REVIEW: The Girl From the Sea by Shalini Boland

Title: The Girl From the Sea
Author: Shalini Boland
Narrator: Katie Villa
Publisher: Adrenalin Books
Publication Date: June 2016
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A chilling suspense story of wounded hearts and dark secrets.

Washed up on the beach, she can’t remember who she is. She can’t even remember her name. Turns out, she has an idyllic life – friends and family eager to fill in the blanks.

But why are they lying to her? What don’t they want her to remember?

When you don't even know who you are, how do you know who to trust?

My Thoughts: For a lot of people, getting a start over at life opportunity might be a good thing once all the confusion of the lost past events is overcome. For Mia James, the confusion about her past doesn’t dissipate over time as she begins to piece together what happened to her. Her memory loss causes her more doubts about the man claiming to be her boyfriend, her family and whether her amnesia was really accidental.

This book twisted me around and upside down. I had my own doubts about the boyfriend, not liking him from the start. When Mia learns she inherited 8 million pounds from her father, my doubts increased. I also wondered about Mia’s mother and sister and why their relationship is strained. Mia has to rely on strangers to fill in the blanks. Are they telling her the truth?

This story moved at a perfect pace and flowed seamlessly. I felt like everyone is keeping secrets, including Mia, though she doesn’t know what her secrets are. As the story moves along and it becomes apparent that Mia’s accident was deliberate, the tension spiked into high gear for me. I can’t imagine how frightening it would be to lose all of my memories and then find out that someone close to me means to do me harm.

The story gets darker and more tense as Mia learns more and though she has no memory of anything, she appears to be quite self-reliant and is able to function without difficulty, including driving a car and finding her way around Christchurch. I liked that about Mia. She never comes across as helpless. Frightened, absolutely, but definitely not helpless.

The story was expertly narrated by Katie Villa who breathes life into the characters and expertly conveys their thoughts and speech with raw emotion, which is necessary for readers when listening to an audiobook.

The ending came as a huge surprise for me. It wasn’t the ending I was hoping for, but we can’t always get what we want. Once I picked myself up from the floor after the rug was ripped out from under me, I have to give major kudos to Shalini Boland for giving me a story that was thoroughly enjoyable, shocking, surprising and real.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this story to fans of thrillers, mysteries and suspense stories that keep the reader riveted to their seat featuring characters that are not always who they appear to be. If you don’t mind that the line between right and wrong and good and evil isn’t always obvious, this is the book for you.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Girl From the Sea from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Ellen the Harpist by Diane Michaels

Title: Ellen the Harpist (Ellen the Harpist #1)
Author: Diane Michaels
Publisher: MiddleRun Press
Publication Date: June 2016
Genre: Chick-Lit / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: Single. Inept at flirting. But at least she’s got talent and a sense of humor. The problem is, she's often the punch line. Despite her difficulties, Ellen Blum is proud of the cred she has earned serenading brides down the aisle with her harp. Doesn’t being 27 and paying her rent on time prove she’s a grown-up?

Not so much, according to her personal chorus of critics. As she dodges the barbs and petty crimes of her bosses and copes with a family crisis, she feels more like a child than ever. She has her heart set on silencing her critics and teaching them — and maybe herself — a new tune. But becoming more than the person described on her business card is even trickier than moving her harp.

My Thoughts: This book was quite a little surprise. A harp playing protagonist named Ellen who makes a living playing weddings, recitals and concerts trying to earn a living and make a name for herself in the music world. Along the way, she learns a lot about herself and does a lot of growing up.

I liked Ellen right from the start and her best friends Gwen and Chloe were interesting as well, adding depth, humor and sometimes hard to hear advice whether wanted or not. I also liked Josh, felt for Ellen, and shared her disappointment when it appeared they weren’t going to get together. Reading about the different weddings that Ellen performs at was also very interesting. How much planning and work that goes in behind the scenes and what all can go wrong was enlightening.

The story moved at a good pace and held my attention, keeping me guessing about several outcomes…

• Who will Ellen end up with?
• Will someone drop a giant piano on Monica?
• Is the wedding planner a criminal?

My Final Verdict: Overall, this story touches several emotions dealing with life, love and death. Partly chick-lit and partly women’s fiction, I recommend this book to readers who enjoy relationship driven stories, be they romantic, friend or family. This book is the first book in a trilogy and I recommend starting with this one. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, Ellen at Sea to see what Ellen and her friends and family get up to next.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Ellen the Harpist from the author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Unveiling Grace by Lynn Wilder

Title: Unveiling Grace
Author: Lynn Wilder
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: August 2013
Genre: Nonfiction / Religion
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: From a rare insider's point of view, Unveiling Grace looks at how Latter-day Saints are 'wooing our country' with their religion, lifestyle, and culture. It is also a gripping story of how an entire family, deeply enmeshed in Mormonism, found their way out and what they can tell others about their lives as faithful Mormons.

My Thoughts: I had the honor of meeting Lynn and Michael Wilder in 2018 at a conference in Gilbert, AZ where they shared their story about their journey into Mormonism and their journey out thirty years later and into biblical Christianity. This book illustrates how anyone on the face of the Earth can be deceived and misled into a high demand religion and only through the grace of Jesus can they be saved. Lynn, Michael and their family are just like the rest of us, living our lives, trying to be the best people we can be. They were sold a counterfeit Jesus and when their youngest son went on his Mormon mission to Orlando, his eyes were opened to the truth that Jesus is enough.

Lynn’s open and honest depiction of the struggles she and her husband went through trying to reconcile what they were taught in Mormonism against what their son was telling them about Jesus was inspirational and moving. I felt a lot of empathy for what they were feeling and what they were going through.

This book does not persecute, put down or otherwise bash the Mormon people. Instead, it shows love and compassion to those trapped in bondage by the church and offers hope that unconditional love and eternal salvation awaits us all who accept the gift of Jesus’ grace.

My Final Verdict: Having married an ex-Mormon man who found his way out and into relationship with Jesus, the similarities of experiences shared in this book resonated so deeply with me. I recommend this book not just to members of the Mormon church, but also to everyone who seeks knowledge and truth.

REVIEW: The Wrong Man by Kate White

Title: The Wrong Man
Author: Kate White
Narrator: Erin Bennett
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Publication Date: June 2015
Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: She wanted to be more daring, but one small risk is about to cost her everything—maybe even her life.

Bold and adventurous in her work as owner of one of Manhattan's boutique interior design firms, Kit Finn couldn't be tamer in her personal life. While on vacation in the Florida Keys, Kit resolves to do something risky for once. When she literally bumps into a charming stranger at her hotel, she decides to make good on her promise and act on her attraction. But back in New York, when Kit arrives at his luxury apartment ready to pick up where they left off in the Keys, she doesn't recognize the man standing on the other side of the door. Was this a cruel joke or part of something truly sinister? Kit soon realizes that she's been thrown into a treacherous plot, which is both deeper and deadlier than she could have ever imagined. Now the only way to protect herself, her business, and the people she loves is to find out the true identity of the man who has turned her life upside down.

Adrenaline-charged and filled with harrowing twists at every turn, The Wrong Man will keep readers riveted until the final page.

My Thoughts: I hate it when a book starts out so promising, but then just falls flat, flounders and then fades away. This is such a book. The entire premise sounded really exciting. Woman looking to have an adventure on vacation meets a charming man and decides to go for it. She agrees to meet up with him upon her return to New York, but the man answering the door is not the man she did the horizontal tango with down in Florida. And worse yet, this man claims his identity was stolen and when he goes to Florida, he is murdered. So, it appears that Kit has gotten herself into one whopper of a mess.

Unfortunately, the story just didn’t carry the intensity or suspense I was expecting. Kit quickly finds herself in over her head, not knowing who she can trust. She is being contacted by law enforcement in Florida and New York. The firm that the murdered man works for starts demanding she meet with them as they have questions and then the mystery man reaches out with a story that is so wild that Kit should have just changed her name, her phone number and moved out of town.

The story weaves all over the place without any clear direction where it’s heading. When things finally get wrapped up, I found the ending to be out of place. I had a challenging time with the audio narration and felt my attention drifting quite a bit, so I’m quite sure I missed a lot of vital details but couldn’t muster up the desire or the initiative to go back and fill in the gaps.

It also drove me up the wall that Kit’s assistant, business partner, whatever is named “Baby” and it seemed like the name was completely overused, like practically in every bloody sentence. I wanted to drive railroad spikes through my ears, I was so tired of hearing the name. In addition, the character spends nearly the same amount of time in the book as the main character, I was beginning to wonder whose story this actually was.

My Final Verdict: Overall, fans of mysteries and thrillers may enjoy this one, but give the audio format a hard pass. For this author, I enjoyed her Bailey Weggins series more.

REVIEW: Christmas Every Day by Beth Moran

Title: Christmas Every Day
Author: Beth Moran
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Publication Date: September 2019
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: When Jenny inherits her estranged grandmother’s cottage in Sherwood Forest, she has nothing to lose - no money, no job, no friends, no family to speak of, and zero self-respect. Things can only get better...

Her grumpy, but decidedly handsome new neighbor, Mack, has a habit of bestowing unsolicited good deeds on her. And when Jenny is welcomed into a rather unusual book club, life seems to finally be getting more interesting.

Instead of reading, the members pledge to complete individual challenges before Christmas: from finding new love, learning to bake, to completing a daredevil bucket list. Jenny can’t resist joining in, and soon a year of friendship and laughter, tears and regrets unfolds in the most unexpected ways.

Warm, wise, funny and utterly uplifting, what one thing would you change in your life before Christmas comes around?

My Thoughts: I was drawn to this book primarily because of the cover. Looked perfect for my Christmas holiday theme reading. It takes place in Sherwood Forest, which sounds amazing. This book is less chick-lit, Christmas fun and frolic and more women’s fiction and contemporary romance while dealing with some serious issues.

Jenny’s life has imploded in her face when her boyfriend, Richard, proposes to her sister, Zara. After going ballistic and punching Zara in the nose, Jenny goes to her grandmother’s cottage in Sherwood Forest. Spending Christmas in a quaint cottage far away from Scotland and the horrible reminders of the mess her life has become would sound like paradise. Instead, Jenny is greeted with a complete and utter disaster. The cottage has stood empty for many years and is literally a hoarder’s paradise. I got the willies just reading about what awaits Jenny once she manages to get inside. The cottage shares a common wall with another residence and Jenny’s new neighbor, Mack, is grouchy, reclusive and a bit abrasive.

While trying to make the cottage livable, Jenny earns money at the coffee shop and child minding for a couple of ladies in the village. Through them, Jenny learns about a book club and decides to join and embarks on making a new life for herself and the new friends she has made.

I liked Jenny and admired her tenacity to make this derelict cottage a livable space instead of running back to the village. I also liked Mack and saw through his façade of grumpiness and was moved by his numerous acts of kindness and generosity to Jenny. I especially loved that he was willing to accompany Jenny to her sister’s wedding.

All of the characters in the book club add more depth and charm to the story as the reader is given an inside view of their lives as well. Though I liked some of these people more than others, I found them to be both entertaining and interesting.

My Final Verdict: If you prefer your Christmas themes to be sprinkled with fun, frolic, while sipping a hot chocolate, you will want to take a pass. This story is heartwarming and though there were some laugh aloud moments, the story had several serious issues occurring below the surface. Seeing Jenny persevere in spite of the challenges facing her was heartwarming.

I recommend this story for the strong characters and the blessing of friends and neighbors who can be called upon to lend a hand to someone in need.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Christmas Every Day from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: A Partridge and a Pregnancy by Willa Nash

Title: A Partridge and a Pregnancy (Holiday Brothers #3)
Author: Willa Nash
Narrator: Emma Wilder and Teddy Hamilton
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: April 2022
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: There are a lot of places I’d rather spend Christmas Eve morning than on a cold, snowy sidewalk outside someone else’s home. I’d kill to be sitting beside a fireplace, drinking cocoa, wearing flannel pajamas and reading a book.

Instead, I’m here, standing in front of my one-night stand’s house, working up the courage to ring the doorbell and tell him I’m pregnant.

I hate that term—one-night stand. It sounds so cheap and sleezy. Tobias Holiday is neither of those things. He’s handsome and caring. Witty and charismatic. And once, a long time ago, he was mine.

Our one-night reunion was only supposed to be a hookup. A fling with an old lover. A parting farewell before I moved to London and put my feelings for him an ocean away. How exactly am I supposed to explain to Tobias that I’m having a baby? His baby? Maybe I could sing it. He always loved the silly songs I made up in the shower.

Three French hens, two turtle doves.

And a partridge and a pregnancy.

My Thoughts: I have to say that the third installment of the Holiday Brothers series was my least favorite. There was too much of the big misunderstanding trope that is rarely done effectively in the first place and, frankly, is a big waste of time for the reader. Here we have Eva and Tobias who are college sweethearts but broke up at graduation when Tobias proposed and she turned him down because she wanted to move to New York. Several years later, she’s back in town before she starts a new job in London and decides, ”hey, why don’t I give Tobias a ring and get together for a drink?” Six weeks later, she is standing on his doorstep trying to figure out how to break the news to him that she’s knocked up. Seriously? How stupid can you be? Do you honestly expect me to believe that a modern woman who would forego marriage to focus on her career would rely on just a condom for birth control? Well congratulations, the condom broke and the rabbit died.

So now, Eva and Tobias are trying to figure out what their next step is going to be and how they are going to raise this child together. It’s made apparent early on that Eva and Tobias both want this child, though I can’t recall a discussion about any other options. What really annoyed me is their whole past getting dredged up. She wants to move to London. His life is in Montana. Neither one is willing to ask the other to make a change. Eva actually throws that in Tobias’ face that he never asked her to stay in Montana all those years ago. What?! Hello?! Doesn’t a marriage proposal kind of suggest that he wants you to stay?! Tobias doesn’t want to ask her to stay, he wants her to want to stay. Sorry, I’m with Tobias on this one. He already proposed and you threw it in his face.

So yes, this book annoyed the eggnog out of me. I thought Eva was dense and clueless. How much more obvious does Tobias need to be for you to see that he wants you, you stupid woman?

Fortunately, this book redeems itself when after their last big blow up and she leaves for the airport, big brother Maddox swoops in and forces Tobias to realize some facts about what family is and the last two chapters turned it all around for me. God Bless Us, Everyone! It’s a Christmas miracle!

Final Verdict: Though I wasn’t thrilled with the circumstances Tobias finds himself in, I liked him and hoped he would get a happy conclusion. The narration on this audiobook was another winning performance, this time by Emma Wilder and Teddy Hamilton. I highly commend Audible for recognizing great voice talent for the narration of their audiobooks.

If you have committed yourself to the first two books in this series, I recommend this one, if for nothing else but closure. Prepare to be annoyed however but know that Santa is watching and will make sure Eva and Tobias get what they want for Christmas.

REVIEW: Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother's Best Friend by Willa Nash

Title: Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother’s Best Friend (Holiday Brothers #2)
Author: Willa Nash
Narrator: Ava Lucas and Aiden Snow
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: April 2022
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: I pride myself in being grounded. Sure, I’ve had my share of childhood fantasies. Winning an Oscar. Winning the lottery. Winning an Olympic medal for an athletic talent I have yet to discover. But the only fantasy I ever thought might actually happen was winning my brother’s best friend.

Heath Holiday.

My crush on him has ebbed and flowed over the years, but the day I started working for his construction company was the day I smothered it for good. Sort of. Mostly. It was on my to-do list. Making it a priority would have been easier had he not arrived at his family’s annual Christmas party looking ridiculously handsome in a suit.

Then he kissed me. We stepped into an alternate universe and he kissed me. I assumed the next day I’d just be Guy’s little sister again. The office newbie. Our kiss forgotten. Except he keeps showing up at my house. With gifts.

A gold bracelet carrying three jingling bells. Two dainty jeweled earrings, each shaped as a bow. And finally, he brought himself.

One brother’s best friend, asking if I can keep a secret.

My Thoughts: Another cute installment to Willa Nash’s Holiday Brothers series, starring Heath Holiday and his best friend Guy’s little sister, Stella.

Stella has had a crush on Heath for as long as she can remember and now that she’s working for the family, she realizes that she needs to keep it under wraps. She wants to prove herself on her own merits and any hint of favoritism or preferential treatment by anyone in the Holiday family, merited or not, is something Stella would rather avoid.

Of course, all her good intentions went right out the window at the annual Christmas party. Stella’s crush is reciprocated and Heath wants to keep their relationship a secret as well…from his family and from Stella’s brother.

I really liked Heath and Stella. I thought they were perfectly adorable and perfect for each other. I loved that they have known one another their whole lives and have secretly pined for each other all this time.

Nash does a fantastic job of creating characters the reader adores, combining the magic of the Christmas season with white-hot chemistry, passion and laughter. Along with Heath and Stella, I too dreaded telling Guy about their relationship. I worried that it would not go well and the fallout would have long lasting repercussions, but I have to hand it to the author for making the story realistic and relevant, while hitting me right in the feels.

The audiobook was narrated by Ava Lucas and Aiden Snow and they did an amazing job bringing Heath and Stella to life. I loved that Audible used different voice actors in this book. The different voices really lends more credibility to the reader that this story is about different people, so the reader should expect to hear different narrators.

My Final Verdict: If you read the first book in the series, you will already know these books overlap timelines, so I highly recommend they be read in order to avoid any confusion. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite because I can’t. The characters are all so uniquely written and expertly brought to life by the narrators, it is impossible to choose.

At just over 4 hours listening time, this story is a wonderful choice for someone looking for a short story to entertain them. I recommend this to readers who, like me, enjoy fun at Christmas time and a little hanky panky under the mistletoe wouldn’t be unheard of.

REVIEW: The Naughty, The Nice and The Nanny by Willa Nash

Title: The Naughty, The Nice and The Nanny (Holiday Brothers #1)
Author: Willa Nash
Narrator: Vanessa Edwin and Aaron Shedlock
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: April 2022
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: One week with one little girl—an angel, according to my staffing agency. Acting as the short-term nanny for a single dad should have been an easy way to make some extra cash. Until I show up for my first day and face off with a demon disguised as a seven-year-old girl wearing a red tutu and matching glitter slippers.

Oh, and her father? My temporary boss? Maddox Holiday. The same Maddox Holiday I crushed on in high school. The same Maddox Holiday who didn’t even know I existed. And the same Maddox Holiday who hasn’t set foot in Montana for years because he’s been too busy running his billionaire empire.

Enduring seven days is going to feel like scaling the Himalayas in six-inch heels. Toss in the Holiday family’s annual soiree, and Christmas Eve nightmares really do come true. But I can do anything for a week, especially for this paycheck, even if it means wrangling the naughty, impressing the nice, and playing the nanny.

My Thoughts: Cute story and the first in a trilogy about the Holiday brothers. I really liked Maddox and Natalie and found this story not only heartwarming, but also a lot of fun. Natalie’s initial interactions with her new charge, Violet, were hilarious and I was looking forward to seeing who would win the battle of wills.

Going to work as a nanny for the man you had a major crush on in high school should be awkward as anything and cause you to hightail it out of there, but not only does Natalie stick to her guns and stand her ground, she manages to do what no other nanny could; win Violet over with genuine and sincere care, compassion and affection.

I enjoyed meeting Natalie and the entire Holiday family. There is an openness about this family that draws people in, making them feel welcome and part of the family. Natalie and Maddox are wonderful characters and their chemistry is white-hot in its intensity.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this book and am eagerly looking forward to the next book in this series, Three Bells, Two Bows and One Brother’s Best Friend, featuring the next Holiday brother, Heath. Readers who enjoy fun and frivolity in their Christmas cheer should add this little treat to their festivities. I prefer the audiobook edition with the performances of Vanessa Edwin and Aaron Shedlock bringing Natalie and Maddox to life adds to the charm of the story.

REVIEW: Resting Scrooge Face by Meghan Quinn

Title: Resting Scrooge Face
Author: Meghan Quinn
Narrator: Carly Robins and Aaron Shedlock
Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
Publication Date: November 2022
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | Audible

Description: After a bad breakup, Nola wants nothing to do with Christmas, especially in her quaint hometown of Bright Harbor, Maine. Infuriatingly charming and cheery, Nola’s surroundings only worsen her sour mood.

To make matters worse, Caleb, the boy who broke her heart years ago, is all grown up and still living in town. While doing her best to avoid him, Nola bumps into the local mailman, who gives her a mysterious letter. And when she finds that the writer is a fellow Scrooge, she can’t help but feel her spirit lifting.

Nola writes back to her new pen pal—who, unbeknownst to Nola, is none other than Caleb. When Caleb gets a response hand delivered by the mailman, he’s intrigued by the mystery sender. A friendly correspondence develops—and quickly turns flirtatious.

Although Nola and Caleb claim they can’t stand each other, they can’t deny the simmering attraction that brought them together in the first place.

Can these nameless pen pals write their own love story—or will they be too caught up with the ghosts of their Christmases past to find a future together?

My Thoughts: A cute story to bring Christmas cheer and a smile to any Scrooge out there. When Nola and Caleb start anonymously corresponding with each other thanks to the well-meaning local mailman, they have no idea these letters will thaw the ice they have carefully built around their hearts. I loved that Caleb signs his letters Resting Scrooge Face and Nola signs hers Ho Ho No. I honestly expected that the mailman would be revealed to be Santa Claus, but no, just a nice man spreading some Christmas cheer and covert matchmaking.

Nola goes out of her way to try to avoid interacting with Caleb after he broke her heart years ago and Caleb regrets it ever since. Neither one of them is feeling friendly, cheery or Christmassy. When the letters begin arriving for both of them, they begin to open themselves up to the possibility of a second chance. I loved that when Caleb finds out his pen pal is none other than Nola, he doesn’t duck and run. The big reveal was also cute and learning that the mailman was conspiring with someone else was a pleasant surprise.

I really liked Nola and Caleb and despite the heartache they carry, they aren’t completely closed off to the opportunities presented. Their letters were entertaining, flirty and fun, I almost hated to see it end.

I prefer the audio edition and the alternating narration performances of Carly Robins and Aaron Shedlock provide the perfect mix of humor and emotion, giving me the sense that I was watching it happen firsthand.

My Final Verdict: I recommend this story to fans of short stories, Christmas themes and secret identities. This was my first time reading a Meghan Quinn book and I look forward to more from her.

REVIEW: There's Something About Merry by Codi Hall

Title: There’s Something about Merry (Mistletoe Romance #2)
Author: Codi Hall
Narrator: CJ Bloom and Lee Samuels
Publisher: Audible Audio
Publication Date: November 2021
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Get in the holiday spirit with this sexy rom-com from the author of Nick and Noel's Christmas Playlist.

Merry Winters has the holiday blues. She's spent the last year learning to love herself, and now she's ready to find the right guy. But the pickings are slim in Mistletoe, Idaho, and it’s just her luck that the man who catches her eye is the stoic new foreman at her family’s Christmas tree farm. Too bad he wants to keep a 39-and-a-half-foot pole between them.

Single dad Clark Griffin isn't looking for romance, but he wouldn't mind a friend to snuggle with on a cold winter's night. When he signs up for online dating, he doesn't expect to connect with the sassy, crafty Knottygirl25 and get wrapped up in every message she writes.

But when Merry turns out to be his blind internet date, his surprise causes him to miss his chance under the mistletoe. Can a little Christmas magic give these two a second chance at a first impression?

My Thoughts: Cute story taking me back to Mistletoe, Idaho and the Winters family. This time, the fun centers around Merry Winters as she comes to terms with figuring out who she is and what she wants out of life. There aren’t a lot of options in this small town when it comes to finding the one, so Merry decides to try her luck online. Little does she know, but the man who has captured her attention on the dating website is the newly hired foreman at her family’s Christmas tree farm, Clark.

In real life, Clark keeps Merry at arm’s length. He would like to meet someone but as a single dad, he needs to keep his son’s well-being his top priority. He decides online dating would be fun with not a lot of drama. I really enjoyed the rapport they shared and seeing their chemistry build, hoping it would continue once they meet in real life.

This story is narrated by CJ Bloom and Lee Samuels and the performances were wonderful, with the right amount of emotion and humor blended in.

The characters are very likable and easy to relate to and the story flowed smoothly and with so much warmth that I felt like I knew these people, or very much wanted to, at least.

My Final Verdict: I enjoyed reconnecting with the Winters family and catching up with the characters I met in the first book. As this is a sequel, I recommend reading the series in order to get a better understanding of the characters and the events that have transpired previously.

Fans of Christmas themes and fun romances will enjoy this offering. I look forward to the next story and seeing the Winters family again.

REVIEW: Let There Be Snow by Charlotte Rains Dixon

Title: Let There Be Snow
Author: Charlotte Rains Dixon
Publisher: Charlotte Rains Dixon
Publication Date: October 2022
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon

Description: Curl up with this small-town Christmas romance--the perfect cozy holiday read. Christmas isn’t Christmas without snow.

So Dixie Dunham believes.

But she’s about to experience a Christmas with nothing but cold, gray rain after taking a job at the Starlight Winery in Pineview, Oregon, smack in the middle of wine country. Dixie likes her new job at the winery and she’s hoping owners Jamie and Ernest will soon name her to the position of national sales manager. She’s certain the proposal she’s working on for a city-sponsored contest will cement her claim to the job. That would be something to impress the friends and family she left behind in New York.

And Dixie is desperate to impress them, seeing as how she fled after her fiancée jilted her at the altar in favor of her maid-of-honor best friend. Now as the December days shorten and darken and Pineview celebrates the season with lavish decorations and festive events, it’s hitting Dixie hard how much she’s lost. All she has left besides her job is the company of her loyal dog, Bo. And a Christmas without snow.

When Jamie and Ernest introduce her to their good friend Max Pettigrew, who has just moved from Paris back to Pineview after a wrenching divorce, she’s instantly attracted to him. But Max Pettigrew never met a woman he didn’t want to flirt with. All in the strictest of innocence, of course. Too bad what he thinks is charming flirtatiousness is off-putting to Dixie. Ridiculously handsome he may be, but he’s also ridiculously annoying. And she does not need more annoyance in her life. When the two of them turn out to be vying to win the same city contest, her annoyance turns to anger. But Max grows more determined to win her over, inviting her to the Pineview Christmas parade and holiday parties, and turning to a stream of self-help books to help improve himself.

Can Max mend his entitled bro ways? Will Dixie get her promotion, and perhaps more important, her snow at Christmas in rainy Oregon?

My Thoughts: At roughly eighty-nine pages, Let There Be Snow by new to me author Charlotte Rains Dixon is a very short, fast read about two characters who meet, both carrying extensive baggage and keeping secrets. This book didn’t stand out for me in any particular fashion, but I did enjoy the winery setting of Pineview, Oregon.

I thought Max was a very obnoxious character and quite full of himself and I never had time to warm up to Dixie before the story ended. She comes across as bitter, rude and a little obnoxious, herself. The parts of the story I did enjoy in addition to the winery were the parade and Dixie’s desire to have snow at Christmas, instead of rain.

My Final Verdict: If this book had been longer, perhaps there would have been more character development to draw upon, but this story never quite got off the ground for me. Readers looking for short reads with Christmas themes may enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Let There Be Snow from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise

Title: Lie, Lie Again
Author: Stacy Wise
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: January 2021
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: For three women with so much to hide, there’s no such thing as a little white lie…

All three women who live at 1054 Mockingbird Lane have secrets…and with a body at the bottom of their apartment building’s staircase, those secrets need to stay buried.

Sylvia Webb has a plan. And a potential Mr. Right. He’s sweet, simple, and dependably clueless about what she’s up to. The only thing unpredictable about him is his needy ex-girlfriend, who is this close to shattering Sylvia’s dreams. But Sylvia’s not going to let that happen.

Riki McFarlan has a good career and an amazing boyfriend who wants to settle down. If only she didn’t have feelings for her neighbor—who happens to be her close friend’s husband. With everything going so right, why is Riki flirting with something so wrong, so…dangerous?

Embry Taylor is as devoted to her children as she is to her husband, who’s a bartender by night, an aspiring actor by day. She is his biggest fan. But with his career not taking off and tensions high, even sweet Embry has something she’s desperate to keep hidden.

Lies, secrets, and revenge. For three neighbors with stakes so high, someone is headed for a downfall.

My Thoughts: So, first of all, this book’s description is very misleading. I started this book expecting a murder mystery or domestic thriller since I was told in advance there was a body at the bottom of the stairs. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Where is this dang body? Who dies? When the corpse finally makes its appearance, the book is pretty much done. Not sure there needed to be a body in the first place, at least not that body.

That issue is pretty much the only problem I had with this story. The rest of the story was riveting. Getting to know the residents of 1054 Mockingbird Lane and what a bunch of liars these people turn out to be was quite entertaining. First, we have Sylvia. She’s a hard person to get to know. She plays her cards very close to the chest. She longs to find the perfect man to father her future perfect child. The problem is that the man she has set her sights on is already married, but she doesn’t know that. Yet…she hates being lied to and when she discovers the deception, she devises a plan that she hopes will get her everything she wants, even if she has to tell a few lies herself.

Next up is Riki, a young woman who seems to have her life together. She is dating a nice guy who appears to want to take their relationship to the next level and she’s teaching at an exclusive private school. If she could just get past lusting over her neighbor’s husband and pull her head out of her posterior, she might find happiness is within her reach.

Lastly, we have Embry. She’s a stay-at-home mom with two small children. Her husband is the hottie that Riki is fantasizing about and his career consists of a lot of auditions and a lot of rejections. There’s a lot of tension and worry in the household and Embry isn’t coming clean about the new bun in the oven.

The tension in this quaint apartment complex continues to build when the property owner dies and her money-grubbing bum of a son shows up with dollar signs in his eyes, looking to sell the property as quickly as possible. Real estate is not cheap in Hollywood and the tenants are less than pleased with his plans, especially since he won’t fix the broken stair outside Sylvia’s apartment. Honestly, someone is going to take a fall and things are going to get ugly. I tell you this story just pulled me in and I was spellbound, unable to look away and in high anticipation of what would happen next.

The story flows very smoothly, for so much going on and so many people to keep track of, but the author does it well with each chapter’s focus on a different tenant. The characters are well-written, making it easy for me to get to know them and understand what is happening, even if I don’t necessarily like any of them. Each of these women have strengths and weaknesses and I would probably want to get to know them better, though I would probably agree with Riki and Embry that Sylvia is hard to get to know.

My Final Verdict: I have not read anything by this author before and will definitely be looking for more of her written works. I recommend this book to readers who like lots of drama with each layer revealed bringing more drama but keeping the story fun and entertaining.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Lie, Lie Again from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Snow Day by Julie Lipson

Title: Snow Day
Author: Julie Lipson
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi, Victor Bevine, Fred Berman, Elizabeth Jasicki, Eliza Foss, Kevin Pariseau, Angelo Di Loreto, Clara Francesca and Fulvio Della Volta
Publisher: Audible
Publication Date: November 2020
Genre: Christmas Holiday / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon| BN | Audible

Description: What makes for a wonderful life? On a crowded Christmas train from Milan to Paris, Amy, an American headed to meet her fiancé, and Martijn, a Finn headed anywhere but home, meet cute.

But when their train gets delayed in an Italian Alps hill town due to a snowstorm, they, along with a passel of fellow stranded passengers, find comfort and joy in a cozy inn, run by a wise Italian man who forces them to look at the holiday and each other in a whole new light.

My Thoughts: My 2022 Christmas reading begins with the very short and whimsical Snow Day by new to me author Julie Lipson. I chose this audiobook because traveling by train in Europe is one of my bucket list items and being delayed by snow in the Italian Alps on Christmas Eve sounds exciting.

This story centers on Amy, an American architect traveling from Milan to Paris to meet up with her fiancé and his mother and Martijn, a Finn who has the wanderlust bug with no real destination in mind. As we get to know these two strangers, we learn they have a lot more in common than what appears on the surface.

The story runs just under 1 hour and 15 minutes, so there isn’t a lot of time spent on the “getting to know you” phase of the relationship. As Amy and Martijn trudge around town hoping to find another means of transportation out, they get the opportunity to assess their lives and what’s important, rather than living according to the plans of others.

This story felt like a movie in my mind as there are multiple narrators and sound effects. The sounds of trains in the background and an Italian men’s choir singing Silent Night brings life to this story. All of the performances were wonderful with the accents of Martijn’s Finnish background, Englishwoman Delores and her child and the numerous Italians. Mixed in with the English language, are numerous Italian phrases. I was in audible heaven.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a delightful story, but I wish it had been a couple of hours longer to see what happens to Amy and Martijn after boarding the train to leave. I recommend this story to readers who like their time in the snow short but enjoy the quaintness of spending Christmas in a small village in the Italian Alps.

REVIEW: Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

Title: Never Let You Go
Author: Chevy Stevens
Narrator: Rachel Fulginiti and Caitlin Davies
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Publication Date: March 2018
Genre: Thriller / Suspense
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A stunning and thrilling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing.

Eleven years ago, Lindsey Nash escaped into the night with her young daughter and left an abusive relationship. Her ex-husband, Andrew, was sent to jail and Lindsey started over with a new life.

Now, Lindsey is older and wiser, with her own business and a teenage daughter who needs her more than ever. When Andrew is finally released from prison, Lindsey believes she has cut all ties and left the past behind her. But she gets the sense that someone is watching her, tracking her every move. Her new boyfriend is threatened. Her home is invaded, and her daughter is shadowed. Lindsey is convinced it’s her ex-husband, even though he claims he’s a different person. But has he really changed? Is the one who wants her dead closer to home than she thought?

With Never Let You Go, Chevy Stevens delivers a chilling, twisting thriller that crackles with suspense as it explores the darkest heart of love and obsession.

My Thoughts: To begin with, I have to wonder how I have never read anything from this author before, but she has definitely been flying below my radar. My love of all things thriller, suspenseful, twisty and edgy are fed fully with Never Let You Go. This story kept me on the edge of my seat, guessing nearly all the way to the end about who the culprit is, right about the same time our protagonist, Lindsey, realizes it. I like being surprised like this rather than figuring it out in the first few chapters then feeling impatient for everyone else to catch up.

The girl meets a boy then realizes he’s dangerous and escapes him only to be stalked and terrorized down the road plot device is used quite extensively, and I do enjoy them immensely. This one resonates with me because the author does a wonderful job of humanizing the characters, so the reader gets a real sense of the empathy, love and confusion the victims feel towards the villain. When there are potentially multiple villains, it makes the story more complex. Initially, the reader is told the backstory of Lindsey and Andrew in flashbacks building up the tension and fear Lindsey feels at the hands of this man she loves, but who she is convinced is going to kill her one day.

In the present day, eleven years later, the reader gets both Lindsey and Sophie’s perspectives when Andrew reenters their lives and I could empathize with both of them regarding their feelings about Andrew and whether or not he could be trusted. Obviously, most readers will automatically assume he’s the one who is stalking them now and though I understood why, I kept thinking that would be the obvious choice. The author sets up the story to offer up other viable suspects that kept me guessing and doubting.

The story moves at a reasonable pace and once the backstory of Lindsey and Andrew’s lives is revealed, the story begins to get more twisty and, though some of the events occurring were quite disturbing, they were very relevant. I thought the characters were masterfully developed, easy to relate to and get to know.

I went with the audiobook edition of this story, narrated by Rachel Fulginiti and Caitlin Davies. Both performing alternating points of view from Lindsey and her daughter, Sophie, which I enjoyed because the voices are distinctly different in their pitch and tone so it gave me a better listening experience. It gives the reader more of a sense of performance than just being read to.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this story to be very good, offering up a twisty, edge of my seat, nail-biting experience. Fans who enjoy being surprised, shocked and a little terrified will enjoy this book. I recommend the audiobook edition for the added emotional impact of the performances which gave me the sensation of being in the house with the characters rather than observing from a distance.

REVIEW: Before I Do by Sophie Cousens

Title: Before I Do
Author: Sophie Cousens
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: October 2022
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: What would you do if 'the one that got away' turned up the night before your wedding?

Head-in-the-stars Audrey is about to marry down-to-earth Josh. Though they are polar opposites, they have a healthy, stable relationship; Josh is just what Audrey needs. But romance should be unpredictable and full of fireworks, and as the big day approaches, Audrey's found herself wondering if Josh really is The One.

So, when Josh's sister shows up to the rehearsal dinner with Fred, Audrey's What If? guy--the man she met six years ago and had one amazing day with--Audrey finds herself torn. Surely Fred's appearance the night before she is due to get married can't be a coincidence. And when everything that could go wrong with the wedding starts to go wrong, Audrey has to ask herself: Is fate trying to stop her from making a huge mistake? Or does destiny just have a really twisty sense of humor?

My Thoughts: I have learned through my many years as a bookworm that the “what if” plot device is used a lot and not always successfully. I usually avoid this plot device because it just seems pointless to live in the past wondering “what if” instead of embracing the present and living life to the fullest. In Before I Do, engaged to be married Audrey is faced with a major “what if” on the night before her wedding when her future sister-in-law shows up with the man Audrey spent a wonderful day together six years ago and never saw again…until now.

I was drawn to this story because, unlike other “what if” plots, this one really intrigued me. Audrey and Fred had only one day. Just one. They made plans to meet up the next day and he never shows up. Audrey never receives a call from him and she is unable to call him because the numbers are smudged and she can’t make them out. I’m not sure she even knew his last name, come to think of it. What happened to Fred?!

Over the next six years, Audrey moves on; sort of. She meets Josh whose name she can never remember and keeps calling him James. They eventually get together and everything seems perfect and right on track for a happily ever after…until Fred shows up. Now, Audrey is filled with doubt about herself, her relationship, her future. Instead of talking to Josh about her fears, she bottles it all up until she is walking on glass. It doesn’t help when bats fall from the belfry onto Josh’s grandmother, the wedding dress tears, the bride figurine decides to take a suicidal leap from the top of the cake and the vicar has a heart attack during the wedding ceremony. It certainly seems like the universe is trying to tell her something, doesn’t it?

I liked Audrey and thought she was intelligent and certainly mature enough to manage this mess like an adult. Other than to entertain me, what other reason could there possibly be for her to allow this chaos to take over what should have been the happiest day of her life? This story is told in flashbacks to the past allowing the reader to see what Audrey experienced and how she met Fred, meeting Josh as well as giving the reader insight into the relationship she has with her mother, who turned out to be quite a surprising character for me.

I personally never warmed up to Fred and couldn’t understand how Audrey could be rethinking all of her life’s choices based on one day with one man instead of the several years she has built with Josh. Even with all of Audrey’s insecurities and indecisiveness, I found this story to be heartwarming and I was eager to see how it all would play out.

My Final Verdict: Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I haven’t read anything by this author before and am wondering why. I really enjoyed her voice and writing style. She creates characters that I found easy to relate to and could easily see myself being friends or family with. I wanted to help Audrey through this mess, but we all know this is the kind of situation one must face on their own.

I highly recommend this story to fans of the chick-lit and women’s fiction genres, as well as readers who enjoy stories with characters with real-world problems and lives. I look forward to reading more by this talented author.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Before I Do from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Before He Kills Again by Margaret Murphy

Title: Before He Kills Again (Detective Cassie Rowan #1)
Author: Margaret Murphy
Narrator: Bianca Amato
Publisher: Joffe Books
Publication Date: July 2020
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A serial predator on the prowl in Liverpool. Seven victims so far. And he’s already got his next victim.

The police can’t catch him. He leaves no trace of himself, and no one has been able to provide a reliable description of him.

Detective Cassie Rowan is working undercover and on his trail. But now he has Cassie in his sights.

Meet Detective Cassie Rowan
DC Cassie Rowan is a young policewoman who has been the main carer for her little brother Neil since their parents died. She has to balance this role with her demanding job. She is working undercover on the streets of Liverpool trying to find the ‘Furman’, a man who has been brutally assaulting sex workers. Cassie blames herself and another detective, Wicks, for not catching him sooner. Forensic scientist Dr. Ian Chan is on her side, but her boss Detective Chief Inspector Pat Warman thinks she is uncooperative and needs to work as part of a team.

My Thoughts: For the first book in a new series, this one doesn’t hold back and delivers some solid punches. The story moved a bit slowly for me as I worked through the introductions of all the characters and trying to figure out where to place them in the story. I would have preferred that there had been less secondary characters introduced before I got to know who the key players were.

I enjoyed the story overall; I thought Cassie was a great character, full of the frustrations, insecurities and emotions that make us human. I admired her grit and determination to bring in the monsters who hunt the innocent of Liverpool as well as the struggles she faces raising her little brother and the worries she tries to hide away from her family, friends and colleagues. She is a supervisor’s worst nightmare, however. On more than one occasion, she is brought to task and given a verbal smack-down for not following orders. We don’t know but she may be unemployed in the next book.

There were so many characters that could have been the baddie in this story that I found it difficult to keep it all straight. I felt a lot of frustration for Cassie when she figures out who it is and her chain of command don’t want to hear it, believing they already have the suspect in custody.

There are quite a few loose threads at the end that annoyed me. Specifically, Detective Wicks and what happens to him as well as Cassie’s friend, Tasha. Hopefully, the next book will pick up some of these threads and tie them up.

I enjoyed meeting Dr. Palmer, the psychoanalyst contacted by Cassie as one of his patients may or may not be the rapist. There is an interesting side story about him and his practice and family life.

The audio edition of this story made this story more intense for me and I enjoyed the narration by Bianca Amato. Her performance brings to life the frustrations, fears, pain and horror experienced by these characters, making the story more vivid and realistic.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this is a gritty and sometimes graphic thriller that might disturb some readers with its intense scenes. Fans of twisty thrillers, police procedurals and mysteries will enjoy this one.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Before He Kills Again from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Pants on Fire by Maggie Alderson

Title: Pants on Fire
Author: Maggie Alderson
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: September 2005
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: When London editor Georgia Abbott comes to Sydney to work on Glow, a glossy woman's magazine, she has high hopes for a bright new start. Leaving behind a broken heart (her own) and a philandering ex-fiancé, she's looking forward to immersing herself in the Tim Tam-eating sisterhood of women's mags. Not to mention being whisked off into the dusty Australian sunset by a suntanned, Akubra-hatted fantasy man.

At first, things seem promising, as Georgia is swept up in a whirl of A-list parties, dancing, dinners, and debauchery. But while Australian water may go down the plughole the other way, Australian men are starting to look all too familiar. And then there's the chaotic bunch of women Georgia works with on Glow, to whom every relationship disaster is a potential article, not least of all Georgia's, whose quest for love is fast becoming headline material. What to do when all the blokes you've found are either gay, married, unfaithful, unable, or just plain unworthy?

My Thoughts: Pants on Fire by new to me author Maggie Alderson was an enjoyable story but fell flat for me with character development. I thought Australians, in general, were painted in a negative light in this story as party animals who spend their lives boozing it up, popping pills and snorting lines left and right and indiscriminately sleeping with whoever crosses their path. I honestly could not understand why Georgia would waste her time hanging around these people. I get that they showered her with affection and adoration, and she really needed that in her life at the moment, but it seemed to go on longer than it should. Maybe it’s just me (and it probably is), but I would think if you moved to another country to get over your cheating ex of a fiancé, the last thing you would immerse yourself in is more of the immoral personality types you left behind.

The relationship dynamics I did enjoy witnessing Georgia having were those with Debbie’s family. The reader is led to believe that Georgia’s only family is a brother living in Scotland, so making a family type connection seems to be what Georgia needs more than the debauchery she has been engaging in. Though I didn’t believe these encounters Georgia embarked on were meaningful or healthy for her in any way, I was entertained by the antics of Antony and his friends.

I wish Georgia and Rory got themselves sorted out before the end (and I mean the very end) of the book. It was obvious from the beginning that they were meant to be together, obvious to everyone, but them, of course. I rolled my eyes so hard at this, I gave myself several brain cramps.

My Final Verdict: If you are looking for a light and fluffy read that gives you a tour around Sydney, Australia and the surrounding area or a silly chick-lit story featuring people that just “want to have fun”, then give this one a go. If you prefer strong character development and stories with characters who are capable of getting their act together before the last chapter, you may want to pass on this one.

REVIEW: Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Title: Sometimes I Lie
Author: Alice Feeney
Narrator: Stephanie Racine
Publisher: HQ
Publication Date: March 2017
Genre: Mystery / Suspense / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:

1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?

My Thoughts: I honestly do not know where to begin with this story! This book left me breathless with anticipation, anxiety and shock. The lines between good and evil were hard to define and this story is full of characters that you are unsure of whether or not they can be trusted. I’m still not sure who the real villains and heroes are after the book ended. I am not a fan of cliffhanger endings usually and this one dropped a whopper of a cliffhanger on my head. I hope there will be another book explaining what in the world happened.

This story begins with the lead character, Amber Reynolds, realizing she’s in a coma and confessing that her husband doesn’t love her and sometimes she lies. This opening sets up the reader trying to decipher everything going on as the story shifts between now, then (the week leading up to the accident) and before (the period of over 20 years ago when Amber was a child). I had a lot of sympathy for Amber as she tries to process what is happening, being able to hear the voices around her but they don’t know she can hear them. The author does a very good job presenting several viable candidates as the perpetrator of Amber’s accident, including Amber herself.

I didn’t like any of these characters, to be completely honest. I found them all to be dishonest, shady and keeping secrets of their own. My opinions fluctuated as I got further in the book, but I was still shocked at some of the revelations.

Considering the extensive amount of detail the reader has to sift through during the course of this book, the pace of the story allowed me to process the specifics without feeling overwhelmed. The character development was fantastic. How often does a reader dislike every character in a book, but still enjoy the story? Is it even possible? With this book, I have learned that it is possible.

My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this story to readers who love suspenseful thrillers that give the reader the sense of being on a rollercoaster. Sudden twists, turns and drops that make your stomach jump into your throat. I enjoyed the audiobook format of this story quite a bit and recommend it over other formats. The narration by Stephanie Racine added so much more depth to the story than I would have gotten by reading a print format.