FACING THE ENEMY

 

by

 

DiAnn Mills

 

 

Christian Fiction / Suspense / Romance

Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers

Date of Publication: September 5, 2023

Number of Pages: 352 pages

 

 

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When the long-awaited reunion between Risa and her brother, Trenton, ends in tragedy, Risa is riddled with guilt, unable to cope with the responsibility she feels over his death. On leave from the FBI, Risa returns to her former career as an English teacher at a local college, only to see her past and present collide when one of her students, Carson Mercury, turns in an assignment that reads like an eyewitness account of her brother’s murder, with details never revealed publicly.

Alarmed by Carson’s inside knowledge of Trenton’s death, Risa reaches out to her former partner at the FBI. Special Agent Gage Patterson has been working a string of baby kidnappings, but he agrees to help look into Carson’s background. Risa and Gage soon discover their cases might be connected as a string of high-value thefts have occurred at properties where security systems were installed by Carson’s stepfather and children have gone missing. There’s a far more sinister plot at play than they ever imagined, and innocent lives are in danger.

 

 

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I love a good mystery, especially when there is intrigue, romance, and faith all rolled into the story.

This one covers a more sensitive subject, child abduction and other crimes against children. As the story dives deeper into the dark belly of crime, it brings to life how much that I don’t know or am aware of in our own world. This may be a fictional story, but it could be true, which is very sad. Crimes against children should never happen. So grab hold of your children and keep them safe.

I came to admire Risa for many reasons. She is analytical, cares about her family, and believes in what she is doing for her career. So when her brother is killed by mistake, it sends her into a tailspin. She does not handle the grief very well and begins to doubt her faith in God. I appreciated her struggles and coming to terms with the situation. Everyone handles grief differently, and she is no different. I appreciated the chapter with a counselor. It just reinforces that it is okay to ask for help when you need it.

I enjoyed the romance between Risa and Gage. They both repress their feelings for one another until finally giving in and admitting they love one another. This brings out the protector in Gage, perhaps more so due to his feelings for Risa. This is a good and a bad thing! They are both FBI, and you will discover in various situations that Risa has no problems taking care of herself.

Watching the mystery come together confirmed some of my suspicions but blew me away in other respects because there were several aspects that I didn’t consider in trying to solve the crime. I had a feeling that several paths were going to merge, but the “how” was unknown until it happened. The story is complex, and I admire the author for handling all of the pieces in the right way.

This is another winner in my book, and we give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.  DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion for helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.

 

 

 

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08/22/23	Hall Ways Blog	Notable Quotables
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08/23/23	Chapter Break Book Blog	Guest Post
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08/23/23	LSBBT Blog	BONUS Stop
08/24/23	Stories Under Starlight	Guest Post
08/24/23	Forgotten Winds	Review
08/25/23	The Real World According to Sam	Review
08/26/23	The Clueless Gent	Review
08/27/23	Bibliotica	Guest Post
08/28/23	Reading by Moonlight	Review
08/28/23	Shelf Life Blog	Guest Post
08/29/23	StoreyBook Reviews	Review
08/30/23	Rox Burkey Blog	Review
08/31/23	The Plain-Spoken Pen	Review
08/31/23	Boys’ Mom Reads	Review

 

 

 

 

 

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Synopsis

 

What’s a woman to do? Bertie Patchet has just graduated from college in New Haven, Connecticut, to become a grammar school teacher. But the year is 1936, and the country is deep in the throes of The Great Depression. Securing employment is nearly impossible for everyone, let alone a single inexperienced female. Going home is an ugly option to be avoided. Bertie absolutely must get away, but travel without an income? Forget it!

Bertie dresses like a man and turns to hopping railway boxcars to make her escape to better opportunities. A female hobo? Unheard of! It’s a man’s world, so how can she maneuver in this male atmosphere fraught with risk, danger, and loss? Will she ever find a teaching job? And will she dare to find romance in the bargain?

A charming new novel with an unforgettable protagonist, a setting to die for, and a mesmerizing plotline, On the Rails is on track to become another beloved tale by dynamic husband-and-wife duo Rosemary and Larry Mild.

 

 

 

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Review

 

This novel gives the reader a peek into what life might have been like riding the rails in boxcars.

Bertie has finished college and can be a teacher, but it is the summer, so she doesn’t have many options at the moment. The home life with her parents isn’t conducive to staying there long-term as her stepfather is a pervert. She had heard about someone else’s son riding the rails and decided to give it a shot. Luckily, she meets some kind souls along the way who help her out. There are also nefarious characters that aim to do her harm. Most of the time, she is disguised as a boy, but when it is to her benefit, she removes her cap, and it is obvious she is not a male.

I enjoyed this story and felt like it was well researched in regard to the Depression, the different government work programs, and what it was like to live in the mid-30s. Life was very different then compared to today. Imagine not having a number to leave for a callback because you don’t know where you will be. Or having to travel by train or bus to get to your destination versus your own car.

The story does not gloss over the dangers of her adventures. She did encounter some men who wanted only one thing. Others tried to rob her of what little she had in her possession.

It does have a happy ending and ties the story up nicely for Bertie.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Authors

 

Rosemary and Larry Mild coauthored the Dan & Rivka Sherman Mysteries; the Paco and the Molly Mysteries; Hawaii adventure/thrillers Cry Ohana and Honolulu Heat; and four volumes of short stories, including their new one, Charlie and the Magic Jug and Other Stories. Many of their stories appear in anthologies. The Milds, a happy husband-and-wife team, make their home in Honolulu, where they cherish time with their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren.

 

Website

 

 

 

Giveaway

 

This giveaway is for 1 print copy and is open to the U.S. only

This giveaway ends on September 22, 2023 midnight, pacific time.

Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

 

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Synopsis

 

GHOSTLY PASSAGE is the riveting paranormal mystery about a depot in the Underground Railroad, unexplained noises in a library with a room that hasn’t been used in over 150 years, book 2 in the JOANNA DAVIS MYSTERY series.

GHOSTLY PASSAGE is the story of ghosts in a city’s library. The librarian calls paranormal investigator Joanna Davis to help her identify the noises in her Reference Room. She knows Joanna helped the police solve a murder before (GHOSTLY COMMAND). Can she figure out what’s going on in her Reference Room?

Follow Joanna, her paranormal group colleagues, and the souls who decide to speak as she tries to solve the mystery of the troubling noises behind the walls of the West Haven Public Library.

 

 

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Review

 

This is the second in a series about a woman who discovers her psychic abilities but uses them to help ghosts move on to a better place.

This story was fascinating and had ties to the Underground Railroad in her town. However, not everyone in town is on board with uncovering the secrets at the library. I won’t say who or why, you’ll have to read the book for that information. But it is understandable that this character didn’t want the family name drug through the mud for something an ancestor had done. However, the actions of this character might lead one to believe there is a nefarious plot to stop the search for the strange noises coming from the library.

We have many of the main characters return in this second book, including Joanna’s children, the psychic support group, and her contractor Sal. They are all instrumental in helping uncover the truth. However, her support group tends to cause more trouble due to their excitement about the situation and just wanting to be involved. Some people just can’t follow directions!

I enjoyed the mystery and felt that the story was well laid out. It moved at a constant pace, not too fast or too slow.

While I am normally on the fence when it comes to paranormal stories, I have enjoyed this series and can’t wait to see what the author has planned next.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Author R.K. O’Brien has been writing since she was 7 with a debut short story titled THE BLOB THAT ATE WEST HAVEN. Her BA is in English and Creative Writing and my MS is in Investigations. She has been writing professionally for over 25 years and was an actress in musical theatre before that. She usually write novels, but has also published poetry, a guide to pocket parks and a self-help book. Her occasional side gig is as a high school director of musical theatre and as a speaker on the art and craft of writing.

 

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Synopsis

 

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

 

 

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Review

 

I have become a fan of Megan Goldin’s ever since her first novel, The Escape Room. Each book she has written takes us to the underbelly of society and the crimes they commit.

This is a follow-up book to The Night Swim. While you don’t have to read that book to enjoy this one, it might give you a little more background on Rachel Krall. However, the author does provide quite a bit of history on Rachel so that the reader does not feel lost.

I was drawn into the story when Rachel is flown to Florida, by the FBI, for a reason that we don’t discover until later. However, this sets off a chain of events that put her life and others in danger.

I found the world of influencers very interesting and probably very true. Nothing they post is real. It is all staged. It makes me wonder why people give so much power to these people. But it was also intriguing to get a glimpse into that world.

Rachel is a smart investigative investigator, and that might be how she was able to uncover information that the FBI couldn’t find. A lot of it comes down to trust and the fact that she is not part of the government. I enjoyed the special report that was shared every few chapters that reflected what she learned about this situation.

As I read this novel, I wondered if Terrance (Terry) was guilty, or was it circumstance? Was there a partner, or was he working on his own? There are many holes in the case against him, but what was fact or fiction was buried until Rachel starts digging into the missing persons case and his case.

There were many twists and turns. Some I expected, and many I did not. I had a hard time putting the book down, wondering what could possibly happen next.

Overall, we give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Megan Goldin was a journalist before she became a writer. She reported from the Middle East for the Associated Press, Reuters, the (Australian) ABC, and other news outlets. She worked in Asia as a reporter and editor for Reuters and Yahoo.

 

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Synopsis

 

Through a series of flash narratives, Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s powerful debut story collection, Wolfsong, draws us irresistibly into the lives of a constellation of female characters. The girls and women of Wolfsong are by turns fierce, curious, playful, vulnerable, reflective and wise. Taken together, the stories form a compelling arc from the innocent explorations of childhood, through budding growth, maturation, and the sometimes-fraught journeys women undertake as they forge their unique places in the world. Silver-Hajo’s characters uncover lifelong secrets and mysteries, face danger and uncertainty, celebrate what they’ve achieved and mourn what is lost. They love, yearn, cope with hardship, and discover how to take up the space in the world they deserve and have earned. The women of Silver-Hajo’s Wolfsong will remain with readers long after the last page of this stunning collection is turned.

 

 

Amazon

 

Praise

 

“In Wolfsong, her debut collection of stories, Kathryn Silver-Hajo displays her mastery of very short-form storytelling. These stories are brilliant bits of sea glass one feels lucky to discover and treasure. Filled with family and food and music, lovers and friends, heartbreak, and survival, these stories provide an evocative look at the hard lessons and the singular tender joys of girlhood and womanhood. You’ll want to read and reread this beautiful collection and keep it close at hand. It’s that good.” — Kathy Fish, author of Wild Life: Collected Works

“With a unique gift for writing about characters whom we feel we have known, Silver-Hajo writes with compassion and lays bare many worlds of vulnerability, uncertainty, and joy. In these 34 debut stories about the lives of girls, adolescents, and women, she creates a dazzling distillation of experience that is both haunting and hopeful. This is a very fine example of what the flash fiction form can accomplish. The characters in Wolfsong nestle deep into our spirits and refuse to let go.” — Meg Pokrass, author of The Loss Detector and Spinning to Mars

“The wise stories in Wolfsong brilliantly transport the reader from childhood to old age—and teach one of the collection’s heartfelt lessons of not wasting a moment “on the poison of disapproval, let alone a lifetime.” Wolfsong is an inspiring journey every reader should take.” — Pamela Painter, author of Fabrications: New and Selected Stories

“The very short stories in Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s Wolfsong focus on small, lovely moments in the lives of characters in which everything is illuminated. These are stories that are very much grounded in place and time, but there’s also a pervasive sense of what if throughout this collection, a tantalizing glimpse of an alternate future and the parallel universe of the imagination. These stories may be small in compass, but they’re huge in humor and heart.” — Sarah Freligh, author of Sad Math

“Beautiful and incisive. Each flash in Wolfsong is compelling in its own way. Through crisp imagery and lyrical prose, Kathryn Silver-Hajo directs her cast of characters through emotionally resonant stories. Among the female leads, you’ll find characters who long to belong, others who undergo insufferable tests, and some who narrowly escape tragedy, and each aims to steal the show. This debut collection does not disappoint. “ — Rachel Laverdiere, former editor for CNF Magazine

 

 

Review

 

I had never heard of flash narratives before, but it is exactly what the name implies, a flash of a story. Just a hint to entice and intrigue the reader and leave them wanting more.

While these stories don’t take much time to read, they aren’t meant to be read in a flash but to be savored. You might find yourself reading the words again to discover a nuance you might have missed.

Each story is set up to fill a need you might have not known you had. Each story is precisely told and might touch a nerve or fill a hole in your soul.

This is not a long book but it can be enjoyed over and over again.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Kathryn Silver-Hajo is a Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and Best American Food Writing nominee whose flash fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry has been widely published and included in a number of anthologies. Her novel Roots of the Banyan Tree is forthcoming from Juventud Press (fall 2023). Kathryn reads for Fractured Lit. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

 

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MUMENTOUS

 

Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football,

Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition

That Was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas

 

by

 

Amy J. Schultz

 

 

Nonfiction / Photo-Driven Memoir / Women’s History / Pop Culture / Texana

Publisher: Atmosphere Press

Page Count: 178 pages

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

 

 

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The closest you’ll ever get to seeing someone actually wear their heart on their sleeve is in Texas, every fall, at the local high school homecoming game.

They’re called homecoming mums. They are as bodacious as football, as irresistible as a juicy rumor, and as deep as a momma’s love. Over a hundred years ago when the custom began, mum was short for chrysanthemum, a typical corsage that boys gave to girls before taking them to the big football game. But through the decades, mum went from a simple abbreviation to a complicated shorthand for an eye-popping tradition that’s as ingrained in the culture as it is confounding to outsiders.

 

Through her original photography and collection of stories from across and beyond the Lone Star State, Amy J. Schultz takes us deep in the heart of mum country. You’ll meet kids who wear them, parents who buy them, and critics who decry them as just another example of consumerism gone wild. But mostly, you’ll discover that just like every ritual which stands the test of time, someone is keeping the tradition alive. Someone like Mom.

 

 

 

 

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I have been waiting for this book ever since the author had a Mum exhibit in Arlington at a local museum. Attending high school in Texas, I am very familiar with the Mum tradition. However, this was some 40 years ago, and mums in those days were NOTHING as I see now. I am sure you see stories on the news channels highlighting how much bigger and bolder they have become. In fact, I saw this meme, and it is almost scarily true.

 

 

 

Despite the newsworthiness of the Texas mum, this book shares with us a history of how it came to be, stories from moms, students, and more. This book is chockful of stories, old and new, men and women, and their stories of homecoming and mums. You might have your own mum story to share. And you can do so at the back of this book on one of the several blank pages. I might just have to see if I can find any photos from high school during this time.  I will say that my mum came from the local florist since DYI was not big at that time. Or it was just getting started. This was the mid-80s. Or it might have just been the small town we lived in at the time. Mums were also a reasonable size and didn’t require more than a few pins to hold them on.

But more than anything, this book is about traditions and how it brings mothers and daughters together over a shared project. While I don’t think any other state will ever have mums to the proportions that are here in Texas…because everything is bigger in Texas…it does make one take notice. It may seem crazy, but what a wonderful crazy ride to be on.

Pick up the book, enjoy the stories, marvel over the photographs, and perhaps relive a few of your own memories. Or maybe they are your child’s memories. Either way, this book is a memory book for all to see.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amy J. Schultz is an author and award-winning photographer who explores unique aspects of modern culture that hide in plain sight. When she isn’t talking about homecoming mums, Amy is writing, taking photos, working on other creative projects, traveling, snort-laughing, or vacuuming up dog fur.

 

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Murder A La Mode (Coffee & Cream Cafe Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – New York
Gemma Halliday Publishing (August 8, 2023)
Digital – Number of Pages 230

 

Synopsis

 

From author Lena Gregory comes a delicious new series that will warm your heart and leave you guessing until the very end…

When twenty-five-year-old Danika Delaney, black sheep of the Delaney clan, returns home to Long Island to take over Jimmie’s, her eccentric uncle’s old fashioned malt shop on eastern Long Island, she’s not exactly thrilled. But things start to look up when her uncle tells her she can do whatever she’d like with the shop, and it seems she might realize her dream of a small trendy café. That is, until she discovers the body of her ex-boyfriend’s estranged wife in a melted puddle of rocky road in the malt shop basement. With her two sidekicks, her sister and a good childhood friend, in tow, Dani searches for–or stumbles upon—one clue after another. But as she narrows down the suspect list, she realizes if she’s not careful she may end up in a puddle of her own…

 

 

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Review

 

This first book in a new series makes a big splash…or perhaps a dip into the cozy realm. Lena Gregory has written many series, and all have been quite enjoyable.

This new series features an ice cream shop (yum!) in New York. While this book doesn’t focus a lot on the ice cream portion of the business, I think that might come in future books.

Danika returns home after being told she is taking over her uncle’s shop. Could she have turned it down? Maybe, but she didn’t have much else going on in her life, so why not go back to your roots and try something new? What she doesn’t expect is to find her first boyfriend’s wife dead in the shop. While she never really intended to become a sleuth, she is thrown into it and actually does a remarkable job uncovering the clues and the killer. Well, almost. She nearly becomes a victim, but a special character saves the day. Read the book to find out who!

I really enjoyed Gwen, Danika’s friend. These two are quite a pair. I do have to question their judgment sometimes, but that is what good friends do, crazy things for one another.

I don’t know if I suspected this character was the killer. I don’t think I had any specific character in mind, but there were several I wish it would have been just because they are not nice characters. But you need that tension to make a story successful.

There could be a potential love triangle in future books. There is Danika’s first boyfriend, Luca, and the police detective, Jake Barlow. There were misunderstandings in the past between her and Luca, but does that mean she wants to restart a new relationship with him? Especially now that his wife is dead? Only time will tell if they will rekindle their relationship or just be friends.

I really enjoyed this start to a new series, and I can’t wait to see what she has planned for the makeover of the ice cream shop. I am hoping for more ice cream flavors and dishes to whet my appetite.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Lena grew up in a small town on the south shore of eastern Long Island, but she recently traded in cold, damp, gray winters for the warmth and sunshine of Central Florida, where she now lives with her husband, three kids, son-in-law, and four dogs. Her hobbies include spending time with family, reading, and walking. Her love for writing developed when her youngest son was born and didn’t sleep through the night. She works full time as a writer and a freelance editor and is a member of Sisters in Crime.

 

 

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Synopsis

 

Secrets are the best protection against love

Rose Badger is the local flirt, and if the other inhabitants of backwoods Blake’s Folly, Nevada, don’t approve, she couldn’t care less. With a disastrous marriage and a dead-end career far behind her, settling down is the last thing she intends to do. Newcomer Jonah Livingstone is intriguing, but with his complicated life, he’s off limits for anything other than friendship. Besides, Rose has a secret world of her own—one she won’t give up for any man.

The last person geologist Jonah Livingstone expected to meet in a semi-ghost town is the sparkling and lovely Rose Badger. But Rose, always surrounded by many admirers, doesn’t seem inclined to choose a favorite. So why fret? Jonah keeps his personal life well hidden…and that’s the best way to avoid disappointment.

 

 

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Review

 

This is the last book in the trilogy, and I have been wondering about Rose’s story after meeting her in the second book, All About Charming Alice. The stories do overlap a little bit, but we don’t see much of Alice in this book until she brings one of her dogs to Rose to adopt. Granted, Rose is not on board with this, but Noodle is a sweetie. How could she not love him? But he is a small part of the story.

The main story centers around Rose, her vintage shop, and a secret she is keeping from everyone in Blake’s Folly. Considering this small town has a gossip grapevine that would put anyone else to shame, she is wise to keep this a secret. You’ll have to read the book to find out what it is, and it isn’t anything bad. There is also Jonah, a geologist that is working in the area that is captivated by Rose. Not that Rose lacks suitors. She has several men interested in her, but it isn’t quite reciprocated. At least not until she meets Jonah. These two get along like a house on fire. I like that their conversations take time, and nothing is rushed. They are getting to know one another.

I enjoyed learning more about Rose and Jonah’s ancestry. Her Russian family, his Native American. This makes for some interesting conversations. Rose is holding back, but she finally lets down her guard a little to let Jonah into her world. Considering her past, it is understandable why she holds everyone at arm’s length. But there is something about this relationship that brings out the better part of both of them.

I enjoyed reading this series, and while each can be read as a standalone, if you read it in order, you will discover more about the town and its residents.

We give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Writer, photographer, social critical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales, J. Arlene Culiner was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and on a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest where, much to local dismay, she protects spiders, snakes, and all weeds. She particularly enjoys incorporating into mysteries, non-fiction, and romances, her experiences in out-of-the-way communities and her conversations with very odd characters.

 

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Synopsis

 

A fun love story following two roommates and a no-strings pact that is put to the test after unforeseen circumstances leave them closer than ever.

The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…

Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock-climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving into Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.

 

 

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Review

 

This was such an entertaining story to read. While it is a trope we have read about before, there is a twist to this story, which is what makes it all that more fun to read.

Claire and Graham definitely have chemistry. They have just been denying it for years. But once they agree to be friends with benefits, things explode. However, an accident sidelines Graham, but this is where the story really picks up. They are put into a situation where they have to really get to know one another, which is really the foundation for any relationship.

I laughed a lot through this book. There are so many witty and snarky comments. But there is also some truth in the conversations, which is nice to balance out the story.

There is so much to love about this book. The sexy characters, witty dialogue, hard conversations, and Graham’s emails to Claire that she doesn’t know about because it was sent to an email address that she created when she was 12 and, needless to say, doesn’t use anymore. You will laugh at the email name! I really enjoyed watching these characters grow, work through past traumas, and create their own HEA.

We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Allison Ashley is a science geek who enjoys coffee, craft beer, baking, and love stories. When she’s not working at her day job as a clinical oncology pharmacist, she pens contemporary romances, usually with a medical twist. She lives in Oklahoma with her family and beloved rescue dog

 

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Synopsis

 

Art, math, obsession, and greed. An artist who confesses to murders through her drawings and a marginalized drifter involved in computer crime have their paths collide in Montana while both are struggling to make amends for past failures in love. Part Montana wilderness, part techno, and part misdirected love, Paper Targets is a story of confessed secrets. But more than crime, Paper Targets is infused with nature and solitude and unpacks questions about why people sometimes do bad things. Based on the actual fringe events of two of the world’s largest criminal frauds: the collapse of WorldCom and Enron.

Enzi, a drop-out and drifting runaway, becomes a criminal computer hacker who then falls in love with Kaori, an artist. When Kaori later confesses through her paintings to murder, Enzi starts questioning everything he has ever done. But as Enzi tries to extricate himself from the violent men he has become indebted to, he is pressured to keep “pounding code.” While Enzi plans his escape, he is forced to look inside for answers about his motivations.

 

 

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Review

 

This is a literary fiction novel that centers around Enzi.

The book starts off with his formative years, his home life, and the fact that he is dyslexic. We learn later in the book that he never learned to write and spells things phonetically. So it is somewhat surprising that he is now a computer programmer. He does love math and has learned how to look for patterns. Perhaps, his dyslexia is words only.

The story is told in first person, and the first few chapters (and they are long chapters) center around his life before this job as a programmer. However, when the transition occurs, we have no idea how he landed in this field until even later in the book. I felt disconnected from the character and had a hard time understanding what was happening. The story does start to flow when we meet Kaori, an artist that tells stories through her paintings. She is from Tokyo and has a different outlook on life and relationships. I don’t think Enzi had any idea what he was getting himself into when he bailed her out of jail. I don’t think any of us knew what was going to happen!

There are many fascinating supporting characters. Tsai is a fast-talking individual from Texas who wants Enzi to exploit the software he wrote for Tsai’s gain. There is also the bail bondsman, Pascal, that decides to take a step outside of his normal pattern when it comes to dealing with criminals. And, of course, Kaori. She has an outlook on life that doesn’t gel with what most people think, and is she capable of normalcy or not?

This book moves at a slow pace, and it is more about the human character than anything else. I noticed that there is a thriller label on this book. I wouldn’t count this as a mystery, suspense, or thriller. It has psychological aspects in understanding all of the characters and how they fit together.

This was an interesting read, and we give it 3 1/2 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Steve Saroff was a 14-year-old runaway who started and sold several software companies to public companies. He is the host of the popular podcast ‘Montana Voice,’ and the author of numerous traditionally published short stories, first printed in Redbook, as well as several books.

 

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