Review of the Book of Promises by Tammy Bird

 

Thrillers of any kind always pull me in but when I heard that Tammy Bird had a new book, The Book of Promises, coming out I was ecstatic. Her first book Sandman was one of the best I have ever read. I couldn’t wait to get started.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Spencer Price is living her best life in Denver Colorado.

 

But when Jordan Rohan kisses her, and her best friend writes it in their shared book of promises, she suddenly finds herself in a struggle between duty and independence, allegiance and betrayal.

 

Soon, two things become clear: There is far more to the kiss than Spencer first believed, and the person to whom she is most connected is hiding secrets far deeper and more dangerous than Spencer ever suspected. To uncover the secrets, Spencer must question the promises of the past. But doing so could bring death, not only to herself but to those who are her future.

 

It isn’t very often that I find I book that leaves me truly in awe but The Book of Promises did just that. Tammy Bird does not disappoint. I was drawn into Spencer’s life as she fought to discover the difference between love and manipulation. Spencer just wanted the love she gave Molly to be given in return only to be manipulated and used.

Molly is a disturbing character. There were parts of the book that were so intense that I needed to set the book down and walk away. But for me, that is what made this book so great. It kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next and that Spencer would be okay.

 

The Book of Promises is not for everyone. It depicts emotional, mental, and physical abuse. There is also a section in which an animal is injured.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers.

 

 

The Book of Promises is available on Amazon by clicking here.

 

Review of Mind Games by Cara Malone

As most of you know I’m a huge fan of true crime and murder mysteries. So when I found out about Cara Malones book Mind Games I knew it would be right up my ally. Mind Games is a mixture of murder mystery, forensic files, and romance that will knock your socks off.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book: 

A rookie forensic investigator, a seasoned patrol officer, and a crime scene that just might be the death of them both.

 

 Kelsey Granger is meticulous and careful, determined to turn her OCD into an advantage in her new job at the coroner’s office. There’s just one problem – her boss doesn’t think she’s ready. When Kelsey arrives at her first death scene to find the responding officer contaminating the evidence, she starts to wonder if her boss was right.

 

 Zara Hayes hates death scenes. She’s been on patrol five long years but her chief won’t promote her until she can overcome her fear. So here she is, just feet away from a dead body while a pretty young investigator reads her the riot act because she thinks Zara screwed up her scene.

 

 With a killer on the loose, there’s no time to argue so Zara and Kelsey team up to solve the case. As they get closer to the truth – and to each other – they must confront the mind games we play… in life, in love, and even in death.

 

Mind games is the type of books that you will want to read in one sitting. As I have said before I’m a huge fan of all things true crime and murder mystery when you combine that with romance I’m all in. While the book focuses on the suspicious death of April Messner it isn’t the sole focus of the story. The main focus is on the budding relationship of Zara Hayes and Kelsey Granger who meet at the scene of the crime as members of law enforcement and forensics. Kelsey is not your average forensic investigator. She has OCD which makes her overthink every aspect of her job, it also is what makes her so good at her job. I appreciated how the book didn’t gloss over Kelsey’s mental illness. The book discussed what having OCD meant to Kelsey and her relationship and her relationship with Zara. When boundaries were crossed, they were clearly explained and corrected. 

 

One of the best parts of this book is the inclusion of bigger girls as one of the main characters. It isn’t often in lesfic that there is a truer to life main character. Normally they are rail thin and perfect in every way. It is nice to see a character that breaks the mold. Because everyone deserves to see themselves in a story. 

 

What stood out to me about Mind Games is the sex scenes. While Cara Malone has always written amazing sex scenes this book blew me away. They were on a whole new level compared to her past books. Maybe it has something to do with the amazing chemistry between Zara and Kelsey. 

 

The only flaw this book had is that the romance seemed to develop too quickly. I wish Zara’s rakish ways would have been shown more throughout the book. It seemed to be glossed over. Overall the book was a little low on angst. But that wasn’t a huge deal-breaker for me. 

 

I can’t wait to read the upcoming books in this series which should be coming out early 2020. 

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a steamy workplace romance.

 

Mind Games is available on Kindle Unlimited by clicking here.

Review of Saving Rose by Kate Genet

As most of you know I’m a huge fan of thrillers and mysteries. There is nothing quite like being on the edge of your seat waiting to know what twists and turns are in store for the hero. Saving Rose by Kate Genet did not disappoint it had me hooked from the very first page.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Driven, professional sailor Claire Wilde is home on a flying visit to see friends and family. She’s especially looking forward to catching up with best friend Zoe, and meeting Zoe’s daughter, Rose.

 

But Christchurch is a city on shaky ground, and when it is hit by a big earthquake, secrets are suddenly exposed that Claire and Zoe had never even guessed at. In seconds, everything is changed.

 

Drawn into a terrible game of cat and mouse with a paedophile and killer she never suspected, Claire finds herself chasing a man who won’t stop until he gets what he wants — three-year-old Rose. Tested even to her considerable limits, Claire is about to discover exactly how far she is willing to go to protect another woman’s child.

 

Saving Grace is not the typical book I review on this site, it has no romantic element. Personally, I thought that made this book even better because they didn’t try to force a romance where it wasn’t needed. This book was told from many points of view. Which I thought made this book all the more interesting. I particularly liked reading from the mind of Danny, the villain. It really added suspense to the story knowing what his plans were and what the heroes Claire and Mona would need to overcome to save Rose.

 

As everyone knows who regularly reads the blog, I love the addition of pets in a story. This book had an amazingly protective German Shepard that Rose named Pilot. Pilot got lost during the earthquake the rocked the city he was found by Rose. He becomes Rose’s companion and tries to protect her from her father. Between Claire and Pilot, Danny had his hands full in his evil attempts to take his daughter. Saving Rose is a wild ride.

 

I would recommend Saving Rose to anyone who loves thrillers.

 

Saving Rose is available on Kindle Unlimited by clicking here.

 

 

Review of Dangerous Waters by Radclyffe

So, everyone, I have a shameful secret. I have never read one of Radclyffe’s books. When I saw Dangerous Waters listed on NetGalley I thought I should take the opportunity to see if her books were as good as everyone says they are. I was not disappointed.

 

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Army National Guard Colonel Sawyer Kincaid has served her time dueling with death in the deserts of Africa. Now that she’s home, the only sand she wants to see is on the beach in South Florida. Too bad Tropical Storm Leo, swiftly gaining strength out over the Atlantic, is about to draw her in to another life or death war, this time on home soil.

 

Dr. Dara Sims has too many critical patients in the intensive care units at Miami Memorial to consider evacuation, no matter how determined the battle-hardened colonel is to make her. As far as Dara is concerned, evacuate is just another word for abandon. When a state of emergency becomes a state of siege waged by Leo, all she can do is hope the rising waters relent before she loses everyone, herself included.

 

I thought that the book started off kind of slow but once it picked up I couldn’t put it down. The book is action-packed. With a hurricane barreling towards Florida there is everything keeping Sawyer and Dara apart. Yet, they are drawn to each other. I liked how both women were strong and independent. They both respected each other’s authority in their given fields.

 

Sawyers backstory was amazing. I thought it brought so much to her character. It also gave great insight into why she does the thing she does. She has great respect for the damage a hurricane can cause.

 

I found the section at the nursing home after the storm particularly hard to read. It reminded me of what happened at the nursing home after hurricane Irma. It broke my heart. I have a soft spot for older people with dementia because of my grandmother who passed away last year.

 

If you enjoy action-packed romance, you will love this book.

 

You can purchase a copy of Dangerous Waters by clicking here.

Review of When the Stars Sang by Caren Werlinger

I have been wanting to read a book by Caren Werlinger since I first saw an interview with her on the Lesbian Book Readers Club on Facebook. I thought she was very charismatic and her books sounded amazing. When I saw her latest book When the Stars Sang listed on NetGalley I jumped at the chance to read it. Let me just say that I wasn’t disappointed.

Here is a short blurb about the book:

Nearly twenty-five years ago, Kathleen Halloran’s brother drowned during the last summer they ever spent with their grandmother on a remote island off Maine’s coast. Like a siren’s call she can’t resist, Kathleen is pulled back to Little Sister Island. She leaves her job and her girlfriend, packs up her few belongings, and moves into her grandmother’s cottage.

Molly Cooper loves life on Little Sister, where the islanders take care of their own. Kathleen Halloran doesn’t belong here, and her arrival stirs up unwelcome memories for the islanders—including Molly’s brother. Molly is certain Kathleen will pack up at the first big blow. When she doesn’t, Molly begins to see maybe there’s more to Kathleen than she thought.

Sometimes, before you can move forward, you have to look back.

This book hooked me in from the beginning. I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed how the characters had so much personality even the side characters. I liked how the island town kept to the old ways of their ancestors. It really drew me into the story. The book is so well written.  This book made me feel so many emotions and I enjoyed every minute of my reading.

The romance between Molly and Kathleen was so believable. Both women had so much to overcome in order to be together. They both needed to get over the past in order to commit to their relationship. I really liked how when Kathleen first came to the island Molly was hesitant about her. It made their relationship seem more real.

As everyone knows I am a sucker for a pet in books. This book delivered. Blossom, they stray dog Kathleen takes in, was amazingly written. He is so cute and derpy. I liked that he followed Kathleen everywhere she went. He also alerted Molly when Kathleen was in danger and helped to locate her. I also really enjoyed Miss Louisa and Miss. Oliva. I think they were my favorite characters in the whole story. The way they mothered and cared for Kathleen was amazing.

The only con for this book is that it has cut to black sex scenes. I didn’t find this to be a problem, but some readers might not like that.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It is one of the best books I have read this year. I cannot speak enough praise for it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

You can purchase a copy of  When the Stars Sang by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

Review of Nightmares and Dreams by Jamie Lynn Bothe

When I first read the description of Nightmares and Dreams by JamieLynn Boothe on Goodreads it sounded interesting even though it’s quite different from my normal historical fiction. I was shocked by how much I enjoyed the drama thriller that Boothe brings to the table.

Here is a blurb from Goodreads:

Nightmares have haunted Christy for years. Over the years pain has taken its toll, until she finally has had enough and moves back to her hometown of Moneta, Virginia to be with the woman she loves. After being away for six years, facing her fears and being in Heather’s arms again gives her hope for a normal life.

Christy deals with the mental fears as well, and seeks professional help. Everything begins to fall into place. Christy has reasons to smile again…until a horrendous hate crime is committed which specifically targets homosexuals.

Men, who are nothing short of monsters continue their rage by kidnapping Christy and taking her off into the hills. Christy is faced with a life or death situation. With her fears becoming reality, can Christy overcome the odds stacked against her, or will the monsters kill her before she can return to Heather’s loving embrace?

The book started out in quite a shocking manner with a brutal rape scene that I was not expecting. Once I got over the shock of the initial chapter I fell in love with the main character Christy and her partner Heather. The novel focus on the life of Christy before and during her abduction by the evil Billy. The way the Boothe wrote the story reminded me of an episode of Criminal Minds and I was hooked.

The book was an emotional rollercoaster and the characters were extremely likable. I felt that the relationship between Christy and Heather was very realistic. You could feel how much they truly loved each other. The book is not afraid to show the raw gritty emotions that are felt by all the characters even the motives for the reasons why Billy acts the way he does. There were times I had to put the book down because there was so much happening and I needed to process what was about to go down.

The beginning of the novel had a few awkward sentences but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. This novel also contains some very graphic rape scenes that would not be suitable for every reader.

This gripping drama/thriller is one of my new favorites. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes drama or thriller.

I was gifted this book in exchange for an host review.