A Supportive Friendship Between Outsider Teens

Michael lives with his aunt in a small, yellow, stucco house between two mansions. On one side the mansion appears empty, on the other lives Bunny Lampert and her real estate developer father who is an incipient alcoholic. He knows her because they attend the same high school, but until the day she finds him smoking in her yard, they don’t know each other. Bunny is tall, over six feet, blond and rich. Michael is small with a pony tail. He tries to be straight, but he thinks he’s gay. In fact, he tells Bunny that the first time they meet.

Both teens are outsiders, lonely and looking for friendship. They remain supportive of each other through a brutal attack and the subsequent fallout. They survive, but their stories are surprising.

This is a character driven story that is at times not easy to read although it is true to the problems of the teenage protagonists. Teens often have trouble coming to terms with who they are. This is particularly true for Bunny and Michael who have more problems with their personal adjustment than most teens.

The writing is beautiful and the portraits of these teens are unflinching. An added benefit in the story is that Bunny is a female athlete. Her desire for Olympic fame and the tragic end are in many ways true to life. Neither teen has it easy, but together they survive.

I received this book from Knopf for this review.

A Reunion of Three Friends Reveals Old Secrets

Kim at thirty is finally running away from the demands of her wealthy family to do something for herself. She’s chosen a crumbling villa on the Amalfi Coast where she’s sure her parents won’t look for her. At the villa she meets two other women running from their own problems.

Annie, a hair dresser from Dublin, is the party girl. She’s in Italy because of a surprise bequest from one of her customers. Collette from England is worn out from caring for her mother who had breast cancer. She needs a chance to relax.

Six years later, Kim has purchased and restored the villa as a spa. It’s the grand opening, and she’s invited her two friends to come for a reunion. It should be a marvelous chance to enjoy each other’s company and catch up, but old tensions simmer beneath the surface.

This is a great escape novel. The scenery and description of the villa make you want to visit. It’s a great book to curl up with.

Each of the characters is unique. At first I found Kim too driven, but it was the problem she had to face. Colette is a delightful character, but she seems unsure about her marriage. Annie has problems with her business that she’d like to push aside.

The story is told in two time periods: when the girls met and the present. I thought the weaving together of the character’s stories was skillfully done leading to the somewhat surprising ending.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

The Healing Power of Flowers

Two Sears and Roebuck’s Craftsman homes stand side-by-side in Grand Haven, Michigan. A very old lady, Iris Maynard, lives in the one her father built. She wants to rent her grandmother’s house next door. She doesn’t want to interact with the tenants but she wants to select them. Iris is a recluse having lost her husband in WWII and her daughter to polio. She has managed her grief by creating beautiful gardens now hidden behind the high wall surrounding her house.

Abby Peterson, a chemical engineer, has a job in Grand Haven. Her husband, Cory, is a veteran who came back from the war with PTSD. The family is having trouble adjusting to his changed personality. Her daughter, Lily, is a delightful child who is also trying to adjust to her changed family.

Iris approves of the family and they move in. Although there is supposed to be no contact, that doesn’t work with a curious child like Lily and the women begin to interact for the benefit of both.

If you love flowers, this is a wonderful story. Each chapter begins with a new flower and a short passage that relates to the story. I loved the description of the gardens and flowers.

The story focuses on the redemption of both families. The narrative weaves between the present and the past where we learn about Iris’ tragedies and challenges. In the present Abby’s difficulties with her job and coping with her husband’s condition take center stage, but binding it all together are the flowers.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Settlement Worker Goes Missing and Murder Ensues

Gino’s sister-in-law, Teo, volunteers at a settlement house, one of the volunteers has gone missing and she’s looking for help from Gino to find the woman. Gino takes on the task with some help from Maeve, Sarah, and Frank. They are afraid she may have been kidnapped by the Black Hand which operates in Italian East Harlem in the area of the settlement house.

Nunzio Esposito’s gang operates under the Black Hand and Gino thinks they may be responsible. He learns that Nunzio has a flat in the new tenement he just built on Pleasant Avenue. When Gino goes to the flat he finds Nunzio, but he’s dead. The police surprise Gino bending over the body and immediately conclude that he’s responsible. Now Frank, Sarah. and Maeve must find the real killer to save Gino.

This is one of my favorite books in this series. I’d been hoping for more about Maeve and Gino’s romance. They’re front and center in this story, and their partnership works well. All the other characters are there, but the emphasis is on Gino and Maeve.

The historical background in this book was very informative. I didn’t realize that East Harlem was considered part of Little Italy at the start of the twentieth century. I also found the description of settlement houses where well-to-do young ladies lived to serve the community very interesting.

If you follow the series, this is a must read. If you’re new, it works well as a standalone.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Abbie Says Yes to Her Dreams

For five years, Temper, a biker, has come in to her family bar, Franks. Each year he asks her out and each year she says no. She put her dreams and college on hold to help her mother save the family business. Now she wants something different. What could go wrong having one date with Temper?

Abbie thinks it will be one date, but fate intervenes. She and Temper are having a lovely meal when she’s kidnapped. Temper saves her, but now she’s in LA at the biker’s headquarters, and Temper wants her to stay there to keep her safe. Although she didn’t relish being kidnapped, she finds she enjoys being away from her overbearing mother, and her feelings for Temper continue to grow.

This is an enjoyable romance. Abbie is a great character. She hasn’t had a chance to lead her own life, but now she’s ready, and Temper is the perfect partner. He’s a strong man who wants her and wants to protect her. The question is what secrets are holding them apart and can they make it work?

This is the third book in the Knights of Fury series. While you can get some additional information about the characters from the first two books, this works well as a standalone. If you enjoy romance, strong men, and a plot with twists, you’ll enjoy this book.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Families and Lovers in LA

Brick has put his job as an engineer on hold for a health emergency. He’s also suffering from a breakup with a woman he still loves. Helping his neighbor, Penny, he finds himself becoming the chauffeur and body guard for three tough, beautiful women working as escorts.

Dwayne, his brother, is also suffering setbacks in career and love. He’s been fired from his latest acting job and is nearly broke after giving money to Frenchis, is ex and the mother of his son. He wants to connect with his son, but doesn’t plan on the attraction he still feels for Frenchie.

This character study focuses on the two brothers, but also brings in the fascinating women, Penny, Christiana and Mocha Latte. Together with Brick these women form an unusual family. Dwayne’s struggles reveal his growth and enhanced ability to connect with his son.

The book tackles difficult issues particularly important to black men and women living in LA. These include job uncertainty, family dysfunction, gentrification, and LGBTQ issues. Although these are heavy topics, the author handles them with brisk dialogue and characters showing they can grow into new situations.

The pace is fast and the background covers many aspects of life in LA both glamorous and poverty stricken. I would have liked to see more background on some of the characters, particularly the three women, but it was a satisfying read.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

An Amish Family in Crisis

It’s been a difficult year for the Graber family. When Jemima was five months pregnant, Roy and one of their daughters was involved in a carriage accident. Both survived, but Roy developed a dependence on opiods and Jemima, because of her elevated blood pressure, was prescribed bed-rest. During the period Roy became involved with Tiffany, a Englischer. Although he didn’t intend it, his relationship with her led to an illegitimate daughter.

Jemima knows nothing about Roy’s daughter, but she does know that her marriage is no longer the close partnership of the early years. This becomes clear when the money they had put aside so she could buy a food cart has disappeared.

Abigail, Roy’s sister has been a help to the family through their trials. She’s twenty-seven and unmarried, which is unusual for an Amish woman. She plans to partner with Jemima on the food cart. When she meets Chris, a hired hand for the Graber horse farm. She’s attracted, but Chris has problems of his own. He’s trying to pay off his brother’s gambling debts by fighting, an activity that is frowned on by the Amish community.

This is much more complex than the usual Amish story. I thought it was well done and provided a much richer look at an Amish couple. Jemima is hurting because she no longer experiences the closeness with Roy that made the marriage work. This is a problem faced by many women, and it is dealt with sensitively.

Roy’s problems of opiate dependence and an illegitimate relationship are also problems experienced by many couples. I found his behavior reprehensible, but understandable, and I thought the author did a good job of making the problems real.

Chris and Abigail are are well rounded characters. They provide another view of the problems faced by a couple trying to live Christian ideals when faced with the conflicts of the real world. If you enjoy Amish stories, this is a good one.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review.

Sisters Support Each Other as Their Lives Change

Addie dropped out of her master’s program to care for her parents. Justine, her sister, twenty years older than Addie, is a corporate lawyer. Making more money, she took care of expenses while Addie was the caregiver. Now their mother is dead, and Addie wants to move on with her life.

Justine is faced with job and marriage challenges and isn’t sure she’ll be able to support Addie. She’s afraid her job will be abolished, and her stay-at-home husband would rather play than get a real job. Addie was supposed to have her parent’s house now Justine wants to fix it up and sell it because she needs money.

As the sisters face their challenges, they get to know each other and find support in the relationship. Although I didn’t like Justine at the start of the novel, as she faces her challenges, I saw her as a strong woman and came to respect her. Addie was always my favorite. She just seems like a nice caring person. I was rooting for her to find herself and move into the world.

The setting is perfect for the story. Half Moon Bay is a small town where everyone knows everyone else. It’s a place where Addie can safely come out of her shell. It’s also a place that Justine begins to enjoy once she sheds her corporate lifestyle.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

The Dark Side of Motherhood

Beth and her three siblings are gathered for a meal in the house they grew up in after putting their father, who suffers from dementia and heart disease, into a care home. The house is special to the four. It’s a tie to the father they loved, and they can’t decide whether to sell the house or keep it and rent it.

Beth has a five-month-old baby, Noah. She’s still on maternity leave and can’t quite decide to go back to her job as a psychologist. She volunteers to clean out the house guiltily knowing that she can ask her mother-in-law, who is excellent with children, to babysit for Noah. Beth, although she wanted a child bad enough to go through fertility treatments, now feels overwhelmed caring for him.

When cleaning out the house, Beth finds a lock on the attic door. When she gets in she finds a mess of paintings from her father, and piles of papers. Going through the papers, she finds letters from her mother, Grace. Beth and her siblings believed Grace died in an auto accident, but the truth is different. The letters also reveal an aunt, Maryanne, Beth didn’t know she had. Contacting Maryanne, she learns more about the history of the sisters and what happened to her mother.

The book has a dual timeline. Maryanne and Grace’s story takes place in the 1950s; Beth’s, in the 1990s. Although I don’t often like stories told in two time periods, this one worked well. As Beth gets to know her mother, she realizes how much they have in common. Her mother suffered from postpartum depression, and Beth realizes that she may being suffering from the same disorder.

Although the book is billed as a mystery, it is more of a character study. The theme is the differences and opportunities open to women in the 1990s that were not in the 50s. This is a book women today should read to understand some of the problems faced in their mothers’era.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

The Perfect Man Might Be Too Good to be True

Nina and the children are devastated when Glenn’s boat is found by a fisherman floating in the river with only the dog, Daisy, aboard. Glenn’s body is never found, and Maggie knows the family must move beyond the tragedy, but as she finds more about Glenn’s behavior before he disappeared she wonders if she was deceived all along.

Simon, a high school teacher, returns Daisy, who has apparently walked out the open front door. He’s a widower mourning the suicide of his wife. He and Nina hit it off immediately. He’s kind, supportive, and after Glenn’s disappearance everything Nina wants. Connor, her son, agrees. Here’s a man who spends time with him. Maggie, Nina’s daughter, isn’t so sure. She resents Simon and does all she can to get him out of their lives.

This is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing. It starts slowly building the picture of the family right after Glenn’s disappearance. Then the pace picks up and slowly the picture changes. The story is told through two view points, Nina’s and Maggie’s. I thought it was very effective. Nina sees the relationship she wants and tries to convince herself of the rightness of it. Maggie distrusts Simon. She’s very bright and going through some typical teenage relationship problems, but it doesn’t keep her from having a view of Simon that may be more correct than her mother’s.

This is a well written psychological thriller. You can see the disaster unfolding, but it’s so riveting you just keep watching. In this regard, I thought Nina’s scenes with her therapist were some of the best in the book. Nina sees what’s happening, but doesn’t want to.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Student Activists Derail a Favorite School Celebration

It’s Lock-in night. The school doors are closed and students roam free in the school for the night. For most it’s a time to try to make dreams come true like falling in love, winning a sports event, or finding a friend. This evening that many look forward to is a chance for Marisa, an eco-activist, and her friends to try to get their environmental demands met.

Marisa and her friends chain themselves to the exit doors refusing to let people in or out until their list of 30 demands are met. These range from banning plastic straws to saving an island. It would be one thing if the protest went on one night, but Marisa and her group won’t give up. As the protest drags on, the other students react in anger, but some begin to listen.

This book, told in the third person, has a very large cast of characters. This is both positive and negative. We get to experience the emotions of a range of people, but we don’t get really in depth emotionally with anyone except possibly Marisa.

While this was an interesting exploration of believing in something and acting on your ideals, I thought it went on too long and began to become less believable over time. I found the pace slow. It was difficult to stay interested. Still, it’s an interesting concept.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Stand-in for Her Sister

Millie wants very much to be accepted by her half-sister, Brooke. She was born when her mother was having a long term relationship with Brooke’s father. It’s a hurt that rankles both girls. They look amazingly alike which gave Brooke, married to Lorenzo a wealthy banker, the idea to use Millie as a stand-in. Millie doesn’t feel comfortable with the arrangement, but it does give her contact with the only family she has.

After five years, Millie is tired to the game, but agrees to stand-in for Brooke one more time. They’re in the limo racing to drop Millie at her hotel, so Brooke can catch an airplane. Brooke gives Millie her clothes and jewelry and takes Millie’s passport. Then the unthinkable happens. A terrible automobile crash kills Brooke and puts Millie in the hospital in a coma.

Lorenzo thinks the woman in a coma is Brooke and although they were planning to divorce, he feels he must care for her. He hated Brooke’s selfish ways, but when she wakes from the coma, she’s so different he begins to wonder if they have a future.

This is an amusing romance. Millie and Lorenzo are such nice people you can’t help hoping their romance will last. There are plenty of hot sex scenes, but they add to the story rather than distracting from it. The descriptions of Lorenzo’s fabulous houses are wonderful. You can’t help but feel you’d love to see them. If you enjoy romance, this is a good one.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Three Women at a Crossroads in Their Lives

Serenity, a crime writer, is headed to her family’s cabin on Lake Tahoe to meet three women she didn’t know existed until she took a DNA test on a lark. The test was supposed to be a bit of research to help her writing. Instead it revealed two half sisters. On top of her husband’s criminal trial, Serenity now wonders if everything she thought she knew about her family is a lie.

Regan, an ad executive, has a prestigious job and a demanding mother. She’s suffering from a serious romantic mistake at work. She’s never known who her father is, so she’s intrigued to see if her half-sisters can shed light on her background.

Lorelei was raised in a series of foster homes. She never knew who her parents were. She took the test to try to find her background and perhaps resolve her feelings of inferiority. She’s facing a crisis because her husband was cheating on her. She arrives at the cabin with her four-year-old daughter, Lucy.

The women get to know each other, but a weekend isn’t enough. They agree to spend the summer together getting to know each other and perhaps resolving their personal issues.

The plot is fascinating. With so many people taking DNA tests there are bound to be disquieting findings. I thought this was a good basis for the story. The three women are likable. They’re all stressed, but they’re trying to work out what they should do next and supporting each other.

Novak does a good job presenting the dramatic scenery around Lake Tahoe. I thought the descriptions were some of the best parts of the book.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Child Binds Two Women from Different Worlds

Bess works with her father selling shrimp from his stall. When she finds herself pregnant, he insists that she take the baby to the foundling hospital. The foundling hospital cares for the children and when they’re grown places then in domestic service, or other employment, but the mother can claim the child for a fee. Bess saves for six years to reclaim her daughter, Clara, but at the foundling hospital she learns that someone else pretending to be her claimed the child six years ago.

Alexandra is a rich woman, but she lives in fear. Her husband is dead and she keeps the house locked with only her young daughter, Charlotte, and the servants for company. Alexandra was brought up by a rigid controlling aunt, who made her life miserable, and now she is doing the same thing to Charlotte. A young doctor convinces her that Charlotte would be better off if she had a nursemaid and introduces her to Bess who she hires. It changes everything.

The story takes place in London in 1754. It’s a time when there was a wide gap between how the rich and poor lived. This story explores the differences through the viewpoints of the two women. The contrast shows not only the differences in living arrangement, but also differences in their conception of motherhood.

Beth is a very warm character, Alexandra is cold and rigid. As the story progresses, the author brings in the backstory that explains how the situation evolved. I thought the story dragged a little focused on the tension between the viewpoints of the two women, but the backstory is carefully woven in and keeps the book interesting.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Question of Murder by Fire

A tearful Jessie Beal begs Daniel Pitt to represent her young man, Robert Adwell. He’s accused of murdering Paddy Jackson by setting fire to a warehouse. Paddy is burned to death, but he also has a severe blow to the back of the head. In desperation Daniel goes to his friend Miriam fford Croft, a brilliant woman who wanted to be a forensic scientist, for help. Miriam thinks their only hope is in enlisting the help of her former forensics instructor, Sir Barnaby Saltram, even though she has a fraught relationship with him from her student days.

Daniel wins the case, but then Robert Adwell is killed in a fire identical to the one that killed Paddy Jackson, and Jessie Beal is arrested. He has no wish to take the case, but he’s trapped by his previous case even though he begins to suspect that Jessie is guilty. If she is, it calls into question Saltram’s evidence in the first case and now Daniel and Miriam have a problem. Can they go up against Sir Barnaby?

The book paints a vivid picture of London in 1910. The historical details are accurate. You almost feel that you are living there with cozy pubs and warming fires. However, there were problems with that era. Miriam is an intelligent woman who wanted to be a forensic scientist, but that profession was closed to women. She makes the best of it in her private laboratory, but it’s not the same.

Daniel, being younger than Miriam, is less prone to believe that women are failures unless married. He feels comfortable with Miriam as a close friend and relies on her judgment. I thought Perry did an excellent job presenting a pivotal moment in history where older men saw women as only wives and mothers while younger men were willing to treat them as equals.

This story consists of three court cases. Each grows out of the one before, but requires additional sleuthing. I though the first case was rather slow, but the action built until the third case gripped my interest.

This is the third book in Perry’s Daniel Pitt series although it reads easily as a standalone. I loved the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt books, and their son Daniel’s story is a welcome addition.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Left at the Altar

Daisy Dawson, nine months pregnant, is set to marry the baby’s father, but as it gets later and later and no groom, she begins to worry. Then comes the phone call. Her prospective groom, doesn’t really love her and can’t face the marriage. Angry and humiliated, Daisy takes off. She’s so angry she throws her cell phone out the car window, rips off her veil, and goes.

Then on a deserted country road, her baby decides to make an appearance. Daisy has no way to get help until Harrison McCord, the handsome stranger staying at the Dawson Ranch in Cabin 1, pulls up and helps deliver the baby. Daisy is incredibly grateful until Harrison gathers the Dawson clan and tells them what he’s there for.

Ten years ago Daisy’s father lost the ranch on a bet. With his father dead, Harrison is now there to claim his inheritance. The Dawson brothers want to take legal action, but Daisy thinks maybe there’s another way if she can make Harrison see how much the ranch means to the family.

This is a gentle love story in which the characters grow and come to accept their need for each other. There are no sex scenes, just a romance that will pull you in and make you root for their happiness. This is the second book in the Dawson Family Ranch Series, but it works as a standalone. The author does a good job of filling in the important details from the previous book.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Double Murder Mirrors a Twenty-Five Year Old Crime

Willow is disturbed by the way her brother and his wife are neglecting her niece Lucy. When she arrives to try to persuade her brother to take better care of Lucy, she finds things much worse than she expected. Her brother and his wife have been murdered, and Lucy is clinging to her dead mother.

Nate Slater is a K9 detective in the newly formed Brooklyn K9 Unit. With his canine partner Murphy, he responds to the call about a double homicide and finds Willow cradling her niece who is the only witness to the murders.

The case is eerily similar to a case that happened twenty-five years ago. The children who survived that crime now work with the Brooklyn K9 Unit, and Nate vows to solve the present crime and perhaps the older crime. As the case unfolds, Willow and Lucy become a target, and Nate finds himself their protector with an increasing interest in Willow.

The characters in this novel draw you in. Lucy is a delightful child. Willow is a committed aunt, and Nate is the perfect hero who grows in his ability to become more open. The romance between Willow and Nate blossoms quickly, but since this is a Christian novel, there are no sex scenes.

Murphy, Nate’s canine partner, steals the show. Not only is he an outstanding police dog, but he’s very gentle with Lucy. The plot moves at a moderate pace and the ending has a bit of a twist. I think you’ll like this book if you enjoy murder mysteries with likable characters.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Disreputable Nobleman is Killed Leaving Behind a Young Asian Boy

Calhoun, Sebastian St Cyr’s manservant, comes to him for help. His friend Nicholas Hayes, son of an earl, has been found murdered in Pennington’s Tea Gardens. He has a young Asian boy with him who is now with Calhoun’s mother, a rather notorious pub owner.

Nicholas was convicted of killing a young Frenchwoman and sent to Botany Bay eighteen years ago. Everyone believed he was dead until he returned to England with the boy. Sebastian must answer the question of why Nicholas would return to England where he has enemies who would be eager to end his life, and who is the boy?

As Sebastian begins to investigate, the boy disappears. Now he must try to find the child as well as learn who the killer was. The more he investigates, the more Sebastian realizes that the circumstances of Nicholas' conviction and transport to Botany Bay are not as straightforward as he was led to believe.

This is the fifteenth novel in C.S. Harris’ Regency mystery series featuring Sebastian St. Cyr. As usual, the historical detail is exceptionally well researched. In this novel we get a glimpse of the festivities sponsored by the Prince Regent celebrating the defeat of Napoleon.

Sebastian is a character you want to follow. He’s grown emotionally and in his detective skills throughout the series. One reason I enjoy the books is following his development and enjoying his relationship with the wife Hero, also helpful in his detective work.

If you enjoy well written historical mysteries with realistic characters, you will enjoy this book. You may also enjoy the complete series although this book can be read as a standalone.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Murder Roils a Twelfth Night House Party

Kiera, Lady Darby, and her husband, Sebastian, have been invited to the Twelfth Night Party at Sunlaws Castle, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Bowmont. Although Kiera prefers to avoid large parties, particularly one reputed to be as raucous as the one at Sunlaws Castle, she’s looking forward to seeing her new friend the Duchess of Bowmont and finishing her portrait.

When they arrive at the castle the atmosphere seems strained. This feeling is amplified during the festivities when the Lord of Misrule proposes a tour of the castle dungeons. The dungeons are suitably eerie for a ghost tour, but no one expects to find an actual ghost or in this case a decomposing body.

Because of the state of the corpse, it is impossible to make an identification, but Lady Eleanor’s husband has been in Paris and hasn’t communicated for weeks. Could this be Lord Helmswick, and if so how did he get back to the castle unnoticed?

This is another delightful mystery where Kiera and Sebastian have to overcome obstacles, including the reticence of the family, to discover the identity of the murdered man. I love these characters. Sebastian is very solicitous of Kiera, particularly since she’s pregnant, but he listens to her ideas and treats her as a full partner.

The descriptions of the castle are opulent but also unsettling. It’s a great setting for a ghost walk. Bree and Anderly, Kiera and Sebastian’s personal servants, play role and a romance is brewing. If you’re a fan of this series or of historical mysteries, this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Serial Killer Strikes Again, or Is It a Copycat?

Kieran Finnegan, a criminal psychologist, has been asked by her partners to interview the Fireman, a serial killer. The question is whether he’s insane or sane and evil. Kieran isn’t sure. He says he hears voices telling him to kill his victims, but is he faking?

Craig Frasier, an FBI agent and Kieran’s fiancee, is called to the scene of a murder, shortly after Kieran interviews the Fireman. The crime has all the earmarks of the Fireman, and he’s escaped from Riker’s Island, but has he had time to do the killing?

The Fireman contacts Keiran asking for help because he believes she’s good. Craig doesn’t want her anywhere near the killer, but when has anyone been able to stop Kieran?

This is a well done police procedural with lots of action and twists. The author gives plenty of clues, but still the ending was a surprise.

The characters are one of the best parts of the book. Kieran is a feisty redhead who lives up to reputation for getting involved in Craig’s cases. Craig is the perfect handsome hero who wants to protect Kieran, but knows that he can’t control her.

Kieran’s family runs Finnegan’s Pub. The scenes with Kieran and her brothers are some of the most delightful in the book. The family scenes keep the book from become bogged down in the horror of the killings.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

The Final Battles of Yumeko’s Team to Save the World from Chaos

In the third and final book in the Shadow of the Fox series, the team brought together by Yumeko is given an almost impossible task. Genno, Master of Demons, has both pieces of the Dragon scroll. He plans to use it to summon the great Dragon and make a wish that is granted every thousand years. If he is successful, it will become an age of demons and chaos will reign over the world.

The is a fast paced book full of action. It’s an almost non-stop chase scene as Yumeko and her band must battle enemies at every turn on their quest to stop Genno. Although the action is the major part of the story, we still have time to get to know the characters. The are the same characters from the earlier books: Yumeko, Tatsumi, Reika, Okame, and Daisuke. One of the best parts of this series is that the characters grow and change over the three books. I love the way the team interacts with humor and bravery.

Since this is the third book in a tightly woven series, it’s best to read the other two books first. However, this book can still be enjoyed for the medieval Japanese setting and the complex characters who populate the story.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Headstrong Girl Finds Love and Adventure in the Old West

Thirteen-year-old Eliza Ward wants to go on the cattle drive along the Chisholm Trail with her father. Her mother thinks she should go to her family in New Orleans where she could learn to be a lady, but Eliza can get what she wants from her father so she’s on the cattle drive. Her best friend and partner in crime, Wyatt Creed, is also working on the drive as is his arch rival Ben Barnhart.

Ben vows to marry Eliza, but Wyatt has different ideas, and Eliza doesn’t want anything to do with Ben. Before the cattle drive ends, Wyatt and his father have a life changing altercation,

and he’s gone from Eliza’s life possibly forever.

As a young lady, Eliza forgets her distaste for Ben and against her father’s wishes vows to marry him. This headstrong action to get back at her father brings calamity to the whole family.

This is a delightful romance filled with action and adventure. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of the old west along the route of the cattle drive. The plot sometimes seems contrived because Eliza is so bent on having her own way. I didn’t particularly like her character. Wyatt is a strong character and a true gentleman. He was my favorite character in the book. Ben makes a suitably detestable villain. All together it was a fun read.

This is the twelfth book in The Daughters of the Mayflower Series. I have enjoyed all books. Some are more focused on the history of the period. This one is more action and adventure, but all are worth reading.

I received this book from Barbour Books for this review.