Beloved Stranger by Joan Wolf

August 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Beloved Stranger by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

By all rights they should never have met—shy and lovely Susan Morgan, and Ricardo Montoya, baseball’s hottest superstar. But a winter storm brought them together, and in the glow of firelight, they discovered a magical passion. It should have ended there—their worlds were so far apart they could never expect to share more than a beautiful memory.

But fate took a hand, and suddenly Susan found that her love had a chance…if only she were strong enough to grasp it…

I’ll never forget Beloved Stranger not just because it is my 200th review but because it was another outstanding book written by Joan Wolf. This is my fifth in a row Joan Wolf novel and she just keeps hitting them out of the park.

Speaking of hitting them out of the park, Beloved Stranger’s hero, Ricardo Montoya happens to be baseball’s hottest superstar. Ricardo’s character was quite chauvinistic but I still fell in love with him. His personality had more to do with his culture and upbringing, than him being unkind or rude at his heart.

The heroine, Susan, isn’t my ideal leading lady but she has the magic personality necessary to sway Ricardo which in turn swayed me to team Susan. I could feel the chemistry between the two as they made several “home runs”.

The believability of this story is a stretch, however it was more than entertaining. I always choose to believe that anything can happen. I read this book in one sitting. My attention was hooked instantly from the very first sentence, “The snow was coming down harder and harder and Susan Morgan was beginning to worry.” I wasn’t able to put it down until I reached the end.

I loved every minute I spent reading Beloved Stranger. I am becoming obsessed with reading Joan Wolf because every book I’ve read so far has made me happy. At this point I’ve only read her historical and contemporary genres. If you enjoy those genres then give Joan Wolf a try. Happy reading everybody!

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Rebellious Ward by Joan Wolf

August 3, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Rebellious Ward by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

CATRIONA WAS NO STRANGER TO SCANDAL—BUT SHE WAS AN INNOCENT IN LOVE

Only a girl as captivating as Catriona MacIan could have overcome the scandal of her birth to shine as the most sought-after young lady of the London Season.

Only a girl as daring as Catriona would have played with the fiery attentions of suitors as different as the eminently eligible, handsome and proper Lord Wareham and the notoriously worldly and wicked Marquis of Hampton.

Only a girl as stubborn as Catriona would have persisted in adoring the one man she could not have—the brilliant and iron-willed Duke of Burford, the guardian who saw her every fault and was so blind to all else…

The Rebellious Ward was ecstatically amazing. Why? It was everything to me. It even had an epilogue. I love a book that includes an epilogue. It’s like the cherry on top. It’s an imperative ingredient necessary to create a long lasting book glow.

The main characters in The Rebellious Ward are Catriona and Edmund. They actually were twelve years apart in age but Catriona was mature beyond her years. I didn’t have an issue with the age gap especially since their romance was sweet and innocent. I found their relationship to be be heartwarming, fun and entertaining. The cast of characters were well developed and relatable. I felt bad for Marquis of Hampton and would love to see him have a book of his own. I really enjoyed the guest appearance of Ian and Frances.

The writing, pace, and plot were all spot on. I can’t think of any constructive criticism of any kind regarding this novel. I loved how the story started and ended at the same scene. The book began with a prologue and consisted of twenty three chapters with a Part One and a Part two and ended with an epilogue. It all hit my feel good spots. The whole story was engaging, riveting, and original.

I’m starting to think that Joan Wolf is eclipsing all my other favorite authors. If you have never heard of Joan Wolf then I can’t impress enough to give her a chance. If you love historical romance like me then The Rebellious Ward is one I confidently recommend.

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The Scottish Lord by Joan Wolf

July 22, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Scottish Lord by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

TWO HEARTS BEYOND CONTROL

Frances Stewart was the most stunning beauty of the London Season, with every noble gallant at her beck and call, and the most eligible lord in the realm, Sir Robert Sedburgh, begging for her hand.

Lord Ian Macdonald was the most headstrong and arrogant young blade ever to sneer at society’s strictures and to scorn caution’s advice in his reckless pursuit of his own desires.

As fate would have it (no one else would dare recommend such an unsettling alliance), these two paragons of pride came together. And as all of Regency society held its breath, first a few discomfiting sparks flew, and then the explosion came…

After reading two other books by Joan Wolf, I can hardly believe she wrote this one because it’s so different from the others. That’s a sign of a skilled writer. I may have my favorite dish at my favorite restaurant but sometimes I like to shake it up and get a different dish. Most likely I’ll get my favorite dish the next time. The point is that I’ll still go back to my favorite restaurant. It’s good to be different.

The technique in this story was my “different dish” and Joan Wolf is my favorite restaurant. The technique was written in multiple points of views. There were three different perspectives – the hero, Ian, the heroine, Frances, and Ian’s cousin, Douglass. I would not consider it “head hopping” but it was unique to me to have a first, second and third person speaking. It was further intriguing to me that the story started out with Ian’s cousin, Douglass, speaking in first person.

The execution of the plot was impeccable. The plot itself was complex with many moving parts. The synopsis doesn’t even give a hint to the depth of the storyline. There were several plot twists that I didn’t see coming. I was fixed to my seat from beginning to end, turning the pages as fast as I could. I couldn’t wait to see how it was all going to turn out.

The heroine, Frances, was unrealistically beautiful. Her exquisite looks were mentioned a few too many times for my taste. With her beauty came unsurmountable stubbornness. However, in Ian’s presence she became weak in a toxic way.

Ian, the hero, definitely did not make my book boyfriend list. He initially was obnoxiously selfish, jealous and cocky. Fortunately for his sake, he was somewhat humbled near the end of the story. I believe it was because Ian was childhood friends with Frances that made their romance relatable and acceptable. They had an unbreakable connection despite all the turbulence in their relationship.

Considering the rollercoaster ride Ian and Frances’s romance put me on, I felt the ending was abrupt. I wanted a more solid closure. I would have enjoyed an epilogue. I actually expected to discover The Scottish Lord to be a book one in a series. I wanted to know more about Maggie, Ian’s sister and her relationship with a man who was a family rival. Did Maggie’s mother approve of Maggie’s relationship with this particular man?

There were many positive elements in this book to recommend it. I felt it was worth my time and consider this an entertaining book. I believe The Scottish Lord would be a great book to debate at a book club. I can see how there would be mixed reviews worth discussing. I actually read that Ian and Frances are going to make an appearance in another one of Joan Wolf’s books called The Rebellious Ward. I already requested it. 🙂

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Change of Heart by Joan Wolf

July 16, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Change of Heart by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Gil Archer was a man of the world—the high-pressure, high-society world of international finance and diplomacy. Cecilia Vargas, his daughter’s riding instructor, was a woman outside that world, but he saw in her the warmth and love his grand estate lacked, and he took it for himself. She had married him for love—he taught her the meaning of ecstasy. But Gil still hadn’t learned that love was not something to be acquired and ignored—and the price of the lesson might be the loss of Cecilia.

I have a new author to add to my “favorite author list”, Joan Wolf.  I don’t usually add an author after only reading just two books by her; Joan Wolf is one of the exceptions.  The first book I read, The Pretenders, received a “Best Book” rating from me.  This book, Change of Heart, is also very good.

I find her writing to be engaging. It’s a deep connection thanks to her superior writing style. It’s more compelling when the scenery she’s describing turns out to be a place that was part of my childhood. Riverside Amusement Park’s last’s season was 1999. That was my go-to place with friends as a teenager.   I was astonished when I read that location in the plot. My dad, uncle and grandfather used to race at Riverside. I believe that there could be a possibility that I knew the hero’s, Gil Archer’s, daughter, Jennifer – that is if she was a real person of course.

It’s a bit early for me to be saying “in typical Joan Wolf fashion” that her writing was spectacular but I can share that her writing was consistent between her two books. It would be rare to read two “Best Books” in a row. It was quite close though, but I actually didn’t love the hero, Gil, enough to be classified as one of my “book boyfriends”.  The heroine, Cecilia, was a bit too much of a “Daddy’s girl” though we need to keep in mind that she was a young lady and Gil was quite a bit older than her. The dynamics of these characters’ relationships were a tad “off” for me and yet, they worked well enough to keep me interested from the beginning to the end of the story.

There are a few other developed characters presented throughout the plot that connected with me. I was pleased to see Cecilia remained strong and didn’t cave in completely to the demands of her father and Gil. Gil had a few things to learn about love and Cecilia was just the person to teach him. There were a few plot curves, though mostly it was predictable, but the quality of writing meant I didn’t really care.

I had high hopes when I started this story. Change of Hearts didn’t exactly hit all my feel good spots like the other book did, but it most definitely hit plenty enough for me to recommend reading this story without any hesitation. I’m considering both looking for Joan Wolf’s back list, and making her an auto buy. I already have another book by Ms. Wolf waiting in the wings, and I can hardly wait to start it!

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The Pretenders by Joan Wolf

June 28, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Pretenders by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical, Romance
Rating: Best Book
Reviewed by Mistflower

Gentle Reader:

At the time it seemed like a good idea. Reeve and I had been friends since childhood, so when he needed to persuade his trustee to turn over his inheritance, we decided to pretend to get engaged. Reeve was the Earl of Cambridge, after all. It wasn’t fair for him not to have his money.

Who would have thought that Lord Bradford would insist we actually marry before he handed over the dibs? Who would have thought that my feelings for Reeve would change so radically, that I would want him as a lover as well as a friend? And who would have thought that someone would be trying to kill me before I even made it to the altar?

—- Deborah Woodly

Oh my goodness! The Pretenders is the epitome of a romance book. You just have to trust me on this. A Best Book for me is when the hero and heroine demonstrate to a reader what love is and how it feels. The writing style was fluent, articulate and chatty. There are several characters that were well developed and relatable. There were many vivid settings throughout the story. The length of the scenes and the speed at which the author distributed the story made for a perfect pace. I highly recommend this story to go on readers’ “to be read” list. It’s going on my keeper shelf. The hero, Reeve , is going on my book boyfriend list. The synopsis was the perfect commercial which gave me the highlights and caught my interest and attention. The plot was exciting, emotional with unexpected series of events. My review is just a bit of why The Pretenders is my new favorite book.

The heroine, Deborah, was my ideal heroine. She was independent, smart, responsible, caring, and loyal with a bit of rebelliousness. She was the hero, Reeve’s, best friend.

Reeve had similar characteristics, however he had an irresponsible streak as a result from some unfair set of circumstances. These unfair set of circumstances were what drove Deborah and Reeve together into their scheme. A scheme that had me laughing and shaking my head with a smile. This and much more will make more sense once the book is read. Therefore, without giving out spoilers, all I can suggest is to pick up this book and start reading.

There is a great deal of enjoyable depth to this book. Many layers, and plot twists. I have no choice but to be vague because I refuse to spoil anything. What I enjoyed most was seeing the transition between Deb and Reeve from childhood friends to something more. The chemistry between them was undeniable. The epilogue was exquisitely beautiful.

If you are looking for a heart touching romance book then this is an excellent possibility. I, for one, highly recommend The Pretenders by Joan Wolf.

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Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel by Josh Pachter

June 21, 2021 By 2 Comments


Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel by Josh Pachter
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

From Cold Spring Harbor in 1971 to River of Dreams in 1993, Billy Joel released a dozen studio albums that remade the face of American pop music, produced twenty-six Top 10 singles (on Billboard’s Top 100 and Adult Contemporary charts), and earned the Piano Man six Grammys. Although he hasn’t released a recording of new songs in almost thirty years, Joel’s live performances continue to electrify audiences around the globe—and until COVID-19 put things on hold he had sold out New York’s Madison Square Garden for a record-shattering seventy-four consecutive monthly shows!

In this collection, twelve award-winning writers of short crime fiction tackle the Joel catalog, and the result—edited by Josh Pachter, whose The Beat of Black Wings: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Joni Mitchell earned rave reviews in 2020—is a journey down life’s mean streets with a soundtrack by one of the great singer-songwriters of our time, and contributors Michael Bracken, Jeff Cohen, David Dean, John M. Floyd, Barb Goffman, James D.F. Hannah, Richard Helms, Robert Lopresti, Jenny Milchman, Terrie Farley Moran, Richie Narvaez, and Pachter himself are donating a third of their royalties to support the work of the Joel Foundation.

In the Gospel According to Billy, only the good die young. Within these pages, though, Death is an equal-opportunity exterminator, and the stories you’ll find here don’t just hit the charts: they go all the way to Number One … with a bullet!

Some mysteries demand to be solved.

“The Entertainer” told the tale of Mercy, a single mother and aspiring singer who worked two jobs to make ends meet. I loved this character from the moment I met her. She’d lead a difficult life and could be a little rough around the edges at times, but she occasionally shared such brave and loving parts of herself with the audience that I couldn’t stop hoping she’d have a happy ending. While I can’t say anything about the mystery portion of the plot for spoiler reasons, I was pleased with how it was revealed as well as resolved.

I enjoyed reading this quite a bit in general, but there were a few stories that I thought would have benefitted from more development. “A Matter of Trust” was one of them. Sergeant Turner’s investigation of a website that claimed to be able to get rid of troublesome spouses once and for all was intriguing, but I was as puzzled by the personal interest he took in the topic as I was by the fast-paced ending that didn’t tie all of the loose ends together as tightly as I would have liked to see. It took me a moment to figure out what happened there. I’m fairly certain I came up with the right answer, but I would have gone with a full five-star rating if these moments of doubt had never occurred for me.

Rick was hired to play an elaborate prank to discourage investors from developing a rural patch of land in “Easy Money.” As soon as I realized this gig was going to be anything but simple for him, I eagerly began waiting for the next plot twist. There were so many things going on behind the scenes that could have changed what happened to Rick. I enjoyed piecing everything together and trying to come up with plausible guesses about how it might end that took all of these possibilities into account.

Only the Good Die Young was a solid anthology that I’d recommend to anyone who is a fan of pop rock music or, better yet, Billy Joel in particular.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s by Sandra Murphy (editor)

March 25, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s by Sandra Murphy (editor)
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, LGBTQ, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Rebellion, revolution, and rock and roll defined the ‘60s. As music moved from country to folk protest songs, rock became the voice of the “turn on, tune in, drop out,” generation. Peace, love, and harmony were the goals. Meditation, mysticism, and psychedelic drugs were the way to enlightenment. Peace, love, and crime were often the result, sometimes humorous, sometimes deadly.

And the music played on. As Harold says in The Big Chill, “There is no other music, not in my house.”

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There’s a story behind every song.

In “Cooking with Butter,” Amanda decided to murder her ex-husband. All she needed to do was to figure out the best way to go about it while hopefully avoiding detection. Her personality grew on me as I got to know her better and figured out her reasons for wanting him to die. She was a complex character who gave me plenty to think about, especially once I realized exactly how much thought she’d put into her plan.

All of the stories in this anthology had clever premises that were worth reading, but there were a few that I thought would have benefitted from a little more development. “Mercy” was one example of this. It followed a young woman named Lila as she grieved the death of her brother, came out of the closet, and tried to figure out what to do with her life. There was so much going on in her life that she didn’t have enough time to explore any of those subplots in detail. It would have been nice to get to know Lila better as she was a fascinating character in general.

Jerry had to find out what caused his father’s sudden and frightening chest pain in “Spirit in the Sky.” The relationship between these two characters was genuine and nuanced. They didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but they did always love each other no matter what. I had a wonderful time peeling back the layers of their personalities. They were both far more complex than they appeared to be at first glances for reasons I’ll leave up to other readers to piece together for themselves.

Anyone who loves ’60s music should give Peace, Love, and Crime a try.

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The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Sixth Scandalous Serving by J. Alan Hartman (editor)

October 30, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Sixth Scandalous Serving by J. Alan Hartman (editor)
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving-themed mystery anthology is back for a sixth outing, celebrating not just the best in murder-most-fowl short stories (not a turkey among them), but also ten years of Untreed Reads Publishing!

In addition to enjoying the holiday magic that is bumping off family members we don’t like, this year’s Killer also honors the dedication to the writing world by the late TKWC contributor Earl Staggs.

Serving up a sixth season of stories are the following dinner guests: Bobbi A. Chukran, Bert Paul, C.C. Guthrie, Catina Williams, Herschel Cozine, J.B. Toner, Joseph S. Walker, Kari Wainwright, Lesley A. Diehl, Steve Liskow, Steve Shrott and Trey Dowell. Lisa Wagner returns with all-new recipes, helping you to fill your stomach and tickle your funny bone at the same time.

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No matter how much you plan ahead, no one can foresee every possible outcome of Thanksgiving dinner.

Stan reluctantly attended turkey day festivities at a house filled with gangsters in “Some More Good Times.” What surprised me the most about this story was how funny it was. The author took every opportunity he could to bring out the humor in his scenes, including the ones about an unexpected death and other topics that would normally be written about in serious terms. It was always done respectfully, but the juxtaposition between the sometimes dark subject matter and the jokes the narrator made about them grabbed my attention and didn’t let go.

The family matriarch of “A Very Darwin Family Thanksgiving” had been ranking her loved ones by how much she loved them for many years before this get-together happened. Naturally, this caused a great deal of competition among her heirs, the details of which I’ll leave up to other readers to discover for themselves. The only thing more interesting than reading about those family dynamics was figuring out the plot twist in this one. It was as unexpected as it was perfect for everything I’d already learned about theses folks.

In “A Ghost, Turkeys, and a Pretty Holiday Sweater,” a thirty-something clubber named Vonda was hounded by the ghost of a murdered college friend to do something completely out of character and technically illegal for the holiday season. That sentence only captured some of the unusual plot twists to be found here! I loved every story in this collection but ending it all on such a mischievous note only made me enjoy the whole thing even more. Vonda was one of the least likely heroes I’ve read about recently, so seeing how she reacted to her dead friend’s orders was almost as much fun as finding out what happened next.

This anthology is part of a series that can be read in any order.

I’d heartily recommend The Killer Wore Cranberry: A Sixth Scandalous Serving to anyone who has strong feelings about Thanksgiving regardless of what sort of feelings those are. There’s something for everyone here, from folks who adore this holiday to the ones who can’t wait for it to be finished!

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Master of Grex by Joan Wolf

June 26, 2020 By Leave a Comment


The Master of Grex by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical
Length: Full length (174 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

When Daniel Dereham makes his first appearance in London, it doesn’t take long for English aristocratic tongues to wag with curiosity. Who is this rich, gorgeous mystery man?

Lady Anne Sexton needs a wealthy husband to hold onto the Grex estate and restore it to its former glory. If marrying Dereham allows her to stay in her home, then she’ll do what she needs to do.

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This is a really nice romance. I’ve come to enjoy the writing style of Ms. Wolf. I like how she created the heroine, Anne, and the hero, Daniel, and how they fell in love.

I was fascinated at how the author handled the ‘son-born-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-blanket’ trope and Daniel’s determination to be better and more successful than his father. He does succeed, brilliantly. Instead of impressing the man who sired him, a whole other visceral reaction ensued. It’s the perfect vehicle for conflict and Ms. Wolf worked it brilliantly.

I rated the heat level as spicy but it’s more like sensual with spicy sprinkles. There are a few descriptive words that pushed it to the next level but then a reader is popped into the next scene when all is said and done. I was unsure quite how to rate it so I though I’d explain it instead.

I liked Ms. Bonteen and her relationship with Anne, and I was so happy that Daniel got to meet some of his family by blood. I didn’t expect it and I am grateful the author added them because it just made the happy, happier.

The story also had a nice touch of drama and conflict that made things interesting and kept me flipping the pages. I enjoyed the intelligent and clever resolution.

The Master of Grex is a fine read – fun, fascinating and well written. I adored the final chapter because it wrapped everything up with a big, happy, wonderful bow. If readers are looking for a romance story that has great appeal, then I recommend this one.

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His Lordship’s Mistress by Joan Wolf

June 24, 2020 By Leave a Comment


His Lordship’s Mistress by Joan Wolf
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Historical
Length: Full length (165 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

Jessica O’Neill was the toast of London society—a stunning actress who had appeared from nowhere to take the stage by storm. But not even her most ardent admirers suspected how brilliant an actress she was.

Nothing that Jessica said or did betrayed her true identity as a high-born young lady risking her good name in a desperate gamble to save her family from total ruin. And when the dashing, handsome, immensely wealthy Earl of Linton made Jessica an offer that was simply impossible to reject, there was no way she could turn back on her dangerous path.

Jessica O’Neill had to play the part of a wealth-hunting wanton to the hilt—but one thing was not in her script. Falling in love…

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The start of the story introduced me to the heroine, her dilemma, the ultimatum and the reason she chose the course she did. At first, I thought I knew who the hero was going to be, but I was quickly corrected.

I’m glad because I much prefer who it turned out to be, Philip, Lord Linton. He’s not quite what I expected though and I’m happy about that too. He started out expecting a mistress and he discovered something much more amazing, but it unnerved him. He was feeling so good he went with it, didn’t question much and he was an ideal hero in how he treated Jessica. Be warned, the hero may not say much but he is listening to Jessica, watching and gathering clues. His attention to detail is what makes a difference in the end.

There are some wonderful moments of kissing, longing looks and tender moments but as soon as the tension heats to the point of culmination, the door abruptly closes and I was left with the impression of a done deal without the show. It was quite refreshing. I was left dealing with their emotions and impressions, feelings and internal dialogue. I enjoyed every moment.

Philip’s family and friends were doing all the worrying for him. They gossiped, plotted and planned, all in the name of familial love and devotion. They all meant well but the results were, as anticipated, disastrous. How the author described both characters in the aftermath of their separation broke my heart.

The final clue was innocently dropped into place and Philip wasted no time in taking up the challenge. I absolutely adored how the hero was dedicated to finding her and was willing to do whatever he could to woo and win Jessica. This was when his family had a chance to right the wrong visited upon their relationship and I was cheering for their success. Philip’s sister was like a one-woman calvary.

There are more intriguing plot points that rounded out this story nicely but I’m not gong to say anymore. There is some emotional drama, an attempted kidnapping and some wonderful Shakespearian moments that enhanced my reading enjoyment. All in all, His Lordship’s Mistress is a wonderful romance story that is pleasing, entertaining and made me feel happy at the end. All good points to recommend this story to other romance fans.

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