Tag: Book Review

Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Sea Glass Summer by Rachel Hanna

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  • Title: Sea Glass Summer
  • Author: Rachel Hanna
  • Series: South Carolina Sunsets #11
  • Genre: Romance, Women’s Fiction
  • Takes Place:  Seagrove, South Carolina
  • Main Character: Tara, Noah, Julie
  • Other Characters: Meg, Colleen, Dixie, Dawson
  • Stars: 5

This is the eleventh book in the Series South Carolina Sunsets and Rachel Hanna never disappoints. This is my favorite series by this author so I loved catching up with the citizens of Seagrove.

We’re headed back to the small South Carolina town of Seagrove to reconnect with some old friends as well as some new. Tara’s life is spinning out of control. She’s lost her job and her fiancé, and now she’s getting additional bad news. In the midst of all this, she’s been called back to the home town where she was raised to cope with a family tragedy. While there she runs into her childhood best friend, Noah. Noah now owns his own shop where he is Sea Glass artist. The inspiration for Noah’s shop came from his and Tara’s time spent collecting Sea Glass at the beach when they were kidssh. Tara and Noah realize they still have a bond and she is finding some comfort with him. As there connection deepens, Tara is faced with a difficult decision. She has to really thing about what she wants and which direction she is going to choose.

We’re also back in Julie’s life to find out what she’s been up to with Dawson and her family. She’s facing some challenges and because she hasn’t opened up to her family about it, she’s dealing with it on her own. As she is starting to decide what path to take will she begin to open up to her family!

I really love catching up with the residents of Sea Grove. Rachel’s characters so so realistic and well developed that the reader starts to think of them as friends or family. I want to move to Seagrove and be a part of that small tight-knit community. When reading any of Rachel Hanna’s books, the reader is transported to the town where they take place. like It’s like going to the bookstore or coffee shop and having coffee with friends.

if you enjoy a heartwarming romance, of second chances, Love, Family, Friends, Reconnecting, disappointments, forgiveness, new opportunities and a charming small beach town you are going to love this series

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Thriller

Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrum

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  • Title: Hollywood Hustle
  • Author: Jon Lindstrum
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Takes Place:  Los Angeles], California
  • Main Character: Winston Green
  • Other Characters: Grover, Lauren, Teddy, Amy, Claire, Rocket, Ozzie, Alberto,
  • Stars: 5

I have been watching Jon Lindstrum on my favorite TV show for over 30 years. Not only is he an amazing actor but now, he is also a wonderful author. Hollywood Hustle is his first novel but I am confident it won’t be his last.

Winston Green is an aging movie star. One morning he awakens to see his six-year-old granddaughter, Amy, standing over him holding a flash drive. The flash drive is proof that his daughter, Amy’s mother, has been abducted. For her return, the kidnappers want all of his money. What the kidnappers don’t know is all of his money is gone. Now what is he going to do! He can’t go to the police for fear they will kill his daughter, Claire, so he gets help from his two closest friends, a Hollywood stunt man and a former LAPD detective turned private investigator. They put their heads together to find a way to meet the kidnappers demands. Will he come up with the money in time to save his daughter? 

It’s a suspenseful ride that takes you to the wild side of LA. Be prepared to lose sleep because it’s one of those books you can’t get enough of. It’s suspenseful, and it’s full of surprises as to how far these abductors will go for money and how far Winston will go for his daughter’s safe return.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Pairing to Die For by Kate Lansing

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  • Title: A Pairing to Die For
  • Author: Kate Lansing
  • Series: Colorado Wine Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Boulder, CO
  • Main Character: Parker, Reid
  • Other Characters: Gary, Camilla, Ben, Tristan, Oscar, Nick, Katy, Sage, Eli, Brit, Tony
  • Pets: 2 cats Zin & William
  • Stars: 4

A Pairing to Die For is the 2nd book in the Colorado Wine Mystery. Even though I am a wine lover, I found all the references on making wine a bit drawn out. I enjoyed some of it but then it got a bit old because I found it bit redundant. I am not a foodie so some of the references to the food, got a bit old so I would skip over some of it. I wanted to get on with the murder and solving the case.

Parker and Reid are in the early stages of establishing a relationship and things are progressing nicely. Parker has her own Winery and Reid has opened his new restaurant. They collaborate on wine pairings to match Reid’s recipes. When Reid’s estranged family come to town to celebrate the grand opening of his new restaurant, Parker is ready to make a great first impression, but that won’t be enough when disaster strikes. This sends Reid to the kitchen so Parker has to deal with his family alone. To top the evening off, Reid’s Sous chef is found dead in the alley behind the restaurant and Reid is arrested for the crime. Things definitely aren’t going as planned. According to the police this case is so clear-cut that they aren’t even looking for any other suspects.Parker is convinced that Reid could not have done this heinous crime and she is determined to prove it. There are a few people who could have had motive to want the sous chef gone but who would have been willing to kill him! Could Parker’s investigation put her in jeopardy?

I really liked this book and the mystery. The only reason I gave this book a 4 is due to all the references on making wine and food got a bit distracting but over all, it was great mystery. The characters are well developed and I felt like I knew them. Parker & Reid’s relationship is sweet and I love seeing where it is going to go. There may also be another romantic relationship in the works. The mystery was good with lots of twists and even though I had my suspicions on who the killer was, there was a twist I didn’t see coming. 

“When you find someone who truly complements you, who brings out new sides of yourself you didn’t know existed, well, that just might be a pairing worth dying for.”

Happy Reading!

Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Seaglass from the Past by Kay Correll

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  • Title: Seaglass from the Past
  • Author: Kay Correll
  • Series: Blue Heron Cottages #8
  • Genre: Romance, Women’s fiction
  • Takes Place:  Moonbeam
  • Main Character: Rose, Aspen, Willow
  • Other Characters: Violet, George, Tara, Walker, Murphy, Trent, Danny, Denise
  • Stars: 5

If you’re a fan of small town romances with tight-knit friendships, you’re in for a treat. Blue Heron is the eighth book in the series and it does not disappoint.

In this episode we’ll learn more about Rose’s past and what kind of secrets she may uncover. We’ll also learn more about Willow and Aspen’s past. They’ll have some surprises and Aspen will finally come to terms with her past and her mother. There’s a wedding, a budding romance, a newfound family, community, and friendship. What more could you ask for!

This book had me smiling the entire way through. It was a great conclusion to an amazing series. These books will have you wanting to move to Moonbeam and be part of this wonderful community. I have loved every book by Kay Corrells that I have read and will be reading more.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Dog Show Demise by Avery Kent

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  • Title: Dog Show Demise
  • Author: Avery Kent
  • Series: Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery #5
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Bishop’s Landing
  • Main Character: Annie Bishop
  • Other Characters: Maggie, Jake, Patricia, Ellie, Will, Mildred, Casey, Reece, Odette, Carlton, Allistair
  • Pets: Golden Retriever named Cookie & a German Shephard named Sarge
  • Stars: 3

This is the fifth book in the Bishop’s Landing Cozy Mystery Series. This book is set during a dog show. I love dogs, so I was really excited to read this book.

A Dog show comes to Bishop’s Landing and it is all fun and games until Annie finds the editor of a Canine Today dead in her office. With Jake’s suggestion, Annie finds herself enrolling her Golden Retriever, Cookie, in the dog show, so she can help investigate without suspicion. She discovers more going on at the dog show than meets the eye. Also we meet a new dog when Jake decides to foster a German Shepherd named Sarge.

I am enjoying the slow romance between Jake & Annie. And Casey has a new love interest. I am looking forward to see where this leads.

Because this is a dog show, a lot of time is devoted to figuring out how low people are willing to go to win a competition. People can get vicious when it comes to their dogs but who was vicious enough to kill? There are a lot of people with different motives for killing the victim. It took a few turns to reveal the killer, but it was so obvious to me that it didn’t surprise me. I kept waiting for it to take a different direction, but it didn’t. This book was ok and it kept my interest mainly because of the dogs and I do love the characters. I really enjoyed the introduction of Sarge. I like mystery with a lot of twists and turns with an ending that really takes me by surprise and I didn’t get this with this book.

I will be reading the next book because I do love the characters and I want to see what they are up to next.

I received this book free as part of an ARC and this review was given freely and is my honest opinion

Happy Reading,


Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Killer Chardonnay by Kate Lansing

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  • Title: Killer Chardonnay
  • Author: Kate Lansing
  • Series: A Colorado Wine Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Boulder, CO
  • Main Character: Parker Valentine
  • Other Characters: Sage, Eli, Anita, Liam, Reid, Max, Moira, Cannick, Libby, Brennan, Jason, Gaskel
  • Pets: A can named Zin
  • Stars: 5

This is definitely a wine-centered series that I could easily immerse myself in while sipping a glass of wine. If this first book is anything to go by, it’s gonna be a really good series.

From the first moment I met Parker, I fell in love with her. She had one goal: to open her very own winery. Her dream was about to come true when she opened the doors to her very first wine tasting. Everything is going smoothly until a local food & wine critic shows up and doesn’t like Parker’s chardonnay. after tasting her wine, he stumbles back into the bathroom, clearly ill, and dies right there on the floor in the bathroom. Parker’s dream of running a winery might not happen. Did her wine kill the critic? As soon as she started scrolling through social media and started seeing “killer chardonnay” all the time, she knew her days as a winemaker were numbered. This is a cozy mystery so you already know that Parker has to do some investigating on her own to find how why someone wanted the critic dead. When someone else dies, Parker is determined to see if there is a connection between the 2 deaths.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this book. This book has a fantastic protagonist that you’ll fall in love with from the get-go. I loved every single one of the characters. The supporting characters are great and well-developed as well. The main character has a best friend that she would do anything for, including being 100% honest, even if the truth sometimes hurts. The setting is stunning and I’d love to visit Parker’s Winery. She named cat’s name is ZIN (shorf for Zinfandel). Since White Zinfandel is my favorite wine, I love that her Cats name is ZIN. The

I seriously could not put this book down as the hunt for a killer will take you on a journey full of surprises until the end.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Photo of Murder by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: A Photo of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #3
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place: Somerset Harbor, Massachussets
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Elizabeth, Andy, Marguerite, Heather, Beth, Joe, Max, Brenda, Elise
  • Pets: a Golden Retriever name Gatsby, a Cat named Oliver & a Cat named Beasley
  • Stars: 4

“I Slept in Room 282 at the Kingfisher Inn.
“And I Lived to Check Out.”

This is the 3rd book in the Seabreeze Bookshop series and it is another quick read and a good little cozy mystery.

It is the off season in Somerset Harbor and Rue is dividing her time between running her Gran’s bookshop & running a local event, Martinis in the Garden. While Rue is busy with her event, her friend Elizabeth is gathering old photos from the families in the area for an exhibit.

It is a busy time and everything is going great until it all comes to a crashing halt when Rue’s friend and owner of the local Inn, Marguerite, is found murdered in the haunted room #282. Between ghostly spirits, and a ghost hunter there is a lot of activity at the Inn which is interfering with the homicide investigation. Rue, being the amateur sleuth that she is, is convinced that the local police are going in the wrong direction to find the murderer so she does her own investigation. Could some old photos hold some clues as to who could have wanted Marguerite dead?

I enjoyed this mystery. There were several possible suspects & it takes the reader on some twists & turns with some surprises until the killer is revealed.

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Letter of Murder by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: A Murder of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: A Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #2
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Andy, Elizabeth, Allie, Brian, Adriana, Rob, Roger, Regina
  • Pets: Golden Retriever named Gatsby and a Cat named Oliver
  • Stars: 5

“Sometimes in the past lie all the answers to the present.”

After the first book in this series, I almost didn’t read this one but I am so glad I did.

We visit with Rue again and her friend Elizabeth . Elizabeth is working on project and is asking if anyone has any old letters that she can use in her project. Allie, a friend of Rue’s, brings a letter written by her mother before she passed away. When Allie is found dead and it is discovered that she died the same way her mother did, Rue starts to believe that there must be a connection. Could the letter that Allie’s mother wrote hold some answers to this puzzle? When someone else in town dies in the same way, it throws some additional suspects to the mix. Will Rue, amateur sleuth, help her private detective friend find the killer before someone else is killed.

This book was a fast read that kept you guessing through the entire book. I love the twists it takes the reader on while trying to solve a murder. I am so glad I decided to continue with this series and I am looking forward to book 3.

“when you see a bluebird, that means things will be okay.”

Happy Reading!

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

A Page of Murder – Penny Brooke

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  • Title: A Page Of Murder
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: Seabreeze Bookshop Cozy Mystery #1
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue Collier
  • Other Characters: Elizabeth, Andy, Jules, Anna, Renee, Rachel
  • Pets: a golden Retrieve named Gatsby & a bookshop cat name Oliver
  • Stars: 3

“There is no Frigate like a Book To take us Lands away”
Emily Dickinson

In book one of the Seabreeze Bookshop series Rue has moved to Somerset Harbor to take care of her Gran’s bookshop while Gran is traveling in Paris.

Rue is getting settled into her new role as manager of the bookshop, when an old friend comes in. Her friend Anna (who owns the bakery next door) buys a few books but seems uneasy and nervous about something. As Rue is closing up shop and Leaving she sees cop cars parked next door. To her shock, Anna is found murdered shortly after leaving the store. She was stabbed to death.

Could Rue be withholding some evidence as to who may have killed Anna? Could a killing from the past have anything to do with this murder? Could a special recipe be a motive for murder? 

I wish there had been a little bit more of character development. I just didn’t get that cozy feeling that I usually get from a book that makes me want to live in that small town. There are a few suspects for this murder, but I did feel like the killer was obvious from the start. I was hoping I was wrong since it was so obvious. There was an additional twist at the end but it still wasn’t a huge surprise. I liked this book, but I do wish there had been a few more surprises with twists & turns.

“you have to read the whole book to understand the plot.”

Happy Reading

Cozy Mystery, Fiction

Secrets in the Bookshop by Penny Brooke

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  • Title: Secrets in the Bookshop
  • Author: Penny Brooke
  • Series: Prequel Seabreeze Bookshop #0
  • Genre: Cozy Mystery short story
  • Takes Place:  Somerset Harbor, Massachusettes
  • Main Character: Rue
  • Other Characters: Rue’s Gran Linda. Elizabeth
  • Pets: a Cockerspaniel named Elsie (Nell)
  • Stars: 5

“Long Live the written word”

This is a short story prequel to the Seabreeze Bookshop Series. I received this book free by subscribing to the author’s newsletter. I am givig this review voluntarily and it has nothing to do with receiving it for free. I was not asked to do a review. The only way you can get this book is by subscring to her newsletter. You can also get this book for free (at this time) by clicking on the book photo and going to the “subscribe to Penny Brooke’s newsletter” page.

Rue has come to visit her Gran in Somerset Harbor Massachusettes. Her Gran owns the local bookstore and Rue has a lot of fond memories of visiting her Gran over the years.

There are several little mysteries in this short story. Where did the Cocker Spaniel come from who keeps hanging around the bookstore? What secret is Gran keeping from her granddaughter? What is the importance to Gran’s necklace?

This is a sweet story of the bond between a granddaughter and her Gran. It is a great book to prepare the reader for the journey of this series. I already love the characters and how the granddaughter wants to help her grandmother. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series to learn more about these characters.

“To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs”

Happy Reading!