Review of On Folly Beach

On Folly Beach
Karen White
Harley House Books
390 pages
Emmy Hamilton is barely thirty but has known soul saddening loss, her husband Ben has been killed while serving in Afghanistan. Her mother Paige thinks Emmy has wallowed long enough and arranges for her to go to Folly Beach South Carolina where she’s to buy a book store and to get on with her life. But Emmy isn’t ready to get on with her life, according to her, her life ended with Ben’s death. But life had a way of surprising even the toughest of customers and Emmy soon finds a reason to get up every morning, it seems she’s found a mystery from WW11 concerning the family that previously owned the book store and she’s bound and determined to get to the bottom of it.
Karen White’s Lowlander novels have such heart and soul to them, they speak to the very deepest part of you and this one is no exception. It’s a story told in unfortunately thousands of households all across the country, a loved one dying while serving in the Middle East and the sacrifice of that solider often includes leaving someone he loves behind to try to pick up the broken pieces of their lives and try to go on, and Karen does this with grace, and heartbreaking honesty. She does it with her prose like dialogue where her vivid descriptions will take you on the beach and further into the Ocean where her visualizations will come to life for her readers. Her character Emmy makes your heart hurt and yet you want to push her on, cheer her up and embrace her as she takes baby steps back into life. Her co-staring characters are equally engrossing and we learn all we need to know about them from our very capable author. She seamlessly takes us from the early 1940s to the present as she spins her tale. She’ll keep your interest throughout the entire read and you’ll find yourself endlessly turning pages to find out what happens next. This is a poignant look at what secrets can cost their keepers and how it’s never too late to repent them.
Join those of us who have already learned all the secrets and solved all the mysteries, come back to the coast, smell the pluff mud, feel the sand between your toes, feel the pull of the tides all On Folly Beach. It’s The Must Read of this summer.

Review of Garrett

Garrett – McKettricks of Texas
Linda Lael Miller
Harlequin
376 pages
Garrett is the second in the McKettricks of Texas trilogy.
Garrett McKettrick is definitely a political animal being the go-to guy for Senator Cox and has always dreamed of a career in politics until a scandal makes him rethink his priorities. Blue River Texas is home for single mom Julie Remington and her aspirations are simple, everything she needs is right where she is, that is until the explosive attraction between her and Garrett reaches critical mass and threatens to detonate all her well thought plans.
The one thing we can always rely on Linda for is a great story and she does not disappoint with Garrett, she takes her readers on a larger than life adventure with larger than life characters who have larger than life problems. Her dialogue is full of Texas twang and mind your manners talk mixed with her unique brand of humor and tenderness. Her characters are like I said before larger than life, but also very down to earth, modest and oozing with charm. The supporting characters are a group of old friends, new acquaintances and a few enemies. The hero Garrett and heroine Julie have known each other forever, plus his brother is engaged to her sister so there is a certain amount of personal history that really adds to the romance, and what a romance it is so be prepared to turn down the air-conditioning while they tear up the sheets and yet you’ll be exposed to incredible tenderness too.
Come discover what they say is true, that everything is bigger in Texas, especially the romances. I also recommend Tate the first in the McKettricks of Texas series and look for Austin the third in the trilogy coming out soon.

Revie of If He's Wild

If He’s Wild
Hannah Howell
Zebra
345 pages
Alethea Vaughn has seen his face since she was a small girl, but now he’s in trouble and she’s bound to help save him. Lord Hartley Greville top rake of the Ton and top government agent seems to attract trouble at every turn, and if he doesn’t heed Alethea’s warning it may just kill him. Headed for calamity and headed for passion that’s what these two can look forward to.
Hannah Howell is one of the best historical romance authors there are contemporarily and she will not disappoint her readers with this novel. It’s a story well told with descriptive dialogue and vivid imagery. Filled with colorful characters right out of Dickens or Austin, but also personable and seemingly real. Her hero Hartley and heroine Alethea are very much not your typical aristocratic English lord and lady, for one Alethea boasts of supernatural powers along with most of her eclectic and eccentric relatives. But entertained is how they will keep you as they jet set around the ballrooms and soirees of London trying to find proof to put some pretty vicious criminals behind bars. The supporting characters are equally interesting and we get to catch up on the Vaughns and Wherelocks from previous novels. The romance is sensual but sweet, while the love scenes are visceral yet tender.
So come reconnect with some of the wildest, most unusual yet personable characters you’ll ever meet in Hannah Howell’s series starring the Vaughn and Wherelock family that are always up to their eyeballs is trouble and romance.

Review of Reckless

Reckless
Andrew Gross
William Morrow
404 pages
Ty Hauck is back to take on terrorist of the financial persuasion.
A murder in a quiet neighborhood in Greenwich gives ex-Greenwich cop Ty Hauck pause when he discovers that one of the victims was an old friend. Now he’s up against some pretty heavy hitters as the plot thickens. He teams up with desk jockey Dept. of Treasury Fed Naomi Blum who discovers a plot that threatens to destroy the US economy and as they travel farther out of their comfort zone and across the globe the threat escalates and pretty soon they find themselves in the crosshairs.
Andrew Gross is no stranger to hard hitting crime thrillers as he shows in his first two explosive novels staring Ty Hauck, his plots always amaze me how he takes something contemporary and spins it to use in a crime spree. His dialogue is to the point and direct without being blunt, it’s descriptive without being overly wordy and yet it’s effect on readers is visually stimulating. His characters are fresh and alive well developed and three dimensional this is never more apparent than in his protagonist Ty Hauck who’s life we learn a little more about with each episode and we unwrap his many layers. His supporting characters are equally entertaining and use their time well to add to the story. The villains are truly the worst sort that humanity has to offer, and as their crimes become apparent you wish the worst on them with every page you turn.
Get ready for the biggest, meanest, highest roller coaster ride of this summer, get ready for action, adventure, suspense and just a touch of romance. Get ready for a nail biting, stomach churning, edge of your seat page turner. Get ready for your next MUST READ – RECKLESS!

Review of Daughters of the Witching Hill

Daughters of the Witching Hill
Mary Sharratt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
331 pages

Daughters of the Witching Hill is a realistic look at life soon after Reformation in England and based on the testimonies of the 1612 Pendle Hill witch hunt and trial.
A blend of fact and fiction that will leave you wondering how humanity has survived with all the inhumanity that it’s been plagued with. Ms. Sharratt’s tale of these men and women of Pendle Hill is bewitching in it’s telling. We start with the matriarch Bess Southerns who is a local cunning woman who for a simple bag of oats or a laying hen will cure ills of man and beast alike. She remembers vividly the times when she was a young girl, before the papists were forbidden to worship and she’s seen the times changing. She only uses her talent for good, never for evil for she never wants the badge of witch, she’s very careful to teach her family the same. But sometimes fate can be a hard task master and loyalty can turn to betrayal.
Mary brings us a haunting tale that will stay with you long after the last page has been turned. Her story line is unique giving her readers an authentic look at England at the height of Reformation where long after Henry VIII’s death the Stuart King of James puts his own mark upon it. His mark was a stain that was smeared all across England. It was dark days and times for the simple folk and Mary stresses that with her wonderful dialogue, dialogue that can take us to the hills of England of the middle ages where we visualize the settings, people and doings. Her starring characters Bess Southerns and her family are all imaginatively portrayed, her supporting characters are as well, especially during the trial when the antiheros show their true colors.
You will laugh, you will cry, you will empathize and sympathize, you will abhor, but most of all you will feel, feel for these amazing people and what they lived for and some died for. It will make you learn the history of the times without even knowing your actually learning because she makes it so entertaining. This is a definite must read for any lover of history, any lover of literary fiction, any lover of a great read.

Review of The Search

The Search
Nora Roberts
Putnam
488 pages
In her latest novel Nora takes us to the Pacific Northwest in an adventure you won’t soon forget.
Fiona Bristow started her dog training academy and canine search and rescue unit as a way to honor and recover from her past, a past that includes grisly details that after seven years she still has nightmares about and the last thing she’s looking for is love with a cantankerous, blunt and handsome wood artist named Simon Doyle. Simon Doyle moved to the picturesque island in Washington State to have peace and quiet after living with the bustle and noise of the big city, what he doesn’t need or want is a dog, unfortunately he’s got one, now he needs to decide how to handle it. That’s where dog trainer extraordinaire Fiona comes in, every one says she’s got magic when it comes to training dogs, but Simon finds that the magic doesn’t’ stop there. The question is does he believe in magic.
This is classic Nora Roberts equal parts adventure, suspense and romance, it’s why she is the Queen of romance and it’s a title that is well earned. She will wow her audience with her story line that’s fresh and exciting. Her dialogue is classic Roberts too, with her no-nonsense narrative and wonderfully visually descriptive scenes. You will live through her eyes the majesty of the San Juan Islands and specifically Orcas Island while she navigates us through the twists and turns of her plot. Her characters are amazing from the stars Simon and Fiona to all the supporting characters that make the whole tale come together to her villain(s) who’s creep factor is up there with the best thriller authors. Her hero and heroine are two totally different characteristics and it’s fun, interesting and heartwarming to see how they fall in love. Her love story is funny and uplifting as we watch these two most unlikely to fall in love characters do just that. Her love scenes are hot, spicy, sexy and very visual and will take you from cold to sizzle in seconds.
So if you’ve never read Nora Roberts, you must live in a cave. If you have read her you won’t be disappointed as this is one of the best novels of hers I’ve read. If you love, romance, suspense and adventure in equal measure than this is for you. It’s a must read this summer.

Review of Running From The Devil

Running From The Devil
Jamie Freveletti
William Morrow
307 pages

Jamie Freveletti is a new voice in a very crowded choir, but listen carefully because she will definitely be heard over the crowd.
Emma Caldridge is on her way to Bogota to right a grievous wrong only to find herself a part of an act of terror. She escapes, but for how long and can she do what she came for and live to tell the tale.
Running From The Devil is a fast paced, heart accelerating, leave you breathless read. It’s story line could be taken off any CNN or major network headline “Terrorists Hijack Plane Full Of Civilians”, but what sets this apart from the headlines is the mystery there, the reason hidden behind the crime and Jamie spins her tale like a pro. Her dialogue is intense, informative and colorful as you visualize the habitat and inhabitants of her tale. Her characters are amazingly imaginative some being exceedingly cruel and evil and others inordinately honest and good and some a little of both. Her protagonist Emma is a well developed and well rounded character who’s welfare we’re constantly hoping changes for the better and yet we fear for the worst. Her supporting characters are a must for the development of the novel and we get to know the major players intimately so we can either hope for them or hate them in equal measure.
If what you want in your read is an action packed, nail biting, edge of your seat roller coaster ride thriller this one’s for you. Be sure to see her Jamie’s newest adventure starring Emma Caldridge Running Dark.