The Christie Affair Review

Author: Nina de Gramont

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

3.5 Intriguing Hearts

Special thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc of this book.

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Nina de Gramont's The Christie Affair is a beguiling novel of star-crossed lovers, heartbreak, revenge, and murder—and a brilliant re-imagination of one of the most talked-about unsolved mysteries of the twentieth century.

Review:

One of the most talked about mysteries of the twentieth century is the eleven day disappearance of famed mystery writer Agatha Christie.  On December 3, 1926, after being told by her husband that he was leaving her for another woman, Agatha Christie left their home and simply disappeared for eleven mysterious days.  A massive manhunt ensued.  Her car was discovered abandoned with her clothing and driver's license inside.  There are multiple theories on the why and how - revenge, publicity, amnesia, grief?  Finally, on December 14, 1926, Christie was discovered at a hotel staying under the name Mrs. Tressa Neele, but she claimed not to remember anything.  What happened during those eleven days?  The answer remains a mystery to this day.

The Christie Affair is the fictional retelling of a spasmodic time in Agatha Christie's life and is narrated mostly by Archie Christie's mistress, Nancy Neele known as Nan O'Dea is this book.  As it turns out, Nan's story is quite intriguing.  Readers learn of a her own troubled life from a young age and are privy to her motivation for insinuating her way into Archie's life even at the cost of his marriage.  Nan appears convinced she knows the true story of what happened to Agatha and in fact, tells the story as though she has insider information, but remember it's all conjecture.  As it turns out, this book's more about Nan, her thoughts and need for the spotlight than about what happened to Agatha. It's an interesting premise for narrating a story, but it relegates Agatha to a support role vs. Nan who becomes the fictional star of the show.

Readers looking to learn the answer to the big real life mystery of Agatha Christie's disappearance will be disappointed in this book.  However, The Christie Affair is entertaining and quite twisted with a mysterious murder, a touch of romance and a complex quest very similar to a real life Agatha Christie mystery story.  The pacing is nigh on perfect and the ending, although readers may see it coming, is quite stunning.  The characters are well fleshed out, believable and dare I say even likable?  The author accomplishes quite a feat in making O'Dea come across as somewhat likable given she admittedly set out to destroy a marriage for selfish reasons.  

The Christie Affair is an intense, emotional fictional story.  This reader would have liked to hear more from Agatha Christie herself; however, I believe the author accomplished what she set out to do which was to give readers insight into the mistress and her role in what happened leading up to those fateful eleven days, including the fact that O'Dea had been hatching this plot for years.  Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this book especially if they go into it knowing what - or what not - to expect.  Recommended to fans of fictional retellings of true stories.

Synopsis:

Every story has its secrets.
Every mystery has its motives.

“A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It’s a particular feeling, the urge to murder. It takes over your body so completely, it’s like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. There’s a joy to it. In retrospect, it’s frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet.”

The greatest mystery wasn’t Agatha Christie’s disappearance in those eleven infamous days, it’s what she discovered.

London, 1925: In a world of town homes and tennis matches, socialites and shooting parties, Miss Nan O’Dea became Archie Christie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted and well-known wife, Agatha Christie.

The question is, why? Why destroy another woman’s marriage, why hatch a plot years in the making, and why murder? How was Nan O’Dea so intricately tied to those eleven mysterious days that Agatha Christie went missing? 

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti Release Blitz

 

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti  by Jennifer Probst is now live! 

A secret romance pushes three estranged sisters to the Amalfi Coast to follow clues about their mother's past, and challenges them to a whole new future, from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Sisters Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey haven't been close in years, but when they're forced to come together to settle their mother's estate, they discover a secret none of them knew. In an old trunk, they happen upon ownership papers for a house on the Amalfi Coast, along with a love letter from their mother to an anonymous man, promising to meet him in Italy during the summer of her seventieth year.

Now they're questioning everything they knew about her history. In order to get answers about the woman they thought they knew, they'll have to go back to where it all started. The sisters embark on a trip to the stunning cliffside village of Positano, Italy, to track down the mysterious ex-lover, and figure out who their mother really was.

As Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey unearth the truth, they also experience the magic of Italy, the power of sisterly love, a little unexpected romance, and newfound hope for the future.

  Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!

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Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer, Ann Marie Lee, & Edoardo Ballerini

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Meet Jennifer

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn't stopped writing since. She holds a masters in English Literature and lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. Her family keeps her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean. Her passions include horse racing, Scrabble, rescue dogs, Italian food, and wine--not necessarily in that order.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, spent 26 weeks on the New York Times. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was dubbed a "romance phenom" by Kirkus Reviews. She is also a proud three-time RITA finalist.

She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases at www.jenniferprobst.com. Join her newsletter to receive a free book at www.jenniferprobst.com/newsletter.

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My 5 Star Review:

Oh, what a heart breaker this one is!  It's been a while since a book pushed all my buttons as this one did.  I read the final pages wiping tears and wondering "what if".  Needless to say, The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti is an emotional, heart touching read that deals with events from both the past and present.  I love the way Probst pulls readers in by allowing them to read the love letters from "R" as Olivia reads them in the past and the sisters read them in the present.  I'm going to be vague about most of this, because the beauty of the story for me was the unknown . . . the promise hanging in the air that love will prevail in spite of all.  And in many ways, I guess it does.

The Secret Love Letters of Oliva Moretti is a beautifully rendered story of three estranged sisters discovering decade-old love letters written to their mother when they gather at the house to clean out their mother's possessions after her sudden passing.  Old wounds, hurt feelings and grudges among the sisters are still raw, causing tempers to flare and nit-picky arguments to fester.  When they discover the love letters hidden in a trunk in the attic, they also find a deed in their mother's name for a home on the coast of Italy.  They're stunned.  No one had a clue their mother owned a home in Italy.  The sisters realize they'll have to smooth hurt feelings between them and band together to uncover the secret their mother kept hidden her whole life.  Each sister is carrying secrets of their own, but each one slaps on a smiley face, buries her feelings and anger - yet again - and off to Italy they go.  Their mission is to find the house . . . and reveal the identity of the mysterious man who signed longing, highly emotional love letters to their mother with a "R".

The Secret Love Letters of Oliva Moretti is a highly emotional, gut-wrenching story of love and what happens when fate steps in to send soul mates on different paths in life.  It touches on different types of love and the roles they play over one's lifetime.  It speaks of love and loss, hard decisions and sacrifice.  It speaks of truth and trust and learning when to hold on and when to let go.  Three sisters travel to Italy in search of the truth of who their mother really was - the "woman" vs. the "mother" they grew up loving.  During their time spent there, hard truths spill out causing each sister to take a long, hard look at their own life and relationship with their siblings.  Readers are privy to each sister's thoughts and feelings which makes this story extremely intimate and personal.  And the heart wrenching love letters take it all to another level.  From the characters to the plot line to the setting to the pace, The Secret Love Letters of Oliva Moretti is first class all the way.  The highs, lows and overwhelming emotion of this thing called love . . . and what one will sacrifice for it is front and center in this book.  I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it to readers everywhere.

Full Flight Review

Author: Ashley Schumacher

Genre: Suspense Thriller

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: Feb. 22, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

3 Broken Hearts

Special thanks to Wednesday Books for an arc of this book.

A heartbreaking novel about finding your first love and what happens when it's over too soon. Ashley Schumacher’s Full Flight is about how first love shapes us—even after it’s gone. 

Review:

Full Flight is the story of two young, struggling students recognizing something special in each other.  Anna's the only freshman in the marching band and is struggling to keep up.  When she's paired to perform a duet with Wesley Ryan, she's excited but also apprehensive.  Wesley is the town troublemaker, the weird boy no one understands.  And yet, when Wesley looks at Anna a smile breaks out on his face and Anna feels special.  A strong friendship quickly incurs that leads to an insta-love situation.  Thus when tragedy strikes, one of them has to learn how to move on under the burden of intense grief and loss.

Full Flight is an emotional young adult story that deals with issues like first love, peer pressure, loss and grief.  The book is well written with characters that will steal your heart.  I found the pace a bit slow with long descriptive passages on band protocol, etc., but overall it's a fast read.  I feel like a little too much information is revealed in the blurb leading readers into the story with a wariness, an expectation of what's coming, and it puts a damper on the enjoyment of watching young love blossom.  As might be expected, Full Flight is a heart-breaker so have the tissues ready.  In spite of all that, Full Flight is a story of hope, survival and learning to let go and move on.  Highly recommended to fans of young adult romance. 

Synopsis:

Everyone else in the tiny town of Enfield, Texas calls fall football season, but for the forty-three members of the Fighting Enfield Marching Band, it’s contest season. And for new saxophonist Anna James, it’s her first chance to prove herself as the great musician she’s trying hard to be.

When she’s assigned a duet with mellophone player Weston Ryan, the boy her small-minded town thinks of as nothing but trouble, she’s equal parts thrilled and intimidated. But as he helps her with the duet, and she sees the smile he seems to save just for her, she can’t help but feel like she’s helping him with something too.

After her strict parents find out she’s been secretly seeing him and keep them apart, together they learn what it truly means to fight for something they love. With the marching contest nearing, and the two falling hard for one another, the unthinkable happens, and Anna is left grappling for a way forward without Weston.

The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti Review

Author: Jennifer Probst

Genre: Women's Fiction

Publisher: Berkley Publ.

Release Date: Feb. 22, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

5 Heart Breaking Hearts

Special thanks to Berkley Publ. for an arc of this book.

A secret romance pushes three estranged sisters to the Amalfi Coast to follow clues about their mother's past, and challenges them to a whole new future, from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

Review:

Oh, what a heart breaker this one is!  It's been a while since a book pushed all my buttons as this one did.  I read the final pages wiping tears and wondering "what if".  Needless to say, The Secret Love Letters of Olivia Moretti is an emotional, heart touching read that deals with events from both the past and present.  I love the way Probst pulls readers in by allowing them to read the love letters from "R" as Olivia reads them in the past and the sisters read them in the present.  I'm going to be vague about most of this, because the beauty of the story for me was the unknown . . . the promise hanging in the air that love will prevail in spite of all.  And in many ways, I guess it does.

The Secret Love Letters of Oliva Moretti is a beautifully rendered story of three estranged sisters discovering decade-old love letters written to their mother when they gather at the house to clean out their mother's possessions after her sudden passing.  Old wounds, hurt feelings and grudges among the sisters are still raw, causing tempers to flare and nit-picky arguments to fester.  When they discover the love letters hidden in a trunk in the attic, they also find a deed in their mother's name for a home on the coast of Italy.  They're stunned.  No one had a clue their mother owned a home in Italy.  The sisters realize they'll have to smooth hurt feelings between them and band together to uncover the secret their mother kept hidden her whole life.  Each sister is carrying secrets of their own, but each one slaps on a smiley face, buries her feelings and anger - yet again - and off to Italy they go.  Their mission is to find the house . . . and reveal the identity of the mysterious man who signed longing, highly emotional love letters to their mother with a "R".

The Secret Love Letters of Oliva Moretti is a highly emotional, gut-wrenching story of love and what happens when fate steps in to send soul mates on different paths in life.  It touches on different types of love and the roles they play over one's lifetime.  It speaks of love and loss, hard decisions and sacrifice.  It speaks of truth and trust and learning when to hold on and when to let go.  Three sisters travel to Italy in search of the truth of who their mother really was - the "woman" vs. the "mother" they grew up loving.  During their time spent there, hard truths spill out causing each sister to take a long, hard look at their own life and relationship with their siblings.  Readers are privy to each sister's thoughts and feelings which makes this story extremely intimate and personal.  And the heart wrenching love letters take it all to another level.  From the characters to the plot line to the setting to the pace, The Secret Love Letters of Oliva Moretti is first class all the way.  The highs, lows and overwhelming emotion of this thing called love . . . and what one will sacrifice for it is front and center in this book.  I couldn't put it down and highly recommend it to readers everywhere.

Synopsis:

Sisters Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey haven't been close in years, but when they're forced to come together to settle their mother's estate, they discover a secret none of them knew. In an old trunk, they happen upon ownership papers for a house on the Amalfi Coast, along with a love letter from their mother to an anonymous man, promising to meet him in Italy during the summer of her seventieth year.

Now they're questioning everything they knew about her history. In order to get answers about the woman they thought they knew, they'll have to go back to where it all started. The sisters embark on a trip to the stunning cliffside village of Positano, Italy, to track down the mysterious ex-lover, and figure out who their mother really was.

As Priscilla, Devon, and Bailey unearth the truth, they also experience the magic of Italy, the power of sisterly love, a little unexpected romance, and newfound hope for the future. 

The Fields Review

Author: Erin Young

Series: Riley Fisher #1

Genre: Mystery Suspense

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Release Date: Jan. 25, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

Rating: 3 Hearts

Special thanks to Flatiron Books for an arc of this book.

A breakneck procedural that is beautifully written and masterfully crafted, The Fields is a dynamite debut—crime fiction at its very finest.

Review:

Sergeant Riley Fisher is the newly appointed head of the Field Investigations division of the sheriff's office in Black Hawk County. She is shocked and devastated to learn the identity of a murder victim discovered in a local corn field.  The victim is Chloe Miller, a childhood friend which stirs both good and bad memories in Riley.  Chloe's family is part of the area's notorious Zephyr cooperative.

Riley and the small town sheriff's office are out of their league as this murder investigation quickly becomes complicated and intertwined with area corporations and their dominance over small town family farmers. Riley's intentions are good, and she leads the investigation to the best of her ability and experience. Her own personal issues threaten to spill over into the investigation giving the story an air of authenticity. The setting takes over as a character on its own as it plays critically into the plot line.  Much of the focus is on agricultural issues and the takeover of family farms that have been passed down over the ages.  For the most part, I feel the author does a good job with content and setting although at times it feels a bit overwhelming.

The Fields is a great debut from an obviously talented new author.  I enjoyed the way she controls the flow of this story as it plays out and look forward to reading more.  Recommended to fans of mystery and suspense.

Synopsis:

Some things don't stay buried.

It starts with a body, a young woman found dead—torn to bits—in an Iowa cornfield on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Ag. This is the heart of the Corn Belt, where drones spray crops from above and corn is perfected in labs to grow faster, better. When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a traumatic event in her own past.

Fisher's investigation grows complicated as more victims are found, each murder more harrowing than the last. The crime spree grabs headlines and becomes a factor in the reelection campaign of the governor, a friend of Riley's father. Suddenly, this sleepy part of farm country is at the center of a media storm and Riley isn't sure who she can trust anymore.

The Favor Review

Author: Nora Murphy

Genre: Domestic Suspense Thriller

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: May 31, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

4 Gripping Hearts

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

A gripping debut domestic suspense novel, The Favor explores with compassion and depth what can happen when women pushed to the limit take matters into their own hands.

Review:

Two lives running a parallel course finally collide in this debut domestic thriller by Nora Murphy.  Two educated, professional women both trapped in a life with men they no longer recognize or trust.  Two women who fear the consequences of trying to escape their abusive marriages more than they fear continuing to live with the pain, threats and isolation.  Two women who've never met until the day fate steps in, leaving them reeling - free on one hand, but just as trapped on another. 

The Favor is an intense, gripping domestic thriller that explores the lives of two women struggling in abusive, controlling relationships.  Neither can believe they've let the man they married manipulate them into a life of isolation, pain, fear and shame. Both women are, or were, professionals who loved their jobs - one a doctor and the other a lawyer.  And yet both highly educated women end up forced out of their jobs by the underhanded manipulation of their husbands under the guise of providing for them.  Both are at the end of their rope - afraid to make a run for it or tell anyone.  When their paths cross in a checkout line while purchasing alcohol, one woman recognizes the signs of domestic violence in the face of the other.  Why?  Because she recognizes herself.  She makes a split second decision to follow the other woman home and is stunned to learn they are living parallel lives including spousal abuse.  While the one wife doesn't think she can find a safe way out herself, she decides then and there to help the other woman get out.  Little does she know she's opened Pandora's Box when she moves from watching to take action.  Events quickly spiral out of control and soon both their worlds come crashing down.  

There's no way to share more details of this story without revealing spoilers.  I found my heart racing as I stood in the shadows with Leah watching McKenna cowl down before her husband as he berates her.  I could smell the fear, the hopelessness, the pain.  Readers are privy to both women's fear as the author's use of alternating points of view makes the nightmares they're each living all too real.  The fear escalates when their picture perfect husbands arrive home and both wives are wondering what they will do to set the men off this time.  Dinner overcooked?  Or late?  House not clean enough?  What excuse will he have for abusing her this time?  

Murphy does an excellent job shattering society's preconceived notion of what occurs behind closed doors in upper income homes where perfect men come home to perfect wives each night, and she does so by revealing the often hidden domestic abuse that resides within.  By allowing readers behind the scenes, she educates them on the fact that upper income professionals can get caught in abusive relationships and find it just as difficult to escape as an uneducated woman from the poor side of town. Murphy's expertise as a lawyer who has worked domestic abuse cases gives this story an authentic air and the end result is a believable if horrifying story of how far a woman may be pushed before seeking a way out . . . and what drastic measures she'll take to get out. 

The Favor is a raw, gripping, intense story that I found hard to put down.  I was drawn in by the dangerous vibes that permeated each page as the well-plotted story progressed.  A dark, ominous tone sets the stage for pending disaster.  While there are a couple of elements in this story that didn't resonate with me, it's so well executed that I brushed them off and burned pages until the end.  Fans of domestic suspense books, this one is for you!  Also recommended to fans of suspense thrillers.

Synopsis:

Staying is dangerous. Leaving could be worse.

Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have parallel lives.

They don’t—ever—find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or the coffee shop. They don’t—ever—discuss their problems and find common ground. They don’t—ever—acknowledge to each other that although their lives have all the trappings of success, wealth and happiness, they are, in fact, trapped.

Because Leah understands that what’s inside a home can be more dangerous than what’s outside. Driving past McKenna’s house one night, she sees what she knows only too well herself from her own marriage: McKenna’s “perfect” husband is not what he seems. She decides to keep an eye out for McKenna, until one night, she intervenes.

Leah and McKenna have never met. But they will.

The Lady Tempts An Heir Review

Author: Harper St. George

Series: The Guilded Age Heiresses #3

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: Feb. 22, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

Rating: 4 Steamy Hearts

Special thanks to Berkley Publ. for an arc of this book.

A fake engagement brings together a lady with bold and daring dreams, and the heir whose heart she captured—perfect for fans of Bridgerton!

Review:

American Maxwell Crenshall returns to London at the news that his father is ill.  He finds him recovering and determined to force Max into a marriage by Christmas in order to secure a heir for Crenshaw Iron.  Max has no intention of marrying even though every woman in London would love to hook him, but his father plays the one card that will convince him otherwise.  The elder Crenshaw threatens to withdraw funding for a project Max's sister August is involved in if he doesn't choose a bride soon.  He can't allow his sister to be hurt so he hatches a plan for a fake engagement with the one woman he's never forgotten - Widow Lady Helena March.  Helena is skeptical but she agrees to go along with the charade in order to secure funding for a project near and dear to her heart - the London Home for Young Women which houses and secures jobs for the "fallen" women that society turned their back on.  Both Maxwell and Helena will gain what they want from a fake engagement and then go their separate ways, right?

Oh, I do love a good fake engagement story, and The Lady Tempts An Heir is perfect!  Readers who have followed the series are aware of the chemistry exploding between Maxwell and Helena from the previous book.  Harper St. George has upped the odds in this book and the result is a sinfully sexy story that also dives deeply into gender roles and social class prejudices of the time period.  Helena is the perfect heroine to buck societal expectations as she crosses barriers and spurns expectations.  She is feisty, strong and on a mission to provide a better life for the women of the home in spite of society's scorn.  She's also carrying a dark secret that delegates her to life as a single woman no matter how much she may wish otherwise.  Maxwell is a dashing, bold if somewhat brooding hero with a kind heart and strong determination to make it on his own.  The clash, bump and grind between these two makes for a deliciously sinful story with a whole lot of heart!  I highly recommend it to fans of historical romance and fake relationship tropes as well as to any reader who loves a good romance with a lot of meat on the bones.

Synopsis:

Tall, dark, and brooding—to say that American Maxwell Crenshaw stood out in the glittering ballrooms of London, is an understatement. He vowed never to set foot in England again, but when a summons from his father, along with an ultimatum to secure his legacy, has him crossing the Atlantic for the last time, reuniting him with the delectable Lady Helena March, he can’t deny the temptation she presents. Or the ideas she inspires...

Lady Helena March is flirting with scandal. Instead of spending her time at teas and balls in search of another husband, as is expected of a young widow, Helena pours her energy into The London Home for Young Women. But Society gives no quarter to unmarried radicals who associate with illegitimate children and fallen women, and Helena’s funding is almost run out. So when the sinfully seductive Crenshaw heir suggests a fake engagement to save them both—him from an unwanted marriage and her from scorn and financial ruin—Helena finds herself too fascinated to refuse the sexy American.

As their arrangement of convenience melts oh so deliciously into nights of passion, their deception starts to become real. But if Max knew the true reason Helena can never remarry, he wouldn’t look at her with such heat in his eyes. Or might the Crenshaw heir be willing to do whatever it takes to win the one woman he’s never been able to forget...

Do I Know You? Review

Author: Sarah Strohmeyer

Genre: Mystery Suspense

Publisher: Harper 

Release Date: Nov. 30, 2021

Order Link: Amazon

Rating: 3 Unique Hearts

Special thanks to Harper Paperbacks for an arc of this book.

For readers of Lisa Jewell, Liv Constantine, and Megan Miranda, a lightning-paced psychological thriller about two women, a tragedy that connects them as teenagers, and the terrible reckoning that will decide their fates a decade later.

Review:

Jane Ellison is working for Homeland Security at Logan Airport scanning incoming passenger faces for terrorists or any other threat.  Her ability as a super recognizer makes her perfect for the job as she can recognize anyone from as little as the shape of a jaw, forehead or brow.  Jane also never forgets a face so when heiress Bella Valencia enters the airport, she jumps to detain the woman she holds responsible for her sister Kit's disappearance eleven years earlier.  All chaos ensues, and Jane ends up fired when the mega-wealthy Pease family intervenes.  Disgraced and black-listed, Jane decides to infiltrate the Valencia/Pease wedding to finally get justice for her sister.  What she learns may surprise her.

Do I Know You is an intriguing thriller with a unique plot line.  It starts off strong and sets a steady pace as Jane pursues Bella searching for the truth.  It becomes a bit convoluted midways with several schemes hatched by Jane that seem doomed to fail from the beginning.  The basic plot line is thrilling, and I enjoyed the story based on that and Jane's character and unique talent.  The pace picks back up in the latter half and that's when it becomes hard to put down.  All in all, Do I Know You is an enjoyable roller coaster of highs and lows that kept me guessing for some time.  Recommended for fans of mystery, suspense and thrillers.

Synopsis:

Jane Ellison is a “super recognizer” able to identify strangers by the slightest facial details—the curve of a head, the arch of an eyebrow. When she spies human rights activist and heiress Bella Valencia in a crowded Boston airport, Jane’s convinced she’s found the person responsible for her sister Kit’s disappearance and presumed death eleven years earlier. But her attempt to detain the suspect ends with Jane herself fired and humiliated. 

As Bella prepares to marry Will Pease, scion of the uber-wealthy, influential, and ruthless Pease family, famous for their wholesome wellness and lifestyle brand, on their private Cape Cod island, she grows increasingly anxious that her dire secret will be revealed and used against her by—of all people—the man she loves.

She has reason to fear: Jane is ready to risk everything for the chance to publicly expose Bella’s crimes at her upcoming celebrity wedding. But the more she digs into what happened that night, the more she questions her own assumptions. 

Combining magnetic, wise-cracking narration and a skillfully layered plot, Do I Know You? is a gripping psychological thriller and tale of redemption that reveals the power of a sister's love. (less)

The Ex Talk Review

Author: Rachel Lynn Solomon

Genre: Rom Com

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: Jan. 26, 2021

Order Link: Amazon

4 Truthful Hearts

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for a copy of this book.

Public radio co-hosts navigate mixed signals in Rachel Lynn Solomon's sparkling romantic comedy debut.

Review:

Long time radio producer Shay Goldstein has a thorn in her side, and his name is Dominic Yun - her fresh out of school with a masters and know-it-all-attitude colleague and nemesis.  Neither of them misses a chance to foil the other in any way possible.  They both panic when they receive the news that the radio station is making cutbacks and they'll have to work together on Shay's newly proposed podcast or lose their job.  The podcast, the Ex-Talk, is a show about two exes delivering relationship advice live on air including all the back and forth banter and answering call-in questions from the radio audience.  Forced to fake a relationship, Shay and Dominic find themselves lying to an audience that has fallen in love with them as an ex-couple.  The podcast is a huge hit, quickly climbing to the top of the charts.  They've become everyone's ex-sweethearts.  As the show progresses, Shay and Dominic find themselves in the unique position of falling out-of-hate and in-to-love.  And of course, they must keep it hidden from their audience.  What will happen if their secret surfaces?

The Ex-Talk is a unique, sometimes funny, sometimes heartwarming rom-com.  I quickly fell for this couple that wasn't a couple until they were a couple.  Solomon does a fantastic job building tension between the two characters as the story progresses at a steady pace.  Readers will laugh out loud as these two characters match wits both on-air and off.  Quirky, sexy and heart warming, The Ex-Talk is an excellent way to spend an afternoon reading.  Highly recommended to fans of Rom-Com and enemies-to -lovers stories.

Synopsis:

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagine working anywhere else. But lately it's been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who's fresh off a journalism master's program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers. 

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead Review

Author: Ellie Cosimano

Series: Finlay Donovan #2

Genre: Rom Com Suspense

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: Feb. 1, 2022

Order Link: Amazon

4 Hilarious Hearts

Many thanks to Minotaur Books for an arc of this book.

From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead―the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It.

Review:

The hilarious escapades of Finlay Donovan is back in Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead.  Once again, Finlay finds herself struggling to pay the bills as she blows off deadlines and procrastinates on writing her next book even as she gets caught up in trying to reveal the identity of the person who wants her ex-husband dead.  He might have been a lousy, unfaithful husband, but he's a good father to her daughter, and Finlay can't stand by while a hit-man . . . or hit-woman takes him out.  At the same time, Finlay's trying to figure out what's bothering her nanny and best friend Vero even as she tries to stay below the radar of Detective Nick Anthony.  He may be sinfully sexy, but Finlay can't afford to stop and play cops and robbers with him while her family is in danger.  The story that ensues is highly entertaining and a laugh a minute.

Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead is so much fun to read and really quite heartwarming.  I loved the inclusion of characters from book one as the whole gang returns for Finlay's latest adventure.  A fast paced plot line drives the action through one catastrophe after another as Finlay tries to keep her head above water less she go the same way as her daughter's decidedly dead fish.  Cosimano has mastered the art of comedy with a heavy side of reality and a questionable heroine battling danger in the form of the Russian mob and an unknown hit-person.  Again as in book one, I'm reminded of the hilarious slapstick comedy of Lucy and Ethel that I love so much.  Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead has it all - action, haphazard sure to fail scenarios that will leave readers laughing and a touch . . . just a hint of romance.  Needless to say, I'm anxiously awaiting book three.  Highly recommended to fans who love to laugh at their heroine - the one who always manages to come out standing in the end.

Synopsis:

Finlay Donovan is―once again―struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish.

On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of hit-women disguised as soccer moms, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like.

Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it.

With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it...