Divine Rivals Review

Series: Iris at the Front #1

Genre: YA Fantasy/Historical

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Release Date: April 4, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to Wednesday Books for an arc.

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever. Shadow and Bone meets Lore in this epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

Review:

DIVINE RIVALS is the first book in Rebecca Ross's Front series.  It's an epic romance featuring two reporters vying for the same position at a newspaper.  The editor turns it into a competition by challenging them to come up with the best war story with the winner getting the job.  Iris and Roman come from two different worlds - one poor and one wealthy.  Their rivalry sets the stage for an intense enemies-to-lovers story set in a fantasy land.  War is brewing among the gods and people are choosing sides.  Unfortunately, Iris's brother who's fighting in the war has disappeared.  Iris eventually joins the war effort as a front-line reporter in order to search for her brother.  At the same time, a romance blossoms between her and Roman through letters passed magically through the slots of their wardrobe doors . . . only Iris has no idea who her secret "pen pal" is which allows her to let down her walls and reveal her vulnerability.  The story that unfolds is complex with a multi-layered plot line unfolding through unique characters.  

Once I settled into this world, I became entranced with the story of rival lovers unknowingly connecting in the middle of a war over power between divine beings.  The undertone is dark and bleak and yet these two characters provide a spark of hope in the midst of darkness.  Themes of love, loss, enemies-to-lovers and found family are at the core of the twisted plot line enhanced by other-worldly characters and the devastation of war.  The story is highly emotional and heartbreaking driving the intense plot forward at a pace that increases as one turns the pages heading to the shocking climax.  DIVINE RIVALS is a beautiful love story all wrapped up in magical paper and delivered via an ethereal experience.  Highly recommended to fans of romance and fantasy.

Synopsis:

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Make A Wish Review

Author: Helena Hunting

Series: Spark House #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: MacMillan Audio

Narrators: Jason Clarke, Stella Bloom

Release Date: Jan. 24, 2023

Purchase Link: Amazon

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio for an audiobook of this title. #MacMillanAudio

With her signature charm and sense of humor, bestselling author Helena Hunting creates a novel about love, family, and second chances in Make a Wish.

Review:

MAKE A WISH is the third and final book in the Spark House romance series and it features the youngest sister Harley.  Like previous books, it low-angst, sweet and a bit predictable, but highly readable.

Seven years ago, Harley Sparks was a nanny for single dad Gavin Rhodes' young daughter Peyton.  Gavin lost his wife to cancer and is still working through the grief process, and Harley stepped into their lives to help take some of the childcare load off his shoulders.  One night when they're alone in the kitchen and he's obviously hurting, Harley attempts to comfort her boss by hugging him, but it turns into an unreciprocated kiss.  The embarrassment is palatable for both of them and shortly thereafter Gavin moves across the country with his daughter.  Fast forward seven years and an accidental meet up flames old feelings between Harley, Gavin and yes, his daughter Peyton.  Harley falls into a pattern of meeting dad and daughter for dinner, ice cream and days in the park and the flames of heat between them grow.  In order for their romance to blossom, there are obstacles to overcome such as an overbearing mother-in-law that doesn't appear to want her son-in-law Gavin to move on and Harley's own internal battle over both her career and personal future.

MAKE A WISH is a heartwarming story that unfolds tackling themes like single parent, age difference, loss, grief and self-esteem.  The support cast includes characters from previous books and for that reason I recommend reading the series in order.  Having said that, this book certainly stands alone with a pertinent background information included.  I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed performances by Stella Bloom and Jason Clarke in a dual POV format.  Highly recommended to fans of romance featuring single parents, age gaps and adorable children.

Synopsis:

Ever have a defining life moment you wish you could do over? Harley Spark has one. The time she almost kissed the widowed father of the toddler she nannied for. It was so bad they moved across the state and she never saw them again.

Fast forward seven years and she’s totally over it. At least she thinks she is. Until Gavin Rhodes and his adorable now nine-year-old daughter, Peyton, reappear at a princess-themed birthday party hosted by Spark House, Harley’s family’s event hotel. Despite trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, she can’t help but notice how unbearably sexy he looks in a tutu. Add to that a spontaneous hives breakout, and it’s clear she’s not even remotely over the mortification of her egregious error all those years ago.

Except Gavin seems oblivious to her inner turmoil. So much so that he suggests they get together for lunch. For Peyton’s sake, of course. It’s the perfect opportunity to heal old wounds. Or it could just reopen them. This is one of those times Harley wishes she could see the future…

A Stolen Child Review

Author: Sarah Stewart Taylor

Series: Maggie D'arcy #4

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Release Date: June 20, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to the publisher for an arc.

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Sarah Stewart Taylor is known for her atmospheric portrayal of an American detective in Ireland, and her critically acclaimed series returns with A Stolen Child.

Review:

A STOLEN CHILD is the fourth novel in the Maggie D’Arcy police procedural series by author Sarah Stewart Taylor. The series features a former Long Island, New York detective of twenty years now living in Ireland along with daughter Lily at the home of boyfriend Conor and his son Adrian.  Now working as a Garda patrolling the streets of Dublin, Maggie D'Arcy will have to pay her dues and wait for an opening before rising up the ranks to once again work as a detective. However, when her friend Detective Inspector Roly Byrne's team is short-handed, Maggie is temporarily called up to assist in investigating high profile cases which she does without hesitation.

Garda Maggie D'Arcy is on patrol with her partner Garda James Savage when they get a call about a possible homicide at the same apartment where they answered a domestic distress call from former model Jade Elliott a few days earlier.  She assured them all was okay . . . but had they missed something?  While investigating the scene, Maggie recognizes signs of a child's presence in the apartment, but where's the child?  A murder investigation quickly morphs into a kidnapping case, and Maggie is excited when she's called up to partner with Detective Sergeant Padraig Fiero to assist in the case.  Her expertise as a homicide detective is priceless to the understaffed police department, and Maggie is thankful for the opportunity to do what she does best.  As the story unfolds, Maggie and Fiero dive into Jade's personal and professional past for any links that may lead to the kidnapper. What they uncover is a convoluted, twisted web of lies that ties their investigation up in knots. Clock's ticking, and they fear time is running out for one scared little girl.

Author Sarah Stewart Taylor has gifted readers with another riveting story in A STOLEN CHILD.  Her distinctive, descriptive writing style transports readers to the beautiful land of Ireland with its colorful scenery and people with all the sights and sounds of Dublin.  I appreciated the author's attention to detail when it comes to highlighting the differences in the hierarchy and structuring of the law enforcement department in Ireland vs. the American ways and system of justice.  The intriguing plot line is steadily propelled forward by a series of dead ends and investigators' increasing panic as days pass without finding the child and leads turn cold.  The author keeps readers on their toes sorting through an impressive list of red herrings as the investigation evolves.  Fans of the series will enjoy the side story involving Maggie and Conor's personal lives including scenes of the renovation of their home with old photographs found hidden within walls becoming a story within a story.  The subtle blending of story lines adds needed dimension to the characters with intimate peeks at their personal journeys.

A STOLEN CHILD is a highly engaging, totally immersive police procedural that continues Maggie D'Arcy's story with her move to Ireland.  While this book can certainly be read as a standalone with the author filling in needed backstory nicely, I recommend readers start at the beginning with book one and read the series in order for the overall character development.  I predict fans of the series are going to love the direction Taylor is taking these characters along with the roadblocks she continuously challenges them to scale.  Highly recommended to fans of mysteries and police procedurals. 

Synopsis:

After months of training, former Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy is now officially a Garda. She’s finally settling into life in Ireland and so is her teenage daughter, Lilly. Maggie may not be a detective yet, but she’s happy with her community policing assignment in Dublin's Portobello neighborhood.

When she and her partner find former model and reality tv star Jade Elliot murdered—days after responding to a possible domestic violence disturbance at her apartment—they also discover Jade's toddler daughter missing. Shorthanded thanks to an investigation into a gangland murder in the neighborhood, Maggie’s friend, Detective Inspector Roly Byrne, brings her onto his team to help find the missing child. But when a key discovery is made, the case only becomes more confusing—and more dangerous. Amidst a nationwide manhunt, Maggie and her colleagues must look deep into Jade’s life—both personal and professional—to find a ruthless killer.

The Instructor Review

Author:  T.R. Hendricks

Series: Derek Harrington #1

Publisher: Forge Books

Release Date: April 11, 2023

4 Heated Hearts

Dive into The Instructor , former Army intelligence officer T. R. Hendricks' fast paced, action-packed debut thriller that's Jack Reacher meets Survivorman , the first novel in the Derek Harrington series!

Review:

THE INSTRUCTOR is the first book in a new military action thriller series by author T.R. Hendricks.  It tells the story of Derek Harrington, a retired Marine Force Recon and SERE instructor who's suffering from PTSD and having a hard time settling back into civilian life after twenty-two years in service that haunt him nightly.  He's barely making a living teaching wilderness survival class's while trying to convince his ex-wife not to take his son away.  Harrington is at the end of a very taut rope when a student makes him an offer he can't refuse.  Instruct a private group for thirty days for some serious cash.  Even though his gut tells him something's off, Derek can't afford to refuse the offer if he wants to keep his son.  He sends a coded message to a FBI friend and goes deep undercover infiltrating the cult-like group to find out what's really going on.  The story that ensues is a high action thriller that never slows down.

Hendricks has rendered a highly entertaining & atmospheric story in THE INSTRUCTOR.  Derek Harrington is a damaged character with anger and control issues that easily wins readers' empathy.  The wilderness setting is well represented, and I enjoyed the multitude of survival techniques incorporated into this charismatic story. From the early pages until the final paragraph, The Instructor is intense, explosive, riveting and extremely difficult to put down.  Highly recommended to fans of high action, tension laden thrillers.

Synopsis:

Derek Harrington, retired Marine Force Recon and SERE instructor, is barely scraping by teaching the basics of wilderness survival. His fledgling bushcraft school is on the cusp of going out of business and expenses are piling up fast. His only true mission these days? To get his ailing father into a full care facility and to support his ex-wife and their son.

When one of his students presents him with an opportunity too good to be true―$20,000 to instruct a private group for 30 days in upstate New York―Derek reluctantly takes the job, despite his reservations about the group's insistence on anonymity. But it isn't long before the training takes an unexpected turn―and a new offer is made.

Reaching out to an FBI contact to sound his concerns, Derek soon finds himself in deep cover, deep in the woods, embroiled with a fringe group led by a charismatic leader who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. When what he wants becomes Derek's head, the teacher is pitted against his students as Derek races against time to stop what could very well be the first attack by the domestic terrorist cell.

COVER REVEAL!! Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice

 

Check out the cover for the next Finlay Donovan Book!  How fun is this??  Coming March 5, 2024, you can order it at MacMillan

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About FINLAY DONOVAN ROLLS THE DICE:

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are—seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car—it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all—he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for—Marco, dead in his bathtub. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike—and after Finlay's night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?

North of Nowhere Review

Author: Allison Brennan

Genre:  Thriller

Publisher: MacMillan Audio

Narrator: Eliza Foss

Release Date:  Aug. 8, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio & Minotaur Books for arc copies.

Reviewed in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

New York Times bestseller Allison Brennan’s latest standalone is an unputdownable race to the dramatic finish.

Review:

NORTH OF NOWHERE, the latest standalone thriller from the master of suspense author Allison Brennan, is a story about survival - survival from the elements and survival from a past threatening the future.  Set in the middle of a harsh Montana winter, Brennan drops her characters into the midst of a mountainous wilderness in a raging blizzard and charges them with surviving.  If the catastrophic storm doesn't present enough of a life or death situation, the deranged killer closing in on two scared children lost in the storm will.

Tony Reed's been hiding his two godchildren for five long years, keeping them safe from their crime boss father Boyd McIntrye and their deceptively controlling grandmother Frankie.  Eleven-year-old Kristin was traumatized after witnessing the murder of her mother before Tony took her, along with her younger deaf brother Ryan, and disappeared.  When Tony awakens now sixteen-year-old Kristin in the middle of the night, she asks no questions knowing immediately they've been found.  Grabbing their always packed escape bags, Tony, Kristin and Ryan execute their plan B for escape.  Taking his bosses small plane, Tony hopes to get away unseen, but as he attempts takeoff shots are fired hitting him and the plane.  He manages to lift off only to crash in a lake a few miles short of their destination.  When it's clear he won't make it, Tony quickly improvises and instructs Kristin to take Ryan and their supplies and hike the rest of the way to their secret remote cabin.  Time is critical as a massive snow storm is descending on the mountains and their father Boyd and his armed men are coming for them.  Tony has trained Kristin in all the elements of survival including how to handle a weapon.  She'll kill or be killed before returning to the forbidding prison of her father and grandmother's home.

NORTH OF NOWHERE is a highly atmospheric, fast paced thriller with a large cast of players.  The landscape and weather play a starring role in the story as characters are charged with surviving a blinding blizzard in the middle of nowhere in subzero temperatures.  Brennan does a fantastic job of pulling readers into said wilderness to join the desperate search for the two missing children in a race against time to save their lives - from both the elements and the various highly motivated people determined to catch them before someone else does.  The story is rendered through multiple points of view giving readers a well rounded viewpoint into the motivations driving several key characters.  A tension laden plot line is propelled by a dire tone of impending disaster as the story covers a period of only forty-eight hours from beginning to end.  During this time, the author accentuates the power of family - whether by blood or choice, control, loss, regret . . . and survival of the fittest.

Brutally harsh at times, NORTH OF NOWHERE is an immensely engaging thriller with enough unforeseen twists and turns to keep fans of the genre turning pages.  I enjoyed the audiobook version narrated by Eliza Foss.  Highly recommended to readers who love extraordinarily atmospheric suspense thrillers with a heavy side of family drama.

Synopsis:

After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristen and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety—unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die. . .

All The Sinners Bleed Review

Author: S.A. Cosby

Genre: Southern Noir

Format: Audiobook

Narrator: Adam Lazarre-White

Publisher: MacMillan Audio

Release Date:  June 6, 2023

Order Link: Amazon

4.5 Troubled Hearts

Special thanks to MacMillan Audio for an arc.

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Review:

Once again, Author S.A. Cosby leans heavily on his roots buried deep in southern soil to gift readers with an intense, gritty story about the life of a black man carrying out his sworn duties as sheriff of a small southern town where racial and social injustice remains prevalent and old timey religion is a force to be reckoned with.  The atmosphere is volatile, relations unstable . . . and oh yes, a serial killer is on the loose.  

All The Sinners Bleed is an intense, potent, emotional story that's sure to hold readers attention from beginning to end.  It's the story of a former FBI agent and security expert who leaves the agency under questionable circumstances to return home to care for his aging father and reconnect with his troubled brother.  Titus Crowne's tired of the status quo so he decides to run for sheriff, and no one is more surprised than he when he's elected as the first black sheriff in Charon County, Virginia.  A deeply conflicted character, Titus is struggling with the loss of his faith in both religion and mankind, but his burning need to make a difference in the lives of the local black community is strong.  

One year after his historic election, Titus and the town people are shocked when 911 calls about an active shooter come in from the high school.  As it turns out, a white teacher was targeted and shot to death by the black son of one of Titus's friends.  In spite of his efforts to talk the troubled youth down, other deputies jump the gun opening fire and killing him as the teen exits the building.  The investigation that ensues into a possible motive for the killing opens Pandora's Box and years of ugliness and darkness comes oozing out.  Titus thought he'd seen the worse of mankind, but what he uncovers is evil and malignant with implications that the horror perpetrated on young black children continues.  There's an unidentified serial killer walking among them, and Titus will stop at nothing to unmask him before he kills again but at what cost to his own personal and professional life?

In All The Sinners Bleed, a malicious undertone of impending doom permeates the pages, driving a steady pace that escalates as the story progresses.  Cosby has a gift for assembling a cast of well-developed, flawed characters who pull readers into their world as they navigate their way through a complex, inflammable plot line laden with entangled threads threatening to erupt at every twist and turn.  Cosby brilliantly weaves the intricate threads into a beautifully written tale of racial injustice, family discord, lost faith, abuse of power and murder.  Titus's personal story, including his attempts to forge a path to reunite with and heal the rift within his own divided family and his inner battles with faith as an agnostic, resonates with readers building empathy for the man.  Readers are transported into an all-consuming setting that Cosby's obviously comfortable writing about - a small southern town founded on blood, sweat and tears with its cult like groups of people vying to be the voice of the town.  The clashing of self-claimed historical legacies is evident as is the manipulation of congregations held in the palm of holier than thou Bible Belt preachers - many with dark, ugly secrets of their own.  

 

All The Sinners Bleed is gritty, graphic and deeply disturbing, firmly establishing S.A. Cosby as one of the top voices in southern noir and/or crime thrillers today.  There's no doubt, this author is the real deal!  I highly recommend the audio version of this title as Narrator Adam Lazarre-White delivers an outstanding performance bringing All The Sinners Bleed to life.  Fans of noir and thrillers will devour this one!

Synopsis:

Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A former FBI agent and security expert, Titus came home to take care of his father and look out for his troubled younger brother. He ran for Sheriff to make a difference, especially in the Black community, which has so often been treated unfairly by the police.

But a year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks the town. A beloved teacher is killed by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies fire a fatal shot.

In the investigation, it becomes clear that the student they shot had been abused by the dead teacher, as well as by unidentified perpetrators. The trail leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down a killer hiding in plain sight, while balancing daily duties like protecting Confederate pride marchers, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South.