The Undercover Bookshop by Katherine Reay - A Book Review

  

Just because World War II was over didn't mean all the spies had returned home. Not all spies fit the stereotype. The Cold War years proved both of these things to be true. Katherine Reay makes the most of these facts as she leads readers into a place and time of great intrigue where only the most observant of people could piece together what was likely taking place behind closed doors.

Gemma Brown is a delightful character. While content with simple pleasures such as a cup of tea, a good book to read, and a comfortable bedsit to live in, Gemma strives to improve herself and her life. Her frequent rushing into new endeavors may have lead to brief brushes with disaster, readers will enjoy watching her self-confidence grow as she becomes more aware of her own strengths. Being driven by a sense of justice, a keen sense of observation, and a passion for mystery novels, Gemma begins to unravel something that British Intelligence had failed to do for quite some time.

Reay is able to weave a tense time in history, including the psychological toll it had on everyday life in the village of Great Rollright in Oxfordshire, England, with a spy mystery that would have made Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers proud. Reay has written the book in a way that made me feel as if I had stepped right into the story: meeting friends at the pub for dinner, bicycling long distances, and learning to bake right alongside our heroine. I highly recommend The Undercover Bookshop and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Harper Muse via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Defending You by Robin Patchen - A Book Review

  

The action begins early in chapter one and never stops until the final chapters. Cici Wright witnesses a murder just after recognizing stolen jewelry involved in another murder years ago. She flees the backroom of the jewelry store where she was conducting an appraisal, taking the bag containing the stolen items with her. The murderer and his associate, having come in search of those very items, take up the chase. A chase that has them showing up at every turn and bringing more help along. Cici's connections hire and send a bodyguard to assure she arrives safely home. Both were quite surprised and not a little unsettled to recognize one another from their hometown high school. Asher Rhodes, once a skinny nerd, in now a filled-out, former Navy Seal who had plenty of reason to be wary of his high school crush. Keeping her alive turns out to be more than he bargained for in many ways.

As always Robin Patchen has provided readers with a compelling, action-filled, clean romantic suspense story. While I am partial to the stories about CiCi's cousins, I am enjoying the stories about her and her sisters very much. I just purchased the first three books of this series, The Wright Heroes of Maine, for my husband, and look forward to building his Kindle library with more of Robin's books.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Defending You from the author without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

 

Into the Fire by Irene Hannon - A Book Review

  

I enjoyed the story of arson investigator Bri Tucker and ATF Special Agent Marc Davis as they worked to solve the mystery of the death of a colleague and the mystery of the cases he had been trying to tie together at the time of his death. This book falls under the category of Christian fiction, but might be better described as clean fiction as the Christian element is light. The story is written is a way that held my attention, the motivation of the killer was more of a puzzle than the identity which was fairly obvious. Typically Irene Hannon writes in more red herrings with regard to the perpetrator, but the puzzle being the motivation worked well for this story.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of Into the Fire from Revell without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Brilliance of Stars by J'nell Ciesielski - A Book Review

  

The writing in this story, the elements of plot, dialogue, pacing,and the like are top notch. The story is original, the characters endearing, and the suspense captivating. However, there is one personal preference that dampens my enthusiasm for The Brilliance of Stars. I love series that have a thread of mystery that carries the reader from one book to the next, but that also has a mystery that is particular to each book and that is brought to a satisfying conclusion in that book. I wish that books that end in a total cliffhanger requiring one to wait until the release of the next book, and maybe the one after that, before reaching any satisfying conclusion came with a warning label allowing readers to make a choice before investing hours of reading time. That said, at least I know I can count on good quality writing when the next book in Ciesielski's Jack and Ivy series is released.

I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of The Brilliance of Stars from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own. 

Lineage of Corruption by Robin Patchen - A Book Review

   

While Lineage of Corruption is book 7 in Robin Patchen's Coventry Saga series, it will work as a stand-alone read. I always enjoy Patchen's writing, and I especially love her long series that allow one to know her characters well, and to feel at home in her small town settings. Patchen does a wonderful job of balancing the romance and suspense elements of her stories.

In Lineage of Corruption Josie Smith is working incognito as a coffee shop owner. Trying to stay under the radar has made making friends difficult. Few people from her former life as a D.C. mover and shaker know of her new name or whereabouts. Thomas Windham spends more of his time volunteering with search and rescue, the fire department, and as a paramedic than he does running his insurance business. Now, he has been asked to run for mayor. Circumstances, much to Thomas' pleasure and Josie's frustration, have thrown the two together and shown them that they need one another's skills. The action becomes intense as Thomas' campaign heats up and Josie becomes a target as a pawn in her own father's political career.

I highly recommend this book and series along with Robin Patchen's previous series. I am grateful to have been provided a complimentary copy without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

 

Inheritance of Secrets by Robin Patchen - A Book Review

   

Robin Patchen is a master at pacing stories to keep readers highly engaged. I walked around for three days with my Kindle as the text-to-speech feature read Inheritance of Secrets to me as I moved from task to task, putting it aside only when people or tasks required my complete attention. The characters felt so authentic and relatable, the mystery and drama so compelling, and the dialogue so natural.

Aspen Kincaid had always believed her mother to be dead, that is until her father's last words following a terrible accident. Now she is on a mission to follow through with her dad's direction to find her mother and do right by her. Garrett McCarthy had never met anyone quite like Aspen. He was anxious to not only do the renovation job on the house her father had left her, but also to get to know her better and protect her from the townspeople who seemed to blame Aspen for her mother's past. However, doing so would require making some very difficult choices.

I am once again able to share my enjoyment of Robin Patchen's writing talent with other readers, and am grateful to have received a complimentary copy of this book from the author without obligation. All opinions expressed here are sincere, and are my own.