Tag: fiction

Book Review:   One Last Shot, by Betty Cayouette

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  One Last Shot  
Author: Betty Cayouette        
Genre: Romance     
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

From the moment Emerson and Theo met as teenagers, they were inseparable. But just when they finally expressed their feelings to one another, they were torn apart.

Now, supermodel Emerson is nearing her twenty-eighth birthday, and she’s tired of looking for love in all the wrong places. When the calendar reminder for the marriage pact she and Theo made as teens goes off on her phone, she realizes this is it―her chance to rekindle the only romance that ever really made sense. Emerson convinces her grumpy agent to book her as the face of the fashion campaign that Theo, now a fashion photographer, is shooting. The good the campaign is being shot in ridiculously romantic Cinque Terre, Italy. The bad news? Theo might not be as happy to see her as she’d hoped.

The two embark on a four-day campaign that tests not only their feelings, but their ability to keep their hands off one another. But as roadblock after roadblock keeps them apart, Emerson starts to will this photoshoot be the key to getting one last shot at love, or will it be a final goodbye?

This was a decent read, but not anything unexpected. I liked the glimpse into modeling life (that I assume is somewhat realistic), and I actually enjoyed Emerson’s friendships with her two besties quite a bit. The miscommunication trope was, I felt, a bit overdone here. To a ridiculous degree. Come on, people, just talk to each other, already!

Betty Cayouette is an author, viral video content creator and cinematographer. One Last Shot is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  The Return of Ellie Black, by Emiko Jean

Image belongs to Simon & Schuster.

Title: The Return of Ellie Black  
Author:  Emiko Jean       
Genre: Fiction, thriller       
Rating:  4 out of 5

Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s life is turned upside down when she gets the call Ellie Black, a girl who disappeared years earlier, has resurfaced in the woods of Washington state—but Ellie’s reappearance leaves Chelsey with more questions than answers.

It’s been twenty years since Detective Chelsey Calhoun’s sister vanished when they were teenagers, and ever since she’s been searching: for signs, for closure, for other missing girls. But happy endings are rare in Chelsey’s line of work.

Then a glimmer: local teenager Ellie Black, who disappeared without a trace two years earlier, has been found alive in the woods of Washington State.

But something is not right with Ellie. She won’t say where she’s been, or who she’s protecting, and it’s up to Chelsey to find the answers. She needs to get to the bottom of what happened to Ellie: for herself, and for the memory of her sister, but mostly for the next girl who could be taken—and who, unlike Ellie, might never return.

Honestly, I almost put this down about 15% of the way through, but I stuck it out a little bit longer and it picked up. I didn’t really feel a connection with any of the characters, so it was a struggle for me to get into the story. Ellie…well, I didn’t really care for her. And Chelsey just felt chaotic and cold, frankly. This was a solid read, I just didn’t have much invested in the characters.

Emiko Jean is a bestselling author. The Return of Ellie Black is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  Summers at the Saint, by Mary Kay Andrews

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Summers at the Saint  
Author: Mary Kay Andrews       
Genre:  Romance     
Rating: 4 out of 5

Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a landmark hotel on the coast of Georgia, where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper. . . .

Everyone refers to the St. Cecelia as “the Saint.” If you grew up coming here, you were “a Saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were “an Ain’t.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich enough or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer she did, and married the boss’s son. Now, she’s the widowed owner of the hotel, determined to see it return to its glory days, even as staff shortages and financial troubles threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Enlisting a motley crew of recently hired summer help—including the daughter of her estranged best friend—Traci has one summer season to turn it around. But new information about a long-ago drowning at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of their own brings Traci to the brink of despair.

Traci Eddings has her back against the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And it will take all the wits and guts she has to see wrongs put to right, to see guilty parties put in their place, and maybe even to find a new romance along the way.

I didn’t realize this was also going to be a murder mystery/thriller read (sort of), along with romance, but I enjoyed it. Man, Traci’s family really sucks. I didn’t care for any of them at all, except her niece. This isn’t necessarily a summer read, but it was a pleasant, quick read, and I liked the romantic pairing amidst all the other things going on. The food descriptions from the new chef made me hungry!

Mary Kay Andrews is a bestselling author. Summers at the Saint is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:   The Keeper of the Irish Secret, by Susanne O’Leary

Image belongs to Dreamscape Media.

Title: The Keeper of the Irish Secret (audio)   
Author:  Susanne O’Leary       
Genre:  Fiction, romance      
Rating:  4 out of 5

Lily Fleury used to love visiting her eccentric grandmother Sylvia in Ireland, taking long sunset walks on the beach and exploring the nooks and crannies of the family’s old home Magnolia Manor. But when she arrives from Dublin broken-hearted, hoping to heal in Sylvia’s warm embrace, she finds the once ornate Georgian house in disrepair and the gardens wildly overgrown. Sylvia has always been fiercely independent, but Lily can’t believe she hasn’t told anyone she’s been struggling.

Lily knows she can’t leave until she gets Sylvia back on her feet. Although mysterious local builder Dominic agrees to help, from the moment Lily looks into his fierce green eyes they clash over how to fix the sprawling estate. It’s only when she hears the soft Irish lilt of his voice as he sings in the local pub that their arguments ignite a spark of passion neither can ignore…

But when Lily finds a trunk of tattered letters in the gatehouse, she discovers a devastating secret Sylvia has been hiding about Magnolia Manor. And she soon learns the real reason Dominic agreed to help out. Lily wanted to save her family home, and could see a life here with Dominic, but will the truth force her to leave the man who has captured her heart and never return?

I really liked this narrator and her accent! That made listening to this book a fun experience. This was a sweet read, with a bit of a family mystery thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed Lily’s (and her sisters’) relationship with their grandmother, and I really loved the small-town feel of the setting. This is a fun weekend read.

Susanne O’Leary is a bestselling author. The Keeper of the Irish Secret is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Dreamscape MEdia in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson   

Image belongs to Random House.

Title: The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
Author:  Helen Simonson   
Genre:   Historical fiction     
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 

It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.

Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.

This was so much fun to read! I immediately liked Constance and couldn’t wait to find out what was in store for her. I was invested in all the secondary characters, too. Poppy was a lot of fun, and poor Harris had me rooting for him to overcome his trauma and grief. This was an excellent historical fiction read, and I was engrossed from the beginning.

Helen Simonson is a bestselling author. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:  The Backup Princess, by Kate O’Keeffe   

Image belongs to Wild Lime Books.

Title:  The Backup Princess
Author: Kate O’Keeffe       
Genre:  Romance    
Rating:4 out of 5

When a Texas gal punches a prince instead of curtsying, you know this isn’t your grandmother’s fairy tale.

Taking the bull by the horns is child’s play compared to ruling Malveaux. Yet here I am, a Texas girl turned princess, swapping tacos for a tiara.

Then I meet Europe’s most eligible bachelor, the irritatingly handsome Prince Alexander, and accidentally deck him instead of curtsying.

Oops.

I’d feel bad if he wasn’t such a self-satisfied jerk.

Now, I’m racing against a royal clock that ticks with the urgency of a preening peacock, trying not to let down my newfound country or my own wild heart. Alexander? He’s a walking contradiction, with a smirk that heats my blood and eyes that tell tales of a depth I didn’t expect.

Decisions aren’t exactly my rodeo, but this time, my choice could cost me my new crown—or lead to a love story that rewrites my happily ever after.

Will this Texas girl rise to the royal challenge, or is this one fairytale destined to end with the slipper never found?

This was a cute read! Maddie was funny and entertaining both as she learned how to be a princess and dealt with all her issues and insecurities. Alexander was an interesting character, with his playboy persona hiding his true personality from the world. I enjoyed this read a lot, and will be interested to read more in this series.

Kate O’Keeffe is a bestselling author. The Backup Princess is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Wild Lime Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #278

This has been a solid writing week. I got in five fiction sessions, and two book reviews, The Garden Girls, by Jessica R. Patch, and Extinction, by Douglas Preston.

Happy writing!

Book Review: Extinction, by Douglas Preston  

Image belongs to Tor/Forge Books.

Title:  Extinction
Author:  Douglas Preston       
Genre: Thriller    
Rating:  4 out of 5

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire’s son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection—but extinction.

I remember reading Relic years ago and being absolutely terrified. I’ve read a couple of other Preston books since then, so I knew this would be a solid read. I did not end up terrified, thankfully. I did find this creepy in parts, and I didn’t really care much for any of the characters. Interesting concept. I loved the prehistoric mammals. That would be so cool to see! I think this is a fun, fast read, if you’re looking for something to binge on the weekend.

Douglas Preston is a bestselling author. Extinction is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Tor/Forge Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Garden Girls, by Jessica R. Patch   

Image belongs to Harlequin/Love Inspired.

Title:  The Garden Girls
Author:  Jessica R. Patch      
Genre: Mystery, romance, Christian     
Rating:  5 out of 5

On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.

FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape. 

Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.

As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…

I enjoyed this so much! The stories of the creepy cult really weirded me out, but I love the interactions on the team and between Bex and Tiberius. I really had no idea who was truly going to be the crazy killer, so that part was well-down. A bit of sadness at the end, but this was an excellent read.

Jessica R. Patch is a bestselling author. The Garden Girls is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Harlequin/Love Inspired in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #277

Despite this being a bit of a chaotic week at work, it was a good writing week. I got in five fiction sessions, and also wrote three book reviews, The Sicilian Inheritance, by Jo Piazza, Bless Your Heart, by Lindy Ryan, and A Burden of Ice and Bone, by Kyra Whitton.

Happy writing!