Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suspense. Show all posts

August 24, 2016

Book Review (LIII) Wake-Robin Ridge August Reviews

"A PHONE RINGING AT 2:00 A.M. never means anything good. Calls at 2:00 A.M. are bad news. Someone has died. Someone is hurt. Or someone needs help."

On a bitter cold January night in 1965, death came calling at an isolated little cabin on Wake-Robin Ridge. Now, nearly 50 years later, librarian Sarah Gray has quit her job and moved into the same cabin, hoping the peace and quiet of her woodland retreat will allow her to concentrate on writing her first novel. Instead she finds herself distracted by her only neighbor, the enigmatic and reclusive MacKenzie Cole, who lives on top of the mountain with his Irish wolfhound as his sole companion.

As their tentative friendship grows, Sarah learns the truth about the heartbreaking secret causing Mac to hide from the world. But before the two can sort out their feelings for each other, they find themselves plunged into a night of terror neither could have anticipated. Now they must unravel the horrifying events of a murder committed decades earlier. In doing so, they discover that the only thing stronger than a hatred that will not die is a heart willing to sacrifice everything for another.


My Review


There are so many things I loved about Wake-Robin Ridge. Once the plot gets rolling, it's a non-stop page turner all the way to the end. It’s the first book of Marcia Meara that I read, but absolutely, not the last.

The story has well developed, relatable characters. Let’s see who they are:

First, I must say that  Ruth’s heart-breaking story was my favorite part. Ruth who, “After a year of looking for love, or even the occasional tender word, any vague thoughts of a happy ending for herself had vanished, and a tired sense of resignation had settled over her,” makes the worst choice in her life – Loyd Carter.

Sarah Gray a thirty-five-year-old library cataloging and research assistant, fed up with her boring job, leaves her town and moves to a dream like cabin in Wake-Robin Ridge.  This is how the present day part of the story begins.

Lloyd Carter, a mean-eyed slab of a man with a well-earned reputation for violence and several run-ins with the law. If there was one thing Lloyd Carter loved in this life, it was his big, fire-engine red Impala

MacKenzie Cole, Tall, maybe 6’3”, with glossy black hair curling slightly over his ears. . . . he was strikingly good looking, with a sense of quiet strength about him. “Mysterious Mountain Man,” as Jenna called him.

Add to them Handsome the muddy, half-starved little mess, the kitten Sarah discovers the very first day she moves to the cabin, and Rosheen, Mac’s three-year-old Irish wolfhound. Even General Penny, Ruth’s dachshund who keeps her good company along her lonely years. Thus the distribution is complete.

The cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the channel connecting past and present;  Ruth with her pain, tragedy and love and compassionate Sarah with her dreams and newly found love.

There were chapters where I went back and read some paragraphs once again. It was like a kid with a candy. I savored every word, especially the vivid scenery description.

Will Sarah manage to find out what lies behind Mac’s odd change of behavior towards her? Will she discover who is Miz Winn and what does the ghost want? Read the book and you will be rewarded with a suspenseful romantic mystery.

Wake-Robin Ridge is a masterpiece of good storytelling with meticulous attention to detail, a well-plotted tale of romance and intrigue. Marcia’s writing and descriptions are brilliant and make you feel like you can actually picture  Wake-Robin Ridge and the characters in your head. You will feel as if you are watching a movie. This is definitely a "can’t put down" book.

Romance, suspense and some supernatural elements made it exactly this - a "couldn't put it down" book for me. Amazon.com
 

March 14, 2016

Book Review (XLIX) The Long Way Home


 Blurb
The Long Way Home, Book 3 in The Southwark Saga by historical romance author, Jessica Cale is a magical, adult fairy tale that will keep you entertained from start to finish. Find out what happens when a paranoid king, a poison plot, and hideous shoes prove…it’s not easy being Cinderella!
After saving the life of the glamorous Marquise de Harfleur, painfully shy barmaid Alice Henshawe is employed as the lady’s companion and whisked away to Versailles. There, she catches King Louis’ eye and quickly becomes a court favorite as the muse for Charles Perrault’s Cinderella. The palace appears to be heaven itself, but there is danger hidden beneath the façade and Alice soon finds herself thrust into a world of intrigue, murder, and Satanism at the heart of the French court.
Having left his apprenticeship to serve King Charles as a spy, Jack Sharpe is given a mission that may just kill him. In the midst of the Franco-Dutch war, he is to investigate rumors of a poison plot by posing as a courtier, but he has a mission of his own. His childhood friend Alice Henshawe is missing and he will stop at nothing to see her safe. When he finds her in the company of the very people he is meant to be investigating, Jack begins to wonder if the sweet girl he grew up with has a dark side.
When a careless lie finds them accidentally married, Alice and Jack must rely on one another to survive the intrigues of the court. As old affection gives way to new passion, suspicion lingers. Can they trust each other, or is the real danger closer than they suspect?



My Review
In The Long Way Home, Jessica Cale does it again and delivers a gem. Exciting, romantic and written with great flair.
What an awesome way to learn History! One of the great things about The Long Way Home was the way it showed life and intrigue at the French court of King Louis, around 1677.
The author’s well researched endeavor added to her writing  that pulls its readers into the story as they, if the mood is right, begin to fantasize they’re in Alice’s shoes, due to the descriptions which are provided, especially that of court life. (I was so amused by the way people announced they want to enter a room. Not by knocking at the door!)
Reading this book was like watching a movie. All the historical details enhanced the intriguing plot, while the relationship between our hero and heroine kept the story moving at a fast pace. While the story is very detailed, it never detracts from the story line, but rather adds to it and makes it more real.
A few words about the main characters  - Alice  one of the Henshawe girls and Jack Sharpe, Mark Virtue’s apprentice, now a soldier.
How they see each other.
Alice, “Jack, on the other hand, looked like every wonderful dream she’d had since she was a little girl. Everything around them seemed to fall away as he walked up to her with love in his eyes and handed her a pale pink, late blooming rose. “
Jack, “ She turned those hazy eyes to him and her gaze warmed him to his toes. ”  
Go with them on their journey of discovering the love they share, in a place “where love lasts as long as it needs to, to further people’s  ambitions. It does not endure.” A court where as one of the characters says:  “No one has friends here. They have rivals.”
Alice becomes a Cinderella /“Cendrillon,” at the king’s court. But what starts as a joke, a farce soon takes another turn. Unexpected for many of the participants in this game of intrigue, betrayal, deceit and murder. 
Ysabeau Oullette-Martell, with her black magic interests and her unscrupulous behavior, is an interesting character, too.


The Long Way Home is a charming book, a very unique historical romance/adventure  which is very refreshing and hard to find these days. It is very much a love story as it is a historical mystery.  It had all the perfect elements in all the right places. With fantastic characters and intriguing drama, this is a story you don't want to miss. Read this is all I can say.
 I love Jessica Cale 's books. They have everything that draws me. Some humor, some darkness, and most of all , for me, complete involvement with the story and the characters.
Knowledge of the previous  two books of the series adds to the beauty of The Long Way Home, but it certainly is not necessary to have read them to completely enjoy this book. I love Cale 's attention to historical detail, you can tell her books are meticulously researched without ever descending into tedious recitation of facts.
It would make a captivating cloak and dagger movie, trust me. Thank You Jessica Cale for enjoyable books to read!

March 6, 2016

Guest post (CXXXII) #Eggcerpt Exchange Chris Redding



                                       Blonde Demolition
                                                          by Chris Redding

 Blurb


YOU JUST CAN'T HIDE FROM THE PAST...

Mallory Sage lives in a small, idyllic town where nothing ever happens. Just the kind of life she has always wanted. No one, not even her fellow volunteer firefighters, knows about her past life as an agent for Homeland Security.

Former partner and lover, Trey McCrane, comes back into Mallory's life. He believes they made a great team once, and that they can do so again. Besides, they don't have much choice. Paul Stanley, a twisted killer and their old nemesis, is back.
 

Framed for a bombing and drawn together by necessity, Mallory and Trey go on the run and must learn to trust each other again―if they hope to survive. But Mallory has been hiding another secret, one that could destroy their relationship. And time is running out.

- excerpt–
Under the best of circumstance, she wasn't patient. "Too bad there's no TV. We could lose ourselves in something mindless."

         His smile became predatory. "We could do that."

         He strolled to her until she raised her hand. "You stay over there."

         He stepped closer, his smile not dimmed. "Afraid you can't resist my charms?"

         "Stay over there."

         She didn't want to put herself to the test. She wasn't sure how good her resistance would be. Especially since she was out of her element or at least out of the life she'd chosen and back into the life she'd left behind.

         Trey chuckled, a sound that rumbled from the depths of his toned body. "Chicken."

         "No, I'm not."

         "Has Jesse asked you to marry him?"

         She chuckled. He had a thousand times.

         "I don't see a ring," he went on.

         She ignored him and his line of questioning. "None of that is your business."

         Trey sat on the coffee table right in front of her. Close enough for her to breathe in his scent.

         "And how long do you think a guy like Jesse will wait around for you?"

         "I'm doing this assignment and then I'm done."

         "You don't think that once you get another taste of this life that you won't want to come back? Think of the adventure. The intrigue. The doing something for the greater good."

         "You forgot people shooting at us. The great hours and being stuck in the middle of nowhere with you."

         "I'm not so bad. At least you once thought I was okay. We used to spend a lot of time together."

         "Used to. Past Trey and all of that will stay there."

         "You think? You think I'm going to let you go this time? Without an explanation?"
- Purchase link Amazon
- Author  bio
Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and one show rabbit.  She graduated from Penn State with a degree in Journalism and is still a diehard Nittany Lions fan.  Her books are filled with romance, suspense and thrills. 

- author links
Character's questions

1. Nickname: I’ve been called CPR lady because I helped run a training center for 7 years.

2. Job: ghostwriter, but I also teach CPR.

3. Level of schooling, or self-taught: BA in Journalism with a minor in English from The Pennsylvania State University

4. Birthplace Pennsylvania
5. Favorite type of pet One without hair, but DH doesn’t like reptiles so we have a dog.
6. Favorite place to visitThe beach

7. Favorite food Pizza, I could eat it almost every day.

8. What would you do if you won the lottery? Fund scholarships.