This Summer Will Be Different Review & Book Tour

Author: Carly Fortune

Publisher: Berkley Publishing

Release Date: May 7, 2024

Special thanks to Berkley Publ. for an arc and book tour invitation! All opinions expressed are my own. #BerkleyPartner

5 Beautiful Hearts

This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won’t give into temptation. This summer will be different.

Review:

THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT is a perfect summer read. Think vacation, beaches, best friends, long days frolicking in the sun . . . and steamy nights with the local hot guy you'll never see again. Think about finding out that local hot guy you spent the best night of your life with is your best friend's younger brother. The one she explicitly warned you not to fall in love with.  Oops! Too late.

I love a good best friend's younger brother romance story, and THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT is the best one I've read in a long time.  Lucy and Bridget are long time best friends. Each summer, Bridget invites Lucy to her family's beach home in Prince Edward's Island. The one-year Lucy arrives before Bridget, she has a one-nightstand with a local guy who rocks her world while threatening to wreck her heart. Imagine Lucy's shock when she realizes that guy is Bridget's brother. The chemistry is insane, the emotional connection real, but the one thing Lucy will not risk is her friendship with Bridget.  And so Lucy and Felix vow to be friends and only friends . . . and they break that promise once a year when Lucy visits Bridget. As years pass, Lucy and Felix's feelings grow as they struggle with the guilt both feel over keeping secrets from Bridget . . . until the summer one unforeseen event forces everyone's hand.

Carley Fortune has crafted a sweet, heartfelt, love story in THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT. She has an obvious gift for rendering real characters with depth that readers have empathy for. While the trope has been done many times before, Fortune draws readers into the setting with vivid descriptions of Prince Edwards Island that engages all the senses and feels.  I love that the romance develops and matures slowly over the years until it consumes them, refusing to be denied any longer. The sense of family, both by blood and found, and friends is strong throughout and highly relatable.  As much as I loved the relationship between Lucy and Felix, the love, respect and sisterly affection between Lucy and Bridget makes the story.

THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT is different and highly entertaining. The emotional turmoil is real, the chemistry sizzling and the friendship beautiful.  Highly recommended to fans of romance and a great forbidden love, best friend's sibling stories.

Synopsis:

Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

It’s easier said than done.

Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.

Mind Games Review

Author: Nora Roberts

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Release Date: May 21, 2024

Many thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

The #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Identity presents a suspenseful new novel of tragedy and trauma, love and family, and the evil that awaits.

Review:

MIND GAMES is an intriguing smorgasbord of suspense and romance with a side of supernatural served up via Author Nora Roberts's signature style. A multi-layered, character driven story with a strong yet vulnerable protagonist, MIND GAMES pits good vs. evil in an epic battle of the minds between two individuals with the gift of sight.

Twelve-year-old Thea Fox and her younger brother Rem are excited to be spending two weeks of their summer vacation with their maternal grandma Lucy on her idyllic farm in Appalachia, Kentucky. Unfortunately, their happiness is shattered when tragedy strikes during a home invasion in which their parents are brutally murdered back in Virginia . . . An attack both Thea and Lucy witness in horrifying graphic color in their nightmares. Thea inherited her psychic gift of sight from her grandmother as it's been passed down through generations of women in the family. Thea's powers of sight surpass those of her grandmother's, and it's her detailed description of the killer and his subsequent actions that aids authorities in locating, capturing and locking him away for life. Over time, Thea realizes the killer can also "see" her, and a mental battle of the minds begins between them.

Like several of Roberts's books, MIND GAMES unfolds in parts beginning with Thea Fox's early formative years starting at age twelve and continuing over a span of fifteen years into adulthood. Over the course of the story, readers get a sense of the love, respect, kindness, and tradition in which Thea and Rem thrive, growing into productive, caring adults with a keen sense of family. Over the years, Thea continues perfecting her gift of sight while utilizing her abilities to keep an eye on her parents' killer locked away in prison. She's careful, or so she thinks, to never let him "see" her watching him, but as she soon learns his powers are growing also, and he taunts and threatens her while stalking her nightmares. There's no doubt a confrontation is coming. Will she survive the challenge?

MIND GAMES is an emotional story that evolves slowly over time. Roberts gift for crafting heartfelt, emotional family sagas is highlighted as is her talent for rendering characters with deep family roots and tradition. Some readers may find the development of this story a bit slow as the author takes time to introduce the characters and set the stage for the coming battle while building tension. While the pace is slow, there's an escalating undertone of malice lurking that builds to the final showdown and epic battle of the minds. For those looking for romance, a love interest appears in the second half of the book with a relationship developing slowly, but for the most part MIND GAMES is a family drama about a girl who grows up learning to accept and embrace a unique gift while yielding it in ways to help not harm her fellow man. It's a showdown of good vs. evil reminiscent of the epic battle at the O.K. Corral, but with weapons of the mind not guns. It's another Nora Roberts classic in the making. Highly recommended to fans of Roberts and romance suspense as well as those who enjoy stories featuring protagonists with psychic gifts.

Synopsis:

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse―because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them―and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

The Five Year Lie Review

Author: Sarina Bowen

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Release Date: May 14, 2024

Many thanks to Harper Perennial for an arc of this title. All opinions expressed are my own. #oliveinfluencer

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

For fans of Laura Dave and Julie Clark, but with a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.

Review:

When I first heard Author Sarina Bowen was releasing a domestic thriller, I knew I had to read it as I've enjoyed several of her contemporary romance titles, especially the True North series. THE FIVE YEAR LIE kicks off with a captivating, heart stopping prologue designed to grab readers' attention while enticing them into shutting off their phones, setting aside all snacks and drinks and settling in for the duration so plan accordingly. You don't want any distractions once starting this mysterious story.

Ariel Cafferty is a single mother living in her mother's guesthouse while pursuing her passion of glassmaking and putting in required appearances at the family business, the Chime Co. Five years prior, the man Ariel loved ghosted her - disappearing without a trace unaware she was carrying his child. Years later, she reads his obituary in a newspaper, effectively closing that chapter of her life. Drew was a programmer with her family's cybersecurity company, secretly exploring suspicions of fraudulent activity when he left. In the present, Ariel is sitting in a business meeting when a disturbing text pings her phone - a text that rocks her to the core. A text from a dead man asking her to meet him immediately. Is this a cruel hoax or is Drew alive? Needing answers, Ariel goes to the meeting spot, but no one shows. Confused and unsettled, Ariel begins digging into the past, looking for answers about what really happened to Drew. What she uncovers alarms her, leaving her wondering if she ever really knew the man she loved at all and quite certain that someone has been lying to her all along. Pushing ahead, it's soon obvious someone doesn't want the truth to surface. Can Ariel solve the mystery of what happened to Drew before the same danger claims her and her son?

Through concise, alternating chapters of past and present, a chilling story of deceit, secrets, and family drama emerges in THE FIVE YEAR LIE. The past becomes known via Drew's point of view, and readers are apprised of present events through Ariel's point of view. The transition is seamless and highly engaging. A sinister tone drives the plot forward at a steadily increasing pace with mini shockers keeping characters and readers on their toes as they work to unravel a mystery. Bowen does an excellent job of incorporating the dangers posed to careless, unsuspecting victims of technology and cyber security schemes into a riveting plot line that's relevant today. Long time readers of her work will appreciate the well-developed, relatable characters like those everyone loves from her contemporary romance stories.

THE FIVE YEAR LIE is a riveting, thought provoking suspense thriller that blends an engaging mystery with a light side of romance. Readers and characters are challenged with solving a mystery while considering the many ramifications and ethical questions involving technology in today's world. Author Sarina Bowen successfully makes the transition to suspense with an immersive, chilling thriller that will keep readers on alert from start to finish. Highly recommended to fans of good mysteries and engaging romance suspense.

Synopsis:

Dead men don’t send texts…

On an ordinary Monday morning, Ariel Cafferty's phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it's been several years since she learned he died.

Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.

Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her.

The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew.

THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER Review

Author: Nicola Solvinic

Publisher: Berkley Publishing

Release Date: May 14, 2024

Many thanks to Berkley Pub. for a copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

Interview published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine

A hypnotic, sinister debut mystery about a seemingly good cop who is secretly the daughter of a notorious serial killer.

Review:

THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER by Author Nicola Solvinic is a chilling, highly addictive debut that gave me serious goose bumps. There's a supernatural element with an air of malice lurking that saturates the pages of this story, leaving readers jumping at night sounds. I burned through this book with trepidation over what would happen next, afraid to continue but unable to stop. You'll want to settle in with the lights on to read this one!

As a young child, Elena loves nothing more than spending long days meandering through the forest with her beloved father Steven Theron, listening to him speak of spirits, fairies and the Forest God. Despite her mother's disapproval, her days are idyllic until the day she ventures out alone and stumbles across a horrific discovery. Severely traumatized, Elena’s memories are repressed, and she grows up to be Anna Koray, a respected police officer where no one knows she's the daughter of the notorious Forest Strangler.

Lt. Anna Koray is off duty when she arrives at the scene of a domestic dispute. Things quickly go south when she inadvertently comes in contact with PCP and is forced to shoot the domestic perpetrator in the line of duty. Awakening in the hospital, Anna is disoriented and suffering hallucinations. She's assured it's her exposure to the PCP, but as more of her dark memories surface, Anna's left fearing the unknown. When a young woman's body is discovered in the same manner as her father's victims, rumors of a copycat serial killer arise. Anna panics when she starts getting cryptic notes claiming to "know who she really is", leaving her to wonder what she does during periods of blackouts. One thing is clear. Someone is killing young, blonde women again. Is it a copycat serial killer? Did her father somehow escape execution? Or has the darkness brewing inside her surfaced? Anna needs answers and to get them, she must unmask a killer. Even if it destroys her world.

Author Nicola Solvinic has rendered a mesmerizing tale that's impossible to put down in THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER. Anna is a unique, conflicted character that struggles to separate fact from myth. As a respected police officer, she strives to do the right thing, but as the traumatized daughter with the genes of a serial killer father in her veins, she's lost in a world of smoke and mirrors. Slovinic does an amazing job of drawing attention to the long-term psychological effects of trauma on fragile minds as she explores the issue of nature vs. nurture. She flawlessly weaves the supernatural aspects of this story with forensic science. The imagery is brilliant creating a highly visual, tingle all the senses setting. Characters are as real as they are illusive, charging readers with sifting through all the hidden clues and red herrings to follow the breadcrumbs through twists and turns before arriving at the epic climax. While I had an inkling about what was happening that proved to be true in the end, it in no way lessened the dramatic impact of experiencing this stunning story.

THE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER is a raw, gritty, all-consuming psychological thriller that is masterfully rendered - a unique jewel in the genre. Author Nicola Slovinic's skill is evident as she expertly manipulates characters and readers and monsters through a tunnel of darkness to emerge at the end. Themes of good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture and the aftereffects of trauma are managed with skill and grace. Highly recommended to fans of mysteries, suspense and thrillers.

 Synopsis:

Anna Koray escaped her father’s darkness long ago. When she was a girl, her childhood memories were sealed away from her conscious mind by a controversial hypnosis treatment. She’s now a decorated sheriff’s lieutenant serving a rural county, conducting an ordinary life far from her father’s shadow.

When Anna kills a man in the line of duty, her suppressed memories return. She dreams of her beloved father, his hands red with blood, surrounded by flower-decked corpses he had sacrificed to the god of the forest.

To Anna’s horror, a serial killer emerges who is copying her father – and who knows who she really is. Is her father still alive, or is this the work of another? Will the killer expose her, destroying everything she has built for herself? Does she want him to?

But as she haunts the forest, using her father’s tricks to the hunt the killer, will she find what she needs most…or lose herself in the gathering darkness?