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The House in the Woods (Atticus Priest #1)
The House in the Woods (Atticus Priest #1)
Mark Dawson | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A very good start to a new series and one I am very much looking forward to getting my teeth into.

A gruesome murder has occurred in an isolated farmhouse and DCI Mackenzie 'Mack' Jones and her team are sent in to investigate. Their initial thought is that it's a tragic murder-suicide however, fingers soon point to the person who discovered the bodies of his family, Ralph Mallender and he is quickly arrested, charged and brought to court.

Ralph's wife is convinced of her husband's innocence and employs the services of disgraced ex-police officer and now private detective, Atticus Priest to try and find any evidence missed by the police which will help her husband's case.

Not being tied by the constraints of the police, i.e., the law! Atticus sets about the task at hand and quickly discovers things are not quite what they seem much to the annoyance of 'Mack' who just happens to be his former boss and with whom he has had a previous relationship.

The book is told from both Mack and Atticus' points of view and takes place during the court case which mixes police procedural, Atticus' unconventional methods of investigation and court room thriller. The pace is initially a slow burner as there is a wealth of detail that, at times, seems a little unnecessary but once you get past that, it soon ramps up into a thrilling read with plenty of twists and turns.

Overall, a really enjoyable start to a new series and one I am very much looking forward to following and I must give a thank you to Welbeck Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The House in the Woods.
  
A Child for the Reich
A Child for the Reich
Andie Newton | 2022 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Inspired by a true story, this book is absolutely gripping and full of tension, heartbreak and the story of one woman's quest to find and rescue her daughter from the Nazi's Lebensborn programme.

Anna Dankova and her family live in Nazi-occupied Prague. Her husband and brother-in-law have joined the Czech Resistance leaving them to try and raise their children with the ever present danger of the Nazi soldiers, the Gestapo and the much feared Brown Sisters; female nurses who were dedicated to the Nazi cause. They worked for the Nazi Welfare Organization and searched through villages and towns for Aryan-looking children.

Anna and her sister's children are blonde-haired and blue-eyed and their fears are only too real but they are powerless against the might of the Nazi regime and one day, Anna's daughter, Ema is literally ripped from her arms in broad daylight leaving Anna, understandably, distraught and determined to get her back whatever the risks before she is lost forever.

Anna uses all her skills, courage and guile to find her daughter, infiltrate the children's home where she has been placed to be indoctrinated into the German way and to figure out a way to get her out of there whilst under the ever present threat of exposure and certain death.

This is a story full of tension and heartbreak and one mother's determination to find her daughter no matter what and it was absolutely gripping and I have no hesitation recommending it to those of you who 'enjoy' reading historical fiction based on true stories and events.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of A Child for the Reich.
  
AB
Air Born (The Guardian book 3)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
60 of 230
Kindle
Air Born ( The Guardian book 3)
By Rayanne Haines
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Quinn Taleisin hates secrets, and shadows, and subterfuge. Which is why she still can’t believe she agreed to become a member of the Guardians, an elite force of immortals tasked with keeping the balance between good and evil in the world.

Sounds great, except, to be a guardian you must agree to live in secrecy. Quinn is a wind elemental. Being caged in by secrecy is worse than death for someone like her. She can’t imagine a worse fate—until she’s asked to work with Lachon Findel, the man she holds responsible for her mother’s death and her father’s insanity.

Lachon is the oldest living elemental in the world. Known as Lachon the Law, he’s an earth element; a man who sees the world in black and white, right and wrong. So maybe once, briefly, a hundred years ago she thought he was a good guy. She knew better now. No way would she fall for his savior of the world shtick.

When the dangers of the past catch up with them, Quinn realizes the only way either of them will make it out alive is if she can put the ghosts of the past behind her and finally trust the flesh and blood man in front of her.

You know when a book just catches you by surprise and get to your emotions you know it’s a good book. So this one I was coasting through thinking it maybe wasn’t the best in the series but it was ok then BAM! By the end I’m full invested and my emotions are haywire. I have loved Quinn since book 1 and I love her even more now. Definitely recommend this series.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Feb 22, 2023  
The spotlight's on a new book in the Christian science fiction dystopian mystery FALLOUT series by Lisa Harris! Learn about SHATTERED (the 5th book in the series) as well as SURVIVAL (the 1st book in the series) on my blog. There's also a great giveaway for a chance to win a spa basket, shower steamers, or facial masks!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2023/02/reviewapalooza-and-giveaway-survival.html

**ABOUT THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES**
In today’s world, law enforcement agencies across the country rely on forensic tools, DNA testing, and crime labs. But what if that technology was suddenly no longer available? No one in the small, west Texas town of Shadow Ridge knows what took down the power grid, or when it’s going to be back up, but everyone knows exactly where they were the moment it went down. And now, with no electricity, no internet, and no modern technology, the men and women responsible for keeping the town safe are going to have to learn how to fight crime all over again.

When one of the men in charge of storing food for the town of Shadow Ridge is found murdered execution style, it’s up to Jace McQuaid to find the killer. What he discovers is a group of organized raiders who are stealing supplies and selling them on the black market—and the survival of the town depends on stopping them.

Morgan Addison’s estranged brother, Ricky, shows up at her house demanding weapons and confirming her fears that he’s a part of the outlaws. Tensions are raised further when Ricky kidnaps her son to ensure his safe passage out of town. Jace must find a way to save Noah and ensure the survival of Shadow Ridge.
     
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

May 10, 2022  
Sneak a peek at the humorous Western historical fiction novel OUTLAW WEST OF THE PECOS by Preston Lewis Author on my blog, and enter the giveaway for your chance to win an autographed copy of the book - three winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2022/05/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-outlaw-west.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Accused of cheating at cards on a Southern Pacific passenger train in far West Texas, H.H. Lomax is kicked off the train and finds himself at the mercy of the unpredictable justice of Judge Roy Bean, who calls himself “Law West of the Pecos.” After being fined of all his money, married, and divorced by the judge in a matter of minutes, Lomax discovers an unlikely connection to him.

Against a backdrop of a pending world heavyweight championship bout, Lomax heads to El Paso to interest someone in writing and publishing Bean’s biography. He winds up in an El Paso boarding house across the hall from Texas killer John Wesley Hardin. They despise each other, but Hardin fears Lomax’s straight-arrow Texas Ranger brother and treads lightly around Lomax. Because of Hardin’s crooked connections in El Paso, Lomax gets caught between him and corrupt constable John Selman.

El Paso is becoming the focal point of efforts to host a championship prizefight that everyone from the Presidents of the United States and Mexico to the governors of Texas, New Mexico Territory and Chihuahua have vowed to stop. Calling on his connections to his Ranger brother, El Paso officials and the promoter of the boxing match, Lomax uses his Judge Roy Bean friendship to pull off the oddest prizefight in heavyweight history.

Outlaw West of the Pecos stands as an entertaining mix of historical and hysterical fiction.
     
Pumpkin Spice and Chill (Boyfriend Café #2)
Pumpkin Spice and Chill (Boyfriend Café #2)
F.A. Ray | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
PUMPKIN SPICE AND CHILL is the second book in the Boyfriend Café series and this time it's Albert's turn.

Albert is the not-so-silent partner in the Boyfriend Café and does everything he can to help Rhett make their venture a success. And it has worked! A little too well because now the University is breathing down their necks - although Rhett and the others don't know about it, as Albert is trying to keep it to himself. David is the psychology student, hoping to go to pre-law, who sees trouble without knowing how right he is. Together, you would think this was an odd coupling. It's not!

I loved how these two balanced each other out. Albert is the control freak who tries to hide his head in the sand when overwhelmed. David is the one who has inner strength and finds fun in sorting things out. Albert's parents are just 'wonderful', whereas David's are loving and caring. And, just like in book one, the feelings side of things creep up on them. In the bedroom (or wherever) though, they are partners. Things only happen if David agrees or even asks first.

I do love a good epilogue, as I love the closure and seeing the future for our couple. I especially like it when it gives a hint to the next in the series. A brilliant addition and I can't wait for the next! Definitely 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 12, 2023