The post Book Review: Pumpkin Spice and Promises (Sweetbriar Seasons #1) by Nora Everly @nora.everly appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>Fall in Sweetbriar means pumpkin spice everything, crisp mountain air, and one ridiculous Mr. Pumpkin contest.
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Up close she had freckles I’d never noticed before— five of them, scattered across her nose as if someone had spilled them— and her eyes were green, properly green, the kind of detail a trained observer should have had on file years ago, and they were doing the register- tape thing again, adding me up.
I clocked out at six, drove home, stood in my kitchen, and ate dinner over the sink like a man being filmed for a documentary about how to be boring.
Bella nodded slowly, filing this away in the vast and terrifying archive of things small children remember and repeat at the worst possible moment.
He looked at you like you hung the moon and then went back up and strung sparkling lights on it..
“There’s a bottle open. Pour for Mom first, or she’ll mention it in her toast.” “There’s a toast?” “There’s always a toast. She workshops them.”
We have fifty minutes and a great deal of ground to cover, and I refuse to let you walk out there looking like she lost a fight with a raccoon.
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My Review:
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I adored all the characters in this book; they were hardworking, smart-witted, admirable, authentic, a bit quirky, and the kind of people I would enjoy knowing if they could jump off the pages and into real life. The tone, pacing, and storylines were easy to fall into, engaging, wryly amusing, and vastly enjoyable, with no actual villains, no contrived breakup conflict, no secret pregnancy, and a negligible level of angst that didn’t actually register on my meter. In other words, I was gleefully delighted throughout my perusal, as none of those tedious tropes, which I despise well beyond the level of pet peeves, could be found. Nora Everly has gained a new acolyte.
About the Author
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Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf, and it has been non-stop ever since.
Once upon a time, she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay-at-home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.
Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.
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]]>The post Book Review: Murder Stage Left (Lady Eleanor Swift #26) by Verity Bright @BrightVerity @Bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
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Favorite Quotes:
If you continue to learn to read my mind this quickly, I won’t have any secrets left from you. And a lady without secrets isn’t a lady, according to Clifford.
That’s the trouble with dealing with actors, Ellie; even when they’re telling the truth, you never know whether to believe them!
This being impartial was harder than people gave it credit for,
Eleanor laughed. ‘Polly, who were your favourite characters in the play?’ ‘I loved the fairies, your ladyship,’ Polly whispered, her eyes wide with awe. ‘Them Pease, Cob, Mouth, and… and Mustard.’ Lizzie tutted good-naturedly. ‘’ A think ye mean Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Moth, an’ Mustardseed.’
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My Review:
Team Verity Bright just gets smarter and smarter at writing these clever mysteries. This one had a lot going on and was particularly intricate and well contrived. The little pea in my brain would never have untangled the clues to unmask the guilty parties of the various crimes.
In addition to their sleuthing, the authors’ humor continued to shine with animal antics and while the characters traversed Shakespeare’s stomping grounds with businesses utilizing puns in their titles such as the Much Ado About Tea Room, As You Bike It bicycle shop, The Taming of the Brew pub, Midsummer Night’s Dream hotel, Measure for Measure tailors’ shop, and Romeo and Juliet bridal shop. I couldn’t help but smile when my eyes landed on each one.
About the Author
The post Book Review: Murder Stage Left (Lady Eleanor Swift #26) by Verity Bright @BrightVerity @Bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The post Book Review: Tell Me Your Lies by D.K. Hood @d.k.hood @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>Tell Me Your Lies
by D.K. Hood
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An Absolutely Addictive and Binge-Worthy Psychological Thriller
She’s writing your story. She knows your secrets. She’ll kill to keep them.
Alani Fairchild just landed her dream job. Isabelle Croft wants Alani to write her memoir, revealing all about her star-studded life as an actress and spilling the secrets that bind her picture-perfect family. And she will pay Alani whatever it takes to make her say yes.
Gravel crunching beneath her sneakers, Alani pretends not to see Isabelle watching her from an upstairs window of her beachfront home. Something tells her she’s made a terrible mistake. But it’s too late now as she’s welcomed inside by perfectly manicured hands and cold gray eyes.
Perched on a silk sofa, Alani begins to write as Isabelle opens up about her marriage and struggles with fame. But when talk turns to the night of the birth of Isabelle’s first child, Alani feels the room spin. The hospital. The storm raging outside. All the same sketchy details Alani’s parents described about the night she was born… Everything in Alani’s body tells her to run. But she knows she needs to stay if she wants answers.
When Alani wakes on the floor days later, with a knife in her hand and blood on her clothes, nothing will prepare you for the twists in Isabelle and Alani’s deadly story…
An absolutely jaw-dropping psychological thriller from bestselling author D.K. Hood. Fans of Freida McFadden, Jeneva Rose, and Colleen Hoover will be hooked!
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My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
There’s something simmering under the surface, a secret festering like a bad tooth.
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My Review:
This one has me in need of a manicure, as my cuticles are now absolutely ragged. D.K. Hood can certainly spin a twisty, mesmerizing, well-contrived, and expertly paced tale that I had trouble putting down and continued to contemplate when inconsiderate life events interrupted my rapt perusal. I wasn’t sure which characters were trustworthy or who to empathize with, as every single one of them had their own agenda.
I look forward to more of the same from this clever scribe.
D.K Hood is THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, USA TODAY, and #1 AMAZON MILLION COPY Bestselling Author of the Kane and Alton Series.
D.K.’s spine-chilling, fast-paced serial killer thrillers revolve around Sheriff Jenna Alton and her ex- special forces Deputy, Dave Kane. As the main characters fight crime, their secret pasts are never far away. Set in and around the fictional backwoods town of Black Rock Falls, Montana, known locally as Serial Killer Central, D.K. ‘s imagery takes the reader into the scenes with her. Given the title “Queen of Suspense” by her reviewers, D.K. ‘s writing style offers her readers a movie-style, sizzling, fast thrill ride.
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]]>The post Book Review: The Girlfriend’s Secret by Daniel Hurst @danielhurstbooks @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The Girlfriend’s Secret
by Daniel Hurst
My son thinks she’s perfect. But I know she’s here to destroy me…
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Death removes the option of choice.
My Review:
This one totally tricked me, as it was full of misdirection and unexpected twists. I wasn’t sure I’d like or trust many of these characters, but this crafty author did his job and spun my opinions around multiple times. The opening scene kept me questioning my theories until it all slotted into place.
The writing was easy to follow and fall into, well-paced, and kept me guessing.
About the Author
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Daniel Hurst is an Amazon number one, multi-million-copy bestselling author of addictive, fast-paced psychological thrillers and the King of jaw-dropping endings. His chart-topping titles include The Doctor’s Wife, The Couple’s Revenge, I Want Your Family, and Our Perfect Holiday .
Daniel has been a full-time author since 2021 and prides himself on writing fast, releasing stories often, and engaging with his readers.
The post Book Review: The Girlfriend’s Secret by Daniel Hurst @danielhurstbooks @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The post Book Review: Race to Save Her (Detective Katie Scott #16) by Jennifer Chase @jenchaseauthor appeared first on Books and Bindings.
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My Rating:
My Review:
This case was a complicated and rather gruesome one that kept me on edge and nibbling my cuticles. The storylines were deviously paced and cleverly plotted, with a diabolically clever and twisted killer who was always a few steps ahead of everyone. The headstrong and driven detective Katie Scott was in his sights and viewed as a delectable trophy to obtain and dismantle.
I shudder to think of what Ms. Chase has rolling around in her cranium for any noisy or troublesome neighbors. I would advise anyone living or visiting in her neighborhood to tiptoe past her residence with care and packages of treats.
Jennifer Chase is a multi-award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has written eight crime fiction novels, including the multiple award-winning Emily Stone thriller series, as well as a screenwriting workbook.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor’s degree in police forensics and a Master’s degree in criminology. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.
The post Book Review: Race to Save Her (Detective Katie Scott #16) by Jennifer Chase @jenchaseauthor appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The post Book Review: The Woman Who Threw Her Life Away by Kerry Fisher @kerryfisherwrites @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Giles no longer indulged my ‘quirks’, viewing them now as irritating flaws to be ironed out. Unfortunately, my ‘quirks’ were becoming the thing I liked most about myself. Perhaps gathering more would be my new hobby.
I got the sudden urge to giggle as I considered that twelve months ago, I’d been on the Marie Kondo treadmill to banish clutter from my house. I wondered if I was the only woman who’d gone too far and started culling people instead. If only I had some artistic ability, I could draw a great comic strip of driving down to the tip with a protesting crowd of friends locked in the boot. I could assign them to various bins according to their crimes. Long-winded and devoid-of-a-punchline stories. Exhausting the allotted time to speak about their ailments. Everything out of their mouth was a moan. It would make a great picture book series for adults.
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My Review:
I always enjoy reading this clever scribe; her tales are witty and amusing, thoughtfully parsed with perceptive insights, and feature realistically flawed characters who could be living in our own neighborhoods. Her writing style is engaging, well-honed, easy to fall into, and had my Kindle beckoning to me when I was forced to put it down. The emotive storylines also had me rethinking my own choices. If only decluttering a home and life was this easy. I could use a total reset myself.
About the Author
The post Book Review: The Woman Who Threw Her Life Away by Kerry Fisher @kerryfisherwrites @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The post Book Review: Wild Goose Chase by Sarah Adler @sarahadlerwrites @berkleypub appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>Wild Goose Chase
by Sarah Adler
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Annie is a presence. A force. She’s like gravity— a constant pull that sometimes feels more like a push when all I’m trying to do is desperately keep my footing steady until things settle down.
… this place is over twelve thousand square feet with eight bedrooms and ten and a half baths. The only people I can imagine this suiting perfectly would be a very large family that frequently suffers from food poisoning.
I’m beginning to suspect that Cal has a mask of his own that he’s been wearing for so long he forgot somewhere along the way that it isn’t his own face.
I’m sort of an expert when it comes to beautiful and rare things. And there’s so much that’s beautiful and rare about you, Annie O’Neill.
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My Review:
This was a fun, original, and lively read with a crisp and amusing writing style that kept me delightfully engaged and gleefully entertained. This was my first experience delving into the amusing wit of Sarah Adler’s clever pen, and I plan to make reading this crafty scribbler a habit. Her characters were uniquely peculiar and realistically flawed, yet endearing, hardworking, and honorable. I adored them and enjoyed their adventures.
USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler writes romantic comedies about lovable weirdos finding their happily ever afters. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and very mischievous cat. When not working, you can find her attempting to course-correct an ill-advised late-afternoon nap with an equally ill-advised late-afternoon coffee, as she is incapable of ever learning a lesson.
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]]>The post Book Review: Murder at the Cathedral (Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 6) by Alice Castle @alice_castle__ @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>Murder at the Cathedral
(Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 6)
by Alice Castle
The vaulted ceiling of Canterbury Cathedral has echoed many sounds over the centuries. But none more harrowing than the scream of ‘Murder!’ ringing out across the nave.
Sarah Vane is enjoying a leisurely day in the small town of Merstairs when she spots her friend – and renowned artist – Simone Benz walking into the cathedral. Sarah follows her inside the ancient sanctuary. But she’s utterly shocked to find Simone’s lifeless body, propped against a stone wall in the cloisters, spattered with crimson from a fatal stab wound.
Sarah feels an aching sense of loss when she thinks about Simone, especially when she learns she may have been Simone’s only friend in town. A feud between Simone and her neighbour, a vindictive ex-husband and a set of mysterious initials in her diary set Sarah’s inquisitive mind racing.
But events take an even more harrowing turn when Sarah finds the dead body of the cathedral dean bathed in the reds and blues of the stained-glass windows in the nave. Will Sarah solve the mystery before the killer strikes again?
A brilliantly cozy and utterly gripping murder mystery, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, J.R. Ellis and Clare Chase.
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My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
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She and Dumbarton had come a long way since their early encounters, Sarah realised, but she still felt as though she was leaving a small child unattended with a tray of knives when she left him to it.
Alas, she was not one of those women who cry beautifully, with artistic teardrops glistening on their eyelashes. Her face was red, puffy and blotchy, her nose looking as though a layer of skin had been flayed off it.
If you mean Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Mari, those two couldn’t find their own reflections in a mirror…
Charles said, using the special, extra-careful tone he reserved for his ex-wife, as though he were about to wade through a minefield wearing clown shoes and a blindfold.
She’d once been told by her grandmother that horses sweat and women glisten. She was pretty sure anyone looking at her would wonder where her hooves and tail had got to.
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My Review:
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Reading an Alice Castle book is always a fun treat; I greedily grab nab them whenever I see a new one pop up. Her murders are unpredictable mysteries and her engaging writing style is amusing, entertaining, and peppered with sneaky wry humor. I still miss her pixie-booted heroine from her previous series, but am enjoying Dr. Sarah just as much.
And as a bonus, I have picked up a new item to add to my Brit Words and Phrases list with “Fill your boots,” which Mr. Google has informed me means to make the most of a good chance and help yourself without limits.
About the Author
Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times, and The Daily Telegraph. Alice is an avid reader of crime fiction; her favorite stories are cozy crimes with a strong sense of place. When she couldn’t find a series about her beloved South London, she decided to write her own – and single mum amateur sleuth Beth Haldane was born. Alice also writes twisty psychological thrillers for HQ Digital under the name A.M. Castle. The Perfect Widow was a top-selling audiobook in 2019, and The Invitation hit the top 50 on Amazon UK in 2021. Alice lives with her two children and two cats, and if she isn’t writing or reading a whodunit, she’ll be watching one on telly.
The post Book Review: Murder at the Cathedral (Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 6) by Alice Castle @alice_castle__ @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The post Book Review: Second Chances at the Hopeful Hearts Bookshop (Bonnie Bay #2) by Debbie Johnson @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>Second Chances at the Hopeful Hearts Bookshop
(Bonnie Bay #2)
by Debbie Johnson
Single mother Jane can’t believe it when an invitation to Bonnie Bay falls from the pages of a book: the Scottish village she was supposed to run away to with her first love. Until he broke her heart, that is. But he’s far away now – and why shouldn’t she spend a summer there, daughter Beth in tow? They’ll snuggle up reading, stroll by the wild sea, and maybe even banish Beth’s teenage grumps.
But arriving in the charming village, Jane’s jaw drops when she sees a familiar pair of green eyes… It’s Rory Callaghan, her first love, and the boy who broke her heart. The problem? Rory is now very much a man. He’s taller, broader. His Irish lilt still makes her weak at the knees. And the sizzling spark between them crackles just like it used to.
Rory might be a long way from his Irish hometown, but he’s made a new home right here. The cozy bookshop is his refuge, and owner Moira his replacement family. So when Jane arrives, it’s like an arrow through his heart. She’s still gorgeous, still his Jane. And the fierce look in her eye tells him she’s just as passionate as he remembers.
After promising to help Moira turn the bookshop into a community hub, and with Beth making friends, Jane can’t walk away. Soon, days at the bookshop turn into very late nights with Rory. And with them both spilling secrets, the real reason they broke up soon comes to light… but will this summer adventure turn into a second chance romance? Or will their hearts end up broken all over again?
A totally gorgeous escapist romance with a delicious sprinkling of spice, perfect for fans of Susan Mallery, Phillipa Ashley and Laurie Gilmore. Let million-copy bestselling author Debbie Johnson whisk you away to Bonnie Bay, where the bookshop is welcoming, the sea views are breathtaking, and the nights are steamy!
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
I hope karma exists, and I hope she’s an absolute bitch with a vengeful streak. I hope she makes all his hair drop out overnight, or gives him chronic erectile dysfunction. He was always far prouder of his hair and his penis than much else, including his own kid.
I am actually deeply private, and I hold my secrets so close that sometimes I even hide them from myself.
If I’d known I was going to bump into the man who broke my heart, I’d have been on a crash diet and possibly had plastic surgery. I know I shouldn’t care– I know it shouldn’t matter– but it seems like I’m not quite mature enough at the age of forty-four for that to be true.
I know how much he hates people who claim to be stressed. He thinks anxiety is fictional and wellness is the work of the devil.
She’s taller than Moira, whip thin, with the kind of face that could sink whole fleets, never mind ships.
Moira keeps telling me to live the rainbow, but I don’t know if I’m ready for all that colour just yet. I’m maybe edging my way towards some warm pastels…
‘Jane!’ bellows my boss. His office is across the corridor, but he likes to communicate via the medium of yelling whenever possible. I walk towards his lair. Vivian gives me a sympathetic look as I pass, and whispers: ‘I bet he has a tiny willy. He’s got to be compensating for something!’
My Review:
This series is such good fun; I revel in Debbie Johnson’s wicked sense of humor. Written in my favorite dual POV, she hits all the feels in this one with a second chance at a great first love, family dramas in all directions, a sassy teen, and even sassier octogenarians. The writing is easy to follow, amusing, insightful, and enjoyably engaging from beginning to end.
About the Author
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Debbie Johnson is an award-winning author who lives and works in Liverpool, where she divides her time between writing, caring for a small tribe of children and animals, and not doing the housework. She writes feel-good emotional women’s fiction and has sold over a million books worldwide. She is published in the USA, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Korea, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine. Her best-sellers include the Comfort Food Cafe series, Maybe One Day, The Moment I Met You, Forever Yours, and Falling For You. The Starshine Cove series will be published this year. Debbie’s book Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater was adapted into a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2020.
The post Book Review: Second Chances at the Hopeful Hearts Bookshop (Bonnie Bay #2) by Debbie Johnson @bookouture appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>The post Book Review: Yours to Keep (Honeybrook Hollow #5) by Nora Everly @nora.everly appeared first on Books and Bindings.
]]>Yours to Keep
(Honeybrook Hollow #5)
by Nora Everly
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A letter she never answered. The man who never forgot her. A second chance, years in the making.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
With most people, silence was a gap I felt obligated to fill. With Jasper, it was just the space between one thing and the next, easy to exist inside.
I looked down at my bowl. He had a way of stealing my thoughts right out of my head and leaving me standing in the empty space where they’d been.
…neither of us said anything for a while, and it was the best silence I had ever experienced.
I had not sat down one day and decided to be alone. It had just become the easier thing, and then the default thing, and then it was just my life.
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My Review:
My adoration of Nora Everly’s insightfully written Honeybrook Hollow series continues to grow with each new installment. I adored this endearing couple and wanted only good things for them. They were both cautious with their words, yet their banter was crisp and clever. The writing was engaging, perceptive from each perspective, easy to follow, and immersive.
Papa was a rolling stone and seemed to have single-handedly populated half of the town. The sisters are an interesting mix of personalities, and I am looking forward to getting to know each of them better. They may have had different mothers, but their grandparents provided the magic and glue that made them a family, and I greatly relished that thoughtful detail.
About the Author
Amazon
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Website
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Nora Everly is a lifelong bookworm. She started reading the good stuff once she grew tall enough to sneak the romance novels off the top of her mother’s bookshelf, and it has been non-stop ever since.
Once upon a time, she was a substitute teacher and an educational assistant. Now she’s a writer and stay-at-home mom to two small humans and one fat cat.
Nora lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and her overactive imagination.
The post Book Review: Yours to Keep (Honeybrook Hollow #5) by Nora Everly @nora.everly appeared first on Books and Bindings.
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