Category: 3 Star

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Kimberly reviews Bombshell: The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe by Mike Rothmiller & Douglas Thompson

TITLE: Bombshell: The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe
CHARACTERS: Marilyn Monroe & Bobby Kennedy
AUTHOR: Mike Rothmiller & Douglas Thompson
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/08/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Bombshell: The Night Bobby Kennedy Murdered Marilyn Monroe tells the essential truth of the death of Marilyn Monroe at the hand of Robert Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States. Drawing on unseen police files, Marilyn Monroe’s private diary, and first-hand testimony, this book proves that Robert Kennedy was directly responsible for her death. It details Marilyn Monroe’s tumultuous personal involvement with him and his brother, President John Kennedy. The new evidence and testimony is provided by Mike Rothmiller who, as an agent of the Organized Crime Intelligence Division (OCID) of the LAPD, had direct personal access to hundreds of secret files on exactly what happened at Marilyn Monroe’s Californian home on August 5, 1962. With his training and specialist knowledge, Rothmiller used that unseen information to get to the heart of the matter, to the people who were there the night Marilyn Monroe died—two of whom played major roles in the cover-up—and the wider conspiracy to protect the Kennedys at all costs. There will be those with doubts, but to them, the lawman—who has advised the White House, the Pentagon, and international crime agencies—says the printed, forensic, and oral evidence are totally convincing. He insists: “If I presented my evidence in any court of law, I’d get a conviction.” Includes eight pages of black and white photographs.

REVIEW:
I, as many, have always loved Marilyn Monroe. And of course, as a fan, we know the stories. Was it drugs? The mob? The Kennedy’s? And if so which one? This book tries to prove it was Bobby.

Here is the thing. This book is all speculation. And while the idea of what happened that night and before that night is interesting I can only put it in the category of another conspiracy theory.

The writing was a bit choppy and scattered. The “evidence” is circumstantial at best.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Unheard by Nikki French

TITLE: The Unheard
CHARACTERS: Tess
AUTHOR: Nikki French
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/26/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
‘He did kill. Kill and kill and kill.’

Tess’s number one priority has always been her three-year-old daughter Poppy. But splitting up with Poppy’s father Jason means that she cannot always be there to keep her daughter safe.

When she finds a disturbing drawing, dark and menacing, among her daughter’s brightly coloured paintings, Tess is convinced that Poppy has witnessed something terrible. Something that her young mind is struggling to put into words.

But no one will listen. It’s only a child’s drawing, isn’t it?

Tess will protect Poppy, whatever the price. But when she doesn’t know what, or who, she is protecting her from, how can she possibly know who to trust . . . ?

REVIEW:
This is a husband and wife writing team that I have never read before. And I would have said I am not interested in reading again, however after looking at a number of different reviews I have read many saying “This is not the normal writings of Nicci French” so I may be willing to try again.

One of my biggest issues is the fact that this seemed like the same old all over again. Distressed mom who is no longer in love with her husband but they stay together because of the kids. It just seems that that storyline is the soup du jour right now. Every suspense has a young mom in trouble.

I never really connected with the characters and I prefer a book where I do not have a chance of figuring out the answer and this is not one of them.

I will try the French duo again just to be sure.

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

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Kimberly reviews Such A Good Girl by Willow Rose

TITLE: Such A Good Girl
SERIES #: Eva Rae Thomas Mysteries #9
CHARACTERS: Eva Rae Thomas
AUTHOR: Willow Rose
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/23/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
FBI-profiler Eva Rae Thomas faces a devious plan in bestselling author Willow Rose’s blood-rushing thriller of murder and revenge.

A girl falls from the penthouse floor of an apartment in Washington, D.C.

Media Mogul Richard Wanton owns the apartment and is seen standing on the balcony when the girl falls.

He is accused of killing her, but the FBI is struggling to find enough solid evidence to convict him.

They have a witness, someone who was in the apartment when it happened, but she doesn’t want to talk to them.

She’ll only speak to one person, ex-FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas. The problem is, Eva Rae Thomas has no interest in talking to her.

As a matter of fact, she’d rather see this woman dead than have to face her.

But Eva Rae Thomas isn’t someone who can leave a case alone, especially not when she starts to ask questions and things aren’t adding up.

As she digs in deeper—with the entire world watching—she soon finds herself in too deep and realizes she can’t trust anyone’s motives.

But by then, it is too late, and the killer is already tracking her down.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I will be honest. I asked for all the books that Willow Rose recently put on NetGalley hoping I had found a new author. I got the first in this series and wasn’t sure about the writing. Then this one is #9. I will say I can tell the author has matured in her writing style and I appreciate that but I am just not sure that this author is for me.

Of the number of series I requested this is my favorite by Rose. I am just not sure that I would run out and pick up the books in the series I have not read.

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

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Kimberly reviews You Are Stronger Than You Think by Joel Osteen

TITLE: You Are Stronger Than You Think
CHARACTERS: Self Help
AUTHOR: Joel Osteen
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/12/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:

You were designed with the ability and inner strength to stretch to the next level, to stand strong and overcome the opposition, to learn new skills, to believe bigger, dream bigger, and to take on new challenges.

In You Are Stronger than You Think, #1 New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen encourages you to stand firm when the difficulty is not turning around. When the pressure mounts, when you feel overwhelmed, when the struggle looks too big, or the goal is out of reach, you have to remember that is not your destiny. You are more powerful than you think. You need to see yourself the right way and realize what’s already inside you. You were made to outlast the competition, to go further than you thought you could, and live a life beyond what limits you.

As you read You Are Stronger than You Think, you will find the power to break the cycle of defeat, the courage to set a new standard for your family, the hope to conquer your fear, and the confidence to accomplish every dream. You will discover that you have more strength, more talent, more determination, and more endurance than you ever imagined. Nothing can hold you back…because You Are Stronger than You Think!

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts Honestly, there is not a lot to say about this book. Either you are already a fan of Osteen or not. Of course, this is written just as he preaches. There are a lot of personal stories and affirmations, a lot of scripture references and it is uplifting.

If you are going through a rough patch or find yourself feeling “less than” this is probably exactly what you need. It very much falls under the “God will not give you more than you can handle”.

If you NEED this book you will find it.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Killer In The Snow by Alex Pine

TITLE: The Killer In The Snow
SERIES #: DI JamesWalker #2
CHARACTERS: James Walker
AUTHOR: Alex Pine
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/26/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The first fall of snow can be fatal…

A year has passed since DI James Walker cracked his biggest case yet, and he’s hoping for peace and quiet this festive season.

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little evidence. And the crime scene has strange echoes of another terrible murder committed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier…

James knows that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a case that has long since gone cold…

Perfect for fans of smash-hit TV series Whitehouse Farm, Simon McCleave’s The Snowdonia Killings and Catherine Cooper’s The Chalet.

REVIEW:
This is the second in the series. In this one James has to open up a cold case to solve a recent one.

I thought the concept of having to solve a decades old case to solve a recent one was great. I enjoyed the suspense part of the story.

However, I find it really hard to want to read these books. I am not a fan of the writing of Alex Pine. I wanted to give him a second chance but I still had a hard time. It might be the London influence but there doesn’t seem to be any emotions in the writing. It is very monotone to me.

I am not sure I will pick up book 3 but it might depend on the synopsis and give the series another try.

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

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Mistletoe In Juneau by Dahlia Rose

TITLE: Mistletoe In Juneau
CHARACTERS: Danni & Declan
AUTHOR: Dahlia Rose
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/19/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A heartwarming holiday romance from Hallmark and USA Today bestselling author Dahlia Rose that’s perfect for fans of Rochelle Alers and Debbie Macomber.

Danni’s a social media influencer who’s way out of her element. She sort-of broke up with her boyfriend-slash-manager, and she escaped her fast-paced life in New York to spend Christmas with an old friend in Juneau, Alaska. Danni takes in the beauty of the scenery and the warmth of the community…and she’s drawn to the local sheriff.

Before Declan was the sheriff, he was in the Army. An IED explosion cost him his leg…and his fiancée, who couldn’t deal with the injury. He knows Danni’s a city girl, while he loves the Alaskan wilderness. Could two very different people find what their hearts are looking for?

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts I couldn’t wait to read this book for the holidays. I lived in Alaska, though a different city, so I felt I already had a connection but I really had to force myself to get into this story. When I did I enjoyed it.

The story is one we have heard a million times. She needs a break from a crazy life. He has been burned before so has no desire to fall from another outsider. But sparks fly anyway.

Once I got into the story it was much better. There is good and bad in this story but romance is like that.

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

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Kimberly reviews Blood Red Winter by J.A. Conrad

TITLE: Blood Red Winter
CHARACTERS: Trent & Aria #1
AUTHOR: J.A. Conrad
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/08/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
No good deed goes unpunished…

Two months after his fiancée, Elizabeth Reinhardt, leaves him with no explanation, broken and confused, Trent Lemend is forced to pack up and start over in rural Georgetown, Texas. Believing his life could get no worse, Trent attempts to bury the inner demons of his past.

But when he stumbles upon a terrifying crime scene, Trent’s troubles are only just beginning. Discovering that one of the victims, an emaciated, blood-covered woman, is still alive, changes his life in ways he never thought possible.

Saving the woman destroys all that he’s ever known. Suddenly, as a witness, he’s the killer’s number one target. With the murderer on the loose, nobody is safe–especially Elizabeth, the only woman he’s ever loved. Now, it’s up to Trent to save his ex and reclaim his life. But will he discover a dangerous dark side of his own?

REVIEW:
I am so on the fence about this story. I enjoy stories I do not know the end to but then again I want some clues. I enjoyed most of the characters but BFF was written as if the author kept forgetting who the character was. The story was fast moving and a quick read but some of it was so far from realistic I skipped over sections. See why I am on the fence?

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

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Kimberly reviews Find Me In The Dark by Dea Poirier

TITLE: Find Me In The Dark
SERIES #: Det Harlow Durant #1
CHARACTERS: Harlow & Lucas
AUTHOR: Dea Poirier
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/21/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
My father’s path was one I never wanted to walk, but here I am, following drops of blood like a crumb trail left in the woods. I was born of murder, my life built on the bones of a prolific killer. And now, I must atone for sins that should not be mine to bear.

Detective Harlow Durant has spent a lifetime trying to escape the shadows of her tormented past. As the daughter of a convicted serial killer, Harlow was determined to turn her life around and is now the only female detective at the New York Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, bringing killers like her father to justice.

Upstate, in the small college town of Plattsburgh, the body of a young woman has been found inside a melting snowbank. Harlow and her partner Detective Lucas Park are immediately called in to investigate. Searching around the victim’s frozen body, they find a bracelet which identifies her as college student Alyssa Trent.

As Harlow and Lucas begin to gather evidence from the town’s shocked community, the snow continues to thaw and soon another two victims are discovered. With the body count rising fast it is clear that Harlow is hunting a serial killer. But what links these seemingly ordinary young women?

With a town living in fear and a killer at large, Harlow receives a chilling message from someone who knows her father’s case and knows the secret she has hidden from the bureau. Is she being warned off the case? And with a freak April snowstorm heading across the state, will Harlow risk everything to stop a killer dead in their tracks before they strike again?

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts This book was just not for me. The cop part of it was fine. The main characters are fine. The story is not really original but written fine. So the story should be “fine” right? Not really.

First off, the story is very dark and violent. So many details that seem to have been written in just to shock the reader. And the other thing I didn’t like much was the “man hating” attitude. It seems that Harlow believes most men have abused women or deep down hate women in some way. She is written to hate men but blames it on men hating women.

This book was just too much. Too much detail, too much man bashing and too much violence.

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

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Kimberly reviews Over My Dead Body by Jeffrey Archer

TITLE: Over My Dead Body
SERIES #: Det. William Warwick #4
CHARACTERS: Det Warwick
AUTHOR: Jeffrey Archer
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/19/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
An unputdownable story of murder, revenge and betrayal from international number one bestseller Jeffrey Archer.

THE CLOCK IS TICKING IN THIS ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF A THRILLER…

In London, the Metropolitan Police set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit—a cold case squad—to catch the criminals nobody else can.

In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner—convicted of forgery and theft—was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client?

On a luxury liner en route to New York, the battle for power at the heart of a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder.

And at the heart of all three investigations are Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick, rising star of the department, and ex-undercover agent Ross Hogan, brought in from the cold.

But can they catch the killers before it’s too late?

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the 4th in the series and I have now read three of them (missed #2).

OK, here is the thing about this book. It is so busy! There is so much going on that it is honestly hard to keep track of. The stories (yes multiple) that are going on are interesting in their own right but it moves so fast and switches between the cases that I felt I needed a notebook.

Archer is a great writer and I enjoy his books so maybe I wasn’t ready to have my mind so filled with details that it threw me off a bit. With that being said I wanted to know everything. I didn’t want to put it down even though when I did I found myself reviewing who was who.

Another good story by Archer. And I look forward to more in the series.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Room In The Attic by Louise Douglas

TITLE: The Room In The Attic
CHARACTERS: Lewis, Emma & Isak
AUTHOR: Louise Douglas
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/12/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A child who does not know her name…

In 1903 fishermen find a wrecked boat containing a woman, who has been badly beaten, and a young girl. An ambulance is sent for, and the two survivors are taken to All Hallows, the imposing asylum, hidden deep on Dartmoor. The woman remains in a coma, but the little girl, who the staff name Harriet, awakens and is taken to an attic room, far away from the noise of the asylum, and is put in the care of Nurse Emma Everdeen.

Two motherless boys banished to boarding school…

In 1993, All Hallows is now a boarding school. Following his mother’s death and his father’s hasty remarriage, Lewis Tyler is banished to Dartmoor, stripped of his fashionable clothes, shorn of his long hair, and left feeling more alone than ever. There he meets Isak, another lost soul, and whilst refurbishment of the dormitories is taking place, the boys are marooned up in the attic, in an old wing of the school.

Cries and calls from the past that can no longer be ignored…

All Hallows is a building full of memories, whispers, cries from the past. As Lewis and Isak learn more about the fate of Harriet, and Nurse Emma’s desperate fight to keep the little girl safe, it soon becomes clear there are ghosts who are still restless.

Are they ghosts the boys hear at night in the room above, are they the unquiet souls from the asylum still caught between the walls? And can Lewis and Isak bring peace to All Hallows before the past breaks them first…

REVIEW:
What an interesting story. I enjoyed this story most of the time. The ending was a bit of a disappointment.

I found the gothic story spooky and creepy but in a good way. I enjoyed the two different timelines of 1903 and 1993 well written.

This book is pretty long. And there are certainly parts that went a bit over the top in description and but the scariness of the story was high.

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

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Kimberly reviews Lucy’s Coming For You by Ashley Beegan

TITLE: Lucy’s Coming For You
CHARACTERS: Main Characters
AUTHOR: Ashley Beegan
PUBLICATION DATE: 07/31/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Summer Thomas questions her own sanity when violent patient, Lucy Clark, disappears from a locked hospital ward… because no one else will admit that Lucy exists.

As Summer digs deeper into the disappearance, it becomes apparent that Lucy is looking for her too, but Summer should have stayed away.

Now, Lucy is coming for her… and there’s no escaping someone who doesn’t exist.

A gripping and addictive debut with a shocking twist that will send shivers down your spine!

REVIEW:
The good thing about this story is it is short. The story is one we have all heard a million times. Any fan of mystery/suspense has read this. Heck, there are at least a dozen scary movies I can think of off the top of my head with the same idea… give or take.

Because it was short and a quick read I continued to read the story. It’s a good simple book to get you into the Halloween spirit.

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

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Kimberly reviews Deadly Games by Steve Frech

TITLE: Deadly Games
CHARACTERS: Clay
AUTHOR: Steve Frech
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/05/21
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
I know everything about you.

I know your name, your birthday, your kids’ names, where you live, where you work. I know when you get that big promotion, or when you argue with your spouse.

But someone knows everything about me too. Someone knows all my secrets and they’re using them against me. They’re setting me up.

The police think I murdered Emily Parker. To prove my innocence I need to find the real killer.

I need to beat him at his own game.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is one of those books that I just do not know how to rate. I liked it and yet I didn’t.

I really liked the characters. I found them very detailed and seemed as though if they were real I might go to the bar and meet up with them. I liked Clay and Genevieve a lot.

BUT… I really wasn’t overly impressed with the story. I found the story to be a bit draggy in some parts and quite a bit obvious. I had the murderer pretty much narrowed down to two and then once I decided “who-dun-it” I was right. And honestly I prefer to be surprised.

Maybe if I didn’t read as much as I do I would have enjoyed it more but it just seemed all too familiar of a story.

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

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