Book Review: Who Speaks for the Damned (Sebastian St. Cyr #15) by C.S. Harris

 

Title: Who Speaks for the Damned (Sebastian St. Cyr #15)

Author: C.S. Harris

Stars: 4

Review:

A disgraced Lord, who had been tried, found guilty, transported, and thought to have died years earlier, is found murdered in a paid public park. While society apparently, it appears, does not care about the demised Lord our hero takes an interest. During the course of his investigation other murders occur which he is able to tie to the original murder. Through solid investigating he is able to solve all, including the original crime, for which the disgraced Lord was transported.

A very good early 19th century offering which should hold the readers attention. I have rated this book 4 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review of this book.

Synopsis:

It's June 1814, and the royal families of Austria, Russia, and the German states have gathered in London at the Prince Regent's invitation to celebrate the defeat of Napoléon and the restoration of monarchical control throughout Europe. But the festive atmosphere is marred one warm summer evening by the brutal murder of a disgraced British nobleman long thought dead.

Eighteen years before, Nicholas Hayes, the third son of the late Earl of Seaford, was accused of killing a beautiful young French émigré and transported to Botany Bay for life. Even before his conviction, Hayes had been disowned by his father. Few in London were surprised when they heard the ne'er-do-well had died in New South Wales in 1799. But those reports were obviously wrong. Recently Hayes returned to London with a mysterious young boy in tow--a child who vanishes shortly after Nicholas's body is discovered.

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is drawn into the investigation by his valet, Jules Calhoun. With Calhoun's help, Sebastian begins to piece together the shattered life of the late Earl's ill-fated youngest son. Why did Nicholas risk his life and freedom by returning to England? And why did he bring the now-missing young boy with him? Several nervous Londoners had reason to fear that Nicholas Hayes had returned to kill them. One of them might have decided to kill him first. 

Published April 7th 2020 by Berkley Books

About the Author:

Candice graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude with a degree in Classics before going on to earn an MA and Ph.D. in history. A former academic, she has taught at the University of Idaho and Midwestern State University in Texas. She also worked as an archaeologist on a variety of sites including a Hudson's Bay Company Fort in San Juan Island, a Cherokee village in Tennessee, a prehistoric kill site in Victoria, Australia, and a Roman cemetery and medieval manor house in Winchester, England. Most recently, she spent many years as a partner in an international business consulting firm.

The daughter of a career Air Force officer and university professor, Proctor loves to travel and has spent much of her life abroad. She has lived in Spain, Greece, England, France, Jordan, and Australia. She now makes her home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband, retired Army officer Steve Harris, her two daughters, and an ever-expanding number of cats.

Book Review: The Peasant's Dream (Hagenheim #11) by Melanie Dickerson

 

Title: The Peasant's Dream (Hagenheim #11)

Author: Melanie Dickerson 

Stars: 3.5

Review:

A reverse Cinderella story which is easy to read but predictable. I easily read the entire story in two settings. In summary,  the poor mistreated hero manages to start pulling himself up by his proverbial bootstraps and in the process falls in love with a village maiden. But this maiden is not what she appears to be. She is not a village maiden but the youngest daughter of the local Duke who has snuck out, in disguise, in order to visit the village market. Mutual attraction is disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. But just like Cinderella, dreams and expections, have a way of becoming reality.

I will admit the story was in a different time period and country than I would normally read. However, that said, I have rated the book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the fact that the author did not have to stoop to pages of blaten sex scenes to tell the story.

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

Thank you Netgalley.

Synopsis:

Adela is the youngest daughter of Duke Wilhelm of Hagenheim and is never allowed outside of the castle walls. She loves her family, but she sneaks away one day to the market in the town center. There she meets a handsome young man and wonders what it might be like to fall in love with a poor farmer with a kind heart instead of marrying the man her family is suggesting for her.

Frederick earns the income for his family and defends his mother from his father’s drunken rages. He also uses his talent and creativity to carve figures, animals, and scenes into wood, and he's asked to carve these scenes into cathedral doors when his talent is noticed. Frederick is inspired by the sweet and beautiful Adela, but he has no knowledge of her true identity. When he gets swept up into a plan to kidnap the duke’s daughter, both are shaken by what they learn about the other.

With the heartbroken Adela resigned to an arranged marriage with her noble suitor, Frederick must decide what he’s willing to risk for love. 

About The Author:

Melanie Dickerson is a New York Times bestselling author, a two-time Christy Award finalist, two-time Maggie Award winner, Carol Award winner, two-time winner of the Christian Retailing's Best award, and her book, The Healer's Apprentice, won the National Readers Choice Award for Best First Book. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). Melanie earned a bachelors degree in special education of the hearing impaired from The University of Alabama and has worked as a teacher in Georgia, Tennessee, and Ukraine. She lives with her husband and two children in Huntsville, Alabama.

Book Review:The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1) by Stacy Green

Title: The Girls in the Snow (Nikki Hunt #1)

Author: Stacy Green 

Stars: 5

Review:

Stacy Green brings a small town in Minnesota with a dark past that will have readers unable to put the story down.  Nikki Hunt has a story that she doesn't want to keep telling and when a person is murdered in her hometown everything comes crashing in.  She refuses to give into what people are expecting and demanding.  

Nikki is a hard characters to to love but as the story progresses shows that she isn't cold but passionate about about what she knows is true.

While The Girls in the Snow is the first in a new series readers will feel they are missing a story or two with the way the different characters connect and work together. 

Being a Minnesota girl and living about 2 hours away from Stillwater I can honestly say this author painted the city perfectly not to mention the cold and snow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Stacy Green The Girls in the Snow.

Synopsis:

In the remote forests of Stillwater, Minnesota, you can scream for days and no one will hear you. So when the bodies of two fifteen-year-old girls are discovered frozen in the snow, Special Agent Nikki Hunt is sure the killer is local: someone knew where to hide them and thought they'd never be found.

Home for the first time in twenty years, Nikki sees that the whole town had been frantically searching for missing best friends Madison and Kaylee, and when she finds out who Madison’s step-father is, she becomes desperate to lead the case. John was once the person she trusted most in the world, who stood by her when she was just sixteen and her parents were murdered. Who supported her when she identified their killer, Mark Todd.

But when Nikki arrives at the Sheriff’s office, she’s confronted by protesters eager to see Mark freed. With new evidence that could clear his name, Mark has appealed his conviction and his brother Rory begs Nikki to take a look at what they’ve found.

Nikki knows she must focus on the killer at large, but Rory makes her wonder if she put her trust in the right people all those years ago. Are Madison and Kaylee’s deaths connected to her parents’ murders? And can she face up to her past before another life is taken? 

Kindle Edition

Expected publication: October 19th 2020 by Bookouture

About The Author:

Stacy Green is the author of the Lucy Kendall thriller series and the Delta Crossroads mystery trilogy. ALL GOOD DEEDS (Lucy Kendall #1) won a bronze medal for mystery and thriller at the 2015 IPPY Awards. TIN GOD (Delta Crossroads #1) was runner-up for best mystery/thriller at the 2013 Kindle Book Awards.

Stacy has a love of thrillers and crime fiction, and she is always looking for the next dark and twisted novel to enjoy. She started her career in journalism before becoming a stay at home mother and rediscovering her love of writing. She lives in Iowa with her husband and daughter and their three spoiled fur babies.

She is currently working on a new crime fiction series and is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo, Helin and Fountain Literary Management for literary and dramatic rights.

Book Review: The Nidderdale Murders (Yorkshire Murder Mysteries #5) by J.R. Ellis

 

Title: The Nidderdale Murders (Yorkshire Murder Mysteries #5) 

Author: J.R. Ellis

Stars: 3.5 

Review:

For fans of good solid English Police murder mysteries this will be a very pleasant and enjoyable read. I enjoyed the story and thought the basic plot was well thought out and presented. It is a murder mystery with a twist. However, the final few pages wandered off into an area I felt did not belong in the story. Although, it blended well into setting a background for future stories/murders involving the main character.

I have rated this book 3.5 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review. The above is 

my view based on my reading and understanding of the story.

Synopsis:

A retired judge is shot dead outside the Dog and Gun inn in the remote Yorkshire village of Niddersgill. There’s a witness who saw everything, and the gunman’s on the run; the case should be open-and-shut for DCI Jim Oldroyd. But the murderer had no motive for wanting Sandy Fraser dead and, what’s more, no trace of him can be found.

As Oldroyd and his team cast the net wider, they discover that Fraser wasn’t without enemies in Niddersgill. As the wealthy owner of a grouse moor, he’d clashed with farmers, debtors, hunt saboteurs and blackmailers. But none of them were at the scene of the murder. And when a local shopkeeper is gunned down in a second senseless attack, it’s clear that these killings are anything but random.

Surrounded by the dramatic beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, Oldroyd faces a race against time to connect the crimes and find who’s behind them. But with all the evidence sending him down dead ends, can he get one step ahead before someone else is killed?

About The Author:

During a long career teaching English, I wrote plays for children and occasional ghost stories. I have always been fascinated by the paranormal and by mysteries, conspiracy theories and unexplained crimes.
My love of my native county is deep and the settings of my Yorkshire Murder Mysteries within Yorkshire's varied landscapes are important. I have made a study of the sub-genre of the Locked Room Mystery during the height of its popularity between 1930 - 1960 in the stories of writers such as John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson and Ellery Queen. I was an avid watcher of BBC's "Jonathan Creek" in its heyday. I believe the element of puzzle is essential to crime fiction and my novels contain a double mystery: the standard "who dunnit?" but also "how dunnit?!"
I avoid the dark and gruesome in my writing and I strive to include some humour and elegance in style, a vivid sense of place and a compelling mystery! My characters both innocent and guilty are mostly ordinary people.
I am a member of a writers' group in Otley which has inspired me to write poetry and various forms of short fiction.

Book Review: Looking for a Cowboy (Heart of Texas #5) by Donna Grant

 

Title: Looking for a Cowboy (Heart of Texas #5) 

Author: Donna Grant 

Stars: 4.5 

Review:

It is very unusual, for me, to find myself in a quandary when writing a book review. However, in this instance, that is where I found myself after I finished this great book. I started by trying to decide if it was a love story (as suggested by the title), murder (of pregnant women), subsequent removal and kidnapping of their child, or betrayal by a trusted friend. After a week of pondering I have concluded that it is a combination of all the above. It appealed to me on so many levels that I find myself unable to fit it into any one primary category. I could write a synopsis for you the reader to contemplate but, I think, what I have already written should be more than enough to peak your interest if you enjoy any, or all, of the above sub categories.

I very much recommend this book if you are looking for a change of pace. I have rated this book 4.5 stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased and honest review of this book

Thank you Frank for your review

Synopsis:

A beautiful stranger has come to Clearview, asking questions that are nobody’s business. Cooper Owens also wasn’t born yesterday. He knows that this out-of-towner is hiding a dark secret of her own. Much as he knows he should head in the other direction, he can’t make himself turn away. . .

P.I. Marlee Frampton always wanted to lead a nice quiet life, working as a cop in her local police department. But that dream came to an end when her sister was murdered―and her baby kidnapped. Now Marlee’s come to Texas to investigate the Harpers, who may be linked to shady adoption agencies. Cooper can’t believe that his friends could be involved in anything so sinister...and soon he makes it his mission to help Marlee discover the truth―and keep her safe in his arms.

About The Author

Donna travels often for various speaking engagements, conferences, and book signings. She is also a frequent workshop presenter at national conferences such as RT Book Lovers Convention and Thrillerfest, as well as local chapters.

Born and raised in Texas, she also has ties across the border in Louisiana. Growing up with two such vibrant cultures, her Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding. She is never far from her faithful 80 pound dog, Sisko, or her three cats. She can often be found at the movies or bookstore with her children. Or buying makeup. And shoes.