Category: Kimberly’s Review

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews One More For Christmas by Sarah Morgan

TITLE: One More For Christmas
CHARACTERS: The Mitchell Women
AUTHOR: Sarah Morgan
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/06/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of The Christmas Sisters comes this sparkling tale of Christmas redemption. Brimming with Sarah Morgan’s trademark festive cheer, you won’t want to miss it!

For sisters Samantha and Ella Mitchell, Christmas is their most precious time of the year—a time for togetherness, love and celebration. Most of all, it’s about making up for everything their childhood Christmases lacked. But this year, they’ll be buying presents for the most unexpected guest of all—their estranged mother. It’s been five years since they last saw each other. But when their mom calls out of the blue and promises that this Christmas will be different, Samantha and Ella cautiously agree to spend it all together…

Gayle Mitchell is at the top of her career, but her success has come at a price—her relationship with her daughters. She never seemed to say or do the right things. Her tough-love approach was designed to make them stronger, but instead managed to push them away…until a brush with her own mortality forces Gayle to make amends. As the snowflakes fall on their first family celebration in years, the Mitchell women must learn that sometimes facing up to the past is all you need to heal your heart…

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts Samantha and Ella make up for their childhood Christmases each year when they get together for the holiday. But this year their mother shows up who they have not had contact with for 5 years.

This story is not the sappy sweet story of holiday romance. This is a story about family and the drama that comes with the relatives. Gayle wants to make up for all the neglect the girls dealt with in their childhood but the girls aren’t sure what Gayle’s motive is.

This story is about love, family and reconciliation. It is told in each person’s words so you see what each woman is going through and feeling.

Very well written and emotional.

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 All I Want For Christmas by Wendy Loggia

TITLE: All I Want For Christmas
CHARACTERS: Bailey & Charlie
AUTHOR: Wendy Loggia
PUBLICATION DATE: 11/03/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
This sweet and magical romance about a girl who has just one wish–someone to kiss under the mistletoe–is the perfect holiday escape!

Bailey Briggs is counting down the days to Christmas: she lives for holiday music, baking cookies, going on snowy sleigh rides, and wearing her light-up reindeer ears to work at Winslow’s bookstore. But all she really wants this year is the one thing she doesn’t have: someone special to kiss under the mistletoe. And she’s 100 percent certain that that someone isn’t Jacob Marley–athlete, player, and of questionable taste in girlfriends–and that Charlie, the mysterious stranger with the British accent, is the romantic lead of her dreams. Is she right? This will be a December to remember, filled with real-life Christmas magic . . . and, if she stays on Santa’s nice list, a wish that just might come true.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts First things first… If you are a 50 year old woman this is not the book for you! This should fall under the young adult read and it is reeeeally young.

But that being said I did read it and gave it an extra half star because I tried to put myself into the young category and how a teen would enjoy it. And I think they would like it and relate to it.

The characters were very stereotypical of high school/college kids so I am not sure that is exactly how the world is but I think they would find the (obnoxious) behavior familiar.

A young adult would probably enjoy this story very much.

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

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Jingle All The Way by Debbie Macomber

TITLE: Jingle All The Way
CHARACTERS: Everly & Asher
AUTHOR: Debbie Macomber
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/13/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Love can transform even the best-laid plans in this heartfelt Christmas novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber.

Trapped in the middle of five siblings, Everly Lancaster always had big dreams. Now a top real-estate executive, Everly finds her work is her life, leaving no space for anything (or anyone) else. Sensing her stress, Everly’s boss insists she take December off. At first, a month away seems crazy–how will the company survive without her? But Everly’s mother convinces her otherwise. She deserves a vacation–plus, when she returns, she’ll have no excuse to skip family Christmas like she did last year.

But after her vengeful assistant books a guided cruise in the Amazon instead of the luxury beach vacation she expected, Everly is horrified to realize that she’s about to spend the next two weeks trapped–with no Wi-Fi!–in the rain forest. Not even Asher Adams, the ship’s charming naturalist, can convince Everly that the trip will be unforgettable. Slowly but surely, she realizes he is right: the sights are spectacular. And with each passing day, Everly’s relationship with Asher deepens, forcing her to take a long, hard look at her priorities.

Everly and Asher begin to see magic in the possibility of a life together. But as the cruise nears its end, and Everly’s family Christmas approaches, both must decide if love is worth the risk. A merry surprise may be in store in Debbie Macomber’s newest holiday delight.

REVIEW:
Would it even be the holidays without a Christmas book from Debbie Macomber? Not to me….

Everly is “accidentally” booked on an Amazon cruise by her assistant but sometimes we are put into a place because that is exactly where we are supposed to be.

Everly meets Asher on the cruise and they both feel that falling feeling quickly but aren’t sure what they feel is “love”. But the sweet romance is exactly what these two deserve. I loved the Christmas scenes and the fudge recipe made me think of when my Granny made fudge for the holidays and that memory alone was worth the read to me.

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 In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

TITLE: In A Holidaze
CHARACTERS: Mae & Andrew
AUTHOR: Christina Lauren
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/06/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
One Christmas wish, two brothers, and a lifetime of hope are on the line for hapless Maelyn Jones in In a Holidaze, the quintessential holiday romantic novel by Christina Lauren, the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Jam-packed with yuletide cheer, an unforgettable cast of characters, and Christina Lauren’s trademark “downright hilarious” (Helen Hoang, author of The Bride Test) hijinks, this swoon-worthy romantic read will make you believe in the power of wishes and the magic of the holidays.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is Groundhog day meets Christmas. Every year Mae and her family head to Utah but this year with her parents divorced and her mom remarried they do not attend but Theo and Andrew do. After leaving the cabin for what she believes is the last time she wakes up after an accident heading TO Utah not home.

And with this weird timeloop continuing she Mae has a chance to get what she has always wanted and with who she always wanted it.

Great story to get you into the holiday/Christmas spirit. Grab your fuzzy slippers, your cozy blanket and a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy this wonderful story.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Black Willows by Jill Hand

TITLE: Black Willows
SERIES #: Trapnell Thriller #2
CHARACTERS: Trapnell Siblings
AUTHOR: Jill Hand
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/22/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A mysterious cowboy is stalking the eccentric Trapnell siblings. Is he a supernatural entity or a hired killer? To complicate things, the will making them heirs to their billionaire father’s estate is missing and a relative has returned from a watery grave.
Last time, the Trapnells saved the world from destruction. This time they may not be able to save themselves. Black Willows is a darkly funny Southern-fried adventure, complete with Voodoo, arson, and alligators.

REVIEW:
I am on the fence about this book. Not because it wasn’t well written but it seemed so soap opera like. And also had every stereotypical southern trait ever mentioned.

I found myself skipping a lot of the story and skipping just to the dialogue so I knew what was going on.

Not my cup of tea leaves.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Girl She Wanted by K.L. Slater

TITLE: The Girl She Wanted
CHARACTERS: Alexa & Carrie
AUTHOR: K.L. Slater
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/22/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
What if my sister is unstable and everyone can see it but me? What was she really doing standing over Florence’s cot in the middle of the night?

Alexa has always looked up to her older sister Carrie. Carrie lives in Alexa’s family home, and adores her one-year-old niece Florence. Alexa doesn’t know how they would cope without her. So when Carrie is suspended from her job as a senior nurse, accused of the most terrible crime, Alexa reels in disbelief. Alexa knows how caring Carrie is, and as she watches Florence gurgling and cooing whenever Carrie is around, she knows her little girl is in safe hands.

Alexa’s husband doesn’t trust Carrie. He wants her out of the house, unable to ignore what people are saying about her. But when he suggests that Carrie could be a danger to their daughter, Alexa shuts him out. Nobody will ever come between her and her sister.

Then Florence is hurt while in Carrie’s care and Alexa at last starts to wonder. Alexa has always wanted to protect Carrie from the past they have hidden. But does Alexa know what Carrie wants? And will the secret that has kept the sisters together now destroy her little girl?

A completely gripping rollercoaster of a read about the darkness families hide behind closed doors. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be hooked on The Girl She Wanted.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts If given the chance would you believe your own sister or your husband? And would you trust your sister with your precious child or trust your husband’s instinct and keep her far away?

I had a hard time getting into this book but once I did I enjoyed it. There was some suspense as to why Carrie was fired and did she really hurt the people she was nursing which I found interesting and kept me wanting to read to find out what really happened.

I also worried for the baby. The title led me to believe something was going to happen one way and that then it didn’t. So I kept waiting.

Interesting read.

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

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Kimberly reviews Don’t Look by Alexandra Ivy

TITLE: Don’t Look
SERIES #: Pike, Wisconsin #1
CHARACTERS: Lynne & Kir
AUTHOR: Alexandra Ivy
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/01/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
IF YOU’RE ON HIS LIST
A woman’s naked body is discovered, cold and pale as the surrounding snow–except for the crimson scarf around her neck. The weeks that follow bring more victims and evidence of a terrifying pattern. The killer has a list. And every woman on it will get what she deserves . . .

YOU’RE AS GOOD
Dr. Lynne Gale followed in her father’s footsteps to become a vet in Pike, Wisconsin. For years, she’s had little contact with Kir Jansen, son of the town’s late sheriff. Suddenly he’s back, insisting that Lynne’s in danger. She can’t believe anyone would target her, but someone is hunting the women of Pike, savoring every last moment.

AS DEAD
Kir hoped that his father’s frantic calls about a serial killer were just an old man’s delusions. But the body count doesn’t lie. In this quiet town, a monster stalks and kills. And soon, Lynne’s will be the last name on his list . . .
REVIEW:
Yay! A New series from Alexandra Ivy!!!

I love Ivy’s writing. I have loved her writing back to her paranormal and into the suspense genre. She, honestly, never disappoints me. And she didn’t this time either.

Ok, lets state the obvious and move from there… Yes, Kir and Lynne become amatuer detectives and somehow figure out what the cops can not. This is not new in the genre. So yes, that is obvious and unrealistic but we do not pick up these books to read realism.

Now Kir returns to town to bury his father. His dad knows there is a serial killer out there and he was getting letters from the killer. But Kir comes back and realizes that his dad was right. And Kir also meets Dr Lynne, a vet, and a romance blossoms.

Alexandra Ivy always writes great characters. I would want to be friends with Kir and Lynne. And I would certainly want them on my side if my death seemed suspicious. And their romance that comes from their time together is expected and wonderful.

I am happy to see Ivy with a new series. I never miss her books and can’t wait to meet more of the people from Pike.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Silent Ridge by Gregg Olsen

TITLE: Silent Ridge (original title: Dark Falls)
SERIES #: Detective Megan Carpenter #3
CHARACTERS: Megan & Ronnie
AUTHOR: Gregg Olsen
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/04/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
They say your past can come back to haunt you. For Detective Megan Carpenter, her past might just come back to kill her.

Detective Megan Carpenter is no stranger to horrifying crime scenes, but when she arrives at the home of a woman whose body has been brutalized, Megan is shocked to discover that she knows the victim. Monique Delmont helped Megan when she was in danger years ago. And the killer has left a disturbing calling card… two laminated photographs of a sixteen-year-old high school girl – Megan.

Someone is taunting her in the worst way possible and Megan is convinced she knows who is responsible. She just has to find him.

With the help of her new partner, Deputy Ronnie Marsh, Megan begins to unravel the clues that will lead them to the killer including links to three female murder cases from nearly twenty years ago – one of which was Monique’s daughter.

But to protect those closest to her, Megan must continue to hide the dark truth of her past, even if that means lying to her team about her connection to Monique.

When two photographs of a teenage Megan are found at her boyfriend’s place in Snow Creek, she knows the killer is circling and ready to strike again.

Can she get to him before he finds her? And will she pay the ultimate price for trying to keep her terrifying past buried?

An addictive edge-of-your-seat crime thriller from the Number One, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon Chart bestselling author.

REVIEW:
When I requested this book from NetGalley it was titled Dark Falls but now it has been changed to Silent Ridge. Not sure of the reason for the change but I wanted to get that out of the way for those confused by the name change.

This is the third in the series and while I somehow missed book #2 having read the first in the series, Snow Creek, it was helpful to know the character already. I am not sure someone just coming into this series will appreciate the character as someone who has read one or both of the previous books.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. I mean I really like the writings of Olsen but I am already a little tired of Megan. I am not sure why everyone she encounters as a detective she has known before. And I am not sure I appreciate all the baggage she comes with. That being said she is a strong character who prevails above her past.

Will give the series more time to develop. And I hope we see a few more sides of Megan.

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

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Winter Romance Wednesday! Kimberly reviews Christmas At Holiday House by RaeAnne Thayne

TITLE: Christmas At Holiday House
CHARACTERS: Abby & Ethan
AUTHOR: RaeAnne Thayne
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/06/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In the town of Silver Bells, there’s always a feeling of Christmas in the air… Let love—and RaeAnne Thayne—melt your heart this holiday season!

This New Year will bring widowed nurse Abigail Powell a fresh start in a different city. Excited about the chance to create an unforgettable Christmas for her young son in picturesque Silver Bells, Colorado, Abby has been hired to take care of her dear friend’s recuperating grandmother. But sprightly senior Winnie insists she doesn’t need looking after. What she does need is help decorating her historic mansion, Holiday House, for a seasonal town fundraiser. Abby warms to the festive task, but she’ll have to contend with her own personal Grinch: Winnie’s prickly grandson, Ethan Lancaster.

Ethan Lancaster is good at a lot of things. Relationships surely aren’t one of them. His ex-fiancée convinced Ethan he was incapable of love, and he believes her…up until the moment he impulsively kisses Abby. What is it about this vibrant woman and her sweet son that knocks his world off-kilter? He knows they’re leaving town after Christmas. He just didn’t expect they’d be taking a little of his heart with them. But as he and Abby work together on the magical Holiday House through the record cold weather, visions of a different future dance in his head…one filled with warmth, love and a new beginning for them both.

REVIEW:
4.75 Hearts I love all of RaeAnne Thayne’s books but there is something special about the Holiday/Christmas novels that she writes and this one was simply one of the best yet.

Abby is brought to town to help with her best friend’s grandmother. She feels this will give her son a festival holiday and she is slowly pulled into the town and the wonderful people she comes across. Ethan is one of those people and sparks fly but neither Abby nor Ethan are sure that they are ready for or even can love.

The city of Silver Bells makes you want to climb through the book and head there for the holidays. Thayne has a way of pulling you into her stories with the meeting of the first character.

Another worthy read to get into the Holiday/Christmas 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 & Genevieve
AUTHOR: Steve Frech
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/04/20
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.
You tell me all this because I’m your bartender.
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.

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Kimberly reviews Haunting in Old Tailem by Janice Tremayne

TITLE: Haunting In Old Tailem
SERIES #: Haunting Clarisse #3
CHARACTERS: Clarisse
AUTHOR: Janice Tremayne
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/01/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
An Australian Ghost town. A resident demon and a local Shaman. A confrontation with evil awaits.

Clarisse realizes that running from evil is not a bad idea until you figure out you can’t hide. When some ghosts get tired of hanging around, they latch onto you. At the centre of the war on evil is a historic Church that carries dark secrets within its walls. After she meets with the local Shaman, Clarisse discovers secrets with evil consequences by digging too deep into the town’s past. When matters become complicated, she visits a circus of young performers on the outskirts of town triggering unexpected paranormal events and unleashing memories of a one-hundred-year curse. After being caught in the crossfire of a battle for evil supremacy, Clarisse confronts Little Charlie as he rallies the town’s ghosts into an impeccable evil stronghold.

Can the local Shaman and townsfolk rally in her quest to defeat the evil incarnate or will the town succumb to Little Charlie and his evil crew?

Haunting in Old Tailem is the third book of the Haunting Clarisse Series. If you like spine-tingling, chilling, creepy and spooky supernatural thrillers, then you will love this story by 2020 USA Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards Finalist in Supernatural Fiction, Janice Tremayne.

Pick up your copy today and follow Clarisse through her battles with evil!

★ This book can be read as a stand-alone

REVIEW:
First the synopsis says that this can be read as a stand alone. But I think having not read the first two I missed out on something. I feel I didn’t have a good feel for the characters even after getting to know them in this book.

Clarisse is a clairvoyant who goes to Australia to work with Henry but a spooky church in the town becomes more of the focus than the work Henry needs to do. Soon it becomes clear that this is not just ghost haunting but way more. Like Satan and his henchmen attracting legions to do is bidding. Including children who visit the town.

I was really looking for a ghost story but got more of a horror flick. Seems that the read is either dull or action packed. There is no in between. I have to say that once I was reading it I was fine with continuing but I was not jumping up to grab the book after having set it down.

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

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Kimberly reviews He Will Get You by Charlie Gallagher

TITLE: He Will Get You
SERIES #: Maddie Ives #5
CHARACTERS: Maddie Ives
AUTHOR: Charlie Gallagher
PUBLICATION DATE: 04/10/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A KILLER WHO LOVES TO WATCH THE RESULTS OF THE HAVOC HE WREAKS
DETECTIVE MADDIE IVES FACES HER WORST NIGHTMARE.
Lance Askew is a career serial killer. He lives for it.
THE FIRST VICTIM
Alice Oxley runs her own café. An older man has become a regular over the last month. He likes to people watch. He doesn’t say much.
When he does speak. It comes from nowhere, he waits until she is very close: ”Your son is dead. I killed him.”
Her boyfriend is dead too. He says he left them under the photo on the stairs, the one where they’re all smiling together.
He drinks in her reaction then breaks the spell: “Go!” he rasps.
She runs home to see what he has done.
THE SECOND VICTIM
Michelle Rice pushes open her garden gate. It makes a squealing sound – it always has. It is how Lance Askew knows she’s home. He can barely contain himself. He is waiting for her.
Soon she will see what he has done.
A THIRD VICTIM IS IDENTIFIED.
Another family are about to have their lives ruined.
Maddie Ives and Harry Blaker are the detectives who must stop this killer. And he is far from finished.
ONE OF THEIR OWN IS THE NEXT TARGET

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts This is the 5th in the series but I have not read any so I could tell that I was missing something in the background of the characters but that did not take away from the suspense. But it did take a way a bit from the characters.

This story is a bit different. We actually know “who-dun-it” but we are not exactly sure the motive. And Lance Askew is a sick man. He likes to watch the mayhem he causes. He wants to see the devastated family. He wants the cops to keep looking for him while he enjoys his game. He was almost cringe-worthy.

I had a bit of a hard time with the murders. I like a good suspense book but have never been into the gore, I guess you could say and this book really kind of has that. There is so much detail I sometimes skipped over the details of the murder. The psychological side was a bit unnerving but intense which left me wanting to know why.

I think you need to be into the genre to enjoy it.

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