The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

October 14, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Historical, Recent-Historical, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, LGBTQ, Romance
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

It’s 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn’t ask for more out of life—her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she is drawn to Greenwich Village’s new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club—a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women’s rights. Soon, Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. And when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and institution she loves, she’s forced to confront her shifting priorities head on . . . and may just lose everything in the process.

Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons, especially after she’s wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie’s running begin disappearing from the library’s famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-averse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However, things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage—truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library’s history.

There’s a whole ‘lotta mystery goin’ on.

This is my second book by Fiona Davis and it’s an interesting book. The writing is good and the characters interesting. The premise is fascinating, the family lives in the library. I’ve never heard of that, which doesn’t mean it’s never been done – just that I’d never heard of that, and is quite honestly my dream place to live. I love books and getting to live with them? Yes, please.

The thing with this book is that there are two timelines. I like how the author intertwined them. There were twists I didn’t see coming and I did like it. Honestly, the plot was fascinating, but it left some areas to be desired.

I liked Laura, but she seemed too consumed with her desires and dreams. Now that’s not a bad thing, in that she wanted something that was hers. In 1913, that was a lot to ask. So I liked that she wanted a chance at her dreams. What I wasn’t a fan of was how she acted so put upon because she chose to pursue an education, while not really keeping an eye on her children. Jack, her husband, was just as guilty. He was so consumed with his book that he ignored the family, too. I wasn’t a fan of how these two characters came across flat. They were in a rough situation, so I could identify with the idea they had too much on their plates.

I wanted to like Sadie, but my goodness this gal seemed to hand-wring an awful lot. Yes, she wanted to figure out what was happening to the books and pieces coming up missing, but there were times when I’d hoped she’d be stronger. She came across kind of flat, as well, and I got that she was a divorcee, but it almost consumed her in the way Laura’s degree and subsequent dealings with the early pieces of women’s liberation did for her. This might not be a deterrent to some readers in the way it did me, so by all means. Do read this book.

Plus, there’s the mystery of who is taking the prized collection books. It took me a long time to figure out the mystery and I was happy to go along in the journey. It’s worth the ride.

That said, this was an interesting book and those wanting to read about living in the library will be happy. The descriptions of the library, the innerworkings and discussions on the tomes kept there are fascinating. If you’re looking for a book that takes place at the library, then this might be the one for you.

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

Bonded by Death by Jared A. Rogers

October 12, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Bonded by Death by Jared A. Rogers
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

Slicing up dead bodies is one thing, but befriending the person responsible for creating them is another. Dr. Warren Gates has taken over as the King County Medical Examiner as the hunt for a dangerous serial killer begins and at each crime scene, the murders are as much gruesome as they are bizarre. Along with an unrecognizable branding, the victims are left with no fingers or toes. The professional precision in which the mutilations occur immediately grabs Warren’s interest, but what he doesn’t know, is that he’s about to be more involved than examining the leftovers

Warren’s life is turned upside down when the killer reveals himself in a desire to become friends. However, the relationship also comes with a unique offer, if Warren can figure out the reason for the murders, the killer promises to stop. With the cops, his wife, and the killer themself breathing down his neck the game is more dangerous than it seems. Is it genuine? Is it a sick joke? The bigger question is, how many bodies will pile up in Warren’s lab before he finds out?

Bonded by Death is original and unpredictable. It lives up to its name—thriller—by keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Dr. Warren Gates is a medical examiner and is very focused on his job. During his autopsies, he can separate himself from the death of the person before him to get the job done.

There is a serial killer on the loose, and Dr. Gates is the one who receives the victims afterward. His job alone is well-explained and detailed enough for readers to feel like they’re in the room with him. His assistant is peppy and adds interest to the story. She has intriguing insights and methods to her work alongside the doctor. The other characters are perfect and bring out the best or the worst in Dr. Gates.

Things take an unexpected turn. The killer introduces himself to the doctor. This is where the book differs from others of the same genre. Dr. Gates gets deeper and deeper involved, and his trouble and doubts about his future add tension to this different story.

If you like thrillers and want a different take on things, why not give this book a try?

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*Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin

October 5, 2021 By Leave a Comment


*Last Seen Alone by Laura Griffin
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Larkspur

Up-and-coming attorney Leigh Larson fights for victims of sexual extortion, harassment, and online abuse. She is not afraid to go after the sleaziest targets to get payback for her clients. Leigh is laser-focused on her career—to the exclusion of everything else—until a seemingly routine case and a determined cop turn her world upside down.

Austin homicide detective Brandon Reynolds is no stranger to midnight callouts. But when he gets summoned to an abandoned car on a desolate road, he quickly realizes he’s dealing with an unusual crime scene. A pool of blood in the nearby woods suggests a brutal homicide. But where is the victim? The vehicle is registered to twenty-six-year-old Vanessa Adams. Searching the car, all Brandon finds is a smear of blood and a business card for Leigh Larson, attorney-at-law.

Vanessa had hired Leigh just before her disappearance, but Leigh has no leads on who could have wanted her dead. Faced with bewildering evidence and shocking twists, Leigh and Brandon must work against the clock to chase down a ruthless criminal who is out for vengeance.

Last Seen Alone is an intriguing and fast paced story that I found impossible to put down. This gritty story held me spellbound as I was trying to figure out what direction the story would take and it kept me guessing until the very end.

Brandon, a detective, is investigating a case of a missing woman when he meets Leigh, an attorney. At first, Brandon and Leigh try to fight the sizzling chemistry flowing between them. They are working on an important case and don’t have time for relationships. Plus, they don’t trust each other and are hesitant to share information about the case with each other. However, as time goes on and they are constantly thrown together, they find it impossible to resist each other.

I was biting my nails while reading this riveting story trying to figure out who was guilty, right along with Brandon and Leigh. Time is of the essence, but everything is getting in the way of understanding what is really going on.

This compelling story has just the right mixture of suspense and romance. It is an interesting and realistic story with characters that are layered and easy to connect with. It took me on an unexpected journey and I loved every minute of it. I love trying to figure out where the story is going, but this plot was so intricately woven I never knew what to expect. Unexpected, wonderful and well worth reading.

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A Firing Offense by George Pelecanos

September 30, 2021 By Leave a Comment


A Firing Offense by George Pelecanos
Publisher: Orion Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

As the advertising director of Nutty Nathan’s, Nick Stefanos knows all the tricks of the electronics business. Blow-out sales and shady deals were his life. When one of the stockboys disappears, it’s not news: just another metalhead who went off chasing some dream of big money and easy living. But the kid reminded Nick of himself twelve years ago: an angry punk hooked on speed metal and the fast life. So when the boy’s grandfather begs Nick to find the kid, Nick says he’ll try.

Nick Stefanos works in advertising but has climbed his way up to his comfortable office position the long way – through the sales floor ranks and up through every level. He is perfectly happy to coast along until the grandfather of one of the stockboys Nick is friendly with approaches him. Nick isn’t too worried to hear the young man has gone missing, but as Nick casually looks into it what he uncovers is far darker and way more violent than he could have ever expected.

I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this very noir style of mystery. On the surface it’s quite simple, Nick reluctantly agrees to ask a few questions from people he knows and doesn’t plan to step too far out of his own path or stretch much at all. But what he thought was just a kid out having a good time is very much not that and so much more complicated everything – including Nick’s comfortable life – spirals out of control. This in itself could have easily been a gritty, older-style of noir hard boiled story, but the author does an amazing job of balancing this with a very seedy sort of underlife to the city and edges that really darkens the story significantly to my mind.

With frequent and very casual use of drugs and alcohol – sometimes to a level where I had to pause and wonder how the characters could have got away with their antics, I realized that while certainly fiction, the scenarios for all their craziness were so very plausible and realistic. This, more than the plot of the missing young man, really lent a weight and heaviness to the whole story I felt. It was simultaneously the thing I enjoyed most about the book, but equally the thing that disquieted me the entire read through.

This will not be every readers cup of tea, for sure. Different and envelope pushing this is a gritty and realistic read that while filled with violence and drug/alcohol abuse is also a story firmly about Nick and how when it comes to the crunch he – like all of us – has decisions to make. Decisions about which path to follow, what choices he can live with and where he draws the line between right and wrong, acceptable and not. It’s not often a book makes me really stop reading mid-sentence, sit back, think and mull over these sorts of things. And as uncomfortable as that was, I found it refreshing and brilliant though it took a while for me to get through it as there were a number of things I personally needed to dwell on and unpack as I trailed along after Nick.

Readers who can handle a darker and gritter style of writing and background and particularly those who like to occasionally delve deeper into life and our choices really should check this out. There are two more books featuring Nick Stefanos and after my heart rate has calmed down a bit I fully expect I’ll be purchasing them both.

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

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

September 29, 2021 By Leave a Comment


The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Forensic archeologist Dr. Ruth Galloway is in her late thirties. She lives happily alone with her two cats in a bleak, remote area near Norfolk, land that was sacred to its Iron Age inhabitants—not quite earth, not quite sea. But her routine days of digging up bones and other ancient objects are harshly upended when a child’s bones are found on a desolate beach. Detective Chief Inspector Nelson calls Galloway for help, believing they are the remains of Lucy Downey, a little girl who went missing a decade ago and whose abductor continues to taunt him with bizarre letters containing references to ritual sacrifice, Shakespeare, and the Bible. Then a second girl goes missing and Nelson receives a new letter—exactly like the ones about Lucy.

Is it the same killer? Or a copycat murderer, linked in some way to the site near Ruth’s remote home?

DCI Harry Nelson refuses to give up the hunt for a missing young girl, even though she was kidnapped just over ten years ago now. When bones are found in the Saltmarshes he calls in Dr Ruth Galloway, a local archaeologist with the University, to help uncover the site and help his investigations into the ancient henge.
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I really enjoyed this full length novel – the first in a series between DCI Nelson and Dr Galloway. While at times I found it off-putting that the book is written in the present tense this overall didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment. There is a strong cast of characters, about a half dozen well fleshed out main characters and a roughly equal number of smaller secondary characters. This, coupled with the interesting clashes and slow building connection between Nelson and Ruth really wove well with the various sub-plots. I thoroughly enjoyed how the two missing girls, the henge and holy sites around the salt marshland and the shifting friendships and complications of the various relationships between the characters all intermingled and wove around. I changed my mind about what was really going on underneath it all a few times as the characters and their relationships shifted and altered and this really kept me on my toes, along with the central plotline itself of the missing girls.

I feel readers looking for a more traditional style of mystery might struggle a bit with this book. There are definitely changing alliances and shifts in the various characters – from good to bad and back again – as the plot unfurls. Nothing is particularly linear here and while I found it not traditional, I was surprisingly fine with this. The excellent plotting, good writing and reality that life isn’t black or white, good or bad, really helped me connect a bit with the shifts in the plot and characters.

I also enjoyed how the site itself – both the desolate marshland of Norfolk as well as the henge site itself was practically a character in this story. The scenery and landscape, the danger of the changing tides and the easy comparisons with the loneliness and beauty of the harsh nature was a lovely addition I feel the author really added well into the story.

While I admit some of the characters actions won’t be every readers cup of tea, and the present tense writing style likely will rub some people the wrong way, I strongly feel this story (both the characters and the exceptional plot) is well worth the effort of sticking with the book. At numerous points I was pleased to have kept going and even though I’m still not sold on the book being written in the present tense, this was a minor blip as the action really amped up around the middle of the book and I found myself racing through the final half in almost one sitting.

An excellent first book in the series. I’ve already purchased the second and am eagerly awaiting it’s arrival so I can jump right in.

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

Justified by De’Nesha Diamond and Briana Cole

September 28, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Justified by De’Nesha Diamond and Briana Cole
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, anthology
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

BLACK AND BLUE by DE’NESHA DIAMOND
In one shattering night, Charlie Warren’s fiancé is killed, she is attacked—and then framed as part of a police cover-up. Five years later, with nothing to lose, Charlie is free and vengefully exposing their operation, provoking their enemies—and turning the officers against each other. But when a detective gets way too close, Charlie has to decide between getting ultimate justice . . . or going down in a brutal crossfire of betrayal.

PSEUDO by BRIANA COLE

To elude an abusive ex, Kennedy stole several other women’s identities. Many new—and luxurious—lives later, she’s one of the best con artists in the world. But now one of those women is dead—and Kennedy is in the crosshairs. She’ll need to pull off one crucial, flawless deception before a merciless adversary takes her, and her glamorous unreal life, out for good.

BLACK AND BLUE by DE’NESHA DIAMOND

Charlie Jean Warren, has lived a full life. She followed in her family’s footsteps in completing a military career and now she’s obtained her nursing degree. It’s finally time to settle down with her high school sweetheart Hennessey Rawlins. What could go wrong on the night that Hennessy proposes?

Everything. That night changed her life forever. Hennessey is killed and Charlie is attacked. Charlie can identify the attackers but instead Charlie is framed as part of a police cover-up and ends up doing five years in prison.

I finished this story in two settings. The action and shootout scenes I can visualize as they are played out. Readers will quickly find out the reason behind the feud between King Kong and Ramsey Holt. The author created an entertaining read as readers follow the drama and suspense to find out who was behind the hit on Charlie and Hennessey. It was hard for me not to feel for the character. After being helpless and feeling hopeless Charlie’s display of strength is courageous. I enjoyed how the author made the lead character so real. None of the things she did were planned but after knowing who she couldn’t trust I can understand her desire in taking the opportunity to find out the truth and also get revenge.

I appreciate the short scenes between Charlie and Hennessey’s look-a-like. The author gave just enough bedroom scene to make the character seem real and human keeping with the mission and not watering it down with romance. The bond between Charlie and her sisters was inspiring. They cared about their sister but didn’t truly understand the impact the loss of her fiancé and unborn child had on her. Charlie’s heartfelt words spoken to her sisters helped them understand her need for justice. ‘Our lives mean something. Hennessy’s life meant something even if he wasn’t perfect. Even if he was guilty of some of the things they accused him of in court. He didn’t deserve to be killed on the side of the road as if he was trash.’

In this compelling story that I enjoyed, Charlie’s justice was justified. The author wrapped it up nicely and explained who was behind the hit and exposed the dirty cops for their greed.

PSEUDO by BRIANA COLE

The excerpt says ‘To elude an abusive ex, Kennedy stole several other women’s identities.’ Sounds interesting enough for me to read. But the story is more about a greedy uncaring individual that wants what is not hers. She was not likable and as I was reading I was hoping she would find the error in her ways and correct her lifestyle. If the author’s attention was to get the reader to dislike Kennedy, it worked. I did not like her at all, not one bit. If you are looking for a book about a strong woman that has overcome her struggles this is not it. I didn’t understand her motive for stealing innocent women identities to take their money and mess up their credit. I can understand hiding from an ex but hiding in the same town you grew up in, just didn’t seem like the wises of places to hide. There are several loop holes and a lot going on in such a short amount of pages but I’ll focus on the overall story and what I think the author was trying to say.

The author did have an interesting plot in mind and I was able to follow along. I rated half a point higher because I do like the idea the author had in writing the book. I think I was so bothered by Kennedy’s actions that I didn’t give much attention to who was committing the murders. So the half a point for suspense and the author does have a talent for telling a story.

I’m still trying to piece together Benji’s part in the book and the family tree of Lewis, Kennedy’s first husband. Also, I’m not sure how this story fits in with the title Justified. I didn’t find anything justifiable about any of it.

Finally, even with those listed reservations I mentioned above, I found this was a well written story. I was still intrigued to see what lengths Kennedy would go to next, and the story kept my attention and managed to deliver an unpredictable ending.

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

To The Center Of The Earth by Grieg Beck

September 22, 2021 By Leave a Comment


To The Center Of The Earth by Grieg Beck
Publisher: Severed Press
Genre: Contemporary, Action/Adventure, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

An old woman locked away in a Russian asylum has a secret—knowledge of a 500-year-old manuscript written by a long-dead alchemist that will show a passage to the mythical center of the Earth.

She knows it’s real because 50 years ago, she and a team traveled there. And only she made it back.

Today, caving specialist Mike Monroe leads a crew into the world’s deepest cave in the former Soviet Union. He’s following the path of a mad woman, and the words of an ancient Russian alchemist, that were the basis of the fantastical tale by Jules Verne.

But what horrifying things he finds will tear at his sanity and change everything we know about evolution and the world, forever.

In the tradition of Primordia, Greig Beck delivers another epic retelling of a classic story in an electrifying and terrifying adventure that transcends the imagination.

“Down there, beyond the deepest caves, below the crust and the mantle, there is another world.”

When a million dollar prize – as well as some serious bragging rights – are put up for grabs for the caving team who can travel the deepest under the earth the race is on. Two separate teams decide independently to try their luck with a long closed down cave in Russia, one that’s rumored not only the be the deepest anywhere on earth, but also possibly far more than anyone realizes. What the two teams discover is a whole new world – equal parts paradise and hell.

I really enjoyed this new adventure story from Mr Beck. His stories are always really really well balanced with both thriller, monsters, discovery of the unknown and adventure and this one certainly delivers in spades. I was quickly drawn in both by the characters, but also the caving adventure itself. Readers who enjoy a good “let’s discover something new” story should certainly find this suits their tastes, and readers who also enjoy “monsters eat most of the party” will find this book ticks a lot of those sorts of boxes as well. I’d hesitate to label this story as horror though – while there are certainly “monsters come and eat the characters” moments and there’s absolutely a few chilling scenes with alien creatures found deep deep under the earth – I’m not sure it really fits the “horror” genre in the sense of gore or serial killers or a more typical sense of a horror novel. Readers who are squeamish or not interested in monsters going bump in the dark style of books probably should shy away or be prepared to skim a few scenes – but I feel aside from that it’s not really horror at all but more adventure/thriller in style.

I also really appreciated the variation in the characters and how none of them were cartoonish or overdrawn. Even the antagonist was – while still not hero material – practical and willing to work with the team when the chips were down and it was very much an “us verses the monsters” mentality. I really really enjoyed this, partly because it would have been very easy (and far less satisfying I feel) if the antagonist had been an overblown villain character, but I could well believe how tempting that might have been. Indeed I found Mr Beck taking the harder road and notching down the characters arrogance and bravado and having the two teams come together and work in tandem as one merged team really satisfying and I was so pleased about this it really stuck with me.

As a longtime fan of this author I was amused at a few Easter Egg like tidbits where I recognized the author cleverly sneaking in subtle pointers to some of his other books where fans will notice this cheeky nod but others shouldn’t feel anything too amiss by the seemingly casual comments. It gave me a chuckle and flush of pride for each one I caught and it made reading this book all the sweeter to know I’d not only caught the reference but read and own the book as well.

Overall this was an amazing book and one I am pleased to have in print as I definitely expect to enjoy it a number more times in the future. I am also impressed with my own foresight – I have the sequel already purchased and ready to go. I’m thrilled I can move right onto it and not have to wait!

Readers who enjoy adventure stories, caving stories and monsters eating everyone should be as deeply satisfied with this story as I was. Mr Beck is a masterful storyteller and I feel this tale is well balanced, engrossing and sure to have you up reading half the night. A brilliant read and one I shall enjoy again in the near future.

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

What Passes as Love by Trisha R. Thomas

September 21, 2021 By Leave a Comment


What Passes as Love by Trisha R. Thomas
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

A young woman pays a devastating price for freedom in this heartrending and breathtaking novel of the nineteenth-century South.

1850. I was six years old the day Lewis Holt came to take me away.

Born into slavery, Dahlia never knew her mother—or what happened to her. When Dahlia’s father, the owner of Vesterville plantation, takes her to work in his home as a servant, she’s desperately lonely. Forced to leave behind her best friend, Bo, she lives in a world between black and white, belonging to neither.

Ten years later, Dahlia meets Timothy Ross, an Englishman in need of a wife. Reinventing herself as Lily Dove, Dahlia allows Timothy to believe she’s white, with no family to speak of, and agrees to marry him. She knows the danger of being found out. She also knows she’ll never have this chance at freedom again.

Ensconced in the Ross mansion, Dahlia soon finds herself held captive in a different way—as the dutiful wife of a young man who has set his sights on a political future. But when Bo arrives on the estate in shackles, Dahlia decides to risk everything to save his life. With suspicions of her true identity growing and a bounty hunter not far behind, Dahlia must act fast or pay a devastating price.

Only when they’ve lost it all do they find a new beginning.

What Passes as Love is a rapid page-turner that is so thought-provoking, and poetic at times. I didn’t want to stop reading… I was that mesmerized. Dahlia Holt takes readers on her pursuit of freedom. Though the story is told from Dahlia’s and Bo’s viewpoint there are memorable life lessons and conversations that were had with Papa Sap and Mother Rose that stuck with me. Papa Sap was the elder voice of reason to young Bo. “You can’t ask why if you want any peace. You just gotta let ‘em go.” And thanks to Mother Rose and her love for Dahlia, Dahlia was able to learn to read, write and other valuable things becoming of a lady.

Dahlia and Bo both were motherless children and shared a bond at an early age. Dahlia didn’t fit in in the slave quarters and her two sisters didn’t make her feel welcomed in their father’s, slave owner Lewis Holt’s home. With the desire in her heart for freedom Dahlia takes the opportunity that became available to get just that. Dahlia was my favorite character. She is strong willed and set on finding her identity, and her freedom. She can be careless but she is also brave. Dahlia has the power to exploit the ignorance and lies of her captors but she is wise beyond her years and use the information when necessary.

Timothy Ross seemed to be a free spirit that also took advantage of an opportunity available to him. Dahlia is soon to find out. Dahlia doesn’t let this ruin her sight on freedom she starts working on another plan. With a bounty on her head and once again being judged for her choice of actions and for her skin color by those in the slave quarters bringing about more adversity. Dahlia didn’t waver in her quest for freedom. Cleo was another favorite character. She was a voice of reason for Dahlia and saw things from Dahlia’s point of view where others of Color didn’t. She also tried to keep Dahlia in character as a lady of the house and how she should act. I was glad that Dahlia had someone looking out for her.

There was something about Ryland and I wasn’t sure if I trusted him but I wanted to. He knew Dahlia’s secret and still wanted to be with her and in the end, he loved her enough to let her go.

I didn’t like Essie and I knew she would be trouble. Was it jealousy? While reading, of any of those that judged Dahlia for her choices, I wondered what would they do if they were in her shoes? I feel the author was going for something deep and soulfully beautiful. This was an emotional book that I can tell the author put so much heart into creating.

This book is so deep and thought provoking. Yes similar stories have been written, but Dahlia’s character distilled the heartache of not having a mother’s love, separated from those that are called family because of the brutality of humanity that reveals the evil and selfish greed that man is capable. Dahlia’s story can also reveal the pure love that can unite us in times of such brutality. The author certainly knows how to craft a tense scene with sharp dialogue, and such visual scenes.

There were sexual situations, thankfully without much description. The pace is even and has a good balance of tension and suspense as it carries you along to find out what Dahlia is doing and how will she recover.

What Passes as Love was everything I wanted, and so much more. I would highly recommend this beautifully written account of a lowly human spirit having the courage and resilience to fight for her liberty and her freedom to love.

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Closed Circles by Viveca Sten

September 20, 2021 By Leave a Comment


Closed Circles by Viveca Sten
(Sandhamn Murders Book 2)
Publisher: Amazon Crossing
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

It’s a beautiful day for a regatta—until one of Sandhamn Island’s most prestigious residents is killed aboard his sailing yacht.

Oscar Juliander was a rich lawyer and deputy chairman of the prestigious Royal Swedish Yacht Club. While at first his death seems like a tragic accident, there is evidence of foul play. Police detective Thomas Andreasson teams up with local lawyer Nora Linde to investigate. As they work to uncover clues, they face resistance from an elite world where nothing but appearance matters.

When the rich and powerful inhabitants of Sweden’s idyllic island getaway come under scrutiny, Thomas and Nora must work closely and secretively to seek justice.

When the Vice Chairman of the Royal Swedish Yacht Club is shot on his boat in time with the starting gun of one of the biggest regattas in the height of summer, Police detective Thomas Andreasson and his colleagues have their work cut out for them. An important man and seriously well-connected the victim is also a lawyer and so the list of people who could have born a grudge is daunting. Added in the many rich and powerful inhabitants of Sandhamn Island and the RSYC and even though there are smiles and offers to help abounding it seems as if everyone has secrets to hide. Can Thomas and Nora once again work together and bring justice to bear?

I was eager to read this second book in Viveca Sten’s mystery series. I greatly enjoyed the first (Still Waters) and was pleased to find this story stood excellently alone but retained many of the strong aspects that had me enjoying the first. This is a slower-paced mystery but has a large and very well written set of characters which really had me able to enjoy and picture everything going on. While I admit this large cast of characters slows the pace of the plot and murder investigation – and therefore slows the pace of the book as well – I truly can’t fault the author for this, mainly because it’s the different perspectives and interweaving of the plot and characters that made this book in large part so enjoyable for me.

A lot of the book is split well, I feel, between Nora and Thomas. Nora is unhappily married with two children and Thomas is healing emotionally from his divorce and the devastation resulting from his infant daughter dying from SIDS some time ago. Nora and Thomas are friends, but work well together and have a strong, platonic relationship that I thoroughly enjoy. These two characters are both relatable and believable and I feel are both strong enough to steer the book very well.

What I enjoyed about this book is that while Nora and Thomas’ relationship is mostly straightforward, all the other secondary characters are a nest of interweaving messy emotions which was delightfully complicated. There’s illicit affairs, jostling for position and power – both political and no – within the Royal Yacht Club and assorted business dealings. Keeping all the various connections, friendships, affairs and relations in mind was complicated in an intriguing way and trying to sort out motive verses normal human emotions and reactions kept my attention riveted on the pages as I worked my way through the book.

In some respects this book is deceptively simple – a very believable and realistic mess of human interactions pushed to the limit and so resulting in murder. But as so often in real life, the simple emotions are layered and woven in with others and so it’s a mess trying to sort everything out which is why it’s so interesting to see Thomas and Nora, along with the rest of the police team, try to untangle everything.

Readers looking for a thriller type of story or a fast-paced, action driven mystery probably won’t enjoy this as much as I did, but readers who enjoy complicated and very realistic, emotional and tangled stories should find this delightful Swedish story a great read. I’m eagerly looking forward to more in this series.

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

The Wildling by Treva Harte

September 9, 2021 By 1 Comment


The Wildling by Treva Harte
Publisher: Changeling Press
Genre: Erotic Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

In the uncivilized out-country known as Aridzone, Arness is the best at what she does. The wildlings she captures and domesticates worship her. In return she always matches her pets with doting, wealthy mistresses who reward hard work.

This initial primitive form of the internet we know today began by connecting universities, research facilities and educational cialis without prescription cute-n-tiny.com institutions. They may believe they are being ignored wholesale sildenafil or mistreated by those they depend on and attach to, and this justifies their striking out. Apple pies only benefit the restaurants selling brand levitra online them. Then, how diagnose the cheap online levitra causes of this disease is hysterectomy. Arness loves her job… until the uncontrollable Adan enters her life. He insists he is a man, not a pet. Will Adan fall under her spell, or will Arness learn that submission can work both ways?

Arness is good at her job, and loves doing it too! She captures and tames Wildings, making them love being in captivity. She doesn’t understand that not all wildlings want to be caught! When a friend asks for her help with a capture who doesn’t appear to bending to the will, Arness steps in. She sees something unusual in Adan, but before she has chance to work more closely with him, she takes another capture to a different buyer. She falls foul of trouble and a big rescue attempt is undertaken.

There’s a lot to this story. Lots of sex (obviously – it’s erotica) but also love, romance, torture, the old Wild West that feels like it shouldn’t fit in with the Sci-Fi theme but somehow does, in love with the wrong person, you name it.

I loved the difference in characters and the fact that we have not one, not two, but three couples in this story that are all searching for love, four if you count Secondary. The world-building was clear and, although I didn’t quite get on with Mardeath, he and his gang did help move the story along.

This was a quick, hot read that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,
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