Kelly’s Review – Page 6

August 7, 2019August 5, 2019

Kelly reviews Even Tree Nymphs get the Blues by Molly Harper

TITLE: Even Tree Nymphs get the Blues
SERIES #: Mystic Bayou #3
CHARACTERS: Ingrid Asher & Rob Aspern
AUTHOR: Molly Harper
NARRATOR: Amanda Ronconi
RUN TIME: 3 Hours & 3 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: June 6, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Audible

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A hilarious new standalone novella brimming with otherworldly charm from the reigning queen of paranormal romantic comedy Molly Harper!
Ingrid Asher is the newest resident of Mystic Bayou, a tiny town hidden in the swamp where shapeshifters, vampires, witches and dragons live alongside humans.
Ingrid doesn’t ask for much. The solitary tree nymph just wants to live a quiet life running her ice-cream shop in peace. Unfortunately, she can’t seem to shake her new neighbor, Rob Aspern, head of the League’s data science department and so good looking it just isn’t fair.
If there’s one thing Ingrid doesn’t need, it’s someone poking around in her business. But the more she gets to know the hunky mathematician, the more she finds herself letting her guard down. Can she trust him with her secrets, or will her past destroy everything?

REVIEW:
Another great installment in Molly Harper’s Mystic Bayou series. Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues introduces us to Ingrid Asher the newest resident of Mystic Bayou. Ingrid is looking to start a new life and work on her love for all things ice cream.
There were a lot of funny events that happened in this short story. But my favorite scene was with a tree, Mayor Zed, Sheriff Bael and Ingrid. I laughed so hard.
If you are a Molly Harper fan you will love this little gem. I am already ready looking forward to the next installment in this series!!

As always Amanda Ronconi does an amazing job bringing all the characters to life. I love that Amanda is able to bring the right level of sass to this series and all of Molly’s books! Looking forward to the next narration by Amanda.

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

June 25, 2019June 24, 2019

Kelly reviews Crooked Street by Brian Freeman

TITLE: Crooked Street
SERIES #: Frost Easton #3
CHARACTERS: Frost Easton
AUTHOR: Brian Freeman
PUBLICATION DATE: January 29, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The hunt for a killer in San Francisco becomes a dizzying game of cat and mouse in a thrilling novel of psychological suspense.
“Lombard is your Moriarty, Frost. Taking him down will be the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done.”
San Francisco homicide detective Frost Easton hadn’t seen his estranged friend Denny in years. Not until he dies in Frost’s arms uttering a final inexplicable word: Lombard. Denny appears to be the latest victim in a string of murders linked by a distinctive clue: the painting of a spiraled snake near the crime scenes. Is it the work of a serial killer? Or is Denny’s death more twisted and personal?
To find the answer, Frost reaches into a nest of vipers—San Francisco’s shady elite—where the whispered name of Lombard is just one secret. Now, drawn into a cat-and-mouse game with an enemy who knows his every move, Frost finds there is no one he can trust. And somewhere down the crooked streets of the city, Frost’s cunning adversary is coiled and ready to strike again.

REVIEW:
Crooked Street is the third installment in the Frost Easton series. This was another great story. In Crooked Street we follow the trail of another set of murders that seem to have some very strange connections, from the snakes painted near each death to the name Lombard. This case will take Detective Easton on a wild ride of who done it. But even a veteran Detective will not fully be prepared for the answers that he will get.

If you have not started this series I would recommend that you start with book one The Night Bird as Detective Easton’s story builds with each book. I can’t wait to see what is next in this series.

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

June 20, 2019June 19, 2019

Kelly reviews Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts

TITLE: Of Blood and Bone
SERIES #: Chronicles of the One #2
CHARACTERS: Fallon Swift
AUTHOR: Nora Roberts
NARRATOR: Julia Whelan
PUBLICATION DATE: December 4, 2018
RUN TIME: 13 hours & 42 minutes
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the epic Year One returns with a new tale of terror and magic in a brand new world.
They look like an everyday family living an ordinary life. But beyond the edges of this peaceful farm, unimaginable forces of light and dark have been unleashed.
Fallon Swift, approaching her thirteenth birthday, barely knows the world that existed before—the city where her parents lived, now in ruins and reclaimed by nature since the Doom sickened and killed billions. Traveling anywhere is a danger, as vicious gangs of Raiders and fanatics called Purity Warriors search for their next victim. Those like Fallon, in possession of gifts, are hunted—and the time is coming when her true nature, her identity as The One, can no longer be hidden.
In a mysterious shelter in the forest, her training is about to begin under the guidance of Mallick, whose skills have been honed over centuries. She will learn the old ways of healing; study and spar; encounter faeries and elves and shifters; and find powers within herself she never imagined. And when the time is right, she will take up the sword, and fight. For until she grows into the woman she was born to be, the world outside will never be whole again.

REVIEW:
Of Blood and Bone is book 2 in Nora Roberts’ Chronicles of One series. We pick up almost 13 years after the end of book 1 (Year One). Fallon Swift “The One” is swiftly approaching her 13th birthday and the beginning of the next chapter in her journey to save the world. Fallon’s journey will take her back to the town of New Hope that her mother and birth father helped found. The people of New Hope will play a very important role in Fallon’s journey.
Of Blood and Bone was a great second book in the series. The story is a little slow because the is a lot that Fallon has to learn in two short years. There is a lot of build up to what may happen in the final book of this trilogy. I am very much looking forward to seeing what is next.

Again Julia Whelan did an amazing job narrating this story. I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series. I will also be looking for more books narrated by Julia.

If you have not started this series yet, I would highly suggest it! But you must read in order!!!!

Audio Sample:

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

Book 1 Book 3

June 19, 2019June 19, 2019

Kelly reviews Year One by Nora Roberts

TITLE: Year One
SERIES #: Chronicles of The One #1
CHARACTERS: Lana, Max, Arlys, Fred, Chuck, Rachel, Jonah and many more
AUTHOR: Nora Roberts
NARRATOR: Julia Whelan
RUN TIME: 12 Hours & 20 Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: December 5, 2017
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
It began on New Year’s Eve.

The sickness came on suddenly, and spread quickly. The fear spread even faster. Within weeks, everything people counted on began to fail them. The electrical grid sputtered; law and government collapsed–and more than half of the world’s population was decimated.

Where there had been order, there was now chaos. And as the power of science and technology receded, magic rose up in its place. Some of it is good, like the witchcraft worked by Lana Bingham, practicing in the loft apartment she shares with her lover, Max. Some of it is unimaginably evil, and it can lurk anywhere, around a corner, in fetid tunnels beneath the river–or in the ones you know and love the most.

As word spreads that neither the immune nor the gifted are safe from the authorities who patrol the ravaged streets, and with nothing left to count on but each other, Lana and Max make their way out of a wrecked New York City. At the same time, other travelers are heading west too, into a new frontier. Chuck, a tech genius trying to hack his way through a world gone offline. Arlys, a journalist who has lost her audience but uses pen and paper to record the truth. Fred, her young colleague, possessed of burgeoning abilities and an optimism that seems out of place in this bleak landscape. And Rachel and Jonah, a resourceful doctor and a paramedic who fend off despair with their determination to keep a young mother and three infants in their care alive.

In a world of survivors where every stranger encountered could be either a savage or a savior, none of them knows exactly where they are heading, or why. But a purpose awaits them that will shape their lives and the lives of all those who remain.

The end has come. The beginning comes next.

REVIEW:
When the end of the world happens what will you do. Will you take it sitting down? Will you hide and hope it passes you by? Or will you fight with every fiber of your being?

Year One takes us on an amazing journey of the people of the world as they face the end of the world. We meet so many characters along the road, some will be allies and some will be enemies. The question will be can they figure out who is who before it is to late.

This is was a wonderful book. Nora Roberts is a great world and character building. I am very much looking forward to the next two installment in this series.

This was the first book I have listened to that was narrated by Julia Whelan. Julia did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life for me. I love when a narrator is able to narrate a book and it feels like I am in the story.

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

June 18, 2019June 17, 2019

Kelly reviews A Merciful Promise by Kendra Elliot

TITLE: A Merciful Promise
SERIES #: Mercy Kilpatrick #6
CHARACTERS: Mercy Kilpatrick
AUTHOR: Kendra Elliot
PUBLICATION DATE: June 18, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audiobook | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The Wall Street Journal bestselling series continues as Mercy Kilpatrick becomes embedded in the nightmare of a terrorist conspiracy.
The job: infiltrate a militia amassing illegal firearms in an isolated forest community. FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick is the ideal candidate. She knows Oregon. She’s near the compound. And having been raised among survivalists, Mercy understands the mind-set of fanatics. Lay low, follow rules, do nothing to sound an alarm, and relinquish all contact with the outside world. She’s ready to blend in.
As Mercy disappears into the winter hills, something just as foreboding emerges. Mercy’s fiancé, Eagle’s Nest police chief Truman Daly, is faced with a puzzling series of murders—three men dumped in random locations after execution-style shootings.
Now, for Mercy, trapped in a culture where suspicion is second nature, and betrayal is punishable to the extreme, there is no way out. No way to call for help. And as plans for a catastrophic terrorist event escalate, there may be no way to stop them. Even if Mercy dies trying.

REVIEW:
Mercy Kilpatrick takes a last minute undercover job that will test all her skills. Will being raised by preppers and being trained by the FBI be enough to get her out of a very deadly situation?

A Merciful Promise is the sixth and final book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series. I am sad to see this series come to an end. In this last installment Mercy and Truman are tested again. I did find the story a little slow but was still a great story and showed us how strong Mercy and Truman are as a team.

I honestly hope that this is not the last time we see Mercy and Truman.

I am very much looking forward to what Kendra has in store for us next.

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.

June 11, 2019June 9, 2019

Kelly reviews Recursion by Blake Crouch

TITLE: Recursion
CHARACTERS: Helena Smith & Barry Sutton
AUTHOR: Blake Crouch
PUBLICATION DATE: June 11, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
That’s what NYC cop Barry Sutton is learning, as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.
That’s what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.
As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face to face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds, but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it.
But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?
At once a relentless pageturner and an intricate science-fiction puzzlebox about time, identity, and memory, Recursion is a thriller as only Blake Crouch could imagine it—and his most ambitious, mind-boggling, irresistible work to date.

REVIEW:
What would you do if you had a memory but couldn’t tell if it was real or just a story someone told you? What length would you go to to learn the truth. Once you are there do you think you can handle the truth?

Blake Crouch does an amazing job of writing a very disturbing story. Because I could easily see this happening to us in the future. The ending had me look for more pages in the book. I was left wondering what the heck (haha) in a good way!!

If you are a Blake Crouch fan you will love this book.

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

May 29, 2019May 28, 2019

Kelly reviews Gimme Some Sugar by Molly Harper

TITLE: Gimme Some Sugar
SERIES #: Southern Eclectic #3
CHARACTERS: Duffy McCready & Lucy Brewer
AUTHOR: Molly Harper
NARRATOR: Amanda Ronconi
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2, 2019
RUN TIME: 8 Hours & 8 Minutes
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A young widow returns to Lake Sackett, Georgia to face the ghosts of her past—and decide if she’s ready to take another chance on love—in the third sparkling Southern Eclectic novel that “goes down as easy as honey on a deep-fried Twinkie” (Library Journal, on Sweet Tea and Sympathy).

Lucy Brewer would never have guessed that her best friend, Duffy McCready (of McCready’s Bait Shop & Funeral Home) has been in love with her since they were kids. Fear of rejection and his own romantic complications prevented Duffy from confessing his true feelings in high school, so he stood by and watched her wed Wayne Bowman right after high school. Wayne had always been a cheapskate, so it comes as no surprise when he suffers a fatal accident while fixing his own truck.
Even as her family and friends invade Lucy’s life and insist that the new widow is too fragile to do much beyond weeping, Lucy is ashamed to admit that life without Wayne is easier, less complicated. After all, no one knew what a relentless, soul-grinding trudge marriage to Wayne had been. Only Duffy can tell she’s hiding something.
In need of a fresh start, Lucy asks Duffy to put his cabinet-building skills to use, transforming the town’s meat shop into a bake shop. As the bakery takes shape, Lucy and Duffy discover the spark that pulled them together so many years ago. Could this finally be the second chance he’s always hoped for?
Once again Molly Harper “writes characters you can’t help but fall in love with” (RT Book Reviews) in this charming and entertaining love story.

REVIEW:
Lucy has moves to her hometown to grieve the lost of her husband and to raise her son in a familiar place and to pursue her dream of opening a bakery. But like any good small town Lucy will have to learn to deal with the gossip and a nosey and bossy mother in law.
Duffy McCready has always loved Lucy. She was his best friend growing up. But time, distance and both of them marrying the wrong people put a kink in their friendship. But now that Lucy is back Duffy will not let anyone or anything wreck their friendship again. Well except maybe himself.

As always I had the talented Amanda Ronconi read this story to me. I truly love having Amanda narrator Molly’s books. She is able to bring these characters to life for me. So much so that when I read any of Molly’s books I can hear Amanda’s voices in my head. I

YAY!!!! Duffy McCready finally got his own book!! I am so glad that Duffy finally got his book. I adore his lady love, Lucy! Lucy is a spit fire that give Duffy a run for his money.
I really enjoyed this last book of the Southern Eclectic series. It has been a fun ride learning about the McCready family. I can’t wait for the next book written by Molly and narrated by Amanda.

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

May 23, 2019May 22, 2019

Kelly reviews No Country for Old Gnomes by Delilah Dawson & Kevin Hearne

TITLE: No Country for Old Gnomes
SERIES #: Tale of Pell #2
AUTHOR: Delilah Dawson & Kevin Hearne
NARRATOR: Luke Daniels
PUBLICATION DATE: April 16, 2019
RUN TIME: 14 Hours & 7 Minutes
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Go big or go gnome. The New York Times bestselling authors of Kill the Farm Boy return to the world of Pell, the irreverent fantasy universe that recalls Monty Python and Terry Pratchett.

The Skyr is a rich, verdant land claimed by both halflings and gnomes. For centuries, the halflings have worked to undermine gnomish power structures and seize total control–through legal means, certainly, but more insidiously through their extensive organized crime network. Now, threatened with being pushed out entirely, the gnomes are desperate and ready to fight back. Gustave the Goat King faces his first test as a leader: Can he bring peace to a fraught region or will a civil war consume the entire kingdom?

REVIEW:
Another excellent installment of the Tales of Pell. No Country for Old Gnomes takes us on a grand adventure that starts with the Gnomes of Pell are being attacked by a group of halflings. It will take a group of unlikely friends to set everything right.

The amazingly talented Luke Daniels narrates this book for us again. Luke does an amazing job of bringing the Tales of Pell characters to life.

This was a great book that introduces us to a group of new characters and we get to see some of our old friends. I really enjoyed the Gnomes, Halfings, Dwarfs and the Gryphon. There are a lot of wonderfully fun characters.

Very much looking forward to The Tales of Pell book 3, The Princess Beard { https://amzn.to/2Ek5Ual} (released October 8th)

Audio Sample:

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and audio review copy from Random House Audio in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

May 22, 2019May 21, 2019

Kelly reviews Wolfhunter River by Rachel Cain

TITLE: Wolfhunter River
SERIES #: Stillhouse Lake #3
CHARACTERS: Gwen Proctor
AUTHOR: Rachel Cain
PUBLICATION DATE: April 23, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audiobook | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
She can’t ignore a cry for help. But in this remote hunting town, it’s open season.
Gwen Proctor escaped her serial-killer husband and saved her family. What she can’t seem to outrun is his notoriety. Or the sick internet vigilantes still seeking to avenge his crimes. For Gwen, hiding isn’t an option. Not when her only mission is to create a normal life for her kids.
But now, a threatened woman has reached out. Marlene Crockett, from the remote town of Wolfhunter, is panicked for herself and her daughter. When Gwen arrives in the small, isolated rural community, Marlene is already dead—her own daughter blamed for the murder. Except that’s not the person Marlene feared at all. And Gwen isn’t leaving until she finds out who that was.
But it may already be too late. A trap has been set. And it’s poised to snap shut on everyone Gwen loves. Her stalkers are closing in. And in a town as dark as Wolfhunter, it’s so easy for them to hide…

REVIEW:
Wolfhunter River is the third installment in the Stillhouse lake series. I would recommend reading these books in order as there is a lot of history that gets brought up in the books. I really enjoyed the first two books but this third book was a little slow for me. It wasn’t until about 3/4 of the way done that I felt the story picked up and was exciting. I am not sure if I will pick up the next book in this series. I will have to wait to see what the blurb is about and go from there.

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

Audio Sample:

April 24, 2019April 23, 2019

Kelly reviews A Few Pecans Short Of A Pie by Molly Harper

TITLE: A Few Pecans Short of a Pie
SERIES #: Southern Eclectic #2.5
CHARACTERS: Kyle Archer & Margot Cary
AUTHOR: Molly Harper
NARRATOR: Amanda Ronconi
PUBLICATION DATE: February 10, 2019
RUN TIME: 2 Hours & 49 Minutes
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sexy school principal Kyle faces the biggest challenge of his career: getting his (pregnant) event planner girlfriend Margot down the aisle before the baby arrives!
Readers first fell in love with big city event planner Margot in the first Southern Eclectic novel, Sweet Tea and Sympathy, as she discovered a long-lost branch of her family—the McCreadys, of McCready’s Bait Shop & Funeral Home. To Margot’s surprise, she’s taken a liking to life in small-town Georgia…helped along by a romance with the hot elementary school principal.
The two of them have been taking it slow—or they were until Margot gets pregnant! Kyle wants to make an honest woman of her, but Margot’s still trying to proceed with caution. After all, she was the best event planner in Chicago before she ever came to Lake Sackett—her wedding has to be perfect, and perfect includes not having the baby halfway down the aisle.
With her trademark witty prose and warm hearted storytelling, Molly Harper’s newest glimpse of the McCready family will be perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Amy E. Reichert.

REVIEW:
I love when we get to go back and revisit characters and see how they are doing. A Few Pecans Short of a Pie gives us a update on how Kyle, Margot (bk 1 Sweet Tea and Sympathy) and the girls are all doing.
How Margot is dealing with small town politics about small town weddings, being pregnant, a step mom to two little girls. Of course Kyle is there with her ever step of the way being the amazingly sweet soon to be husband and dad.
I really enjoyed this novella of Kyle and Margot. And super excited for the next installment of the McCready clan. Bring on Duffy!!!

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

March 27, 2019March 24, 2019

Kelly reviews My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

TITLE: My Lovely Wife
CHARACTERS: Millicent & Husband (aka Tobias)
AUTHOR: Samantha Downing
PUBLICATION DATE: March 26, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts What the actual………

Holy crow this book is crazy!

Millicent and her husband only know to us as Tobias are sick and twisted people. As this story goes on the level of twistedness elevates to a level I would have never ever expected! I am still trying to figure out what the heck I just read.

I don’t want to say to much and five you any kind of clues or hints. But if you are looking for a sick twisted love story you need to pick up a copy of My Lovely Wife.

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.

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019

Kelly reviews Secrets Never Die by Melinda Leigh

TITLE: Secrets Never Die
SERIES #: Morgan Dane #5
CHARACTERS: Morgan Dane & Lance Kruger
AUTHOR: Melinda Leigh
PUBLICATION DATE: March 19, 2019
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The #1 Amazon Charts bestselling series continues as Morgan Dane and PI Lance Kruger fight for the innocence of a young murder suspect—if only they could find him.
When a retired sheriff’s deputy is shot to death in his home, his troubled teenage stepson, Evan, becomes the prime suspect. Even more incriminating, the boy disappeared from the scene of the crime.
Desperate to find her son, Evan’s mother begs PI Lance Kruger for help. She knows her son is innocent. Kruger and defense attorney Morgan Dane want to believe that too, but the evidence against the boy is damning. Just as the trail goes cold, another deputy vanishes. His shocking connection to Evan’s stepfather throws the investigation into chaos as Lance and Morgan fear the worst…that Evan is the killer’s new target.
With so many secrets to unravel, will Lance and Morgan find him before it’s too late?

REVIEW:
Lance and Morgan get involved in a new case that could cost them everything they have worked for.

Another wonderful story from Ms. Leigh! I really enjoyed this book. I read Secrets Never Die in one sitting. As always I think I have the who done it figured out and Ms. Leigh proves me wrong. I liked seeing Lance and Morgan’s relationship grow. They are such a great team. Also we got to see more with Sharp and Olivia! I can’t wait to see what is next for those two.

I can’t wait to see what happens next in the Morgan Dane 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.