Archives for October 14, 2021

* Review * SEVEN DEADLY SEQUINS by Julie Anne Lindsey

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * SEVEN DEADLY SEQUINS by Julie Anne LindseySeven Deadly Sequins by Julie Anne Lindsey
Series: Bonnie & Clyde Mysteries #2
Published by Cozy Queen Publishing LLC on October 15, 2021
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four-half-stars

Bonnie and Clyde are at it again!

When the death of a local baker threatens to shred the fabric of their lovely town, this dynamic sleuthing duo bolts into action. The results will leave you in stitches.

It’s summertime in beautiful Bliss, Georgia, and while second chance dress shop owner, Bonnie Balfour, would prefer to spend her time redesigning gowns for the upcoming Founder’s Day parade, her grandma, Gigi, is too hot under the collar to concentrate. It seems Gigi’s former friend is using her recipe to sell cobbler at the local festivities, and she’s claiming Gigi’s treat as her own!

Things go from uncomfortable to downright ugly when Gigi confronts her friend publicly about the unseemly pattern of behavior, only to later find the woman dead! With Gigi’s prints on the murder weapon, and dozens of material witnesses to their earlier scrap, Gigi cuts straight to the top of Sheriff Wright’s suspect list.

Now, Bonnie and her kitty companion, Clyde, must don their sleuthing hats once more.

To mend Gigi’s reputation and deliver justice for the victim, Bonnie must lace together a string of clues about what really happened that night. Will she wind up on the killer’s cutting board in the process?

 

A wickedly exciting return to Bliss, Georgia and the Bonnie and Clyde Mysteries series! Julie Anne Lindsey is turning up the witty banter in the second book in this fun and fresh cozy mystery series and I enjoyed every minute of it. The characters are fun, the calamity they get themselves into is always attention grabbing with more than a hint of humor involved and adorable Clyde thrown into the mix ties it all up together nicely. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Bonnie finds herself once again tied up in the heart of a murder investigation in her idyllic small town with her sidekick cat by her side. This time her grandmother Gigi is the suspect and Bonnie is bound and determined to prove her innocence … even if she has to rile up the handsome new sheriff in the process!

I recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys a humorous small town story that showcases a mystery for the main cohorts to solve in each book.

four-half-stars

* Review * THE STAKES OF FAKING IT by Joanne Rock

* Review * THE STAKES OF FAKING IT by Joanne RockThe Stakes of Faking It by Joanne Rock
Series: Brooklyn Nights #3
Published by Harlequin Desire on October 26, 2021
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four-half-stars

She’s spent eight years running from her past.

And now he’s found her.

Chase Serrano once meant everything to actress Tana Blackstone. He was her first lover—and the last man she’d destroyed. She honestly never expected to see him again. But now Chase has shown up on her Brooklyn doorstep, wanting payback for the pain her family caused his. How can she refuse the chance for redemption? Posing as his fiancée for one weekend seems simple enough. But has the powerful businessman concocted a devious plan for revenge…with Tana’s heart at stake?

 

Highly addictive chemistry! First loves reconnect in this enemies to lovers twist on a second chance on love story. With the third book in her Brooklyn Nights trilogy Joanne Rock delights her readers with Tana’s story in THE STAKES OF FAKING IT and it did not disappoint. The tension was high, the characters were easy to connect with and the happily ever after was divine. I really enjoyed this series!

Tana is kindhearted and hoping to live her dream as an actress, but the return of her first love and the man who ended up hating her is going to be a distraction. I enjoyed watching her settle the life she once led with the person she wants to be.

Chase is understandably holding a grudge, but the fact that he didn’t let Tana explain before jumping to conclusions when their relationship fell apart makes him a flawed character … lucky for him it’s easy to understand his frustration with the situation and he was fairly easy to redeem in this reader’s eye.

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys seeing a trio of roomies who were thrust together by happenstance but who became dear friends to each other rally together as each finds the man of their dreams and settles into their happily ever after.

four-half-stars

* Review * LAST-CHANCE MARRIAGE RESCUE by Catherine Mann

* Review * LAST-CHANCE MARRIAGE RESCUE by Catherine MannLast-Chance Marriage Rescue by Catherine Mann
Series: Top Dog Dude Ranch #1
Published by Harlequin Special Edition on August 24, 2021
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four-stars

They’re about to step into a parent trap of their twins’ making!

Nina and Douglas Archer are on the verge of divorce. He’s retreated from her since his brother’s death, and their dairy ranch is on the brink of bankruptcy. But they’re both determined to keep it together for one last family vacation, planned by their devious ten-year-old twins. They’re surprised to find themselves giving in to the romance of evening hikes and family cookouts. Still, Nina knows she needs an emotionally available husband. Will a once-in-a-lifetime trip show them the way back to each other?

 

A reunion to remember! The first book in Catherine Mann’s Top Dog Dude Ranch series brings an emotional start with LAST-CHANCE MARRIAGE RESCUE. The back story of this family had me up in the feels quickly and getting to know how each of them felt as their marriage was crumbling before their eyes while their precious daughters watched made for an emotional journey of healing. I am excited to see where the series takes us next.

The adorable twin daughters in this book took center stage as they finagled a family trip out of their parents as one last hurrah before the end they all could see coming. I enjoyed them very much.

Nina was my least favorite character as I felt she was a tad too unforgiving, but had I been in her shoes I might have felt the same, so she was easily redeemable.

four-stars