Tag: #aboutauthor

Book Review: Buried Ranch Secrets by Lisa Childs

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

BURIED RANCH SECRETS by Lisa Childs is an inspirational romantic suspense with a second chance romance and a page-turning cold case investigation. This is a book in the loosely connected Love Inspired Inspirational Cold Case collection. Each book is a standalone HEA romantic suspense.

FBI agent Bethany Snow returns home for the first time in several years to spend Christmas with her parents and to decide on her future with the FBI. After being picked up from the airport, her father, the town’s sheriff, is called to the Shepard ranch where a skeleton has been unearthed. Her father asks for Bethany’s help, which she is eager to give.

Cody Shepard, after years on the rodeo circuit has returned home with his young daughter to take over the running of the family ranch when his father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. A skeleton is discovered on the ranch and Bethany, the only woman who broke his heart that he could never forget shows up to work the case.

As Cody and Bethany work to discover the identity of the skeleton, the old connection is still there but Bethany plans on leaving again, and Cody needs to protect his and his daughter’s hearts. A chain of discoveries begin to reveal secrets from the past that an unknown killer wants to keep buried at any cost.

This is an engaging romantic suspense with a believable second chance romance and a suspense plot that kept me guessing. Cody is a responsible father, and his daughter is Molly was adorable. Bethany is an interesting heroine, who is at a point in her life where she is making decisions on her future both professionally and personally which I believe many woman can relate to. All the secondary characters are well drawn and satisfying in their pivotal roles in both the romantic and suspense plots.  The inspirational aspects of this story are a romance with no sex scenes, church attendance and volunteering, and praying for the safety of others.

I recommend this inspirational romantic suspense and I am looking forward to reading more in this collection.

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About the Author

Born one dark and stormy Halloween night, Lisa Childs was predestined to write suspense novels. She loves spinning dark and twisty stories that keep readers awake because they’re either too busy turning pages or too scared to sleep. Lisa Childs is the prolific author of more than seventy published novels. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance.

Social Media Links

Website: https://lisachilds.com/index.html

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lisa_Childs

Feature Post and Book Review: The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

Book Description

In every person’s story, there is something to hide…

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56803179-the-woman-in-the-library?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=SrC0Nbe9xM&rank=1

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RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE WOMAN IN THE LIBRARY by Sulari Gentill is an intricately plotted and intriguing murder mystery story within a suspense story. This standalone is by a new to me author and I am very happy I took a chance on reading it.

The mystery has four strangers sitting at the same table in the Boston Public Library when there is suddenly a blood curdling scream from another room. Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid is an Australian aspiring writer in the U.S. on a scholarship, Cain McLeod (Handsome Man) is a published author, Marigold Anastas (Freud Girl) is studying psychology at Harvard, and Whit Metters (Heroic Chin) is a failing law student who wants to be a journalist. Winifred is the narrator in this murder mystery.

At the end of each chapter of the mystery, a letter is written to Hannah, who is the published author writing the murder mystery in Australia from her fellow aspiring writer, fan, beta reader, Leo who lives in Boston and is giving her information on sites for her book and other suggested corrections. What could go wrong?

Layer upon layer in both the murder mystery and the suspense story are very well written and pulled me into each and it was difficult to put this book down. I feel both stories are clever with plenty of twists and surprises, especially the mystery, but I did anticipate where the suspense plot was heading. The characters are interesting and kept me guessing.

I recommend this mystery in a suspense for a unique and entertaining read.

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About the Author

Once upon a time, Sulari Gentill was a corporate lawyer serving as a director on public boards, with only a vague disquiet that there was something else she was meant to do. That feeling did not go away until she began to write. And so Sulari became the author of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries: thus far, ten historical crime novels chronicling the life and adventures of her 1930s Australian gentleman artist, the Hero Trilogy, based on the myths and epics of the ancient world, and the Ned Kelly Award winning Crossing the Lines (published in the US as After She Wrote Hime). In 2014 she collaborated with National Gallery of Victoria to write a short story which was produced in audio to feature in the Fashion Detective Exhibition, and thereafter published by the NGV. IN 2019 Sulari was part of a 4-member delegation of Australian crime writers sponsored by the Australia Council to tour the US as ambassadors of Australian Crime Writing.

Sulari lives with her husband, Michael, and their boys, Edmund and Atticus, on a small farm in Batlow where she grows French Black Truffles and refers to her writing as “work” so that no one will suggest she get a real job.

Social Media Links

Website: http://sularigentill.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SulariGentill

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sulari-gentill

Book Review: Slow Horses by Mick Herron

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SLOW HORSES (Slough House Book #1) by Mick Herron is a great riveting British espionage thriller and start to the Slough House series. This group of characters are unique, and the story has so many twists I was unable to put it down. Even though this is the first book in a series, it is does have a solid ending and can be read as a standalone.

Slough House is the place that washed up spies go when they can no longer be trusted and used in regular service. It is a place for the “slow horses” to either finish out their MI5 career doing endless office drudgery or quit the service entirely. All hope to one day be called back up to the big game, but none are. The Slough House is headed by the infamous Jackson Lamb.

River Cartwright has waited his entire life to be a part of MI5 like his grandfather, but after a tremendous failure on his last training assignment, he is sent to Slough House. River is determined to not only redeem himself, but prove the mistake during his assignment was not his fault. When a young man is kidnapped and then threatened to be beheaded live on the internet, River believes this is his chance to get out of Slough House, but this kidnapping is not entirely what it seems. Jackson Lamb must count on all his “slow horses”, including River, to pull together to outwit more than kidnappers.

I loved this book and cannot believe I had not already read it. I picked it up because I had heard of the Apple+ series and I prefer to read the book before watching the movie or TV series and I am very glad I did. I always enjoy finding a great story with memorable characters and that it is the first book in a series only makes it better. Jackson Lamb and all the slow horses have very interesting reasons for being sent to Slough House and even though everyone has written them off, they rise to the occasion and prove they are still able to play the game.

This plot has many unexpected twists and surprises that make this espionage thriller a great read and I cannot wait to start book #2 in the series. I highly recommend this book!

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About the Author

Mick Herron’s six Slough House novels have been shortlisted for eight CWA Daggers, winning twice, and shortlisted for the Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year three times. The first, Slow Horses, was picked as one of the best twenty spy novels of all time by the Daily Telegraph, while the most recent, Joe Country, was a Sunday Times top ten bestseller.

Mick Herron was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, and now lives in Oxford.

Feature Post and Book Review: Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks

Book Description

Samantha Williams’s carefully crafted life is about to be demolished as thoroughly as her art classroom when a careening SUV smashes into the school.

After a difficult childhood, Samantha Williams craves simplicity: jigsaw puzzles, lectures at the library, and the students she adores in her role as an elementary school art teacher in the dusty farming community of LaCrosse, Washington.

But when an SUV crashes into the building where she teaches, her entire world is upended. Samantha manages to keep the children safe, but her car isn’t so lucky. Oddly, her purse—with her driver’s license, credit cards, and other identification—is missing from the wreckage forcing her to rely on the kindness of strangers. Never one to trust easily, Samantha is thrust into a world far different from her simple life of jigsaw puzzles, children’s books, and lectures at the library.

One of the strangers who befriends her is a reporter from Spokane who is in town investigating two sets of skeletal remains that were recently discovered. When authorities discover that the driver in the school accident was shot before the crash, Samantha quickly becomes enmeshed in strange events, which turn ominous with the discovery of blackmail, murder, an abandoned town, and a secret government project.

Those involved are determined to keep these secrets buried, and they’ll use any means necessary to stop Samantha’s search for truth.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59660453-fallout

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

FALLOUT by Carrie Stuart Parks is an intriguing Christian suspense/mystery book featuring a small-town art instructor who must face the past she is running from to be able to stop a murderer. This is a standalone inspirational suspense/mystery with just a touch of romance.

Samantha “Sam” Williams is a protagonist who has survived a terrible past, does not trust easily, but has endearing quirks. I loved her habit of quoting from famous children’s authors and books, especially Dr. Suess’ “The Sneeches”. Dr. Dustin “Dutch” Van Seters is recovered from PTSD, works with Sam to solve the mystery of the skeletal remains, uncover her past and is the tie into Clan Firinn, which is a Christian faith compound that offers hope to law enforcement and other first responders suffering from PTSD and related disorders. Both worked well together and were fully fleshed protagonists.

The suspense plot starts off with a bang, but then bogs down for a while with all the many threads of past and present that are used. It does pick up once motives begin to be sorted and ends with an exciting climax. The forensic art inclusions and the historical element of the Hanford site were both interesting. The inclusion of biblical quotes and Sam and Dutch’s religious beliefs were paced realistically throughout the plot and never felt heavy-handed.

Overall, this Christian suspense/mystery is an enjoyable twisted intricate mystery with an uneven sense of suspense in places.

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About the Author

Carrie Stuart Parks is an award winning artist, writer, speaker, and law enforcement instructor. A Certified Forensic Artist, she met her husband, Rick, in the romantic hallways of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Together they formed a dynamic and successful team in their fine and forensic art, working on major national and international cases and creating exquisite watercolors and stone carvings. They travel internationally, teaching forensic art to a variety of participants: from the Secret Service to the FBI, from large law enforcement agencies to the smallest two-man departments in their one-week classes. They are the largest instructors of forensic art in the world. Carrie has won numerous awards for her innovative teaching methods and general career excellence and is a signature member of the Idaho Watercolor Society.

Carrie’s Gwen Marcey series chronicles a forensic artist from Montana and is loosely based on Carrie’s forensic cases. She began her fiction writing career while battling breast cancer. Mentored by NY Times bestselling author, Frank Peretti, Carrie’s debut novel, along with her subsequent novels, have been met with critical acclaim.

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.carriestuartparks.com/#:~:text=Carrie%20Stuart%20Parks%20is%20an,NCIS%2C%20and%20local%20law%20enforcement.

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

Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carrie-stuart-parks

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Sleep No More by Jayne Ann Krentz

SLEEP NO MORE

(The Lost Night Files Book #1)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley

Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 3, 2023

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Print length ‏ : ‎ 332 pages

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SLEEP NO MORE (The Lost Night Files Book #1) by Jayne Ann Krentz on this Berkley Blog Tour.

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

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About the Book

New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz returns with the first novel of the Lost Night Files, an exciting new romantic suspense trilogy about a night that changed three women forever—but that none of them can remember.

Seven months ago, Pallas Llewellyn, Talia March, and Amelia Rivers were strangers, until their fateful stay at the Lucent Springs Hotel. An earthquake and a fire partially destroyed the hotel, but the women have no memory of their time there. Now close friends, the three women co-host a podcast called the Lost Night Files, where they investigate cold cases and hope to connect with others who may have had a similar experience to theirs—an experience that has somehow enhanced the psychic abilities already present in each woman.

After receiving a tip for their podcast, Pallas travels to the small college town of Carnelian, California, to explore an abandoned asylum. Shaken by the dark energy she feels in the building, she is rushing out when she’s stopped by a dark figure—who turns out to be the women’s mysterious tipster.

Ambrose Drake is certain he’s a witness to a murder, but without a body, everyone thinks he’s having delusions caused by extreme sleep deprivation. But Ambrose is positive something terrible happened at the Carnelian Sleep Institute the night he was there. Unable to find proof on his own, he approaches Pallas for help, only for her to realize that Ambrose, too, has a lost night that he can’t remember—one that may be connected to Pallas. Pallas and Ambrose conduct their investigation using the podcast as a cover, and while the townsfolk are eager to share what they know, it turns out there are others who are not so happy about their questions—and someone is willing to kill to keep the truth from coming out.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60753741-sleep-no-more?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=cJHstmK0n0&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SLEEP NO MORE (The Lost Night Files Book #1) by Jayne Ann Krentz is the first book in a new paranormal romantic suspense trilogy. I always enjoy books by this author whether under Jayne Ann Krentz or Jayne Castle and this book is a good mash-up of her JAK romantic suspense and JC paranormal romantic suspense. This book did start out a little disjointed to me, but once the characters are sorted and the mystery investigation begins, I was engrossed and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

This trilogy features three diverse women, Pallas, Talia, and Amelia, who jointly experience an amnesiac day which greatly heightens their slight and varied paranormal abilities. They stick together to discover what happened to them and start a co-hosted podcast titled The Lost Night Files which is for the investigation of cold cases.

Thriller writer Ambrose Drake believes he witnessed a murder during his overnight at the Carnelian Sleep Institute for severe insomnia, but he has been having delusions since his lost night due to amnesia in San Diego. He messages The Lost Night Files for help after his personal investigation gets nowhere.

Pallas Llewellyn believes Ambrose about his lost night and is willing to help him investigate. Using the podcast as a cover, they interview the inhabitants of Carnelian, but not everyone is happy with the publicity. Feeling a sinister sensation of being watched, discovering a drug ring, and more bodies, Ambrose and Pallas work together with their enhanced abilities as the suspense ramps up to discover what is really happening in Carnelian and how it ties to them personally before they end up dead.

I enjoyed this introduction to The Lost Night Files crew and the slow burn romance between Ambrose and Pallas. The characters are all interesting with their differing abilities. This book is a complete romance and mystery which fits perfectly into the overall suspense arc of the trilogy. I am looking forward to reading Talia and Amelia’s stories and discovering answers to the overall story arc.

I recommend this paranormal romantic suspense and I am looking forward to reading the remaining two stories in this trilogy.

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About the Author

Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical romance novels under the pseudonyms Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick, respectively. Jayne currently lives in Seattle, WA.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jayneannkrentz.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JayneAnnKrentz/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2387.Jayne_Ann_Krentz

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

Book Review: All Is Bright by RaeAnne Thayne

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

ALL IS BRIGHT (Hope’s Crossing Book #8) by RaeAnne Thayne is an emotional holiday contemporary romance featuring a young female architect who returns home to Hope’s Crossing for the holidays to oversee the completion of her most ambitious project to date. This story is a complete romance plot and can be read as a standalone, but so many people from town are pulled in for the community holiday theme from previous books in this series, I feel I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books first.

Sage McKnight is making a name for herself in the world of architecture with her unique designs for inclusiveness and accessibility for everyone. Her largest and most challenging project to date was completely redesigning Wolf Ridge in Hope’s Crossing to meet the needs and wishes of her current client, Mason Tucker and his daughter.

Mason Tucker was a famous professional baseball player until the helicopter crash which killed his wife and unborn son as well as leaving him partially paralyzed. He has become bitter and reclusive since the accident and feels the smaller community of Hope’s Crossing can give him and his daughter a new start, but his property needs extensive work to make it appropriate for his needs.

Sage is excited about the project, but Mason makes the project difficult with his attitude and constant interference. Slowly Mason becomes more involved with the community through his daughter and Sage, but Sage is only in town through the holidays and Mason believes no woman would want him with his disabilities. It will take some holiday magic and friendly interference to make Mason realize what he has before he loses it.

This is a wonderfully heartwarming holiday romance with memorable main characters. Sage is such a loving and caring person, and she makes Mason face his anger and bitterness head on. The discussions of inclusive design are very interesting. There are several minor plot threads with Sage’s previous pregnancy, Mason’s mother, and the secondary romance between Taryn and Charlie which kept me turning the pages and were all tied up satisfactorily in the end. I did get slightly irritated when there were occasionally to many names and relationships discussed which I felt were not necessary and at those times I wished I had read the previous books in the series. This is a cozy romance with no sex scenes, but lots of love, family, and romance.

This is an enjoyable contemporary romance that will fill you with holiday warmth, love and cheer.

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About the Author

#1 Publishers Weekly, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including seven RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews magazine. RaeAnne loves to hear from readers.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.raeannethayne.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/raeannethayne

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/116118.RaeAnne_Thayne