Holding Back by Helen Pollard

HOLDING
Holding Back by Helen Pollard
Publisher: Clean Reads
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (219 Pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Myrtle

The last thing they’re looking for is love …

Laura Matheson is a natural at avoiding romance, so when she is drawn to mystery guest Daniel Stone while helping out at her friends’ hotel in Portugal, she assumes all she needs is a little extra willpower.

Daniel is at the hotel on business. The demands of work and a manipulative ex-girlfriend mean he doesn’t have the time or energy for romance, but Laura is a distraction he finds hard to ignore.
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As they negotiate a minefield of misunderstandings and mutual attraction, will they both continue to hold back? Or will they finally allow love into their lives?

When Laura Matheson and Daniel Stone find themselves together in one of the most romantic places on earth, love should come easy. So why are they holding back?

An annual summer vacation is all business for Laura, who travels to Portugal to stand in for her friends who own Quinta Maria, a country hotel, while they go on a holiday of their own. But the same day Laura arrives, so does the handsome Daniel Stone, a travel agency owner incognito. Although he is constantly visiting idyllic places to send his travel clients, he is growing tired of not having any time to enjoy life … and having an unwanted ex-girlfriend following him halfway around the world makes things even more distressing.

Before Laura and Daniel ever arrive at the Quinta Maria, the two clash at the airport, “Excuse me. You’ve picked up the wrong bag.” Laura’s fiery temperament, coupled with Daniel’s no-nonsense personality, has them quarreling from the outset.

There are many moments when the two finally settle down to an absolutely huggable relationship. So enchanting! These romantic moments were well worth the wait. And for added enjoyment, the rich details and descriptions of Portugal are written so beautifully and in such an inviting way that the reader will surely want to add Portugal to their list of “must see” places.

Both Laura and Daniel are very “real” characters. So much so, in fact, that their personality flaws were strong enough to be more aggravating than I expected. Especially the main character Laura, whom I really wanted to like, seemed to have a few anger issues that might have been better dealt with outside the realm of this novel. She often came off as abrasive and prickly. Every time Daniel made a bit of headway in forming a friendship with Laura, she turned into a powder keg. It was as if she walked into every situation expecting to be offended, and it seemed she was determined to find fault.

In spite of these character flaws, this novel was well written and told a story that kept me turning pages. If you like light romance with a bite, this is one story you’ll be glad you read.

Lunar Rampage by Samantha Cross

LUNAR
Lunar Rampage by Samantha Cross
Publisher: Solstice Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (302 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Photographer, animal lover, and unfortunately for the summer, the new girl in town, Cora Nash considers herself a simple girl. Renovating and living at her grandmother’s house seemed like a good idea, until events took a turn for the bizarre. Garbage cans viciously torn into, howls from the woods, wild animals behaving erratically, and an ominous warning from the good looking bad boy, “Stay out the forest.”

This seemingly normal town hides a mysterious and violent secret. When one of the townsfolk up and disappears in the forest, leaving nothing but a pair of shoes, Cora is the only person willing to investigate. The answer, however, is nothing she could have ever anticipated, when under a full moon she finds herself face to face with a… werewolf.

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The forest isn’t quite as peaceful as it used to be.

Cora imagined her summer would be filled with memories of reconnecting with her grandma and taking pictures in the forest. She never thought she’d come face to face with a creature straight out of her worst nightmare. Worst of all, the werewolf might be someone Cora knows. Will she figure out who the werewolf is before it is too late? I must warn readers that Lunar Rampage contains graphic violence and the descriptions of the werewolves are truly terrifying. Readers sensitive to this sort of content are forewarned.

Cora is definitely one of the quirkiest women I’ve come across in a book. The things she says are so odd and yet it all seems very natural for her. As I read, I was always wondering what would come out of her mouth next. Her eccentric behavior is something she definitely inherited from her grandma. Cora’s grandma, is definitely a hoot. While she’s certainly not like any grandma I’ve ever met, I could clearly picture the woman Ms. Cross created. Although, it was always entertaining to watch Cora and her grandmother, sometimes I do feel like it was a little over the top. Besides her sense of humor, one of the things I like most about Cora is her innate kindness. She is willing to give most people a chance. She sees friendship and possibilities in people that others wouldn’t give a second glance. Consequently, she manages to attract a colorful assortment of friends that really enhance this tale.

Cora and “bad boy” Max have the beginnings of great chemistry. Their first encounter is not exactly pleasant, but once they spend more time together, I could see their attraction beginning to grow. However, every time that Cora and Max got close to acting on their budding romance, something happened to interrupt them. I found this exceedingly frustrating, and I sincerely hope that Ms. Cross has plans to develop their relationship further in the next book.

I have every reason to hope that there will be a sequel to Lunar Rampage. While the ending was satisfying, it also raised a lot of questions and was very open ended. Cora and Max aren’t quite out of danger yet. I’m definitely looking forward to reading about what happens to them next.

I enjoyed reading Lunar Rampage and getting to know a heroine as unique as Cora. Readers looking for a fast paced, hair-raising paranormal would do well to pick up a copy of Lunar Rampage today.

Man the F**k Up by S. Kincaid

MAN
Man the F**k Up by S. Kincaid
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Short Story (32 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Man the F**k Up is a bedtime story for those in the real world today, where a white knight of strength and power protecting and honoring his fair lady is indeed left for the fairy tales. Before any guy or gal starts to count sheep for the night, Man the F**k Up is sure to provide a laugh or two on how times have’a changed.

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The illustrations complemented the text nicely. There were a few times when they actually got their point across better than the written portions because of how much attention was paid to the characters’ facial expressions and body language. These pictures simply have to be seen in order to be truly appreciated!

There was a plot point that I would have liked to see addressed. I can’t mention what it was without giving away spoilers, but it was something that I would have logically expected to see the characters discuss with each other eventually because of how much time they spent dancing around it. It was a little odd to me that this never happened. Had the characters talked about it at least once, I would have given this story a much higher rating as it was otherwise well done.

This is one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. The author’s snarky approach to the subject matter made me chuckle. It was brutally honest at times, but it never came across as mean-spirited to me. Sometimes the truth isn’t exactly easy to hear, but it’s much better to be honest about these things than it is to pretend that everything is okay.

Man the F*ck Up is a good choice for anyone who like cheeky humor.

The Chronocar by Steve Bellinger

THE
The Chronocar by Steve Bellinger
Publisher: Barking Rain Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (150 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Simmie Johnson was born the son of a slave. He was also a genius. After earning a PhD in physics from Tuskegee Institute, he wrote a paper outlining a theory for time travel, including plans for a time machine—called a Chronocar—which was published in a scientific journal in the early 1900s . Since the technology required to build the chronocar did not yet exist, the paper and its brilliant writer faded into obscurity.

A century later, a young Illinois Tech student, Tony Carpenter, discovers the journal article and decides to build a Chronocar so he can travel back to 1919 to meet the black scientist he hopes to emulate.
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Unfortunately, time is not on his side.

It’s one thing to read about the past. It’s quite another to experience it for yourself.

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this story was how it handled the idea of time travel. The author clearly spent a great deal time of thinking through this topic logically and scientifically. It’s hard to discuss the specific details of it without giving away spoilers, but Mr. Bellinger’s hard work on these sections definitely paid off. This is the kind of science fiction I love to read.

I would have liked to see a little more attention paid to the transitions between the past and present day, especially when it came to the dialogue. The speaking styles were so different in each era that it did take me a moment to adjust from how I’m accustomed to people talking to each other in 2015 to what people sounded like in 1919. This is a minor criticism of an otherwise wonderful tale, though.

The character development was excellent. I really enjoyed seeing how Tony and Simmie reacted to everything that happened to them, especially after I’d gotten to know them better. Both characters learned quickly which is an important thing to do while on a time travel adventure. While I don’t know if the author is planning to write a sequel, I’d be thrilled to find out what happens next if he ever decides to write one.

The Chronocar is a must read, especially for anyone who enjoys time travel or science fiction as much as I do!

Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron

SHUDDERS
Plantation Shudders by Ellen Byron
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Full Length (276 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Check in for some Southern hospitality in Plantation Shudders, the Cajun Country series debut from Ellen Byron.

It’s the end of the summer and Prodigal Daughter Maggie Crozat has returned home to her family’s plantation-turned-bed-and-breakfast in Louisiana. The Crozats have an inn full of guests for the local food festival–elderly honeymooners, the Cajun Cuties, a mysterious stranger from Texas, a couple of hipster lovebirds, and a trio of Georgia frat boys. But when the elderly couple keels over dead within minutes of each other–one from very unnatural causes– Maggie and the others suddenly become suspects in a murder.

With the help of Bo Durand, the town’s handsome new detective, Maggie must investigate to clear her name while holding the family business together at the same time. And the deeper she digs, the more she wonders: are all of the guests really there for a vacation or do they have ulterior motives? Decades-old secrets and stunning revelations abound in Ellen Byron’s charming cozy debut, Plantation Shudders.

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First, the mystery works. I didn’t figure out the “whodunit” until the author wanted me to. I liked the fact that so many of the guests had secrets that Maggie ferreted out, but I never clued in as to which one was going to be the ‘tell’. I enjoyed all hoops the heroine had to jump through in order to investigate on her own. Another aspect of her sleuthing is her eventual trust in Bo. I was thrilled when he not only didn’t stop her from doing her own investigating, nor did he try to dissuade her, but instead treated her as a valuable informal partner. I enjoyed watching that trust grow.

The strongest element in the novel is Maggie and her family’s relationship. The author is able to bring a reader into the Crozat family home where they’re treated to some very down to earth daily activities. They may seem normal and routine but that’s part of the book’s charm. It’s that welcoming atmosphere that brings the guests to the B & B, and gets a reader to care about the Crozat family and creates a drive to continue reading until the amazing conclusion when all is revealed. I think the moving log is a great scene.

One thing I noticed was the importance of food and local dishes to the atmosphere of the book. Imagine my delight when I found recipes after the epilogue. There is one that I am surely going to try. It sounds delicious!!

My favorite parts of the story are whenever Maggie and Xander are together. I appreciated how the author handled that subject and I thought their final scenes together to be the sweetest things ever. It highlighted more than anything else in the story, just how wonderful a person Maggie really is. It’s that kind of insight that helped her solve the mystery, and it will surely be an asset when a future relationship develops with Bo. At least, I hope that’s what will happen. It sure was a nice touch in Plantation Shudders.

Cozy mystery fans need to give Plantation Shudders a try. It’s a fascinating read and I enjoyed watching Maggie try to solve the crimes. She’s a regular lady with a strong sense of family and history. Her character has a gentle strength which appealed to me. I also got a kick out of the wrap up epilogue which documented how the aftermath of the solving of the mystery affected the town and some of its residents. It was totally grin worthy.

Plantation Shudders is a great read and it gets a hearty recommend from me. Ms. Byron has a winner.

Mystic Mayhem by Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens

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Mystic Mayhem by Sally J. Smith and Jean Steffens
Mystic Isle Series Book One
Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (144 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Melanie Hamilton is not your average artist. She brings home the bacon by inking tattoos at New Orleans’s Mansion at Mystic Isle, a resort in the middle of the bayou that caters to fans of the peculiar and paranormal, but her true passion comes alive when she volunteers restoring Katrina-ravaged landmarks. Between her day job, her restoration work, and selling her paintings in Jackson Square, Mel’s life is more hectic than Bourbon Street on Fat Tuesday. But when a guest of the resort, a millionaire’s widow, is poisoned, and Melanie’s close friend is arrested for the murder, things go from hectic to downright dangerous.

Mel joins forces with the resort’s delish manager, Jack Stockton, to prove her friend’s innocence. Soon they find themselves dealing with séances, secret passages, the ghost of the millionaire himself, gators, swamp rats, and a sinister killer who proves that not everything is what it seems in the Louisiana bayou.
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Come on along, and get your creep on.

Melanie Hamilton lives in New Orleans and splits her time between helping revive a chapel destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and the job that provides her with a living.

Mel is a tattoo artist at the The Mansion at Mystic Isle, an old plantation house which is decorated in a haunted house style and where guests dabble in the supernatural. The staff are actors whose roles included soothsayers, tattoo artists, magicians and even a doorman who looked like a monster and was called Lurch.

Mel drools over Jack, the new hotel manager but a murder interferes with their growing feelings. The hotel magician is arrested for theft and suspicion of murder, but Mel is determined to prove the man’s innocence.

I have to admit the setting drew me to read the book. I’ve always wanted to visit New Orleans and one day I’ll get there. Meanwhile books like Mystic Mayhem take me there without having to pay a huge air fare.

This is a book I couldn’t put down. As mentioned the location drew me in at first, then the wonderful cover, but the book contents held me there. The story flowed from one scene to the next without a hitch, merging together the paranormal aspect of the hotel, with the modern day aspects, for instance Lurch’s determination to take a selfie with anyone who came his way. Then there was the bayou, the ferry across to the hotel, Mel’s home and her walk through the city. I could almost taste the cajun food prepared by the hotel chef. There is no doubt this story is set in New Orleans.

Everything merged together to produce a wonderful book and at the end there was a treat – the first chapters of the second book in the series. Must watch out for this one. I have one word to say about Mystic Mayhem – fantastic!

In Name Only by Sarita Leone

NAME
In Name Only by Sarita Leone
A Willowbrook Manor Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Historical
Length: Full length (201 pgs)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

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After all, Willowbrook Manor and her family’s reputation are at stake.

Can Lucie learn to love a stranger?

Lucie’s dilemma is distressing. One moment she’s a relatively carefree young woman enjoying the events of the season, and the next she’s seriously contemplating marriage to a man she’s only met a few times. I think that Lucie handled the abrupt change of her circumstances very well. She certainly is entitled to a long, hard cry, but she is determined to do what she can for her family. Fortunately, Lucie’s situation isn’t quite as dire as it seems. Nick, her new husband, is well known to her parents, and he and Lucie quickly build a wonderful rapport. As I watched them get to know each other, it was fun to watch the chemistry between them slowly build. When Lucie and Nick are married, his only request is that she be completely honest with him always. Can Lucie open her heart to Nick, or will she doom them to a polite marriage of convenience?

While I thought In Name Only was fun and pleasant, I must admit that I found the characters in this tale to be too perfect. None of the major characters had any serious flaws. The one character that did have some serious personal issues was kept behind the scenes for most of the story. I think that many of the characters in this story had great potential, but without some flaws, they didn’t quite come to life in my mind.

Overall, I liked In Name Only. Lucie is likable and her quiet strength is admirable. Her happy ending is well deserved. I recommend In Name Only to anyone looking for a sweet, historical romance

Someone Always Loved You by Brooke Williams

YOU
Someone Always Loved You by Brooke Williams
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (245 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

His first day on the job, ambulance driver Jay has a horrible accident. The victim of the crash is thrown into a coma and Jay keeps vigil by her side. As their lives, past and present intertwine; a story of love through time unfolds. An intricate drama including adoption, love, suspense, and plenty of questions, Someone Always Loved You is a novel that keeps the mind churning and the soul alive.

Jay’s first day as an ambulance driver ends in disaster when he knocks down a woman at the entrance to A&E. From this day forward he spends every minute he can at her bedside.
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Jordan, the victim of the accident, had been rushing to the hospital after her husband was admitted with a heart attack.

The story wends its way from past to present and back again through the memories of the main characters. Jordan’s memories are poignant and sweet with a small piece of sorrow. Her husband Cory recalls their life together as he sits by her bed, hoping his voice will bring her out of the coma.

Jay’s memories are harsh and unhappy with a small ray of sunshine and hope from his loving wife who is expecting their first child. Madison, Jay’s wife, tries to understand why her husband must spend so much time at the bedside of a woman he doesn’t know, but it is hard for her to spend so much time alone.

The past and the present weave together in this delightful romance with a hint of mystery. Everyone longs for Jordan to recover, while Jordan is lost in her thoughts of the past. Of the children she lost, the orphanage she worked at, her life with Cory and the voices she hears from the present.

This is a wonderful book. Sweet and tender with some harsh scenes, and also mystery as I tried to work out how the characters were involved with each other. This does not become apparent until the end, and then the author ties everything up neatly so the final page left me feeling satisfied with a story well told.

Rising Tide by Susan Roebuck

TIDE
Rising Tide by Susan Roebuck
Publisher: Mundania Press
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (228 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Time, and most of Portugal, has almost forgotten Luminosa, a small fishing community on the Alentejo coast. A cluster of white and blue cottages huddle under the cliffs overshadowed by the great manor of Herdade Albatroz whose family has ruled the village since the days of Napoleon. Far off the tourist route, nobody visits Luminosa by chance.
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When a ruthless American racketeer turns up, the peaceful village’s way of life could be ruined forever. But will other visitors–Piper Pines, seeking news of her long dead Portuguese mother, and Leo Shine, bereft of a father and brother accused of terrible crimes–help or hinder his objective to drag Luminosa into the twenty-first century?

Leo and Piper are two special people. One lives in Alaska, the other in Norfolk, England. Leo had been born with a cowl covering his body and he attributed this to his ability to sense storms at sea. Piper could see colours in the sea which defined what lurked beneath the waves, good or evil, food or danger.

Curiosity concerning their missing mothers draw them to a small village of Luminosa in Portugal. Leo is mistaken for an investor in a building proposal but Piper has suspicions he is not as he seems.

Leo and Piper are strong characters and their suspicions of one another can be amusing. Their abilities help the people of Luminosa in their quest to stop the ruination of their village. I felt empathy with all the characters (except for the baddies) and found it a warm and intriguing book which I enjoyed reading. It had highs and lows which kept me engaged with the story and mystery which meant my curiosity as to the outcome was kept alive at all times.

Although only a sweet romance, the tension between Leo and Piper was definitely the main draw of the story and I eagerly continued reading to see what the outcome would be. I would definitely read another book by this author.

Mount II: The Next Adventure by Arlen Blumhagen

MountII
Mount II: The Next Adventure by Arlen Blumhagen
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (92 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Arlen Blumhagen captures the feel of the western wilderness of the late 1800’s in this story of one man’s adventures across the American wilderness.

Mount leads a simple life, using his skills to survive in his cabin on the side of a mountain. When circumstances require him to make a trip into St. Louis, Mount thinks it will be a quick visit to The Big City and then home. What he isn’t prepared for is the request of Andrew Worthington to lead his family through the wilderness and up through the Oregon Trail. What ensues is a series of adventures from attacks by Indians and snakes to blizzards and several near-fatal disasters. All Mount wants to do is get home to his life, but can he keep his band of travelers alive long enough to make it?

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The past can be hidden, but it can never truly be forgotten.

I ended up reading all ninety-two pages in a single day because I was so curious to see what would happen to this protagonist next. The pacing was so strong that there wasn’t ever a good place to stop and take a break from the plot. Every scene lead to one that was even more adventurous! I simply had to know how it all ended for Mount and his friends.

At times I had trouble keeping track of all of the characters. There were more of them than I would typically expect to see in a short story, and there simply wasn’t enough time to get to know all of them as well as I would have preferred to do so. While I liked all of the characters, I would have given this work a much higher rating if I’d been able to get to know a smaller number of them better.

By far the most interesting scenes for me were the ones that showed what Mount knew about healing the human body. He’d never had any kind of formal medical training as far as I could tell, yet he seemed to have a lot of tricks up his sleeve when he needed to act quickly. I was absolutely fascinated by everything he knew about how bodies work.

I should note that this is the second tale in a series. I haven’t read the first one yet but had absolutely no problem understanding what was going on. They can be read out of order, although I’m now quite curious to see what I missed in book one!

Mount II: The Next Adventure is a good choice for anyone who likes westerns.