Category: 4 Star

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kelly reviews The Matchmakers Mistletoe Mission by Jaci Burton

TITLE: The Matchmakers Mistletoe Mission
SERIES #: Boots and Bouquets 0.5
CHARACTERS: Clay Henry & Alice Weatherford
AUTHOR: Jaci Burton
PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon  | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton celebrates the gift of love and the holiday season with a snowy Christmas wedding at the Bellini family vineyard.

Stranded at the Red Moss Vineyard a week before her best friend’s wedding, LA native and professional matchmaker Alice Weatherford is not pleased with her first trip to Oklahoma, or the epic snowstorm forcing her to stay. So much for Christmas cheer. What she needs is a project, something to distract her…and, oh, has she found one in neighboring rancher Clay Henry. Gorgeous, charming, and unlike any other man she’s ever met, finding the right woman for Clay should be easy….

Having grown up with the Bellini sisters, it’s no hardship for Clay to ride out the storm at their cozy family vineyard, especially since that means spending time with their savvy and smart houseguest. But despite Alice’s best efforts, he’s not the least bit interested in her matchmaking….

Alice is the only woman Clay wants. Now he just has to convince the matchmaker herself to give love a chance.

REVIEW:
In The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission we get to meet Alice Weatherford a matchmaker from LA visiting Red Moss Vineyard in Oklahoma for her best friend’s wedding. And Clay Henry a local Rancher who just happens to be at the Red Moss Vineyard during a record snow storm.

Alice believes that every good match starts with a list of questions and common interests. Clay on the other hand believes that ever good match starts with chemistry between two people.
I wonder who will win?

The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission is the first novella in Jaci Burton’s new Boots and Boutique series and was a great quick read. I really enjoyed the new cast of characters that Mrs. Burton has introduced us to. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Berkley Publishing Group 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 Leopard’s Wrath by Christine Feehan

TITLE: Leopard’s Wrath
SERIES #: Leopard People #11
CHARACTERS: Mitya & Ania
AUTHOR: Christine Feehan
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/05/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
He’s a man used to getting what he wants, but she’s not the type of woman to take things lying down….

Born into a life of crime, Mitya Amurov has had a hard life, and his leopard has developed into a feral beast to protect him. It’s constantly trying to claw its way to the surface—until a chance encounter with a stranger instantly calms the predator inside him. While Mitya wants Ania desperately, it’s only a matter of time before his past catches up with him, and he’d rather die than put her in danger. But Ania is dealing with dangers of her own….

Considering her family’s history, Ania Dover should know better than to get mixed up with a criminal like Mitya, but she just can’t stay away. Something wild in her responds to his presence. A need so strong it scares her. But she’s not sure she can accept what he’s offering. Ania has always been an independent woman, and Mitya expects to be obeyed in all things.

Even with her body calling out for his, Ania won’t let anything stop her from settling a deadly score years in the making—not even the man who wants to claim her as his mate.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I rarely find a book from Christine Feehan that I do not enjoy and I am happy to say this one didn’t disappoint either. Mitya and Ania are both trying to find themselves after the lives they have lived and all they have seen in their lives. Mitya has left his past behind but Ania is still trying to live hers with her family dying. But when they find each other they know this is where they are supposed to be.

Ania does wonder if it is the Leopards inside them pushing the human parts together and Mitya has to prove to Ania they are meant to be together in both of their worlds.

Another great read from Feehan. She is one of the Queens of paranormal in my opinion. She is able to pull you in from page one and keep you wanting to take every moment you can to read just one more chapter.

Feehan is one of my never miss and she should be yours too.

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

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews The Beyond by Chloe Neill

TITLE: The Beyond
SERIES #: Devil’s Isle #4
CHARACTERS: Claire Connolly, Liam Quinn and crew
AUTHOR: Chloe Neill
NARRATOR: Amy Landon
RUN TIME: 9 Hours & 59 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: June 4, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sensitive Claire Connolly must journey to another world in the electrifying fourth installment of Chloe Neill’s post-apocalyptic urban fantasy series.
It’s been a year since the Veil between the human world and the world Beyond was torn apart, and war began again. Sensitive Claire Connolly and bounty hunter Liam Quinn have been helping their human and paranormal allies fight back against the ravaging invaders and save what’s left of New Orleans.
But a new enemy has arisen, more powerful than any they’ve seen before, and even Devil’s Isle cannot hold her. . .
When Claire learns of a new magical weapon–one built by paranormals themselves -she knows it could turn the tide of war. But to reach it, she and Liam will have to cross into the Beyond itself. In a world full of hostile magic and dangerous foes, she’ll have to channel the powers she once kept hidden in order to survive. New Orleans hangs in the balance, and the storm is growing closer

REVIEW:
I was excited and sad to get this latest and final installment in Chloe Neill’s Devil’s Isle series. I am really sad to see this series come to an end but I hope that this will not be the last time we will see these characters. I feel like there are so many more stories that can take place in this world. I really did enjoy this last installment of this series. I really liked how the characters have grown since the first book.

Amy Landon does a wonderful job yet again of narrating this book. I love when narrators are telling a story not just reading words on a page. So thank you Amy for doing an amazing job over the last 4 books. I look forward to listening to more audiobooks from Amy.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Tantor Media in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews Bred In The Bone by Kendra Elliot

TITLE: Bred in the Bone
SERIES #: Widow’s Island #4
CHARACTERS: Cate Wilde & Henry Powers
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: October 29, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In the fourth Widow’s Island novella by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kendra Elliot, the truth of a twenty-year disappearance will finally come to light.

When the town drunk ends up dead in a hit-and-run, FBI special agent Cate Wilde expects that solving the case will be cut and dried. But evidence quickly surfaces that the victim was involved with another crime. A crime that has gone cold for twenty years. A crime of personal importance to Cate.

Cate’s best friend, Samantha, went missing at fourteen, leaving behind nothing except a jacket and an island full of unanswered questions. Samantha’s disappearance has haunted Cate for more than half her life, and she might finally be able to find some closure.

But not everything is as it seems. As Cate unravels what happened on that fateful day, she’ll discover that the community of Widow’s Island is full of secrets. Betrayed by someone she thought she knew, Cate will need to piece together the truth…before someone else gets hurt.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Cate Wilde and Tessa Black are determined to find out what happened to her childhood friend Sam. They found a new clue after 20 years. The next step is to speak to the land owner where Sam’s necklace was found. But before that they must find the driver of a hit-n-run accident that left a local dead.
Cate and Tessa thought that they were prepared to find the truth of Sam’s disappearance but they could never know the path that they would take to find that truth.

Bred in the Bone is the fourth novella in the Widow’s Island series that is written by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. If you haven’t read the first two novellas Close to the Bone and A Bone to Pick I would highly suggest you go get these and read them. You could pick up novella three and start her but the first two novellas give you the back story of Tessa & Cate. I am already looking forward to reading the next two installments in this series.

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.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Love, Chocolate and A Dog Named Al Capone by Abigail Drake

TITLE: Love, Chocolate and A Dog Named Al Capone
CHARACTERS: Josie St Clair
AUTHOR: Abigail Drake
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/15/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Capone, the newly acquired puppy of Miss Josephine St. Clair, owner of Bartleby’s Books, is a literature loving Labrador. Obsessed with Jane Austen, and cursed with a terrible name, Capone hopes to change his doggie karma and prove he’s just as much a gentleman as the heroes in his favorite books, by finding the perfect Mr. Darcy for the lonely and bookishly adorable Miss Josie.

Unfortunately, the only men Miss Josie seems to encounter aren’t Darcys at all. They’re Wickhams, Churchills, and Willoughbys. Even worse, there is trouble afoot. Someone has been sabotaging Miss Josie’s business, and all signs point to her evil ex. Can Capone find a way to save Bartleby’s Books, help Miss Josie find her true love, and earn, at long last, a name befitting a true gentleman?

REVIEW:
Oh my! This story is so adorable! It is written by the dog. Ok not really but it is written from a dog’s perception.

Capone is so adorable! He is obsessed with Jane Austin. Yes you read that right. And he wants his new owner to find her true love. And Capone is going to figure out how to do it.

I loved the concept of this story. Just so sweet. Yes the romance is kind of stereotypical but told this different way makes it so much fun to read.

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

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews Whisper Of Bones by Melinda Leigh

TITLE: Whisper of Bones
SERIES #: Widow’s Island #3
CHARACTERS: Tessa Black & Logan Wilde
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: October 22, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Dark secrets from the past bob to the surface in the third novella in the Widow’s Island series.
When a body washes up on the state park beach, Deputy Tessa Black’s experience as a former Seattle detective tells her that the death was not an accident. All evidence points to another murder on the remote island.
The victim is a local contractor with a shockingly long list of enemies. The more locals Tessa interviews, the more people she suspects—from the bitter ex-wife and estranged current wife to disgruntled former clients and employees. They all have different reasons to want him dead.
As Tessa’s investigation heats up, arson and a vicious assault convince her the killer is desperate to hide his crime—and that she’d better solve the case before he claims another victim.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Tessa Black finds herself facing another murder investigation when local construction worker washes up on the shores of one of the Widow’s Islands. As the hunt begins the number of potential killers keeps going up. It seems no one in Widow’s Island like Jason.
Tessa has to balance the hunt for a killer, taking care of her mother and little sister and a newly forming relationship. Add on top of that the ongoing mystery of the disappearance to her and Cate’s childhood friend will bring the girls a new clue to follow.
Whisper of Bones is the third novella in the Widow’s Island series that is written by Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. If you haven’t read the first two novellas Close to the Bone and A Bone to Pick I would highly suggest you go get these and read them. You could pick up novella three and start her but the first two novellas give you the back story of Tessa & Cate. I am already looking forward to reading the next installment in this series.

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.

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews The Highland Outlaw by Heather McCollum

TITLE: The Highland Outlaw
SERIES #: The Campbell’s #4
CHARACTERS: Shaw & Alana
AUTHOR: Heather McCollum
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/21/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Shaw Sinclair, chief of the outcast clan of Sinclairs of Caithness in northern Scotland, has made a deal with the devil. Despite his strength and lethal skills, he needs help—specifically from a woman—to accomplish his mission to bring a bairn to safety to the coast. When he meets the brave and beautiful Alana Campbell at a Samhain Festival, he decides she’s the one.

Alana Campbell is ready to show the world she’s just as skillful with a sgian dubh as any man. Attracting the attention of the brawny chief who coerces her to join him on his journey to the coast of Scotland gives her that very opportunity. Sparks flash between them as they’re forced to act as husband and wife to accomplish the deadly mission. However, when secrets threaten to tear them apart, they have to decide if their differences outweigh the reality of their feelings…

Each book in The Campbells series is STANDALONE:
* The Scottish Rogue
* The Savage Highlander
* The Wicked Viscount
* The Highland Outlaw

REVIEW:
I have very much enjoyed this series and this story was no different. Set in the Highlands we meet Shaw. He has been given the task of caring for a bairn and getting her to a boat with her wet-nurse. By doing so he may actually get everything he has lost back.

We met Alana in the previous series and now we get her story. Alana finds out her mother is alive and wants to get to Edinburg to rescue her. On the road to her mother she is taken hostage by Shaw to care for the bairn. Once she finds out they are going the same direction she allows the “kidnapping” to happen.

I found this story a fun, crazy, interesting read. I loved the connection that Alana found with Shaw but also with the baby.

A great read for any fan of Highlanders.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews The Liar’s Sister by Sarah Denzil

TITLE: The Liar’s Sister
CHARACTERS: Rosie & Heather
AUTHOR: Sarah A Denzil
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/25/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The must-read psychological thriller for 2019 from the million-copy-bestselling author of Silent Child.

Ten years ago Samuel Murray went missing from the small village of Buckthorpe and was never found again. A quiet boy who loved walking in the woods and tending the animals on his parents’ farm. Family, friends and neighbours all say they didn’t see him on the dark, rainy night he disappeared. But surely someone in the close-knit community must know something?

Rosie Sharpe cried for weeks after. But her little sister Heather knows that Rosie’s tears hide the truth. Because the night their friend Samuel was last seen, Heather saw her older sister climbing back into the window of their childhood bedroom. Her jacket torn, her eyes wild and her body trembling with fear.

Heather has never told anyone what she saw, but secrets can’t stay buried forever…

When Rosie and Heather are forced to return to the home they grew up in, to spend the last days with their dying mother, they must confront what really happened a decade ago. But the people of Buckthorpe make it clear they are unwelcome – they’ve always suspected the girls knew more than they said about the night Samuel went missing. And as the shocking lies of the past begin to unravel, they have the power to put the lives of both sisters in terrible danger…

This twist-filled, page-turning psychological thriller will keep you hooked until the final, jaw-dropping pages.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I believe this is the first book from this author that I have read. But I do not believe it will be my last.

What a story. This book kept me not only reading but guessing. If you are a fan of suspense thriller than this is the book for you. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. I love a thriller where I find myself changing the who-dun-it in my mind a number of times. And this one did just that.

The sisters are all grown now and have kept a lot of secrets over the years but now they are all unraveling.

Want a gripping thriller that will leave you wanting more? You have found it.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Child’s Play by Danielle Steel

TITLE: Child’s Play
CHARACTERS: Kate, Tamara, Anthony & Claire
AUTHOR: Danielle Steel
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/08/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The lessons our children teach us are the hardest ones. What do we do when our children don’t pursue our hopes for them? In this riveting new novel, Danielle Steel explores how families can evolve and grow in unexpected ways.

A senior partner at a prestigious New York law firm, Kate Morgan couldn’t be prouder of her three grown children. Tamara, Anthony, and Claire all went to great schools, chose wonderful career paths, and would have made their father proud. A single mother for years after the death of her husband, Kate keeps a tight rein on her family, her career, and even her own emotions, never once asking herself if she truly knows her children . . . or if her hopes for them are the right ones, and what they want. She is about to find out.

During one hectic summer in Manhattan, Kate’s world turns upside down. One child has been keeping an astonishing secret while another confesses to an equally shocking truth. A wonderful match and picture-book wedding are traded for a relationship that shakes her to her core. A totally inappropriate love affair and an out-of-wedlock baby complete the chaos. Challenged as a mother and as a successful independent woman herself, Kate struggles to keep up with a dizzying and escalating chain of events, and begins to realize that she has a part to play in the chaos. Because Kate too has kept secrets from her children.

Sometimes the surprising choices our children make are the right ones . . . better than what we wanted for them. More often than not, parenting is about letting go of our dreams and embracing theirs.

REVIEW:
What I think I liked best is that the man character is older and a self-reliant as well as competent. What she also is, is a single mom of 3 adult “kids” who are dealing with a lot amongst themselves. As the lives of her children start to unfold, and she finds out, she questions everything she thought she knew.

Danielle Steel is one of the best at women’s lit and this is exactly why. As an older mom I really could relate to Kate. Of course, not the trauma but the worry for your own children. How you plan the future for your children as they grow and everything you teach them to have everything they need to be productive adults. But what if what you thought you accomplished wasn’t it at all.

Wonderful quick read that really keeps your attention. Another hit by 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 I See You by Mary Burton

TITLE: I See You
SERIES #: Criminal Profiler #2
CHARACTERS: Zoe Spencer & William Vaughn
AUTHOR: Mary Burton
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/03/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From New York Times bestselling author Mary Burton comes a gritty, suspenseful story in the Criminal Profiler series.

FBI special agent Zoe Spencer uses skeletal remains to recreate the faces of murder victims through sculpture. Though highly scientific, the process is also sensitive and intimate; she becomes attached to the individuals she identifies, desperate to find justice for each.

As Zoe examines old remains, she sees a teenage girl looking back at her—the victim in a cold case from over a decade ago. Zoe wants nothing more than to tell this young woman’s story and to bring her killer to justice.

Zoe’s case leads her to the victim’s hometown and to homicide detective William Vaughan, Zoe’s on-again, off-again lover. As the two become more involved in the case, they quickly realize that it isn’t as cold as they first believed: someone’s still out there hunting women. And with more women gone missing, time’s running out. Can they work together and stop this madman before he kills again?

REVIEW:
4.25 Hearts First the obvious. Of course the story was good. It was written by Mary Burton.

Burton not only writes an incredible story but one of the things I enjoy most about her writing is I am always second guessing myself trying to figure out who-dun-it.

I enjoyed the couple of Zoe and William. They mesh together well.

Zoe reminds we a lot of the character created by Iris Johansen, Eve Duncan. If you are a fan of Eve Duncan you need to grab this series.

As I started with. Mary Burton writes books that I can’t wait to read. And you should not wait either.

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

4 Hearts

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Home For The Holidays by Terry Spear

TITLE: A Home For The Holidays
SERIES #: Silver Town Wolf #9
CHARACTERS: Meghan & Peter
AUTHOR: Terry Spear
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/24/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
“The best of holiday romances…a howling good time.”–Long and Short Reviews for A Silver Wolf Christmas

Silver Town is howling with Christmas cheer

Gray wolves Meghan MacTire and Sheriff Peter Jorgenson plan to spend the rest of their lives together, and what better time to start forever than Christmas? But they are both harboring dark secrets that are about to surface and threaten their future together. With holiday magic in the air and all Silver Town ready to celebrate, Meghan and Peter have to conquer the past if they’re to have any hope of celebrating this Christmas together.

Silver Town Wolf series:
Destiny of the Wolf (Book 1)
Wolf Fever (Book 2)
Dreaming of the Wolf (Book 3)
Silence of the Wolf (Book 4)
A Silver Wolf Christmas (Book 5)
Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply (Book 6)
Between a Wolf and a Hard Place (Book 7)
All’s Fair in Love and Wolf (Book 8)
Silver Town Wolf: Home for the Holidays (Book 9)

REVIEW:
Well this was a it different. Of course the whole wolf thing is there but this one had ghost. Interesting combination.

I liked the story. This has a nice holiday feel to it with a paranormal feel. I thought the couple was perfect for each other and liked with the holiday theme there was not a lot of couple drama. Mostly the couple stuck together to deal with the other issues.

Good holiday read.

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

4 Hearts

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What’s New: Kelly gives The Institute by Stephen King 4 Stars!

TITLE: The Institute
CHARACTERS: Luke Ellis, Avery Dixon and the other kids of the Institute
AUTHOR: Stephen King
NARRATOR: Santino Fontana
RUN TIME: 18 Hours & 59 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: September 10, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King, the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since It—publishing just as the second part of It, the movie, lands in theaters.

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.

REVIEW:
Well now…..

The Institute is a classic Stephen King with all the “What the heck?’, ‘OMG could that really happen ?’, and the ‘I will never be able to trust that gut feeling without questioning everything’. The Institute was not scary like It or Pet Cemetery, but it was highly disturbing and will make you wonder.

There are a lot of moving parts in this story and listening on audio was a little confusing at the very beginning. Trying to figure out who and why we were following certain characters. But Mr. King does a great job of putting everything in order and give us as many answers as possible.

This is my first audiobook narrated by Santino Fontana. Mr. Fontana does a really good job bring the characters alive. My only struggle (and I think I struggle with a lot of male narrators) is the female voices. There were a few of them that I just wasn’t wild about. But other then that it was a wonderfully long audiobook.

Fans of Stephen King will enjoy this latest installment to his amazing library of classics.

Disclaimer:
I purchased this audiobook from Audible.com and this review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

4 Hearts