A Deadly Éclair by Daryl Wood Gerber


A Deadly Éclair by Daryl Wood Gerber
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (340 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

It’s always been Mimi Rousseau’s dream to open her own bistro, but it seems beyond her grasp since she’s been chased back home to Nouvelle Vie in Napa Valley by her late husband’s tremendous debt. Until her best friend Jorianne James introduces her to entrepreneur Bryan Baker who invests in promising prospects. Now, working the bistro and inn until she’s able to pay it off and call it her own, Mimi is throwing the inn’s first wedding ever.

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Now it’s up to Mimi to clear her name and get to the bottom of things before the killer turns up the heat again in A Deadly Éclair, the scrumptious series debut by Agatha Award-winning author Daryl Wood Gerber.

When personal and financial troubles force Mimi Rousseau to return home instead of following her dreams, she gets the break of a lifetime – the opportunity to open her own French bistro. Everything is moving forward and her future’s looking bright until a murder disrupts quiet Nouvelle Vie. Who would have thought that a killer lurked in Napa Valley?

Cozy mysteries are a favorite of mine. You always get quirky, lovable characters, a few over-the-top oddballs, and a murder. A Deadly Éclair does not disappoint in any case. Mimi is charming and likable and I loved that she bounced ideas off her goldfish. Her mother is nutty and her best friend is the kind of friend every girl wishes she had. Another enticing aspect to this book for me was that it’s set in and around a French bistro and the adjoining inn. As an avid cook, reading about Mimi’s special of the day and the recipes the author included only gave me more motivation to read this charming novel.

Although I know someone always has to die in a cozy mystery, I was upset with the victim in this first book of the series. Even though you don’t get to know him very well before he’s murdered, I felt devastated by the news. That’s probably Mimi projecting onto me, but I was still surprised that someone I thought would be a major player turned out to be the victim.

A Deadly Éclair has everything a good cozy mystery needs: charming and off the wall characters, a unique setting, and a mystery in need of solving! Plus, assorted hijinks and a hint of a romance along the way to spice things up a bit. Although this is my first novel by the author, it definitely won’t be my last. I’m anxiously awaiting the next in this series. Can’t wait to see what Mimi and her crew get themselves into next.

Wild Lily by Cerise DeLand


Wild Lily by Cerise DeLand
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Genre: Historical
Length: Full Length (257 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

Money can buy anything, can’t it? Those brash Americans–their dollars and charms work wonders. Until they learn that money can buy anything…but love.

The dosage should be consulted with the doctor.3. generic viagra prices Yes, prices of viagra 100mg online is said to be the solution for low libido lies in avoiding smoking and alcohol, complications of rectal or prostate surgery, and bad effects of certain medicines are responsible for developing ED in men. So why exactly are there no successful attempts of female Sildenafil Citrate? Discovering such female libido enhancer is a lot more difficult mainly because female sexuality is a little more complicated compared to those of men. but nonetheless, researchers are doing their ongoing effort to a successful http://deeprootsmag.org/2015/03/03/charmed-third-moment-stardom/ order viagra. Health professionals can surmise that various psychological factors are keys if the buy viagra in india patient wakes with morning erections and they can still achieve a penile erection through self-stimulation. Lily Hanniford has all the qualities an impoverished nobleman could want in a wife. She’s beautiful, educated and funny. Too bad, she has a penchant for riding astride like a man. Too bad, she’s an American with a shrewd, wily father. But she’s unwilling to be sold to the highest-ranking nobleman. She wants a purpose in life…other than presiding over a drafty castle and a loveless marriage bed. Then she accidentally meets a man she can’t resist.

Julian Ash, Marquess of Chelton, doesn’t need a wife. He needs luck at cards…or a way to persuade Killian Hanniford to pay more for his family’s shipping line. But Lily is charming and her wild streak appeals to Julian who has always followed the society’s rules. Now he discovers that being wild with Lily is not only fun, it’s necessary to his life. And so is she.
They struggle to throw convention to the wind. But can they be wildly happy together if they can’t heal old wounds?

Lily is the daughter of an American billionaire. Julian is the son of an impoverished Duke. In Victorian England this usually means a marriage of convenience for her to get a title and him to get money to recover the family fortunes.

Complete fascination with each other smudges the boundaries of propriety but Julian is determined not to marry Lily to help the family coffers. Lily doesn’t want to be married for her father’s fortune, she wants a man to love her for herself.

Their relationship develops well and the minor characters in the book lend credence and depth to the story. Also interesting is the humor that Lily brings to the situation. The differences in their upbringing cause many upsets but also a lot of laughs.

I would mention that toward the end of the story a few editorial comments have been left in presumably by mistake. These caused a hiccup in concentration and if they are removed the book would be a wonderful read. I hope the author considers writing more about the minor characters in future books as it would definitely pique my interest.

A Tangled Mercy by Joy Jordan-Lake


A Tangled Mercy by Joy Jordan-Lake
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Historical
Length: Full length (464 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Review by: Cholla

After the sudden death of her troubled mother, struggling Harvard grad student Kate Drayton walks out on her lecture—and her entire New England life. Haunted by unanswered questions and her own uncertain future, she flees to Charleston, South Carolina, the place where her parents met, convinced it holds the key to understanding her fractured family and saving her career in academia. Kate is determined to unearth groundbreaking information on a failed 1822 slave revolt—the subject of her mother’s own research.

Nearly two centuries earlier, Tom Russell, a gifted blacksmith and slave, grappled with a terrible choice: arm the uprising spearheaded by members of the fiercely independent African Methodist Episcopal Church or keep his own neck out of the noose and protect the woman he loves.
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Kate’s attempts to discover what drove her mother’s dangerous obsession with Charleston’s tumultuous history are derailed by a horrific massacre in the very same landmark church. In the unimaginable aftermath, Kate discovers a family she never knew existed as the city unites with a powerful message of hope and forgiveness for the world.

A woman on the run from her future runs straight into a past that she hadn’t been expecting. Kate is fleeing the loss of her mother and searching out secrets that were kept from her. However, when she meets a little boy one morning, her world is turned upside down and the secrets kept for so long are about to come unraveled.

Time is a fluid thing and A Tangled Mercy proves this as the story weaves between the past and the present. Written in chapters alternating between present day Charleston, South Carolina and the same city in 1822, a terrible and beautiful story unfolds, bringing the two timelines together. At first, I was so confused, not able to understand how any of it might connect. However, the author is a master at dropping hints and giving clues that you don’t even realize you’ve picked up until it all comes together.

I loved Kate from the very beginning. It’s hard not to like her. She’s smart, she’s sweet, and she’s completely devoted to her family. Losing her mother shakes her world to its foundations and in a way, I think it brings her to herself. Her interactions with Gabe are the sweetest and most fun parts of the story.

Tom Russell’s story is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this half of the story isn’t anything new or surprising as our history is filled with many such sad tales. However, I hadn’t ever heard about the failed slave revolt that the historical half of this novel focuses around. For me, it was interesting to learn about it in such a first-hand sort of way.

A Tangled Mercy is an informative and enjoyable trip through Charleston, South Carolina. The author paints an amazing picture of both timelines and doesn’t shy away from the less appealing parts of the narrative. The racism and horrors of life are equally represented in both timelines, making it an evocative and haunting story.

The Housekeeper’s Awakening by Sharon Kendrick


The Housekeeper’s Awakening by Sharon Kendrick
Publisher: Harlequin Presents
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (184 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

At her boss’s beck and call…

Recovering from a terrible car accident, world renowned playboy Luis Martinez is bored, grumpy and frustrated. He’s sick of nurses fussing over him, so he fires the lot and demands his sweet, innocent housekeeper massage him back to health!
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Carly Conner has spent her life trying not to be noticed. But now with her boss looking at her differently, every day the tantalizing tension between them grows. When Luis whisks her away to his villa in the south of France, how long will she be able to deny the temptation he poses…especially when he makes a second shocking proposition?

My first romance book was a Harlequin at the age of sixteen. I’ve been hooked on romance books for the last thirty years. I recall back then never being ashamed to open my romance book wherever I was. Somehow between then and now reading a romance book became something to be ashamed about. If I had to pinpoint it I’d have to say it was from the razzing I use to get about how romance books weren’t real life. I was teased for how they are considered smut books. After a while I didn’t need to fold the book in half to hide the cover because I could download my books. For years I’ve been reading romance books in secret on my iPad. Until last weekend. I was given several Harlequin paperbacks to read. I was at my son’s all day wrestling tournament and I folded the book in half to hide the front cover. Well, much to my dismay as I was devouring the pages, I forgot about folding the book in half. I did get a few looks and chuckles from my husband and a couple of my friends but I didn’t care because I was so absorbed in the hero, Luis Martinez and the heroine, Carly Conner’s budding romance.

Mind you I grew to consider Harlequin to be a good introduction into the romance genre and then I graduated to romance novels such as Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber, or Danielle Steel. I became stuck up and felt Harlequins were inferior. That was then.

As I said, I’ve recently been given several Harlequin softcovers. I picked the “The Housekeeper’s Awakening” to read first. Boy! Was I surprised! I really did enjoy getting to know and accept Luis and his slightly male chauvinistic characteristics. The reader was able to see his tender side often enough that Luis was a lovable hero. Carly Conner was Luis’s housekeeper. I’m not sure how realistic it is that a billionaire would fire his nurse and request his housekeeper to take over the nurse’s duties. However, it doesn’t matter how realistic that was or not. I was thoroughly entertained with the plot. Especially after reading both their past histories; together they made a plausible equation. I was intrigued enough to continue reading to see how everything would work out in the end.

There was some conflict with Carly’s sister. I secretly wished Luis would have overheard what her jealous sister, Bella had said to Carly at one point. I yearned for her sister to get a taste of her own medicine. However, I’m sure just seeing Carly’s happy ever after will be enough justification. Personally I could never see anything likable in Bella, or Carly’s mother for that matter. Carly was an intelligent goal focused mature woman who wasn’t afraid to stand up to Luis. Fortunately Luis could see the catch that Carly was.

I’ve never read a book by Sharon Kendrick before but I certainly would like to read another book from her since I enjoyed her writing style. I’ll have to dig through the bag and see if there’s another one by her since I have another all day wrestling tournament to attend tomorrow. Perhaps this time I won’t bend the book in half at all. I shared my personal experiences in this review in case there are other readers like me who feel or thought like I did about reading a Harlequin. I regret my snobbish view point and wonder how many good books I’ve missed out on. And I do recommend “The Housekeeper’s Awakening”.

The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie


The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (405 pgs)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

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Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

The title of this book pulled me in. . . I had a feeling it would be suspenseful, and this one was.

One thing I’ll warn you about straight away is that its narration can be initially jarring. It’s a mix of first person, third person, and interview transcripts. It sort of threw me off at first but the more I read on, the more I understood why the author had chosen this format for the story.

All three women in this story are interesting characters. Cecily is the one you identify with the most because it’s through her first person narration the story begins and mainly continues. Did that make me like her more? I think so and as the story unfolds you realize she’s the real victim in the story but then the author makes you wonder… is she? I won’t give away the ending but let me just say it picked up tempo and intrigue as the tale unfolded. We get a clear picture of what secrets each women is hiding and how the three lives slowly mesh together.

I thought the dialogue was natural sounding and the pacing perfect. The last third of the story really flies by as all lives and backstories begin to merge. It’s also a story that gets you thinking about what you’d do if faced in similar circumstances. Is it ever a good idea to hide things from loved ones or to run away from things we’re not happy about?

It’s a fun read and if you like suspense and secrets in your stories then this is definitely one to check out.

Tips for Living by Renee Shafransky


Tips for Living by Renee Shafransky
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (328 pgs)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

On the day Nora discovered that her husband, Hugh, had gotten another woman pregnant, she made a vow: I will come back to life no matter how long it takes…
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It’s taken Nora three years. With the help of her best friend, she fled New York City for a small resort town, snagged a job as the advice columnist for the local paper, and is cautiously letting a new man into her life. But when Hugh and his perfect new family move into a house nearby, Nora backslides. Coping with jealousy, humiliation, and resentment again is as hard as she feared. It’s harder still when Hugh and his wife are shot to death in their home.

If only Nora could account for the night of the murders. Unfortunately, her memories have gone as dark as her fantasies of revenge. But Nora’s not the only one with a reason to kill—and as prime suspect in the crime, she’d better be able to prove it.

Betrayal isn’t an easy thing to put behind you. However, it’s the one thing Nora knows she needs to do. Move on and get over her cheating ex-husband’s treachery. Which, she was doing quite well with for the last three years until he – and his new wife and child – arrive in the quiet little town Nora had settled into. Now what was she going to do? Live and let live or take the bull by the horns?

Nora is a fabulous, complex character. She has her ups and downs and it’s all so relatable. Her anger, jealousy, and bitterness all come from an honest place and not just an outlet for revenge. When you add in the murder of her ex-husband and his new wife, things only get more confused for her. It doesn’t help that she’s been suspected of the double murder and, when she realizes she’s started sleepwalking again, can’t honestly rule herself out either.

Tips for Living is a wild, rollercoaster ride of a story. There are infinite twists and turns that I never saw coming. The author’s relaxed voice only makes it that much easier to devour the novel. I loved the little bits from the paper that were included between chapters, gave the book a homier sort of feel. The large case of characters makes you want to visit this little town for the summer and get to know them all. They also all have their secrets, giving you a wide pool of suspects for the murders. I must say, I never once suspected the actual culprit either. If this debut novel is any indication, the author’s next book out to be even more amazing.

Winnawarra by Elizabeth M. Darcy


Winnawarra by Elizabeth M. Darcy
Publisher: Luminosity Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (277 pages)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

Emily Perkins is over the moon to learn Jock Macgregor has left her a share in Winnawarra Station in the magnificent Kimberly region of Outback Australia. The bonus comes when she realises, his handsome grandson, Doug is the man of her dreams. She loves working beside him and every day is an adventure.

After receiving a letter from Jock, she discovers he was convinced the accident that killed his son and daughter-in-law was actually murder, and he included her in his will to investigate the deaths.

When accidents start happening to Emily, and she hears footsteps outside her room at night, she is convinced someone is stalking her.

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Isolated on an Outback cattle ranch, will strong, dependable Doug be able to keep her safe?

A murderer is loose at Winnawarra Station, and she must race against time to identify the killer before he strikes again.

I definitely recommend this book but I don’t recommend starting to read it late in the day because it is one of those impossible to put down books. Also I would not suggest reading it while home alone, especially if it’s dark outside. I made all those mistakes. I should have heeded the warning in the synopsis when it said “heart pounding suspense”.

Honestly, the suspense was really like “are you kidding me?” “Again?”. How many times was the hero, Doug, going to say “I’ll keep you safe” and then we hear the “Tap, Tap, Tap”. I can’t say any more than that but let me tell you I fell for it every stinking time. My heart pounded and I was terrified to read what came next. I seriously began to lose trust in Doug’s ability to keep the heroine, Emily, safe. However, I kept the faith in the strong, dependable and handsome Doug.

It was a good thing he was so handsome, and Emily was smitten with him from the moment she saw him at the airport when he picked her up. I too found myself drawn into his masculine aura. True, Doug was attracted to Emily’s beauty but also to her whit and he needed her in more ways than one. Together they completed each other.

I have to tell you, when I read the synopsis my excitement about reading this book was mediocre at best because it sounded similar to other books I’ve read in the past. Well, I was the fool. This novel really surprised me with several original elements and, plot twists, and let’s not forget the “Tap, tap, tap”. You’ll just have to read the book to know what I’m talking about. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the Kimberly region of Outback Australia.

This book was truly a romance after my heart even though my heart was having frequent palpitations. I started to think I was next on the killer’s list. I fear some people might think this book had too many repetitive phrases because that thought certainly crossed my mind, but I think Ms. Darcy’s writing style successfully walked that fine line. Instead of being repetitive it gave me a sense of a very real and evocative drama. Elizabeth M. Darcy pulled it off and wrote a very engaging and enthralling romance story. This is an easy book to recommend.

Dead and Breakfast & Other Stories by Marilyn Todd


Dead and Breakfast & Other Stories by Marilyn Todd
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (154 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Not all detectives are heroes.
And when the dead can’t defend themselves, help comes from the most unlikely sources.

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Listening to what a character doesn’t say is sometimes just as important to listening to what they do say.

In “Something Rather Fishy,” Stevie and her accomplice, Patti, ran multiple scams on unsuspecting strangers in order to steal their money or sell them products that were nothing at all like what was advertised. What I enjoyed the most about their scams was how much thought was put into them. Stevie put a lot of time into figuring out how to get people to do what she wanted without them realizing what was happening. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming, and that was a good thing. It fit the tone perfectly while still being a pleasant surprise.

There were some tales in this collection that I thought could have used more clues about what was really going on in them. For example, “The Great Rivorsky” showed what happened when a magician’s attempt to accomplish that famous trick involving sawing a woman in half didn’t go as he had planned. As amused as I was by the main character’s narration, I needed more details about what was going on to figure out why his assistant was so badly injured and who might have been responsible for it.

A small, sleepy town isn’t typically where anyone would expect to find three murders over the course of a short period of time, but that’s exactly what happened in “The Longboat Cove Murders.” The muted reactions of the townsfolk to the first few murders shocked me. They also made me curious to find out what happened and why no one was panicking about the suddenly high death rate in their community.

I’d recommend Dead and Breakfast & Other Stories to anyone who is in the mood for mysteries that require their audience to pay close attention to detail in order to solve them.

The Dating Diet by Daralyse Lyons


The Dating Diet by Daralyse Lyons
Publisher: Books To Go Now Publications
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (288 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Orchid

What if you found yourself climbing out of a bedroom window, naked, in the middle of the afternoon, to avoid being caught in bed with your married lover? Would you have second thoughts about dating?

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An incredibly hapless and infinitely loveable heroine, elementary school teacher Shayla Ross decides to take her summer vacation from teaching as a period of self-discovery. Much to the chagrin of her meddling mother, Shayla sets out to find herself and, in the process, bumbles into a series of successive funny and heartwarming interpersonal interactions that will have readers falling in love with her.

A dating diet sounds easy, right? In reality Shayla find it’s not easy at all. After several dead end dates and a relationship with a divorced man, who’s not really free, she decides to swear off men for the summer. Things go well until she meets Dunkin but thankfully they decide to remain friends.

I really enjoyed this book. It is lighthearted and goes from one hilarious episode to another. Dunkin and Shayla play off one another in a series of one upmanship where they try to embarrass each other. Shayla gets involved in various disastrous events and her gay friend Brice involves her in his on again – off again relationship and after the dust has cleared everyone is able to see the funny side of things.

There’s the usual ex girlfriend, ex boyfriend relationship interference which add a bit of spice to the story. There’s also an air of mystery in a will they – won’t they get together and this is not resolved until the end. Even then a disastrous decision by Shayla could make it go either way.

As I got involved with the characters and the story I couldn’t help thinking it reminded me of Janet Evanovich’s style of writing. Amusing story with a light hearted approach and an underlying serious thread.

Texas Rebels: Elias by Linda Warren


Texas Rebels: Elias by Linda Warren
Publisher: Harlequin Western Romance
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full length (224 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

FIRST LOVE, SECOND CHANCE

Maribel McCray knew moving back to Horseshoe, Texas, would mean facing Elias Rebel, the cowboy she was forbidden to love in high school. She just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. With her teenage son, Chase, in trouble, she needs Elias’s help. He may be a Rebel, sworn enemy of every McCray, but he’s also Chase’s father.
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For the lone bachelor of the Rebel clan, there’s only one way to make up for lost years with his son—become a family for real. But Maribel’s distance runs deeper than the Rebel-McCray feud. Elias won’t settle for a marriage of convenience with the woman he’s falling for again. How can he convince Maribel some second chances are worth taking?

I really enjoyed this book. I’m disappointed that I didn’t find the Texas Rebels series by Linda Warren sooner. This is the seventh and last book in the series. I am going to have to go back and read the rest of the stories because I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy them based on how much I enjoyed reading this one.

I really need to point out that this story was a heartwarming romance about second chances. The heroine, Maribel, was written in a way that she could very possibly be me or someone I know. She has realistic issues that I can’t get into but I genuinely could understand from a personal perspective. In fact the advice she was given had a direct impact on me. Therefore I can consider this book to be inspirational. I quote, “You may not understand that kind of love, but sometimes people love the way they can”. That statement spoke to me and was powerful and meaningful to the plot. I admired Maribel for her courage and vulnerability as well as her ability to forgive.

I really connected with Elias, the hero, because he shared my values in a relationship. Elias and I both need vows of love to be shared at some point in the relationship. However, Maribel shared my values as far as needing to see love through actions not just with the words “I love you”. Together they demonstrated true love. I respected how Maribel and Elias were direct and honest with each other. No mind games.

When I read a romance book I want to be able to rave about it. I am so excited to be able to do just that. Everything was remarkable. The writing style, the plot, the characters, the pace, and the originality all had me captured from the start to the end. While this story was the ending in the series, fortunately for me it was my beginning. I will get to go back and meet all of the characters in the Rebel and McCray families that I briefly got to know and fall in love with in Texas Rebels: Elias.

I am quite thankful that I stumbled upon this book and I can definitely recommend it. Texas Rebels: Elias was an extremely enjoyable read for me. Just be prepared to “expect the unexpected”. This novel is more than meets the eye.