Search
Search results
Lead the Way (Dirty South #1)
Book
Fresh off the high of college graduation, Melody James is back in her Podunk town. She needs a job,...
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Ties That Bind ( Detective Madison Knight Series Book 1)
Book
Three victims. One method. One motive. When dead bodies start piling up, Detective Madison...
crime fiction adult police procedural series murder
Girl Next Door (Jack Ryder Book 5)
7.0
Rate It
Book
Inspired by a true story. He came in the morning when they were still making lunches and getting...
police prodecural fiction adult series Jack Ryder suspense
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Claws for Alarm in Books
Aug 17, 2021 (Updated Aug 17, 2021)
Fundraising with Murder
As Maddie James and her family and friends get ready for their first full tourist season with JJ’s House of Purrs open, they are expecting more tourists to stop in because of the publicity that the cat café has been getting. In fact, Jillian Allen is one such tourists who insists on coming almost as soon as she gets to Daybreak Island. When Jillian offers to run a fundraiser, Maddie is thrilled. But a couple of days later, Maddie finds Jillian strangled with the cat leashes that were going to be a party favor at the fundraiser. Who would kill a visitor to the island? Or did Jillian have more local connections than Maddie knew about?
Jillian is a force, and the scenes she is in are very memorable. Once she dies, the mystery is good, although it seems like we get quite a few revelations at the end of the book. Everything makes sense, but it did make the ending feel rushed. As much as Jillian stands out, the rest of the cast are wonderful. Some of the suspects I hope pop back up again in the future, and the regulars are charming. I did find a handful of errors where a character finished their coffee twice in the same scene, or something like that. It was annoying but not too bad. I was more bothered by Maddie’s actions in one scene late in the book. She should not have done what she did. I’ve always loved Daybreak Island, and that didn’t change in this book. It’s a wonderful setting I’d love to visit in real life – between murders, of course. If you are looking to get away cheaply, this is the book to pick up.
Jillian is a force, and the scenes she is in are very memorable. Once she dies, the mystery is good, although it seems like we get quite a few revelations at the end of the book. Everything makes sense, but it did make the ending feel rushed. As much as Jillian stands out, the rest of the cast are wonderful. Some of the suspects I hope pop back up again in the future, and the regulars are charming. I did find a handful of errors where a character finished their coffee twice in the same scene, or something like that. It was annoying but not too bad. I was more bothered by Maddie’s actions in one scene late in the book. She should not have done what she did. I’ve always loved Daybreak Island, and that didn’t change in this book. It’s a wonderful setting I’d love to visit in real life – between murders, of course. If you are looking to get away cheaply, this is the book to pick up.
The Night Gate
Book
In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of...
Hell Bound
8.0
Rate It
Book
FBI Special Agent Riley Mathews works alone and for good reason. She’s gone to great lengths for...
Contemporary Romance Romantic Suspense
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated A Wedding and A Killing (Mac Faraday Mystery #8) in Books
Apr 22, 2022
If you are looking for a book that will spice up the beginning of your book or story. Well, “A Wedding and a Killing” is a good one that does just that. Mac and his lady decide to get married in the Spencer Church.
It starts once Gnarly jumps out of the car, runs, and barks at the door, which everyone invited to the wedding for Mac and Archie. They realize that Gnarly will not stop barking to get their attention.
Gnarly seems to be trying to get their attention. When no one is paying attention, He will not leave that door. Once someone goes to the door and opens it, Gnarly finds a dead body. It gets chaotic and brings everyone from the church’s sanctuary as Mac and Archie seem in an argument over Gnarly being there. It seems to bring action when they find a murder occurred.
Who would kill a man with no enemies? Who volunteers for the church. When Gnarly finds a dead body, it brings Mac to team up with David and dives into the investigation. But how long will it take? How long will Mac have to wait to get married to Archie? We seem to get more murders and twists and turns. What happens when Ruth and her daughter get brought in. Will Ruth be framed for murder and her husband? Who killed Jason Fairbanks. We seem to have two cases that interlope, and Mac wants to help and defend Ruth.
Once you start reading Lauren Carr’s books, you will want more of them. You can read any of her books in any order and as a standalone. You will want to read more by finding one of her books or audiobooks. Great for any mystery fan, murder mystery, or even thriller fan.
It starts once Gnarly jumps out of the car, runs, and barks at the door, which everyone invited to the wedding for Mac and Archie. They realize that Gnarly will not stop barking to get their attention.
Gnarly seems to be trying to get their attention. When no one is paying attention, He will not leave that door. Once someone goes to the door and opens it, Gnarly finds a dead body. It gets chaotic and brings everyone from the church’s sanctuary as Mac and Archie seem in an argument over Gnarly being there. It seems to bring action when they find a murder occurred.
Who would kill a man with no enemies? Who volunteers for the church. When Gnarly finds a dead body, it brings Mac to team up with David and dives into the investigation. But how long will it take? How long will Mac have to wait to get married to Archie? We seem to get more murders and twists and turns. What happens when Ruth and her daughter get brought in. Will Ruth be framed for murder and her husband? Who killed Jason Fairbanks. We seem to have two cases that interlope, and Mac wants to help and defend Ruth.
Once you start reading Lauren Carr’s books, you will want more of them. You can read any of her books in any order and as a standalone. You will want to read more by finding one of her books or audiobooks. Great for any mystery fan, murder mystery, or even thriller fan.
Merissa (12051 KP) rated New Nebraska Lessons in Books
Nov 6, 2023
NEW NEBRASKA LESSONS is the first book in a series of standalones, all set in the same world. Even knowing they are standalones, I really hope we catch up with Ceci and her group of men.
She is the janitor at a University, getting lessons and lodging in return for her work, whilst also looking after her ailing mother. She is also the only human there, which means fun times. One by one, she attracts the attention of four different breeds - a bear shifter, a wolf shifter, a fae prince, and a vampire. Her mother disappears and a serial killer is on the loose. Talk about it all going on!
What I loved about it is that however hard the story got, with the concern over her mum, and the grisly murders, the one thing that Ceci didn't have to worry about was the devotion of her men. I LOVED THAT!!! No unnecessary arguments or miscommunications. It was effortless and flowed perfectly. Even with the complications Osric had, it still worked. He wasn't left out and his voice was as strong as the others.
Usually when reading a RH/why choose romance, I have my own personal favourite. Not this time. I love each and every one of them, which is why I'm hoping for a sneaky cameo here or there.
Lots of different characters that I want stories for now, first and foremost being Vesta and Finnian. A brilliant book that I couldn't put down. Highly recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 6, 2023
She is the janitor at a University, getting lessons and lodging in return for her work, whilst also looking after her ailing mother. She is also the only human there, which means fun times. One by one, she attracts the attention of four different breeds - a bear shifter, a wolf shifter, a fae prince, and a vampire. Her mother disappears and a serial killer is on the loose. Talk about it all going on!
What I loved about it is that however hard the story got, with the concern over her mum, and the grisly murders, the one thing that Ceci didn't have to worry about was the devotion of her men. I LOVED THAT!!! No unnecessary arguments or miscommunications. It was effortless and flowed perfectly. Even with the complications Osric had, it still worked. He wasn't left out and his voice was as strong as the others.
Usually when reading a RH/why choose romance, I have my own personal favourite. Not this time. I love each and every one of them, which is why I'm hoping for a sneaky cameo here or there.
Lots of different characters that I want stories for now, first and foremost being Vesta and Finnian. A brilliant book that I couldn't put down. Highly recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 6, 2023
The Twelve Jays of Christmas
8.0
Rate It
Book
The cast of Donna Andrews’ New York Times bestselling Meg Langslow mystery series is back for an...
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Gunning for Trouble in Books
Jun 12, 2019
Bland Characters Gun Each Other Down in Gunning For Trouble
Genre: Contemporary
Page Count: 217 Pages
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars
My rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Caleb was in a dead sleep until his phone alerts him to a break-in to his apartment. Immediately his defensive instincts — honed by his dangerous work of tracking missing persons and protecting witnesses — surface and he springs out of bed with his gun to tell the would-be burglar they have chosen the wrong apartment. But he ends up pointing the gun at Avery Walters, his former boss and ex-lover.
To Caleb’s irritation, Avery is on an assignment from Caleb’s boss about a string of murders in the witness protection program. Now dangerous people are after her and the only person she could turn to was Caleb. Despite Caleb’s resentment and anger toward Avery, he still feels the need to protect her. While they work together to stop the murders, old anger and mistrust rises between them, but so does the lust they feel for each other. Can they move forward and learn to love each other, or will the past always hold them back?
This book was awful. Caleb and Avery have the chemistry of fifth graders in their Drama Club rendition of Romeo and Juliet.
Caleb is a complete jackass. He protects Avery but it’s clear he doesn’t want to do it out of anything other than a sense of duty. Not only is he angry about her waking him up in the middle of the night– you know, just because her life is in danger. She should stop whining, right?– but he constantly makes her feel stupid and makes it clear he resents the shit out of her. He says she fired him so she could get a promotion, when in reality he was a loose cannon who deserved to be fired.
Even his friends and coworkers think he needs to tone down the anger.
“Haven’t heard you apologize to her,” (Zach, Caleb’s friend and coworker said).
“For what?”
“You tell me.”
“I was blindsided by what she did back then.”
“Any chance you had tunnel vision?”
Caleb is also so hot-headed I wouldn’t be surprised if he took steroids on a regular basis. Even someone like Avery, who has little more character than a stock photo, deserves better than that.
Caleb does eventually realize he’s been acting like a PMSing Neanderthal and “forgives her”, still thinking he did nothing wrong but wanting to put it behind him.
Avery isn’t as bad as Caleb, but Avery isn’t much of anything at all. She probably goes down in history as one of the least interesting protagonists ever created.
I might have cared more about the characters if I understood and liked the plot. But even that was a hot mess. While I get the gist of the situation– someone is selling names of people in the Witness Protection Program– I can’t make sense of the finer details. A hailstorm of minor characters were dumped on me at once and I couldn’t even keep them straight, let alone focus on what they were saying.
On top of that, there are a couple of times Avery seems to just “get” stuff and the reader is supposed to just “get” it too. But these aren’t obvious things, nor are they minor.
These things are like why Avery is too dangerous to be around Caleb’s coworkers’ wives. Avery just accepts that it’s reasonable she would put the wives in danger, but it’s not.
Even after reading the entire book and going back to skim parts of it for this review, I still don’t understand the plot that well.
If you are looking for a good Harlequin Intrigue book, you would be better off reading Scene of the Crime: Black Creek by Carla Cassidy. But don’t waste your time reading a half-assed story like Gunning for Trouble
Page Count: 217 Pages
Average Goodreads Rating: 3.79 out of 5 stars
My rating: 1 out of 5 stars
Caleb was in a dead sleep until his phone alerts him to a break-in to his apartment. Immediately his defensive instincts — honed by his dangerous work of tracking missing persons and protecting witnesses — surface and he springs out of bed with his gun to tell the would-be burglar they have chosen the wrong apartment. But he ends up pointing the gun at Avery Walters, his former boss and ex-lover.
To Caleb’s irritation, Avery is on an assignment from Caleb’s boss about a string of murders in the witness protection program. Now dangerous people are after her and the only person she could turn to was Caleb. Despite Caleb’s resentment and anger toward Avery, he still feels the need to protect her. While they work together to stop the murders, old anger and mistrust rises between them, but so does the lust they feel for each other. Can they move forward and learn to love each other, or will the past always hold them back?
This book was awful. Caleb and Avery have the chemistry of fifth graders in their Drama Club rendition of Romeo and Juliet.
Caleb is a complete jackass. He protects Avery but it’s clear he doesn’t want to do it out of anything other than a sense of duty. Not only is he angry about her waking him up in the middle of the night– you know, just because her life is in danger. She should stop whining, right?– but he constantly makes her feel stupid and makes it clear he resents the shit out of her. He says she fired him so she could get a promotion, when in reality he was a loose cannon who deserved to be fired.
Even his friends and coworkers think he needs to tone down the anger.
“Haven’t heard you apologize to her,” (Zach, Caleb’s friend and coworker said).
“For what?”
“You tell me.”
“I was blindsided by what she did back then.”
“Any chance you had tunnel vision?”
Caleb is also so hot-headed I wouldn’t be surprised if he took steroids on a regular basis. Even someone like Avery, who has little more character than a stock photo, deserves better than that.
Caleb does eventually realize he’s been acting like a PMSing Neanderthal and “forgives her”, still thinking he did nothing wrong but wanting to put it behind him.
Avery isn’t as bad as Caleb, but Avery isn’t much of anything at all. She probably goes down in history as one of the least interesting protagonists ever created.
I might have cared more about the characters if I understood and liked the plot. But even that was a hot mess. While I get the gist of the situation– someone is selling names of people in the Witness Protection Program– I can’t make sense of the finer details. A hailstorm of minor characters were dumped on me at once and I couldn’t even keep them straight, let alone focus on what they were saying.
On top of that, there are a couple of times Avery seems to just “get” stuff and the reader is supposed to just “get” it too. But these aren’t obvious things, nor are they minor.
These things are like why Avery is too dangerous to be around Caleb’s coworkers’ wives. Avery just accepts that it’s reasonable she would put the wives in danger, but it’s not.
Even after reading the entire book and going back to skim parts of it for this review, I still don’t understand the plot that well.
If you are looking for a good Harlequin Intrigue book, you would be better off reading Scene of the Crime: Black Creek by Carla Cassidy. But don’t waste your time reading a half-assed story like Gunning for Trouble