Star Crossed Romance and Exotic Wineries

Ten years ago Princess Sofia fell madly in love with rock star, Aish Salinger, when they spent a summer working at his uncle’s winery in California. The romance didn’t end well, but neither can forget the other.

Now ten years later, Sofia has her own winery. At the grand opening she reluctantly invites Aish. He’s suffering under a scandal and has lost some of his super star glitter, but he still draws the press. Sofia plans to use their romance to enhance the winery opening, but doesn’t count on the incredible attraction she still feels for Aish.

I thought Sofia was a great main character. She’s tough and beautiful and willing to fight for what she wants. I particularly liked her dedication to her people and the principality. She’s willing to fight the establishment to make things better for them.

Aish was also a good character. He’s made mistakes and he knows it. He loves Sofia and tries had to apologize for the past. I thought the fact that he took responsibility for his past actions was good and made him worthy of Sofia.

The background of the wineries and the beautiful scenery made the story come alive. It doesn’t hurt that the book is filled with passion and romance.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

A Haunted Theater and a Murder

Mel Turner’s Construction Company is expert at renovating old building. Now she has two projects. She and Landon, her boyfriend, have purchased an old house they plan to live in. Thing are going well, except Mel is finding that it’s not always easy to negotiate the details of a new renovation when you’re seriously involved with one of the partners. Maybe it’s a good training for marriage.

She’s also involved with the restoration of the rundown Cockett Theater. When she finds Hildy, a ghost living in the attic of her old house, the two restorations come together. Add in the murder or a squatter in the old theater and the stage is set for an interesting time, particularly because the previous owner of the theater died under mysterious circumstances.

This, as the previous books in this series, is a fun read. Mel is a true artisan bringing old houses to life. The fact that she can see and visit with some of the previous occupants is a bonus. In this story, Hildy, once a starlet, now living in the attic with her gorgeous dresses, is a fun character. She brings to life the old theater. However, the murder of a squatter in the theater is what keeps the story moving.

I enjoyed the characters and found the interaction between Mel and Landon over the renovations in their house very realistic.

I received this book from Berkley Publishing Group for this review.

A Haunted House, or Just A Good Book?

When she was five, Maggie Holt’s family bought a wonderful old Victorian. It seemed like the dream of a life time even though things, possible evil, had happened in the house. The strange occurrences in the house began shortly after moving in particularly in Maggie’s room. Maggie’s father wrote a best selling book about their experiences, and Maggie has felt uncomfortable and used ever since.

Now Maggie has inherited the house and her profession is restoring old houses. She doesn’t believe a word of her father’s book until she moves in and begins to experience strange things.

The story moves between Maggie Holt’s point of view and chapters from her father’s best selling book. This is an interesting juxtaposition, since Maggie is determined to believe that nothing in the book really happened.

The book moves well. The pacing moves us seamlessly from Maggie in the present to her father’s book in the past. Like so many books told in two time frames, this one is, in my opinion, better when reading Ewan, the father’s, book.

If you enjoy paranormal, this is a good book. However, it’s also grounded in reality so it’s fun to read no matter what you think about ghosts and other apparitions. I enjoyed the book and recommend it for a read – perhaps not late at night in an old Victorian.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Hiding Bad News

Livia is totally wrapped up in her 40^th birthday party. She didn’t have a fancy wedding. Her husband, Adam, wants her to have this perfect party to make up for it, and he’s willing to do anything that will make the day perfect.

All Livia’s friends will be there except for her daughter Marnie who is studying in Hong Kong. Actually, Livia is glad Marnie won’t be there because she has uncovered a secret about her daughter that she’s reluctant to share with Adam. Perhaps she will after the party.

Adam, too, has a secret. Marnie has been able to get a flight and will be home in time for the party. He doesn’t want to tell Livia about the surprise. Then the unthinkable happens. The plane Marnie is on crashes and there are no survivors. How can he tell Livia on the eve of her special evening?

This is a story that makes you cringe. Both partners want to save their spouse from unpleasant facts, but not telling can be as hurtful as sharing the pain. The evening is looking perfect. Everyone is having a great time, but Livia and Adam are sitting on secrets that cause them to disconnect from the festive atmosphere.

This is a story that only takes two days, but has been building up for years. I enjoyed the book, but it can be painful reading. You want to shake Livia and Adam and tell them to grow up and support each other before it’s too late.

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

A WWII Romance in Occupied Paris

 In 1944 Paris was a very dangerous place. The Nazis were being pushed back, and it was rumored that and Allied invasion was immanent. Genevieve Dumont is a celebrated singer and toast of the Nazis, which allows her to move about the city freely even at night. However, Genevieve is also allied with the Resistance through her agent Max Bonet.

Genevieve has been estranged from her family for years and has even changed her name, but when she receives word that her mother Lillian the Baroness de Rocheford has been captured because the Nazis believe that she has information about the Allied Invasion, Genevieve knows she has to act to save her mother, even if it means revealing her true identity.

This story is rather more fantasy than the average WWII story, but it does have realistic background including the torture conducted on supposed spies and Resistance workers by the Nazis. Sometimes it’s hard to read moving from the fantasy portrayal of Genevieve’s fame to the harsh reality of life under the Nazi regime.

Genevieve and Max are brave characters risking their lives to save France. They are also attracted to each other, but it’s a romance that doesn’t interfere with the objectives of the Resistance and winning the war.

This story not only explores the war, but also the bonds that hold families together even in the worst circumstances. It raises the novel above just another romantic WWII adventure story.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Her Cousin’s Disappearance Draws Maggie Back to Ireland

Cousins, Erin and Maggie, grew up together. Erin was wild and unpredictable, but Maggie loved her. Then Erin went to Ireland to understand her heritage. She never returned, and Maggie was the one to go to try to find out what happened to her in 1993.

Now 23 years later, Erin’s scarf has been found. Other young women are missing in the same area and the Garda think the disappearances may be connected. Maggie is now a detective and a divorced mother with Lily, her teenage daughter. Luckily she and Brian, her ex-husband, are friendly. She leaves Lily with him and returns to Ireland hoping to find out at last what happened to Erin.

This is a mystery that will keep you guessing. The plot is complex woven between 1993 and the present. Maggie has contacts in Ireland, particularly Roly, a member of the Garda. He’s been investigating the case and keeping the family informed ever since the disappearance. Now Maggie teams up with him hoping to finally put the old suspicions to rest.

The setting for this story is wonderful. Irish history and snatches of songs are woven into the background giving a taste of Ireland. It made me want to visit. The characters come to life. Maggie and Roly are a good team, not lovers but friends. However, the character that makes the story is Erin. She is so vibrant that she makes people care about her disappearance 23 years later. You can understand why because getting glimpses of her is what makes you keep reading.

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

A Community Suffers the Effects of Violence and Abuse

When her mother, Alice, is found murdered, it’s one more murder in a violent part of Chicago, but to Ruby it’s devastating leaving her alone with her abusive father, Lebanon. Layla, Ruby’s friend since childhood wants to protect her, but her father Jackson tells her to stay away from Ruby.

Layla has no intention of obeying this injunction. Ruby needs her and she will do all she can to uncover the old secrets that are holding people together to keep the secrets safe. In the end, Layla is able to help Ruby, but the relationships she uncovers and the actions of people can be devastating.

This is a complex book with many characters, including the Calvary Church, used as viewpoint characters. I thought the church was particularly effective being a voice of the community. The problem with many viewpoints is that the opening chapters are slow and can be confusing. However, it’s worth persevering because the novel picks up at the end and ties the characters together with a surprising twist.

The book has many themes: violence and abuse, the intensity of sisterhood, and the destructive potential of secrets. However, the books doesn’t sacrifice story telling for a polemic. The themes are there, but the characters have center stage. Each of the main characters comes to life and the minor characters are well drawn and contribute color to the story.

This is a mystery, but it is also the story of a community.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Distrust Threatens to Destroy a Marriage

Charlotte or Charlie, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, marries Paul, a millionaire architect. She was warned that Paul’s first wife drowned under mysterious circumstances, but Charlie’s in love. Things are going well, she even finds she’s pregnant to Paul’s delight, but then things begin to unravel.

Returning to their boat moored to the dock in front of their house, Charlie finds a woman’s body under the dock. It’s the same place they found Kate, Paul’s first wife. Charlie recognizes the woman as someone Paul was talking to when she picked him up in town. But when the police question them, he lies about knowing her. Then he disappears leaving Charlie to face the investigation alone.

This is an atmospheric novel. The lake on which the house sits is magnificent during the day, but at night it becomes dark and creepy. Charlie wonders if there’s something bad hidden under the water. The descriptions of the town and the area were well done. However, the story itself left something to be desired.

The pace was rather slow. At points the narrative dragged. I think the problem is that Charlie was left to carry too much of the action. Paul and his friends are rather stereotyped. They are held together by actions from their teen years and never seemed to get beyond that stage. Diana, Paul’s mother, is no fan of Charlie and a character you can love to hate.

If you enjoy atmospheric mysteries, you may enjoy this one.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Family Secrets

When Hope arrives at Orchard House in the middle of the night with her daughter, Tink, she’s at the end of her rope. It doesn’t help that her aunt Peg meets them at the door with a shotgun. Peg isn’t sure she wants these relatives at the Orchard House, but they have no place to go. She agrees to let them stay if they help with cherry picking.

In addition to the three generations of women, two men are important to the story. Hank is an old friend of Peg’s. Although she’s standoffish to most people, she lets Hank into her confidence. Abel is a young man who left the Army with PTSD. He bought some land from Peg, and now he’s helping with cherry picking. As the summer progresses, he and Hope find they like each other and Tink accepts him.

This is a lovely story of people coming to terms with past hurts. Although Hope is a good character, I found Peg the more impressive. She’s been withdrawn for many years from the things she cares about most. Will she be able to take a chance and regain some goodness from life?

The story is told from three viewpoints, Hope, Peg and Tink. At first I didn’t care for Tink’s chapters. She’s very self-centered and devious, but in the end I was glad her point of view was included. Each generation had their problems to overcome.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Romance at a Royal Wedding

Lady Caroline Hawke is reveling in the beauty of her friend Eliza’s wedding to Sebastian, Crown Prince of Alucia. However, she has to admit to twinges of jealousy. She’d love to be marrying a handsome prince, and there is one available. Sebastian's younger brother Leopold is quite a catch, but he doesn’t seem to notice Caroline’s charms. This calls for serious measures to attract his attention.

Leopold for his part can’t wait to get back to his bachelor life in London. He finds Caroline a nuisance. She’s forward, talks too much, and doesn’t seem to recognize the proprieties. She is beautiful, but that doesn’t make up for her imperfections until he needs her help to complete a mission. Women from Wesloria, a neighboring kingdom, are being sold into slavery and taken to London, and it’s up to Sebastian to rescue them.

This is a delightfully lush royal romance. The scenes at the wedding are a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds that create a perfect backdrop for romance. If you long to envision a royal fantasy, this is a perfect escape.

Caroline and Leopold are not likable characters in the opening chapters, they’re vain and self-centered. The saving grace is that they irritate each other leading to some amusing dialog. They become much more human when they team up to solve the mystery of the missing girls.

This is the second of the three books in The Royal Wedding Series. As fantasy romance they’re delightful.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

Murder of a Suffragette

It’s 1912 and Lady Cecilia Bates of Danby Hall is feeling restless. Her brother is courting Annabelle Clarke, an American heiress, who has the qualities Cecilia’s mother wants in a daughter. Annabelle is eager to plan church fetes and is very amenable to marriage. Celia is bored by village fetes and isn’t interested in marriage. She wants to do something useful.

Cecelia’s view of the world brightens when Mrs. Amanda Price, a suffragette leader, comes to town to give a lecture. Determined to meet her hero, Cecelia and Jane, Amanda’s lady’s maid, contrive to attend the lecture and meet Mrs. Price. She invites Cecelia to visit her at Primrose Cottage that she is renting in the area.

When Cecelia arrives, Mrs. Price is dead having fallen down the stairs. The authorities believe it was an accident, but Cecelia thinks it was something else. She’s seen the underlying tension in the group and wonders why Mrs. Price doesn’t live with her husband. Soon she, Jane, and Cecelia’s cat are deep into trying to solve the mystery.

Cecelia is a good character. She wants to do something useful with her life, not just become the wife and mother her family expects her to be. My only problem with Cecelia is that she ruminates about her life choices constantly. It got a little wearing.

The mystery is entertaining with lots of suspects. The pacing is fair. It took almost a third of the book for the murder to happen. However, it’s an enjoyable read if you like historical mysteries.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Mother Protects Her Deaf Son in a Murder Investigation

Elsie Carmichael, a court sign language interpreter, is just finishing a case and rushing off to pick up her son, Sawyer, who is deaf. On the way out of the building she sees one of the guards speaking to a man she doesn’t know. Reading their lips she fears they are planning a murder. Just as she is about to go to the police with what she learned, she gets a call from Hallie, her son’s sitter. He has broken his wrist and is being taken to the emergency room. Elsie forgets the police and rushes off to be with her son.

The next morning she learns that indeed a murder has been committed. Her mother-in-law, a state senator has been assassinated. Because of her lip reading, Elsie and Sawyer become part of the police investigation of the crime.

This murder mystery is filled with twists. It’s hard to guess who killed the senator and why until the very end. Elsie and Sawyer are appealing characters. Sawyer is a brave little boy and his mother does everything she can to protect him.

The use of lip reading and sign language in the story was interesting. I enjoyed learning more about the deaf and how children, deaf from birth function. The story is Christian fiction. Elsie’s character prays a great deal, but it is a realistic part of who she is.

If you like a suspenseful, Christian mystery, this is a good one.

I received this book from Barbour Publishing for this review.

A Chilling Tale of Family Murders

Harriet Peters is hastily summoned to her friend Lizzie Robinson on a bitterly cold night. Lizzie has developed the severe stomach pains that led to the deaths of several relatives including the recent death of Lizzie’s uncle. Needing to do something, Harriet races off to get a doctor. The closest is a new doctor in the area, Michael Wheaton.

Although he does his best, Michael is unable to save Lizzie, but watching the death, he thinks something is wrong. Too many members of the same family are dying.

On her deathbed, Lizzie makes Harriet promise to take care of the Robinson children. The only way Harriet can continue her millinery business and take care of the children is to move in with the family. Michael, who has become fond of Haarriet, is worried about her safety and together they decide to find out what is happening.

This is another well researched true crime story. The deaths of so many people and the danger to Harriet are emotionally chilling. The author does a good job of setting the scene and keeping the tension high. The romance between Michael and Harriet is chaste and sweet. It adds an air of normalcy to a truly horrifying situation.

If you like historical crime stories with a hint of romance, this is a good one.

I received this book from Barbour Publishing for this review.