OH, FUDGE (Hot Cakes Book #5, Prequel Boys of the Bayou Book #6) by Erin Nicholas is a steamy rom-com novella bridge book between two of her contemporary romance series. This is a bridge book and foreshadows the coming romance in “Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour” (Boys of the Bayou Book #6), but this novella rom-com does not end with a HEA. This book can be read as a standalone novella, but I believe it will be more enjoyable if you have read other books in the series.
Paige Asher loves her family, but she wants to live her life on her own terms. In a small town this is extremely difficult. She has her own yoga business, is financially stable, a vegetarian and owner of many cats. Everyone around her is married or in love and they do not understand how she can be happy single and only allowing one-night stands.
Then she has a scorching one-night stand with a hot and sexy Cajun who is a friend of a friend. Paige cannot quit thinking about him and she is surprised that she continues to text him when he returns home.
Mitch Landry loved his trip to Iowa and the sassy and sexy blond he just cannot quit thinking about even though she believes in no-strings-attached sex just like him. He is even more surprised that he is still texting her six months later.
Is this the feeling that all the other Landry’s talk about? Is he falling in love?
I enjoyed this fun crossover novella bridge book. You get more in-depth backstory on why Paige feels the way she does and it makes her more relatable. I love Mitch, like all the other Landry boys, and this novella hints that there is something deeper involved in his belief of his place in the family. While you know you will eventually get your HEA, these two will not go about it in the traditional way. As in all the books in both series, the sex scenes are extremely explicit and steamin’ hot, but I do not feel they are gratuitous.
This is a hot and fun novella and I am looking forward to the rest of Paige and Mitch’s story.
***
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).
MURDER ON THE ISLAND (Chloe Canton Mystery Book #1) by Daisy White is a cozy mystery with a female amateur sleuth who is reinventing her life at fifty on the beautiful island of Bermuda.
Chloe Canton’s life is in for a major change. When her grandmother Dre dies, she is gifted a home and stables on the island of Bermuda. Recently divorced, tired of her unfulfilling life and job in England, she is hesitant and yet excited about this opportunity for a fresh start. Some of her best childhood memories were from her time with Dre on the island.
All is not easy in paradise. Chloe finds the stable business is in trouble due to rumors, her home and business are on prime real estate that someone wants to develop and then she finds a dead body on one of the local riding trails.
The island is working its magic on Chloe. She discovers she is stronger than ever and willing to fight for her happiness. With the help of new island friends, Chloe works to save her new business and life in paradise while untangling the rumors, mysteries and murder.
I enjoyed this escapist cozy mystery to Bermuda and Chloe. Chloe is a woman that I believe many women can relate to because she wants to change the direction of her life and is willing to work for the change. She is caring and generous, but also a little bit nosy. The author does a wonderful job of bringing Chloe and the island to life. All of the neighbors, new friends and animals add to the entertainment in light moments and add to the list of suspects as the mystery progresses.
I highly recommend this escapist cozy mystery in paradise and new amateur sleuth to follow!
***
About the Author
Daisy White/D.E White writes crime/thrillers and cosy crime. After numerous jobs, including being a flight attendant, a 999 call handler for the ambulance service, and a healthcare assistant in A&E, Daisy started writing full time in 2017. She lives on the Sussex coast, UK and has two children and a flock of rescued chickens.
A brand new crime thriller series, starting with GLASS DOLLS: Published by Joffe Books, the series follows former Elite Police Source Handler, Detective Dove Milson, in her first case for the Major Crimes Team. Book two, THE ICE DAUGHTERS is out now.
Daisy also writes cosy crime, including the Amazon bestselling RUBY BAKER SEASIDE MYSTERIES for Joffe Books. A brand new cosy crime series, THE CHLOE CANTON MYSTERIES, will be out in Feb 24th 2021, pub’d by Bloodhound Books and starting with MURDER ON THE ISLAND.
Standalones include psychological thriller REMEMBER ME and gangland thriller THE FORGOTTEN CHILD pub’d by HarperCollins.
Series in Order:
Crime Thrillers – Detective Dove Milson: 1/3 GLASS DOLL 2/3 THE ICE DAUGHTERS *New Release* 3/3 PLAY TIME
Cosy Mysteries: The Ruby Baker Mysteries: 1/3 BEFORE I LEFT 2/3 BEFORE I FOUND YOU 3/3 BEFORE I TRUST YOU
The Chloe Canton Mysteries: 1/3 MURDER ON THE ISLAND *New Release* 2/3 MURDER ON THE BEACH 3/3 MURDER ON VALENTINE’S DAY
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Damppebbles blog tour for the first book in a hopefully new crime fiction/mystery series featuring DI Kate Young. AN EYE FOR AN EYE (Detective Kate Young Book #1) by Carol Wyer.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the authors social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Blurb
A killer running rings around the police. A detective spiralling out of control.
DI Kate Young is on leave. She’s the force’s best detective, but her bosses know she’s under pressure, on medication and overcoming trauma. So after her bad judgement call leads to a narrowly averted public disaster, they’re sure all she needs is a rest.
But when Staffordshire Police summon her back to work on a murder case, it’s a harder, more suspicious Kate Young who returns. With a new ruthlessness, she sets about tracking down a clinical, calculating serial killer who is torturing victims and leaving clues to taunt the police. Spurred on by her reporter husband, Young begins to suspect that the murderer might be closer than she ever imagined.
As she works to uncover the truth, Young unravels a network of secrets and lies, with even those closest to her having something to hide. But with her own competence—and her grip on reality—called into question, can she unmask the killer before they strike again?
AN EYE FOR AN EYE (Detective Kate Young Book #1) by Carol Wyer is the first book in a hopefully new British police procedural crime fiction/mystery series featuring DI Kate Young.
DI Kate Young is suffering after a traumatic incident. She is having flashbacks and taking pills and alcohol to cope. After a narrowly avoiding hurting a civilian, her superintendent places her on forced leave in March.
Just three months later, Kate’s friend and fellow officer DCI Chase comes to tell her she is requested specifically for a murder investigation by her superintendent. In a small team, just two of her fellow officers, DS Morgan Meredith and DS Emma Donaldson, they work diligently to track down a ruthless killer who tortures his victims and taunts the police. This case is a tangled web of secrets, lies and vengeance.
Everyone worries about Kate’s mental state, but Kate is determined to prove she is able to work the evidence and clues step-by-step to catch the killer.
I could not put this book down! Kate is an absolutely stellar new main character that I am looking forward to following. Her personal story, which is intertwined in bits throughout the entire book, had me as intrigued as the crime/mystery itself. The plot moves at a steady pace and is full of red herrings and twists. Although the murders are gruesome, they do not occur on the page and are only discussed and in the forensics after the fact.
This book has me wanting the next book immediately! I highly recommend this new British police procedural crime fiction and author.
***
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer writes feel-good comedies and gripping crime fiction.
A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in LITTLE GIRL LOST and demonstrated that stand-up comedian Carol had found her true niche.
To date, her crime novels have sold over 750,000 copies and been translated for various overseas markets.
Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ”Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and the Huffington Post.
She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr Grumpy… who is very, very grumpy.
When she is not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.
THE CONVENT by Sarah Sheridan is the first book, in a what I hope will be a new amateur sleuth series, featuring Sister Veronica Angelica, a Catholic nun residing in the Convent of the Sacred Heart in the center of Soho, London.
Sister Veronica Angelica writes mystery novels in secret that she does not share, except with a fellow Sister in her Convent and she has a penchant for custard cream biscuits. She also has lived her entire life with a secret that has shaped her choice in vocation and personal beliefs in the rules and dogma of the Catholic Church.
When she discovers a young man, Jamie who has been working at the youth hostel next door to the Convent dead in the courtyard, she is forbidden by the local Cardinal to notify law enforcement and keep the discovery to herself. Jamie had a secret that he was about to reveal to Sister Veronica and she is determined to find out what it was and not let his death be covered up.
As Sister Veronica works to find justice for Jamie, she is helped by new friends. She is also finding out that there is something much deeper and sinister happening in the diocese with ties all the way to Rome. Will Sister Veronica be able to solve the case before the killer silences her?
I love Sister Veronica! This book was not what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it. The mystery is compelling and keeps becoming more so as Sister Veronica and her friends discover the depth of the corruption and willingness to kill to cover it up. Even though it is an amateur sleuth mystery and does contain lighter moments with the more intense, the author does not hold back on including real life scandals in the news regarding the Catholic Church and has Sister Veronica questioning and contemplating her own beliefs vs. the Church’s beliefs and dogma.
I highly recommend this new amateur sleuth mystery and hope for many more books to follow this introduction to Sister Veronica and her friends!
***
About the Author
Sarah was born in London and now lives in a village in South Northamptonshire. She gained a Masters degree in Eighteenth-Century French and English art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, before teaching art in secondary schools for thirteen years. After working with human rights organisations that protect minority groups from institutional abuse, Sarah worked towards a PhD at The Open University, researching the effect of secrecy on marginalised people, specifically the biological children of Roman Catholic priests. She has spoken about her research on various news programmes for the BBC and other media outlets around the world. It was this sense of secrecy and silencing that became the inspiration for her first crime novel, The Convent.
Sarah is hugely obsessed with reading and is amassing such an unrealistically large book collection that some of it is now in storage. She is also addicted to writing, and after inventing stories (mostly in secret) from a young age and having various articles and short stories published, she wrote a children’s book, The Top Secret Diary of Davina Dupree – inspired by her daughter – in 2013. Overjoyed to hear that young readers were enjoying the story, she went on to write a series about Davina Dupree.
When she is not looking after her three children and menagerie of pets, or going for long walks with her wonderful partner Rich, Sarah can be found writing, while consuming large amounts of chocolate.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on the Buoni Amici Release Blitz for LOCK & LOAD (PASS Series Book #3) by Freya Barker.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
***
Book Description
Juggling two jobs is nothing new for registered nurse, Hillary Glenwood, she’s been doing it for most of her adult life. She has an objective she intends to meet. But, just months before reaching her goal, she witnesses a violent attack outside her apartment that rattles her determination.
However, her carefully controlled life runs completely off the rails when she recognizes the new neighbor coming to the rescue.
As a hacker, Radar Jansen hasn’t always used his expertise in the most respectable ways until he came to work for PASS Security. Normally his time is spent behind a computer, but that doesn’t mean his skills end there.
When—walking his dog one night—he sees a familiar woman rushing into a dangerous situation, his training kicks in.
With Hillary’s safety compromised, the keyboard warrior puts on his real life armor to shield the woman who is fast becoming his only focus.
LOCK & LOAD (PASS Series Book #3) by Freya Barker is a fast-paced romantic suspense and is the third book in the world of PASS Security. This book has characters from the previous books due to the fact that they all work together, but they are easily read as standalones.
Hillary Glenwood is working two jobs; an Emergency Room RN at the local hospital and she also works at the Veterans Homeless Shelter so she can keep to her plan of paying off all her student loans. One night as she is coming home from the hospital, she witnesses and attempts to stop a violent attack. The attackers run off when they see not only Hillary, but a man running towards them.
Radar Jansen is an ex-hacker, now computer expert for PASS Security. While Radar is a genius on a computer, he is not as talented in the romance department. When he sees a familiar woman running towards danger, his training kicks in and he runs to protect and assist.
As the agents of PASS and the FBI work to find the killers of multiple people and work to uncover the motive, they keep discovering Hillary is tangentially connected to several of the dead and Radar begins to fear for her safety. As their relationship grows so does the danger. Will Radar and his friends from PASS be able to catch the killers and protect Hillary?
I enjoyed Hillary and Radar’s romance, but not as much as I usually do a Freya Barker romance. I just never got a feeling of believability with Radar, who kept switching from alpha to beta. I did like Hillary’s feistiness and backbone. The suspense plot of the book was intense, an interesting premise and the killers were surprising. The sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous.
Overall, a good romantic suspense read, just not my favorite of the series.
USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.
Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills and chills in their lives.
Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
Today I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for the Release Blitz of THE PATRIOT (Hayden Family Book #1) by Jennifer Millikin. This is the first book in a new contemporary cowboy romance series that has everything I am looking for in an emotional romance read.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and social media links and an author giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway and I know you are going to love Wes and Dakota’s story!
***
Book Description
I’m a soldier.
A cattle rancher.
A Hayden.
My family’s legacy is spread out in front of me, just waiting for me to seize it. If it weren’t for one outdated rule, I’d be the owner of the Hayden Cattle Company and my aging father could retire.
When Dakota Wright shows up to buy and develop twenty acres of Hayden land, I see more than a pretty mouth and strawberry blonde hair. I see a way around the decree keeping me from getting what I want.
And, as luck would have it, Dakota has a big problem of her own. We strike two deals: one for the land, and a second that’ll make both our problems a distant memory.
It isn’t too long before I realize I’m in over my head. I’ve convinced myself the ends should justify the means, but everything begins to fall apart when my birthright is no longer all that I’m after.
I never thought there’d be anything I could love more than my ranch and my country.
THE PATRIOT (Hayden Family Book #1) by Jennifer Millikin is the start of a new contemporary cowboy romance series that has everything I am looking for in an emotional romance read.
Hayden Cattle Company is the largest spread in Sierra Grande and was established and run by four generations of Hayden men. Beau Hayden and his wife have three grown sons and one teenage daughter.
Wes Hayden is the oldest son and after serving three tours in the Army overseas has returned to take his place on the ranch. But the Wes who went to war is not the same Wes who has returned. Beau has decided to sell of a small portion of land next to the town and he wants Wes to decide between the prospective buyers and their plans for the land.
Dakota Wright has returned home and gone to work in her father’s company Wright Build + Design. He has decided to bid on the Sierra Grande land and development and he tells Dakota that he wants her to design and lead the project.
When Wes and Dakota come together, they not only realize they have already met and more, but they may be able to help each other with the other’s problem. They discover that what drew them together five years ago is still there. What started out as a business deal just may turn into something much more permanent.
I absolutely love Wes and Dakota! Wes has a big loving family, but after a terrible incident in his third deployment, he comes back to the ranch and closes himself off from family and friends while suffering with PTSD. Dakota has a lot of guilt going on in her own life which may be why she can see it in Wes and she can get through to Wes unlike others. The H/h tell the story in alternating chapters and even when it is difficult, they maturely handle problems with communication or action. These two characters work through a lot of heart wrenching emotions, but it is all worth it for the satisfying HEA. The sex scenes are brief and not extremely explicit, but not G-rated either. All the secondary characters are fully fleshed and bring the family and the other small town citizens to life. I am looking forward to reading the siblings’ stories in future books.
I can highly recommend this contemporary cowboy romance!
***
Excerpt
She’s late.
Dakota was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago and I feel like a dumbass for being so keenly aware of that. Watching the clock like a whipped schoolboy. Pathetic.
I walk away from the window that faces the road, and go to the kitchen to rinse out my coffee cup and set it on the drying rack. Somewhere in the distance, a car door slams shut.
Before I open the front door, I’m careful to rearrange my features. Cool indifference is what I’m going for, maybe with a side of I forgot you and everything about that night.
I pull open the door just in time to watch Dakota falter on the second step. She regains her footing and keeps going. When she notices me standing in the open door, she stops short, her eyes wide, and she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth.
Jesus… this girl. How am I going to spend a morning with her in my truck? From three feet away I can smell her sweet, mouthwatering scent, the same one I couldn’t define that night at the lake and don’t have a prayer of defining now.
Her jeans are so tight she might as well have them painted on, and they’re tucked into cowboy boots. I draw in a shaky breath, but it doesn’t quite fill my lungs.
“You’re late,” I say, and it sounds angry even though I don’t mean it to be. I don’t like the way she puts me off-kilter.
“My apologies,” she says tartly, in a way that conveys she isn’t sorry in the least.
A throat clears and we both follow the noise with our eyes. Gramps sits in a chair, watching us. I must not have noticed him when I was looking out the window. I was too busy watching for Dakota.
He stares at me, waiting for me to introduce him. “Dakota, this is Leroy Hayden, my grandpa. Gramps, this is Dakota.”
Dakota walks over and shakes his hand. “It’s nice to meet you,” she tells him, smiling down at him.
I can already tell he is dazzled by her. “You can just call me Gramps. Are you a friend of Wes’s?” The excitement in his voice at me possibly having a friend is mortifying.
“Uh, no.” Dakota shakes her head. “I’m here on business.”
Gramps turns a confused look to me. “We need to get going, Gramps, but Dad is inside. He can explain the business that Dakota is here for.” To Dakota, I say, “Ready?”
“It was nice to meet you, Gramps.” She winks at him and turns, going back down the steps.
For a moment I’m frozen, struck dumb by the sway of her hips and remembering the night she was swinging them on the dance floor.
I hurry after her. “This way,” I tell her, chucking my chin sideways toward the side of the house where I park my truck.
She keeps three feet between us as we walk, and I can feel her silent questions coming at me through the separation.
***
About the Author
Jennifer Millikin is a contemporary romance and women’s fiction author. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, two children, and Liberty, her Lab who thinks she’s human. Jennifer craves vegetables and refuses to apologize for it, can probably beat you in Spot It, and believes chips and salsa should be a food group.
