Tag: #standalone

Book Review: Classic Murder: Mr. Romance by Mary Martinez

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

CLASSIC MURDER: MR. ROMANCE by Mary Martinez is a fun contemporary romantic mystery. Even with a murder to be solved, the budding romance is humorous and entertaining.

Adam Russo is a billionaire who enjoys saving worthy companies, is a philanthropist and entertains a different beautiful woman on her dream trip on his off time with the understanding that he has no plans to settle down. It has earned him the title of “Mr. Romance” on the New York society pages.

Katie Sinclair is Adam’s executive assistant. She loves working for Adam and discussing business with him and setting up his various romantic trips. She hides her own beauty behind ugly clothes and glasses to be taken seriously on her job, but she falls in love with her boss and wants to shed the disguise.

Adam’s dates suddenly start turning up dead, but Katie knows he is innocent because she is his alibi. As Adam and Katie work to help the police solve their case, Adam becomes more and more convinced that Katie is “the one” he wants to finally settle down with, but can they find the killer before Katie becomes his/her next victim?

At first, I was not sure if I could like Adam, but when he turned his romantic ways towards Katie he grew on me. I always enjoyed Katie, her clumsy nervousness, her dog, her girlfriends and I cheered her on. I enjoyed Katie and Adam’s romance. It grew at a believable pace and was romantic, not sexual. They don’t have sex until later in the story and it was well written. The murders are based on classic Cary Grant movies and the H/h are like the rich boss and his girl Friday from classic movies. It made the murder mystery even more entertaining. An overall enjoyable read.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

RATING: 4 out of 5

BRING ME BACK by B.A. Paris is the third psychological thriller from this author that I have been excited to receive and read. This author has a writing style that pulls you in and presents you with many surprising twists and turns.

On their way home from vacation, Finn and Layla stop at a highway rest stop in France. When Finn returns to the car, Layla is gone. With no cell service, Finn drives to the nearest police station to report what happened, but not everything.

Finn attempts to move on with his life and eventually meets Ellen, Layla’s older sister. Their shared grief brings them closer together. Finn tries to see Layla in Ellen, but they are very different and even with those differences or because of them, Finn becomes involved with Ellen.

Ten years later, when Finn and Ellen announce their engagement, Finn begins to receive emails and little Russian dolls that only have significance to Finn, Ellen and Layla. Finn does not know what to believe. Is Layla alive? Where has she been? Why is she making contact now? Secret messages, hidden secrets, clues and warnings all ramp up the suspense as Finn tries to discover the truth about Layla.

This was not my favorite by this author. That said, I was compelled to continue reading until the end. The first part of this book had me turning the pages, but for me it bogged down in the middle. It does pick up the pace again towards the end. The plot bounces back and forth from present to past to reveal the twists which this author is exceptional at producing. I was able to guess a part of the resolution, but the ending was unexpected and I was not really happy with it, but that may not be true for all readers. This thriller is one that I expect many readers will have mixed feelings about. I can recommend it as an intriguing thriller read, but not my favorite from this author.

Thanks very much to St. Martin’s Press and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Dangerous Currents by Kathryn Knight

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

DANGEROUS CURRENTS by Katheryn Knight is a contemporary second chance romance with a suspense sub-plot. This book focuses more on the romance, past and present and the difficulties facing the H/h to get to their HEA than the suspense occurring in the background during the same time period. It is a well written, emotionally charged romance due to long held secrets and misunderstandings more than a romantic suspense as the summary leads you to believe.

Malorie Montgomery has returned to Cape Cod for a fresh start. She plans on helping her best friend set up her non-profit and teach business courses at the local community college. While taking her dog for a walk, she stumbles on a partially buried body. When she screams for help the boy, now man, who broke her heart in high school and never left her thoughts, shows up to help.

Dean Slater is surprised when he sees who called out for help while he is out on his run. She is back after seven years. Dean cannot believe the attraction is still as strong as it was their senior year of high school. He was the poor boy who had nothing to offer this rich girl, and yet she chose him. Now, Dean and his brother inherited the house just down the street from Malorie’s and there is no way they will not run into each other around the Cape.

Malorie has a family secret that keeps her from a permanent relationship and Dean still feels inferior and undeserving of Malorie, but the heat and attraction is still there on both their parts. Misunderstandings and misconceptions need to be cleared up, secrets need exposed and danger is lurking in the background.

This is a romance that has so many layers. There is the poor boy and the rich girl high school first loves, Malorie’s secret that Dean never knew about, Dean’s shame of his step-father going to prison and his brother not stepping up as a responsible father-to-be. Dean is always the responsible one and the protector. Malorie and Dean’s relationship progresses in a realistic way and the sex scenes are hot. The suspense sub-plot of the murdered girl Malorie and Dean find adds some tension and intrigue to the story with a surprise who-done-it, but the romance could really stand on its own without it. This is a second chance romance worth reading.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

Book Review: Pas De Deux: A Dance For Two by Lynn Turner

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

PAS DE DEUX: A DANCE FOR TWO by Lynn Turner is a beautifully written contemporary romance. This new to me author took me on a journey behind a classic ballet company, the building of a new Broadway musical and two imperfect people finding each other.

Wilhelmina “Mina” Allende is a prima ballerina in a Paris ballet company. Dance is her life and soul, but when a tragedy occurs in her life, she feels the need to take the leap into a new challenge offered to her in New York City. Zach knows Mina has the talent and “that something special” to transfix an audience, but he does not know if he can risk the whole show on Mina being able to learn his style of dance.

Zachary Coen is a famous contemporary dancer and choreographer looking for the lead for his first Broadway show. Mina is his dream lead come to life. She has a temper and is emotional, but she is also a professional and knows she is new to this style of dance and has a lot to learn. As the two work together, their pas de deux becomes personal as well as professional, but each has secrets. If each learns to trust the other it will make them whole, if not it will tear them apart.

Zach and Mina pulled me into their worlds of dance and theatre from the first chapter. The description of the dance scenes were as beautiful and intricate as the scorching hot sex scenes. This author definitely knows how to paint pictures with her words. They are both at the top of their careers against all odds, but they both have control and trust issues to overcome and this author handled all the emotions and issues in a realistic and believable way. I cannot say enough about this author’s lyrical writing style and the beautiful romance that is this book.

I highly recommend this romance and I will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

(I just want to mention two points that in no way change my recommendation: 1.This is an inter-racial romance. Mina describes the challenges of being a black ballerina, but the story does not focus on racial issues. And 2. Is a trigger issue— Zach does describe graphic sexual abuse from an adult while in foster care.)

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.

 

Book Review: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara is a chilling account of the evolution of one of the most prolific serial rapists turned serial killer in California’s history.

This story is an enthralling web of evidence, interviews with law enforcement and empathy for victims and their families written by a talented journalist obsessed with justice. For over ten years from 1974 to 1986, a sadistic predator roamed the night committing approximately fifty sexual assaults in Northern California and ten murders in Southern California. All of these crimes were only tied together later by the advancement of DNA.

Three decades later, Ms. McNamara, who was a true crime journalist with her own cold case blog, began an intensive search for the faceless man she dubbed “The Golden State Killer”. Her passion for justice shows in all of her writing. Sadly, Ms. McNamara died before she was completely finished with this book, but her research assistant and a fellow true crime writer pulled the remainder of the information together to finish this work of her lifetime for publication.

This is an intriguing true crime book that was left as an open mystery the authors hope will lead to the discovery of the faceless Golden State Killer.

***

(Update: This book was published in February, 2018 and in April, 2018 authorities announced the arrest of 72 year old Golden State Killer suspect Joseph James DeAngelo on eight counts of first degree murder based on DNA evidence.)

Book Review: Her Last Word by Mary Burton

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Mary Burton is one of those authors that when I see she has a new book out, I have to grab it right away because I know I will be able to disappear for hours into a solid, intriguing plot with realistic, interesting characters for the length of the book. She never disappoints.

Fourteen years ago, Kaitlin Roe witnessed the abduction of her cousin, Gina Mason. There were four girls partying by the river. Two friends were picked up by a relative while Kaitlin and Gina stumbled towards Gina’s home. Scared to death, drunk and drugged when Gina was grabbed, the abductor told Kaitlin to run and she did. She only has vague memories of that night, but fourteen years of guilt.

Kaitlin has returned to Virginia to make a podcast of Gina’s disappearance. She will never forgive herself, but she hopes through new interviews to bring Gina’s cold case back to life, find out what really happened and bring Gina home. Kaitlin’s podcast interviews attract attention, but not everyone wants the truth to be known.

Detective John Adler is assigned a murder case that overlaps with Kaitlin’s interviews. Is it a coincidence or is the cold case leading to murder in the present day to cover up the past? As Adler works to solve the case, he also has to worry if Kaitlin could have provoked the killer to come for her next.

This book was written not only in chapters, but it is also divided by podcast interviews. The interviews add an interesting twist, because you do not know if the person being interviewed is telling the truth. Between the current plotline, the podcast interviews and Kaitlin’s memories of the past the mystery and suspense continually build. There are several red herrings and the ending was a surprise.

The relationship between Adler and Kaitlin was realistic with Adler not giving her certain information as it was an official investigation and her distrust of police since Gina’s disappearance. The romance was well paced and intertwined throughout the last half of story in a believable fashion. I was once again satisfied in every way with a Mary Burton book!

Thanks very much to Montlake Romance and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.