Book Review: A Desperate Search (Echo Lake #2) by Amanda Stevens

Title:  A Desperate Search (Echo Lake #2)

Author:  Amanda Stevens 

Stars: 4

Review:
My first book by Amanda Stevens and I will admit I give HQ Intrigue as a beach book read or a throw away when you need something to read Amanda Stevens is a shining star to this company.
She story flows well the story is complete and compelling with just the right blend of what readers are looking for an more.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a advance copy of Amanda Stevens A Desperate Search

Synopsis:
Detective Adam Thayer is devastated when he arrives too late to save his friend who had called for help. But a series of obscure clues brings Adam to coroner Nikki Dresden, who’s eager to determine if one of the town’s most beloved citizens was murdered. Now they must work together to unravel a deadly web of lies and greed…or die trying.

ebook, 256 pages

Published July 1st 2020 by Harlequin Intrigue

About The Author:
Amanda Stevens is the award-winning author of over fifty novels, including the modern gothic series, The Graveyard Queen. Her books have been described as eerie and atmospheric, “a new take on the classic ghost story.” Born and raised in the rural south, she now resides in Houston, Texas, where she enjoys binge-watching, bike riding and the occasional Horror Night with friends.

Book Review: The Silent Dolls (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 1) by Rita Herron

Title: The Silent Dolls (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 1)

Author: Rita Herron

Stars: 4

Review:
Great start to a new series for Rita Herron. The Silent Doll starts off as the biggest nightmare any parents faces.  Thrown in the feeling of being hunted as Ellie is searching for the little girl.
The flow of the story will have readers needing moments to breath as they will fear what could happen and if the author will go into a dark space or bring readers the hope that they are looking for.
The Silent Dolls is one heck of a fear ride as a parent and a thriller that readers will no be able to put down.  Yes you will have a book hang over before you finish this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher  Bookouture for the advance copy of  Rita Herron The Silent Dolls.

Synopsis:
Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she curls inside the tiny cave-like space. She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.

When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. According to Penny’s parents, their daughter vanished after a picnic by the creek. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”.

Ellie knows all too well that the mountains’ endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide. Racing against the rapidly setting sun and a brutal winter storm on the horizon, she searches desperately for Penny.

Special Agent Derrick Fox is determined to join the hunt. His younger sister, Kim, disappeared in the same area twenty-five years ago––on the day he was meant to be watching her. He’s certain the cases are linked and that over a dozen girls have vanished in the last decade. Ellie refuses to believe that their tight-knit mountain community could be home to a deadly criminal, but even she can’t deny the similarities in the cases. And when they discover the remains of a small body buried with a carved wooden doll, it’s clear they’re up against a deadly serial killer preying on innocent little girls.

As the temperature plunges, Penny’s life hangs in the balance. Most people who get lost in the woods never make it out alive. Can Ellie and Derrick defy the odds and find out the truth about all the stolen girls? Or will the mountain, and its twisted killer, claim another victim?

Kindle Edition, 366 pages

Expected publication: July 17th 2020 by Bookouture

About The Author:
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Rita Herron fell in love with books at the ripe age of eight when she read her first Trixie Belden mystery. But she didn’t think real people grew up to be writers, so she became a teacher instead. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job.
With over ninety books to her credit, she’s penned romantic suspense, romantic comedy and YA novels, but she especially likes writing dark romantic suspense and crime fiction set in small southern towns.
For more on. Rita and her titles, visit her at www.ritaherron.com.

Book Review: The Ultimate Betrayal (Maximum Security #3) by Kat Martin

Title: The Ultimate Betrayal (Maximum Security #3)

Author: Kat Martin

Stars: 4 1\2 

Review:
Kat Martin writes a great blend of Romance, mystery and suspense but this time the romance took over the story having readers skipping several pages to get back to the plot hoping for answers that is haunting both Jessie and Bran.
This can be read as a stand alone novel.
The characters are likable and Jessie isn't  your typical stand in the way female.  She is able to take care of herself and knows when to ask for help.  So no need to yell Do not go in that room!
Bran is typical characters for his type of book and setting. 
Many times readers will have to suspend their belief as these two can not seem to keep from being shot, hit, almost killed many times.
The ending is predictable and readers will be able to figure it out before the characters do. These are the reason I am unable to give the book 5 stars
It is well written the background of the characters is the perfect amount, the cast of characters each have a purpose and a reason to be there.  
Kat Martin is one of the best at weaving Romance and Suspense in to a perfect story. However she falls just short for this reader.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Kat Martin The Ultimate Betrayal. 

Synopsis: 
When journalist Jessie Kegan’s father is accused of espionage and treason, Jessie has no doubt the man she looked up to her entire life is innocent. Worse yet, before Colonel Kegan can stand trial, he’s found dead of a heart attack…but Jessie knows it was murder. Forcing down her grief, she’s determined to use her investigative skills and resources to clear her father’s name. But going after the truth means Jessie soon finds herself in the crosshairs of a killer who wants that truth to stay buried with her father.

Protecting Jessie Kegan is a job bodyguard Brandon Garrett can’t refuse. Jessie isn’t just a client at Maximum Security—she’s the sister of his best friend, Danny, killed in Afghanistan. With dangerous forces gunning for Jessie from every angle, keeping her safe will mean keeping her close and Bran finds their mutual attraction growing, though being Danny’s sister puts Jessie out of bounds.

With their backs against the wall, Jessie and Bran will have to risk everything to expose her father’s killer—before his legacy dies with his daughter. 

ebook, 384 pages

Expected publication: July 28th 2020 by HQN Books

About The Author:
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Published since 1988, she singed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances. The New York Times bestselling writer, among her many awards, has won the prestigious RT Book Review Magazine Career Achievement Award. To date, Kat has over eleven million copies of her books in print. She has been published in seventeen foreign countries, including England, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Italy, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Russia, Bulgaria, China, and Korea.

Currently residing with her husband, a Western-writer and photographer, in Missoula, Montana, USA. But when they are not writing, they also enjoy skiing and traveling, particularly to Europe.

Book Review: No One Saw (A.L. McKittridge #2) by Beverly Long

Title:  No One Saw (A.L. McKittridge #2) 

Author: Beverly Long

Stars: 3 1\2

Review:

No One Saw isn't my favorite book I have read this summer.  The plot was ok the cast of characters almost feels endless during the investigation period which makes it hard to keep up with who is and are they important to remember.

The author does her best to keep readers focused on the case and showing the way police investigate and how many people are involved.  I realize why they write or record everything that is said I couldn't keep it all straight.  

It was hard to connect with the lead characters at times which is when the story fell flat for this reader.

The author does create a interesting mystery but lacks a deeper understanding as to why the characters do what they do.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Beverly Long No One Saw.

Synopsis:

Baywood police department detective A.L. McKittridge is no stranger to tough cases, but when five-year-old Emma Whitman disappears from her day care, there isn’t a single shred of evidence to go on. Neither the grandmother who dropped her off, nor the teacher whose care she was supposed to be in, can account for the missing child. There are no witnesses. No trace of where she might have gone. There’s only one thing A.L. and his partner, Rena Morgan, are sure of—somebody is lying.

With the clock ticking, A.L. and Rena are under extreme pressure as they discover their instincts are correct: all is not as it seems. The Whitmans are a family with many secrets, and A.L. and Rena will have to race to untangle a growing web of lies if they’re going to find the thread that leads them to Emma…before it’s too late. 

ebook, 384 pages

Published June 30th 2020 by MIRA

About the Author:

Beverly Long had written over twenty suspense and romantic suspense novels. Readers will not want to miss TEN DAYS GONE and NO ONE SAW, the first two books in a new suspense series featuring Detective A.L. McKittridge. Please visit her website at www.beverlylong.com and sign up for her quarterly newsletter for the latest news and opportunities to win free books. Like her on Facebook @BeverlyLongAuthor.

Book Review: Before Nightfall (Maximum Security #2.5) by Kat Martin

Title: Before Nightfall (Maximum Security #2.5) 

Author: Kat Martin 

Stars: 5

Review:
Kat Martin knows how to pack a punch in a short amount of time or I guess word count!
From beginning to end this story will have reads wanting and needing more from the different characters.  I wouldn't recommitted reading this as a stand alone novel.
The characters come alive bring readers on adventure readers will not forget.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Kat Martin Before NightFall.

Synopsis:
When her best friend’s son is kidnapped, private detective Lissa Blayne drops everything to focus on the missing boy. Julie and Lissa have been close for years, so when Julie’s friend Colt Wheeler joins the investigation, Lissa bristles at the former ranger’s take-charge attitude. Lissa doesn’t need a man calling the shots, even if there is something about Colt’s protective side that has her tough exterior melting away. As Lissa and Colt take their search on the road, the tension between them slowly morphs into trust and understanding—and they’ll need both in order to outsmart the dangerous abductor they’re tracking. The only thing hotter than their attraction is the heat of the Mexican sun, but this road trip is no vacation

ebook

Published July 1st 2020 by HQN Books

About The Author: 
Kathleen Kelly was born on 14 July 1947 in the Central Valley of California, USA. She obtained a degree in Anthropology and also studied History at the University of California in Santa Barbara. She was a real estate broker, when she met her future husband, Larry Jay Martin. A short time after the two became acquainted, Larry asked her to read an unpublished manuscript of an historical western he'd written. Kat fell in love with both the book and the author! Then, after doing some editing for him, she thought she'd try her own hand at writing. She moved on to become a full time writer.

Published since 1988, she singed her books with her married name, Kat Martin, but she also used two pseudonyms: Kathy Lawrence for a book in collaboration with her husband Larry Jay Martin, and Kasey Mars for her first contemporary romances.

Book Review: All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne

Title: All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2)

Author:  Kerrigan Byrne 

Stars: 4

Review:
This is book 2 in a series of which I am familiar with as I also reviewed Book 1 in August 2019 (How To Love A Duke In Ten Days - 4 stars). The trio of former schoolgirls are off on another mystery/murder/romance. This time the action takes place in London and briefly in Scotland. It all begins at a dinner party given  by one of the three friends who is married to a Duke. Also in attendance, the older step brother of the Duke (Cassius Gerard Ramsay, Lord Chief Justice of the High Court). Things heat up between Cecilia and Ramsay from the beginning. But unfortunately their next, unexpected meeting, is a different matter altogether. Ramsay is doing a raid on a gambling house that Cecelia is looking over as she just received it in her Aunt's will. From that point the intrigue just grows as the two, apparent enemies, discover a mutual attraction to each other. To find out if justice prevails you will have to read this offering.

I have given this book a 4 star rating and recommend it to any reader who enjoys historical romances.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Frank for your review.

Synopsis:
He is first and foremost—at everything. A man who's made his own way in the world through ruthless cunning and sheer force of will. A strong and imposing Scot who can turn on the charm but does not suffer fools. His title: Lord Chief Justice of the High Court. His name: Cassius Gerard Ramsay. His mission: To investigate the goings-on at London's most notorious gaming hell, owned and operated by one of the most intriguing and desirable women he's ever met.

IN THIS GAME OF LOVE, THE RULES DO NOT APPLY

Cecelia Teague was an orphan facing a rather dire future—until a secret benefactor from her mother's scandalous past swept into her life. Sent to prestigious boarding school and later to university, Cecelia believed high society was at her fingertips...Then, from out of nowhere, she became the inheritor of a gambling establishment. Now Cecelia must live two lives: one as a proper lady who finds herself undeniably drawn to Lord Ramsay and the other as a savvy gaming hell owner trying to save her business from the very same man. He has no idea she is both women...and Cecelia would like to keep it that way. But what happens when consuming passion and escalating danger threaten to reveal the truth?

Mass Market Paperback, 416 pages

Expected publication: September 29th 2020 by St. Martin's Paperbacks

About The Author:
If you're anything like me, the best night is one spent with a brawny highlander, a mysterious werewolf, a conflicted vampire, or a hot-headed Irishman. My stories span the spectrum of romantic fiction from historical, to paranormal, to romantic suspense. But I can always promise my readers one thing: memorable and sexy Celtic heroes who are guaranteed to heat your blood before they steal your heart. Lose yourself in the enchanted Celtic Isles, you never know who, or what, will find you..

Book Review: Tainted Evidence (Evidence, #10) by Rachel Grant

Title: Tainted Evidence (Evidence, #10)

Author:  Rachel Grant 

Stars: 4

Review:
Rachel Grant decided to give readers a chance to find themselves as the female lead in all her books and this one is no exception.  She used the modern day political environment bring in a female who is Bi sexual.  I can see this causing some reader to have issues but really books are to be about the world we create and the world we create is part of the world we live in.  
Rachel Grand has made her political side very well known in the story which could leave some readers pushing the book aside.  If we do not see or read all views than we can not grow as a people.

The story will remind readers of why they love Rachel Grant stories.  I wish there was less lets have sex and more story of the reason Maddie Foster is cataloging bones of people who have died long ago.
The history that is being used in this story isn't something new which makes me sad as a history nut.
Rachel Grant bring history to life but she falls flat creating a better balance of story to romance in this story.

This story could be seen in the headlines today which makes it hard to read at time expect for the good guys win and the bad guys lose.
Thank you to Netrgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Rachel Grant Tainted Evidence.

Synopsis:
Inventorying human remains can be difficult at the best of times without a creepy security guard hovering over Maddie Foster’s shoulder. Nervous about being stuck in the crypt with the strange man, Maddie asks a friend of a friend to drop by and pretend to be her boyfriend to force the guy to back off.

Raptor operative Josh Warner recently moved to Oregon to take over as guardian to his troubled niece and open a new private security branch in the Pacific Northwest. Josh doesn’t hesitate to help Maddie and is intrigued by the brainy museologist. His protective nature kicks into high gear as he discovers she may be in very real danger.

Tensions run hot in the summer heat as Josh’s work puts everyone he cares about at risk, and Maddie’s research into the museum collection raises questions better left buried. As their city teeters on the precipice of violence, Josh and Maddie find themselves embroiled in a deadly scheme that could reshape the nation. 

ebook

Published June 26th 2020

About The Author:
USA Today bestselling author Rachel Grant worked for over a decade as a professional archaeologist and mines her experiences for storylines and settings, which are as diverse as excavating a cemetery underneath an historic art museum in San Francisco, survey and excavation of many prehistoric Native American sites in the Pacific Northwest, researching an historic concrete house in Virginia, and mapping a seventeenth century Spanish and Dutch fort on the island of Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children and can be found on the web at www.Rachel-Grant.net

Book Review: Hood by Jenny Elder Moke

Title: Hood

Author: Jenny Elder Moke 

Stars: 4

Review:
As a mom trying to find books for a readers who is 11 years old isn't easy.  She finished Harry Potter Series in 3 months. (Yes most of it was read during Spring Break and Lock Down)
When I was given a chance for her to find a new series published though disney I was beyond excited.
This book will not disappoint readers young and old! Readers will fall in love with the story of Robin Hood once again as Jenny Elder Moke bring readers into her world!
My daughter could not put the book down once she started and after she finished she asked me if i had more stories like this for her to read. (I love Robin Hood themed Stories)
Review from daughter
Oh My Gosh I couldn't put the story down.  It was awesome and the characters oh my gosh mom King John Agg but everyone else was amazing! I can't wait to read the next book by who is the author?  Does she have more books to read?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Disney-Hyperion for the advance copy of Jenny Elder Moke Hood.


Synopsis:
Isabelle of Kirklees has only ever known a quiet life inside the sheltered walls of the convent, where she lives with her mother, Marien. But after she is arrested by royal soldiers for defending innocent villagers, Isabelle becomes the target of the Wolf, King John's ruthless right hand. Desperate to keep her daughter safe, Marien helps Isabelle escape and sends her on a mission to find the one person who can help: Isabelle's father, Robin Hood.

As Isabelle races to stay out of the Wolf's clutches and find the father she's never known, she is thrust into a world of thieves and mercenaries, handsome young outlaws, new enemies with old grudges, and a king who wants her entire family dead. As she joins forces with Robin and his Merry Men in a final battle against the Wolf, will Isabelle find the strength to defy the crown and save the lives of everyone she holds dear? 

Hardcover, 320 pages

Published June 9th 2020 by Disney-Hyperion

About The Author:
Jenny Elder Moke writes young adult fiction in an attempt to recapture the shining infinity of youth. When she is not writing, she’s gathering story ideas from her daily adventures with her two irredeemable rapscallions and honing her ninja skills as a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

Her debut novel, HOOD, about the daughter of Robin Hood and Maid Marien, will release from Disney/Hyperion in Spring 2020.

Book Review: Cut to the Bone (Agent Sayer Altair #3) by Ellison Cooper

Title:  Cut to the Bone (Agent Sayer Altair #3)

Author: Ellison Cooper 

Stars: 5

Review:
This series will be one I will read again and again. Warning You need to start with book 1 to completely understand what is happening in book 3. 
Ellison Cooper is able to weave a story that will have reader engaged in the sub plot lines as well as the major story line.  Ellison weaves a story of betrayal, curiosity, friendships and family with so much ease authors and readers alike will find themselves needing more from this author to see where her writing will take her.
The author background in Anthropology is very much obvious as she tells her story with a scientific background

The story creates a world with a woman who grieves for those she lost as well as those she might lose.  Sayer wants to understand how the mind works in psychopaths to better understand what turns a person to kill vs being successful.  Awhile saving the world and the FBI she loves!
The cast of characters are amazing, flawed, relatable and very human.  Sayer is able to bring the misfits of the work into her working and home life where everyone is able to fall in love with the banter, communication and the overwhelming love the author  put into each and everyone of these characters.

This a can't miss series!!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Ellison Cooper Cut to the Bone

Synopsis:
After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Agent Sayer Altair is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer’s newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl’s body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing in this case is what it seems.

As the investigation draws her in to a tangled web of fake identities and false leads, the trail soon begins to point directly to her own life. Now, Sayer must confront her painful past to uncover her connection to the deranged killer if she hopes to save the missing teens and protect everything that she loves.

Hardcover, 336 pages

Expected publication: July 14th 2020 by Minotaur Books

About The Author
Ellison Cooper has a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCLA, with a background in archaeology, cultural neuroscience, ancient religion, colonialism, and human rights. She has conducted fieldwork in Central America, West Africa, Micronesia, and Western Europe. She has worked as a murder investigator in Washington DC, and is a certified K9 Search and Rescue Federal Disaster Worker. She now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son.

Book Review: Never Look Back (Criminal Profiler #3) by Mary Burton

Title: Never Look Back (Criminal Profiler #3)

Author: Mary Burton

Stars: 5

Review:
Never Look Back starts off with a Bam and readers will be pulled into the story unable to put it down leaving them tried the next morning.
The characters are tragic as always but they always seem to have a light that keeps them from destruction or death.
Melina and Jerrod work well together as they fight though the crime that is present to them in a way that will turn the stomach of even the hardest edge agents.
The story flows smooth and the different points of view will have readers wanting more.
Mary Burton is able to tell a chilling story with madness that will have readers wanting more.

Thank you to Netgelley and the publisher for the advance copy of Mary Burton Never Look Back.

Synopsis:
After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute. While working the street, she narrowly avoids becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much as it pains her to admit, she needs backup.

Enter lone wolf FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a scene where a little girl has been found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They open the trunk to reveal a horror show and quickly realize they’re dealing with two serial killers with very different MOs. The whole situation brings back memories for Melina—why does this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?

Before time runs out, Melina must catch not one but two serial killers, both ready to claim another victim—and both with their sights set on her.

Kindle Edition, 332 pages

Expected publication: July 1st 2020 by Montlake

About The Author:
Mary Burton, whose latest novel is Hide and Seek, loves writing suspense, getting to know her characters, keeping up with law enforcement and forensic procedure, morning walks, baking, and tiny dachshunds. She also enjoys hunting down serial killers, which she does in her New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels. Library Journal has compared her work to that of Lisa Jackson and Lisa Gardner, and Fresh Fiction likened her writing to that of James Patterson.