Rewrites of the Heart - Terry Newman

JJ Spritely, romance author, writes characters that jump off the page. Figuratively, that is. She never expects them to make a literal leap off the page and smack dab into her world. But Alex Zurich and Blake Teesdale do just that. And they’re on a mission to help JJ write her own personal love story with a man she recently met, Kennedy King Cooper.

A history professor, Cooper doesn’t see the value of romance novels and he has even less regard for those who write them. Until he meets a woman who haunts his thoughts.

There’s only one small snag in Alex’s and Blake’s plan…okay…two rather large snags. JJ wants nothing to do with Cooper. The other snag? Alex and Blake aren’t able to return to the pages of their own book.

Will JJ ever write her own love story? And will it be with Cooper? Will Alex and Blake return to the pages of their own book?

My Review

Rewrites of the Heart is the first book in the Whimsical Hearts series. I read the second book Hearts on the Rocks first. It doesn't really matter as both books work well as stand-alone books. I do think that this first one has a little bit more background on how this world works and that probably helps explain what is going on and why.

As an author myself, I can't resist the idea of characters coming to life and meeting their author. There is a lovely innocence about Alex and Blake, who are JJ's characters who come to visit her. Mostly because their only experiences are those that JJ has given them as part of their back story.

This book is brilliantly quirky and entertaining. Even the side characters are blessed with entertaining names. (I hummed the Chipmunks theme every time they went to the Physics Cafe.)

The real story is JJ and Kenn's romance. JJ has lost her first husband at a very young age and since his untimely death has been struggling to actually get out there and live. She and Kenn make a great couple and while their path to their happily ever after might be a little complicated it was lots of fun following them on their journey.

I do hope that Alex and Blake are set to make another journey to the 'real' world of JJ and her friends in the near future.

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Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rewrites-Heart-Terry-Newman-ebook/dp/B0BQGP7Y7X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16V3W4YPSLZOL&keywords=rewrites+of+the+heart+terry+newman&qid=1671466657&sprefix=%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1  

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Bio

Terry Newman is the award-winning author of several paranormal novels and novellas, including Rewrites of the Heart, Heartquake, and The Wizard of her Heart.

She enjoys writing humor and creating off-beat characters, each with their own quirks. She’s spent most of her life in northeast Ohio, where she sets all of her fictional towns.

Terry has spent most of her adult life writing in some fashion, from small-town reporter to editor-in-chief and ghostwriter for a national natural health publishing firm. The last decade and half she’s worked a freelance writer, penning ebooks that range from Native Americans to starting a doula services business.

She has a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandpuppy. Terry lives in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio with all of her characters. Yes, it does get crowded at times.

 

Excerpt

 

JJ nodded. “Exactly. If no one else can talk to you, then I can be pretty comfortable that I’m the one going through this, well, whatever it is. But, if everyone can talk to you and see you, then I’m not entirely sure what’s going on here. Up until now, you were my personal, private hallucinations. I’m just not sure what to call you now.”

“Try calling us real,” Alex said, one hand on her hip.

“But real is impossible. It defies all the currently known scientific laws. What if everyone could see you, not just me, as I just naturally assumed so far?”

Alex sat on the arm of the couch, near JJ. “I’m still confused. I don’t get what the big deal is.”

Blake paced the room, his head down, hands behind his back. “Aside from your conversation with JJ’s sister, love, we haven’t had an occasion to have contact with anyone.”

“Right,” JJ agreed. “I assumed you couldn’t interact with others. Now, I wonder if others could see you, too.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

Blake rose and padded to the front door. Alex watched as he unlocked and opened the door. Then he turned. “Alex, let’s test out my theory.”

“Me? What are we going to do?”

“You’ll see.”

Alex shot a quick glance at JJ, who only looked amused by her perplexity. She figured she had little choice and met Blake at the door. He took her hand and they stepped on onto the small porch. She scanned the neighborhood. Everyone had at least a little patch of yard.

One house sported the stereotypical white picket fence. The house directly to the right wore a shiny metal flowerpot of purple petunias, yellow and purple pansies, and a few tall dark pink snapdragons. A few houses down she saw that one house had a wraparound porch with baskets of red geraniums adorning it.

Finally, she saw an older gentleman who lived directly across the street. He was out with his golden Labrador retriever.

“Good afternoon,” Blake called out to him, waving as if he were the proverbial friendly neighbor.

“I’m Bob Higley, and this is Moses.” The man gave the dog a good rub.

“I’m Blake Teesdale and my fiancé, Alex Zurich. She’s JJ’s cousin from Kansas and we’re here on vacation.” Alex smiled meekly and gave the man a tentative finger wave. She was amazed at his ability to create an entire backstory on the spot.

Mr. Higley took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. “You don’t sound like you’re from Kansas.”

“No, no sir. You are right. Mine is definitely not a Midwest accent. British.”

“I’ve always loved England.”

“Thanks, I love your country too.” And then Blake gave Mr. Higley a friendly good-bye wave and he and Alex went back into the house.

Once inside, he rolled on the balls of his feet, a small, smug smile slowly forming on his lips, hands in his pockets.

“We just passed the can-they-see-you test with flying colors. And yes, they can see you—I mean, us.”

“Yes, you two did and I’m amazed.”

 

 

 

 

 

Hearts on the Rocks - Terry Newman

Fake dating wasn’t part of Cagney Adler’s plan to earn her PhD before she’s thirty. But neither was a rash of blind dates. When fictional characters, Alex Zurich and Blake Teesdale, leap out of the romance novel she’s reading into her world, they’re determined Mr. Rock Nerd would not only make a great fake boyfriend, but her happily ever after. The only way to get them to leave her alone is to accept the offer. But she draws the line at happily ever after.

Brad Townsend, geology doctoral student, knows Cagney Adler is the perfect fake girlfriend to help him avoid blind dates. Sure, they have nothing in common, but that’s what makes her ideal. There’s no way they’ll fall in love.

But the pretend stuff begins to look real, with double dates to the movies, and apartment warming parties. And wait, Cagney’s apartment becomes unlivable…and they find themselves roommates.

The fake relationship feels more real with every day.

My Review

I think that this must be one of the most fun romance books I have ever read. That's a big claim to make, I realise, but I'm not going to take it back. The concept itself is great, our couple Brad and Cagney meet on a blind date, but don't hit it off. Or at least don't think that they've hit it off. They decide to pretend that they are a couple, to put a stop to their friends setting them up with other people. Of course, we all know that a fake romance in a romance novel always turns into the real thing. To help them on the way, characters from the romance novel that Cagney is reading come to life and do their best to help them on the way. 

Blake and Cagney are great characters. They are highly intellegent, academic types and as is often the case, don't really have much understanding about real life or people. They seem to think that because they are studying different areas (science and humanities) then they have nothing in common. Is it any wonder they've had no luck in love when they think that 'their' person is going to be exactly like them?

Blake goes out of his way to make himself appear like someone that Cagney would want to date. All with the idea of making their relationship seem more real to other people. Or maybe he just wants her to like him, but can't admit that to himself. I loved the scenes of him trying tennis and yoga.

This was a lovely, feel good read and one that I highly recommend. It doesn't take itself too seriously, which just adds to the joy of the whole thing.

Bio

Terry Newman is the award-winning author of several paranormal novels and novellas, including Rewrites of the Heart, Heartquake, and The Wizard of her Heart.

She enjoys writing humor and creating off-beat characters, each with their own quirks. She’s spent most of her life in northeast Ohio, where she sets all of her fictional towns.

Terry has spent most of her adult life writing in some fashion, from small-town reporter to editor-in-chief and ghostwriter for a national natural health publishing firm. The last decade and half she’s worked a freelance writer, penning ebooks that range from Native Americans to starting a doula services business.

She has a daughter, a son-in-law, and a grandpuppy. Terry lives in North Lima, a real town in northeast Ohio with all of her characters. Yes, it does get crowded at times.

 

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Excerpt

 

“Casey. Casey. Wait up.”

Cagney heard hurried footsteps behind her; each one sounded closer. With her office hours done, she looked forward to her yoga class. A class she needed after the blind date disaster and the weekend of grading papers. And that damn book of her advisor’s that seemed to pop up everywhere. She had spent too much time reading it.

“Casey, please stop.”

Brian, no, Bradley Townsend, appeared at her side. She stopped and looked at him. His eyes were every bit as blue as they were Friday night. “What is your problem?”

“Why didn’t you answer me? Didn’t you hear me calling your name?” Brad’s brow furrowed and he ran a hand through his curls.

“I heard someone call a Casey. My name is Cagney.”

She met this man once. They mutually decided they had nothing in common. Why was he chasing after her? Was he stalking her? Was she in danger?

She took a step back and tightened her grip on the backpack hanging off her right shoulder. She’d use it if she had to. She’d swing it as hard as she could into his balls. That should be enough to give her a head start. Then she’d scream as loud as she could. No way he’d touch her after that.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. Your name is Cagney. I did it again, didn’t I?” He looked at his shoes. “I’m not good with names.”

He looked like a little boy. The threat of a stalker dissipated.

“I wanted to talk to you before your office hours ended.”

“You knew when my office hours were?” She scanned Brad from head to toe. Suddenly, he did look dangerous. “What kind of stalker are you?”

“I’m not a stalker, I promise.” He held up one hand. His blue eyes bore into her. “I asked Logan to ask Molly what your hours were, so I could talk to you. I have an idea about us.”

That was it. That’s all she had to hear. “There is no us. We both agreed to that Friday night.”  She walked. It shouldn’t have surprised her that he followed along beside her. “We decided we have nothing in common. Nothing.”

“I know. But I’ve got this idea.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that before.” She hurried her pace. Why? It’s not like she could out-walk him. Now that she saw him standing in the bright light, she knew him to be at least six feet tall—to her meager five four. He probably slowed his pace so not to get ahead of her.

Luckily, Alexander Hall was close. She stood at the door to the building. “I’m going to do yoga to calm my nerves.” She looked up at his blue eyes. That beard. “You claim not to be a stalker, but you’re acting very much like one.”

He gave her the hint of a smile. Her initial anxiety he would try something had faded a while ago. She wasn’t sure when. But she didn’t want him to know that. Now he was just an annoyance. Granted, a good-looking annoyance.

“Goodbye, Brad. Maybe we’ll see each other around the Physics Café.”

She reached for the door, but he beat her by several seconds and opened it for her. Very stalker-like. She ignored it and entered the building and headed straight for the room. He followed her.

“You’ll want to hear my idea,” he said enthusiastically. What could he possibly be enthusiastic about?

She entered the classroom, dumped her backpack at the door, and tore off her jacket, revealing a loose T-shirt. 

Brad watched her. She took her place in the middle of the floor and sat. He sat beside her. “I’ve got a foolproof way—”

“Sir, do you plan on taking the class today? This is not a university-sponsored class. You’ll need to pay the twenty-dollar fee if you intend to participate.”

She stifled a giggle. That should do it. That would get him out of the room. Out of her business. Out of her life, if she had any type of luck.

“Sure, I’ll take it.” He stood and pulled a wallet out of his jeans pocket. It appeared she had little to no luck.

The instructor, Harmony McKenzie, immediately started class once Brad sat next to her. “We’ll begin, as usual, sitting legs crossed. Keep your back nice and tall.” He had no chance to broach his idea, however absurd she was sure it would be.

Brad crossed his long legs and rested his hands on his knees. His eyes focused on the instructor.

“Listen, you’re tired of blind dates, right?”

“Now, we’re going to slowly roll ourselves onto our backs.”

Cagney leaned back and glanced toward Brad. He was already down and staring at her.

“I’m tired of blind dates, too.”

“Draw your right knee toward your chest.”

As she raised her leg, she watched Brad complete the task. Once he was done, he looked her way. “What if we hang out together in public, so people think we’re dating?”

“Extend the leg toward the ceiling.”

“What?” Cagney held on to her leg. “You mean you want me to pretend to date you?”

The instructor gave instructions to get back into the cross-legged position.

“Why would I want to do that?” The man had some nerve.

“So Molly won’t try to set you up with another man.” 

Harmony gave commands for the downward facing dog pose. He raised his butt off the floor. Once again, she noticed how tight and cute it was.

He glanced at her from the full pose, not looking the least bit comfortable. “Look, Logan already has me scheduled to meet someone Friday. And I’m sure—”

“A week from Friday for me.” Cagney watched his unsteady legs from her own downward facing dog pose. “But we don’t have anything in common. I wouldn’t know what to talk about.”

“But that’s the beauty of it. We don’t have to talk. We’re just two people together, working on our separate dissertations.”

She noticed his legs quivered even more. And he sounded out of breath.

“There’s no way we can develop any type of relat…friendship that would take time away from our studies.” It looked as if his legs had had enough of the downward facing dog.

He sucked in a breath. She wasn’t sure that was proper yoga form. “But the best part is that neither Logan nor Molly will try to set us up on blind dates again.” He paused. She prayed he didn’t faint.

“At least not for a long time.” He turned his head in her direction and smiled. “It’s a win-win.”

“Relax, class.”

Brad plopped full force on the floor. “Do you do this often?” He rolled over.

The man looked pitiful, lying on his back, his arms extended out, breathing heavily.

“Yup, three times a week.” Cagney did a few leg stretches.

He shook his head. The small, dark curls moved ever so slightly. “Do you like this torture? This, by the way, is called upward facing dead dog.”

  

Death by the Book - Lucy Connelly

Irish scones, shamrock shortbread, a local literary festival… and a rather dead author? Join Mercy McCarthy on her next case!

Mercy and Lizzie McCarthy are settling in to the charming seaside village of Shamrock Cove on the west coast of Ireland. Lizzie throws herself into organizing a book festival and mystery writer Mercy even agrees to come out of her bookish hidey-hole to get involved. But then the event’s star author is found dead. James Brandt was killed by a falling bookshelf in his own cottage…

The local detective is not convinced by Mercy’s suspicion of murder but when someone else turns up dead, the police cannot ignore it. There’s just one problem: Mercy and Lizzie’s beloved dog Mr. Poe sniffs out the second body in the storeroom of their own bookstore. And now all the gossips seem determined to pin the murder on Mercy!

Convinced the police are focusing on a red herring in this real-life case, Mercy needs to act fast to clear her name. A meddling mayor, a cheerful chef and a bashful botanist make her suspect list, but it’s not until Mercy discovers a tatty old photograph in the local library archive that she is onto the killer’s trail.

With the police keen to shut her out of the murder investigation, can Mercy play this case by the book, or will she be the next to fall off the shelf…?

A totally gripping and twisty cozy crime novel, perfect for readers who love Agatha Christie, Carlene O’Connor or Faith Martin! This incredibly fast-paced and fun murder mystery will whisk you off to Ireland and won’t let you go until the final page!

My Review

Death by the book is the second book in the Mercy McCarthy Mystery series. Although I enjoyed the first one, I felt that this book was even better and I really got into it. Of course, a big part of that is that I now know the characters, which always helps.
This time Mercy finds herself investigating the death of a fellow author. Unlike Mercy though, this author isn't particularly well-liked and thinks an awful lot of himself. His equally awful agent doesn't help matters causing problems at the literary festival that Mercy and her sister are involved in organising.
I enjoyed the mystery here and although it wasn't one that I managed to solve, I could follow most of the clues and hints and almost reach the right conclusion.
The setting of these books is a small town in Ireland and the bookshop that Mercy and her sister have inherited from their grandfather. There is a mystery here as well, as neith fo them knew their father or his family and hints seem to be appearing slowly as we move through each book. I don't know when we'll find out more about this particular mystery, but I'm enjoying the way that it's unfolding as each book comes along. This is a great new series and one I'm glad that I started.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Author Bio:

Bestselling author Candace Havens has published more than 25 books. Her novels have received nominations for the RITA’s, Holt Medallion, Write Touch Reader Awards and National Reader’s Choice Awards. She is a Barbara Wilson Award winner. She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation’s leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities from George Clooney to Chris Pratt. Candace runs a free online writing workshop for more than 2000 writers and teaches comprehensive writing classes. She does film reviews with Hawkeye in the Morning on 96.3 KSCS, and is a former President of the Television Critics Association.

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Burial Ground - Stephen B. King

Tammy and Greg meet at a party in the Perth hills and sneak away to a disused gravel pit to be alone. They are interrupted by two men burying something who then attack Greg and chase a naked Tammy throughout the night. She is found the next day, delirious and suffering hypothermia.

She tells Detective Sam Collins and Jenny Markham what she witnessed and reports Greg’s murder. But his body is found in a car wreck, and the crash report says he died because of alcohol and speed on a sharp bend. This casts doubt on Tammy’s story and Sam wonders if she imagined the incident.

Doubting the official crash report, he and Jenny investigate further and discover two serial killers, who have been burying their victims at the gravel pit, for seventeen years. Sam must lead a huge police task force to try find them before they kill again.

My Review

Burial Ground is actually the third in the Detective Sam Collins series. I haven't read the previous ones and it really didn't matter as this can be read as a stand-alone book. In many ways, this is quite an unusual read as the book is split into three parts. To begin with we have the set up for the discovery of the murders. Then in the second part we go back into the life of the murderers and see the reasons that they have become the psychotic serial killers they are. Finally, in the third part, our detective Sam wraps everything up and solves it all. This isn't the kind of murder mystery that you can try and solve alongside the detective. We're privy to lots of information that he isn't, and things are shown through the eyes of the murderers. This does make for a gripping and disturbing read.

I enjoyed Burial Ground and liked this slightly different approach to the storytelling. I did find that at times there was perhaps a little too much back story. I wasn't sure that we needed all of the extra details that we got. Some of the sex scenes were for me, a little much for this kind of read. Overall though, I was drawn into this disturbing read and wanted to know what was going to unfold and that hopefully, Sam would figure out who was behind it all.

Author Bio

I left Perth, Australia to go East and find fame and fortune in the music business as a long-haired rock guitarist. I wrote poems and music, and my band used to open for some pretty big groups in my wild days. I gave it all up for love and got married (as you do when the right one comes along). Then, real life took over, children came along and I threatened to write a book for so many years my long-suffering wife eventually pushed me into it by buying me a laptop and said: "No more excuses, do it." And so began this amazing journey.

My first book, Forever Night, was contracted and published by now defunct Totally Entwined Group 's Evidence Press. It features a returned veteran soldier who has suffered horrifically, physically and mentally to become a serial killer while hunting for his runaway wife. As an SAS soldier he is far more highly trained to kill and survive, than the cops are trained to stop him. If you enjoy dark, Scandinavian type crime thrillers, you will love this story.

That was followed by a trilogy, about the rise of a cop through the ranks from Detective to Detective Inspector, when his world falls apart. Domin8, is about a married man who is drawn into the dark world of online dating, until someone starts murdering his lovers. The Vigilante Taxi features a man who knows tragedy, his life has been full of it and with nothing to live for he becomes a vigilante during the night shift while driving his cab. When he falls in love, and wants to stop, it's too late; the cops and an underworld figure are closing in. Burial Ground, is about newly appointed Detective Inspector Sam Collins, who is handed the job of finding a serial killer who has been killing and burying his victims in an old disused gravel pit for seventeen years. He is a close to a pure psychotic evil as you will find, worse then Hannibal Lecter, or anything from the mind of the great Stephen King.

Repo saw me return to two characters from Forever Night. New private investigator husband and wife sleuths trying to save a man from jail for a murder he did not commit. He returns home from working in a mine to find his wife gone, bank accounts empty, and fully restored classic muscle car repossessed. When his wife's body is found, he is arrested for murder. Dillon and Jayne enter a world of illegal poker games, protected by the underworld, to find the real killer and free their first client.

Next, I wrote a beautiful love story/thriller about Jenny, who travels in time to save the world from an all consuming blight that was genetically modified. She falls in love in the past, but can only stay for thirty-three days. This was picked up by my new publisher: The Wild Rose Press of NY. They have also contracted a trilogy, called The Deadly Glimpses. Book 1 is called Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer, and Book 2, Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths have been released. Book 3, Glimpse, The Tender Killer will be released in three months. The trilogy follows the fortunes of two married colleges who are attracted to each other while working together to track down three serial murderers. What will the effect be on their marriages, and their relationship if they act on the desires they have?

Thrillers and crime genres have always fascinated me, and in particular, the dark world of serial killers. I love a good, unputdownable, thriller. You know, the kind you just want to read one more chapter of at three in the morning before bed, but you have to be up at six to go to work. Have I succeeded in creating stories that can take people to that place? Boy I hope so.

Check out my website and blog for fee stories and previews. www.stephen-b-king.com

Tender Temptation - Kaylene Winter

Tender Temptation
Kaylene Winter
(Charming Irish, #1)
Publication date: October 3rd 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Tender Temptation is a scorching tale of age-gap, insta-forbidden-love, hidden identities, coming of age, and second chances.

I’m a master at rebuilding structures, yet my own life is a constant work in progress. As the middle brother in a family of superstars, I’ve battled alcohol addiction and shoulder the hefty challenge of taking over the family business.

My world makes a seismic shift when I fall hard for Ivy Bright, a vibrant, enigmatic firecracker whose captivating energy makes me feel invincible.

Ivy is more than just a spark in my shadowed world—she’s a blaze. Her luminous presence ignites a clandestine desire in me that I can’t resist. But Ivy harbors deep secrets and a tragic past that keeps her trapped in a life she never chose. Despite our undeniable chemistry, her decision to conceal her age and identity backfires spectacularly, threatening to unravel both our hearts.

Years later, will our rekindled passion withstand buried secrets that come to light, or will the truths of our past push us apart forever?

Goodreads / Purchase

Author Bio:

When she was only 15, Kaylene Winter wrote her first rocker romance novel starring a fictionalized version of herself, her friends and their gorgeous rocker boyfriends. After living her own rockstar life as a band manager, music promoter and mover and shaker in Seattle during the early 1990’s, Kaylene became a digital media legal strategist helping bring movies, television and music online. Throughout her busy career, Kaylene lost herself in romance novels across all genres inspiring her to realize her life-long dream to be a published author. She lives in Seattle with her amazing husband and dog. She loves to travel, throw lavish dinner parties and support charitable causes supporting arts and animals.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

My Review

Tender Temptation is the first in a new series from Kaylene Winter. Although it is a new series (Charming Irish) these books are linked to the Less than Zero series. Cillian is Connor, (from that series) brother. We do get a little glimpse of Connor and Ronnie in this book, although it is only a little glimpse. 

Cillian and Ivy meet and fall almost instantly for one another on Ivy's 18th birthday in a bar. Unfortunately, Cillian doesn't realise just how young Ivy is and their relationship is built on a lie. Added to this is Ivy's controlling and overbearing father who is intent on controlling her life, even if she is an adult who should be able to live her life as she chooses.

I really enjoyed the growth of the romance and relationship between these two. The age gap is rather large, which isn't always my favourite, but it worked here. They do make a good couple and I don't think that Ivy is at a disadvantage despite the difference in their lifestages. 

There were a couple of things that did make me raise an eyebrow. Cillian's brother is in a very famous rock band, but Ivy doesn't even make a slight comment on this. Possibly because she comes from a very right back round herself. I would have thought she might have ad something to say though.

This was a great start to the new series and I'm looking forward to reading more soon.

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Murder of a Suffragette - Marty Wingate

Women from all around the country have joined together to fight for the vote. But when one of themis killed, only amateur sleuth Mabel Canning can halt a murderer’s campaign…

Fellbridge Hall, England: Mabel Canning is thrilled to be organising a suffragette conference. But when all the women are settled in the sprawling country mansion, she barely has time for a sip of gin before chaos ensues. Leading suffragette Annie Harkin has been found murdered in her bed, clutching a white feather in her outstretched hand…

As the guests clamour for justice for Annie, young police officers Ned and Ted arrive in time to trip over the banners and be roundly ignored. And with a killer on the loose, the suffragettes swiftly vote for Mabel and her pals to take control. When it comes to solving mysteries, there’s nobody equal to the London Ladies’ Murder Club!

But soon it’s clear many a suffragette is hiding a secret under her sash. Eccentric veteran of the cause Dorothea Goose is acting rather flighty; why is she so afraid of the police? Would Annie’s rival go this far to replace her as leader? Or has someone taken a life to stop the cause of women’s lib?

Then Mabel uncovers what happened to Annie’s closest comrade in the years before the war, and she is sure the answers lie in the past. But will Mabel be elected as the killer’s next victim? Or can she crack the case and save the fight for Votes for Women?

A totally addictive whodunnit bursting with suspense and sparkling with wit, from USA Today bestseller Marty Wingate. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, Verity Bright and T.E. Kinsey.

My Review

Murder of a Suffragette follows Lady Detective Mable Canning as she tries to solve another murder. Mabel, being a modern woman has a range of friends who are interested in woman having more say in their lives and is attending a gathering of suffragettes. This book is set at a time when some women have gained the vote, but others are still without a voice.
I loved the historical setting of this book, as well as the mystery itself. Mabel is a woman of her time, but also one who is pushing against the traditional ideals that have been imposed on women. She has a man in her life, but he's there to assist her, not in any way oppress her.
I didn't mange to solve this one, I think that my skills in this area must be slipping. I enjoyed finding out who was behind it all and getting to the reveal it became obvious I'd missed one or two clues along the way.
This was a great read and I'm looking forward to more from Mabel and the London Ladies' Murder Club soon. Especially as this ended in a really quite satisfying way.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Author Bio:

Marty Wingate is a USA Today best-selling author of both mysteries and historical fiction. Marty enjoys weaving humor into her books and creating characters—from quirky and loveable to sinister and duplicitous—that leap off the page. Before embarking on her series about the London Ladies Murder Club with Bookouture, Marty published three contemporary cozy mystery series (the Potting Shed, Birds of a Feather, and First Edition Library books). She has also published two standalone books of historical fiction and found stories of the past to be compelling. She’s delighted to combine her penchant for both mysteries and histories to bring her readers more satisfying stories. Marty currently resides near Seattle, Washington.

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Broome Enigma - Meryl Brown Tobin

On a working holiday in Australia's cosmopolitan Outback town of Broome in 1986, Jodie, a young book designer is open to romance and adventure. At the holiday village where she is staying, she meets Joe, a young man who works there. Despite the strong attraction between them, the many unknowns about his earlier life keep them apart. To try to uncover his mysterious past, they travel to Perth and back to Broome and are drawn into not only bizarre but also dangerous situations. Is Joe the person Jodie thinks he is, or is he some alter ego? Can she stop their relationship from developing until she knows whether he is free to love her?

My review

It's difficult to decide exactly what Broome Enigma is. There are romance elements here, but also a thriller. Joe is a handyman at a camp site in Broome. He seems standoffish with the two sisters who come to stay, but both find themselves immediately attracted to him. Older sister, Jodie, finds herself falling for this mystery man and while he at first seems to want to keep his distance from her, they soon become close. But, as they become close, she finds herself thrown in to the danger that is stalking him.

There were so many twists and turns in this book. we follow Joe and Jodie as they try to find out who is after Joe and how he lost his memory. As I mentioned there are romantic elements here, but I really don't think that romance is the main part of this story. It's more to do with the couple finding out what's going on and who is behind it all.

Jodie is a little wet at times, but that didn't stop me from enjoying the book. Perhaps a little less of the internal dialogue might have helped and sped things up a bit. This is a fascinating read as you try and find out where it's going, but it's not a fast-paced, edge of your seat one.

Overall, a good story with plenty to keep you guessing.

Extract

A big gust of wind rocked the van and flung Jodie

hard against Joe. He pushed her off.

“Joe, it’s me, Jodie! Wake up, wake up!”

“Jodie, is that you?” He threw his arms around her

and buried his head in her chest.

She brushed his hair back from his sweating face.

“Take it easy, Joe. Take deep breaths. It’s okay. It’s

going to be okay.”

He stopped shaking and pulled back from her.

“What’s happening?”

“It’s the cyclone. Don’t you remember?”

Another huge gust shook the van and sent Jodie

sprawling on Joe’s bunk and into the wall. “Ow, that

hurt!” She picked herself up and rubbed her head.

The van rocked violently again. Joe and Jodie

grabbed for handholds.

“Quick, come into my bed with me, Joe. It will be

safer there.” Tripping and feeling their way along the

wall, the two made their way to the double bed and

clambered in.

Her breathing coming in short spasms, she lay on

her back and took deep breaths. The storm whined and

screeched about her, and the roof creaked and scraped.

“Oh, my god, the roof’s going to take off any minute!”

Joe’s arms enveloped her. “Hush, everything will

be all right. But will you be okay if we have to make a

run for it?”

“Yes.” She let out a sob. “But I like our chances

better in here than out there.”

Joe kissed her forehead. He pulled her closer and

they lay locked against each other while the storm

raged around them.

 Bio

Meryl Tobin, writing name Meryl Brown Tobin, is an Australian writer of short and long fiction for adults and children, non-fiction, especially on travel and the environment, poetry and educational puzzles. She has had 22 books published. These include puzzle/activity books, black-line masters books of educational puzzles, workbooks for primary students, a travel book, a children’s picture storybook, a poetry collection and a haiku collection with four other poets of The Society of Women Writers Victoria. She has also edited one book and co-edited two others. In total, nearly 300,000 copies of her first four puzzle books, which were published by Ashton Scholastic, were sold in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Hundreds of her poems, puzzles, short stories and travel and other articles, and some cartoons and comic strips have appeared in more than 150 magazines, newspapers and anthologies in Australia and overseas, including India, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the USA. Some of her stories and poems have been broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission and other radio stations while others have been published on the Internet. As a guest on the set of Ch7’s children’s program The Book Place, she read her story LEFTY with regular presenter, Lynn Weston.

 

2.      Places selling ‘Broome Enigma’

‘Broome Enigma’ is on sale on about 40 websites in at least 16 countries including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, The Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and USA, including Amazon.com : broome enigma and Broome Enigma eBook : Tobin, Meryl Brown : Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store  (Australia).

 

Social media links

https://sites.google.com/view/merylbrowntobin-author

https://www.amazon.com.au/Broome-Enigma-Meryl-Brown-Tobin-ebook/dp/B0CHWLFTSZ/#customerReviews

https://www.facebook.com/meryl.tobin.18

 Selection of readers' comments from https://sites.google.com/site/merylbrowntobin - NOVELS

1.     Readers’ comments about ‘Broome Enigma’

A.    Felicia Di Stefano

Finished your book. Very much a page turner kept me up till 1.30 am one morning. 

Wow what a thriller. Would never have worked out the end!

B.    Chrissie Michaels, Australian author 

Congratulations on such a well crafted story, full of page turning suspense, fast pace and strong dialogue! I enjoyed the read immensely. 

C.    Michele Tobin

'Broome Enigma' takes the reader on a scenic, cultural and historic visit to one of Australia's fabulous, renowned destinations. As a backdrop to the novel, it is a perfect setting for an enigmatic storyline with its melting pot of characters to take form.... 

D.    Roberta Ashby

An easy read and the characters were great to follow. Just when I thought I’d sussed out a bad guy or two, I hadn’t so it certainly is not predictable!  Your research was extensive.

E. Anna Sput Stern, author and poet

Congratulations!!! Considering that the novel is written for young people, I admire the style fitting so well their personality. Many thanks for sending it to me; I’m going to treasure it. 

E.    Jill Sutton

Congratulations! I’ve just finished ‘Broome Enigma’. You are an amazing writer. I very much enjoyed joining all the characters in their exciting adventures. 

F.     Hartley Tobin

Because I’m familiar with Broome at the time of the setting of this story, I readily imagined the people in the various settings. When I got to the last four chapters I could not put the book down until I had finished.

G.   Lynette Burton:

I loved it; I was really sucked into the read. I read the first two chapters on Sunday but yesterday [Monday] I had to force myself to put it down to get my housework done. I finished the last two chapters in bed with a coffee this morning, I have not done that for years and it felt like a little luxury.  I am yet to visit Broome but it’s on my list and now when I do I will be able to reference all the true to life landmarks and history in your book all over again.

Can’t wait for the next one.

H.   Kathy McKean

I really enjoyed it. I found it easy to read; I am not fond of novels you need to over think to understand them. I was time poor when I got ‘Broome Enigma’ and felt frustrated every time I would see it on my bedside table. I managed to get one chapter read and couldn't wait for the next opportunity so I could continue. I had one morning that I had put aside to do housework but picked up ‘Broome Enigma’ whilst having my early morning cuppa; needless to say not much housework got done. 

 I liked the innocence of the main characters, the setting and the suspense and I always love a happy ending. I felt sad to finish the novel. I felt like I had lost some new friends that I had made and whose company I enjoyed. 

I.      Anonymous

Just as well...[for the ending] as the sexual tension had built up unbearably!!

J.     Janice Williams, author and poet

Congratulations to Meryl for her page turner, ‘Broome Enigma’. Having recently stayed in Broome, I found it was interesting to pick out the various features.

K.   Rose Chapple, author

Congratulations! 

I can imagine it as a movie or series, but I guess that's another thing altogether. I hope it's doing well, and that the American market is taking off. You might be personally responsible for an increase in tourism!

Well done again!!!

L.    Mervi Cahill

I really enjoyed reading 'Broome Enigma'. It was an easy read and you made the characters come to life. I enjoyed the inclusion of history and tourist spots as I haven't travelled there but could picture myself visiting the sights as I'm reading.  Congratulations on your first novel and hopefully not your last. 

M.  Eunice Frazer

Enjoyed your novel––well written, entertaining, interesting characters and plenty of action set against a beautiful West Australian landscape.  

N.    Gwenda Mathieson

I enjoyed your book so much so that I read it in two sittings, initially dipping in to it then sitting until I finished it.

I was happy that Jodie and Tiffany showed maturity as the story developed and particularly as Jodie felt that she knew Joe but needed to get to know....

 Now I look forward to the next book.  Is it already under way?

O.   Valwyn Beggs

I was transported into another world, the Broome Underworld, in your novel. What a thriller! So many twists and turns!

P.     Moira Wood

I love the cover of ‘Broome Enigma’ which is attractive to potential readers.

 As a once single and vulnerable person meeting a young man and having an instant attraction, but an unresolved feeling about his previous life, I could immediately relate to the main character Jodie. As events unfolded, the story became even more intriguing with ongoing sagas.

 A great read with lots of suspense and a beautiful ending.

Q.   Janne Morrison

I have just finished reading 'Broome Enigma' and absolutely loved it!!!  I could not stop reading it and was disappointed when it finished––I hope there is a sequel in the pipeline!! Such a great assortment of very relatable characters and plausible and fascinating storyline.  Totally unpredictable and so many twists and turns made it such very enjoyable reading - thank you!!!!

R.     Eric Hornsby

It gets into the story quickly and I love the way you get into the love story. It starts with a suggestion of a love story then the difficulty of mixed tensions, a man who is living like a tramp with no direction and then you have involved a doubtful group of characters of all types, suspect and otherwise....It has humour, fear and characters interacting. I thought it a very good story that was engrossing. It doesn’t waffle....It is a good read––about real life and real people––and one that will suit most readers.  It really is a thrilling read. Not to forget the humour you placed along the way. There is no doubt 'Broome Enigma' will appeal to most age groups.

S.     Annie Chisholm

This is a great read! I felt like I was actually there, in beautiful Broome.

The writer builds up the suspense as she develops the characters. The aftermath of the cyclone and the Festival of the Pearl and they are painted cleverly. I read the book to my husband and both of us enjoyed it thoroughly.