Review of THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain * * * * *

Title: The Last House on the Street 

Author: Diane Chamberlain

Genre: Mystery/Suspense 

Rating: 5*

Publishers: St. Martin's Press

(Jan 11, 2022)

Hardback: 352 pages

ISBN:  978-1250267962

FTC Disclosure: Book provided by my local library

A small town divided by prejudice. A family torn apart. A secret that won't remain silent.

Read the magnificent new novel from the Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author.

'Compelling, important, devastating: you have to read this one' Sunday Times bestseller Clare Mackintosh

'Both powerful and page-turning' Sunday Times bestseller Cathy Kelly

'Sensitively written yet unflinching... Taut, compelling and moving' Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks, Platinum magazine

1965. A young white female student becomes involved in the fight for civil rights in North Carolina, falling in love with one of her fellow activists, a Black man, in a time and place where an interracial relationship must be hidden from family, friends and especially the reemerging Ku Klux Klan. As tensions rise in the town, she realises not everyone is who they appear to be.

2010. A recently widowed architect moves into the home she and her late husband designed, heartbroken that he will never cross the threshold. But when disturbing things begin to happen, it's clear that someone is sending her a warning. Who is trying to frighten her away, and why?

Decades later, past and present are set to collide in the last house on the street...

This book was a wonderful blending of the past and the present and the captivating mystery kept me reading late into the night.

I grew up in a town very like the one in this story in the foothills of North Carolina and though I'd have only been 10 at the time this happened, I am both fascinated and horrified to realize that events that happened in this book could and did take place in my lifetime and possibily in my community. 

It took awhile to see the connection in what was going on in 1965 to the events in 2010 but when they connected wow! I must say I had very little of it figured out and what a surprise ending. It was perfect. If you want a read that will keep you thinking about it long after you've finished it then read THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET.

Diane Chamberlain is the RITA Award winning author of sixteen novels, published in over twelve languages. A former hospital social worker and psychotherapist, Diane writes complex stories about relationships, redemption and forgiveness with a touch of mystery and suspense. She lives in North Carolina with her significant other, John, and her shelties, Keeper and Jet.

Review of AFRAID- An omnibus of novels by Lisa Childs, Alexandra Ivy and Lisa Jackson-* * * * *

  

Title:AFRAID

Author: Lisa Childs, Alexandra Ivy and Lisa Jackson

Genre: Murder Mystery

Rating: 5*

Publishers: Zebra

(Feb 22, 2022)

Paperback: 368 pages

ISBN: 978-1420153637

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

A thrilling new book featuring the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Third Grave, that fans of Allison Brennan and Lisa Gardner won’t want to miss! Dark secrets and revenge converge as former students from an elite boarding school, which is also a haven for the daughters of the rich and famous, come face to face with the crimes of the past…
 
LUCY
Lucy Champagne was sent to St. Cecilia’s after her movie-star mother was brutally attacked by her sleazy boyfriend, Ray Watkins. Lucy’s damning testimony landed Ray a twenty-five-year sentence. But now, Ray is free. And he’s going to find Lucy and make her pay, no matter how far and how fast she runs . . .
 
RAYNE
Rayne Taylor found unexpected happiness at St. Cecilia’s, until her roommate, Natalie, committed suicide. Only when Rayne finds a box of mementoes from that time does she realize how wrong she may have been about Natalie’s death—and how far someone will go to keep the truth hidden . . .
ERIN
Erin MacDonald remembers little about the long-ago night she and her sister, Anna Beth, were kidnapped. While Erin was found safe, Anna Beth vanished forever. Now Erin has reluctantly come back to the family estate, where Detective Rafe Montego hopes to finally crack the case. But as flashes of Erin’s memory reemerge, she learns how deep the danger goes . . .

As all of these three authors are familiar and loved by me, this book was an automatic choice for me. While normally I don't read a lot of novellas, they were just the right size for a quick read late at night when I didn't want to be up till 4 AM finishing a suspense novel that would not let me sleep until resolving "who dun it" before being able to sleep. I loved the fact that these books were loosely connected yet stood alone. The only fault was that they ended way to quick. Each novella would have been a fabulous full length novel as they kept me quessing up until the end.

Lisa Jackson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including Liar, Liar, You Will Pay, After She's Gone, Deserves to Die, Running Scared, and Shiver. She is also the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages. She lives with her family and rambunctious dogs in the Pacific Northwest. Readers can visit her online at LisaJackson.com and find her on Facebook.

 

Alexandra Ivy is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal

bestselling author of romantic suspense, paranormal and erotic romance. She has also written Regency historicals under the name Deborah Raleigh. A five-time RT Book Award Finalist, Ivy has received much acclaim for her Guardians of Eternity, ARES Security, Immortal Rogues and Sentinels series. She lives with her family in Missouri and can be found online AlexandraIvy.com.

 

Lisa Childs is an award-winning and international bestselling author of more than seventy novels.  She was born on Halloween, which may have fated her predilection for spinning dark and twisty stories. In addition to romantic suspense, she also writes women’s fiction, paranormal and contemporary romance. Lisa loves to hear from readers who can contact her on Facebook, and through her Website LisaChilds.com.

Review of FREE FROM SIN by Karen Ann Hopkins * * * * *

 

                                      Title: FREE FROM SIN

Series: Possum Gap #1

Author: Karen Ann Hopkins

Genre: Crime Mystery

Rating: 5*

Publishers: Independently published

(Feb 9, 2022)

Paperback: 280 pages

ISBN: 979-8799900489

FTC Disclosure: Free copy provided by the publisher via Goodreads

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

FREE FROM SIN is a gripping psychological crime thriller/mystery story about the intertwining lives of three unlikely women in the hills of Kentucky, and the explosive results when a troubled teenager has her day of reckoning.

Sheriff Sadie Mills navigates the challenges of single motherhood while solving crimes in the rural community of Possum Gap, Kentucky. The recent trailer shootings in her jurisdiction have her on edge, and the new coroner, a Yankee transplant from the east coast, is still adjusting to life in the wilderness when all hell breaks loose. Cases stemming from an out-of-control hillbilly clan, sex trafficking, and a murder in the nearby Amish community collide, and Sheriff Mills finds herself in a race to stop a serial killer before they strike again.

Lucinda Coblentz is a devoted wife, mother, and member of a strict religious order. Her kind and generous ways make her the perfect target of a master manipulator and has put her beloved family in grave danger. Can she make matters right before it’s too late?

Charlie Baker endured years of torment by a wicked stepfather and a coldhearted mother before she finally escaped her suffering. Now eighteen, her powerful journey takes her between two worlds, one good and the other evil. Struggling to cope with buried secrets and the demons from her past, she’ll stop at nothing in her search for the one thing that has always eluded her—happiness.

When I first started this book, I thought it was going to be a bust as I hate books told from different points of view. In fact, I often avoid a book written in this manner. However, the story managed to drag me in. I loved the location, the hills of Kentucky, and was surprised to realize there were Amish communities in Kentucky. Being from the foothills of North Carolina, I can't believe I hadn't run across this fact before. In fact, there are nearly 8000 Amish in the state of Kentucky.

I loved the pacing of the story and was back and forth about my feelings for Charlie. The story was so compeling that I managed to complete it in several hours and I'm already looking forward to the next story in this series and checking out her Serenity's Plain Secrets series.

You can visit Karen Ann Hopkins at her website: www.karenannhopkinsfiction.com.

Karen Ann Hopkins resides in northern Kentucky with her family on a farm that boasts a menagerie of horses, goats, sheep, peacocks, chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigs, dogs, and cats. Karen rescues and fosters a variety of pets and farm animals, but she also finds time to give riding lessons, coach a youth equestrian drill team, and of course, write. She was inspired to create her first book, Temptation, by the Amish community she lives in. The experiential knowledge she gained through her interactions with her neighbors drove her to create the story of the star-crossed lovers, Rose and Noah.

Karen grew up about a mile from Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. She was bitten by the horse bug at the age of five, and after diligently taking riding lessons for several years, was rewarded with her first horse at the age of eleven. The feisty horse's name was Lady, a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, who became Karen's steadfast companion. Through the years, the constant force in her life was horses. Eventually, Karen found her place as a riding instructor herself. Before accepting her fate in the barnyard, she worked a short stint as a paralegal, traveled abroad, and guided tourists on horseback riding tours in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Karen is currently working on her Amish mystery series, Serenity's Plain Secrets, along with several new projects.

LITTLE SISTER By Isabel Ashdown * * * * *

                                                                             

Title:  Little Sister 

 Author:  Isabel Ashdown

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Rating: *****

 Publishers:  Kensington

(June 26, 2018)

Hardback: 336 pages

ISBN: 978-1496714770

FTC Disclosure: Copy provided by the public library

No one knows you better than a sister—your dreams, your fears, your mistakes, and all your secrets. 
It was just that way when Jess and her older sister, Emily, were children. Born barely a year apart, they were deeply entwined, complementing each other in their differences. When Jess felt awkward and shy, Emily, the consummate big sister, was happy to take the lead. 
After a long estrangement, they’ve become close again. Jess moves into the comfortable Isle of Wight home Emily shares with her husband, step-daughter, and toddler. Any misgivings about the past are swept away and forgotten. 
And then, on New Year’s Eve, little Daisy disappears while in Jess’s care. 
Jess is in shock, unable to remember what happened. Emily, traumatized, watches helplessly as her life unravels. But as the search intensifies and the police detective’s questions grow more pointed, a different picture emerges. Behind the image of a seemingly happy family—Daisy’s doting teenage sister, Chloe, loving father and husband, James, and siblings Emily and Jess—there are devastating deceptions and long-ago choices that can never be unmade. And underlying everything is the story of what really happened to drive Emily and Jess apart years ago. 
Unfolding through shifting perspectives, Little Sister is a brilliantly plotted, dark, and constantly surprising tale of love, rivalry, and broken loyalty that reveals how far one sister might go to protect—or destroy—another . . .

First of all--can I just say WOW! This was one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in a while. While I'm not fond of books told from two or three different POVs, as I tend to forget who it is that is speaking and I get lost, I was able to tolerate it for this story. Other than for two facts, the book kept me guessing pretty much all the way to the end. 

What was particularly disturbing for me is that I could so relate to these sisters as I have a younger sister that is a habitual liar, has been all her life, and I saw so many characteristics of her grasp of reality/truth and the ability to fabricate an ongoing lie, that it really shook me up to think that she so could have starred in this book. Pretty damn scary, I must say.

I've got to agree with several other reviewers, that the long ago party could have had less time spent on it, yes I figured out what really happened here right off the bat. But on the whole it was twisty enough to keep me reading almost nonstop. 

This is an author that I intend to check out further.

If you enjoy this type of thriller, check out THE PERFECT NANNY

https://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/2018/12/review-for-perfect-nanny-by-leila.html

Home for the Holidays By Amie Denman * * * *

 

Title: Home for the Holidays

Series: Return to Christmas Island # 2

Author: Amie Denman

Genre: Clean Romance 

Rating: * * * *

Publishers: Harlequin Heartwarming Larger Print

(January 25, 2022)

Paperback:  384 pages

ISBN: 978-1335426611

FTC Disclosure: Copy provided by the author.

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

On Christmas Island…

Some loves can't be forgotten

For Camille Peterson, coming home to Christmas Island to take over the family’s candy-making business is complicated. After all, she left so much behind. And when it comes to single dad Maddox May—who broke Camille’s heart back in high school—complicated is only the beginning. If only she could wrap up her feelings and forget them. But if forgiveness is sweet, a second chance might be irresistible…

This book was an unexpected surprise that I received in the mail. I'd just spent about 10 days fighting the flu and was too lazy to figure out what I wanted to read next and this gem appeared like magic. I didn't start it till about 4 am but it didn't take me long to get deep into the book. I loved the idea of living on an island where the only way off was by ferry or plane. As a NC girl who frequents the Outer Banks, I've often wondered what it would be like to live on an island where you couldn't just bop over to Walmart or other stores and be totally dependant on the local stories for your needs. This is a second chance romance that I was so glad to see the author give the main characters a chance to rebuild their lost love. Betrayal of a loved one, even or especially as a teen, needs time to allow regrowth and isn't always assured. In seven years time, you are going to mature (hopefully) and though it was never mentioned, hopefully met and date others. You then have a chance to weigh if what you lost is worth fighting for or not. Throw in a cute kid and you got me hooked.

Return to Christmas Island

Book 1: I'll Be Home for Christmas

Book 2: Home For The Holidays 

 

Amie Denman

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.amiedenman.com

Twitter

amiedenman

Genre

Romance, Mystery

Member Since

August 2011

Amie Denman lives in a small town in Ohio with her husband and sons. When she's not reading or writing, she's walking and running outside. The victim of a lifetime of curiosity, she's chased fire trucks on her bicycle just to see what's going on. Amie believes that everything is fun: especially roller coasters, wedding cake, and falling in love

Review for -IN FIVE YEARS by Rebecca Serle * * * * *

 

Title: In Five Years

Author: Rebecca Serle

Genre: Women's Fiction

Rating: * * * * *

Publishers: Atria Books

(March 10, 2020)

Hardback: 272 pages

ISBN: 978-1982137441

A Good Morning America, FabFitFun, and Marie Claire Book Club Pick

“In Five Years is as clever as it is moving, the rare read-in-one-sitting novel you won’t forget.” —Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists

Perfect for fans of Me Before You and One Day—a striking, powerful, and moving love story following an ambitious lawyer who experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers.

She is nothing like her lifelong best friend—the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content.

But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake. In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting.

This book was as close to perfect as it gets. I won't go into any specifics but whatever book you thought was the best, that made you almost suffocate with emotion, and made you stop and wipe your eyes and blow your nose---double it and it still may not come close to this book. I read it in less than a day and expect it will be with me for a good long time. This is what friendship and love should be for everyone!

ACCIDENTALLY FAMILY - By Sasha Summers * * * *

 

  

                                    Title: Accidentally Family

       Series: Pecan Valley #1

Author: Sasha Summers

Genre:  Clean & Wholesome Romance 

Rating: * * * *

Publishers: Entangled: Amara 

(May 26, 2020)

Paperback: 368 pages

ISBN: 978-16882814741

Welcome to Pecan Valley, where the town may be small but the townspeople will always lend a helping hand or a shoulder to lean on. Where good times, good humor, and good people will always lead to happily ever after. — Life for Felicity, and her teen children, is finally back on track. After her divorce, she wasn’t sure if her sweet family would ever be the same. But things are good –– right up until her ex’s spirited toddler lands on Felicity’s doorstep. If the universe is going to throw lemons at her, thank God she has her best friend, Graham, to help her make lemonade out of them. How did she never notice how kind and sexy he is?

Graham is still recovering from his wife’s death years ago and trying to help his teen daughter get her life together. Who is he kidding? His daughter hates him. Forget lemons -- he’s got the entire lemon tree. So when Felicity suggests they join forces and help each other, he’s all in. And suddenly he can’t stop thinking about her as more than just a friend. Too bad their timing couldn’t be worse…

Because life rarely goes as planned. Luckily there are many different kinds of family to hold you together and lift you up... plus maybe even a little love between friends. 

This book brought me to tears several times, and though the character cast is deep, the author does an awesome job of fleshing out the minorist character. This book would definitely be considered a great beach read and definitely going to look for more of this series. Just realized while looking at her Amazon author page that she has several Harlequins with kids on the cover that I've read. That explains her ability to make the teenagers and toddler in this story feel like you know them. It's not often you get a mature romance to go along with the teenager angsty romance. While in general I don't like a book told from mutiple POVs  it worked so well in this book.

Born in San Antonio, The United States

Websitehttp://www.sashasummers.com

Twittersashawrites

GenreRomance, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Member SinceAugust 2010

URLhttps://www.goodreads.com/sashawrites

Sasha Summers grew up surrounded by books. Her passions have always been storytelling, romance and travel--passions she uses when writing. Now a best-selling and award winning-author, Sasha continues to fall a little in love with each hero she writes. From easy-on-the-eyes cowboy, sexy alpha-male werewolves, to heroes of truly mythic proportions, she believes that everyone should have their happy ending--in fiction and real life.

Sasha lives in the suburbs of the Texas Hill country with her amazing and supportive family. She looks forward to hearing from fans and hopes you'll visit her online. Facebook: Sasha Summers Author, Twitter: @sashawrites, or her website: www.sashasummers.com

The Pout-Pout Fish Board book – by Deborah Diesen

 

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

Deep in the water,

Mr. Fish swims about

With his fish face stuck

In a permanent pout.

Can his pals cheer him up?

Will his pout ever end?

Is there something he can learn

From an unexpected friend?

Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading "dreary wearies" isn't really his destiny. Bright ocean colors and playful rhyme come together in this fun fish story that's sure to turn even the poutiest of frowns upside down.The Pout-Pout Fish is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. 

Undoubtably the cutest book, I've read to my grandchildren.  I can't believe that anyone found it offensive. It's not for school aged kids but little kids that will love the bright pics and rhyming sing songy story. I doubt the 1 year olds that are being read to are going to remember this and just pop up and kiss a stranger or think that everyone should smile and never have a down day. Get a grip people and give your little kids a chance to laugh when you go "blub, blub, blup " and give a more age appropriate book to your kids that might be inclined to kiss a stranger! Geeze!

Review- MORAL COMPASS by Danielle Steel * *

 

Title: MORAL COMPASS

Author: Danielle Steel

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: * *

Publishers: Delacorte Press 

 (Jan 7, 2020)

Hardback: 288 pages

ISBN: 978-0399179532

FTC Disclosure: Copy provided by the public library.

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

Saint Ambrose Prep has been the school of choice for the sons of the great and the good for over a hundred years. Now, for the first time, Saint Ambrose has just enrolled its first female students. While many of the kids on the campus have all the privilege in the world, some are struggling dealing with family, insecurity and loneliness. In such a heightened environment, even the smallest spark can become a raging fire.
The day after a Halloween party, a student lies in the hospital, seriously injured and with a dangerous level of alcohol in her blood. Only the handful of students who were there when she was attacked know what happened, and they have closed ranks. As parents, students, staff and the media attempt to establish the truth, no-one at Saint Ambrose will escape the fallout.
As the drama unfolds, those involved will reach a crossroads where they must choose between truth and lies, between what is easy and what is right, coming to rely on their own moral compass.

First let me say, I've read Danielle Steel books since the mid 70's and loved them. Very few left me disappointed. However, that was not the case with MORAL COMPASS. This book had so much potential. It was timely and could have been great but it fell boringly short. The characters were flat and the story was dull. There was no build up, no suspense, no feelings at all. 

The facts were pretty much done as an info dump in the first three chapters and it only got worse as it went on. I never empathised with any of the characters at any point in the story. They were dull as cardboard cutouts. If this book had been written by anyone other than Steel, I'd have quit by page 50 but I did read the whole thing as I kept expecting it to take off and actually entertain me. Possibly, if this had been a mystery type of book, it would have been better but it read basically as going from point A to B to C  and not only did you not care about point A, B or C , you didn't care about the journey. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to get to the end of a story. I'm not sure that this story actually deserved two stars instead of one, but out of sentimentality for DS, I gave it two. 

Danielle Steel has sold 650 million copies of her books internationally, and every one of her books is a bestseller. She is published in 69 countries and 43 languages.Steel has written more than 163 books, 139 of which are novels; 18 children’s books, including Pretty Minnie in Hollywood and Pretty Minnie in Paris about her white long-hair teacup Chihuahua.

She also founded and runs two foundations, one named in honor of her late son, The Nick Traina Foundation, which finances organizations involved in mental illness, child abuse, and suicide prevention. The second foundation was established to assist the homeless.  She lives in Paris and San Francisco and is the mother of nine children.

Review- DEEP IN THE ALASKAN WOODS by Karen Harper-* * *

Title: Deep in the Alaskan Woods
Series: Alaska Wild Novel #1

Author: Karen Harper

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: * * * 

Publisher: MIRA 

(April 28, 2020)

Paperback: 352 pages

ISBN: 978-0778309628

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.
Alexandra Collister came to her estranged cousins’ B&B in Falls Lake, Alaska, looking for a fresh start. The surrounding forest can be harsh and unforgiving—luckily, rugged wilderness tracker Quinn Mantell offers to be her guide. Still recovering from a toxic previous relationship, Alex is wary of getting too close, but when savagely deep claw marks appear outside her bedroom window, keeping her distance from Quinn is no longer an option.

Then a body turns up exhibiting the same ruthless slash marks, and Alex knows it isn’t a coincidence. Something sinister is lurking in the woods around Falls Lake, turning Alex’s fresh start into a brutal game of survival. The murky veil of forest offers more threats than answers. Can Alex and Quinn find the killer before darkness falls for good?

I've read oodles of Karen Harpers books and loved them. DEEP IN THE ALASKAN WOODS not so much. The story had great potential and I loved the setting but I never connected with the characters. The romance felt flat as did the suspense. Normally, when reading this type of book, I'm obvious of everything going on around me. At no time in this book did I feel like I anything other than I had a book in my hand. I'm not a fan of instant attraction. I like a relationship to grow and develop so that may have been part of my problem with Alex and Quinn. The only thing that kept me reading was I don't like not know who did the deed. 

Karen Harper is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of romantic suspense and historical novels. A native Ohioan, Karen is a former high school English teacher and English-and-writing instructor at the Ohio State University. (Go Bucks!) The Harpers are avid Ohio State football fans, but they have a serious side too. They were on the 10-year committee which revamped the main library on campus. The Ohio State Library houses her author collection in Rare Books and Manuscripts.

The Harpers love to travel, and Karen often uses her favorite places as settings for her novels. She's recently written books set in Edwardian England and South Florida, the latter where she lived for 30 winters. Her latest trilogy is THE SOUTH SHORES NOVELS, with forensic psychologist Claire Britten and criminal lawyer Nick Markwood. Her most recent historical is THE IT GIRLS.
These bring her published books to over 70 in a 35-year writing career.

Karen belongs to several writer's organizations, including International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and The Historical Novel Society. She appreciates hearing from readers on her website at www.KarenHarperAuthor.com and www.facebook.com/KarenHarperAuthor--and she answers!

Review of HIDDEN HEARTS by Marci Bolden 5*

Title: Hidden Hearts

Series: Hearts #1

Author: Marci Bolden

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Rating: *****

Publishers: Pink Sand Press (10-15-19)

Paperback: 308  pages

ISBN: 978-1950348237

FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.

 This does not affect my opinion of this book.
Former Army Sergeant Holly Austin and her team at the HEARTS agency don’t normally find the police at their door. But it’s been weeks since a local woman vanished into thin air...and now there’s a second victim.

Police Detective Jack Tarek wasn’t officially working the Julia Frederickson case until a second victim made the matter personal. Holly is willing to cooperate with Jack “unofficially,” but she quickly becomes a distraction he can’t resist. The leads on their cases might be running cold, but the attraction between the investigators is sizzling hot.


With every lead a dead end, those close to the investigation grow increasingly impatient for answers. Just as hidden secrets come to light, one of the investigators vanishes without a trace. The HEARTS team has just hours to solve the case—or risk losing one of their own.

This is a great start to a new for me series. I just saw that books two and three for the series are out in Kindle so definitely checking out the rest of the crew from HEARTS stories. 
While I found Holly more than a bit prickly, she grew on me and I loved her with Jack. There was a perfect mixture of romance and suspense that had me staying up all night devouring this book. While I don't want to say anything that will ruin the story for you, the layers of the characters and crime will keep you reading long after you should have turned off the light.

Go HERE to read an excerpt!

As a teen, Marci Bolden skipped over young adult books and jumped right into reading romance novels. She never left.

Marci lives in the Midwest with her husband, two teenaged kiddos, and numerous rescue pets. If she had an ounce of will power, Marci would embrace healthy living but until cupcakes and wine are no longer available at the local grocery store, she'll put that ambition on hold and appease her guilt by reading self-help books and promising to join a gym "soon."