The Happiness Thief

Author: Nicole Bokat

Publisher: She Writes Press

Release Date: May 18, 2021

A slow build to a great ending, The Happiness Thief turned out much better than I expected and was a very enjoyable read.

Natalie Greene has lived for years with uncertainty after the car crash that killed her mom and left her with unclear memories from the trauma. Her husband has left her for another woman and she reluctantly agrees to accompany her stepsister to a retreat in the Cayman Islands. Her stepsister is a Happiness Guru and Natalie is hoping to find some happiness on the trip. Instead she ends up in an accident that triggers memories and long held onto guilt of what happened to her mother.

Back home in Boston Natalie gets back to life as a food photographer and mother to her teenage daughter until an email arrives saying there is more to the accident in the Caymans than she was led to believe. As more clues come to light, Natalie realizes she has been lied to for a very long time and as the truth comes to light nothing is as it seems.

The Happiness Thief was a fun, quick read once I got past about the first third. There was a slow build, but once I got a little way in, the story picked up and had twists and turns in abundance. I loved the way each new clue unfolded a piece of the puzzle and it all came together in such a great way. Natalie was pretty easy for me to sympathize with and want to follow; however, I wasn’t fond of Isabel. Something about her just didn’t sit well with me but played out well in the end with how she was written in her story arc. Some of the secondary characters really brought a lot of what I needed to make the story mesh properly. At several different points throughout the story I enjoyed how Bokot showed we must do to find happiness for ourselves, we can’t rely on others to bring us happiness. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers that want a real page turner after a bit of a slow start.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Power Play

Author: Rachel Dylan

Series: Capital Intrigue #3

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: June 1, 2021

The third installment in the Capital Intrigue book is the best in the series with more action, danger, and romance at all the right swoon-worthy moments.

While at a diplomatic dinner, State Department attorney Vivian Steele watches as two ambassadors collapse, and it is soon speculated that poison is involved. She is quickly recruited into a joint FBI task force to investigate what really happened. Together with Diplomatic Security Service agent Jacob Cruz, they must figure out who is behind the attack, if anyone else is being targeted, and who can be trusted. Viv works with her sources and Jacob uses his skills as a former Navy SEAL to find the truth and stay alive as the danger comes closer and their working relationship becomes complicated by their growing feelings for one another.

I’m going to start with the only bad thing I have to say about this book, it is the last in the series and I don’t want this series to end! Each book has brought more drama, suspense, romance, tension, and characters that I have fallen in love with. This one really had a way of making me extra invested in the characters and what was going to happen. So much tension builds with each chapter that it kept me glued to my seat turning the pages as fast as possible. I love it when a novel gets me so engrossed, I forget about everything else going on around me. One thing I loved was the fact that Viv was a twin and Dylan really showed that relationship and how important it is. Each of the main characters from the previous books show up as secondary characters, so readers get a chance to see how their stories are continuing to progress which is nice. I recommend this book and series to anyone who likes romantic suspense with a great storyline that is fast paced and a good clean read.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor

Author: Jamie Jo Wright

Publisher: Bethany House

Release Date: June 1, 2021

Jaime Jo Wright does it again!! I could not put this book down. Such a fantastic back and forth story that will grab your attention at the very beginning and make you feel like you are on the edge of the cliffs.

In 1885, Adria Fontaine is on a mission to retrieve what her father has pirated and return it to him. She must go to Foxglove Manor, a house on the cliff overlooking Lake Superior. This mission is the only way to keep her father from putting her into an institution and Adria is determined to find the treasure. Standing in her way is the mistress of Foxglove, a cruel old woman with more secrets and danger than Adria left behind at home. In present time, Kailey Gibson finds herself and her autistic brother at Foxglove, which has been turned into a senior home, as the new nurse’s aide. When she was younger, her family took a vacation to Foxglove when it was a rental and shortly after she was kidnapped for a day and returned home safely. She has repressed memories of this time but is hoping returning to Foxglove will help her figure out what really happened. To get to the truth, she is going to have to uncover deep, hidden secrets the manor doesn’t want exposed to the world.

Anyone that has ever read a Jaime Jo Wright book knows that you are going to have to set aside a good chunk of time to read and not be bothered. These are the types of books you want to read and never put down. I devoured this book as there is so much good within the pages. Not only am I floored by the way she takes two different timelines and weaves the stories together flawlessly, but each story also holds my interest equally. Some writers focus more energy on only one of the timelines, causing the other to be more dull, but not Wright!. Each of the characters, no matter if they were minor or not, had me vested in their story and wanting to see it turnout for the best. Jaime Jo Wright is fast becoming one of my favorite authors and keeps me aching for more stories and worlds to lose myself in. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a beautifully crafted mystery with lots of depth to it and has a lot of time to set aside to devote to the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Come Back to Me

Author: Jody Hedlund

Series: Waters of Time #1

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: June 1, 2021

A fun twist to a time slip with some time travel!

When Marian Creighton receives a phone call from one of her father’s colleague’s in Canterbury telling her that he has fallen into a coma, she hops on the first flight across the pond to find out what is wrong. Her family has been a mess since her mother had a rare genetic disease that was fatal and was passed along to her sister. She quickly discovers that this may be connected to his lunacy in searching for a single cure for all diseases. As she begins to uncover his research, she discovers he has some artifacts that are tied to holy water stored centuries ago. She also finds that she is not the only one looking for items that he left hidden. When Marian ingest some of the residue from the artifact, she finds herself transported back to the middle ages, during a very inconvenient time to be without protection. Can she find her way back to the present? And will she want to?

For my first Jody Hedlund novel, this was quite a ride. I’ve read several time slip novels, but none that have the same character split centuries apart. It was a little bit romance, a little bit time travel, and a little bit time slip, but it was quite entertaining. For those that enjoy the unlikely romance aspect in a novel, this one is for you. And if you enjoy a little bit of high stress situations with some suspense, this will fall into your favorites as well. Hedlund did a great job of both character development and world building. It makes me look forward to what is going to happen in the second book of the series!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Sticks and Stone

Author: David James Warren

Series: The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone #3

Publisher: Tristone Media

Release Date: June 1, 2021

The third installment of The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone is just as good, if not better, than the first two. The worst thing about this series is finishing one book and having to wait for the next! Such a fantastic fun series that I can’t get enough of! Don’t miss this epic adventure!

If there is one thing Rembrant Stone has learned, it’s this: messing with time is not easy and has a ripple effect no one could see coming. This is the third time he has used the watch given to him by his mentor to go back in time and try and change the past to correct the future, his future. Now, his closest friendship is no more, Andrew Burke is not the man he once knew, and he goes back to try and save him without messing anything else up. As he arrives in the past, he is not only trying to save his best friend, he is also trying to stop a serial killer and save two children that have gone missing in the middle of a Minneapolis blizzard. With lives at stake and a future he can live with and be happy in, Stone races time to do the impossible once more.

With the third installment of the Rembrandt Stone series at my fingertips I have found myself more and more enthralled with these characters and their stories. A perfect length, I finished in a day and found myself craving more, just as I have with the finish of each in the series. The combination of Susan May Warren, James Rubart and David Warren is, without a doubt, one of the best groupings I have ever read. They have a way of crafting a story that is unputdownable, engaging, intense, exciting, and so much more. All the characters have me invested in their lives and if they are going to end up with their happily ever after. Everything I have ever read by Warren and Rubart has left me so satisfied and in that happy book hangover. Such great writing brought together to make a fantastic story and series.

Each book has a cliffhanger ending that leaves you thirsting for more and Sticks and Stones is no different. I loved the softer side of Rembrandt in this one along with the deeper look into some of the secondary characters. I have no clue what is going to happen with the rest of the series, but I know for certain I will be along for the ride. I recommend this book to readers that enjoy time travel and suspense thrillers and don’t mind staying up way too late to read.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Forgive Us

Author: E.T. Gunnarsson

Publisher: Bragi Press

Release Date: January 23, 2021

3.5 Stars

A look at what could happen over the next 150 years when humans destroy their planet.

In 2099, Oliver has been surviving on his own for years trying to make his way east over the Rocky Mountains to see if there are civilizations. Between the occasional crazed nomad and mutants, he has managed to survive off his wits and his gun. After a chance encounter when he saves a fellow survivor named Sam, they band together to bring in more refugees seeking shelter to create one of the first reborn nations in North America.

Fifty years later, war is going on between two nations. A nomad named London and a young girl named Rose are making their way across the desert when they are caught in the midst of a skirmish. When one of the bands realizes they mean no harm, they are offered to come back to their city and be employed as traders. But trading in the midst of a war can have dire consequences.

Another thirty years reveals the exploits of man to escape the Earth’s fall on a space station orbiting the planet. Simon is a descendant of those people who finds tensions between factions on the station are starting to escalate and he may be the key to having his group gain the upper hand. But one false move could land him in a zero-gravity prison, or worse, expelled to space!

As far a speculative fiction goes, this teenage author has got one heck of an imagination. Setting up new worlds with three different timelines, all with a common link, was a very entertaining read. At first, I wasn’t sure what the connections would be, but within the last couple of chapters, everything fell into place. If you love dystopian and post-apocalyptic thrillers, this is your cup of tea. Fair warning, there is a lot of foul language throughout the book. So, I recommend this for mature readers that enjoy this genre.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Don’t Hate the Player

Author: Alexis Nedo

Publisher: Bloomsbury YA

Release Date: June 15, 2021

A fun read for all the video game fanatics out there.

Emilia Romero likes to be an ordinary kid, playing field hockey and keeping up with her grades. The problem is she is not normal; when she gets home, she turns on her persona of a hard-core gamer and competes as the only female member of a highly competitive esports team. While it is hard to keep her two lives separate, she feels it is the best way to stay safe since female gamers are not highly accepted and often harassed. When Emilia goes to compete in the tournament, her two worlds collide when she is recognized by a member of their rival team. Jake Hooper has wanted to be with Emilia for years and now that his team has made it to the tournament he is shocked to see her and find out she has been leading a double life with no one knowing of her gaming life. They both work to help their teams win the tournament but also keep others from finding out about her secret.

This book is perfect for gamers and those into that world. If you are not a big gamer, this will be a hard one to keep your interest. The characters and their relationships are written well giving us a drive to see them succeed with the goals they have set throughout. Setting a lead character of a girl gamer is different and unique right now and will really hit a spot with a select group of readers. I enjoyed the way this showed the problems that girl gamers face, just like so many facets of life, females will face lots of challenges when it comes to a more male dominated area. Many of the secondary characters got on my nerves at times and I had to brush past them to try and enjoy the rest of the story. I enjoy finding different types of books that are not the same old same old that tend to be the most picked up and read. I would recommend this to young readers that enjoy video games and that lifestyle.

The Perfect Couple

Author: Jackie Kabler

Publisher: One More Chapter

Release Date: May 4, 2021

A domestic thriller with so many twists and thrills it will be hard to turn the lights out and go to sleep at night.

It’s been a year since Gemma met and married the love of her life, Danny and she feels like they have the perfect life. One night as she returns from a business trip and expects to find her husband waiting for her, she comes home to an empty house. Gemma goes to the police and discovers there is a serial killer on the lose and Danny might be the latest victim. All the victims look like Danny and even though Gemma and Danny moved to their new house weeks ago, no one remembers seeing him, only her. It doesn’t take long for the police to look at Gemma as the prime suspect in the disappearance of her husband, which also connects her to the other murders. With each new clue, the police and Gemma race to figure out the truth before anyone else dies.

An excellent premise with lots of twists and turns that just fell a little shorter than I would have liked. For me, it was a bit long winded and could have been cut down by at least a third if so many of the details were not repeated multiple times. Being set in the UK it can be hard to follow at times, which can slow the story down. I thought I had it figured out at several moments and then would be a little surprised by a twist, but that would be too little too late to keep me enthralled in the story. The start was interesting with just enough twists throughout to keep me turning the pages, but the excitement died shortly into the book. Several of the secondary characters could have been cut completely and not hurt the story at all. The main point of view is Gemma but readers do go back and forth with some of the detectives that gave a little bit better view of the story. I think this book will really appeal to fans of suspense that are set in the UK with lots of detail throughout.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Aftermath

Author: Terri Blackstock

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release Date: May 11, 2021

A story of betrayal, heartache, loss and how to deal with tragedy in the hardest of times.

Taylor Reid and her friends go to enjoy a night out at a concert when an explosion separates them and only Taylor makes it out alive. Dustin Webb is arrested in association of the bombing and swears he is being framed. He calls the one person he thinks can help with his biggest problem, his next-door neighbor from when he was growing up, Jamie who is now an attorney. Jamie puts her career on the line by agreeing to help Dustin, whom she knows could never have had anything to do with what they are accusing him of. Together they must figure out who framed him for the bombing and why before anything else happens to hurt themselves or others.

It has been a long wait for a new Terri Blackstock book, and I have to say she did not disappoint with Aftermath. The writing was very well done and kept the suspense throughout all while writing a clean and engaging story. Terri Blackstock has been one of my favorite authors for a very long time, writing fun, exciting, novels all while keeping an element of faith. As the story progresses, readers see flashbacks of Dustin and Jamie’s time growing up together and makes it hard to keep from rooting for them to succeed, not only in proving his innocence but also in finding a relationship together. There is a lot of exploration in this novel, between why the characters act the way they do and how each choice affects the others involved. A few lose strings that didn’t get tied up but not enough to keep the story from being a really enjoyable read. I recommend this to readers that have enjoyed Blackstock’s writing before and are aching for a great new romantic suspense read.

Ember of Night

Author: Molly E. Lee

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Release Date: May 4, 2021

Great world building with a heroine you can’t help but root for in a story that takes readers on a wild ride.

Harley feels completely alone and unloved in this world, except for her baby sister, who she tries desperately to protect from their abusive father. About to turn 18, Harley has saved all she can from her job at a dinner to be able to get her own place and take her sister with you. Just when she thinks her life can’t get any more complicated, a stranger shows up and tells her she is the key in a war against Heaven and Hell. Not what she wanted to hear and definitely not something she has the time or energy to deal with. Draven has shown up at the dinner and is working with her to fight the war that is coming. With more at stake than she has ever had to deal with, Harley feels more alone than ever in a battle that will take all she has to give and maybe more.

I want to start with the positives on Ember of Night: the world building was great and the characters are very well put together. Harley has such a passion for helping protect her sister that I couldn’t help but feel invested in her story and the outcome. Those points of the book were really great for me; unfortunately, the rest fell flat. The story was slow at times, I didn’t connect with some of the other characters, and the way the twists came about at the end, especially the very last page, did not sit right for me. Sometimes YA books just go a little too predictable and it just didn’t work for me. I also have a problem with books marketed to young adults that have a large amount of language and mature themes throughout. It’s much more acceptable if it is marketed to adults with those themes, these are just problems I have, may not be a problem for others. I do think readers that enjoy Twilight and other fantasy type novels will enjoy this one.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.