Cross My Heart-James Patterson

Detective Alex Cross is a family man at heart--nothing matters more to him than his children, his grandmother, and his wife Bree. His love of his family is his anchor, and gives him the strength to confront evil in his work. One man knows this deeply, and uses Alex's strength as a weapon against him. When the ones Cross loves are in danger, he will do anything to protect them. If he does anything to protect them, they will die.

James Patterson is, hands down, my favorite author. I can't believe that has taken me so long to read this book. This is, yet another, great read about Alex Cross. The villains are horrific in this one. At the end I was crying for Alex and hoping that the next book was already out. I wanted to keep reading and can't wait for the next book. 

Sweet Suspects-Jessica Beck

Suzanne and Grace must track down a killer when one of their old classmates is murdered at their high school reunion. There are plenty of suspects gathered back together in April Springs for the big event, and more than one former student’s secrets thought long buried in the past may end up coming back to haunt them all.

I love this series. These books are enjoyable for so many reasons. The characters are great, the mystery is always fun, and the recipes are to die for. I can't wait to move onto Book 13.

Unholy Matrimony-Peg Cochran

The hilarious Lucille Mazzarella is back and planning a wedding. But even the worst Bridezilla can’t create the wedding drama she’s about to face in this second book in the series.

Desperate to see her pregnant daughter Bernadette married before the baby comes, Lucille is engrossed in all things wedding. Nothing will distract her from planning this Mazzarella main event. Nothing, that is, except for the murder of the mother of the groom.

Just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Lucille is named as the prime suspect, and it’s a race against time as she and her best friend Flo struggle with shady financial dealings, a family that isn’t at all what it seems, a groom that might not be all man, and a little bundle of joy that might make an appearance before the mother can say I do.

I really enjoyed this book. Lucille is a hilarious character. A reader could easily find themselves friends with her. This was a great mystery and I loved it until the very end. I look forward to more of Lucille's antics in the future. 

In Search of Staszewski-Kenneth Fedzin

Set around the time of the 1863 Uprising and World War II, In Search of Staszewski is a powerful and moving real life account of a Polish family's six-year ordeal and fight for survival under Soviet Oppression. Focusing on a family that were victims of Tsarist Russia's oppression, the book also investigates Stalin's brutal regime and the dreaded Gulag system where, in addition to millions of Russian citizens, hundreds of thousands of innocent Poles died as a result. Some survived and escaped the Soviet 'paradise', going on to fight courageously alongside allied forces during World War II. Investigated and told by the son of a survivor, who only learned the truth after the sudden death of his father, two strands of detailed investigation are woven into an emotional journey of discovery, uncovering the shocking details his father was so reluctant to speak about. In Search of Stazewski is not only the story of a fight for survival by four generations of one family, but also of a people's struggle to preserve their cultural and national identity in the face of powerful neighbours. Inspired by authors such as Norman Davies, Orlando Figes, and Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum, In Search of Staszewski uncovers the truth surrounding a little known and largely untold episode of World War II history that will surprise and shock fans of historical and biographical non-fiction works


This was a bit of a hard read. Not because it was badly written, but because of the content. This man was a survivor of one of the most horrific times in history by sheer luck. Very interesting read.

The Goodbye Witch-Heather Blake

As Enchanted Village’s resident Wishcrafter, Darcy Merriweather has the power to make other people’s wishes come true, but what she really wishes is that she had the power to uncloak the invisible man who’s stalking her best friend....

Darcy’s closest friend and fellow witch, Starla Sullivan, hoped she’d never see her ex-husband, Kyle, again. Two years ago he tried to kill her, and he has been a fugitive ever since. Now Starla claims to have seen him back in Enchanted Village, but it seems she’s the only one who can see him. To everyone else, her ex is invisible.

Darcy only wishes his motives were as transparent as the rest of him. Since the police can’t arrest someone they can’t see, it’s up to Darcy to find the secret behind Kyle’s latest disappearing act—before he does something they can’t see coming….


I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite series. I loved this book. Darcy and company have never let me down. The story is great and there is a surprise ending that I did not see coming. Great job. I look forward to her next tale. 

The Pickled Piper-Mary Ellen Hughes

After her dreams of romance are crushed, Piper Lamb decides to pursue her dream of opening her own shop of pickles and preserves, called Piper’s Picklings, in the idyllic small town of Cloverdale. But she isn’t in town long before she encounters a barrelful of trouble…

The Cloverdale fair offers Piper a sweet opportunity to promote her business. With her new assistant, Amy, she sets up a booth centered around an eye-catching display of the ever-popular dills in an old-fashioned barrel of brine.

But things soon turn sour when fairgoers witness a fight between Amy’s boyfriend, Nate, and town council blowhard—and bagpipe player—Alan Rosemont. When Rosemont is found floating in Piper’s barrel, Nate becomes the prime murder suspect. With Amy’s boyfriend in a pretty pickle, there’s no time to dillydally. But as Piper searches for the real killer, she needs to be careful to preserve her own life…or she may end up a pickled Piper herself.


I see this book as the beginning of some wonderful reading. The book had everything that I love:a great story, wonderful characters, and a little bit of love on the side. I look forward to many for books in this series.         

To Fudge or Not To Fudge-Nancy Coco

Life is sweet for Allie McMurphy, proud owner of Historic McMurphy Hotel and Fudge Shop on Mackinac Island, until murder and deception leave a bitter taste.

This was an exceptional read. I loved it from beginning to end. The characters are very endearing and the mystery keeps you looking for the villain till the very end. This is one series that you won't be able to put down. I look forward to Allie's next adventure.

Mission to Murder-Lynn Cahoon

 In the California coastal town of South Cove, history is one of its many tourist attractions—until it becomes deadly…
Jill Gardner, proprietor of Coffee, Books, and More, has discovered that the old stone wall on her property might be a centuries-old mission worthy of being declared a landmark. But Craig Thomas, the obnoxious owner of South Cove’s most popular tourist spot, The Castle, makes it his business to contest her claim. When Thomas is found murdered at The Castle shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even her detective boyfriend has to ask her for an alibi. Jill decides she must find the real murderer to clear her name. But when the killer comes for her, she’ll need to jump from historic preservation to self-preservation

Once again, Ms. Cahoon, has written a fabulous tale. I waited with baited breath for this book. I loved the first book in the series and this one was worth the wait. I was able to enjoy a great mystery, some romance and a worthy adversary. Great job. I can't wait until Fall for the next adventure.

Compelled-Shawntelle Madison

 For the past five years, Natalya Stravinsky has dreamed of two things: to rejoin the South Toms River werewolf pack and to be reunited with Thorn Grantham. Fate may have brought the pack back into her life, but unless she journeys to Russia to save Thorn, the love she’s found may be lost again. For a stubborn werewolf like Natalya, no distance is too far, no magic spell too complex to master, because one way or another she will find a way to have everything she has ever wanted

I didn't know what I would think about this book as I haven't read the first two in series. I was, pleasantly, surprised by how much I enjoyed it. This is a wonderful example of a series that keeps you yearning for more. I will be reading this first two books and patiently wait for more. Thank you for the great ride.

A Cookbook Conspiracy-Kate Carlisle

It’s a recipe for disaster when bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright is asked to restore an antique cookbook….

Brooklyn has always been a little obsessed with food, but it was her sister Savannah who became a chef, graduating from the prestigious Cordon Bleu school in Paris. She and her classmates all went on to successful careers, but none of them achieved culinary superstardom like Savannah’s ex-boyfriend Baxter Cromwell.

When Baxter invites the old gang to participate in his new restaurant’s gala opening in San Francisco, Savannah looks forward to seeing her friends, and even asks Brooklyn to restore a tattered cookbook—an old gift from Baxter—as a present for him. But Brooklyn immediately recognizes that the book, which has strange notes and symbols scrawled in the margins, is at least two hundred years old. She thinks that it probably belongs in a museum, but Savannah insists on returning it to Baxter.

Shortly after receiving the gift, Baxter is found dead, with Savannah kneeling over him, bloody knife in hand, and the rare cookbook has disappeared. Brooklyn knows her sister didn’t kill him, and she suspects the missing cookbook might lead to the real villain. Now Brooklyn will have to turn up the heat on the investigation before Chef Savannah finds herself slinging hash in a prison cafeteria.


Ms. Carlisle has done it again. Her books keep getting better and better. This is, I believe, the best book in this series to date. The mystery was fantastic and I love that villain is someone that you would least suspect. Great job. I look forward to your next adventure. 

Maltipoos are Murder-Jacqui Lane

 Can a murder investigation keep these opposites from attracting?

Cara Rogers wants a fresh start after a slew of bad luck in Washington DC. Moving to Virginia to help her aunt run La Maison de Chien, a doggie spa, is just the peace of mind she needs. No stress. Just her aunt, the dogs, and wide-open country.

But when she finds Aunt Marian floating in the doggie swimming pool, the rest she so desperately needs flies out the window. The only witness to the death is Rex, an apricot maltipoo, and while he may not be able to talk, he’s communicating the only way he knows how—one paw at a time. And Rex’s clues lead to murder.
Can Cara keep the doggie spa afloat, convince Middleburg homicide detective Cole Sampson that Aunt Marian’s death was no accident, and keep Rex from the killer’s clutches before they all end up as dead as dogs?


This was a great read. It had everything that I look for a in a book. There was a super mystery, a bit of a romance and a villain that I did not peg at all. Thank you for writing this gem.

A Dollhouse to Die For-Cate Price

Daisy Buchanan thinks of her shop, Sometimes a Great Notion, as more than just a business. For her, it’s a haven of vintage sewing notions and other treasures, excellent coffee, and camaraderie. But when an antique dollhouse provokes some bizarre behavior on the part of a customer, Daisy makes it her business to find out what secrets are hidden behind its tiny doors…

At an estate auction, Daisy is delighted to find the perfect present for a young girl she knows—a charming dollhouse in need of restoration. But when local collector Harriet Kunes tries to strong-arm Daisy into selling it, she’s in for a shocking—and deadly—surprise.

After an intruder breaks in and tries to steal the dollhouse, Daisy wonders why everyone has developed such an obsession over it. As she builds her collection of clues, she suspects that the miniature Victorian holds the key to a second unsolved murder, and soon she stumbles across much more than she bid on…
  


Cate Price is a treasure. I loved the first book in this series and this one is, equally, fantastic. I love the characters and all the high jinx that Daisy gets into. I look forward to the next book. Keep up the great work. 

Death of a Mad Hatter-Jenn McKinlay

Scarlett Parker and her British cousin, Vivian Tremont, are hard at work at Mim’s Whims—their ladies’ hat shop on London’s chic Portobello Road—to create hats for an Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea, a fund-raiser for a local children’s hospital. It seems like a wonderfully whimsical way to pass the hat, and Scarlett and Viv are delighted to outfit the Grisby family, the hosts who are hoping to raise enough money to name a new hospital wing after their patriarch.

Unfortunately, the Grisby heir will not live to see it—he’s been poisoned. When traces of the poison are found on the hat Scarlett and Viv made for him, the police become curiouser and curiouser about their involvement. Now the ladies need to don their thinking caps and find the tea party crasher who’s mad enough to kill at the drop of a hat…


I don't know how Jenn McKinlay does it. She continues to write book after marvelous book. I love this series. This book, I believe, was even better than the first and that is saying something. Great job. I look forward to the next. 

Never Tempt a Duke-Virginia Brown

He could not forgive her deception. She could not resist the desire they shared. When a scandal forces them to marry, their passions lead to dangerous secrets.
Deverell regarded his beautiful bride dispassionately. He had begun to think-hope-he could find in her what he'd never had before.
That had disintegrated into ashes when she tricked him into marriage.
Now, the wedding breakfast done, the revelry just beginning, she gave him a nervous glance from where she stood near the arbor. He returned her gaze, took note of the wreath of baby's breath and pink roses atop her head, the Belgian lace train cascading from her shoulders and draping loosely over her bare arms before falling to the hem of her gown, and felt nothing. She was beautiful; fairy-like; virginal. Deceitful.
A changeling, he told himself. She'd undergone so many transformations since he'd first met her that he wasn't certain who she really was. Except that now she was his wife.
Deverell excused himself from Craven and strode to his bride; saw her instant wariness as he approached. The past fortnight had not endeared him to her, no doubt. Fitting enough, he supposed, since her actions had not endeared her to him either.
"So, my lovely bride," he drawled, taking one of her hands and drawing her away from her companions, "I trust all has gone according to your wishes."
Apart from the others, she tried to pull her hand free but he held it firmly. She flicked a glance at him from beneath her lashes, a maiden's trick that had never worked on him. He'd had ample time to study the female strategy. Yet he had still been conquered by treachery. A galling admission of defeat.
"If it had gone according to my wishes, your grace," she retorted, "I would be quite far from here, I assure you."
"Somehow, I doubt that, my sweet," he said softly. He lifted her gloved hand to his lips as if to press a loving kiss to her palm and murmured, "I think you've had things your way far too long."
Virginia Brown is the author of more than fifty novels in historical romance, mystery and general fiction, including the bestselling Dixie Divas mystery series.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's characters were wonderful and it covered a lot of years for a book. It had a great love story and a mystery that was unexpected. All in all a great read.  

A Roux of Revenge-Connie Archer

Snowflake, Vermont, is known for its skiing in winter—and its soup all year round, thanks to Lucky Jamieson’s By the Spoonful Soup Shop. Autumn brings golden leaves, pumpkin rice soup, the annual Harvest Festival… and murder.

Lucky’s soup shop is busier than usual this October, with groups of itinerant travelers in town to work the Harvest Festival. One newcomer seems to take a particular interest in Lucky’s young waitress, Janie, spying on her from across the street. Is the stranger stalking Janie?

After an unidentified man is found murdered in a van by the side of the road, simmering suspicions about the travelers are brought to a boil. But when Janie is put in harm’s way, Lucky must join forces with the travelers to turn up the heat on a killer…


I love this series. Ms. Archer has a wonderful way of bringing all of her characters to life. You can, almost, feel like you are living in Snowflake with all of them. This another great story with mystery, romance, and soup to die for. I can't wait for the next adventure. 

Policing The Paranormal-Paul Hope

The Commonwealth of Virginia has witnessed some of the most dramatic events of U.S. history and is known to be rich with haunted locations and paranormal activity. But what most people don’t know is just how paranormally active Virginia is, especially within the center of the Commonwealth’s most politically prestigious location, the Virginia State Capitol. Unlock the secrets of exactly what goes on after dark in the same buildings our State legislators and officials frequent. Learn from the testimony of police officers and other credible witnesses the exciting and sometimes terrifying disturbances that appear to frequently haunt the rooms and corridors of several locations within downtown Richmond’s Capitol Square. From the haunted State Capitol and Supreme Court buildings, to the intense poltergeist activity experienced in the Executive Mansion, you’ll be shocked by the compelling events that were kept secret – until now!


I love, love, love Ghost Stories and this did not disappoint. I love hearing the authors standpoint and the standpoint of others. This is a great mix of stories. One that anyone interested in Ghost would enjoy. 

Crave The Night-Lara Adrian

Born and raised to be an emotionless killing machine, Nathan is one of the most lethal Breed vampires in existence. A key member of the Order—an elite group of warriors charged with protecting both mortals and vampires—Nathan executes each mission with flawless precision and a total lack of mercy. Now he must pursue a powerful, hidden enemy. But Nathan’s hard discipline and training are no match for the fierce pull he feels toward a young woman he has no right to desire—a woman of wealth and high social standing who has long been promised to another Breed male, and who may also prove to be the key to rooting out Nathan’s elusive quarry.

Jordana lives a life of glittering privilege as a member of a prominent Breed family in Boston. Surrounded by fine things and fawning admirers, Jordana wants for nothing—until she crosses paths with a dark, intense warrior from the Order and finds herself swept into an impulsive, sizzling kiss that neither of them will forget. As much as she tries to deny her deep feelings for Nathan, Jordana cannot resist the craving to be near him, to break through his forbidding walls and see the man he truly is. But getting close to Nathan will thrust Jordana into a treacherous new world, forcing her to risk all she has and all she knows about herself and her past. And loving this seductive man could be the most dangerous temptation of all.


Lara Adrian has done it again. She has yet to fail me in a book and she didn't do it in this one either. What a great read. I love Nathan and Jordana. And, I cannot wait to see how this series continues. Great job, Lara!!