The Couple Next Door - Rick R. Reed

The Couple Next Door by Rick R. Reed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not quite sure how I would classify this book. Is it a romance? A thriller? Romantic suspense? It's possibly actually all three, but it's also very different from anything I've read before. Right up until the very end I wasn't really sure how it was going to all pan out.
When Jeremy meets his new neighbours Shane and John, it's clear that there are plenty of secrets and problems surrounding them. As he discovers more about them he finds himself drawn further and further into their world. Can he really trust what he is told and learns about them?
Although there is romance here and it is that which drives Jeremy's connection to the two other men. The real heart of the story though is the life that John and Shane have been living for years. There are lots of twists and turns here. Although there are some elements that at least seem obvious from the beginning, there's still plenty to keep you guessing. I really don't want to say anything that might give away anything, so I'll leave this review here. I only really want to finish off by saying this is a gripping read that has you guessing right up until the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Eagles in Flight - Ramcy Diek

Eagles in Flight
Ramcy Diek
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: August 25th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Emma’s life changes the day Ruben Templeton walks in and asks her out on a date. Over dinner, she’s a little disappointed when his best friend, Jesse Kimball, joins them. Jesse is a senator’s son who just announced his candidacy for mayor.
Twenty-seven-year-old Emma is surprised, but excited when it’s Jesse who calls her the next day instead of Ruben.

Jesse introduces Emma to a life with mansions, expensive cars, cocktail dresses, and status. It doesn’t take long for him to sweep her off her feet. He’s handsome and charming, making her feel like the center of his universe.

When Emma receives devastating news, Jesse asks her to marry him. From the moment she agrees, their relationship starts to deteriorate. Desperate to understand why her new husband is so cold and distant, she reaches out to him, only to be met by anger.
Hurt and confused, Emma turns to Ruben for advice.

Ruben suggests they give each other space for a few weeks. Weeks she can use to help him locate his younger brother Axel, who has gone missing. Emma agrees, and soon finds herself on a road trip across the country.

Will Emma and Jesse’s temporary separation clear the distance between them, or will she find love in the arms of another man?

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Author Bio:

A long time ago, I fell in love with the United States while traveling around in an Oldsmobile station-wagon with my husband. We are both born and raised in the Netherlands.
Together, we eventually found our way to the Pacific Northwest, built up a business, and raised our two boys into amazing young adults with their own careers. During this time, I also made a slow transition from reader to writer of many different stories.

My multiple award winning debut novel "Storm at Keizer Manor" sets the bar high for my second novel, Eagles in Flight.
All my books are stand alone novels in different genres. You might be in for a surprise, or a disappointment.

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Review

When I first started Eagles in Flight I wasn't entirely convinced that I was going to be able to get into it. It wasn't long before I was hooked by the story as it unfolded. Although this is a romance novel, it's perhaps not a romance in the traditional sense of the genre. 

Emma is a librarian. She lives with her mother, who is wheelchair-bound and longs to see her settled and happily married. When Ruben, someone she knew growing up introduces her to Jesse, a mayoral candidate, she finds herself swept away in a whirlwind romance. All isn't as it appears though and it isn't long before Emma finds herself questioning what love really is and finding it in unexpected places.

Emma is a very naive character. It may not be obvious to her what is going on, but to the reader, I think that the motives of Jesse and Ruben are pretty clear. It even becomes clear fairly early on what their feelings are and why they are acting as they are.

The only thing I struggled with was Jesse's behaviour. He seems to act in one way one minute and then when we meet him later his character seems to have changed entirely. In fact, some of his actions make no sense in the context of his motives. Or they didn't to me.

Ultimately, this is a story with a happy ending and one that will leave you satisfied. Emma certainly deserves that happiness. If like me, you struggle with this one to begin with, then I urge you to persevere with what is in the end, a very enjoyable read. 

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Forbidden Need - by Lee Colgin

Forbidden Need by Lee Colgin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the 'they bite' series and like the previous books, it features a relationship between a vampire and a shifter. In this case, we have Samuel a vampire over a hundred years old and Rudy, a Coyote shifter in his thirties.
As vampires go, Samuel is a particularly grumpy one. Even so, there is something that is almost innocent about him when it comes to relationships. He has had a number of bad experiences over his long life and although it has led him to become the hardened warrior that he is, when he meets Rudy a softer and more vulnerable side to him comes out. Some of the story is told via flashbacks to both Rudy and Samuels youth and we find out more about what has shaped both of their characters.
I enjoyed seeing the unfolding relationship between them. From the start, Rudy is convinced that Samuel is his, but it takes Samuel much longer to come around. After all that he has been through, he's not convinced that he deserves the kind of relationship and happiness that Rudy is offering him.
This third book is another great read and one that I really enjoyed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert

Feel the Fire by Annabeth Albert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Often when there is a series set in the same place or around the same career there's a danger that the storylines become too similar, but that is far from the case with the Hotshots series. I think this is partially because the characters are all different with different circumstances. There is something a little bit more to it than that. Although all of these stories are set within the world of wildfire fire fighting, the roles that the various characters have are very different. This time we are dealing with Tucker and Luis.
Tucker is involved in fire management and control. He has a past with Luis, but they haven't seen one another since they were teenagers. When Luis is called in to help out in her role of a fire investigator, they find that their attraction hasn't diminished over the years and that they need to address what happened between them before.
This story is as much about following your dreams and it never being too late to do so as it is a romance. Alongside Luis and Tuckers growing love, there are Tucker's twin boys Walker and Wade who are growing up and dealing with similar problems to those Luis and Tucker faced as teenagers.
This was a great read and just as enjoyable as the first two instalments on this firefighter romance series. I'd be more than happy to read any more that come along.


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A Dangerous Goodbye - Fliss Chester

Your lost love never came home after the war. Would you risk everything to find out what happened

to him?

1944. While war rages in Europe, Fenella Churche is doing her bit in the green fields of England. But when she finds a letter addressed to her on the scrubbed farmhouse table, she knows the news won’t be good. She hasn’t heard from her fiancé Arthur since he was posted to France on a dangerous undercover mission, and from his very first words she knows he may not be coming back.

I fear this may be my last letter to you, my darling, Arthur writes. Fen won’t give up hope and calls the war office, wanting to know if Arthur is still alive; they refuse to tell her anything. Searching for answers, she returns to his letter, but parts of it just don’t make sense. Through her tears Fen realises that her darling Arthur is giving her all the clues she needs to find out what happened to him.

1945. With the war behind them and nothing left for her in England, Fen travels to the deceptively pretty French village where she thinks Arthur might be, but there’s no sign of him. She’s close to giving up when she finds his silver cigarette case and another letter full of clues. But when the local priest is killed, it’s clear someone wants to keep wartime secrets buried. If Arthur, a brilliant spy, was outwitted and betrayed, can Fen stay alive long enough to find out what happened to the man she loves?

A gripping story of war, mystery, espionage and murder. Fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd and Rhys Bowen will absolutely adore this unputdownable World War Two murder mystery.

My Review

What a fantastic read this was. If you enjoy historical murder mysteries, then you won't go far wrong with this one. Set just after the close of the second world war, it focuses on Fennela Churche, who travels to France to see if she can find out what has happened to her Fiance. As she starts to look around the chateau and winery that he was based at, it becomes clear that whatever happened to him is tied up with events that are unfolding at the chateau now.

The book had a great sense of time, atmosphere and place. It wasn't hard to picture the small village in 1940's France and the life that they are trying to put back together after the German forces have left. The characters in this book are fantastic, both those who lead the story and those that are on the edges. It adds a great richness to the story.

As for the mystery itself, it worked well. I had solved it and the reasons behind it before the reveal, but that didn't really matter. I was still caught up in the book and wanted to know if my deductions were correct. The whole thing was well signposted with clues and the odd red herring. I don't think it was too obvious though.

I really liked Fen as a character. She's a great combination of brave and daring, without being unbelievable. She certainly feels of her time and not out of place in the historic setting. I quite liked the way that she has a little bit of a weakness when it comes to her appearance, it's these little things that humanise a character.

I really enjoyed A Dangerous Goodbye and will certainly be reading the next book in the series. I'm looking forward to what Fen might get up to next. 

Winds of Fear - Gledé Browne Kabongo

Winds of Fear
Glede Browne Kabongo
(Fearless Series #3)
Publication date: October 23rd 2019
Genres: Adult, Psychological, Psychological Thriller, Thriller

Their dark secret could destroy her family

When Abbie Rambally meets the couple next door for the first time, she’s convinced something isn’t right. Why are the Paynes so fascinated with her oldest son and why do they ask so many probing questions about him? Then Abbie’s loyal and dependable nanny quits without giving notice, and Jenna Payne is only too happy to step in and help out. But Abbie begins to suspect that the Paynes’ choice of neighborhood was no accident.

Though Abbie wants to believe she can trust her neighbors, too many things about the couple don’t add up. So when a stranger in a café calls Jenna by a different name and insists they’ve met before, one thing becomes clear. If Abbie doesn’t uncover what the Paynes are hiding, her family will be in terrible danger.

From an award-winning author comes the latest installment in the “gripping and powerful” Fearless Series. This nail-biting psychological thriller can be read as a stand-alone, and will leave you breathless until the final, jaw-dropping twist.

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Author Bio:

GLEDE BROWNE KABONGO writes gripping psychological thrillers–unflinching tales of deception, secrecy, danger and family. She is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of The Fearless Series, Swan Deception, Conspiracy of Silence, and Mark of Deceit. Her love affair with books began as a young girl growing up in the Caribbean, where her town library overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. She was trading books and discussing them with neighbors before Book Clubs became popular.

Gledé holds a Master’s degree in Communications, and was a featured speaker at the 2016 Boston Book Festival. She leads workshops on publishing and the craft of writing and hopes to win an Academy Award for screenwriting. Gledé lives outside Boston with her husband and two sons.

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My Review 

Winds of Fear is actually the third book in a series. That said, I read this as a standalone, not having read the previous books. I still really enjoyed it and was gripped by this thriller. The book tells the story of the Rambally family. Abbie and Ty are both busy with their careers and with three children to raise, life is busy. When a new couple moves to the area and becomes interested in their lives, at first they seem to be helpful and offering what they need, but it soon becomes clear that they have other motives that are a lot more sinister.

Like all good thrillers, I found myself almost screaming at the book, 'don't trust them' as Charlie and Jenna start to infiltrate the family. But of course, that's the way that it should be, we have the advantage of being able to see everything that's going on, so it's easy for us to see what they can't.

This was a gripping read and it really didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous books. They do feature the same main characters I believe and I would be interested in going back and reading them too. 

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Here to Stay - Adriana Herrera

Here To Stay

Award-winning, highly-acclaimed author Adriana Herrera delivers the sexy, modern enemies-to-lovers

romance you’ve been waiting for.

Starting over is more about who you’re with than where you live…

Julia del Mar Ortiz is not having the best year.

She moved to Dallas with her boyfriend, who ended up ditching her and running back to New York after only a few weeks. Left with a massive—by NYC standards, anyway—apartment and a car lease in the scorching Texas heat, Julia is struggling…except that’s not completely true. Running the charitable foundation of one of the most iconic high fashion department stores in the world is serious #lifegoals.

It’s more than enough to make her want to stick it out down South.

The only monkey wrench in Julia’s plans is the blue-eyed, smart-mouthed consultant the store hired to take them public. Fellow New Yorker Rocco Quinn’s first order of business? Putting Julia’s job on the chopping block.

When Julia is tasked with making sure Rocco sees how valuable the programs she runs are, she’s caught between a rock and a very hard set of abs. Because Rocco Quinn is almost impossible to hate—and even harder to resist.

My Review

It makes a refreshing change to read a romance book where the hero isn't an overbearing alpha type. Not that Rocco, our hero, in this case, isn't a strong, complex and interesting character, he is. It's just that he's also sometimes unsure of himself, very sweet and caring and carrying around quite a bit of baggage. Julia, his heroine has issues of her own, but these have far more to do with her past relationship. She's unwilling to commit to someone who might whip the rug out from under her and leave her high and dry. 

In many ways, Julia and Rocco are well suited. It takes them both a while to accept this and this isn't a fast-moving action-packed story, but I think that it's all the stronger for that. Although Julia isn't sure about getting involved with Rocco, the more that she learns about him and sees who he really is, the more that she cannot resist him. I really did enjoy the development of their relationship.

The only thing that confused me was the age of Rocco's niece Blue. I'm sure that we're told at the beginning that his sister was 15 when she got pregnant and that she was now 21. That would make Blue 6 or 5 at the very youngest. Towards the end of the book, she seems to be a toddler and they refer to her as the baby. I don't know if that was my mistake or an error in the book? It is a minor point in what was a great read.

This was hugely enjoyable and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys romances that go that little bit further than just a simple love story.