Book Review: Lord of the Pies (A Kensington Palace Chef Mystery #2) by Nell Hampton

Title: Lord of the Pies (A Kensington Palace Chef Mystery #2) 

Author: Nell Hampton

Stars: 4.25 stars

Review:
A quirky murder mystery set in the Kensington Palace kitchens. The heroine is a young American Chef, hired by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who is their personal Chef. Needless to say two murders occur in which the young Chef appears to be the culprit. So she must find the real culprit while trying to find romance beneath the stairs. This book will keep even the most jaded reader's attention to the finale. With her ability to find herself in hot water, and I don't mean just tea,  I fully expect to see series of unfortunate murders being solved by this intriped Chef. After all, don't we all enjoy a flight of fancy from time to time.

I have rated this book 4.25 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Synopsis
The elegant Orangery at Kensington Palace is the perfect setting for the bridal shower of Carrie Ann Cole’s best friend’s sister. Personal chef to the royal family, Carrie Ann’s pie theme is naturally winning. But a waiter later keels over dead into the lemon meringue pie she leaves as a thank-you to the staff and Carrie Ann realizes that somebody slipped a mickey into that meringue. 

Her floury fingerprints are all over that pie and the authorities suspect her distress is a cover-up for murder. Carrie Ann must set out to clear her name if she wants to stay at her dream job any longer. But all too soon, another body drops in the Orangery. This time, it’s the Orangery chef. 

Murder won’t crimp her style, and as bodies pile up, Carrie Ann uncovers palace intrigue, London nightlife, and British pies scouring for the killer in Lord of the Pies, the witty follow-up to Nell Hampton’s Kale to the Queen.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: April 10th 2018 by Crooked Lane Books

About The Author:
Nell Hampton enjoys a good mystery. She is lucky enough to indulge her love of a good who dunnit by writing mystery series. Fun settings, quirky characters, yummy recipes and pets of all shapes and sizes fill the pages of her multiple, award-winning series. Nell writes as Nancy Coco, Nancy J Parra and Nell Hampton. Her books have hit national best seller lists and book clubs. You can also find her stories in audio books and large print. 

Visit her website at www.nancyjparra.com for more information, a list of her books and full reviews. Follow her at www.facebook.com/nancyjparraauthor and www.facebook.com/nancyjcoco .

Book Review: All the Women in My Family Sing: An Anthology by Women of Color by Deborah Santana (Editor)

Title: All the Women in My Family Sing: An Anthology by Women of Color

Author: Deborah Santana (Editor)

Stars: 5 Stars

Review:
All the Women in My Family Sing is a beautiful collection of women from around the work who write about personal experiences though the written words in poems and so much more.
Each woman bares her soul covering different topics that are covered are body image, health, life, love and many more soul barring stories that readers whether male or female will be able to connect with.
This is must read for it brings to life others hardships no matter where they are in life. 
All The Women in my family is am amazing collection everyone should have on their shelves.
Thank you for the copy   All the Women in My Family Sing: An Anthology by Women of Color or my honest review.


Synopsis:
All the Women in My Family Sing is an anthology documenting the experiences of women of color at the dawn of the twenty-first century. It is a vital collection of prose and poetry whose topics range from the pressures of being the vice-president of a Fortune 500 Company, to escaping the killing fields of Cambodia, to the struggles inside immigration, identity, romance, and self-worth. These brief, trenchant essays capture the aspirations and wisdom of women of color as they exercise autonomy, creativity, and dignity and build bridges to heal the brokenness in today’s turbulent world. Sixty-nine authors ― African American, Asian American, Chicana, Native American, Cameroonian, South African, Korean, LGBTQI ― lend their voices to broaden cross-cultural understanding and to build bridges to each other’s histories and daily experiences of life. America Ferrera’s essay is from her powerful speech at the Women’s March in Washington D.C.; Natalie Baszile writes about her travels to Louisiana to research Queen Sugar and finding the “painful truths” her father experienced in the “belly of segregation;” Porochista Khakpour tells us what it is like to fly across America under the Muslim travel ban; Lalita Tademy writes about her transition from top executive at Sun Microsystems to NY Times bestselling author. This anthology is monumental and timely as human rights and justice are being challenged around the world. It is a watershed title, not only written, but produced entirely by women of color, including the publishing, editing, process management, book cover design, and promotions. Our vision is to empower underrepresented voices and to impact the world of publishing in America ― particularly important in a time when 80% of people who work in publishing self-identify as white (as found recently in a study by Lee & Low Books, and reported on NPR)


List of Authors: 
Belva DavisLalita Tademy, Michelle -Mush- Lee , Mila Jam, Miriam Ching Louie , Musimbi Kanyoro, Nashormeh Lindo , Nayomi Munaweera, Blaire Topash-Caldwell, America Ferrera, Natalie Baszile, Meera Bowman-Johnson, Lisa Jones, Emma Talbott, Veronica Kugler, Phiroozeh Petigara, Jennifer De Leon, Marian Wright Edelman, Porochista Khakpour

Book Review: Hot Target (Alpha Security #4) by April Hunt

Title: Hot Target (Alpha Security #4)

Author:  April Hunt

Stars: 4 stars

Review:
If readers have read the first 3 in the Alpha Series this one will fit right in. Rachel has been in recovery and is trying to help her friend. She is feisty in a good way. She struggles to figure out what life has left for here and this story will have readers going back to the first 3 to fall in love with this over the top security series that readers will have to suspense reality. 
For a Novella the story is filled with action, romance and lots of gun fights. The wild roller-coaster ride is everything you come to expect from April Hunt series and I can't wait to read more.

Thank you to Netgalley and  Forever Yours publishing for the advance copy.

Synopsis:
How did a nice girl like Rachel Kline end up in a jail cell in Vegas? Don't even ask. She came to Sin City to find her missing friend and accidentally got swept up in a police raid. Even worse, she's being bailed out by the last man she wants to see right now: the irresistibly sexy, infuriatingly cocky Alpha op who rescued her a year ago. What are the odds?

Logan Callahan is six-and-a-half feet of solid muscle and Texas charm, a hard-fighting ex-Marine with a soft spot for Rachel. He's more than obliged to hang up his cowboy hat and help her out. But when someone takes a shot at her, he knows there's a good chance what happens in Vegas won't stay there. With targets on their backs and killers on their tails, it's one high-risk game they're playing. And it's not just their hearts that are on the line .


About The Author:

April blames her chocolate addiction on being born near the country chocolate capital in Hershey, Pennsylvania. When April's not busy raising her husband and two young children (yes, that's worded correctly), she can be found writing about her next brooding alpha hero and the woman he never knew he needed, but now can't live without

HEATED PURSUIT is her debut release with Grand Central Publishing. Alpha Up and meet the heroes of Alpha Security...you'll be SO GLAD that you did.

Book Review: Deadly Intent (I-Team #8) by Pamela Clare

Title: Deadly Intent (I-Team #8)

Author:  Pamela Clare 

Stars: 5 Stars

Review:
This is the first book I have read by Pamela Clare as well as the first in this series.  Deadly Intent can be read as a stand a lone novel.  
Deadly Intent weighs heavily in the romance department with the mystery and suspense taking a back seat though the entire middle section of the book.
Pamela Clare is able to bring lots of characters together but they are timed just right to keep readers from getting lost.  The story pulls readers in as the romance develops the characters start to come alive. Yes there lots of sex that readers can skip without missing any developing characters parts or the suspense.
I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher copy of Deadly Intent by Pamela Clare.

Synopsis:
Secrets buried in the sand…

Former US Army Captain Mia Starr has built a new life for herself in Denver, far away from camel spiders and sand—and the terrible secrets of her first deployment to Iraq. She isn’t looking for a relationship, especially not with an intrusive photojournalist. Joaquin Ramirez might be sexy, but in her experience, photojournalists only want to make a buck off other people’s suffering. Still, the universe must have a sick sense of humor because it keeps throwing her together with Joaquin, making the desire she feels for him harder and harder to resist.

An undeniable attraction…

As a Pulitzer Prize-winning news photographer, Joaquin has everything a single straight guy could want—except the right woman. When he meets Mia while shooting a crime scene, he immediately sees beyond her cold exterior to the vulnerable woman beneath. Though the police consider her a suspect, he’s sure she’s innocent. Someone is killing soldiers—and trying to pin the blame on her. Unable to resist the pull between them, Joaquin stands by her only to find himself snared in the killer’s net as well. 

A twisted soul hungry for revenge…

Mia can’t help it when the heat between her and Joaquin melts away her preconceptions. As their passion explodes, danger draws ever closer. When it becomes clear that Mia is the killer’s true target, she must trust Joaquin with a secret that could ruin her … or risk losing the love of a lifetime.

ebook

Published February 21st 2018 by Pamela Clare

About The Author:

USA Today best-selling author Pamela Clare began her writing career as a columnist and investigative reporter and eventually became the first woman editor-in-chief of two different newspapers. Along the way, she and her team won numerous state and national honors, including the First Amendment Award and the National Journalism Award for Public Service. In 2011, she was honored by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists with their Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award for her work. A single mother with two grown sons and two cats, she writes historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense within view of Colorado’s beautiful Rocky Mountains. She is a two-time RITA finalist (Surrender, Defiant) and a three-time Daphne du Maurier finalist (I-Team series). She loves history, having studied archaeology in college, and has traveled extensively, living for almost three years in Denmark, which feels like home to her. She attributes her love of historical romance with the years she spent visiting ruins and castles in Europe.

Book Review: Gone Daddy Gone (Sloane Monroe #7) by Cheryl Bradshaw

 
Title: Gone Daddy Gone (Sloane Monroe #7)

Author: Cheryl Bradshaw 

Stars: 5 stars

Review:
This is the first I have read in the Sloane Monroe series and while starting in book 7 might not be the best idea this author knows how to pull reader in right away.
This is not a stand alone novel but readers just starting off can get a pretty good idea who everyone is with a little time.  
The characters are very interesting even though they are many to keep track of and one to many C names. What I liked best about Cheryl Bradshaw even the secondary characters have a reason and a purpose to the story.

The author keeps readers guess who the killer is and she won't give anything away until the author is reveals the person.
Starting in book 7 wasn't the best idea but the author is able to pull this reader in with a fast pace mystery that has me wanting to go back and read the 1-6.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Kobo Writing Life for the advance copy of  Gone Daddy Gone by Cheryl Bradshaw 


Synopsis:
A single moment is about to change Sloane Monroe's life forever... 

On an early winter morning, college student Shelby McCoy walks the quiet, snowy path back home. A tree branch snaps in the distance. Then another. A man is there with her, following close behind, whispering her name. She looks back, sees him gaining on her, and runs. Who is this man, and why is he carrying a gun?

Kindle Edition, 224 pages

Published April 27th 2017

About The Author:

Cheryl Bradshaw is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author writing in the genres of mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, paranormal suspense, and women's contemporary fiction. Stranger in Town (Sloane Monroe mystery series book 4) was a Shamus Award finalist, and I Have a Secret (Sloane Monroe mystery series #3) won best thriller of the year from eFestival of Words.