Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for COLD SILENCE (Silence Series Book #4) by Freya Barker on this Buoni Amici Press Release Blitz.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
Book Blurb
Single motherhood to two teenage boys turns out to be far more challenging for Tessa Androtti than her brand-new job as detective for the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department. Especially, when the younger of her sons is keeping her up at night. Not only was the move from the big city supposed to give her a chance to build a new life away from lingering memories, but she had hoped it would be a positive change for her youngest, Remi.
However, just when she’s up to her eyeballs working on a recent violent murder, Remi gets himself into trouble again.
Trouble that appears to be connected to her investigation.
Lifetime resident of Silence, Clem Tanek, couldn’t be more surprised to find one of the new, pretty detective’s sons trespassing and stealing property from behind his auto repair shop. Despite his social awkwardness when interacting with the boy’s mother a few months ago, Clem can handle her kid just fine. Remi’s skills and interest in vehicles provide an opportunity to try and get the kid back onto the right track, without involving law enforcement. It also offers Clem a second chance with the new detective, hoping to make up for that disastrous first encounter.
But their path isn’t an easy one. Both have significant baggage, as one would expect from lives already half lived, and adapting to change can be a challenge. Particularly, when dealing with teenagers which, in this case, means wading into dangerous waters for both Tessa and Clem.
COLD SILENCE (Silence Book #4) by Freya Barker is another wonderful addition to the small-town romantic suspense Silence book series. While there is some character crossover between the small-town characters, each book has a complete romance HEA and self-contained suspense/crime plot so they can be read as standalones. The entire series is excellent, and I enjoyed reading them in order of publication.
Tessa Androtti is the newest detective in Silence working for the county Sheriff Department. After a bad divorce, she is hoping to create a new and happier life for her two teenage boys. Her eldest, Linc, is heavily into sports and easy-going and adapts easily from large town to small town life. Remi is two years younger, moody, not happy about the move, and he is making sure his mother knows how he feels. When Tessa is drawn into a teen’s murder investigation, she does not realize how close to home the danger is lurking.
Clem Tanek owns the only car repair business in Silence. He has been into cars since working with his father and wants to do nothing else. He has both his repair shop and home in the old fire department building and is happy with his friends and uncomplicated life believing having a family has passed him by. When he hears a noise coming from behind his shop at night, he investigates and discovers Remi stealing catalytic converters from cars in the lot. Clem discovers Remi has a love of cars, too, and he reminds him of himself at that age, so he makes a deal to have him work part-time at the garage in exchange for not turning him in, but he knows Remi is keeping secrets. Clem knows he will have to deal with Tessa, but he does not consider that a hardship.
As the chemistry between Clem and Tessa heats up, so does the danger from the people Remi has gotten himself entangled with.
This is an endearing romance with two mature people; one who has endured an abusive relationship and one who believes that finding a partner has passed him by. They come together to form a great couple. The romance plot progresses at a believable rate while both also think of how it will affect the boys. Tessa’s sons are fully developed in their differences, and I loved that even when Remi was being his moody self, he was still protective of his mother. The sex scenes are explicit and hot but also have the emotions that go with them. The suspense/crime plot felt realistic and builds with an ever-increasing sense of jeopardy to a conclusion with an unexpected twist.
I highly recommend this romantic suspense and all the books in this series.
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About the Author
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!
On the three-year anniversary of true crime writer Olivia Cruz’s horrific kidnapping, she’s scheduled to walk her podcaster friend Zoe March through the crime scene, but Zoe fails to show. Olivia knows Zoe would never stand her up—not today.
Zoe’s husband, who claims she never came home the night before, has reported her missing. But marital conflicts make the police suspect she has left him. Olivia thinks otherwise. The police aren’t looking for Zoe, so Olivia begins her own investigation. Retracing her friend’s last steps, she finds Zoe’s phone and a text with one chilling word: Run.
It soon becomes apparent that Zoe has been keeping secrets, and with her true crime podcast, there’s no telling what she has unearthed. To find her, Olivia must dig into her friend’s past. Did Zoe vanish to escape a killer, and is Olivia walking into a deadly trap?
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Elise’s Thoughts
You Can Tell Me by Melinda Leigh features Olivia Cruz. Fans might remember her from the Morgan Dane series. This story plays off what happens to Olivia in Save Your Breath.
On the three-year anniversary of true crime writer Olivia Cruz’s horrific kidnapping, she’s scheduled to walk her podcaster friend Zoe March through the crime scene, but Zoe fails to show. Olivia knows Zoe would never stand her up, especially not on the day of that horrific event.
Zoe’s husband, who claims she never came home the night before, has reported her missing. But marital conflicts make the police suspect she has left him. Olivia thinks otherwise. The police aren’t looking for Zoe, so Olivia begins her own investigation. Retracing her friend’s last steps, she finds Zoe’s phone and a text with one chilling word: Run.
It soon becomes apparent that Zoe has been keeping secrets, and with her true crime podcast, there’s no telling what she has unearthed. To find her, Olivia must dig into her friend’s past.
While going to a coffee shop with her niece, Olivia is attacked. But with the help of her niece, Nicki, she thwarts the attacker. Now Nicki demands to join the search for Zoe. The two soon decide that the most likely suspects to have plotted an abduction are those close to Jennifer Hamilton or Evan Brown, the two long-dead victims Zoe had been researching as possible subjects for future seasons.
Olivia also get help from her PI boyfriend Sharp Lincoln, who insists on being involved in the case. Since he is the partner of Morgan Dane’s husband, Lance, they are also brought into the story to help find what happened to Zoe.
Readers will enjoy this first in the series and will yearn for the next book that is sure to have another heartbreaking drama, a suspenseful story, and gripping characters. The exploration of secrets and trust along with the pacing heightens the tension.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Why this new series?
Melinda Leigh: It is refreshing for me. I have written police procedurals and law books for the last sixteen books, either Morgan Dane or Bree Taggert. I think with this series I went outside the box. My publisher asked me to write something new, and I immediately thought of Olivia from the Morgan Dane books. She is in books 4, 5, and in 6 plays a significant role.
Writing a series enables me to challenge my protagonists over a long period of time. They can adapt and grow.
EC: Idea for this story?
ML: I wanted to tie it with her experiences the last time she was on the page. Basing a series on a true crime writer, Olivia, gives me more flexibility.
EC: How would you describe Olivia?
ML: She is spunky, bold, and a little different from my other female characters. She is steady, methodical, competitive as the auntie, confident, very smart, and short in statue.
EC: Zoe was a true crime podcaster?
ML: A lot of true crime podcasts are cold cases. They take years of investigations and boil down into about six episodes. With fiction, people can get involved with the characters whereas true crime focuses on the crime. The way I write is to create the plot around the characters, deciding what the characters will experience to get the emotional hit. Most of my books take place over a short period of time, about four or five days. Zoe, one of the main characters, was a true crime podcaster. She was impulsive, punctual, not tidy, loyal, and someone who compartmentalizes.
EC: Did you speak with people who was traumatized?
ML: I have in the past talked to victims who were traumatized, although I did not do it for this story. I do read a lot of memoirs. They are great resources for what happens to someone and their emotional response to it.
EC: How would you describe Nicki, the niece of Olivia?
ML: She is a lot like Olivia. She is a typical Gen-Z. I drew her character from my youngest son and my nieces, although not all her personality. She is arrogant, can be self-centered, stubborn, improvising, independent, and tech savvy. She is very funny.
EC: How did you come up with the date rape drug scene that had Nicki replaying what Olivia told her?
ML: That really happened. I have read cases where even though women are vigilant about their drinks the bartenders or other people have doctored drinks before it gets to the table. I tell my nieces to order cans so they can open them. Go out with a friend and have them watch each other’s backs. It is sad that we must do this.
EC: Do you think Nicki is a lot like Olivia?
ML: They are both bold, outgoing, and fearless.
EC: How would you describe Sharp Lincoln, the male lead?
ML: He is Olivia’s boyfriend who is a PI. He has zero tolerance for people who commit crimes. He sees things black and white. He is tough, a mother hen, and protective.
ML: Morgan Dane has a cameo appearance?
EC: They are all part of the same world as Olivia. I do not see how I cannot have them show up. Lance is Sharp’s partner. They all work together. Morgan shares an office with Lance and Sharp. They will interact and run into each other. Morgan will be in more of the books but regarding how much will depend on the storyline. Lance will also probably be in more of the books.
EC: Of course, a Melinda Leigh novel must have a dog in the story. Correct?
ML: Yes-this one has Chewy, a border collie. I had that breed as a child, and I believe the border collie ate our basement door. She was a dog my parents found. This breed needs a lot of physical and mental exercise or they become destructive. I named Chewy because Olivia and Sharp are Star War fans, a play on the name.
EC: Next book(s)?
ML: I will be writing more Bree Taggert books. The eleventh in the series will come out next January. The title is Kill for Her. It is about a gruesome double murder that exposes the secrets of the dead. The next Olivia book is titled I Know Your Secret and will release in September in 2027. It will have secrets and probably someone will be dead. Nicki, Sharp, and Chewy will be in it. I will alternate the two books, writing one every eight months.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
When Mackenzie Bardine’s brother Aaron was murdered in a drug deal gone wrong, she started a true crime podcast dedicated to exposing “Bullseye,” the drug kingpin responsible. But her protective heart has never let go of the blame she places on herself and Aaron’s best friend, Gideon Landry. On the run to the wilds of Washington to chase a recent lead, she meets none other than Gideon himself.
While conducting a wilderness survival class in remote Washington, Gideon never expected to cross paths with Mackenzie, and he’s certainly not interested in helping her after he’s already declined to participate in her vigilante podcasting. He carries a mountain of guilt about Aaron’s fatal choices, but not for the reasons Mackenzie suspects.
As killers begin to circle Mackenzie like sharks, it’s clear to Gideon she’s in over her head, and in light of his troubled past with her brother, he can’t bring himself to ignore her perilous situation. Then a flood threatens the town, turning their investigation into a race to escape the raging waters and the wrath of a powerful kingpin who wants to sink them both.
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Elise’s Thoughts
The plot forRaging Waters, by Dana Mentink, comes right out of the headlines. A major role in the book is the Air Force SERE tactics. In the news recently the Air Force Colonel who had to eject from his F-15 fighter jet over Iran had to avoid the Iranians who had put a bounty on his head. To avoid the enemy, he used the SERE training. This book’s plot has the hero and heroine trying to evade capture by the enemy, Bullseye, a drug kingpin, by using SERE tactics.
The book starts out with Mackenzie Bardine (Zee) haunted by the murder of her brother Aaron. Determined to bring the man responsible to light, she pours her heart into a true crime podcast focused on exposing the mysterious drug kingpin known as “Bullseye. She had not forgiven herself or her brother’s best friend, Gideon Landry, for not doing more to help her brother.
A lead on Bullseye’s identity brings Mackenzie to the remote Washington State town of Oakleaf. There she encounters Gideon, an Air Force SERE instructor, who works in the community. He realizes that Zee is over her head in finding her brother’s killers and decides to help her. This ruthless drug kingpin is intent on destroying them and has people everywhere, making it hard for Gideon and Zee to know who to trust. It becomes a cat and mouse game where they are after Bullseye who has hired minions to find and kill them. In addition to having to use SERE tactics to escape Bullseye they must find safety against torrential rains, raging waters, and a dam that is about to break.
The action in the book is non-stop creating relentless tension. Combining the threat from dangerous enemies and the natural disasters makes for a gripping read. There is heart-stopping danger with twists and turns that leads to a stormy ending.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Do you like writing books where the setting becomes a character?
Dana Mentink: This is my favorite type of story. I think nature is marvelous and terrifying, where it pits the characters versus the environment. My first book involved a volcano. This series books are about surviving the environment. They are wilderness survival stories. I have a fear of water in general and like to write about what scares me. There is nothing scarier than being trapped in a small town with a failing dam. Besides the dam this story had rain, a chilling river, and the flood from a dam breaking with a major current. It seemed like the perfect place to set a suspense idea.
EC: Did SERE play an important role in the book?
DM: It stands for survive, evade, resist, and escape. It is the Air Force survival training where the protagonist is an instructor. It comes in real handy. It is an intense program where they learn cagey skills. I found true testimonies of people who experienced being lost. Makes for a great hero where someone knows what to do.
EC: Can you explain the book quote, “Fix it, don’t film it”?
DM: After a disaster there are all these videos. It occurred to me, ‘why don’t you just put down the phone and go help that person.’ People have become too enamored with social media they forget it is really life.
EC: Can you describe Zee?
DM: Zee is angry, believes the ends justify the means, can be reckless, audacious, stubborn, gritty, determined, charismatic, vulnerable, and a true crime podcaster crusader.
EC: What about Gideon?
DM: He is sarcastic, smart, savvy, clever, a warrior, and believes people should not terrorize others. In the beginning of the book, he has no filters.
EC: What is the role of Aaron, Zee’s brother?
DM: He shattered lives, never grew up, and did not believe there were consequences to his actions. He does not take responsibility. Zee stopped living her life to get revenge for his murder. She also must come to grips with the image she had of her brother and who he really was. It is difficult for her to accept it.
EC: What about Zee and Gideon?
DM: He felt she was not trustworthy. At a younger age she had a crush on him when he was her brother’s best friend. Now she blames him for not helping her brother. While in some ways he blames himself. She does not want him around because he is a reminder of Aaron. There is a lot of guilt to be resolved. She also has guilt because of a blindness to some things about him, feeling she could have prevented his murder if she was more insightful.
EC: How would you describe the bad guy, Bullseye?
DM: Evil, manipulative, controlling, powerful, vengeful, enjoys using fear, violent, and a stone-cold killer.
EC: What about your next books?
DM: It will be the first in a new series, titled Hidden America. It is about a TV scout media team checking out locations for the TV show called “Hidden America.” It is a show about abandoned places. It will come out probably next spring.
Another book will be a historical cozy mystery coming out in September. It is titled Murders in the Marquee. It is the first book in a series. It is set in a San Francisco luxury hotel in 1905 called the Marquee. It has three unlikely crime solvers.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Chasing Justice, Hunting the Truth, and Killer Secretsare the first books by Kathleen Donnelly of the National Forest K-9 Series. She is an author that should be put on everybody’s radar. Having been a handler for a private narcotics K-9 detection company, she is able to use her experiences to craft realistic stories in these novels.
Each of the three books explains more of former Marine Maya Thompson’s and Deputy Sheriff Josh Colte’s pasts, shedding light on the emotional and physical scars of the hero and heroine. They delve into topics involving law enforcement, military reentry after serving overseas, and PTSD within a suspenseful storyline.
After losing her military K-9, former marine Maya Thompson swears she’ll never work with dogs again. But when she returns home to Colorado and accepts a job with US Forest Service law enforcement, fate brings K-9 Juniper into her life just as another tragedy unfolds. The mountain setting in all the plots adds to the suspense. The mystery/action stories are riveting, plus there are added bonuses that have good descriptions and details of how K9s train and work.
Maya and Josh are both recovering addicts who self-medicated their PTSD. She is a K-9 handler with the Forestry Service, and he is with the Sheriff’s office. Throughout the books their mutual attraction grows into a relationship of love.
The plot of book 1, Chasing Justice, involves a deepening drug war and the disappearance of her grandfather, Sheriff Wayne. Book 2, Hunting the Truth, has Maya investigating her past when her mother and grandmother were killed. Killer Secrets, book 3, has an avalanche exposing a serial killer’s dumping grounds in Antler Valley, Colorado. Now Forest Service officer Maya Thompson and her K-9, Juniper, must catch the murderer before they become the next targets.
Donnelly has also written another series involving canines. The first book, Colorado K-9 Rescue has FBI victim specialist, Mckenna Parker, and her crisis canine, Mocha, assigned to a case with FBI agent Evan Knox. McKenna and Mocha help people who have been through major trauma. In this book it is someone rescued from being kidnapped. Now Evan, McKenna, and Mocha must find other local girls who disappeared.
The link to Donnelly’s newsletter is https://kathleendonnelly.com/contact/#newsletter, and if someone signs up, they will receive a non-fiction compilation of short stories about her time as a K-9 handler, titled Working Tails.
Donnelly writes gripping stories that are very realistic. They take readers on a thrilling ride of action-packed non-stop adventure that have twists and turns. The characters will touch people’s hearts as they try to make a life for themselves and lean on each other as well as their furry companions.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the Forest Service K-9 series?
Kathleen Donnelly: I had the setting in Colorado because I grew up there and loved the mountains. My dad was a researcher in the forest service. It is so beautiful, but the mountains can be very dangerous. It is the perfect Jekyll and Hyde setting. I am a retired canine handler, where I did it for nineteen years.
EC: Were you a canine handler for law enforcement?
KD: No. I worked for a private company and owned one, Sherlock Holmes Detection Canine. We went to schools, private business, and some rehabs. Our dogs were trained to find drugs, alcohol, and gun powder. We did go through the same training and certification as law enforcement officers. I try to keep it realistic as far as police procedure and all the drugs in the stories are fact based.
EC: Did you speak with any law enforcement or military people?
KD: One of our handlers was a retired handler officer who reads my books and gives me feedback. I have another friend, a retired chief of police. I have a lot of sources I can reach out to in law enforcement. I was also able to connect with a forest service law enforcement canine handler. He is very helpful because some of my friends would say we would do it this way in city PD, but that is not how forest service will do it.
EC: What about Maya’s PTSD?
KD: I also had a fellow writing friend, Tara Darlene Smith, who was an army veteran who suffered from PTSD. I believe she drove convoys in Iraq. She told me what it was like. She has published a book, Sunflowers in Iraq about what she went through. She helped develop Maya’s battle with PTSD. She told me you do not get over PTSD, just learn how to manage it.
EC: Was the scene where Maya overruled her dog realistic?
KD: The storyline for the first book in the series, Chasing Justicewas based on my own experience. I thought as a handler I wanted to add this realistic aspect, where sometimes things do not go as planned. I had Maya, the handler, not wanting to do the work anymore because of an experience she had, but realizes she is just meant to do it.
EC: Did you base Juniper’s personality on real life dogs?
KD: My dog, Boomer, although not a Malinois, but a black lab, is high energy and does check our house for drugs when we come home. I do have to watch him and keep him away from the tree ornaments. The K-9s are very driven and high energy even when they retire.
EC: How do multi-purpose dogs alert and know what to do?
KD: Dual purposes dogs have more than one job. They have different types of collars or harnesses to show them what job they were going to do. Anytime a dog latches on to a scent for finding evidence, a body, or tracking, their body language changes. Their body language is completely different: the tail can go up, body tenses, they can lie down, or their breathing changes. One of the handlers I spoke with told me, which I added in the story, his dog did a sit for narcotics and laid down to indicate evidence. The dog work I keep as accurate as possible and try to work the storyline around that accuracy even when I was working and my dog was telling me that there was something there, but I missed it.
EC: How would you describe Maya over the course of the three books?
KD: She was a Marine who fought in Afghanistan. She is broken, closed off, loves dogs, she feels grief and anger which shows in her PTSD, and feels guilty over losing her working dog, Zinger, in Afghanistan, blaming herself. She tries to shut off her emotions, and at other times spirals out of control. She can be stubborn, jumps to conclusions, resilient, and a fighter. Maya also wants to be more like her grandfather Wayne, which is why she joined the military and law enforcement, always wanting justice. Because she knows loss, she works hard to help someone find closure.
EC: Is she a recovering alcoholic?
KD: Yes, she now realizes as evidenced in the book quote, she “drinks to quit feeling.” As a character she shows why she got PTSD, dealing with PTSD, and trying to recover from PTSD. I wanted to portray this accurately. A lot of veterans come home, and they do not have a “normal” anymore. She tries to shut down the memories, flashbacks, and nightmares through alcohol. She had a friend, grandfather, and cabin to pull her out of it.
EC: How would you describe Juniper?
KD: She helped Maya with her anxiety, to feel calmness, and gave her purpose. She made her realize her past fear and to trust herself with another dog. Juniper is Maya’s ears, eyes, and smells. She needs structure, is high energy, and high drive. She can be intimidating and loves to destroy objects. She is a typical Malinois, wound tighter than any working dog. When I would look for dogs at rescues, I wanted them to be friendly but are so high energy with extra drive that they could not be just a pet, but a great working dog. They need to be entertained even when retired. The Malinois like Juniper are similar, but only on steroids. One of the best portrayals of a Malinois was the movie “Dog” with Channing Tatum. They did not exaggerate.
EC: The role of Grandfather Wayne?
KD: Protective, stubborn, gruff, a fighter, strong, and indestructible. He did not want her to follow in his footsteps. He raised Maya with her grandmother. He is very proud of her, but it is hard for him to tell her. It was easier for Maya to speak with her grandmother because she understood her so well. Losing her grandmother adds to the grief and loss for Maya. Throughout the books Maya and Wayne try to find if she was murdered.
EC: How would you describe Josh?
KD: A good listener, charming, can be arrogant, kind, and not judgmental. His backstory has affected him and caused PTSD. He wants to help people.
EC: How about the relationship?
KD: He really understood Maya on a level no one has. They are attracted to each other but also found each other annoying. They were good friends first. She thinks she is not good enough for him and does not think she is in a spot to have a relationship. The relationship seems to progress with each book.
EC: How would you describe one of the supposed bad guy characters, Eric Torres?
KD: Cunning, ruthless, smart, charismatic, manipulative, a bad cop who took bribes, and he is not who he appears to be at first sight.
EC: How would you describe the murderer of the third book of the series, Killer Secrets?
KD: Manipulative, a hunter, uses drugs to get his victim incapacitated, feels powerful, obsessed with Maya. He is also methodical, controlling, meticulous, knows investigative techniques and likes to play games with the victims. I developed him off some of the FBI’s research on serial killers and then used my own characteristics.
EC: What about the other series, Colorado Canine Rescue?
KD: It is different than the Forest Service K-9 Series. It is much more of a romance series. Each character has their own story.
EC: How would you describe the female lead, McKenna?
KD: Vulnerable, strong, determined, resilient, and anxious. She is a survivor and wants to help others who had traumatic experiences. She faced her trauma more than Maya had faced hers. There is a statistic where those in law enforcement or the military like Maya have faced over 800 traumatic events where someone like McKenna had that one trauma.
EC: What about the male lead, Evan?
KD: Sometimes rude. Untrusting. A workaholic, driven, and outgoing.
EC: What about the relationship?
KD: At first McKenna thinks of him as a jerk. He likes to tease. Both are sensitive. He makes her feel safe.
EC: How would you describe the dog, Mocha?
KD: He is a canine victim specialist dog. I heard the FBI started this crisis program. They comfort victims. The dogs are deployed to horrific events. Mocha brings joy, provides comfort, and helped McKenna with her trauma.
EC: What about your non-fiction book, Working Tails?
KD: In book 4 of the Forest Service novels, Buried Lies, Josh’s past comes back to haunt him and he is framed for murder. This ties up a lot of his past. It comes out January 2026. Book 5’s plot has one of the bad guys coming back for revenge against Maya. It is titled, Deadly Revenge and comes out July 2026.
The next story in the Colorado Canine Rescue series will feature Cassidy, McKenna’s sister. Probably comes out in 2027.
THANK YOU!!
***
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret.
Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together—and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke’s hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored.
Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.
THE SHOP ON HIDDEN LANE by Jayne Ann Krentz is hopefully the start of a new romantic suspense/paranormal series in the Jayneverse featuring two generational psychic families, the Harpers and the Wells, suspicious of each other but tied by a pact protecting a long-buried secret. If you love the other psychic/paranormal series in the Jayneverse, you will be excited for this new set of characters in present day Fogg Lake.
Sophie Harper is not happy about Luke Wells showing up to hire her to psychically read and clean a crime scene for him. When Sophie discovers her missing aunt and Luke’s missing uncle are together, they reluctantly pair up to find them. Sophie’s ability to read past crime scenes and Luke’s ability to connect seemingly random dots in a problem are perfect for the hunt as well as the nose of Luke’s dog, Bruce.
This story brings together supernatural elements from several past books and series from the Jayneverse; the Arcane Society, the Bluestone Project, and the disaster at Fogg Lake. Sophie and Luke, like many couples in Jayne’s books, seem to be completely incompatible, but are actually perfect for each other. The dialogue is always entertaining with Sophie’s sass and Luke’s low-key wit. While I wait for the next dustbunny in Harmony, I was excited to meet Bruce and look forward to discovering more about his past and current abilities. The suspense plot is full of twists, surprises, and comes to a satisfying conclusion.
I am always happy to curl up with and disappear into a Jayne Ann Krentz book. I know the crime will be solved and two disparate souls will find their perfect match. I highly recommend this new book in the Jayneverse and cannot wait for more.
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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.
Art historian Mia is running out of time to prove her theory that the sculptor of an unearthed erotic statue was a courtesan erased from history—a scandal no one will believe. Chasing through Venice, she tracks down hidden details of Sofia, a powerful courtesan who seems to have left a trail of sex-fueled art buried across the city, but Mia’s now being followed, and even her boss might be in on the lie.
Meanwhile, in 1609, Sofia defies Venice’s unfair laws to create illicit art that could ruin her future. Her aspirations to become a great artist go up in flames when her patron’s wife steals her work and threatens her lover.
Four hundred years later, it’s up to Mia to discover the truth, but now she’s uncovered a world of art theft that could leave her ousted—or, worse, right in the crosshairs of the most powerful crime family in Italy, who will stop at nothing to force her to authenticate the famous statue. Mia’s only hope is to prove Sofia’s existence before everyone involved silences them both forever.
THE SECRET COURTESAN by Kerry Chaput is a dual timeline historical fiction novel with an interesting and somewhat unique historical timeline set in Renaissance Italy. I found the historical timeline emotional and fascinating as it pulled me into Sofia’s life, and while the present-day timeline with Mia is interesting regarding her art research, I found the suspense plotline not as compelling or believable.
Dr. Mia Harding is an art historian hired to authenticate a sculpture which she believes is not sculpted by the famous male Renaissance artist it is accredited to, but by a female artist erased by history. The historical timeline has a courtesan named Sofia Rossi, traded to an artist while she has longed her entire life to be an artist, which is not allowed in Renaissance Italy. While both women faced discrimination of a kind in their own timelines, I sincerely felt Sofia’s anguish of not being able to be recognized for what she was born to do and her fight to break the rules; while Mia did face professional discrimination, I never felt she moved forward on her own, but kept feeling sorry for the situation she put herself in. Also, Mia’s romance and run in with people trying to stop her from proving her belief in a female sculptor never hit me as emotionally as Sophia’s story.
I found the research and beautiful emotional writing of Sofia’s story kept me reading this novel to the end and I wish Mia’s present-day story made me feel more. Overall, this is worth the read for the atmosphere, emotion, and history of Sophia’s story, while Mia’s story is not bad, I was hoping for more than an average romantic suspense plot.
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About the Author
Kerry Chaput is a multi-award-winning author inspired by badass women in history. Born in California, she now calls the Pacific Northwest home, where she spends her days hitting the trails, chasing historical rabbit holes, and feeding her addiction to espresso and doggy cuddles.
