Review: The Flower Girl Murder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Daisy Burns was a likable, devoted wife and mother who spent her spare time volunteering at school events. Everyone loved Daisy. So why would someone shoot her three times and dump her body behind a Planned Parenthood chapter in North Carolina?

With no witnesses and few leads, Raleigh detective Marc Allen turns to the press for help—specifically, veteran news anchor Lancaster Heart. Heart agrees to broadcast the police department’s plea for information in his nightly newscasts.

Elderly viewer and longtime social worker Blanche Avery is positive she recognizes the photograph on the television as an older version of her friend Daisy— the young, heavily pregnant girl she met years before who made the decision to give her child up for adoption.

When Tanner Goochly Jr.—a member of a notorious crime family—becomes the victim of another point-blank shooting, Allen races to discover the connection between the murders. Could it be that Daisy was somehow involved with an illegal enterprise, or was she hiding something else, another secret to be discovered?

The body count is rising, and the suspect pool is widening. As Allen’s investigation reaches a fever pitch, he realizes that a mother’s choice could have killer consequences.

Rating: 4.5-stars

Review:

The Flower Girl Murder by Keith Hirshland is another crime investigation. A murder that goes unsolved until a clue pops up…from there I was hooked. Not everything is what it appeared to be. A young woman who appears to be a decent woman is found dead. No clues as to why or who did it. Then, another body is found and the detective is racing to find out why and how they’re connected. Two murder victims with an apparent opposite lifestyle are now dead. The race to find the killer is exciting. Crime, secrets, and lies keep the detective, Marc Allen busy. But then someone remembers something…and from there all hell breaks loose. There was a lot of action, intrigue, and suspense to keep me entertained. The who done it kept echoing in my mind…guessing happened a lot. Keith Hirshland is a talented writer. He made it impossible to stop reading his book. The detective is a determined fellow who gives his all into solving his investigations. I really liked this character. Overall, this was a great read. I recommend it to all.

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Review: A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, this unrequited love story will appeal to fans of Jennifer Niven, John Green, and Jesse Andrews.

Seriously, how can you see a person nearly every day of your life and never think a thing of it, then all of a sudden, one day, it’s different? You see that goofy grin a thousand times and just laugh. But goofy grin #1,001 nearly stops your heart?

Right. That sounds like a bad movie already.

Matt Wainwright is constantly sabotaged by the overdramatic movie director in his head. He can’t tell his best friend, Tabby, how he really feels about her, he implodes on the JV basketball team, and the only place he feels normal is in Mr. Ellis’s English class, discussing the greatest fart scenes in literature and writing poems about pissed-off candy-cane lumberjacks.

If this were a movie, everything would work out perfectly. Tabby would discover that Matt’s madly in love with her, be overcome with emotion, and would fall into his arms. Maybe in the rain.

But that’s not how it works. Matt watches Tabby get swept away by senior basketball star and all-around great guy Liam Branson. Losing Tabby to Branson is bad enough, but screwing up and losing her as a friend is even worse.

After a tragic accident, Matt finds himself left on the sidelines, on the verge of spiraling out of control and losing everything that matters to him. From debut author Jared Reck comes a fiercely funny and heart-wrenching novel about love, longing, and what happens when life as you know it changes in an instant.

Rating: 4.5-stars

Review:

A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck is just as sad and emotionally entertaining as The Fault in Our Stars movie. But there’s more hope, humor, and love to go around in this story. Two friends who mattered to each other more than they originally thought. A guy who couldn’t tell his BFF that he was in  love with her. Then, she gets swept up by another guy, and the animal inside him goes wild. Anger, jealousy, and hurt soon follow Matt. Matt wants Tabby. But Branson beat him to it. He acts out and as fate will have it, he loses her altogether. This novel felt so real it was hard to put it down…the pagesflew by and the character, Matt, made it interesting. I cried just as much as watching the sad movie, The Faukt in Our Stars. So sad…be prepared to have a tissue box handy, because Jared Reck will score a triple home run…

 

 

 

 

 

Review: Conversations with Friends

Synopsis:

A sharply intelligent novel about two college students and the strange, unexpected connection they forge with a married couple.
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed, and darkly observant. A college student and aspiring writer, she devotes herself to a life of the mind–and to the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi, her best friend and comrade-in-arms. Lovers at school, the two young women now perform spoken-word poetry together in Dublin, where a journalist named Melissa spots their potential. Drawn into Melissa’s orbit, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman’s sophisticated home and tall, handsome husband. Private property, Frances believes, is a cultural evil–and Nick, a bored actor who never quite lived up to his potential, looks like patriarchy made flesh. But however amusing their flirtation seems at first, it gives way to a strange intimacy neither of them expect.As Frances tries to keep her life in check, her relationships increasingly resist her control: with Nick, with her difficult and unhappy father, and finally even with Bobbi. Desperate to reconcile herself to the desires and vulnerabilities of her body, Frances’s intellectual certainties begin to yield to something new: a painful and disorienting way of living from moment to moment.
Written with gem-like precision and probing intelligence, Conversations With Friends is wonderfully alive to the pleasures and dangers of youth.” 

Rating: 3-stars

Review:

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney is a different kind of novel than I’m used to reading. A young woman ends up living a very complicated lifestyle. Her relationships entangle  in ways she didn’t imagine. Going for the moment instead of thinking of all the things that may come of her decisions. Friendship, lust, and love. These are just some of the major themes expressed on the pages. Out of the three characters, Frances is the one I mostly enjoyed following. I didn’t like her going after another woman’s husband…Frances wasn’t easy to relate due to her sexuality preferences. She could go either…man or woman. This wasn’t my favorite read. But it appeared realistic and for that it earned points. I can see three people living lives similar to these characters. I liked how I knew exactly what the characters were thinking. That made this interesting to follow. Overall, it was okay for me. Not one I would highly recommend to others but still worth reading. 

Review: Take to the Limit

Synopsis:

They are part of an elite unit. On task. Off grid. These are the men of the Shadow Ops task force. Be seduced and thrilled by Take to the Limit, the next Unbroken Heroes novel by Dawn Ryder. 

Holding out for a hero…
A hardened military machine, Bram Magnus is a tough, combat-ready, all-American hero who never surrenders. But the one thing he can’t fight? His smoldering, intense attraction to his girlfriend’s younger sister. He’s always kept his feelings locked deeply down. But when his girlfriend betrays him the night before he ships off to Afghanistan, Bram has one chance to show the woman he’s resisted for years that he wants her as fiercely as the first day he saw her.
Ever since her older sister first brought home the soldier with steely hard muscles and piercing eyes, Jaelyn has wanted Bram, and when her sister casts him aside the night before he leaves, Jaelyn can’t resist one steamy hot kiss with him. But danger is not far behind, and even as a deadly enemy hunts them, their relationship only grows more explosive. It’s all Bram can do to keep Jaelyn safe, but with a threat this powerful, will they pay the ultimate price for their passion?

Rating: 4-stars

Review:

Take to the Limit by Dawn Ryder is a sexy tale featuring alpha males. Males who think only about their work and nothing else. Or so they thought…Enter a beautiful woman and a Bram can’t let go. He’s leaving on a mission. Told to leave her alone. But his heart can’t. So, he does what he can. Writes letters to her. Not one, not two, but dozens of letters. Letting her know she’s all he’s thinking about while away. Hot sex. Instant chemistry. And fear. Jaelyn loves Bram. He is a sexy tall man who has her toes curling in the hot sand. Her dreams are filled with nothin glut him. She kissed him hard before he left. Her heart aches for him. Thinking she won’t ever see him again, she hardens her heart against him. When he arrives back to her, all hell breaks loose. His letters he wrote were never given to her….someone stole them. Jealousy. Jaelyn pushes Bram away. But he’s not giving up without a hell of a fight. Hell, she’s worth everything to him. Then, danger comes and knocks their world into a crazy space. No one knows where it will lead. But Bram is going to fight until he has Jaelyn safe again in his arms…and in his bed. 

Dawn Ryder knows how to heat up the pages. I blushed every time. The heat was scorching. The sex soon turned to love making. The characters each had their own fears and struggles. But somehow they keep moving forward and work through them. Friends who tease but also have their backs. Family that will always support them no matter what. I loved the granddaughter and grandfather relationships in this book. It was sweet, charming, and hilarious. Overall, I enjoyed reading Take to the Limit. It’s a perfect title for the scenes inside…a super solider and his strong yet bold woman. 

Review: Hello, My Love!

Synopsis:

What would Elizabeth Bennet be like if she had been born today? What things would she have to cope with? In this modern-day tale inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, bright, beautiful law student Elise Halverson looks forward to a promising career. The last thing she needs is to fall in love with well-known playboy, Greg Thorpe. Besides, he’s engaged to be married. 

Greg finds Elise so unlike the women he used to date and he’s deeply intrigued. But distrusting the image she has of him, Elise tries to keep away.

Elise’s parents invite Greg to their frequent dinner parties. There, Greg and Elise butt heads. She’s surprised to find that, behind his rich playboy persona, he’s intelligent and engaging. They can’t help feeling drawn to each other.
The night before his wedding, they give in to their mutual attraction. Although Elise expects nothing more from that night, Greg is in for trouble. His jilted fiancée strikes back, intent on revenge.

Two years later, Greg and Elise get a second chance but they find that the way to their happy-ever-after is not so easy. For one, Greg is in for a surprise. Then, his former fiancée comes back and trouble returns to haunt Greg and Elise again.

At the core of this women’s fiction, is a literary and realistic romance spiced with a twist of mystery. Hello, My Love is Book 1 in the series Between Two Worlds, a family saga about three strong women. In three tales of loss, love, second chances, and finding one’s way, they cope with issues contemporary women face.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Hello, My Love by E Journey is quite a romance novel. Instantly there’s a power inside that sweeps readers off their chairs and pulls them inside…

Here, readers get another taste similar to the Pride and Prejudice novel. I couldn’t get enough of the characters. The raw frustrations, attraction, and cat and mouse chase had me turning the pages. Fast-paced, well-written, and fully developed characters. Hello, My Love is indeed the perfect title. As readers dig deeper they too, will realize that. I love evil ex full on getting revenge. It made this romance tale interesting. Then there was the main character who keeps on pushing away the man that seems intent on having her. When he does get her, it’s something he can’t shake off…but then his former fiancée decides to make hell for not just him but the woman he really loves. However,  that woman isn’t sure he really loves her or wants her in his life. Love is messy, complicated and the most complex thing ever. But it’s beautiful in this novel. Realistic, believable, and highly entertaining. E Journey has created a masterpiece that will constantly be read by readers everywhere and deeply loved. For anyone who loves good literature with a more modern twist then, this is a must read. Overall, I loved reading it. Hello, My Love is my new favorite. I highly recommend it to all. 

Review: Regret the Day I Said Yes

 

Synopsis:

How much of yourself are you really willing to give up to keep a happy home?

After catching her husband with a mouth full of someone else’s vagina, Janelle has to decide if she can forgive and forget.

That thing called LOVE can turn your entire world upside down and knock you on your ass in the blink of an eye.

Alan has done the unthinkable and just might have burned any chance of reconciliation with his wife after leaving her stranded and flown home with his mistress.

Regret the Day I Said Yes: Too Late For Sorry is a story about a group of couples who think they have found the answer to having a happy lifelong marriage.

Bailee & York and Tiffany & Damon have been secretly swinging for years. As they see their friends’ marriages on the brink of disaster they encourage them to give it a try to spice things up.

While it all seems logical at first, time later reveals that every choice has a consequence; Good or bad, their actions can come back to haunt them.

Can these marriages be saved? Can these friendships be rebuilt?

Have you ever regretted the day you said yes? Sometimes it’s too late for sorry.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Regret the Day I Said Yes by Regina Swanson is one brilliant masterpiece. Talk about drama! This story is full of drama. The emotions are so intense and flying everywhere. Readers will be intrigued from the first page. The action and suspense of what will be, keeps readers hooked. Regina Swanson has once again, put her superb writing into another fabulous read. Her characters are three-dimensional. Their issues become the readers’ issues. Marriage can rip apart faster than we thought…just how fast is something readers will be shown. When men have it good with a good decent woman…they somehow think they

When men have it good with a good decent woman…they somehow think they need something more because their lives got too boring or too hard to handle. Wusses. If a man needs another woman on the side then, the issues lie with him. The wives and other women in this story are realistic that it’s funny. I can visualize all the scenes. Regret the Day I Said Yes is more like a fast-paced movie than a novel. Detailed just enough to pop images into readers’ minds. Jealousy, rage, lust and the feeling of loss are all woven into this title. Great emotional journey. Ups and downs just like real life. Regina Swanson has a way of making her novels real. It’s hard to believe they’re just fiction. Juicy, steamy, and addictive. I managed to read the whole novel in an hour. Absolutely, loved reading this urban romance. The harsh realities that couples face when their loved one cheats…hurts. Friends are more entangled in each other’s lives than they thought. Sex with the other person’s partner. Yet not all couples know that their partner is cheating until it comes out in the open. Children are angry because their father cheated on their mom. Then the woman he cheated with is awful towards his kids…now, he’s rethinking his relationship with her. Friendships are forever changed. The sparks and desires are enchanting. Overall, I highly recommend this novel to readers everywhere.

 

Review: Love Me If You Can (3)

 

Synopsis:

Keandria quickly learns that good things never last long. After deciding to give Ethan a second chance she quickly realizes that Ethan is up to his same old tricks and is smashing another chick named Amber. Keandria eventually begins to wonder will Ethan ever really change.

After being falsely accused of rape and almost being sentenced to prison A.J is determined to work on his relationship with Kayla. A.J is grateful to be free but isn’t about to let Jasmine off the hook so easily. He’s on a mission to find her and make her pay for accusing him of a crime that he didn’t commit. But after finding her, he quickly wishes that he didn’t.

After learning that Ethan is the cause of her demise Kayla does her best to move on but images of that awful night still haunt her. After seeking counseling, she eventually starts to second guess her relationship with A.J. She begins to wonder should she continue to be with him. A.J can feel that Kayla is pulling away. He does his best to please her to only be pushed away. He soon falls into the arms of his ex-Amber for comfort. The drama escalates when he finds out that Amber also has her own agenda and is still pissed, that he left her to work things out with Kayla.

Love is tested and revenge is on the rise in this finale. Love Me If You Can 3: The Finale will pull you in and keep you glued to your kindle until you reach the very last page.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Love Me If You Can 3: The Finale by Shanice B. is a fabulous ending to a hot drama series. This is one urban street romance that sucks readers in whole. The drama never ends with these characters. If the guys try to do what’s right only to be pushed away…then, there’s only so many times they will take it. Then, after they reach their boiling point they will break away and move on…the ladies are just as bad. A married woman is giving a cheating man a second chance only to find that he’s still cheating on her. When she meets up with a guy from the past…she wonders about her current relationship.  A decent man has a new girlfriend but when he sees a hooker that he slept with working a regular job…he begins to wonder why he let her go. A woman accused a man of rape and he’s now released. His plan is to bring her down. However, fate is not fair. His friend seems to be interested in the evil woman. Tension is all over this read. Shanice B. brings heat, action, and suspense to her readers. There are so many boiling points within this novel, it’s hard to put it down. The guessing of what the final outcome will be is addictive. Love may or may not be in the cards for any of these characters. Even the good guys mess up and the romance is steamy. There’s never a boring moment. A true and final page turner in this exciting series. I loved following the characters’ final chapter. Overall, I highly recommend this African American novel to all. Love Me If You Can 3: The Finale is a definite must read. 

 

Review: Friend

Synopsis:

FRIEND is a story about a set of girlfriends who start out inseparable but are slowly torn apart by jealousy, betrayals, and lies from the inside out. The story is told from the perspective of Bonnie, whose friendships are the center of her life for the moment. Her friends are Cora (the good girl), Leena (the giver of good advice but never the user), Jenelle and Jayna a.k.a. “the Twinzies” (and double trouble), and Hazel (the dime piece whose beauty is, unfortunately, often overshadowed by her selfish ways). After meeting as young girls, in different but equally dramatic ways, they become close, growing up together and learning the ups and downs of female friendship and adolescence.

Then, Donna enters the group. She was seeking a crowd she could consider her click after moving into the city, but she chose the wrong crowd. After meeting Bonnie and Hazel in high school and being brought into the group, she thought she found her click. But when Donna starts dating Pay, her alleged friend, the once uninterested Hazel decides all of a sudden she wants to claim something that once again wasn’t hers. When a secret love square forms, the group is forced to turn a blind eye to the unforgivable actions of one of their own at the expense of another. Throughout it all, Bonnie has been caught between her loyalty and her conscience, and Hazel’s other side becomes more and more evident and starts to create a wedge between the crew.

Bonnie and her new boyfriend Drew then become the target of Hazel’s selfishness; Bonnie decides that her friendship with Hazel isn’t worth the drama or her relationship with Drew and begins distancing herself from it all. Quickly things with this once tight group of girls begin to unravel and they are faced with the reality that their friendship isn’t what it once was. Their former rebellious pastime of boys, drinking, and partying with fake ID’s has turned into a dangerous game of lies, secrets, and manipulation. With all the girls forced to choose sides amid the unfolding drama, the line between friends and enemies has blurred. And these former “best friends” have now become “Frenemies”. You know what they say, there’s an “end” in “friend” for a reason.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Friend by Khadija Styles is an intensifying read. The drama is so thick that readers will be holding their breath with every page. The suspense of when all breaks loose is crazy in a good way. Teens taking life as it comes and dishing out what they want when they want it. Readers will find this novel having pieces of Pretty Little Liars and Mean Girls twists to it. Absolutely a dark tale that somehow finds a way of pulling readers into the fast-paced plot. One moment there’s a group o typical high school girls and then suddenly their world of friendships comes to a screeching holt. Fear, anger, and jealousy all on the line. Surviving rounds of hatred, lies, and betrayal will be the ultimate test for this particular group of girls.

Friend is an edgy YA read with adult content on every page. The end in friend might just be a sign for these high school girls. Khadija Styles writes a novel that shows the dark side to teenagers and what harm they are capable of doing if the right pressure and situation occur. But sometimes, things can blow apart even without the extra spice, to set things off. The story read from a first person point of view. I didn’t know what to feel towards the main character showing me what happens in the book. Feelings are complicated but the book is a definite must-read for all.

 

Review: Reverie

 

Synopsis:

Julia James has spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. For her, the cello was a way to get past a hellish childhood. Even now that she is one of the top cellists in the country, and a contender in the most prestigious, high-stakes music competition in the world, she hopes no one will notice her. But then someone does. A chance (or is it?) encounter brings her to the attention of the distractingly sexy, charismatic French horn player, Jeremy Corrigan. As he helps her to embrace her talent, her sexuality, and her past, Julia thinks she might finally be headed toward her ‘happily-ever-after.’ Unfortunately, happily isn’t so much ‘ever-after’ for Julia. The lines between love and obsession are blurred in REVERIE.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Reverie by Lauren Rico is a stunning contemporary novel that blew me away instantly. I was immediately drawn into the leading female character’s life story. Her troubled past to the present trouble brewing up…Love, hatred, abuse, lies…and danger wrapped up in one riveting tale. From a dysfunctional family with abuse going on to a young woman falling into a trap of abuse far greater than the one she escaped from as a child. This is a novel for adults only. There’s hot steamy sex…lies, betrayal,  murder, and beatings. Lauren Rico has masterfully created a novel that shows us the violence and threats that happen in real life. Sometimes there’s no justice…the good fall victim and to those that are unaware might just die for a selfish reason that was completely unexpected. The nightmare never ends…as Julia and her new love, Matthew, now fight for their lives. The stirred up the mess of a dangerous murderer, and now, he may just come after them next. The suspense and intrigue are high in this exciting and thrilling read. Reverie is an adventure that readers will carry with them forever. Overall, I highly recommend this beautifully told story, to readers everywhere.

 

 

Review: A Dangerous Love

 

Synopsis:

I’m the local sheriff of a small Montana town. Blue is the owner of the local pub. We have a great friendship, but I’m starting to want more. I’m not sure when Blue had become so important to me, or when I started to see her in a light other than friendship. All I know is that I want her, badly. She’s a little hesitant, at first, to get involved, but I finally convince her to go out on a ‘real’ date with me.

Soon after our initial date, she starts getting harassed and threatened. Her pub is even set on fire. Someone is after her, and we don’t know who or why, but it definitely has something to do with her involvement with me. Will our new, budding relationship survive the turmoil and danger?

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

A Dangerous Love by G.J. Cox is superb. I was immediately taken into the life of one very sexy sheriff whose beyond wealthy and a sassy lady who owns a bar. Both of these characters with their personalities, love, and life troubles had me intrigued.  Their instant hot chemistry filled the pages. Both are so crazy about each other and when they suddenly let it all out…the heat burns up…like a one-hundred-degree summer day. Jealousy, danger, and a hot romance all are on the line in this magnificent title by G.J. Cox. This was the first of her novels that I have ever read…and I was blown away by the compelling plotline and the irresistible characters. The story was fast-paced, steamy, and suspenseful. If it’s not one dangerous thing…it’s another…and the two characters…both Blue and her sheriff lover may lose each other if the criminal or criminals are not caught soon. A Dangerous Love is addictive, highly entertaining, and overall a must read for readers everywhere. I highly recommend this romance to all.

Review: What Lies Between Us

Synopsis:

In the idyllic hill country of Sri Lanka, a young girl grows up with her loving family; but even in the midst of this paradise, terror lurks in the shadows. When tragedy strikes, she and her mother must seek safety by immigrating to America. There the girl reinvents herself as an American teenager to survive, with the help of her cousin; but even as she assimilates and thrives, the secrets and scars of her past follow her into adulthood. In this new country of freedom, everything she has built begins to crumble around her, and her hold on reality becomes more and more tenuous. When the past and the present collide, she sees only one terrible choice.

From Nayomi Munaweera, the award-winning author of Island of a Thousand Mirrors, comes the confession of a woman, driven by the demons of her past to commit a single and possibly unforgivable crime.

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera completely transports readers into a whole new world. A world, similar to our own but holds a much more poetic dark sad tune. Love, death, pain, and loss…are themes that ring throughout this beautifully told, story. What Lies Between Us is indeed a perfect fitting for this novel. The death of a child is what lies between a husband and his wife. Every page is powerful told with raw emotions that will sweep over readers and consume them whole. Anger, resentment, truth, and a numb like pain that will flow from the pages into readers’ hearts. The beginning drags readers in quickly, the middle leaves readers floored, and the ending leaves readers breathless. The beauty and ugliness of life all wrapped up in the end…makes for a brilliant tale.

Inside What Lies Between Us, Nayomi Munaweera introduces us to the confessions of one woman. A mother of an innocent child…the wife of a great man…what transpires will cause readers to cry and to feel emotional as the journey of truth unfolds before them. This was the first novel, I have read by this talented writer. Her words of jealousy, mayhem, and revenge will intrigue readers worldwide. A dark thrilling tale of suspense that will leave readers happy that they did not miss reading it. The main character is definitely a heartbreaker…I highly recommend this cultural novel to all. Once readers open it, it will capture both their minds and hearts.