ARC Review: Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber

Penny for Your Secrets
Author: Anna Lee Huber
Series: A Verity Kent Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Kensington (October 29, 2019)

Description: England, 1919. In Anna Lee Huber’s latest mystery, former Secret Service agent Verity Kent is finding that life after wartime offers its own share of danger . . .

The Great War may be over, but for many, there are still obstacles on the home front. Reconciling with her estranged husband makes Verity sympathetic to her friend Ada’s marital difficulties. Bourgeois-bred Ada, recently married to the Marquess of Rockham, is overwhelmed trying to navigate the ways of the aristocracy. And when Lord Rockham is discovered shot through the heart with a bullet from Ada’s revolver, Verity fears her friend has made a fatal blunder.

While striving to prove Ada’s innocence, Verity is called upon for another favor. The sister of a former Secret Service colleague has been killed in what authorities believe was a home invasion gone wrong. The victim’s war work—censoring letters sent by soldiers from the front—exposed her to sensitive, disturbing material. Verity begins to suspect these two unlikely cases may be linked. But as the connections deepen, the consequences—not just for Verity, but for Britain—grow more menacing than she could have imagined.

My Thoughts: The third Verity Kent mystery has Verity and her husband Sydney trying to find out who killed Lord Rockham who is the husband of one of Verity's friends from her wartime service. The evidence points to her friend Ada but Verity doesn't want to believe that she killed her husband. But Ada isn't the same woman as she was during the war. She and her husband were fighting and she was flaunting a new titled lover. Sydney wonders what Verity ever saw in her that made her a friend.

While she is investigating Lord Rockham's death, another friend comes to ask her to look into the suspicious death of her half-sister. Gradually, Verity and Sydney come to believe that the two events are related and come as a result of something mysterious that happened during the war.

The story is filled with action as Sydney and Verity travel to France and the Isle of Wight to track down some of their clues. They become convinced that there is still a mastermind behind the murders and that the mastermind might not be finished cleaning up some loose ends.

I enjoyed the setting of this story. I liked Verity who isn't willing to go back to the restricted life of an upper class matron after proving herself as a spy during the war. I like that she is fighting to rebuild her relationship with her husband Sydney who, if he fought in a more modern war, would likely have been diagnosed with PTSD. I could feel Verity's concern for her husband and frustration that she didn't know how to help him deal with the trauma of his service.

Favorite Quote:

Especially when he proceeded to kiss me like I was the air and he was drowning. He pushed the sketchbook to the floor as his mouth inched over my skin and he peeled every layer from between us. Everything but the pain he would not give up, and my disquiet that he never would.

I got this one for review from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Penny for Your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

"Verity, darling." Ada grasped my hands and pulled me into her poppy-scented embrace, kissing the air next to my cheek. "I'm so glad you could make it."

Friday 56:

I'd seen that look before. Had heard those words, too. It's what was said when suicide was suspected, whether it could be proven or not.

This week I am spotlighting Penny for your Secrets by Anna Lee Huber. I got this book for review from Amazon Vine. Here is the description from Amazon:

England, 1919. In Anna Lee Huber’s latest mystery, former Secret Service agent Verity Kent is finding that life after wartime offers its own share of danger . . .

The Great War may be over, but for many, there are still obstacles on the home front. Reconciling with her estranged husband makes Verity sympathetic to her friend Ada’s marital difficulties. Bourgeois-bred Ada, recently married to the Marquess of Rockham, is overwhelmed trying to navigate the ways of the aristocracy. And when Lord Rockham is discovered shot through the heart with a bullet from Ada’s revolver, Verity fears her friend has made a fatal blunder.

While striving to prove Ada’s innocence, Verity is called upon for another favor. The sister of a former Secret Service colleague has been killed in what authorities believe was a home invasion gone wrong. The victim’s war work—censoring letters sent by soldiers from the front—exposed her to sensitive, disturbing material. Verity begins to suspect these two unlikely cases may be linked. But as the connections deepen, the consequences—not just for Verity, but for Britain—grow more menacing than she could have imagined.

ARC Review: Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King

Island of the Mad
Author: Laurie R. King
Series: Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes (Book 11)
Publication: Bantam (June 12, 2018)

Description: With Mrs. Hudson gone from their lives and domestic chaos building, the last thing Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, need is to help an old friend with her mad and missing aunt.

Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has spent most of her adult life in one asylum after another, since the loss of her brother and father in the Great War. And although her mental state seemed to be improving, she’s now disappeared after an outing from Bethlem Royal Hospital . . . better known as Bedlam.

Russell wants nothing to do with the case—but she can’t say no. And at least it will get her away from the challenges of housework and back to the familiar business of investigation. To track down the vanished woman, she brings to the fore her deductive instincts and talent for subterfuge—and of course enlists her husband’s legendary prowess. Together, Russell and Holmes travel from the grim confines of Bedlam to the winding canals and sun-drenched Lido cabarets of Venice—only to find the foreboding shadow of Benito Mussolini darkening the fate of a city, an era, and a tormented English lady of privilege.

My Thoughts: Mary gets a phone call from a college friend which sends her off on her next case. Ronnie Beaconsfield Fitzwarren is concerned about her Aunt Vivian who has disappeared. Vivian has spent years in and out of asylums, most recently Bedlam for a series of mental health issues. Mary met her once when she accompanied Ronnie and her new baby son to Bedlam to show him off to her aunt.

Apparently, she and a nurse got a weekend pass to visit her older brother Edward, Marquess of Selwick, on the occasion of his fiftieth birthday. She disappeared along with jewels she inherited from her mother and a few other trinkets from the family safe. She had a pretty good head start since she left before the birthday celebration and wasn't noted as missing until she didn't return to Bedlam some days later.

Mary goes down to Selwick to investigate and get a better picture of Lady Vivian than her one meeting afforded her. She meets the Marquess and takes an immediate dislike to him as he is a rather unintelligent misogynist in love with his own opinions and the sounds of his own voice and who has taken a strong interest in Benito Mussolini who is bringing fascism to Italy. Her other interviews with staff who remembered her don't really give her any clues to where she might be.

Meanwhile, Holmes has been looking for Lady Vivian in London including checking jewelers and pawn shops which might have received her jewelry. Mary decides she needs to check Lady Vivian's medical files at Bedlam and manages to get herself committed - briefly. Speaking with other inmates and checking Lady Vivian's files leads her to think that she might have gone to Venice.

Holmes was all set to let her go to Venice alone until Mycroft drafts him to go along and look into the fascists who are gaining control there. Together and separately, Russell and Holmes investigate with Holmes becoming an acquaintance of Cole Porter and his wife and Russell becoming part of Elsa Maxwell's Lido set.

Secrets are discovered and the two cases come together. Along the way, the reader sees what Venice was like in 1925, what is was like to be a woman at that time, what the social and sexual mores were, and what fascism was doing to Italy. The clever conclusion allows right to triumph and villains to get their well-earned comeuppance. This was another wonderful entry into a long-running series.

Favorite Quote:

"Would you like to come and help me commit grand larceny and trespass instead?"

"What, no battery and assault?"

"I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."

"Just as well. Italian prisons are not places of comfort. I should be honoured to assist you in your felonious pursuits, my dear Russell."

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

Friday Memes: Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Sherlock Holmes and I stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing down sadly at the tiny charred corpse.

Startling until you read down a bit more to find out the Mary has burned a chicken that should have been dinner.

Friday 56: 

"We have a motor -- just tell Lily when you want to go and Freddie will run you over."

But first, I needed to do the rounds of the main house's servants, the estate manager, and the stable hands. That took me the rest of the morning, and at the end of it, I had added little to my story of knowledge about Vivian Beaconsfield other than their opinion that she was an odd 'un -- an affectionate judgment, rather than condemnatory.

This week I am reading Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King. This is the latest Sherlock Holmes/Mary Russell novel. Here is the description from Amazon:

With Mrs. Hudson gone from their lives and domestic chaos building, the last thing Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, need is to help an old friend with her mad and missing aunt.

Lady Vivian Beaconsfield has spent most of her adult life in one asylum after another, since the loss of her brother and father in the Great War. And although her mental state seemed to be improving, she’s now disappeared after an outing from Bethlem Royal Hospital . . . better known as Bedlam.

Russell wants nothing to do with the case—but she can’t say no. And at least it will get her away from the challenges of housework and back to the familiar business of investigation. To track down the vanished woman, she brings to the fore her deductive instincts and talent for subterfuge—and of course enlists her husband’s legendary prowess. Together, Russell and Holmes travel from the grim confines of Bedlam to the winding canals and sun-drenched Lido cabarets of Venice—only to find the foreboding shadow of Benito Mussolini darkening the fate of a city, an era, and a tormented English lady of privilege.

ARC Review: Congress of Secrets by Stephanie Burgis

Congress of Secrets
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Publication: Pyr (November 1, 2016)

Description: In 1814, the Congress of Vienna has just begun. Diplomats battle over a new map of Europe, actors vie for a chance at glory, and aristocrats and royals from across the continent come together to celebrate the downfall of Napoleon…among them Lady Caroline Wyndham, a wealthy English widow. But Caroline has a secret: she was born Karolina Vogl, daughter of a radical Viennese printer. When her father was arrested by the secret police, Caroline's childhood was stolen from her by dark alchemy.

Under a new name and nationality, she returns to Vienna determined to save her father even if she has to resort to the same alchemy that nearly broke her before. But she isn’t expecting to meet her father's old apprentice, Michael Steinhüller, now a charming con man in the middle of his riskiest scheme ever.

The sinister forces that shattered Caroline's childhood still rule Vienna behind a glittering façade of balls and salons, Michael’s plan is fraught with danger, and both of their disguises are more fragile than they realize. What price will they pay to the darkness if either of them is to survive?

My Thoughts: It is 1814 and the Congress of Vienna has made Vienna the place to be for schemers of all sorts. The kings, emperors, and diplomats are scheming to divide up Europe now that Napoleon has been deposed. The well-to-do from all over Europe are gathering to be part of the social scene.

Two others have come to Vienna again for their own purposes.

Caroline, Lady Wyndham, is searching for her father who was arrested for political dissent when she was eleven. She fell under into the control of the Austrian Emperor's head of the secret police. Count Pergen used her in his alchemical experiments and kept her imprisoned for four years. At fifteen, she was sold to an English Alchemist. She has managed to build a life for herself as an English peer. Now widowed and with the war in Europe over, she can finally travel to Vienna to try to find and rescue her father.

Michael Steinhuller has also come to Vienna to try to make his fortune. He has spent the years since his master was arrested for sedition living as a con man. Now, he wants one final score to secure his future. However, the secret police are still looking for him.

One other prominent fictitious character is Peter Riesenbeck who is the owner of a theatrical troupe and who hopes that Vienna will be the place where they can make their fortunes. Michael uses them to smuggle him into Vienna. His use of them brings Peter to the attention of the secret police.

Another fictitious character is Charles Weston who is Caroline's secretary and a student of Alchemy. When Caroline disappoints his hopes, he throws himself in with Count Pergen.

The story is also filled with historical figures from Emperor Francis to Talleyrand to the Prince de Ligne who have large parts in this story and countless diplomats and society people who make up the background characters.

The setting was well-developed and the atmosphere was a nice combination of the paranoia of the age and the frenetic energy of people who were running all sorts of schemes. I enjoyed the story.

Favorite Quote:

No matter what Alexander thought, success in politics did not depend on six hundred thousand soldiers in the field, nor on any ability to shout louder than anybody else and fly into public rages when one's will was thwarted. Success in politics, as in every other aspect of life, lay in the ability to wear a mask in every situation, no matter how seemingly intimate...and in the determination never to let your enemies guess your aims until your trap had already closed around them.

I got this one in exchange for an honest review from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Book Review: Wake to Darkness by Maggie Shayne

Wake to Darkness
Author: Maggie Shayne
Series: A Brown and DeLuca Novel
Publication: Harlequin MIRA (November 26, 2013)

Description: Stranded with a murderer…

Rachel de Luca's uncanny sense of perception is the key to her success as a self-help celebrity. Even before she regained her sight, she had a gift for seeing people's most carefully hidden secrets. But the secret she shares with Detective Mason Brown is one she has promised to keep. As for Mason, he sees Rachel more clearly than she'd like to admit.

After a single night of adrenaline-fueled passion, they have agreed to keep their distance—until a string of murders brings them together again. Mason thinks that he can protect everyone he loves, including Rachel, by taking them to a winter hideaway, but danger follows them up the mountain.

As guests disappear from the snowbound resort, the race to find the murderer intensifies. Rachel knows she's a target. Will acknowledging her feelings for Mason destroy her—or save them both and stop a killer?

My Thoughts: WAKE TO DARKNESS was an excellent romantic suspense title. Rachel is getting used to being able to see after twenty years of blindness. Mason is getting used to the idea that his brother Eric was a serial killer who committed suicide - a fact that Mason covered up to protect his widow and two young sons. Rachel is no longer seeing visions through the serial killer's corneas of murders being committed. Life should be good.

Unfortunately someone is killing other people who received donations of Eric's other organs. After Rachel is attacked, Mason decides to get her, her niece and her dog out of town. Once Mason's sister-in-law is attacked, Mason decides to send her and her boys along with Rachel to an isolated resort. But the killer has followed them.

This house takes place in the days leading up to Christmas. Since they are at a ski resort in an isolated area things get a lot more complicated when a blizzard moves in stranding all of them at a resort with a murderer also in residence.

The story was filled with tension the built up as the story progressed. It was also filled with romantic tension as Mason and Rachel feel each other out about their relationship. I liked the realistic characters in this one. I could easily understand how Jeremy and Josh were stressed about the loss of their father even though they didn't know that he was a serial killer.

I was completely surprised by the identity of the villain but, after learning who it was, could look back and see hints. Fans of romantic suspense will enjoy this tension-filled story.

Favorite Quote:

If you asked me, "trust" and "seventeen" should never be uttered in the same sentence if there was a boyfriend involved. Teenaged girls loved harder than any other species. Teenage love was apocalyptic. Wild horses couldn't stop it.

I received this book from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Wake to Darkness by Maggie Shayne

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Wake to Darkness by Maggie Shayne. This is the second book in the Brown and DeLuca series. I received my copy for review from Amazon Vine. Here is the description:

Stranded with a murderer…

Rachel de Luca's uncanny sense of perception is the key to her success as a self-help celebrity. Even before she regained her sight, she had a gift for seeing people's most carefully hidden secrets. But the secret she shares with Detective Mason Brown is one she has promised to keep. As for Mason, he sees Rachel more clearly than she'd like to admit.

After a single night of adrenaline-fueled passion, they have agreed to keep their distance—until a string of murders brings them together again. Mason thinks that he can protect everyone he loves, including Rachel, by taking them to a winter hideaway, but danger follows them up the mountain.

As guests disappear from the snowbound resort, the race to find the murderer intensifies. Rachel knows she's a target. Will acknowledging her feelings for Mason destroy her—or save them both and stop a killer?

Beginning:

If the bullshit I wrote was true, I wouldn't have been standing with my back to the man I'd most like to bone, saying "No."

Friday 56:

The scene was already swarming. The state police forensics team was already there, and Rosie was waiting for him on the shoulder, hunching into his police-issue overcoat and wearing a completely non-regulation furry hat with earflaps pulled down.

Book Review: Sleep with the Lights On by Maggie Shayne

Sleep with the Lights On
Author: Maggie Shayne
Series: A Brown and De Luca Novel
Publication: Harlequin MIRA (September 24, 2013)

Description: Through the eyes of a killer… 

Rachel de Luca has found incredible success writing self-help books. But her own blindness and the fact that her troubled brother has gone missing have convinced her that positive thinking is nothing but bull.

Her cynicism wavers when a cornea transplant restores her sight. The new eyes seem to give her new life, until they prove too good to be true and she starts seeing terrifying visions of brutal murders—crimes she soon learns are all too real.

Detective Mason Brown's own brother recently died, leaving behind a horrific secret. In atonement, Mason donated his brother's organs, though he's kept the fact quiet. Now he wants to help Rachel find her brother, but when he discovers the shocking connection between her visions and his own brother, he suddenly has to do everything in his power to save her from a predator who is somehow still hunting from beyond the grave.

My Thoughts: This romantic suspense title was heavier on the suspense than the romance. Rachel de Luca lost her sight when she was twelve and now makes her living as an author of self-help books with a positive message. Rachel is really a positive person herself. She is sharp-tongued and rather cranky. When she gets a chance to have a cornea transplant to restore her sight, she is first hesitant. Previous operations had not been successful. This one works remarkably well. At least it does until she starts have dreams and visions of murder and starts to believe that she is seeing through the eyes of a serial killer.

Mason Brown is a police detective. His brother has recently committed suicide and left notes and evidence that he was the serial killer who caused the disappearance of thirteen young men - among them Rachel's brother. Mason decides to cover up his brother's confession to protect his brother's wife who is expecting a baby and his two young sons. Mason decides to donate his brother's organs in some attempt to make up for his brother's crimes and to ease his own conscience. Rachel is one of the recipients.

Rachel and Mason meet when she goes to the police station to put pressure on them to keep investigating her brother's disappearance. Still blind, she steps out into traffic and Mason hits her with his car.

I had some trouble with this story because of the large number of coincidences. I mean, cop's brother is serial killer; heroine's brother is one of his victims; heroine gets tissue from killer and starts having visions. Mason is put in charge of the investigation to track down the serial killer. Mason knows who the killer was but things change when the killings start again. He doesn't believe that she is seeing things when she first tells him but gradually becomes convinced.

My favorite character in the book is Rachel's newly-adopted, blind, elderly bulldog. I loved it each time Myrtle appeared in the story. I loved how much of a softy Rachel became around Myrtle. I could just see her with her car goggles and yellow scarf around her neck sitting in the passenger seat while Rachel drove her classic yellow Thunderbird.

While I could believe that they were attracted to each other, I had more difficulty believing that they could overcome the obstacles to any sort of relationship. Neither one of them seemed ready to begin a new relationship. Since this is the first book in a series, I am eager to see how their relationship plays out.

Favorite Quote:

I felt like an idiot, like a stereotypical helpless female calling on a man for help over the nightmare. But I knew—way down deep, where you know the things you don't really know you know—I knew this was not just a nightmare. I knew, somehow, that what I'd seen had been real. 

I got this book for review through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Sleep with the Lights On by Maggie Shayne

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

Being able to see was so damn good, I almost started believing my own bull. I mean, really, you've gotta give me some leeway here. After being blind for twenty years, getting your sight back is a pretty big deal, and even the bitchiest of skeptical bitches would start to waver a little.

This week my teaser comes from Sleep with the Lights On by Maggie Shayne. I chose this 2013 release from the Amazon Vine program. Here is the description:

Through the eyes of a killer… 

Rachel de Luca has found incredible success writing self-help books. But her own blindness and the fact that her troubled brother has gone missing have convinced her that positive thinking is nothing but bull.

Her cynicism wavers when a cornea transplant restores her sight. The new eyes seem to give her new life, until they prove too good to be true and she starts seeing terrifying visions of brutal murders—crimes she soon learns are all too real.

Detective Mason Brown's own brother recently died, leaving behind a horrific secret. In atonement, Mason donated his brother's organs, though he's kept the fact quiet. Now he wants to help Rachel find her brother, but when he discovers the shocking connection between her visions and his own brother, he suddenly has to do everything in his power to save her from a predator who is somehow still hunting from beyond the grave.

Is paranormal thriller a genre?

ARC Review: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Burn for Me
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Hidden Legacy (Book 1)
Publication: Avon (October 28, 2014)

Description: #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand-new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire . . .

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run and wanting to surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan's after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she's getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

My Thoughts: I was completely blown away by BURN FOR ME which begins an new urban fantasy series. The main character and the narrator of the story is Nevada Baylor. She and her family - mother, grandmother, younger sisters and younger cousins - run a small private investigations business. She isn't a member of any of the magical houses that have divided up Houston and she isn't known to be a powerful magic user.

When her father was dying, the family mortgaged the business to Montgomery International Investigations. Now MII has invoked one clause of the contract and has demanded that Nevada locate a powerful Prime named Adam Pierce and turn him over to his family. MII knows Nevada is overmatched; they want her to fail.

Adam's magical power is fire-starting and he is on a rampage through Houston. Houston cops are eager to shoot him on sight. Nevada has no choice but to try to track him down and convince him to surrender to his House.

Mad Rogan is also interested in finding Adam Pierce. Rogan's cousin's son was with Pierce when he firebombed a bank and killed a guard. The boy is now also wanted for murder. Rogan's loyalty to his family is his trigger. Rogan is an immensely talented magic user who can bring down buildings. He had a successful military career and has become an object of fear to most.

Nevada isn't interested in working with Rogan, especially when their relationship begins with him kidnapping her and trying to force her to tell him what she knows about Pierce. Nevada uses her own not-inconsiderable magical talents to thwart him.

The two do work together despite gross reservations on Nevada's part. She is fascinated by him and sexually attracted to him but she doesn't like him or the way he lives his life. She can't trust him and believes that he is a psycopath. Beyond the action scenes which were very prevalent and dramatic, the whole book is a flirtation between the two of them. They are learning about each other and getting to want each other more with each page. Many of the scenes between them are super hot and packed with romantic tension.

I loved Nevada's voice and her determination to protect her family. I liked her strong values and her determination to be able to look herself in the face at the end of each day. This determination guides her actions and illuminates her character.

The only bad part about reading an October release in July is that I will have to wait so terribly long for the next book in this series. I wonder if I can pre-order it yet?

Favorite Quote:

My wrists and ankles were bleeding. My knees too--I must’ve scraped myself trying to draw the circle. So far today I’d seen a woman almost die, I’d shot a person, I’d killed another person with my shockers, I’d been strung up on wires and almost crushed by a car, and now I was bleeding all over the place. If I could, I would punch today right in the face.

I got this ARC through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"It's time to expand your repertoire. You're showing a ninety percent success rate with your cases. You have our complete confidence."

We showed a 90 percent success rate because I didn't take a case unless I knew we could handle it. "He's a Prime pyrokinetic. We don't have the manpower."

I was so excited to get an ARC of Burn for Me by Ilona Andrews from Amazon Vine. I am a huge fan of their work and am eager to read this beginning of a new series. Here is the description:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews launches a brand-new Hidden Legacy series, in which one woman must place her trust in a seductive, dangerous man who sets off an even more dangerous desire . . .

Nevada Baylor is faced with the most challenging case of her detective career—a suicide mission to bring in a suspect in a volatile situation. Nevada isn't sure she has the chops. Her quarry is a Prime, the highest rank of magic user, who can set anyone and anything on fire.

Then she's kidnapped by Connor "Mad" Rogan—a darkly tempting billionaire with equally devastating powers. Torn between wanting to run and wanting to surrender to their overwhelming attraction, Nevada must join forces with Rogan to stay alive.

Rogan's after the same target, so he needs Nevada. But she's getting under his skin, making him care about someone other than himself for a change. And, as Rogan has learned, love can be as perilous as death, especially in the magic world.

Book Review: Pecan Pies and Deadly Lies by Nancy Naigle

Pecan Pies and Deadly Lies
Author: Nancy Naigle
Series: An Adams Grove Novel (Book 3)
Publication: Montlake Romance (September 24, 2013)

Description: Welcome to Adams Grove…where the pies are delicious but the lies are to die for.

America’s beloved country superstar Cody Tuggle never expected to be one of America’s most wanted. At least that’s how he feels since he’s been accused of murdering his scheming agent. Desperate to prove he’s innocent, he turns to his only alibi, award-winning photographer Kasey Phillips, who recently toured with him and his band.

After an exciting life on the road, Kasey has settled down in small-town Adams Grove with her five-year-old son. Unexpectedly reunited with Cody, she finds herself open to love again. But just when she’s ready to fall, everything she ever believed about him is called in to question.

Cody has waited a long time for genuine love, and he can’t let this chance with Kasey slip away. But as the evidence stacks up, the accusations against him put a damper on the sparks flying between them. Can he convince Kasey he’s innocent, and will she clear his name in time? Or will their dreams of the future be the victim of a deadly lie?

Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies is a sweet, down-home story of love overcoming all obstacles—from the crossroads of small town and suspense.

My Thoughts: This is the fourth book in the Adams Grove series and the first in the series that I have read.

Country Star Cody Tuggle is looking to make some changes in his life. He is looking for real love and plans to look up an old girlfriend that he parted ways with when his career was just taking off. But she isn't as much in his mind as Kasey Phillips. He met Kasey when she was hired to take photographs of one of his tours. When Kasey lost her husband to an accident and her young son was kidnapped, Cody was there for her. (Out of Focus, Book 2)

Now Kasey is building a new life for herself and her son in Adams Grove. Jake is just starting Kindergarten and Kasey is dealing with separation anxiety which is even worse because she is still afraid to let him out of her sight since his kidnapping. She isn't looking for a new relationship. In fact, she is convinced that her husband was her one and only true love.

Cody and his band mates stop by to visit which confirms for him that he is attracted to her. She sends him off to see the old girlfriend though which causes the problem in this book. When he arrives at Lou's house he is surprised to find that she has a 17-year-old daughter. He is convinced that the girl is his and goes to confront his agent who was instrumental in breaking up their former relationship.

Cody drops in on the agent while the agent is hosting a party and has a loud, angry argument with him. He feels even more betrayed when he learns that the agent is actually Lou's daughter's father. Cody storms off and goes back to Kasey's. Good thing, too, because someone murders the sleazy agent after the party.

Kasey is Cody's alibi but there is some evidence on the scene that implicates Cody. Together, they investigate to prove Cody's innocence and manage to do some courting along the way. This was a nice romance about finding love and being willing to take a chance on loving a second time. I liked both characters and thought they were well-rounded interesting people.

Favorite Quote:

"I thought that was you, but you swore you weren't going to be here. So glad you had a change of heart," Arty mused.

It was all Cody could do not to coldcock him right here in the middle of the room. His blood boiled. "I need a word with you."

I got this book through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Pecan Pies and Deadly Lies by Nancy Naigle

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting Pecan Pies and Deadly Lies by Nancy Naigle. I got this book through the Amazon Vine program. Here is the description:

Welcome to Adams Grove…where the pies are delicious but the lies are to die for.

America’s beloved country superstar Cody Tuggle never expected to be one of America’s most wanted. At least that’s how he feels since he’s been accused of murdering his scheming agent. Desperate to prove he’s innocent, he turns to his only alibi, award-winning photographer Kasey Phillips, who recently toured with him and his band.

After an exciting life on the road, Kasey has settled down in small-town Adams Grove with her five-year-old son. Unexpectedly reunited with Cody, she finds herself open to love again. But just when she’s ready to fall, everything she ever believed about him is called in to question.

Cody has waited a long time for genuine love, and he can’t let this chance with Kasey slip away. But as the evidence stacks up, the accusations against him put a damper on the sparks flying between them. Can he convince Kasey he’s innocent, and will she clear his name in time? Or will their dreams of the future be the victim of a deadly lie?

Pecan Pie and Deadly Lies is a sweet, down-home story of love overcoming all obstacles—from the crossroads of small town and suspense.

Beginning:

A convoy of antique tractors sputtered down Main Street in Adams Grove, a tradition for the last day of the kids' summer vacation.

Friday 56:

Cody couldn't stop smiling at the serious look on this little boy's face. You'd think he was cracking the code to cancer or something.

Book Review: Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery

Two of a Kind
Author: Susan Mallery
Series: Fool's Gold, Book 11
Publication: Harlequin HQN (June 25, 2013)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery welcomes readers back to Fool's Gold, where a onetime fling could become the real thing.…

Felicia Swift never dreamed she'd hear a deep, sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool's Gold, California. The last time Gideon Boylan whispered in her ear was half a world away…on the morning after the hottest night of her life. Her freaky smarts have limited her close friendships, and romance, but she came to Fool's Gold looking for ordinary. Gorgeous, brooding Gideon is anything but that.

Black Ops taught Gideon that love could be deadly. Now he pretends to fit in while keeping everyone at arm's length. Felicia wants more than he can give—a home, family, love—but she has a lot to learn about men…and Gideon needs to be the man to teach her.

As these two misfits discover that passion isn't the only thing they have in common, they just might figure out that two of a kind should never be split apart.

My Thoughts: Mallery is back with another excellent entry into her Fool's Gold series. I laughed and I cried and loved this "feel-good" romance.

Felicia has always been a misfit. She is a genius who was given up by her parents when she was four and raised in a university laboratory setting. She became an emancipated minor when in her early teens and faked her age to join the Army when she was sixteen. She is a genius at logistics and worked with Special Ops teams whose members became her substitute family. Now she has moved to Fool's Gold with some of her Special Ops friends who are setting up a business to train bodyguards. Felicia wants more than anything else to be normal, to fall in love, and to have a family.

Gideon has also come to Fool's Gold after serving in Covert Ops, being captured by the Taliban, and surviving more than two years of captivity. He watched his fellow captives and brothers-in-arms suffer and die and feels that the only reason he survived is that he had no emotional connections with anyone. He is convinced that he is irretrievably broken and is just a shell.

Felicia and Gideon had met four years earlier in Thailand where she approached him. They had a brief sexual encounter, her first, and haven't seen each other since. Now back together in Fool's Gold, Felicia wants to resume the relationship and have Gideon teach her how to be normal so that she can find someone to love and fulfill her dreams.

Things get even more complicated when a twelve-year-old son Gideon didn't know he had shows up. Carter's mother had told him about his father when she was dying of cancer. Carter had been living with friends of his mother but, now that they were getting a divorce, Carter feared that going into the foster care system was in his future if he couldn't find a way to make Felicia and Gideon his new family.

Part of the joy of this series is the strong relationships among many of the characters. Felicia has developed a close group of women friends. Gideon has a good group of men friends too. The community is also close and caring. I feel a strong urge to find more of this series to see how the friends find their own true loves.

Romance lovers won't want to miss this one.

Favorite Quote:

"I'm not that guy," he told her. "The forever guy."

"I assume you're referring to marriage not immortality."

"I am."

One corner of her mouth twitched in amusement. "It's a party, Gideon, not an eternal commitment."

"Yeah, I know. Sure. I'll go."

I got this book from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

Considering all the variables, it was somewhat surprising that men and women ever got together in the first place. A testament to tenacity, or a higher power with a wicked sense of humor? To be honest, she wasn't sure which.

This week my teaser comes from Two of a Kind by Susan Mallery. I got this book for review from Amazon Vine. It is the 11th book in the Fool's Gold series of which I have read only book 1. Here is the description:

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery welcomes readers back to Fool's Gold, where a onetime fling could become the real thing.…

Felicia Swift never dreamed she'd hear a deep, sexy voice from her past in tiny Fool's Gold, California. The last time Gideon Boylan whispered in her ear was half a world away…on the morning after the hottest night of her life. Her freaky smarts have limited her close friendships, and romance, but she came to Fool's Gold looking for ordinary. Gorgeous, brooding Gideon is anything but that.

Black Ops taught Gideon that love could be deadly. Now he pretends to fit in while keeping everyone at arm's length. Felicia wants more than he can give—a home, family, love—but she has a lot to learn about men…and Gideon needs to be the man to teach her.

As these two misfits discover that passion isn't the only thing they have in common, they just might figure out that two of a kind should never be split apart.

Book Review: The Man From Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller

The Man from Stone Creek
Author: Linda Lael Miller
Series: A Stone Creek Novel
Publication: Harlequin HQN; Reprint edition (February 26, 2013)

Description: #1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller presents the Stone Creek story that started it all…

When trouble strikes in Haven, Arizona, Ranger Sam O'Ballivan is determined to sort it out. Badge and gun hidden, he arrives posing as the new schoolteacher, and discovers his first task: bringing the ranchers' children under control. So he starts with a call on Maddie Chancelor, the local postmistress and older sister of a boy in need of discipline.

But far from the spinster Sam expects, Maddie turns out to be a graceful woman whose prim and proper demeanor is belied by the fire in her eyes. Working undercover to capture rustlers and train robbers has always kept Sam isolated and his heart firmly in check—until now. But something about the spirited postmistress tempts him to start down a path he swore he'd never travel….

My Thoughts: This was another excellent Western romance from a master of the genre. Sam O'Ballivan comes to town where he takes a job as the newest school master. He is actually an Arizona Ranger looking for a gang of robbers. When he first arrives, he has to rescue the current school master from the well where his students have put him. Sam catches one of the kids and decides he has to talk to his sister about the kid's behavior.

Maddie Chancelor runs the local general store and can't believe her brother is a troublemaker. However, she is attracted to the new school master and he is attracted to her too. Only problem - he has a girlfriend at home that he is planning to marry. He hasn't actually proposed but the expectation is there and he is an honorable man.

It doesn't take long for Sam to get involved in the town and meet the local rancher, his much younger and flirtatious wife, and his three older and one younger son. Sam suspects that at least some of the older sons are involved in the robberies. Maddie has her own reasons to stay away from them all. The rancher owns the General Store and has courted her in the past. She is also very cautious around his sons since she doesn't trust them at all.

I liked the setting of this one and the things that made it Western. We have the local madam who actually does have a heart of gold. We have saloon girls who didn't have any other career options. We have a poor widow-woman and her young daughter.

Sam is a great hero. He is honest, honorable, and has an overwhelming need to rescue anyone who needs rescuing from stray puppies to old horses to young kids.

This was a very enjoyable romance which also was a good mystery with some dangerous and exciting scenes.

Favorite Quote:

One of these days he was going to stop wanting to save worn-out horses and misguided girls and a whole lot of other things. It would be pure, blessed relief when that day came.

I got this book through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: The Man from Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller

Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week I am spotlighting The Man from Stone Creek by Linda Lael Miller. I got this book through the Amazon Vine program. Here is the description:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Linda Lael Miller presents the Stone Creek story that started it all…

When trouble strikes in Haven, Arizona, Ranger Sam O'Ballivan is determined to sort it out. Badge and gun hidden, he arrives posing as the new schoolteacher, and discovers his first task: bringing the ranchers' children under control. So he starts with a call on Maddie Chancelor, the local postmistress and older sister of a boy in need of discipline.

But far from the spinster Sam expects, Maddie turns out to be a graceful woman whose prim and proper demeanor is belied by the fire in her eyes. Working undercover to capture rustlers and train robbers has always kept Sam isolated and his heart firmly in check—until now. But something about the spirited postmistress tempts him to start down a path he swore he'd never travel….

Beginning:

The pint-size culprits, heretofore gathered around the well, scattered for the brush as soon as Sam O'Ballivan rode into the schoolyard on his nameless horse, but he'd seen enough to know they were up to no good.

Friday 56:

She followed him down the stone steps and he made a point of tucking his shirttail back in as soon as he was visible to the patrons of the cantina. He smoothed his hair, crossed to the table and reclaimed his hat. As an afterthought, he downed the whiskey, and it burned its way to his stomach.

ARC Review: Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs

Bones Never Lie
Author: Kathy Reichs
Series: Temperance Brennan (Book 17)
Publication: Bantam (September 23, 2014)

Description: The evidence is irrefutable: In sixteen New York Times bestsellers over the course of as many years, Kathy Reichs has proven herself “a genius at building suspense” (New York Daily News). In forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, Reichs has created a detective fiction heroine who’s brilliant to the bone. “Every minute in the morgue with Tempe is golden,” says The New York Times Book Review In the acclaimed author’s thrilling new novel, Brennan is at the top of her game in a battle of wits against the most monstrous adversary she has ever encountered.

Unexpectedly called in to the Charlotte PD’s Cold Case Unit, Dr. Temperance Brennan wonders why she’s been asked to meet with a homicide cop who’s a long way from his own jurisdiction. The shocking answer: Two child murders, separated by thousands of miles, have one thing in common—the killer. Years ago, Anique Pomerleau kidnapped and murdered a string of girls in Canada, then narrowly eluded capture. It was a devastating defeat for her pursuers, Brennan and police detective Andrew Ryan. Now, as if summoned from their nightmares, Pomerleau has resurfaced in the United States, linked to victims in Vermont and North Carolina. When another child is snatched, the reign of terror promises to continue—unless Brennan can rise to the challenge and make good on her second chance to stop a psychopath.

But Brennan will have to draw her bitter ex-partner out of exile, keep the local police and feds from one another’s throats, and face more than just her own demons as she stalks the deadliest of predators into the darkest depths of madness.

In Bones Never Lie, Kathy Reichs never fails to satisfy readers looking for psychological suspense that’s more than skin-deep.

My Thoughts: The seventeenth in the Temperance Brennan was a "couldn't-put-it-down" hit for me. It had all the elements - police procedural, murdered children, and smart and dogged cops. Temperance is surprised to be called in on a cold case in Charlotte but soon understands why when she is presented with evidence that connects the murdered children with an old enemy of hers. Despite Ryan's and her work, Anique Pomerlau managed to get away. Now Charlotte police want Ryan and Brennan to get involved in this case. Only thing is, Ryan has disappeared after the drug-related death of his daughter. The first thing Temperance has to do is track him down.

Soon Brennan, Ryan and Slidell are deeply involved in reading old case files and trying to connect a current child disappearance and murder to the other cases. Reichs is very good at showing the amount of detail that needs to be studied and remembered when police are investigating a crime. And, of course, the autopsy scenes are very accurately done. I also like the relationships between Brennan, Slidell, and Ryan.

Temperance is also dealing with her mother's health issues. Her mother is in a health facility for the wealthy in the mountains to deal with her various mental issues. But now she also has cancer and refuses to have chemotherapy. Her mother is an internet marvel and is instrumental in helping Temperance solve the case.

Reichs has a way with words, choosing the perfect descriptions, to make the characters come to life. The prose is not flowery but is completely engaging. I will say that I had a pretty good idea who the criminal was about half way through the book but then was certain I was wrong as I got further into the book.

Fans of this series will certainly not want to miss this episode. It would also be a possible starting place for newcomers to the series since it stands alone quite well. I know that I have missed some of the earlier books and was still swept into this one with no problem.

Favorite Quote:

Reichs has a way with descriptions - short, apt, and pointed.

I glanced over at Slidell. His gaze was up now, aimed at Tinker with the kind of expressions normally reserved for pedophiles and mold.

I got this ARC from Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

Teaser Tuesday: Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Teaser:

"I'm sorry." Ryan wagged his head. "I'm done with cracked skulls and slit throats and cigarette burns. No more dead kids?"

"What about live ones?"

This week my teaser comes from Bones Never Lie by Kathy Reichs. This is the most recent in the Temperance Brennan series. Here is the description of this Sept. 23 release:

The evidence is irrefutable: In sixteen New York Times bestsellers over the course of as many years, Kathy Reichs has proven herself “a genius at building suspense” (New York Daily News). In forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, Reichs has created a detective fiction heroine who’s brilliant to the bone. “Every minute in the morgue with Tempe is golden,” says The New York Times Book Review. In the acclaimed author’s thrilling new novel, Brennan is at the top of her game in a battle of wits against the most monstrous adversary she has ever encountered.

Unexpectedly called in to the Charlotte PD’s Cold Case Unit, Dr. Temperance Brennan wonders why she’s been asked to meet with a homicide cop who’s a long way from his own jurisdiction. The shocking answer: Two child murders, separated by thousands of miles, have one thing in common—the killer. Years ago, Anique Pomerleau kidnapped and murdered a string of girls in Canada, then narrowly eluded capture. It was a devastating defeat for her pursuers, Brennan and police detective Andrew Ryan. Now, as if summoned from their nightmares, Pomerleau has resurfaced in the United States, linked to victims in Vermont and North Carolina. When another child is snatched, the reign of terror promises to continue—unless Brennan can rise to the challenge and make good on her second chance to stop a psychopath.

But Brennan will have to draw her bitter ex-partner out of exile, keep the local police and feds from one another’s throats, and face more than just her own demons as she stalks the deadliest of predators into the darkest depths of madness.

In Bones Never Lie, Kathy Reichs never fails to satisfy readers looking for psychological suspense that’s more than skin-deep.

ARC Review: For All Time by Jude Deveraux

For All Time
Author: Jude Deveraux
Series: Nantucket Brides Trilogy (Book 2)
Publication: Ballantine Books (July 1, 2014)

Description: New York Times bestselling author Jude Deveraux returns to the magnificent, sunny island in For All Time, the second novel in her Nantucket Brides trilogy—this time featuring the next generation of her beloved family of Montgomery-Taggerts.

The wedding of Alix Madsen and Jared Montgomery is a glorious affair at an elegant little chapel in the woods, followed by dinner and dancing, all while moonlight blankets the festivities in a romantic glow. While most guests are fixed on the happy couple, Jared’s cousin Graydon can’t look away from a bridesmaid, Toby Wyndam. It’s not just her quiet beauty that enthralls him or the way she makes him laugh. Toby possesses the truly remarkable ability of being able to distinguish Graydon from his identical twin brother, Rory. According to family legend, such a gift marks her as Graydon’s True Love.

But Graydon knows there is no possible way that they can ever be together, for he is heir to the Lanconian throne and is to marry a noble woman who has been chosen for him. Yet, intrigued by Toby, he asks her to help him hide on Nantucket for a week away from regal responsibilities. In exchange, he’ll assist her with planning acclaimed novelist Victoria Madsen’s lavish wedding. Since they both know their union is impossible, the pair promises that they will never be more than just friends.

But there’s more going on between Graydon and Toby than her unique power to tell him apart from his twin. At work are forces beyond their control, which are ruled by time itself. Combine that with the magical island of Nantucket, and a seductive spell is cast over Graydon and Toby. If they are to be together, they must change what once was, as well as what will be.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this second book in the Nantucket Brides trilogy. This time the focus of the romance was on Toby and the man who walked her down the aisle when she was the bridesmaid at her friend Alix's wedding. Graydon Montgomery is the heir to the throne of Lanconia and is an identical twin. Montgomery legend says that the woman who can tell the twins apart is their true love. Toby has no trouble distinguishing them.

The problem comes from the fact that their lives are completely different. Toby is happy to be living as a florist, and budding wedding planner, on Nantucket. She is away from her domineering mother and able to carve out a life where she is happy. Graydon has all the responsibilities inherent in being the heir to the throne of a country and he has a pending bride too. It's an arranged marriage and loveless but it is what is expected of him. Unfortunately, it is his twin brother Rory who is actually in love with the girl.

Graydon takes the opportunity to have one last burst of freedom by spending a week on Nantucket and he wants to spend it with Toby. Rory has to step up and impersonate him. The twins have done it before but never in such a high stakes situation. Both Graydon and Toby know that the relationship can't go anywhere and they try for friendship while keeping the fact that they are falling in love with each other secret.

Add in some time travel to 1806 where the two live different lives and have to find a way to change the future for their counterparts and you have an exciting and heart-tugging story. This was an engaging and emotional story and I can't wait to read the third book.

Favorite Quote:

He gently led her in a circle, constantly reminding himself that he was his brother. "I enjoyed our dinner tonight very much."

"Oh?" Toby said, smiling. "And with whom did you eat it?"

"With..." It took him a moment to understand what she was saying, then he laughed and relaxed his shoulders. "Did I fool you at all?"

I got this ARC through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.