Today is my turn on the Blog Tour for DESERVE TO DIE by Miranda Rijks. This is a well written page turner and the second book by this author that I have read and enjoyed.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, the author’s bio and social media information and purchasing links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb:
Dom and Stacey have the perfect life. Until they meet Tamara. Brilliant, beautiful, she hides a horrifying secret. One that may destroy them all.
Happily married with two beautiful children, Dom and Stacey have it all. He runs a successful design agency, she is finding fame as an author of children’s books.
Everything is perfect. Until they meet Tamara.
Because Tamara is a woman with a plan. She executes it step by step – patient, systematic, methodical.
And as her plan unfolds, Dom and Stacey find their lives slipping out of control. Taking them from heaven into the deepest, darkest hell.
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My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
DESERVE TO DIE by Miranda Rijks is a new domestic psychological
thriller. I read the mystery, “Fatal Fortune” by this author that I enjoyed so
I was excited to give this book a read. I was not disappointed.
Dom and Stacey are happily married with two children. Dom is
the head of a successful design agency and Stacey works from home writing and illustrating
children’s books. They are very happy.
It is a complete shock when the account executive of Dom’s
firm commits suicide and blames his unhappiness on his job. Conveniently, the
perfect replacement shows up for his job. Tamara is beautiful, classy and
highly motivated. She has a plan, not only for the company, but also for Dom
and Stacey.
As Tamara’s plan begins to unfold, the seeds of mistrust
between Dom and Stacey grow. Stacey is gas-lighted by Tamara as she moves to
replace her at Dom’s side and in her home.
The story is told in alternating chapters between Stacey and
Tamara. The pace increases as the story progresses and the tension escalates to
the point of not wanting to put the book down. All of the steps Tamara takes
really scared me because of how believable it was and how easily it was done. I
did have some difficulties with Dom and Stacey though. Dom switched sides a
little too quickly for me if they were as happy as it seemed and he even
believed Tamara over his two children. I liked that Stacey went for help when
needed, but she seemed completely incompetent when looking into Tamara’s
background. She worked at Dom’s company before their children and she is an author,
so I found it difficult to believe.
Overall this is an intense and well written domestic
psychological thriller. It is not unique, but it kept me turning the pages and
I was satisfied with the ending.
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About Miranda Rijks:
Miranda Rijks is a writer of suspense
novels.
Miranda has an eclectic background ranging from law to running a garden centre.
She’s been writing all of her life and has a Masters in writing. A couple of
years ago she decided to ditch the business plans and press releases and now
she’s living the dream, writing suspense novels full time. She lives in Sussex,
England with her Dutch husband, musician daughter and black Labrador.
Miranda loves connecting with her readers, so you can reach out to her at www.mirandarijks.com
How do you catch a killer who thinks murder
is art?
Michael Fisher sees himself as an artist
rather than a killer and poses his victims to resemble famous paintings.
Detective Nick Kelly is called to attend
the latest crime scene and finds himself at the centre of a media storm. But
while the rest of the police department feels under pressure, Nick relishes the
attention.
Karen Kelly, Nick’s soon to be ex-wife,
watches in horror as this brutal game of cat and mouse plays out. But Karen has
secrets of her own.
And when another body is found, Nick is disturbed to discover he knows the victim and things start to get a little too close to home.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
THE ART OF MURDER by Rebecca Muddiman is a suspense/thriller
by a new to me author. Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of the
three main characters.
Detective Nick Kelly is on an NYPD team working the case of
an unknown serial killer who poses his victims to replicate famous paintings. As
the number of victims increases, the pressure is on from the media for more
information. Nick’s superior does not want the public to know how the victims
have been displayed, but Nick enjoys the spotlight and wants to release more
information.
Karen Kelly is cohabitating unharmoniously with Nick as they
wait for the court to decide which one of them gets their NYC apartment in
their divorce. Karen owns an independent bookstore which is struggling
financially and is generally unhappy with her life at this point in time. She
meets a nice man on her birthday while she is out on her own, but she had such
poor taste in picking Nick, she does not know if she can trust this charming
new man.
Michael Fisher wanted to be a famous artist. His father
belittled him and he dropped out of art school. Now he works on his personal
masterpieces to replicate famous master paintings to prove his talent to his
father and the world. The backdrops are painted, but the main figure is not. If
you are squandering your true talent, Michael will make a painting to feature
you.
I felt this book was predictable for about the first third of the story, but then the author does manage to insert a few curve balls that increase the suspense and pace. I enjoyed the serial killer in this book more than Nick and Karen. Nick is a narcissist in every sense of the word. Karen was a whiny wimp until the very end and I find it surprising that she even came through then, which somewhat limited the believability for me. This was a group of characters that I did not like, but the plot does have a few unique twists that carried me through to the end.
Thank you to Bloodhound Books for allowing me to read this eARC in advance of release.
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Rebecca Muddiman was born and raised in the North East and worked in the
NHS for many years. She has published six crime novels – Stolen, Gone,
Tell Me Lies, Murder in Slow Motion, No Place Like Home, and The Art of
Murder. Stolen won a Northern Writers Award in 2010 and
the Northern Crime Competition in 2012. She is also a screenwriter and was
selected for the London Screenwriters Festival Talent Campus in 2016.
Most of her spare time is spent
re-watching Game of Thrones, trying
to learn Danish, and dealing with two unruly dogs. Sometimes all at the same
time.
LOVELY DIGITS by Jeanine Englert is a historical romantic
suspense that I feel is perfect in every way. The romance and suspense/mystery
were both perfectly balanced and intriguing. This book has a heroine with a
unique occupation, a constable hero trying to right a past wrong while both
work together to solve a series of murders in 1849 Clun, England.
Miss Lucy Wycliffe is a spinster, who has for the last ten
years been Clun’s layer out of the dead. She ignores the gossip from the town
people who feel she is unnatural for she has to support herself and help her
sister who is a widow and her niece since the death of their parents. Lucy takes
pride in the job she does for the dead even as she knows no man will be
interested in her.
John Brodie is the new constable. He is no stranger to Clun
and his acceptance of this position is meant to correct old wrongs and help him
move on in the future. He wishes to help Lucy by paying her to be his assistant
as they work to find the killer of Lucy’s childhood friends. He never thought
he would fall in love with the beautiful and intelligent “Lovely Digits”.
The killer knows secrets from the past and has come back to not
only reveal truths that could end Lucy and John’s relationship, but also their
lives.
I loved this book! This historical romantic suspense focuses
on a small town in England of regular people and there are no princes or dukes
in sight. The clothes, language and interactions are era appropriate. Lucy’s
occupation is unique, but it is also plausible. I love that Lucy is also an
intelligent, strong heroine who is as heroic as John. No sex. Hand holding and a few kisses only.
The murders are investigated with old-fashioned leg work, clues obtained from
the bodies and clues left by the killer.
Set time aside because I know once you start this book you
will not be able to put it down! There is no cliffhanger and the story is
complete, but there does seem to be a possibility of more books following John
and Lucy in the future and I can only say to Ms. Englert, “Yes, please”!
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
SOLVING CADENCE MOORE by Gregory Sterner is a mystery
written in the form of a radio podcast series intertwined with intervals of the
background workings and relationships of the main character. The podcast
scripts reveal the mystery and interviews in an attempt to solve a ten-year-old
murder mystery.
Ten years ago, Cadence Moore, a talented but troubled young
singer disappeared. After a drunken altercation with her college friends, she
was left on the side of the road while returning from a party and was never
seen again.
Charlie Marx is the host of a popular conspiracy radio show.
After the huge popularity of a movie about the disappearance of Cadence
reignites public interest, Charlie’s boss wants a special series of podcasts on
the subject. He launches his own investigation into the disappearance and claims
to have solved the mystery which he will reveal in a groundbreaking live radio
special after the podcasts run.
But is it really solved? Is there finally closure for
Cadence?
If Charlie has succeeded and truly solved this mystery, he
will be acclaimed, but if he fails and everything he is promoting are lies, his
entire career will be destroyed live on air.
I liked the mystery and the podcasts revealing the
information, speculation and characters involved. It was a unique way to let
each character reveal their versions of Cadence and the case. It was a
fictional case, but the author made feel you feel as if you were following a
true-crime case which pulled you into the mystery. Charlie Marx is a flawed
character that has everything on the line and you feel equal parts empathy and revulsion
for. I did find the sections of the book where Charlie interacts with others
outside of the podcasts realistic, but drawn out and slow. I also found the
lead section into the climax slow and unnecessary. That said, it was not enough
to stop me from reading until the end to find out both the solution to the
mystery and the resolution of Charlie’s career.
I would like to thank Kelsey Butts from bookpublicityservices.com
for the copy of this book for review.
THE REBOUND EFFECT by Linda Griffin is listed as a romantic
suspense. It is not a romance. This book is a domestic psychological thriller.
If considered in that genre, it is a high intensity read of a single mother on
the rebound and the new man who comes into her life while women are disappearing
in the area.
Teresa Lansing is a struggling single mother working as a
veterinary assistant in the small town of Cougar. She is doing the best she can
for herself and her six-year-old deaf son. Both are trying to get over the
recent break-up of Teresa and her fiancé after she found out he cheated.
While visiting her best-friend at her local family bar and
grill, Teresa is swept off her feet by Frank McAllister. Frank just moved to
Cougar four months ago. He is a cop and works on the S.W.A.T. team in the big
city near Cougar. Frank is handsome, charming and very sexy. Teresa and her
friend believe she has finally found a good man.
As the courtship progresses, Teresa at many times feels
overwhelmed by the fast pace Frank wants to set for the relationship. She tries
to draw some lines, but she always feels ungrateful for everything he is doing
for her and her son and lets Frank continue to have his way. While Frank is
pushing for a permanent commitment, Teresa’s former fiancé continues to try to
win her back.
While tensions rise between Teresa and Frank, the number of
missing women in the area also increases. Is Teresa safe or is she the next to
die?
Ms. Griffin’s characters are realistic and make you easily
understand how psychopaths and psychological abusers can overwhelm you. Yes,
there were times I wanted to smack Teresa in the head and tell her to wise up
and put her son first, but Frank knew how to tie them both together to get what
he wanted. The sense of danger and the high intensity of the emotions in this
book keep you turning the pages. As I wrote previous, this is a thriller and
not a romance. For me, a romance or romantic suspense must end with or be
leading to a HEA. The dating and sex in this book is not a romance.
If you are looking for a domestic psychological suspense, this is a fast paced, high intensity read.
I am very excited to share this Feature Post and Book Review for C.D. Reiss’ new release ONLY EVER YOU. This romance is different than the steamier, darker stories from this author. This romance is lighter and all about a reunited friendship, family, hope and love.
Below you will find an interview with the author, an excerpt from the book, my book review, an author biography and social media links, book summary and a Rafflecopter giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card and a digital copy of the book. Enjoy and good luck on the Rafflecopter giveaway!
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Author Interview: CD Reiss
Please introduce your newest release.
Only Ever You is about a girl who planned for everything but never
got what she hoped for, and a dweeb who hoped he’d to marry the girl, but never
planned for it.
Rachel and Sebastian have an interesting history. They were friends as kids,
but have lost touch as adults…
They’re really strangers when they reunite at 30, but they’re burdened by what
they think they know about each other. Sebastian was supposed to be an artist
and Rachel was supposed to be a screenwriter. They have to shake all that stuff
loose before they can see each other. When they do, they’re strangers.
I think attraction between strangers is real.
Sexual heat is real. But “hearts and flowers” are earned. (I know
that sounds like I’m your dad telling you to mow lawns, but that’s where the magic
is. Not the lawns.) In the time just before you’re struck by lightning there’s
a real electricity. It’s pure potential and anything can go wrong. It’s the
best thing ever.
When they were kids they made up a ‘contract’ to get married at 30—which is
pretty much panned when they do meet up and have the most awkward first kiss
EVER. How do they overcome such an incredibly uncomfortable situation?
They overcome it by running away!
Sebastian is thinking “now or never” because he thinks Rachel’s never going to
think he’s any cooler than when she sees him in the office of his own company.
And she isn’t ready because her whole idea of herself is tied up in what a
failure she is. Neither one of them is feeling good enough about themselves to
have a really hot first kiss, which is the same reason they’re not ready to get
married.
***
Excerpt: Only Ever You by CD
Reiss
After
I left her and CJ with Lucinda, I spent the weekly staff meeting wondering if
Rachel was the same warrior I’d loved or if she was more the woman who’d held
her laptop to her chest as if she needed protection.
I was obsessed.
I had to know.
Her text came in as I was
leaving the meeting.
I need
to check that we’re kidding
Before I could finish
typing a response, I caught her coming out of the bathroom with her laptop
under her arm.
Alone. Me and her. Nothing
between us but the question of who we were and how we fit.
“Seb, I—”
She didn’t have a chance
to finish. I crowded her back into the bathroom and locked the door behind us.
“Kidding about what?” I
said.
“About getting married.”
“Why would that even be a
question?”
“Our parents have been in
negotiations about it.”
My mother couldn’t keep
herself from talking if she tried, and I was her favorite subject.
“It might be a little soon
for marriage, but—”
“Soon? I don’t like you
seeing what I do for a living while you’re in a glass-walled office overlooking
the ocean. I mean, I’m not marriage material, and the odds are that’s never
going to change.”
“I don’t see why a date’s
off the table.”
“Do you know what’s going
to happen if we date?”
The list of possibilities
was as long as my arm. I could have counted them off, from “We decide we hate
each other” to “We end up in bed.” But I didn’t, because I was still trying to
figure her out.
What did she want to hear?
With her wide eyes and
parted lips, what did she want? Did she have a fondest wish where I was
concerned? Was she leaning forward? Was her expression soft and yielding?
My mind spent too long
deciding what to say, so my body spoke for me.
I kissed her hard and was
met with teeth and stiff resistance. It was a kiss I’d wanted since I’d had
hairless armpits and a voice somewhere in the low soprano range. I’d dreamed
about it. Fantasized about it. Thought about it so hard in the middle of the
night I could practically feel it.
But never, ever in my
fantasies did she push me away so hard I fell back against a towel dispenser,
watching her face twist into surprised rage as the machine spit out a ragged
rectangle of brown paper.
“That was—”
“Messed up. I know.”
“Then why? What is wrong
with you?”
She was livid, just like
she would have been. Just like she should have been.
The tiger within Rachel
was in there, and my attempt to tease her out had probably alienated her. She’d
be right to never speak to me again.
“I’m sorry,” I said with
my hand on the door lock. “I misread you. It won’t happen again.”
I started to open the
door, but she held it closed.
“If we date, my mother’s
going to get her hopes up that I’m going to settle down. And I’m sorry, Seb,
but if we break up while she’s in chemo, it’s going to crush her.”
“You don’t even know if
she’s sick again.”
“You’re right.” She
pointed a rigid finger at me as if I were her mother. “I’m going to make her
tell me.”
“You’re really beautiful
when you’re telling it like it is.”
She slid her hand off the
door. Having been called out, the warrior was sent into hiding.
No. I wouldn’t accept
that. I wouldn’t allow it.
“Let’s just go out and
catch up,” I said. “Saturday.”
“Can’t. Saturday’s the
soonest I can talk to Mom.”
I unlocked the door. “I’m
sorry about . . . the thing.”
“Kissing me?”
“No, wasting paper towels.
Of course kissing you.”
“Next time, give a girl a
little warning.”
Next time? Her eyes darted
to the door. Was she calculating the distance to her getaway? Or making sure it
was closed?
“How about now?” I asked.
“Now what?”
“Fair warning. Now.”
I stepped a little closer
and put my hands on her arms. Not right away. I let them hover an inch away
before touching her to give her the chance to move away. A chance I was sure
she’d take.
“Seb, really?”
But she didn’t move away.
Not this time. When I laid
my hands on her biceps, she leaned in to me just a little. I smelled the floral
lotion on her skin and a hint of cool water on her breath.
“Really.” I slid the
laptop from her arms and placed it on the counter. “This is your warning.”
You’re
doing this. I cannot believe you’re doing this.
“It doesn’t feel like a
warning,” she said, and again—I noted—she didn’t move away.
“Flashing red lights.” My
lips brushed her cheek, heading for her mouth. She felt better than I ever
imagined. “A buzzer, maybe.”
“Just a kiss?” she asked,
her lips moving against mine.
Before I could consummate
what she was agreeing to, I was smacked by a swinging door.
“Oh!” CJ said. “I’m sorry!
I was looking for you.”
Rachel snatched up her
laptop and walked out. CJ raised an eyebrow with good reason, since I was in
the ladies’ room. I left, and we all gathered in the hall.
Awkward.
“Well,” Rachel said.
“Thanks for showing us your tedious financial-sector company.”
“Thank you for coming,” I
said and let them walk away. I could have done or said much more, but not
without getting her into trouble. She glanced back at me when they turned the
corner, as if she wanted to make sure I was still there.
***
My Book Review:
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
ONLY EVER YOU by
C.D. Reiss is a new contemporary romance not like any previous books I have
read from this author. I think dark, erotic and intense usually when I see this
author’s name, but this romance is different. Sebastian and Rachel’s story is
lighter, full of family, hope and love. The angst and steamy is still there,
but not as often and with a twist.
When Sebastian was in school, he was a stick thin, nerd who
was bullied.
Then a beautiful girl named Rachel moved in across the lane.
She became his best friend. She defended him and included him.
As they plan their futures, they decide on a back-up plan
and write a marriage contract stating if both are single when they turn thirty
years old, they will marry each other.
The future happens and it does not always go as planned. Rachel and Sebastian are both home for Christmas. Sebastian has become an extremely successful and gorgeous man. Rachel is still struggling in her career and has dated a string of losers. Nothing has gone as she planned, but she also would not have changed the time she put her career on hold to help her mother through her cancer.
Are they really going to go through with their marriage contract?
This is a very entertaining friends to lovers contemporary romance.
Sebastian is a hero we all love to cheer for. The dweeb to heart-throb, smart
to successful, but no matter the success, he is still very vulnerable. Rachel
was strong as a young girl, but she let fear and the wrong men make her doubt
herself to the point of losing her confidence in herself. As the two reunite,
they learn how they are still alike, but also different. This is a cute couple
with crazy family members and friends that love them and only want them to be
happy. The sex scenes occur towards the end of the book and there is a very
interesting twist involved, especially from this author.
This is one of those feel good, fun romances to enjoy curled
up on your favorite chair.
***
About the Book:
Title: Only Ever You
Author: CD Reiss
Release Date: July 9, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Summary:
Rachel knew exactly
what turning thirty would be like. She had a plan, after all. First college,
then a climb up the professional ladder. Love, marriage, children. All of it
was on the schedule.
The cheap Hollywood
apartment wasn’t on the list. Neither was the string of heartbreaks. Or the
effect her mother’s cancer had on her career.
It’s hard to stay
practical and on point when everything takes a left turn.
Enter Sebastian,
the nerd across the street. The boy she defended when he couldn’t defend
himself. The best friend she promised she’d marry if life didn’t go according
to plan.
Not only is he
successful, confident, and gorgeous, but he also still has their handwritten
marriage contract.
No one goes through
with childhood wedding pacts.
That’s crazy.
But their families might just be crazy enough to rent a hall and set a date. All Rachel and Sebastian have to do is fall in love.
***
Author Biography:
CD Reiss is a New York Times bestselling
author. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the
fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God, but in the meantime, if you
call and she doesn’t pick up, she’s at the well hauling buckets. Born in New
York City, Reiss moved to Hollywood, California, to get her master’s degree in
screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere—but it did
give her a big enough ego to write novels.
Reiss is frequently
referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut, which is flattering but hasn’t ever
gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you
should call her Christine. Text cdreiss to 77948 to get a
notification whenever she has a new release.
