Review: The Bridge Kingdom

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Review: The Bridge KingdomThe Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1) by Danielle L. Jensen
Series: The Bridge Kingdom #1
Published by Context Literary Agency on August 13, 2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 354
Goodreads
four-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: Great world building, political espionage, combined with a strong woman lead and romance, I enjoyed this book, but it is only part of the story, so I’m withholding final judgment until I see what happens next.

THE STORY: Lara is a princess trained from childhood to be a spy and ultimate destroyer of the Bridge Kingdom. Sent in marriage by her father to the King of the Bridge Kingdom under the pretense of a peace agreement, Lara is determined to complete her mission. In the Bridge Kingdom, however, Lara meets her new husband Aren. Her experiences eventually make her question what is the truth in the conflict and where her ultimate loyalty should reside.

OPINION: I read this book because it came as part of a book of the month package I get. I didn’t expect much, but ended up really enjoying it. I thought the strongest points were Lara’s character and the intrigue and mystery over what is happening with the Bridge Kingdom.

Lara is both devious and desperate. Her loyalties are unclear from the start and she is challenged by her experience with Aren in the Bridge Kingdom.  I liked her strength and her cleverness and her willingness to challenge her own views. She makes some mistakes but she also learns.

The book has great world building, but I thought the questions about who is lying in the story was the highlight. I wanted to know what the truth was.

The relationship of Lara and Aren was also quite good as the romance was more slow burn than I expected. The romance is a heavy element here which makes me happy, but might be unexpected for those looking for a pure fantasy novel.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book ends on a cliffhanger. I’m rating this book a little lower because of that because I’ve been burnt by bad sequels of fantastic good books quite a few times.

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE BRIDGE KINGDOM is the first book in the Bridge Kingdom series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

four-half-stars

Review: Her Deadly Secrets

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Review: Her Deadly SecretsHer Deadly Secrets (Wolfe Security, #2) by Laura Griffin
Series: Wolfe Security #2
Published by Gallery Books on July 2, 2019
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 355
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION: Intriguing suspense story combined with some romance. I really enjoyed the crisp writing and the story kept me turning pages. I prefer more romance, but I came away interested in this new to me author.

THE STORY: Investigator Kira Vance winds up having her mentor killed in front of her while working on a case for the criminal defendant’s lawyer. With a killer somehow involved in the case, Kira is assigned security — which she doesn’t want. Her assigned security, Jeremy Owen from Wolfe Security. As more dangers and deaths surround the case, Kira needs to find the killer and avoid dying herself.

OPINION: This was a good read, but not the type of book that I would add my my re-read pile. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good. I did enjoy it. I had no idea what would be the resolution until the end.

The romance is a slow burn, but finally heats up at the end. I really liked Kira who was independent and is not a woman looking to be rescued.

The writing of this book was crisp and clean and kept the story moving.

The negative for me is that this is definitely a plot focused book and there is a lot I never find out about these characters. For me, that means that I felt less long term connection to the book.

WORTH MENTIONING: I’d like to see several other characters introduced here get their own stories.

CONNECTED BOOKS: HER DEADLY SECRETS is the second book in the Wolfe Security series. This book can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the first book and didn’t feel like I had missed anything.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Release Day: How to Love a Duke in Ten Days

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Release Day: How to Love a Duke in Ten Days

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days by Kerrigan Byrne

Another incredible book by Kerrigan Byrne. Read our review here.

Buy-book link:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250243270

Synopsis:

These men are dark, bold, and brave. And there is only one woman who can bring them to their knees…

Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past—one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.

LOVE TAKES NO PRISONERS

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.

Read an excerpt here.

Author Bio:

Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, USA Today bestseller Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast. Her Victorian Rebels novels include The Highwayman and The Highlander.

We also have a question and answer with Kerrigan here.

Review: How to Love a Duke in Ten Days

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I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Review: How to Love a Duke in Ten DaysHow to Love a Duke in Ten Days (Devil You Know, #1) by Kerrigan Byrne
Series: Devil You Know #1
Published by St. Martin's Paperbacks on August 27, 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 448
Goodreads
five-stars

FINAL DECISION: A hard book for me to get started reading because of the violence in the first chapter, I started and stopped the book several times. But I’m so glad that I continued the book. Is there darkness? Yes, but utimately, this is a book of strength and prevailing over the darkness for both the hero and the heroine.

THE STORY:  Lady Alexandra Lane has built a life for herself. When one of her best friends asks for her help, Alexandra rushes to her. She meets her friend’s intended fiance, Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne. In a twist, Alexandra ends up proposing a deal with Piers, they will marry and Alexandra’s family will be saved and he will have heirs as his revenge against his cousin and the woman Piers loved but who betrayed him. But their respective pasts cause problems between them.

OPINION: I really loved the relationship between Alexandra and Piers. These two people are almost undone by their pasts. But each are intelligent and compassionate people and find a way to close the distance between them. At times dark, the relationship between the two is surprisingly sweet.

Alexandra is a woman trying to deal with her violation in a time when there was little support and much condemnation for women. She has managed to build a life for herself. Brilliant, she has gotten a doctorate in archaeology. She has traveled the world and made a career when such things were frowned upon. What she hasn’t been able to do is have any romantic entanglements. Until she meets Piers…

Piers is struggling with trust issues especially related to unfaithful women, so he does not react well to Alexandra’s secrets. And yet, he ends up being a wonderful guy, thoughtful and caring and, most importantly, he appreciates Alexandra. I especially loved how he recognizes his own selfishness and turns on a dime to support Alexandra.

Stories built upon misunderstandings, when one character keeps a secret that could be resolved by just telling the truth are not my favorite, but it works here because I understand why Alexandra keeps her secrets.

I thought that with difficult subject matter, this book did extremely well in representing both Alexandra and Piers’ viewpoints. It was nuanced and blunt and depicted the pain and lasting damage done by sexual assault.

WORTH MENTIONING: This book depicts and has as a central part of the story, the rape of the heroine (not by the hero).

CONNECTED BOOKS: HOW TO LOVE A DUKE IN TEN DAYS is the first book in the Devil You Know series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

five-stars

Review: Angels Fall

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Review: Angels FallAngels Fall by Nora Roberts
Published by Putnam on July 11, 2006
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 391
Goodreads
four-half-stars

FINAL DECISION: I haven’t read this book in decades so I had forgotten just about everything about this book. I quickly became absorbed by this story of a woman who recovers from a horrific event, witnesses a murder and begins to doubt her sanity which is definitely a romantic suspense with the emphasis on romance.

THE STORY: Chance lands Reece Gilmore in Angel’s Fist, Wyoming when her car breaks down. She’s been wandering the country after a horrific event that sent her fleeing from Boston as she works to rebuild herself and her life. When she witnesses a murder, Reece struggles to get others to believe her when there is no evidence that it ever happened. The only man that Reese is sure is not the murderer is local writer Brody. The two get to know one another as Reece tries to find the truth about the murder.

OPINION: I really enjoyed this book. It is a nice combination between the romance and the suspense portion for me because the story is heavy on the romance.

Reece is a woman who is struggling to rebuild her life. The book really depicts her struggles and I especially like that through this crisis she still manages to build something for herself. Brody is a gruff hero, but I always like how he supports Reece despite all evidence to the contrary. Their relationship worked even apart from the suspense story.

There is little more I can say about the plot because it works better the less a reader knows. The solution isn’t particularly novel, but I did think that the book did a good job leaving many possibilities open until the end.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is a made for TV movie based on this book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: ANGELS FALL is a standalone book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4.5 stars.

four-half-stars

Review: Brazen and the Beast

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Review: Brazen and the BeastBrazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards, #2) by Sarah MacLean
Series: The Bareknuckle Bastards #2
Published by Avon on July 30, 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 400
Goodreads
four-stars

“Is there a good time to find a man bound and unconscious in one’s carriage?”

FINAL DECISION: I loved Whit, the hero, and there were moments in this book that were amazing, but it was prevented from being an amazing overall read by the static nature of the heroine who never made a misstep, never grew, and never felt human but rather a was a collection of “ideal” modern women qualities.

THE STORY: On the eve of her twenty-ninth birthday, Lady Henrietta Sedley has declared that this next year will be the Year of Hattie where she will claim herself and her wishes for herself. First, she will begin by ridding herself of her virginity to make herself unsuitable for marriage so that she can convince her father to finally see her as the worthy successor to the family shipping business. But on the way to her “errand” Hattie finds a tied up man in her carriage. The man is known as Beast, one of the bareknuckle bastards the kings who run the criminal enterprises in Covent Gardens. Whit finds Hattie intriguing especially because she is a lead on the man who threatens those he cares for.

OPINION: I absolutely adored Whit and was neutral on Hattie. Unfortunately, she was a static character who didn’t seem to have any growth in the story. Written as too perfect — she might not consider herself perfect for society, but she certainly didn’t need to change at all during the story. In fact, the essence of her story is that she is just great and everyone else tries to keep her down. I honestly found her story boring. The star here was Whit who was simply adorable and spent the book doing everything for Hattie.

Whit, like his siblings, was subjected to an evil game of torture by their father, a duke, in a competition between the duke’s bastard children to become the heir. Whit, however, is the caretaker of the family. Raised by his mother, Whit suffers from having known love and caring and not being able to protect those he loves. At every turn in this book, it is Whit’s desire to care for Hattie. Now she doesn’t always allow him to and she also demands to be an equal and care for him as well, but even when he does things to subvert Hattie’s goals, it comes from a place of care. I just adored him.

There were things I really liked about Hattie. She is an older heroine at twenty-nine. She is plus-sized and rather plain in appearance. She is also a budding business magnet if she could be allowed to take over her family’s business. My complaint is that she is already at her apex before she even meets Whit and doesn’t need to do any personal growth in the book. I like characters with flaws who have to overcome them and Hattie was just too “perfect” already. She is already at peace with herself. I just wanted to see her flaws — not just her perceived flaws which are not flaws at all. And even her business acumen we only get to hear about and not really see her handling the business.

I did love the relationship between Whit and Hattie. They were funny and sexy together. I loved the arguments and how the two just fit together. I did love so many parts to this book, I just wanted more. MacLean has spoiled me, and this is not amongst her best books.

WORTH MENTIONING: I loved the references to characters from prior MacLean books. Not enough to distract from the story for those who haven’t read other series, but certainly Easter eggs for fans of MacLean’s other books.

CONNECTED BOOKS: BRAZEN AND THE BEAST is the second book in the Bareknuckle Bastards series. While the romance here is self-contained and thus can be read as a standalone, there is an overarching story that is better read as part of the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

 

four-stars

Review: Death in Kew Gardens

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Review: Death in Kew GardensDeath in Kew Gardens (Kat Holloway Mysteries, #3) by Jennifer Ashley
Series: Below Stairs Mysteries #3
Published by Berkley on June 4, 2019
Genres: Historical, Mystery
Pages: 320
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION: A solid entry in the series. Here the mystery predominates over the character stories.

THE STORY: Cook Kat Holloway finds herself mixed up in murder again when a man with a secret gifts her with a box of teas. When he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the man next door. Kat becomes embroiled in the investigation which involves issues of colonialism and tea secrets stolen from China.

OPINION: The mystery here was good in that I didn’t figure out the culprit until the end. On the negative side, I was not that interested in the details of the tea trade here. That led my mind to wandering during lengthy explanations regarding motives and such. I wanted the story to be more personal to Kat. Instead, this felt like a standard mystery book, and I really didn’t buy her connection to the story here. Despite this, I enjoyed the book but it is my least favorite in the series so far.

WORTH MENTIONING: There is not much on the romance side here in this book. I wanted more Kat and Daniel.

CONNECTED BOOKS: DEATH IN KEW GARDENS is the third book in the Below Stairs Mysteries (also known as the Kat Holloway Mysteries/Murders). The mystery here is self contained and thus this book can be read as a standalone. There are ongoing storylines for the characters, however, so new readers should be aware that the characters and their personal stories develop from book to book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

four-stars

Review: Surrender

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Review: SurrenderSurrender (Regency Lovers 5) by Carole Mortimer
Series: Regency Lovers #5
Published by Carole Mortimer on May 10th 2019
Genres: Historical
Pages: 104
Goodreads
three-stars

FINAL DECISION: A quick read, this isn’t a brilliant book but it was entertaining for what it is. A quick and easy hot historical with plenty of drama and crazy situations.

THE STORY: Clara Catchpole was rescued from her kidnappers by Lord Ezra Stone. After being rescued, Clara doesn’t want to be separated from Ezra and knows that there is a connection between them despite the big age gap between them. (She is eighteen and he is thirty-eight.) But Ezra insists on keeping a distance between them. However, when another threat on Clara’s life arises, Ezra and Clara get closer and it threatens his insistence on keeping things proper between them.

OPINION: This was an enjoyable little read. Crazy circumstances, crazy hot scenes. Nothing about it felt historically accurate or realistic, but it was a quick read with plenty of dramatic situations. I also enjoyed getting to see characters from the series who have important roles to play in this book. Ezra has plenty of secrets that cause serious problems in this book, and they are totally over the top. Clara is definitely not a shrinking violet. She goes after what she wants and that is Ezra despite all the potential obstacles in their path.

WORTH MENTIONING: At about 100 pages, this book is really a novella.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SURRENDER is the fifth book in the Regency Lovers series. Although there are overlapping characters, this book can be read as a standalone.

STAR RATING: I give this book 3 stars.

three-stars

Review: Shamed

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I received this book for free from Netgalley in order to prepare an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Review: ShamedShamed (Kate Burkholder, #11) by Linda Castillo
Series: Kate Burkholder #11
Published by Minotaur Books on July 16, 2019
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 304
Goodreads
five-stars

 

“You see a lot of things when you’re the chief of police in a small town.”

FINAL DECISION: Loved this one. Pulse pounding exciting mystery/suspense with plenty of Kate and John together. Plus, this one once again gives more complexity to the Amish.

THE STORY: An Amish grandmother is murdered and her young granddaughter is kidnapped. Chief Kate Burkholder is in a race against time to find the girl. The investigation leads Kate to uncomfortable information about the Amish that challenges what she thought she knew about them. She discovers that there are a lot of secrets to be uncovered.

OPINION: I loved this book. I was drawn into the story from the first page and the pacing of the book kept me breathless throughout. This was a fast paced and dramatic book until the very end.

I’m a big fan of this series especially because Kate is such an independent and competent character. She makes mistakes and she thinks too much, but everything she does comes from deep caring. Kate’s emotional connection to cases is always both problematic but also part of her great strength as an investigator. As always, Kate’s connection to the Amish give her an entry to the important people in the investigation, but often the reality conflicts with Kate’s faith in the Amish.

Here, there are serious secrets at work and Kate has to discover the truth in order to save the girl and find the killer.

There was a lot happening in this book which made it a read that I couldn’t put down. Every time I finished a chapter, instead of being able to put the book down, I wanted to know what happened next. I ended up reading the book in one large gulp.

I also really enjoyed that Kate’s love interest John is involved in the case rather than just being on the sideline. Kate and John work so well together that I love them having more “screen time” together. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get more followup from the prior book, but I always enjoy seeing how their relationship is developing.

Fans of the series will find all the elements that make this series worth reading. New readers will also get an exciting read as this book can be a gateway to the series.

WORTH MENTIONING: The format of this book add to the tension of the story. The construction is a bit different than others in the series but it works well here.

CONNECTED BOOKS: SHAMED is the eleventh book in the Kate Burkholder series. This book has a self-contained mystery and thus can be read as a standalone. There are ongoing character developments that will have less impact if the series is not read in order.

STAR RATING: I give this book 5 stars.

NOTE: I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

 

five-stars

Review: In Plain Sight

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Review: In Plain SightIn Plain Sight (Kate Burkholder, #10.5) by Linda Castillo
Series: Kate Burkholder #10.5
Published by Minotaur Books on May 28, 2019
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 60
Goodreads
four-stars

FINAL DECISION: A small mystery about a teenage Amish boy who is struck by a car and questions that arise when it looks like it might not have been an accident. This is a small mystery benefiting its length, but I liked it as we get to see all the best parts of the characters in the series.

THE STORY: When a teenage Amish boy is found seriously injured by the side of the road, it initially appears to be an accident. But Chief Kate Burkholder soon finds out that not everyone in town was happy that the Amish boy was dating an English girl.

OPINION: This is a pretty straightforward story, but has some of the hallmark issues raised in the series: the conflict between the Amish and the others in town, emotional and sex relationships, Kate being a strong person who does her job in a kickass fashion, the relationships she has with her staff and John. This short story (it’s too short for me to even consider it a novella) gives a nice taste of what is involved in the series. I thought the plot was well executed.

WORTH MENTIONING: Only small glimpses of Kate and John in this one.

CONNECTED BOOKS: IN PLAIN SIGHT is book 11.5 in the Kate Burkholder series. This short story can be read as a standalone and gives some idea of the stakes in the main books in the series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

 

four-stars