authentic reviews and insightful interviews for inquisitive readers
Danielle 
Title: Dead of Winter Author: Darcy Coates Series: n/a unsympathetic lead Thanks to Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an okay thriller, though the premise has been done. My chief complaints are the abrupt beginning and ending as well as the length/lack of energy, all of which relates to the main problem, a lack of sympathy for the lead character. So we start …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Secret to Happiness by Suzanne Woods Fisher delves into how someone can find their way again when life’s issues seem to be overwhelming. There are issues of forgiveness, redemption, family, love, and hope for the future as family and friends try to bring someone out of their despair. The plot has Callie Dixon fired from her job as an executive chef when she makes a huge error in the kitchen. Now unemployed she …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Beginning of Forever by Catherine Bybee is a story of passion and following one’s dreams. There are deep and meaningful family and friend relationships. The heroine Emma must contend with a misogynist father who refuses to allow her to be a part of the family wine business. To make matters worse, he has put her ex-husband in charge. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Traitor Beside Her by Mary Anna Evans blends mystery, action, friendship, with a hint of romance. Readers get a glimpse of how women helped in the war effort, and she treats readers to fun historical facts, suspense, intrigue, espionage, and secrets. World War II was not only fought on the battlefront but also on the intelligence front. Arlington Hall, a former women’s college in Virginia, has been taken over by the United States …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Girls and Their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier is more than just a book about horses. Readers should think about sports travel teams and stage mothers. Those parents who try to put their own dreams on their children and push them to succeed, even when the dream does not seem realistic. The book explores the world of competitive horse jumping, with overbearing mothers who push their children to compete, toxic coaches, and mean girls. …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Blueberry Blunder by Amanda Flower is the eighth book in the Candy Shop Amish series. This series along with the spinoff Amish Matchmaker Series are great cozies. Readers are treated to a unique mystery, brilliant characters, and some funny animals. The plot has the main character, Bailey King, building her dream candy factory in Harvest, Ohio. After the construction work stalls, she fires the contractor. Unfortunately, that same night someone kills him. With a …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Cowboy Wild and One Little Spark are recently published books by Maisey Yates. Because One Little Spark is domestic suspense, she has written the book under the pseudonym Ellie Banks. Two books, each a different genre. Besides writing her wonderful cowboy romance stories she has also ventured into writing stories that have women relationships, almost a “sisterly bond.” One Little Spark has a fire destroying a small town, throwing the lives of three women …
A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Spring 2023. Beware of spoilers! Title: The Secret of Poppyridge Cove Author: Rimmy London Series: Seaside Inn Mystery/Poppyridge Cove Mystery #1** When Scribd recommended this title, I thought, Oh cool! A little indie haunted house story! Yes, please! And omg, it’s a series! Scooooore! Unfortunately, the story wasn’t what I wanted it to be. It’s actually a romance, and not a ghost story at all. Barely creepy. When I …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Swindler’s Daughter by Stephenia McGee is a compelling mystery mixed within a historical novel. Both the male hero and female heroine are put in dangerous situations with a villain that is multifaceted. Set in 1912 Georgia, the main character Lillian Doyle always believed that her father was dead and her mother his widow. That is until she receives notice that her father has just recently died and left her as the sole heir …
Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Deep Tide by Laura Griffin is the fourth book in the Texas Murder Files series. As with the other three, readers will not be disappointed. The stories have likeable characters and intense action. The heroine Leyla Breda is the sister of two local police officers, Joel and Owen. She meets the hero, FBI Special Agent Sean Moran, at the wedding of her brother Joel. But Sean is also there as an undercover agent to …