Category: Review Sunday

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Kimberly reviews You Had Me At Wolf by Terry Spear

TITLE: You Had Me At Wolf
SERIES #: Wolff Brothers #1
CHARACTERS: Nicole & Blake
AUTHOR: Terry Spear
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/25/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
First in a thrilling new series from USA Today bestseller Terry Spear featuring the hot, powerful Wolff brothers!

A wolf on a mission cannot be deterred…
The hot, powerful Wolff brothers have moved to the outskirts of Silver Town and opened a ski lodge. They’ve always wanted to live in a wolf-controlled area, and now they have their chance. They’re settling in for a quiet winter, when their lives suddenly become way more exciting than they’d ever planned.

Private Investigator and Gray wolf shifter Josie Grayson is hot on the trail of a dangerous criminal hiding out at the ski lodge when her partner takes ill and must leave her to pursue the mission alone. Blake Wolff steps in–he can’t resist the allure of this brilliant and focused she-wolf whose presence awakens a long dormant yearning in his heart.

As pursuit of their quarry heats up, Blake has a mission of his own…to convince Josie that there’s more to life than work…and that she’s his perfect mate.

REVIEW:
This is the first in a new series from Spear which is nice to see but of course it is in the same genre as Heart Of The Wolf series which is 28 books in (wow!) so seeing this is the same genre there didn’t seem all that different.

The story was fine. I liked the characters and liked how after a difficult previous meeting Nicole stands up to Blake and stands on her own two feet. I liked the Wolff brothers very much.

But that being said it is not too far from the other series but if you are a fan of the genre you won’t want to miss this book especially since it is the first in the series.

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

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Kimberly reviews How To Love Your Elf by Kerrelyn Sparks

TITLE: How To Love Your Elf
SERIES #: Embraced By Magic #1
CHARACTERS: Sorcha
AUTHOR: Kerrelyn Sparks
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/01/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Raised in isolation on the magic-shrouded Isle of the Moon, five girls became five sisters. Now women, they are ready to claim their places in the world—and perhaps change it forever . . .

FLAME AND FORTUNE

Sorcha knew the mission was dangerous. Leaving the safe grounds of her brother’s kingdom and parlaying with the elves across their border . . . well, treachery seemed at least as likely as true peace. But to support her sister, Sorcha would brave far more than the underhanded ways of the elves. Or so she thought, before she was taken hostage.

Of course, her captors didn’t count on her particular abilities—or on the help of the Woodsman, the mysterious thief who made his home in the forest. He saw the battle from the trees, saw the soldier attacking against incredible odds to save a comrade—and then saw the valiant fighter revealed as Princess Sorcha of Norveshka. He can’t tell if he wants to kidnap her or kiss her. But despite Sorcha’s stubbornness, his inconvenient honor, and a rebellion on the cusp of full war, something burns between them that neither can let go . . .

REVIEW:
Ok This is going to sound odd because if you look I gave it 3 stars but I think this is a book that people either love or dislike. But I am just not sure how I felt so I rated it right down the middle.

I never connected with the characters. Something was just off with the romance. It almost felt forced.

I see it is the first in a new series but if also falls under the Embraced series as well.

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

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Kimberly reviews In Search Of Truth by Sharon Wray

TITLE: In Search Of Truth
SERIES #: Deadly Force #3
CHARACTERS: Zack & Allison
AUTHOR: Sharon Wray
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/25/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Some treasure is hidden in plain sight…
Ex-Green Beret Zack Tremaine is a man haunted by regrets. Years ago, he betrayed his men and lost the only woman he ever loved. Now that he’s been given a chance to save both, his only hope is his lost love, Allison Pinckney, who knows more than anyone else about a lost treasure that’s the key to Zack’s mission.

Allison is fascinated by the past. Somewhere in her research is the key to a missing fortune, and Allison finds herself on a perilous mission with the one man she’s been avoiding. She knows that if she gives in to her long-buried feelings for Zack, it will put them both in danger.

But as the search heats up Zack and Allison are constantly thrown together, and they discover how much more powerful they are together than apart.

REVIEW:
2.75 Hearts I read the first in the series but missed the second. So there was some confusion as I read the story but not alot. I would however suggest reading the other two before this one.

I had a bit of a hard time with the idea of this story. There was just so much that seemed unrealistic.

I wanted to enjoy this story because the idea of it sounded good but it just fell a bit flat for me.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry

TITLE: The Warsaw Protocol
SERIES #: Cotton Malone #15
CHARACTERS: Cotton Malone
AUTHOR: Steve Berry
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/25/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
In New York Times bestseller Steve Berry’s latest Cotton Malone adventure, the arrogant greed of politics comes face-to-face with the weight of history.

One by one the seven precious relics of the Arma Christi, the weapons of Christ, are disappearing from sanctuaries across the world.

After former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone witnesses the theft of one of them, he learns from his old boss, Stephanie Nelle, that a private auction is about to be held where incriminating information on the president of Poland will be offered to the highest bidder–blackmail that both the United States and Russia want, but for vastly different reasons.

The price of admission to that auction is one of the relics, so Malone is first sent to a castle in Poland to steal the Holy Lance, a thousand-year-old spear sacred to not only Christians but to the Polish people, and then on to the auction itself. But nothing goes as planned and Malone is thrust into a bloody battle between three nations over a secret that, if exposed, could change the balance of power in Europe.

From the tranquil canals of Bruges, to the elegant rooms of Wawel Castle, to the ancient salt mines deep beneath the earth outside Krakow, Malone is caught in the middle of a deadly war–the outcome of which turns on something known as the Warsaw Protocol.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts I have read some of this series but not all. But the thing is each book can be a stand alone. Even though knowing Malone from the beginning helps but it really isn’t mandatory.

What a book this one was! I was so glad I didn’t miss this one in the series.

One of the things I enjoy best about Steve Berry books is the history he puts into every one. History that most likely you have never heard about. I want to climb into the book and visit every city Berry writes about. And the concept story is great too.

Malone is serious but has his moments of levity which makes me enjoy him even more.

Right up there with Brad Meltzer and for me that says a lot.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Sisters By Choice by Susan Mallery

TITLE: Sisters By Choice
SERIES #: Blackberry Island #4
CHARACTERS: Sophie, Kristine & Heather
AUTHOR: Susan Mallery
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/11/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Cousins by chance, sisters by choice…

After her cat toy empire goes up in flames, Sophie Lane returns to Blackberry Island, determined to rebuild. Until small-town life reveals a big problem: she can’t grow unless she learns to let go. If Sophie relaxes her grip even a little, she might lose everything. Or she might finally be free to reach for the happiness and love that have eluded her for so long.

Kristine has become defined by her relationship to others. She’s a wife, a mom. As much as she adores her husband and sons, she wants something for herself—a sweet little bakery just off the waterfront. She knew changing the rules wouldn’t be easy, but she never imagined she might have to choose between her marriage and her dreams.

Like the mainland on the horizon, Heather’s goals seem beyond her grasp. Every time she manages to save for college, her mother has another crisis. Can she break free, or will she be trapped in this tiny life forever?

Told with Mallery’s trademark humor and charm, Sisters by Choice is a heartfelt tale of love, family and the friendships that see us through.

REVIEW:
4.5 Hearts Oh how I adored this story and Oh how I love Susan Mallery! Susan has a way of bringing you right into her world and you not only want to visit you want to pack up and move there. Blackberry Island has been no different.

In this story we meet Sophie, Kristine and Heather. They are “Sisters By Choice”. We all have one of those or maybe more than one like in this case.

Having my own Sister By Choice made this story more real to me. My SBC and I have been through so much and yet when we should have fallen apart we grew closer together. As I read about Sophie, Kristine and Heather I knew they could and would survive it all together.

Susan Mallery is simply the best when it comes to writing. She is always the first I mention when someone asks who I read. And this story is just proof as to why. Another wonderful trip to Blackberry Island.

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

4 Hearts

 

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Kimberly reviews The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica

TITLE: The Other Mrs
CHARACTERS: Sadie & Will
AUTHOR: Mary Kubica
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/18/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor, Morgan Baines, is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie, who is terrified by the thought of a killer in her very own backyard.

But it’s not just Morgan’s death that has Sadie on edge. It’s their eerie old home, with its decrepit decor and creepy attic, which they inherited from Will’s sister after she died unexpectedly. It’s Will’s disturbed teenage niece Imogen, with her dark and threatening presence. And it’s the troubling past that continues to wear at the seams of their family.

As the eyes of suspicion turn toward the new family in town, Sadie is drawn deeper into the mystery of Morgan’s death. But Sadie must be careful, for the more she discovers about Mrs. Baines, the more she begins to realize just how much she has to lose if the truth ever comes to light.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts Boy the beginning of this book had me going. The thrill of it and the intensity was leading up to… well nothing.

After the first third to half of the book it was good. But then bam… nothing seemed real, logical or really interesting. I was looking for more of a spooky feel but the story just didn’t end with that and really was a let down.

Maybe I built it up to much but I the best way I can describe it is the author started this book, put it aside because of writers block then came back with a whole different mindset.

Giving it 3.25 because of the beginning and the concept.

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

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Kimberly reviews Been There, Married That by Gigi Levangie

TITLE: Been There, Married That
CHARACTERS: Agnes Murphy Nash
AUTHOR: Gigi Levangie
PUBLICATION DATE: 02/11/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
A hilarious new novel full of Hollywood glitz, glamour, and scandal.

When he changes the locks, she changes the rules.

Agnes Murphy Nash is the perfect Hollywood wife – she has the right friends, the right clothes, and even a side career of her own as a writer. Her husband Trevor is a bigshot producer, and from the outside it looks like they’re living a picture-perfect celebrity life, complete with tennis tournaments and lavish parties.

But the job description of a Hollywood wife doesn’t cover divorce, which is the way Agnes’ life is headed after she comes home one day to find her credit cards cancelled and the security passwords to get into her enormous LA home changed. Oh, and there’s a guy there whose job it is to tase her if she tries to enter…which she does. Needless to say, Agnes’ husband is dead set on making sure she loses big time, but Agnes isn’t the type to just lie down and take it. In a world of fremenies and hot nannies, personal psychics and “skinny” jello shots, Agnes may be losing her husband, but could that mean getting her own life back?

Been There, Married That is a drop-dead hilarious battle of wills that will make you laugh out loud, cringe, and keep turning the pages to see what crazy disaster will happen to Agnes next…and how she’ll rise from the ashes.

REVIEW:
2.5 Hearts This was a close DNF for me but decided I would skim the rest of it. I think the author was too set on throwing in snark that she forgot there should have been a story involved.

I have never read this author but the title caught my attention. And then the description seemed good so I requested it. I really just didn’t enjoy it.

The husband is such an asshat that I just wanted to stop reading anything about him. There was NOTHING good about this man. And why Agnes listens to anything he says is beyond me. I mean he sends her to rehab for almonds and she goes? I can’t even begin to tell you the words that would have come out of my mouth and the last one would have been divorce…. And been happy about it.

I just couldn’t stand these characters and like I said the writing was going more for snark than humor if you ask me.

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

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Kimberly reviews Hands Across The Grave by Donna Kolling Lear

TITLE: Hands Across The Grave
CHARACTERS: James Riley, Bob Maywood & Hank Welch
AUTHOR: Donna Kolling Lear
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/22/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
September, 1967

After twenty-seven years with the FBI, Assistant Special Agent, James Riley, has officially retired. Finally out of the crazy and unpredictable world of law enforcement, he and his wife, Meg, are excited to start the next chapter of their lives in the small town of Monrovia, California.

Meg throws James a surprise retirement party that brings their daughter, Clair, and her husband Tom, home from Ohio and reunites James with his old friend Bob Maywood. When Clair announces that she and Tom will be moving back to Monrovia, James and Meg are thrilled. However, their excitement turns to terror when Clair and Tom fail to return from a short walk. A search of the neighborhood leads James and Bob to an abandoned house, where they find Clair’s opal and diamond necklace and a chloroform-soaked rag.

James and Bob team up with his former supervisor, Special Agent Hank Welch, to find Clair and Tom. They will soon find themselves caught in a web of lies, revenge, and deception that threatens the Riley family and friends.

REVIEW:
3.5 Hearts So I was expecting something a bit more well spooky. But that is not what this is about. And because it is so short I was ok with it.

I actually liked the characters. I would say that the author should consider adding to this book and making it more of a novel than the novella it feels like.

Because it is short, I don’t want to give much away, but the suspense was written really well.

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

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Kimberly reviews The Intended Victim by Alexandra Ivy

TITLE: The Intended Victim
SERIES #: The Agency #4
CHARACTERS: Remi & Ash
AUTHOR: Alexandra Ivy
PUBLICATION DATE: 12/31/19
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
ONCE, SHE GOT AWAY
The body lying on a cold steel slab bears all the hallmarks of the Chicago Butcher. There’s a cruel slash across her throat, deep enough to sever the carotid artery, and a small crescent carved into her right breast. Her delicate features are painfully familiar to Ash Marcel, once a rising star in the Chicago PD. But though the victim resembles his former fiancée, Remi Walsh, he knows it’s not her.

BUT THIS TIME
Though Remi escaped a serial killer five years ago, her father died trying to save her. Grief and guilt caused her to pull away from the man she loved. Now Ash is back in her life, insisting that Remi is still in danger.

IT’S A DEAD END . . .
Someone is targeting women who look just like Remi. With or without a badge, Ash intends to unmask the Butcher. But the killer isn’t playing games any longer. He’s moving in, ready to finish what he started, and prove there’s nothing more terrifying than a killer’s obsession . . .

REVIEW:
I have truly enjoyed all the works from Alexandra Ivy. There is nothing she can’t write and I can’t enjoy!

The suspense is well written (but then anything by Ivy is) but I found myself on the edge of my seat a few times. And this is certainly one that I said to myself “one more chapter” and then at the end of the chapter “ok one more”.

Remi and Ash make a great partnership and I hope that Jax (Ash’s brother) gets his own story soon. Because I have to say he was my favorite character in the book.

Another great read from Alexandra Ivy. I would say to read from the beginning of the series but that is just so you can be familiar with Ivy’s Agency. But it can be read alone.

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

4 Hearts

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Kelly reviews A Longer Fall by Charlaine Harris

TITLE: A Longer Fall
SERIES #: Gunnie Rose #2
CHARACTERS: Lizbeth Rose
AUTHOR: Charlaine Harris
NARRATOR: Eva Kaminsky
PUBLICATION DATE: January 14, 2020
RUN TIME: Hours & Minutes
ORDER LINKS: Audible | Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
NUMBER ONE ‘NEW YORK TIMES’ BEST-SELLING AUTHOR CHARLAINE HARRIS RETURNS WITH THE SECOND OF THE GUNNIE ROSE SERIES, IN WHICH LIZBETH IS HIRED ONTO A NEW CREW, TRANSPORTING A CRATE INTO DIXIE, THE SELF-EXILED SOUTHEAST TERRITORY OF THE FORMER UNITED STATES. WHAT THE CRATE CONTAINS IS SOMETHING SO POWERFUL, THAT FORCES FROM ACROSS THE THREE TERRITORIES WANT TO POSSESS IT.
In this second thrilling installment of the Gunnie Rose series, Lizbeth Rose is hired onto a new crew for a seemingly easy protection job, transporting a crate into Dixie, just about the last part of the former United States of America she wants to visit. But what seemed like a straight-forward job turns into a massacre as the crate is stolen. Up against a wall in Dixie, where social norms have stepped back into the last century, Lizbeth has to go undercover with an old friend to retrieve the crate as what’s inside can spark a rebellion, if she can get it back in time.
Number one ‘New York Times’ best-selling author Charlaine Harries (Sookie Stackhouse mysteries and Midnight Texas Trilogy) is at her best here, building the world of this alternate history of the United States, where magic is an acknowledged but despised power.

REVIEW:
A Longer Fall is the second installment of Charlaine Harris’ Gunnie Rose series.

A Longer Fall picks up a few months after the end of An Easy Death. We catch up with Lizbeth Rose (aka Gunnie Rose) and her new crew of Gunnies. We find them on a train headed to Dixie with a package. Dixie is not a place the Lizbeth would normally want to be but the package needs to be delivered. What should have been an easy sit on the box and deliver turns out to be not so lucky for the Lucky Crew. A train derailment leads Lizbeth and her crew facing enemy after enemy. But in the midst of all the chaos a familiar face emerges. One Lizbeth never thought she would ever see again.

Eva Kaminsky does a great job again bring these characters to life. I really enjoyed having her read this story to me. I do hope that she stays on for the rest of this series.

I really enjoyed this book and I am already looking forward to the next installment in this series. Lizbeth is a great character and I enjoy watching her grow as a person. I have high hopes for what might come next in this series.

Note: I would recommend reading this series in order. I think you could read book two without book one but there is a lot of history that you will miss if you don’t.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley, Edelweiss & Gallery / Saga Press 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 Scorched Grounds by Debbie Herbert

TITLE: Scorched Grounds
SERIES #: Normal Alabama #2
CHARACTERS: Della Stallings
AUTHOR: Debbie Herbert
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/28/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
From bestselling author Debbie Herbert comes a chilling, fast-paced story about family tragedy and confronting what terrifies us most.

In the eighteen years since her father went to prison for killing her mother and brother, Della Stallings has battled a crippling phobia. Her fear only grows when her father’s released. She still believes he killed her family, but the police don’t have enough evidence to arrest him again.

When new grisly murders occur—each bearing the telltale signs that seem to implicate her father—Della begins to wonder if the real murderer is still out there. Could her father have been framed?

To find the truth, Della must face her greatest fears and doubts—not only to find justice for her family but to ensure her own survival.

REVIEW:
3.75 Hearts This is the second in the series but I didn’t read the first but that being said this could be written as a stand alone.

Della witnessed her mother and brother murdered and her father charged with the crime. Now he is getting out of prison and when a murder occurs Della suspects her father but she and Detective Whitt take up the investigation but is it to find her father guilty or innocent?

The suspense was very well written and I enjoyed the characters. Normal, AL seems like a place that has a lot going on. Herbert has a way of writing that makes you interested in the characters and wanting to know what will happen next.

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

4 Hearts

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Kimberly reviews Shall We Dance? by Shelley Shepard Gray

TITLE: Shall We Dance?
SERIES #: Dance With Me #1
CHARACTERS: Shannon & Dylan
AUTHOR: Shelley Shepard Gray
PUBLICATION DATE: 01/28/20
ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
At twenty-seven, Shannon Murphy has just discovered that she has two sisters she never knew. Now, through Shannon’s loving persistence, the three of them are moving in together above her dance studio in Bridgeport. Shannon is excited to make a home with her sisters and to grow her budding business. Then she meets her newest client–he has all the right muscles, a perfect smile, and a lot of attitude. Will Shannon be able to keep things professional with this charming stranger?

Dylan Lange has a lot on his mind. He’s just been assigned a new partner at his job with the Bridgeport Police, and while he’s busy striving to protect and serve his town, he’s also trying to keep his baby sister out of harm’s way while she heals from her own trauma. And on top of everything else, he’s gone and lost a bet with his buddies, forcing him to take dance lessons. But when he walks into the dance studio to meet his instructor, a young and beautiful brunette with a sweet southern drawl is the last person he expected to find.

Get ready to fall in love again as Shelley Shepard Gray takes us back to Bridgeport, Ohio, where nobody gets left behind and a powerful community helps ordinary men and women to find extraordinary strength inside themselves.

REVIEW:
3.25 Hearts This is the first time reading this author. But it is the first in a new series so I decided to give it a try.

I might have picked it up because of the coincidences. First one of the names (Kimber) is one of the coincidences but also, oddly, I just found I have a sister I didn’t know about… year, really!

This story is very much women’s lit. There is romance but with a “hero” I never really fell for. And there was a bunch in the story that didn’t flow. Somethings done off page that didn’t make sense. Which is why I say it is more women’s lit than romance.

Still on the fence.

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