Feature Post and Book Review: Cold Case Kidnapping by Nicole Helm

Book Description

To save her missing sister
They’ll confront a nightmare past…

A mysterious family tree. A man thought long dead. Dahlia Easton has few solid clues to find her sister, missing for a year. But she’s in danger the moment she reaches Wyoming’s backcountry. To protect her, cold case investigator Grant Hudson must confront his town’s unresolved nightmares—even as an unspeakable threat from the past is fast closing in to silence him and Dahlia for good…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125006708-cold-case-kidnapping?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=lmUIxnU6Lr&rank=1

Discover more action-packed stories in the Hudson Sibling Solutions series. All books are stand-alone with uplifting endings but were published in the following order:

Book 1: Cold Case Kidnapping
Book 2: Cold Case Identity
Book 3: Cold Case Family Feud

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

COLD CASE KIDNAPPING (Hudson Sibling Solutions Book #1) by Nicole Helm is the start of a new cowboy romantic suspense series featuring the Hudson family of siblings based in Wyoming on their ancestral ranch. The five siblings each specialize in a different aspect of HSS (Hudson Sibling Solutions) that specializes in solving sold cases.

Dahlia Easton is searching for her sister Rose who disappeared a year ago in Texas, but she believes through her research was transported to Wyoming. She hires HSS to help her find answers.

Grant Hudson, the second eldest Hudson sibling, served as a Marine and has now returned to help on the family ranch and work cold cases for the family business. Grant is assigned Dahlia case and soon discovers it has ties to the town’s past, a cult everyone thought destroyed years ago.

As they work together to discover what happened to Rose, they find themselves at the center of a deadly threat from the past.

I really enjoyed this story and introduction to the Hudson siblings. Dahlia is a mix of vulnerability, strength, and determination that makes her an appealing heroine and Grant is a protector who feels responsible for everyone who needs to learn to believe in the strength and abilities of not just Dahlia, but his siblings as well. There is more suspense in this story with the romance being a slow burn, but it also felt as though it progressed at a believable pace. There are no sex scenes in this story. I am excited with the set up of this series as the siblings each having their own strengths and I already find them interesting.

I recommend this first in a new series. fast paced, and engaging cowboy romantic suspense. I am looking forward to reading all the siblings’ individual stories.

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About the Author

Nicole Helm is the national bestselling author of fast-paced romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue and down-to-earth contemporary romance. Her Intrigues routinely land on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller list, and she’s received starred PW reviews for her contemporary romances. All of her books are known for their down-to-earth characters, emotional depth, and happily ever afters.

In her spare time, Nicole loves losing herself in genealogy research, watching Cardinals baseball, and hiking with her family. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two sons.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.nicolehelm.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNicoleHelm/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicoleTHelm

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nicole-helm

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

Book Description

Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case…

Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She’s the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline’s, who have been missing for nearly a decade. It’s an investigation that has obsessed her father Sheriff James Martin right up until his stroke took his faculties.

Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn’t much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth—and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed—and some want reopened. And he has a lot of questions about the night Stephanie Cramer was killed, Ainsley and Sam Wallace disappeared, and Madeline Martin was left for dead, bleeding out on a riverbank.

Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger return to a past they both hoped was dead—to find the missing Lolly and to answer questions that have haunted them both, discovering that the truth is more terrible and much closer to home than they think.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/122494784-christmas-presents?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=LexYqxmNYl&rank=1

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS by Lisa Unger is a suspenseful thriller set a week before Christmas featuring the survivor of an attack from a sexual predator who killed one friend and is thought to be responsible for the disappearance of two sisters, also her friends, all on the same night. Now ten years later, she is having to relive that time in her life when a famous true-crime author and podcaster comes to town and is investigating the case. This story is a little longer than a normal novella, but shorter than a full-length novel.

This thriller is told by Maddie in the present and is interspersed with chapters that are memories from the past and then there are also chapters told by Harley as he tries to dig up new facts about the old case and the missing girls. There are plenty of plot twists that continually had me changing my mind about guilt and/or innocence of the suspects. Ms. Unger handled Maggie’s trauma and survivor’s guilt even these ten years later with empathy that made it feel believable. Overall, I was satisfied with the conclusion of the missing girls’ case, but unless I missed something somewhere, I do not understand who shot two characters at the end of the story. Other than that, I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller.

This is an engaging and suspenseful Christmas time short thriller.

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About the Author

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including her latest SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX. With books published in thirty-three languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense.

Unger’s critically acclaimed novels have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times and many others. She has been nominated for, or won, numerous awards including the Strand Critics, Audie, Hammett, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few authors, including Agatha Christie. Her short fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Mystery and Suspense, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. Lisa is the current co-President of the International Thriller Writers organization. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family.

Social Media Links

Website: https://lisaunger.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlisaunger

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lisaunger

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lisa-unger

Feature Post and Book Review: Once Upon a Christmas by Jane Porter

Book Description

When Cara Roberts’ family plans an extra special Christmas to support her after her broken engagement, she wants nothing to do with the holiday. After learning her brother and his wife can’t use the cottage vacation they purchased, she impulsively escapes to an English cottage in the bucolic village of Bakewell, despite having no idea where Bakewell is.

Lord Alec Sherbourne of Langley Park is no fan of Christmas, but following in his parents’ footsteps, he annually donates his impressive 19th century country home to be decorated and opened on December weekends as a community fundraiser. This year, Christmas is complicated by the arrival of a pretty American woman who booked a cottage on his estate—only the cottage is occupied. Forced to take her under his vast roof, he’s dismayed when a storm and frozen pipes keep her with him longer than he’d anticipated. Even more worrisome, her presence is making it feel like Christmas for the first time in forever.

As these two holiday housemates become friends, is there something more in the Christmas air?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60894062-once-upon-a-christmas?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Kj8Wziqceh&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS (Love at Langley Park Book #1) by Jane Porter is an enchanting and heartwarming holiday contemporary romance featuring a hero and heroine finding love over the Christmas holiday. This is the first book in the Love at Langley Park series, and it has everything I want and hope for in a holiday romance read.

Cara Roberts broke up with her fiancée and is looking for a change of scenery over the holidays. Her brother gives her an English cottage vacation at Langley Park won in a school raffle. After a sixteen-hour trip from Seattle, Cara discovers a problem with overbooking and she is given a room in the main house with the handsome, but grumpy lord of the manor.

Lord Alec Sherbourne returns to Langley Park every Christmas holiday out of duty, but not with much holiday cheer after the death of his wife eight years ago. When burst pipes and a snowstorm have Cara staying in the manor with Alec and his elderly relatives over the holiday, he discovers this American is making Langley Park feel like Christmas for the first time.

This is a wonderful holiday romance. Cara is a sunny, optimistic person who loves people. Alec is a reserved English aristocrat who believes his responsibility is to his family estate and heritage above all else. When these two are forced together over the holiday, what should not work, does. I love Cara and the fact that she is always willing to tell the truth and have difficult discussions, even when it hurts her, but she does not stay down. She is able to open Alec’s closed off heart. This is a cozy romance with no sex scenes, just kisses, and yet it is one of the most romantic love stories I have recently read. Ms. Porter’s romances always give me realistic characters, dialogue, and emotional HEAs.

I highly recommend this delightful holiday contemporary romance! I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

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About the Author

USA Today, and New York Times bestselling author of 75+ romances and women’s fiction titles, Jane Porter has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award six times, with her Tule Publishing novella, Take Me, Cowboy, winning the Novella Category July 2014. Today, Jane has over 15 million copies in print, including her wildly popular Flirting with Forty, a novel picked by Redbook Magazine as it’s Red Hot Summer Read in 2006 before being turned into a Lifetime movie in 2008 starring Heather Locklear. In 2021 two of Jane’s Taming of the Sheenan romances were turned into original movies for the Great American Family Network. Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and makes her home in sunny San Clemente, CA with her surfer husband, three sons, and three dogs.

Social Media Links

Website: https://janeporter.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjaneporter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorjanep

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jane-porter

Book Review: Promise Not to Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

PROMISE NOT TO TELL (Sons of Anson Salinas Book #2) by Jayne Ann Krentz is the engaging and fast-paced second book in the Sons of Anson Selinas trilogy. This trilogy features the now three adult men Anson Salinas rescued as children from a cult compound when the leader of the cult set it all aflame. This book can easily be read as a standalone romantic suspense, but there is an overarching crime mystery plotline connecting all the main characters in this trilogy and I feel have enjoyed the stories better by reading them in order.

Art gallery owner Virginia Troy has been battling anxiety attacks ever since the night her mother died, and she was rescued from a burning barn on a cult compound. One of the artists Virginia represents was a surviving member of the cult until she commits suicide. Virginia has doubts about the suicide after receiving a photo of the artist’s last work in her a series of paintings and hires the P.I. firm run by Anson Selinas and his sons to investigate.

P.I Cabot Sutter was raised by Anson after he rescued him from the cult compound fire. Cabot is determined to help Virginia not only with her case, but to discover if the man who is the main cause of their nightmares has returned. As Cabot and Virginia follow the clues, both find their lives endangered even as they discover an emotional connection that neither has ever had with anyone else.

I love this trilogy so far. The overarching mystery plotline of the trilogy is interesting on its own, but the way it has shaped the lives of the main characters is compelling. The romantic suspense plot has plenty of surprises and twists, and it kept me guessing all the way to the conclusion. Both Virginia and Cabot still have emotional difficulties or quirks that not everyone can understand from their childhood trauma, and it was so wonderful reading how they dealt with each other physically and emotionally and then came together romantically. There are a few sex scenes, but they are not gratuitous, and the care Cabot takes with Virginia makes them very sweet. The ending has me now anxiously waiting for the last book in the trilogy; I will finally get to meet Jack and hopefully see the demise of cult leader, Quinton Zane.

I recommend this exciting second romantic suspense in this trilogy from an author who never disappoints.

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About the Author

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jayneannkrentz.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayneAnnKrentz

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jayne-ann-krentz

Feature Post and Mini Book Reviews for the Wild Rose Sisters Trilogy by Christine Rimmer

Today I am featuring the WILD ROSE SISTERS trilogy by Christine Rimmer. This is a heartfelt small town contemporary romance series with each of three step-sisters finding their HEAs in this Harlequin Special Edition series. The stories can be read individually, but the sisters are very close and their lives intertwine throughout the series, so I enjoyed reading them in order. The third book not only gives the reader the last sister’s HEA, but is also a wonderful holiday story that leaves you with all the holiday warm and fuzzy feelings.

Below you will find book descriptions, my mini book reviews, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

How do you make up for four years of lost time?

No last names. No promises to meet again. No way for Payton Dahl to find the man who’s the father of her twin boys. Until fate reunites them four years later. Easton Wright now wants to be part of his sons’ lives—with the woman he fell hard for during those seven days and nights of bliss. Payton doesn’t want her sons to grow up fatherless like she did, but can she risk trusting Easton when she’s been burned in the past?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58838067-the-father-of-her-sons?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_22

My Mini Book Review

Payton Dahl is the youngest of the three sisters. She is a free spirit and trying to decide what to do with her life besides bartend and help out on her aunt’s farm. Everything changes after a fun and intense week long no-strings attached week with Easton Wright.

Four years later and Payton is a published author with beautiful twin boys when Easton runs into her again. The sexual feelings are still there, but Payton is not ready to just jump into a permanent relationship.

I loved both main characters and felt the story brought up many realistic problems any couple would face in the same situation. A difficult past history and fear can be big emotional hurdles and I feel they were handled well by this author. I liked that when they meet again, Payton is on a more level playing field economically with her best selling novels and the twins are just adorable. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous.

I enjoyed every moment of this story and I am glad it is a trilogy with more to come.

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Book Description

“Will you marry me?”

When Josie LeClaire went into labor alone on her farm, the single almost-mother had no one to turn to but her neighbor, Miles Halstead. Fortunately, the widowed single father was more than up to the task. And as he found himself unable to stay away from the lovely Josie—and her adorable newborn son—he realized he wanted her in his life as more than a friend.

Josie treasured what Miles had already come to mean to her and her baby. So when he uttered those four words, of course she said yes. Even if he couldn’t say the three words she really wanted to hear…

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58838068-first-comes-baby?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_26

My Mini Book Review

Veterinarian Josie LeClaire is the middle sister of three. Besides being a well respected vet, she also runs Wild Rose farm with the help of her aunt and sisters. She decides that even though she has not met “the one”, she is going to be a mother. When she goes into labor alone on the farm, she goes next door for help from widower and single father Miles Halstead.

They have been next door neighbors all their lives and with their shared birth experience and similar love of farm life, they decide to get married and intertwine their lives and farms. While it is a marriage of respect and caring, Josie soon discovers she wants the three little words that Mike said her could never give.

These two are a wonderful pairing and it is both ironic and realistic that they still have a major hurdle to overcome. I really enjoyed their journey to complete trust. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. All the secondary characters and pets add to the charm of the story. This romance has the HEA we all want.

I love this addition to the trilogy and am looking forward to the next book with Alex’s story.

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Book Description

“Do it now…”

And change everything!

By the book success story Alexandra Herrera’s got it all mapped out: partner at a law firm, high-powered career. But when her birth father leaves her an unexpected inheritance—prompted by a random fortune cookie—she impulsively walks away from her entire life! And now that she’s snowed in with West Wright, she learns that lightning really can strike twice. So much, in fact, that the sparks between them could melt any ice storm…if only they’d let them!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60666868-the-christmas-cottage?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_31

My Mini Book Review

Attorney Alexandra “Alex” Herrera is the elder of the three sisters and has worked and planned to become a full partner in a law firm since high school. She is on the fast track and a workaholic because she wants to always be able to financially help her aunt or sisters. When the father, who never had time for her dies, she suddenly has a fortune. It is time to reassess and so she goes home to the farm for the holidays.

This is a wonderful contemporary romance with two main characters that never believed they would get their own special someone to love. This book not only has the full story of Alex and Weston falling in love, it also brings together all their families and friends to make it a heartwarming holiday romance full of family and love. The sex scenes are hot and explicit. but not gratuitous.

This is a wonderful wrap-up to an excellent contemporary romance trilogy.

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About the Author

A New York Times and USA-Today bestselling author, Christine Rimmer has written more than 100 contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. A reader favorite, Christine consistently writes love stories that keep readers turning pages, stories that are sweet, sexy, humorous and heartfelt. Her books celebrate life’s most important connections–the powerful bonds between family members, true friends and couples who find their way to a lifetime together.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.christinerimmer.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinerimmerauthor?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RimmerChristine

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christine-rimmer

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Abilene by Dare DeLano

Abilene

by Dare DeLano

November 28 – December 01

Black Coffee Book Tours

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for ABILENE by Dare DeLano on this Black Coffee Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Three strong Southern women — twelve-year-old Len, her mother Cora, and her Aunt Jean — grapple with love and loss in this poignant tale set on a hardscrabble cattle ranch in a small Texas town. Len yearns to find the father who abandoned her, and after a chance encounter with a country music star who she suspects is him, she embarks on a life-altering journey to find the truth about her past. At the same time, Cora and Jean must deal with another shocking family betrayal that complicates everything. Told in turns by these three remarkable women, Abilene explores the boundaries of love and the transformative power of self-discovery.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/180315462-abilene?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=EueBnmuOVB&rank=1

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Link for the book on the publisher’s website

Universal link for the book on Amazon

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

ABILENE by Dare DeLano is a beautifully written Southern women’s fiction novel that has the main characters on an intense and heartfelt life-changing emotional journey on their ranch in Abilene, Texas. The book is told in alternating chapters by the three main female characters, and this debut novelist had me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout.

Twelve-year-old Len has an idyllic life growing up on the family ranch with her mother, Cora, and her grandmother. The only wish she yearns for is to have a father like all her friends. Her mother never had enough information to find the man who got her pregnant, after he left and before she even knew she was pregnant with Len. When the women see a country western singer on TV, Len knows from her mother’s reaction that he is her father.

At the same time, Jean, Len’s aunt by marriage shoots her husband, Roger, and is arrested. As Jean is questioned by her lawyer and a psychologist, she begins to understand that she has been mentally abused her entire marriage. Roger survives. Jean learns to deal with his betrayal and trauma while in prison. When she is paroled, Jean discovers a letter in a box Roger left in their home that leads to even more betrayal and life-altering consequences in all the women’s lives.

This book had me emotionally attached to Len, Cora, and Jean, and completely immersed in their points of view from start to finish. A young girl wise beyond her years and two strong women who have their young lives changed by a duplicitous man, survive, and eventually triumph. I was completely surprised this is the author’s first novel. The writing brings fully developed complex characters to life and the descriptions of the landscapes were vivid mind pictures. I loved this book and hope that I will be able to read more wonderful stories by this new author in the future.

I highly recommend this emotional Southern women’s fiction novel!

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About the Author

Dare DeLano holds an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University. Her work has been short-listed as a finalist for the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, and her children’s book Odus and the Long Way Home won the San Diego Book Award. Her work has been published in “A Year in Ink Anthology, Vol. 10, San Diego Writers, Ink, and has been exhibited in the San Diego Central Library’s Local Author Exhibition. Dare lives in San Diego, but her heart remains in the south. This is her first novel.

Social Media Links

Website: https://daredelano.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094211826844

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daredelano

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daredelano/