Trapped in Love - Danica Flynn

Trapped In Love
Danica Flynn
(MacGregor Brothers Brewing Company, #2)
Publication date: July 19th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When my boss forced me on vacation to think about my career at the brewery, I wanted to scream. Then my sister suggested I spend the week at our dad’s cabin in the Poconos to think about what I really wanted.

Hoping for a relaxing week of fishing, hiking, and drinking lots of beer, I didn’t expect to find my sworn enemy already there. It was clear we had been setup by my meddlesome sister.

I had no desire to work out my differences with Felix freaking Jameson. He already broke my heart twice and I wasn’t going to let him do it a third time.

I just hoped the cabin was big enough for the both of us. And that I could forget how good it felt when his mouth was on mine. I definitely wasn’t going to let him into my bed again. Definitely not.

Trapped in Love is a small-town summer vacation romance set in the Poconos. If you love enemies to lovers and forced proximity, this one is for you.

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Author Bio:

Danica Flynn is a marketer by day, and a writer by nights and weekends. AKA she doesn’t sleep! She is a rabid hockey fan of both The Philadelphia Flyers and the Metropolitan Riveters. When not writing, she can be found hanging with her partner, playing video games, and reading a ton of books.

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My Review

Trapped in love tells the story of Felix and Gemma. They've fancied each other from the moment that they first met, but after Felix stood Gemma up on what would have been their first date, they've been at each other's throats. When they both end up away on holiday together, it's clear that their obvious attraction is going to be impossible to ignore.

I did enjoy the romance between these two. They worked well together as a couple. The main reason that they can't be together though is because Felix is single-handedly raising his thirteen-year-old younger sister. I'm not sure exactly how hands he thinks he needs to be, she's thirteen and I'm sure that he could manage a relationship as well as his sister. Single parents with much younger kids certainly seem to manage things one way or another. I think that it was this that stopped me from giving this book a higher rating. Yes, he has a few things going on in his life, who doesn't? It's certainly not enough to make him drop all attempts at living his own life and I think that this 'conflict' was dragged out a little too long, making things slightly repetitive at points.

Overall, it was a good romance, but just not a brilliant one. Still a good read.

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A Perfect Stranger - Shalini Boland

 Two marriages. Three little lies. Someone’s going to die…

I hold my breath as my handsome husband walks through the door. I’ve planned the perfect surprise birthday party for him. Our friends are gathered and the champagne is flowing. But when I catch the look in his deep brown eyes, I realise I’ve got this horribly wrong.

All evening my stomach is churning. And I can’t help but notice Danielle Baines speaking with Aiden. With her salon-styled hair, diamonds glittering on her ring finger and married to a rich businessman she has the kind of lifestyle I can only dream of. I’ve never liked her. And I know the feeling is mutual.

So why is she here and what is she saying to my husband?

Now it’s the end of the party and the man I love is confessing a secret that shocks me to the core. But it’s not what I was afraid of. It’s much worse.

He says we have to take our son and leave the place we call home because our lives are in danger.

I thought I knew everything about my husband. But suddenly he feels like a stranger. Should I trust him with my life?

From the million-copy bestselling author, this totally gripping psychological thriller will have you guessing until the last jaw-dropping twist. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Wife Between Us.

Author Bio:

Shalini lives in Dorset, England with her husband, two children and Jess their cheeky terrier cross. Before kids, she was signed to Universal Music Publishing as a singer songwriter, but now she spends her days writing suspense thrillers (in between school runs and hanging out endless baskets of laundry).

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My Review

A perfect stranger tells the story of two women who discover that their marriages might not be all that they first thought. Their husbands are both keeping secrets from them, and are far from being the men that they first thought them to be.
This is a gripping thriller with lots of twists and turns. At one point I thought that I'd got it figured all out. I was wrong. There was one little bit that I had got right, but I'd forgotten all about it by the end of the book and when it turned out that I was along the right track, it completely took me by surprise. I enjoyed the way that the story was told from the two women's points of view. It wasn't clear whether they were just superficially connected due to their husbands place of work or if their stories were somehow more intertwined than that, until much later in the book and then it was in ways that I really was not expecting.
This was a fairly quick read, but only because I really wanted to know how it was going to play out once I'd started and it certainly kept me guessing until the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Unchain my Heart - Nadia Blair

Unchain My Heart
Nadia Blair
(Mephisto, #2)
Publication date: May 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

What’s a bad girl to do when the world won’t let her be good …

With her thirtieth birthday looming, actress Natasha Bernard wants to reinvent herself as something other than Hollywood’s favorite villainess. When she hears rumors that a tell-all exposé reveals details of her love life with her rockstar ex, she decides to put a stop to it. Even if that means confronting his bandmate, Richard Mac—the man who let the world brand her with a scarlet ‘A.’

She’s his nemesis … his secret obsession … and the only woman who can incinerate his life …

Guitarist Richard Mac is a control freak, whether he’s working on a new album or using his custom leather toys in the bedroom. When “Hurricane” Natasha storms back into his life, he risks everything to claim her. But he can’t risk losing control and letting her guess his darkest secret … that she’s the one woman he’s always wanted and could never have …

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Author Bio:

Nadia Blair writes steamy contemporary romance featuring outrageous bad boys and gutsy girls who give as good as they get. She has a thing for snappy dialog, humorous situations, and swoon-worthy happily-ever-afters.

When she's not having conversations with fictional people, she enjoys summer thunderstorms, top-shelf whiskey, and rockin' out to a classic guitar solo.

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My Review

I do enjoy a good rockstar romance and this one certainly falls into that category. Natasha Bernard used to be married to Mephisto's frontman, but despite swearing off rock god types forever, she's always been drawn to his bandmate control freak guitarist Richard Mac.
Both Richard and Natasha believe that they can't do relationships and that all that they can really have is a fling. There's also the added problem of Natasha's past with Richard's best friend. If they are going to find their way together and to the most important relationship that either of them has ever had, then they need to deal with all of this and be completely honest with one another.
I liked both Richard and Natasha and think that they work well together. Although their feelings and the relationship move fast, these two have a history, even if it is as something far from being lovers previously.
Natasha has always been seen as a femme fatal, an image that she has hated and that she feels is fake. With Richard she finds that the can really embrace whoever she wants to be and isn't at all worried about the rest of the world.
I really enjoyed this romance and would be certainly interested in reading other books in the series.

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The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue - Ella Carey

New York, 1938: Martha pulled the door of her Fifth Avenue apartment closed, her heart thumping, re-reading the telegram she’d been dreading. Her beloved sister Charlotte needed her help. She was alone in Paris, and the threat of Nazi invasion was growing ever stronger. The time had come for Martha to make the bravest decision of her life. She needed to bring Charlotte home.

As Martha looks out of her bedroom window at the blossom-covered trees in Central Park, she is a world away from Europe and the threat of war. But when a telegram arrives from her sister Charlotte telling of the death of their Jewish friend Anita, Martha’s quiet life changes in an instant. With the threat of the Nazi invasion growing, Martha knows she must travel to Paris to convince Charlotte to return home.

When Martha arrives, she finds a city preparing for war. Soldiers patrol Paris’ cobbled streets and families talk of packing up and fleeing with whatever they can carry. Clutching her sister tightly, Martha knows that Charlotte has already decided to stay. Charlotte’s heart is in France, and as an American in Paris she believes she will be safe.

When the Nazis march through Paris’ streets and raise their flags over the city’s most beautiful buildings, Charlotte is determined not to give in. She works for the Resistance with a Frenchman named Louis, carrying messages, and hiding Anita’s family’s precious art collection from the Nazis. Meanwhile, Martha vows to help a female Jewish professor to safety in America, only to be faced with impossible odds.

But as the war rages, Martha and Charlotte’s determination will be tested like never before. And when Charlotte uncovers a shocking secret about her family which threatens her own life, can she find the strength to protect those she loves the most?

From top ten bestselling author Ella Carey comes an utterly heartbreaking novel about the strength of sisterly love and the courage of the women of the Resistance. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, All The Light We Cannot See and Fiona Valpy.

Author Bio:

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets.

Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her facebook page and on her website.

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My Review

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue is the fourth book in the Daughters of New York series. Although this is a series, the books are only loosely connected, with some of the same characters being mentioned. As such you can read any of these books as standalone stories.
Set mostly in wartime France, during the German occupation of the second world war. The lost sister in question is Charlotte, who remains in France after her sister returns to the US. She travels with treasures from the Louvre and from a family friend's gallery but finds herself drawn into the resistance, putting herself in great danger.
This is a gripping and heartbreaking story, with the two sisters who feature in it both suffering loss and deep challenges.
I really enjoyed this and it was a good read. I did think that there was a little too much repetition at times. I'd already gathered how a character was feeling or reacting to something and didn't feel that I needed to keep being told. I also found the number of times the phrase 'worked her mouth' was used irritating. I'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to mean, but characters were described as doing it all the time. I started to imagine cows chewing the cud. These were just minor irritations though, that didn't detract from the overall enjoyment of the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

Oath-Breaker - River Starr

Oath-Breaker
River Starr
( Angel of Death & Demons #1)
Publication date: May 5th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

No one survives their meeting with the Angel of Death—except for me.

After being accused of rallying citizens to revolt against him and breaking the rules of engagement with demons to save my best friend—guilty as charged on both accounts—the Angel of Death demands to personally oversee my sentencing in his obsidian castle of demons and death.

I’m done for. This is the end. But my death won’t be in vain—I’ll die a martyr to the Paladins Order’s cause, and I’ll rescue my best friend at the same time. She’ll be safe and the paladins will pick a new leader. They’ll thrive and continue the fight.

Or so I think. When judgment day arrives and I’m knelt before the Angel of Death, with his onyx eyes, his ebony hair, and his seductively imposing stature, my soul doesn’t leave me.

It soars.

Because when I dare to look the Angel of Death in the eyes, everything changes. And what unfolds in my anger and vengeance’s stead is a thread of events I never could have foreseen.

I survived my meeting with the Angel of Death. But can I survive his love?

OATH-BREAKER is the first of a M/F paranormal demon romance duology full of steamy goodness.

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My Review

I love a good paranormal romance and this one is certainly that. This is the first book in a two-part story, which ends with you wanting to know more, but not in a gratuitous cliffhanger which these kinds of stories sometimes can. It was enough to make me want to read the next book and find out what is going to happen next.

Alya and Lucius make a good couple. There's a lot of instant attraction here, but with the whole idea of fated mates, particularly reluctant ones, I don't mind, it works well. I certainly was keen to see their relationship progress and find out how they are going to come to terms with their differences. There was a little repetition around Alya's coming to terms with what the Angel of Death is to her and how her previous mate fits into all of this. I get that it might take her a while to accept, but I don't think repeating that really helped emphasise the point, sometimes less is more.

The book ended with a bit of a twist. It wasn't a completely unexpected one if I'm honest and I thought that it was going to be what was going on. Even so, that didn't detract from my enjoyment. I'm keen to find out where next for this couple and how they are going to sort out the problems their world faces. 

Author Bio:

River Starr writes books that help you escape, especially fantasy romance full of magic and supernaturals. Favorite things: coffee, wine, chocolate, and a heavy dose of books to chase away the dark... or invite delicious darkness in.

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An English Garden Murder - Katie Gayle

 Meet Julia Bird: recently single, reluctantly retired, and… an amateur sleuth?

Julia Bird has left London for a fresh start in a picturesque Cotswolds village, and the rustic charm and cosy fireplaces of her little cottage are everything she’d hoped for. But when she tears down the old garden shed to make way for a chicken coop, she unearths much more than she’d bargained for… the body of a young woman, apparently buried for decades, thrusting Julia into a baffling mystery.

With only one copper on the case in Berrywick, Julia decides to solve the who and whodunnit herself, taking her wayward puppy Jake along for the ride. And so begins a whirlwind tour of the village – from the dotty 90-year-old to the delightful doctor and the village gardener, it seems everyone has something to hide.

Soon, Julia is convinced she has discovered the killer’s identity, until Jake, a true Labrador, finds a new love of the local lake’s waterfowl and instead ends up catching her chief suspect… drowned. Back at square one, with potential culprits galore, Julia – newly nicknamed the Grim Reaper – despairs at ever solving the murders.

But as Julia ruffles feathers village-wide, the clock is ticking. There is someone in the village who has killed twice already. Will they be prepared to make it third time lucky to keep their secret safe?

This totally addictive page-turning cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands.

Author Bio:

Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats.

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My Review

I do enjoy a good, old fashioned murder mystery and that's certainly what An English Garden Murder is. Even the title has that feeling of Midsomer murders or similar. I was really looking forward to getting stuck into this one and I really wasn't disappointed when I did.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this story and I have to admit that I really didn't know who was behind it all by the time we got to the big reveal at the end. I'd been barking up all kinds of wrong trees as I'm sure was the intention, as each time I was sure who was behind it all, it would all suddenly be blown out of the water and I'd be back to scratching my head over who was behind it again.

I hope that this book is going to be the start of a new series, because I really enjoyed reading about Julia Bird and the village that she's moved to. It's marked as book one, so fingers crossed book two won't be too far away.

A Body on the Beach - Dee Macdonald

 It’s Tinworthy village’s summer fete: a brass band, cream teas, gentle gossip... and a body on the beach? The party’s just getting started for super sleuth Kate Palmer!

Kate Palmer thought spending the day at Tinworthy’s annual summer party would involve sea air, sunshine and Cornish cream cake – how very wrong she was! When Kate goes for a cliff-top walk she is shocked to spot the body of Sienna Stone – Cornwall’s biggest gossip – on the sandy beach below.

Rumours swirl around the close-knit community and all eyes are on Kate. Half the village saw her arguing with Sienna at the party earlier that day. It was the usual bickering between neighbours, but when Kate finds herself in the frame can she – and her new husband Woody Forrest – solve the puzzling death and clear her name?

There’s a long list of people who might have wanted to push Sienna – her long-suffering husband Irvin, her jealous younger sister Sally and Timmy Thomson, the man who idolised her, not to mention all the villagers who felt the sharp end of her tongue. Finding out the truth isn’t going to be easy…

Just as Kate thinks she’s getting closer to an answer, an unexpected afternoon visitor shares some curious information over tea and scones that sets her on an entirely different path. And soon she starts to wonder if she might be in real danger too…

Can Kate solve the curious case before the murderer declares the party over? Or have her days of sleuthing come to an end?

If you love cosy crime stories complete with quirky characters, twisty plots and plenty of suspects, A Body on the Beach will have you absolutely hooked until the very last page! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Clare Chase.

Author Bio:

Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.

She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.

Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!

Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.

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Buy Link:

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My Review

I do enjoy these Kate Palmer stories. While the idea of a woman finding herself in quite so many sticky situations when it comes to murder mysteries might not be entirely believable, they are very entertaining. This time Kate even manages to find herself as a suspect and not only does she want to find out who done it, but she's also obviously keen to clear her name!

I did think that Kate (or perhaps our author) did show her age somewhat. She was most concerned about a young woman that her son brought around for a meal having her hand resting on his thigh. I'm not entirely sure what was so scandalous about it, but Kate goes in for a bit of pearl clutching as a result. I think perhaps the idea was to show how quickly this young lady was getting herself into the relationship. Personally, I'd have been raising an eyebrow over the speed of inviting her around to meet the parents.

I didn't manage to solve this one until nearly the end. As often is the case with this kind of story, there were plenty of red herrings and blind alleys to lead you away from who was really responsible. Just the kind of misdirection that makes these classic style mysteries so appealing. I hope that we get more from Kate again soon, maybe this time I'll be a little bit more successful in my sleuthing!