Book Review: Undone by Blake Pierce

Undone
Author: Blake Pierce
Series: A Cora Shields Suspense Thriller (Book 1)
Publication: Self-Published (October 11, 2022)

Description: In this action-packed mystery thriller by #1 bestselling author Blake Pierce, Cora Shields, 30, former Navy Seal turned FBI Special Agent, will stop at nothing to catch a killer— but she is stunned, after bending one rule too many, to find herself fired. When a former military friend needs her to help find her missing daughter, Cora must work outside the law, hunting down diabolical killers on her own—even if it means vigilante justice.

Will Cora save the victim in time and give her life a new purpose? Or will she end up descending into a deeper hole than she ever imagined?

UNDONE (A Cora Shields Suspense Thriller—Book 1) is the debut novel in a new series by #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Blake Pierce.

On the outside, Cora Shields is a total badass. A Navy SEAL veteran and a top agent in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, Cora has a reputation for doing whatever it takes to catch a killer. What no one knows, though, is that she’s a wreck on the inside, addicted to painkillers and deeply depressed. When Cora is fired, she is at loose ends—until she learns that an old friend’s daughter has disappeared.

Hesitant at first, Cora decides to take the case on as a vigilante—and her world soon explodes into action.

The conspiracy she uncovers goes deeper than anyone could have imagined, leading her on a wild cross-state chase to save the missing girl before time runs out.

Can Cora handle all this alone, all while keeping her own demons at bay?

Can she catch a killer, and save the girl before it’s too late?

A page-turning and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured vigilante, the CORA SHIELDS series is a riveting mystery, packed with non-stop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you flipping pages late into the night.

My Thoughts: Cora Shields, former Navy SEAL and after just a couple of pages former FBI Agent, looks like a badass but inside she's addicted to painkillers and drinks too much. When she gets a call that a former colleague and one of the few women in the SEALs has committed suicide, Cora travels from West Virginia to Colorado to pay her respects. 

But her friend Addie's sister comes to her with a problem. Addie's daughter Caitlin has disappeared, and the local cops are calling her a runaway. Addie's sister Jamie asks Cora to give her just one day to look into the disappearance. 

Since Cora didn't have any other life plans, she gives Jamie that day which leads to a corrupt local police force and a trafficking ring. Caught up in the hunt for Caitlin, Cora calls on an old friend and former boyfriend for help as she is determined to find Caitlin.

Cora is James Bond on steroids - a crack shot and an uber SEAL, but without that pesky government oversite. If you are looking for realistic action, you'll have to look elsewhere. If you want fast-paced, bloody adventure you are in the right place. 

I bought this one December 16, 2022. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Undone by Blake Pierce

 Happy Friday!

Book Beginnings is hosted by Gillion at Rose City Reader. She asks that the first sentence is posted along with the author and title of the book and the reader's initial thoughts on the sentence, the book, or anything else it inspires. 

Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower.org also provides a linky for sharing first lines and connecting with others. This meme asks that the chosen books be PG or marked as Mature if they are not. 

Beginning:

Cora nearly fell--her arm flinging out threatened to yank her shoulder from its socket. She hissed in pain as her fingers desperately gripped the concrete windowsill of the old, abandoned industrial building. 

Friday 56:

"You're doing great," Cora said, unsure what else to add. She wasn't sure why she said it; it didn't feel as if it was her place. 

This week I am spotlighting Undone by Blake Pierce. This is the first in her Cora Shields thriller series. I got it when it as offered through BookBub when it was free. Here is the description from Amazon:

In this action-packed mystery thriller by number one best-selling author Blake Pierce, Cora Shields, 30, former Navy Seal turned FBI Special Agent, will stop at nothing to catch a killer—but she is stunned, after bending one rule too many, to find herself fired. When a former military friend needs her to help find her missing daughter, Cora must work outside the law, hunting down diabolical killers on her own—even if it means vigilante justice.

Will Cora save the victim in time and give her life a new purpose? Or will she end up descending into a deeper hole than she ever imagined?

Undone (A Cora Shields Suspense Thriller, Book 1) is the debut novel in a new series by number one best-selling mystery and suspense author Blake Pierce.

On the outside, Cora Shields is a total badass. A Navy SEAL veteran and a top agent in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, Cora has a reputation for doing whatever it takes to catch a killer. What no one knows, though, is that she’s a wreck on the inside, addicted to painkillers and deeply depressed. When Cora is fired, she is at loose ends—until she learns that an old friend’s daughter has disappeared.

Hesitant at first, Cora decides to take the case on as a vigilante—and her world soon explodes into action.

The conspiracy she uncovers goes deeper than anyone could have imagined, leading her on a wild cross-state chase to save the missing girl before time runs out.

Can Cora handle all this alone, all while keeping her own demons at bay?

Can she catch a killer, and save the girl before it’s too late?

A compelling and harrowing crime thriller featuring a brilliant and tortured vigilante, the Cora Shields series is a riveting mystery, packed with nonstop action, suspense, twists and turns, revelations, and driven by a breakneck pace that will keep you reading late into the night.

Audiobook Review: Executive Order by Max Allan Collins

Executive Order
Author: Max Allan Collins & Matthew V. Clemens
Narrator: Dan John Miller
Series: Reeder and Rogers Thriller (Book 3)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (April 11, 2017)
Length: 8 hours and 21 minutes

Description: A riveting novel by MWA Grand Master Award winner Max Allan Collins.

In Eastern Europe four CIA agents are dead - geopolitical pawns caught in border dispute cross fire. Why were they there? Who sent them? Not even the President knows.

Back in Washington, the Secretary of the Interior dies from an apparent allergic shock. As details emerge, so do suspicions that she was murdered.

Investigating their respective cases, ex - Secret Service agent Joe Reeder and FBI Special Situations Task Force leader Patti Rogers recognize a dangerous conspiracy is in play. When suspects and government contacts are killed off with expert precision, their worst fears are confirmed. As the country edges closer and closer to war, Reeder and Rogers must protect the President - and each other - from an unseen enemy who's somehow always one step ahead.

The stakes have never been higher, against killers who might be anywhere, and Reeder and Rogers have no one to trust but each other.

My Thoughts: The third thriller starring Joe Reeder and Patti Rogers begins with four CIA operatives dying in Azbekistan as the Russians invade. The President calls upon Joe to find out who gave the orders sending the agents into Azbekistan since he had ordered that no agents be in that country. The deaths have brought the US and Russia almost to the brink of war with hawks in the Administration agitating for a declaration of war. 

Meanwhile, Joe is concerned about the death of the head of the Department of the Interior due to an allergic reaction. He had dated her and finds the death suspicious. He calls on his friend Patti to have her and her FBI team look into the death which quickly becomes a murder investigation. 

At first, the two cases don't look to be related but it doesn't take long for Reeder and Rogers to discovers ties to a huge conspiracy to take over the government. The conspiracy has reached deep into all branches of the government leaving them no knowing who to trust.

This was an intense, engaging thriller set in a near future USA. The characters are intriguing and the plot twisty. As narrator, Dan John Miller did an excellent job both illuminating the characters and ramping up the tension of the story. 

I bought this one June 28, 2024. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper

A Proposal to Die For
Author: Molly Harper
Publication: Berkley (April 8, 2025)

Description: A fast-paced, witty, and delightful new mystery about a marriage proposal planner whose biggest job yet is threatened by a dead body (or two).

Jessamine Bricker loves a plan. Contingency plans and pros-and-cons lists are her love language, and because of that, her proposal planning business is thriving. But with rent costs rising at her office building, Jess jumps at the chance to plan a proposal between her snobby high school classmate, Diana, and her very wealthy boyfriend, Trenton Tillard…the Fourth.

Roped into joining Diana’s ”pre-bridal” retreat at the exclusive Golden Ash resort, Jess hopes to fade into the background, get some work done, and maybe find some time to unwind. Their first day is anything but relaxing: Diana is furious about the mountain spa’s lack of cell phone reception, the couple next door argues constantly, and Jess swears she just saw a drug deal go down. To top it all off, she’s warned to stay out of the woods by the gruff and sexy chef, Dean Osbourne. Is this a retreat or a horror movie?

As Jess tries to do her job while placating the bride-to-be and her increasingly over-the-top demands, she spends more and more time with the resort owners, finding herself much more in tune with the laid-back Osbourne family than her social climbing “boss.” Between a meditation garden-related drowning and Jess’s discovery of a body in a sauna, it's clear that deadly secrets abound at the Golden Ash. Now it’s up to Jess to unravel the mysteries here in the mountains—before all her plans are cancelled…permanently.

My Thoughts: Jess Bricker is a proposal planner. She helps people find just the right place, time, accessories, etc. to create a memorable proposal of marriage. However, planning for her latest client could be the death of her. 

She is approached by a former schoolmate who is disappointed by the way her boyfriend Trenton Tillard the Fourth proposed. Diana sees herself as a social media influencer and didn't find his sincere proposal acceptable to her brand. Diana was not a friend of Jess's when they were in school, and she hasn't heard from her in years. But with the building where she lives and has her business is in danger of being sold out from under her, a lucrative contract - and she can charge Trenton through the nose - is just what Jess is looking for.

Jess finds herself hauled to an exclusive spa retreat in the mountains of Tennessee for what is supposed to be a planning session. Diana has also brought along her wedding planner and an add-on cousin named Kiki who is supposed to be one of her bridesmaids.

Jess finds herself trying to stay sane and calm among the bride-to-be's outrageous demands and the wedding planner's sniping and finds refuge with the Osbournes who own and run the spa. She needs her new friends because almost the first thing she does upon arrival is find the body of another guest drowned in a meditation pool.

More chaos is added when Trenton and his two best buddies arrive at the spa too. And soon Jess is discovering another body - that of Clay who is Trenton's best friend and who was going to be Trenton's best man. 

There is also a romance with Dean Osbourne who is the spa's executive chef and a total curmudgeon. He suffered a loss as an early adult which has made him the man he is. His cousins are really pleased that he seems to be developing a relationship with Jess.

This was quite an enjoyable mystery/romance. I liked Jess's snark and her attitude. The bridezilla also added some humor to the story.  

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

ARC Review: Murder at Gulls Nest by Julie Kidd

Murder at Gulls Nest
Author: Julie Kidd
Publication: Atria Books (April 8, 2025)

Description: From Jess Kidd, the bestselling author of Things in Jars who “is so good it isn’t fair” (Erika Swyler, nationally bestselling author), the first in a cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears.

I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.

1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.

A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.

My Thoughts: Nora Breen, formerly Sister Agnes of Christ, comes to the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea in 1954 when a former postulant and her friend stops writing letters. She is certain that something has happened to her friend. She finds a place at Gulls Nest, a boarding house, which was also the last residence of her friend and finds herself immersed in the secrets to the residents. 

Nora is a nosy woman who has lost her faith in her god. She is struggling for answers not only for her friend's disappearance but for what she wants for herself for the rest of her life. Frieda's disappearance is only the first mystery to be solved. 

Another resident is found dead of what is apparently a suicide leaving behind a grieving and possibly pregnant widow. Nora explores his life and past because she can't believe the setup for the death. Then still another resident disappears leaving suspicions that he killed the other man. 

Nora horns her way into the investigation being led by Detective Inspector Rideout and the two soon find that they work well together. 

The story is filled with intriguing characters among the residents of Gulls Nest. I enjoyed the way Nora uncovered all of their secrets. I liked the setting and the time period of this mystery. I especially enjoyed Nora.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

State of the Stack #163 (April 1, 2025)

This is my monthly post which details progress made on review books. I want to thank the authors and publishers who have contributed their books. 

Read This Month 

Dates indicate the date the review was/will be posted.

1. The Big Fix by Holly James (March 18)
2. The Lady Sparks a Flame by Elizabeth Everett (March 19)
3. Breaking the Dark by Lisa Jewel (March 20)
4. The Dead Post Society by Diane Kelly (March 25)
5. The Chow Maniac by Vivien Chien (March 25)
6. A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (March 26)
7. Written in Stone by Paige Shelton (March 27)
8. The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson (April 1)
9. Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd (April 2)
10. A Proposal to Die For by Molly Harper (April 3)
11. One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman (April 8)

DNF

1.  

Read Previously, Posted This Month 

Dates indicate when the review was posted.

1. The Four Queens of Crime by Rosanne Limoncelli (March 4)
2. Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn (March 5)
3. White King by Juan Gomez-Jurado (March 6)
4. Code Word Romance by Callie Walker (March 8)
5. The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen (March 11)
6. The Library Game by Gigi Pandian (March 11)
7. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (March 12)
8. A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner (March 13)
9. Twice as Dead by Harry Turtledove (March 13)
10. Diviner's Bow by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (March 29)

New This Month 

Date indicates when the book will be released.

1. Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini (April 29)
2. Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews (May 20)
3. It Takes a Psychic by Jayne Castle (June 3)
4. Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West (June 10)
5. The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos (July 8)
6. Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell (July 22)
7. Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (July 29)
8. Knife in the Back by Karen Rose (August 12)
9. The Story that Wouldn't Die by Christina Estes (August 19)
10. The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols (August 19(
11. Death at an Irish Village by Ellie Brannigan (August 26)
12. The Deepest Cut by P. J. Tracy (September 9)
13. Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh (September 16)
14. No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams (September 16)
15. Murder at Blackwood Inn by Penny Warner (September 23)
16. You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan (September 23)
17. Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima (October 14)
18. Murder on a Scottish Train by Lucy Connelly (October 14)
19. The Hidden City by Charles Finch (November 4)

All TBR Review Books

April

• Blood on the Vine by J. T. Falco (April 22)
• A Lethal Engagement by April J. Skelly (April 22)

• Such a Good Mom by Julia Spiro (April 29)
• How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin (April 29)
• Cold Burn by A. J. Landau (April 29)

• Bait and Swiss by Korina Moss (April 29)
• Bearer of Bad News by Elisabeth Dini (April 29)

May

• Shot Through the Book by Eva Gates (May 6)
• The Fatal Scroll by Eric Siblin (May 6)
• Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay (May 6)

• Archangel's Ascension by Nalini Singh (May 6)
• The Language of the Birds by K. A. Merson (May 13)
• Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala (May 13)

• No One Was Supposed to Die at the Wedding by Catherine Mack (May 13)
• Skin and Bones by Paul Doiron (May 13)
• Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong (May 20)

• Rules for Ruin by Mimi Matthews (May 20)
• The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson (May 27)
• Doggone Bones by Carolyn Haines (May 27)

• Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts (May 27)
• Bodies and Battlements by Elizabeth Penney (May 27)

June

• One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver (June 3)
• He's to Die For by Erin Dunn (June 3)
• It Takes a Psychic by Jayne Castle (June 3)

• Grave Words by Gerri Lewis (June 10)
• A Botanist's Guide to Rituals and Revenge by Kare Khavari (June 10)

• Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett (June 10)
• Knave of Diamonds by Laurie R. King (June 10)
• Making Friends Can Be Murder by Kathleen West (June 10)

• The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell (June 24)
• The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell (June 24)

• The Secrets We Keep by Amy Lillard (June 24)
• Look Before You Leap by Virginia Heath (June 24)
• Them Bones by David Housewright (June 24)

July

• Party of Liars by Kelsey Cox (July 1)
• Tricks of Fortune by Lina Chern (July 1)
• Death and the Librarian by Victoria Gilbert (July 8)

• The Myth Maker by Alie Dumas Heidt (July 8)
• The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths (July 8)

• The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos (July 8)
• Fateless by Julie Kagawa (July 15)
• Death of an Ex by Delia Pitts (July 15)

• Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods (July 15)
• The Last Wizard's Ball by Charlaine Harris (July 22)

• Dead of Summer by Jessa Maxwell (July 22)
• Give Me a Reason by Jayci Lee (July 29)
• Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes by Sandra Jackson-Opoku (July 29)

August

• Picking Up the Pieces by J. B. Abbott (August 12)
• The Witch's Orchard by Archer Sullivan (August 12)

• Knife in the Back by Karen Rose (August 12)
• The Story that Wouldn't Die by Christina Estes (August 19)
• The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols (August 19)

• A Lethal Cocktail by Ciar Byrne (August 26)
• Death at an Irish Village by Ellie Brannigan (August 26)

September

• The Deepest Cut by P. J. Tracy (September 9)
• A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau (September 16)

• Beyond Her Reach by Melinda Leigh (September 16)
• No Rest for the Wicked by Rachel Louise Adams (September 16)
• Murder in Miniature by Katie Tietjen (September 23)

• Murder at Blackwood Inn by Penny Warner (September 23)
• You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Sophie Sullivan (September 23)

October

• Dying Cry by Margaret Mizushima (October 14)
• Death on a Scottish Train by Lucy Connelly (October 14)

November

• The Hidden City by Charles Finch (November 4)

ARC Review: The Wind Weaver by Julie Johnson

The Wind Weaver
Author: Julie Johnson
Series: Reign of Remnants (Book 1)
Publication: Ace (April 8, 2025)

Description: Magic and adventure swirl through this spellbinding romantasy where a young woman reignites the embers of an ancient prophecy, unleashing a storm that could save her realm or doom them all.

Fear of maegic plagues war-torn Anwyvn. Halflings like Rhya Fleetwood are killed on sight. But Rhya’s execution is interrupted by an unexpected savior—one far more terrifying than her would-be killers. The mysterious and mercenary Commander Scythe. In the clutches of this new enemy, Rhya finds herself fighting for her life in the barren reaches of the Northlands. Yet the farther she gets from home, the more she learns that nothing is as it seems—not her fearsome captor, not the blight that ravages her dying realm, not even herself.

For Rhya is no ordinary halfling. The strange birthmark on her chest and the wind she instinctively calls forth means she is a Remnant, one of four souls scattered across Anwyvn, fated to restore the balance of maegic…or die trying.

But mastering the power inside her is only the beginning. Desire for the Commander—a man she can never trust, a man with plans of his own—burns just as fiercely as the tempests beating against her rib cage for release. Rhya must choose: smother the flames…or let them consume her.

My Thoughts: THE WIND WEAVER begins a new fantasy series. Given that fact, it should also be noted that the book ends on a cliffhanger. 

Rhya Fleetwood is rescued by a man who is named by those around him as Commander Scythe. He shows up at an opportune moment since she has been captured by soldiers and is on the verge of being executed for being half fae. 

Cammander Scythe throws her on the back of his horse like a sack of grain and hauls her off to an unknown destination. He barely speaks to her and doesn't answer any of her questions about where he is taking her or why until they reach their mysterious destination in the Northlands.

Once there, Rhya learns that the strange birthmark on her chest means that she is one of four fated Remnants who are prophesied to be able to cure the ills of the land which began when humans overthrew and massacred all the fae they could find. The human population is still hunting down and killing any fae or half fae that they can find and the land is blighted and getting more blighted every day while the humans divide the lands among more and more ineffective kings. 

Rhya learns that she is the third Remnant to have been found. Water is King Soren of Llyr who has quite a reputation for brutality among the humans. Fire is Prince Pendefyre who has been masquerading as Commander Scythe and who has been traveling the human lands in search of the Air Remnant who happens to by Rhya. 

But before they can search out the Earth Remnant, they need to deal with an enemy who wants to capture Rhya for her maegic and conquer all the fae in the Northlands. And Rhya has to learn to use her Air powers - powers she didn't even know she had.

It doesn't help that Rhya thinks she is falling for Penn who isn't willing to do anything because of his bad experiences with the previous Air Remnant.

This was an entertaining Epic Fantasy that hits a lot of the tropes of the genre. I enjoyed it and will be looking to continue that story as further books are published. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.