list to be the first to hear about the next in the series.


MONICA NOBLE MYSTERIES

Book 1: THE VICARAGE MURDER
Book 2: THE FLOWER SHOW MURDER

JENNY STARLING MYSTERIES

Book 1: THE BIRTHDAY MYSTERY
Book 2: THE WINTER MYSTERY
Book 3: THE RIVERBOAT MYSTERY
Book 4: THE CASTLE MYSTERY
Book 5: THE OXFORD MYSTERY
Book 6: THE TEATIME MYSTERY
Book 7: THE COUNTRY INN MYSTERY


Kindle Edition230 pages
Published September 30th 2019 by Joffe Books crime, thriller and mystery
Buy this on Amazon 

                             My Review;    


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cozy mystery that I really enjoyed. Monica Noble is a Vicars's wife and seems to get involved in solving murders. The village is having a flower show and Monica is a judge as well as a few others in town.A fellow judge is also a Vicar and he is killed while sniffing flowers. Everyone thought he had a heart attack but Monica found what had happened to him. A second murder happens and it happens to be one of the suspects of the Vicar's death.
Monica helps the Chief Inspector solve what is going on despite being told to stay out of it.
Monica also has a teenage daughter who is up to no good in trying to get her foot into being a model and following around a photographer.
We have a millionaire who owns a lab who is a no good person and divorcing his wife.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for review.



Faith Martin

Faith Martin



Born
Oxford, England, The United Kingdom
Genre



Faith Martin is a pen name of English author Jacquie Walton, who is best known for her popular detective series, starring Detective Inspector Hillary Greene.

As Joyce Cato, she writes more classically-inspired 'cosy' murder mysteries. As Maxine Barry, her latest romance novels are now available from Corazon Books. As Jessie Daniels, her 'spooky' crime novel, The Lavender Lady Casefile came out in November 2017.