Author: Kimberly

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Kimberly reviews Pivot By Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy & Rebecca Zanetti

TITLE: Pivot
CHARACTERS: Meri, Melanie & Michelle
AUTHOR: Kat Martin, Alexandra Ivy & Rebecca Zanetti
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/31/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
As girls, they bonded over broken homes and growing up in foster care.
As women, they’re fighting for their lives, and loves, once more . . .

MERI
When Meriwether Jones takes her young daughter and runs from trouble in L.A., that trouble follows. By the time Meri reaches Spokane, she’s out of gas, money, and ideas. Luckily, ex-cop Ian Brodie hires her to help him with his father’s farmhouse, and they seem like the answer to each other’s prayers. But Meri is keeping a dangerous secret–and Ian is in danger of losing his heart . . .https://books-n-kisses.com/wp-admin/post-new.php#edit_timestamp

MELANIE
That secret explodes when Melanie Cassidy spots two men trying to kidnap a young boy she tutors and responds by ramming them with her car. The last thing she expects is for the man she once loved, Detective Gray Hawkins, to appear and rescue them both. Now she has no choice but to trust him as they investigate the truth about a conspiracy of dirty, drug trafficking cops–and the truth about their relationship . . .

MICHELLE
After a rough youth, Michelle Peach was finally content in Portland–until two men broke into her home, threatened her, and sent her mentally unstable mom on a blackmail spree that Michelle has to stop. The last person Michelle wants to see is her ex, Evan Boldon, a former marine turned sheriff. But Evan misses the woman who walked away instead of letting him help years ago. This time he’s not asking permission; he’s going to put a stop to the trouble stalking Michelle and her friends–and win her heart for good.

REVIEW:
You can not go wrong with Rebecca Zanetti or Alexandra Ivy but to put them together makes it all the better. And Kat Martin is a great third to the anthology.

As a fan of Zanetti and Ivy there wasn’t a chance that I wouldn’t like this and I was right. Seeing familiar characters was great.

And meeting new characters (to me) from Kat Martin was great as well.

Highly recommend this anthology.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Phantom Echoes by B.D. Wilson

TITLE: Phantom Echoes
SERIES #: Ghostlines #1
CHARACTERS: Holden
AUTHOR: B.D. Wilson
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/30/18
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Being a psychic doesn’t mean you have to believe in Ghosts.
Unfortunately for Holden, his best friend refuses to accept that.
Holden can read the history of an object just by touching it. It’s been a struggle most of his life and every time he’s tried to use it for a beneficial purpose it’s gone horribly wrong.
But when his best friend convinces Holden to step in for a paranormal investigation, it turns out hauntings are as real as psychics. Sticking with the investigation risks landing him in the hospital again. Leaving means abandoning the ghosts who are repeating the night of their deaths over and over forever. Can he really walk away when he might be the only one who can help?

REVIEW:
This was a short story that honestly could have been longer and may have been more interesting. The concept is great. And who doesn’t like a psychic suspense? But being so short we don’t get to know the characters enough.

I believe I would have enjoyed this being a full story instead of a short story.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kelly reviews Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

TITLE: Gideon the Ninth
SERIES #: The Locked Tomb #1
CHARACTERS: Gideon the Ninth & Harrowhark Nonagesimus
AUTHOR: Tamsyn Muir
PUBLICATION DATE: September 10, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N
BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap off the page, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

THE LOCKED TOMB TRILOGY
BOOK 1: Gideon the Ninth
BOOK 2: Harrow the Ninth
BOOK 3: Alecto the Ninth

REVIEW:
Where to begin with this book? Let’s start with the cover. Is this not one of the most amazing book covers you have ever seen? If you buy the hardback the edges of all the pages are black (sigh). It looks amazing on my shelf, I am looking forward to getting the other two books in the trilogy too.
Okay on to the story.
It took me a long time to get into this story and I mean a very long time. At about 50% I was finally feeling the story. At 60% I was hooked. The story took a long time to develop. There were many times that I was confused over who was who and everyone’s nicknames for each other. I think what made it hard to get into is that you don’t know the history of the world or the characters right away. It is a slow trickle of information in the book.
But the one character that I loved from the start was Gideon. Everyone loves an underdog. Gideon is great! I loved her sassiness and forwardness.
And with the ending of Gideon the Ninth…… Well I can’t tell you that.

But overall I did enjoy this necromancers sci-fi story. I am looking forward to Harrowhawk the Ninth.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this book and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Vendetta Road by Christine Feehan

TITLE: Vendetta Road
SERIES #: Torpedo Ink #3
CHARACTERS: Ice & Soleil
AUTHOR: Christine Feehan
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/01/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan pushes the limits in her next novel in the Torpedo Ink series.

Isaak “Ice” Koval is on a club mission when he sees a woman who stops him dead in his tracks. Soleil is a sweet, sexy, girl-next-door type. She’s an innocent who should be nowhere near the rough-and-ready world of the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club. But Ice knows Soleil belongs with him—and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.

After a life of drifting from one thing to the next, Soleil Brodeur is determined to take control of her life. When her breakup with her manipulative fiancé turns ugly, Soleil searches out the stranger who offered her a lifeline and ends up in a Las Vegas biker bar where she meets a gorgeous, dangerous man straight out of her most secret fantasies.

High on adrenaline, she finds herself falling faster than she thought possible. But Soleil knows little about the territory she’s stumbled into, and even less about what it really means to be Ice’s woman.…

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I want to preface this with I am comparing this to other Christine Feehan books and not what I would have given any other author having read this book. I have read a lot of Feehan books and for some reason this one just didn’t do it for me.

It was almost like this book was rushed and had a bit too much sex. The sex in Feehan’s books is always good. It always is hot and written to entice. But the other part of the book just didn’t meet the standards of other books written by her…..

Now with that being said… As I said I am comparing it to Feehan books and not other authors. Comparing it to other authors would have brought the review numbers higher. Feehan is one of the best.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kimberly reviews When You See Me by Lisa Gardner

TITLE: When You See Me
CHARACTERS: Kimberly, Warren & Flora
AUTHOR: Lisa Gardner
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/28/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Bestselling author Lisa Gardner unites three of her most loved characters -Detective D.D. Warren, Flora Dane, and Kimberly Quincy – in a twisty new thriller, as they investigate a mysterious murder from the past that points to a dangerous and chilling present-day crime.

FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective DD Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. And when a disturbing piece of evidence comes to light, they decide to bring in Flora Dane who has personal experience of being imprisoned by Ness.

Their investigations take them to a small town deep in the hills of Georgia where something seems to be deeply wrong.

What at first seems like a Gothic eeriness soon hardens into something much more sinister as they discover that for all the evil Jacob committed while alive, his worst secret is still to be revealed.

Quincy and DD must summon their considerable skills and experience to crack the most disturbing case of their careers – and Flora must face her own past directly in the hope of saving others.

REVIEW:
This is the 11th in the series and I do not think I have read any of them but I just thought this book sounded interesting and to be honest I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I requested it. That being said it can be read as a stand alone but I did think I was missing a bit of info about Quincy and DD but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

This is about a serial killer and I found the writing into the forensics world was so specific and intense that it drew me into the suspense of the story.

I found this to be a great story with a lot of interesting detail as well as the story of the characters.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Lethal Game by Christine Feehan

TITLE: Lethal Game
SERIES #: GhostWalkers #16
CHARACTERS: Malichai & Amaryllis
AUTHOR: Christine Feehan
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/03/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The sparks of unexpected passion ignite in this electrifying GhostWalker novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

When Malichai Fortunes attacks a problem, he does it full force–a habit that earns the GhostWalker a painful injury and a forced vacation in San Diego, California. With nothing but physical therapy on the horizon, Malichai is starting to get restless…until a striking blue-eyed blonde makes all his senses come alive.

Amaryllis is kind and warm and sees beyond Malichai’s rough exterior, but he can tell there’s something she’s hiding. Her innate healing abilities indicate she might be a GhostWalker–albeit an untrained one. Malichai doesn’t think their crossing paths is anything more than coincidence, but he can sense that one wrong word could send Amaryllis running.

When strange events at his temporary retreat put Malichai on high alert, he knows he won’t be able to deal with the threat and keep his woman safe in his weakened state. But calling in his brothers means telling Amaryllis what he really is, and revealing that he knows the truth about her too…

REVIEW:
I just love the GhostWalker series. I like anything Christine Feehan writes. But something was a bit different about this GhostWalker romance. I am not exactly sure how to explain what was different but something was.

I really fell for Malichai. He is hurt but nothing stops him. And part of the suspense is trying to find out why he is not healing the way he should. I mean he is a GhostWalker after all. And Amaryllis is a great character as well. I just wanted to be her friend.

There is truly nothing Feehan writes that is not good. Usually better than good. But I will say this series can not be read as a stand alone. There is a lot of background that moves between the books in this series.

Another GREAT read!

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews Crush The King by Jennifer Estep

TITLE: Crush the King
SERIES #: Crown of Shards #3
CHARACTERS: Everleigh Blair Winter
AUTHOR: Jennifer Estep
PUBLICATION DATE: March 17, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A fierce gladiator queen must face off against her enemies in an epic battle in this next thrilling installment of New York Timesand USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards series—an action-packed adventure full of magic, murderous machinations, courtly intrigue, and pulse-pounding romance.

Queen Everleigh Blair of Bellona has survived the mass murder of the royal family, become a fearsome warrior trained by an elite gladiator troupe, and unleashed her ability to destroy magic. After surviving yet another assassination attempt orchestrated by the conniving king of Morta, Evie has had enough. It’s time to turn the tables and take the fight to her enemies.
There is no better opportunity to strike than during the Regalia Games, a time when warriors, nobles, and royals from all the kingdoms come together to compete in various sporting events. With the help of her loyal friends, Evie goes on the attack at the Regalia, but things don’t turn out the way she hopes. Soon, she is facing a terrifying new threat, and she will have to dig deep and learn even more about her growing magic if she has any chance of defeating her foes.
Because to secure her throne and ensure her kingdom’s survival, Evie must think like a true Bellonan: she must outsmart and outwit her enemies . . . and crush the king.

REVIEW:
Crush the King follows Queen Everleigh and her friends into the annual Regalia Games and what could possibly be their final stand against the Mortans.

Wait… What…. No….. I need more pages…. *frantically clicking kindle for the next page*. This was my original reaction when I finished Crush the King.

I did enjoy this book very much but wanted more. More pages, more story, more Sullivan. I was not ready to leave yet. But I am thankful after the major angst from Protect the Prince that there was not that level of angst again. My poor heart couldn’t have handled it again.

Crush the King was a bit slow moving for me. Great story but slow. I was happy with how much Everleigh has grown over the course of these three books. And truly loved her ability to play the long game and how each piece of the puzzle fell into place.

It took me a bit to regroup and realize that this trilogy is over. But I am really, really hoping that there will be spin offs and that the publisher will realize that there are so many more stories that need to be told. I love the world that Jennifer has created and hope that we will get to come back to Bellona again soon.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Edelweiss, NetGalley & Harper Collins/Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh

TITLE: Cross Her Heart
SERIES #: Bree Taggert #1
CHARACTERS: Bree Taggert
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/17/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A homicide detective’s violent family history repeats itself in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of murder, secrets, and retribution.

For more than twenty-five years, Philadelphia homicide detective Bree Taggert has tucked away the nightmarish childhood memories of her parents’ murder-suicide…Until her younger sister, Erin, is killed in a crime that echoes that tragic night: innocent witnesses and a stormy marriage that ended in gunfire. There’s just one chilling difference. Erin’s husband, Justin, has vanished.

Bree knows how explosive the line between love and hate can be, yet the evidence against her troubled brother-in-law isn’t adding up. Teaming up with Justin’s old friend, former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler Matt Flynn, Bree vows to uncover the secrets of her sister’s life and death, as she promised Erin’s children. But as her investigation unfolds, the danger hits close to home. Once again, Bree’s family is caught in a death grip. And this time, it could be fatal for her.

REVIEW:
This is a new series by an author I have heard a lot about so I decided to try it. And I am so glad I did. Now I get it. The writing of Leigh is great. She pulls you in right away.

Bree comes back to her hometown and is immediately pulled into an investigation that she doesn’t think the police are handling correctly. And she has to team up with Matt who just happens to be the suspects be3st friend. So of course he has an ulterior motive.

I can’t wait to read the next in the series. And I think I may need to go back and read some other books by Melinda Leigh.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

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Kelly reviews Cross Her Heart by Melinda Leigh

TITLE: Cross Her Heart
SERIES #: Bree Taggert #1
CHARACTERS: Bree Taggert & Matt Flynn
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: March 17, 2020
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A homicide detective’s violent family history repeats itself in #1 Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh’s novel of murder, secrets, and retribution.

For more than twenty-five years, Philadelphia homicide detective Bree Taggert has tucked away the nightmarish childhood memories of her parents’ murder-suicide…Until her younger sister, Erin, is killed in a crime that echoes that tragic night: innocent witnesses and a stormy marriage that ended in gunfire. There’s just one chilling difference. Erin’s husband, Justin, has vanished.

Bree knows how explosive the line between love and hate can be, yet the evidence against her troubled brother-in-law isn’t adding up. Teaming up with Justin’s old friend, former sheriff’s investigator and K-9 handler Matt Flynn, Bree vows to uncover the secrets of her sister’s life and death, as she promised Erin’s children. But as her investigation unfolds, the danger hits close to home. Once again, Bree’s family is caught in a death grip. And this time, it could be fatal for her.

REVIEW:
Bree Taggert has to return to her hometown to once again face a violent death in her family. Once Bree returns to town she finds that she can’t just sit back and let the local police handle the investigation. Bree will team up with Matt Flynn (who just happens to be the prime suspects best friend).

But will Bree be ready for all the secrets and lies she is about to uncover?

Another great story by Melinda Leigh! Cross Her Heart is the first book in her new Bree Taggert Series. I am very excited to see where this series goes. It was fun to see a few familiar names from past series also. I am already looking forward to book two See Her Die (September 1, 2020).
If you are looking for a good suspense read I would highly suggest that you pick up a copy of Cross Her Heart.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Montlake Romance in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

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Kimberly reviews The Numbers Game by Danielle Steel

TITLE: The Numbers Game
CHARACTERS: Eileen & Paul
AUTHOR: Danielle Steel
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/03/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In Danielle Steel’s stunning novel, modern relationships come together, fall apart, and are reinvented over time, proving that age is just a number.

Eileen Jackson was happy to set aside her own dreams to raise a family with her husband, Paul. Together they built an ordinary life in a Connecticut town, the perfect place for their kids to grow up. But when Eileen discovers that Paul’s late nights in the city are hiding an affair with a younger woman, she begins to question all those years of sacrifice and compromise. On the brink of forty and wondering what she’s going to do with the rest of her life, is it too late for her to start over?

Meanwhile, as Paul is thrust back into the role of suburban fatherhood, his girlfriend, Olivia, is in Manhattan, struggling to find herself in the shadow of her mother, a famous actress, and her grandmother, a fiercely independent ninety-two-year-old artist. With their unique brands of advice ringing in her head, Olivia takes a major step, expanding her art gallery business internationally. Seeing her mother pursue old dreams and even find new love, Olivia realizes that there is so much she must learn about herself before committing her life to someone else.

Ultimately, Eileen decides to chase her own dreams as well. She’s off to Paris to attend Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. What awaits is an adventure that reinvents her life and redefines her.

At every age, there are challenges to be met and new worlds to discover. In this surprising, illuminating novel, Danielle Steel gives us a warmhearted portrait of people driven by their emotions, life experiences, and loyalties, who realize that it’s never too late to turn a new page and start again.

REVIEW:
As with all books from Danielle Steel there is a lesson to be learned as you read between the lines. In this story we learn that life is not over just because you think you are too old to start over.

In this story we meet Eileen who finds out her husband is having an affair when she thought she was living the ideal life. Now she doesn’t know if she can start over or how to even get started. But she watched her mom start over and figures she can too. So off she goes to Paris and begins anew.

I loved meeting Eileen, her mom and her grandmother. These three women are a bit of all of us. They are who we are, who we were and who we want to be at different points in our life.

Another great read from Danielle Steel!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews The Hunt For History by Nathan Raab

TITLE: The Hunt For History
CHARACTERS: Historical Characters
AUTHOR: Nathan Raab
PUBLICATION DATE: 03/10/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
On the Trail of the World’s Lost Treasures—from the Letters of Lincoln, Churchill, and Einstein to the Secret Recordings Onboard JFK’s Air Force One

Nathan Raab, America’s preeminent rare documents dealer, describes his years as the Sherlock Holmes of historical artifacts—questing after precious finds and determining their authenticity—and he shows us what the past can tell us about the present.

A box uncovered in a Maine attic with twenty letters written by Alexander Hamilton; a handheld address to Congress by President George Washington; a long-lost Gold Medal that belonged to an American President; a note that Winston Churchill wrote to his captor when he was a young POW in South Africa; paperwork signed and filled out by Amelia Earhart when she became the first woman to fly the Atlantic; an American flag carried to the moon and back by Neil Armstrong; an unpublished letter written by Albert Einstein, discussing his theory of relativity.

Each day, people from all over the world contact Nathan Raab for help understanding what they have, what it might be worth, and how to sell it. The Raab Collection’s president, Nathan is a modern-day treasure hunter and one of the world’s most prominent dealers of historical artifacts. Most weeks, he travels the country, scours auctions, or fields phone calls and emails from people who think they may have found something of note in a grandparent’s attic.

In The Hunt for History, Raab shares some fascinating stories about his professional exploits: spotting a letter from British officials that secured the Rosetta Stone; discovering a piece of the first electric cable laid by Edison; restoring a fragmented letter from Andrew Jackson that led to the infamous Trail of Tears; and locating copies of missing audio that had been recorded on Air Force One as the plane brought JFK’s body back to Washington. Whether it’s the first report of Napoleon’s death or an unpublished letter penned by Albert Einstein to a curious soldier, every document and artifact Raab uncovers comes with a spellbinding story—and often offers new insights into a life we thought we knew.

REVIEW:
As a fan of history I couldn’t wait to read this book. And I am so glad I got to. I have never heard of Nathan Raab but I will be looking into him more now. I found the information he has really fascinating. So much rare and informative documents and artifacts.

I loved the writing style of Raab. I found myself sharing some of the information with others without even realizing I had retained the facts.

I actually think I will buy the hard copy so we have it for generations to come.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.