Tag: #trilogy

Book Review: Murder Unexpected by Anita Waller

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MURDER UNEXPECTED (Kat and Mouse Mysteries #2) by Anita Waller is the second contemporary cozy mystery in this intriguing and entertaining trilogy. Each book has a unique mystery to be solved, but these books are best read in order due to the continuation of the main characters’ interactions and development.

This story picks up just a few months after the end of the first book, which has Kat, Mouse and Doris all waiting anxiously for the birth of Kat’s baby while being wary as Kat’s husband is still a fugitive. The three are being careful and vigilant as they work to grow their detective agency, Connection in the village of Eyam.

When a widow gives the ladies a case to identify the birth mother of her deceased husband something just does not feel right. Judith is not telling the whole truth. While others knew of her husband’s wish to find his birth mother before his cancer diagnosis, no one believes Judith is doing this out of love. When the ladies go to return her retainer and get out of the case, they find Judith murdered.

This murder leads to many twists and turns, with the ladies sharing information with DI Tessa Marsden and Hannah once again.

This second book in the trilogy was even more intense and emotionally riveting than the first. Kat’s continued personal upheaval with her husband, Leon ended with a surprise that was realistic, but I did not expect the author to go there. The murder mystery plot in this book also was not what I was expecting. It had so many twists and turns that drained me emotionally and yet were completely satisfying by its resolution. Ms. Waller has some very clever ideas when it comes to murder.

I love Kat, Mouse (Beth) and Doris. These are strong female characters you feel you want to meet in real life. DI Marsden and Hannah are also intelligent law enforcement characters. Wonderful writing brings these characters to life and the resolutions are clever and thought provoking.

I can highly recommend this book and am anxiously awaiting book #3 of the trilogy!

Thanks very much to Bloodhound Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read this eARC.

Book Review: Murder Undeniable by Anita Waller

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

MURDER UNDENIABLE (Kat and Mouse Mysteries #1) by Anita Waller is the first book in a contemporary cozy mystery trilogy. This author has written three main characters that are as intelligent and realistic as they are entertaining. The start was a little slow, but it was setting up a crime in the past witnessed by a group of friends which ties into the current murders. The suspense and mystery builds after this scene though at a rapid pace.

Katerina Rowe is a Deacon at her church in the village of Eyam. She is happily married and very satisfied with her life. They have just celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary.

As Kat and Leon are exciting into the alley behind his pharmacy, they discover a man shot to death and a woman barely hanging on to life after being shot in the shoulder and kicked in the head. The woman, Beth, called Mouse, by her family was the dead man’s escort for the night. Kat does not understand why, but she is drawn to Mouse and wants to protect her.

At the hospital Kat meets Beth’s nan, Doris and the three woman form a bond. When Beth’s flat is burned down, Kat takes her and her nan in as the peril escalates and more people are murdered. These three will use their skills to dig into the murders and hopefully find the killer before he succeeds in killing Beth.

I love Kat, Beth and Doris. They are unique characters that each have their own talents to bring to the group. I am very glad I will get to revisit them. The setting of the “plague village” of Eyam was interesting to learn about and is perfect for a cozy setting. I was glad that Ms. Waller made the police investigators as intelligent as the cozy sleuths. They were not stupid or inept caricatures. The ending was only a partial surprise, but it was very satisfying.

I am looking forward to reading the remainder of this Kat and Mouse trilogy.

Book Review: Gone in the Night by Anna J. Stewart

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

GONE IN THE NIGHT (Honor Bound #3) by Anna J. Stewart is the 5 STAR conclusion to the Honor Bound trilogy. This entire romantic suspense trilogy is a roller coaster ride that is packed with strong, but emotionally vulnerable heroes to swoon over and heroines that are wounded and yet at the top of their professions and know how to kick butt. Book three is the conclusion to the overall story-line arc that tied this trilogy together. I believe these books should be read in order.

Allie Hollister is a psychologist who is one of three friends who are all still haunted by the unsolved death of their childhood best friend, Chloe. The past seems to have invaded her present with the kidnapping of one of Allie’s patients, Holly Kellan, who is almost a twin to her friend who was killed 20 years earlier. As the friends work the abduction of Holly, it seems to mirror their cold case and the two cases start to converge.

Max Kellan was a firefighter who has moved to Sacramento to help with his niece, Holly as his brother goes through a contentious divorce. When the police, FBI and Allie appear on his brother’s doorstep, Max knows something is terribly wrong, but he also realizes he is not getting the whole truth from the law or Allie.

Max and Allie search for Holly and try to piece everything together from both the current kidnapping and the cold case with all the friends from the previous two books. Allie cannot believe the timing as she finally is starting to be attracted to Max. Max, for all his anger and mistrust of mental health doctors is only calm and focused with Allie around. These two come together in a slow burn that intensifies throughout the book, but will it last?

Allie projects a calm even cold analytical exterior that hides her fear and yet she can physically fight like a SEAL. Max is a ball of anger since what happened to make him leave firefighting. Yet the two of them find a way to get through to each other and the banter is light, fun and sexy, even in their stressful situation. I loved these two together, the friendship of all the women carried throughout all three books and the fast paced plots.

I highly recommend this trilogy! I will be looking for more Anna J. Stewart romantic suspense books in the future.

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.

Book Review: Reunited With the P.I. by Anna J. Stewart

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

I had high praise in my previous review for the first book in Anna J. Stewart’s Honor Bound trilogy “More Than a Lawman” and it continues in book two “REUNITED WITH THE P.I. I got immediately sucked into each story and the lives of all the characters. The overall arc that ties all three books together, the suspense plot of each individual book and the main romance in each book flows seamlessly throughout the entire book in this author’s capable hands.

Reunited with the P.I. is a second chance romantic suspense. I feel the trilogy does need to be read in order even with each book focusing on a different H/h and suspense plot because there is a strong overall plot arc between the three heroines and their pasts that is prevalent in each book.

Simone Armstrong is a driven Assistant District Attorney nicknamed “The Avenging Angel” due to the fact that she does not lose and she always wears all white. She is about to go to trial, when she is notified that the witness that her whole case is built on has disappeared. She no longer knows who she can trust in her office. She knows she has to get outside help from a private investigator and the one she wants has major problems with her. She helped put his brother in prison and he is her ex-husband.

Vince Sutton is an ex-Marine, P.I. and now owns and runs his own sports bar and restaurant The Brass Eagle. The last person he expects to come to him with an appeal for help is his ex-wife. After the problems on his last case, he wants to tell her no, but she makes him a deal he can’t refuse. Even with the three year separation, Vince has never gotten over Simone. As he and Simone get drawn further into her present case and he finds out about the threats from a cold case, he vows to protect her, whether she wants it or not.

Simone is as complex a heroine as Eden was in the first book. Simone is driven to put as many bad guys away as possible to make up for her past guilt that she still carries. She does not let anyone in because she is afraid they will be hurt and she does not know how to handle not being in complete control of any situation. Vince comes from an abusive background and also has to deal with what he saw during the war. These two were so realistically written and the author did a great job of bringing them back together at an authentic pace while keeping the suspense growing and the sexual tension high.

I am really looking forward to reading the finale to this trilogy. Ms. Stewart knows how to write romantic suspense that pulls you in and brings you back for more!

Book Review: When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

When I want to curl up on the couch with a comfy blanket and tea to read without interruption, there are a few authors that I know I can sit down with their books and always be satisfied. Jayne Ann Krentz is one of those authors. WHEN ALL THE GIRLS HAVE GONE is one of those books.

Charlotte Sawyer is the average, steady, and some say naïve, director of activities at a senior retirement home. Her step-sister, Jocelyn is beautiful, adventurous and reckless. When Charlotte hears that Jocelyn’s best friend from her investment club has been found dead, she tries to contact Jocelyn at the retreat she is on. Jocelyn has disappeared and Charlotte is desperate to find her.

Max Cutler is starting his own P.I. firm after complete burnout from his criminal profiling job and his divorce that followed. He knows the job of finding out what really happened to Jocelyn’s friend won’t pay, but he is convinced to look into it. Charlotte is trying to find out what happened also and to find her sister so the two join forces.

There are two plotlines intertwined in this story. The investment club’s members are being targeted and disappearing and you have Jocelyn’s 16 year old rape case that was purposely derailed. Power, privilege, an escalating serial rapist and a friend that may not really be a friend all are fighting to silence Charlotte and Max.

Charlotte and Max were perfect together. Charlotte is very much the steady, optimistic character that isn’t boring, even though she believes she is, but you would want to have in your corner. Max is down and considers himself boring, but Charlotte sees him as steadfast and talented in his profession. The banter between these two had me smiling several times and the sex was well written. I liked that these characters weren’t looking for a relationship, but they fit.

I enjoyed this story and these characters as much as I knew I would. Sometimes in my romantic suspense reads, I don’t want super testosterone alpha males and either their matches in female form or the little woman that they rescue. Sometimes in my romantic suspense, I want normal, everyday characters that come together to become something more and when that happens it is great. Max has two ‘brothers’, so I expect this to be a trilogy.

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About the Author

The author of over 50 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, JAYNE ANN KRENTZ writes romantic-suspense in three different worlds: Contemporary (as Jayne Ann Krentz), historical (as Amanda Quick) and futuristic (as Jayne Castle). There are over 30 million copies of her books in print.

She earned a B.A. in History from the University of California at Santa Cruz and went on to obtain a Masters degree in Library Science from San Jose State University in California. Before she began writing full time she worked as a librarian in both academic and corporate libraries.

Ms. Krentz is married and lives with her husband, Frank, in Seattle, Washington.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jayneannkrentz.com/

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

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

Book Review: More Than a Lawman by Anna J. Stewart

more-than-a-lawman

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

Even though I read everything, Romantic Suspense is my favorite genre and when I find a great book and/or author to follow in this genre I shout it from the rooftops for my fellow readers. Here is MORE THAN A LAWMAN! The first book in the Honor Bound trilogy by new to me author Anna J. Stewart from Harlequin. Shouting from the rooftops!!!

This first book focuses on Eden St. Claire, who is a crime writer and a blogger dedicated to catching all killers, but especially serial killers after the death of one of her best friends, Chloe at the age of nine. Her remaining friends, Simon, now a prosecutor and Allie, now a criminal psychologist have all dealt with the trauma in differing ways. Eden has never forgiven herself for something she didn’t do the night Chloe disappeared.

Cole Delaney is a detective and was best friends with Eden’s brother growing up and has always cared about Eden. He wants Eden, but she has never wanted to be anything but best friends. When Eden’s blog “Eden On Ice” once again focuses attention on the serial killer known as the Iceman, Eden barely survives an attack and it will take all of Cole’s understanding and love to protect her from herself.

This book starts off with an amazing first scene and just keeps getting more intense from there. The plot has an original premise and keeps the twists and turns coming. The main Iceman plot is resolved along with the romance between Cole and Eden, but there is the trilogy plot of Chloe’s killer resurfacing which is carried over into the next book.

Eden’s reasons for not becoming involved with anyone and why she seems to have a death wish are so well written. She is an extremely complex character that even as you become exasperated with her, you understand her. Cole and Eden’s romance is well integrated into the plot and I feel was handled in a very realistic way. This romantic suspense worked on every level.

I can’t wait to get Ms. Stewart’s next installment of this trilogy!

Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.com.