jbronderbookreviews

Smugglers and Scones (Moorehaven Mysteries – 1) by Morgan Talbot

Pippa Worthy runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A. Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the world.

Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a century in the making.

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Author’s Bio

Morgan is an outdoorsy girl with a deep and abiding love for the natural sciences. Her degrees involve English and jujitsu. She enjoys hiking, camping, and wandering in the woods looking for the trail to the car, but there isn’t enough chocolate on the planet to bribe her into rock climbing.

When she’s not writing, she can be found making puzzles, getting lost on the way to geocaches, reading stories to her children, or taking far too many pictures of the same tree or rock.

She lives in Eastern Washington with her family.

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My Review

5 stars

Moorehaven is the home to former mystery writer A. Raymond Moore on the Oregon coast. With his passing, Moorehaven has been turned into a bed and breakfast with two stipulations: 1. only aspiring mystery authors can stay and 2. there always has to be a cat on property. Pippa and her Uncle Hilt run the place. One night a boat crashes on the shore and Pippa saves Lake from drowning. But when a body is discovered on the boat, Lake becomes the suspect in a murder investigation. Along with the murder comes the story of a princess that hit a treasure around this area. Now it’s up to Pippa to figure out who the killer is, if there is really a treasure, and how are all the strange events related?

I loved this book. The whole concept of a retreat especially for mystery writers, genius! Pippa and Hilt are a great pair and I loved the whole mystery. Add in a treasure and you get one heck of a great ride as you follow Pippa. But I have to say that my favorite characters were Svetlana and Rex, how could you not love these two?

I was up late reading just one more page. It was so easy to get wrapped up in the beautiful scenery and the amazing writing. This is one cozy mystery series that I will be sure to add to my shelf. This is one that you HAVE to check out!!

I received Smugglers and Scones from the author and Red Adept Publishing for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Salt Kisses – 2) by Josie Demuth

The spellbinding sequel to A Thousand Salt Kisses.

Four years ago, Crystal White fell in love with Llyr, a prince of the magical mer colony living off the coast of Starfish Island. For one summer, he enchanted her with stories of jeweled palaces and underwater gardens, but then he left, returning beneath the waves with her heart in tow.

Now, graduated and with no job in sight, Crystal is forced to go back to the island she thought she had left in the past. By the sea again, she realizes she is far from over her first love, and when an opportunity arises to contact the merfolk, Crystal can’t resist.

Once more with the mer, Crystal is forced to come to terms with the fact that Llyr has moved on, and also with her own magical secret that has endangered her life, his throne, and every mer kingdom. Working against all odds, she has to try to save the people she has come to love and—if she can—rekindle the romance of her first summer on Starfish Island.

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Author’s Bio

Josie Demuth is an author based in London. First published on Wattpad, her Salt Kisses series has garnered nearly four million reads and are now serialised on Radish Fiction. The second of this series, A Thousand Salt Kisses Later is her fourth novel.

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My Review

4 stars

It is four years since Crystal meet and fell in love with Llyr. Since then she has gone to college, had boyfriends, and grown up. But now she is graduating from college, has no job, and finds herself back on Starfish Island. Once she returns she remembers her love of Llyr and tries to find him. But Llyr has grown and is now engaged to Princess Tara of the Timsah Kingdom. But Crystal learns she has magic and that it can possibly destroy Llry’s world.

I have to admit that I’m so glad that it is four years later and Crystal has grown up. This alone made the book better than the first. I completely understood how she felt when she learned about Tara but it’s hard to deny that Llyr still has feelings for her. It was interesting how she had magic and how it could affect this world. I was surprised with how this worked out in the end.

This is a great story and I admit that I liked it better than the first book. I really liked the mer world and how you get to explore so much more. If you like mermaid stories I recommend that you check this one out.

I received A Thousand Salt Kisses Later from iRead Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

Giveaway

Win a copy of A Thousand Salt Kisses Later by Josie Demuth. One winner will also receive a $10 Amazon gift card (2 winners total, print book open to USA & CAN only, ebook open int’l)

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A Thousand Salt Kisses (Salt Kisses – 1) by Josie Demuth

Seventeen-year-old Crystal White is the new girl on Starfish Island. Dragged to the remote community by her environmental activist father, she is eager to find fun that doesn’t involve touching fish guts or listening to local folklore.

During a midnight swim with some new friends, Crystal is pulled out to sea by the waves. Convinced she’s going to drown, Crystal is rescued by Llyr, a handsome stranger. As she searches for him in the following weeks, she finds there may be more truth to the Starfish legends than she thought.

Over a sizzling roller-coaster summer, Llyr introduces Crystal to magic she’d only ever dreamed of. But as Crystal comes to love Starfish Island, it begins to drive her family apart. A nearby power plant is devastating local marine life, and her parents are stuck in the middle. As the magic and mundane parts of Crystal’s life converge, she finds herself risking everything to save Llyr, her family, and herself.

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Author’s Bio

Josie Demuth is an author based in London. First published on Wattpad, her Salt Kisses series has garnered nearly four million reads and are now serialised on Radish Fiction. The second of this series, A Thousand Salt Kisses Later is her fourth novel.

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My Review

4 stars

Crystal has just been moved to the small Starfish Island with her father to fight a large company poisoning the environment. But Crystal is 17 years old and not happy to be there. She does meet some friends and they start hanging out. Then on a midnight swim she is saved by Llyr. She then goes on the hunt for him and learns some legends have ground in reality. Problems arise when Crystal’s mom ends up working for the company her dad is trying to get shut down. Things go awry when the owner of the company starts fighting back.

Crystal is trying to make the best of her situation when she is rescued by Llyr. She then falls madly in love for him and learns all about his world. I’m sorry but I am not a big fan of insta-love and that is what you get here. I will admit that I liked the underwater world and everything that Demuth came up with, it’s very creative.

I thought the fight with Skanx was a good one, especially when he started fighting dirty to try and win. I did feel bad with Crystal’s parents on either side of the fight but the ending makes up for it.

This is a good young adult story. I like that we get to see a new world with mermaids. It is part one of a series and I’m curious to see what will happen in the next book.

I received A Thousand Salt Kisses from iRead Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

Giveaway

Win a copy of A Thousand Salt Kisses Later by Josie Demuth. One winner will also receive a $10 Amazon gift card (2 winners total, print book open to USA & CAN only, ebook open int’l)

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Leopard at the Door by Jennifer McVeigh

After six years in England, Rachel has returned to Kenya and the farm where she spent her childhood, but the beloved home she’d longed for is much changed. Her father’s new companion—a strange, intolerant woman—has taken over the household. The political climate in the country grows more unsettled by the day and is approaching the boiling point. And looming over them all is the threat of the Mau Mau, a secret society intent on uniting the native Kenyans and overthrowing the whites.

As Rachel struggles to find her place in her home and her country, she initiates a covert relationship, one that will demand from her a gross act of betrayal. One man knows her secret, and he has made it clear how she can buy his silence. But she knows something of her own, something she has never told anyone. And her knowledge brings her power.

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Author’s Bio

Jennifer graduated from Oxford University in 2002 with a degree in English Literature. She went on to work in film, television, radio and publishing, before leaving her day job to do an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. She graduated in 2011.

She has travelled in wilderness areas of East Africa and Southern Africa, often in off-road vehicles, driving and camping along the way. The Fever Tree and Leopard at the Door were inspired by those experiences.

In 2014 The Fever Tree won the Epic Novel Category at the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards.

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My Review

3 stars

Rachel grew up on an estate in Kenya. But when she is 12, her mother dies and she is sent to a boarding school in England where her parents are from. Rachel longs for Africa and 6 years later returns but nothing is the same. Her father has a new wife, Sara who is miserable and makes everyone else miserable. Michael, her former teacher becomes a love interest. Then there is strife in the Kikuyu community. After fighting in World War II, many want independence from England while others are fine with the current political events.

Rachel wants life to return to how things were in her youth. But you can never go back, only forward. I hate to say this but I couldn’t stand Rachel and her naivety. Her father was also weak and irritated me with his taking Sara’s side all the time.

I did like the story based on the Mau Mau Rebellion. I don’t know how historically accurate it is, but I liked this part of the book better than Rachel’s story. I am interested in reading more on the Mau Mau Rebellion.

This is a decent story but I don’t think that I would be reading other books by this author. It’s not a horrible story, I do think many will like it. I’m sorry to say that Leopard at the Door is not my cup of tea.

I received Leopard at the Door from the publisher for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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Threading the Needle (Erenthrall – 2) by Joshua Palmatier

The Nexus the hub created by the Prime Wielders to harness the magical power of the ley lines for the city of Erenthrall, the Baronial Plains, and the world beyond has Shattered, the resultant pulse cascading through the system and leaving Erenthrall decimated, partially encased in a massive distortion.

The world has fared no better: auroral storms plague the land, transforming people into creatures beyond nightmare; silver-white lights hover over all of the major cities, the harbinger of distortions that could quicken at any moment; and quakes brought on by the unstable ley network threaten to tear the earth apart. The survivors of this apocalypse have banded together in desperate groups, both in the remains of Erenthrall and in small enclaves beyond the city, scrounging for food and resources in an ever more dangerous world.

Having survived the initial Shattering, Wielder Kara Tremain and ex-Dog Allan Garrett have led their small group of refugees to the Hollow, a safe haven in the hills on the edge of the plains. But the ley system is not healing itself. Their only option is to repair the distortion that engulfs Erenthrall and to fix the damaged ley lines themselves. To do that, they’ll have to enter a city controlled by vicious bands of humans and non-humans alike, intent on keeping what little they’ve managed to scavenge together.

But as soon as they enter the streets of Erenthrall, they find themselves caught up in the maelstrom of violence, deception, and betrayal that the city has descended into including the emergence of a mysterious and powerful cult calling themselves the White Cloaks, whose leader is known as Father….

He is the same man who once led the terrorist group called the Kormanley and brought about the Shattering that destroyed the world!”

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Author’s Bio

Joshua Palmatier was born in Coudersport, PA, but since his father was in the military he moved around. Alot. He’s lived in the states of Pennsylvania (three times), Florida (twice), Washington, California (briefly), Virginia, Texas (twice), and now resides in upstate New York. He has spent the majority of his life so far going to school, earning a Bachelors of Science and a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from the Pennsylvania State University, followed by a PhD in mathematics from Binghamton University. He is currently teaching mathematics (what else) at the State University of New York–Oneonta, taught for two years at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, and taught for three years at Bloomsburg University while taking a break between his masters degree and the PhD.

Joshua started writing science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories in the eighth grade, when the teacher assigned a one page Twilight Zone-ish short story. He wrote a story about Atlantis. It was from the perspective of one of the inhabitants as he escaped in a spaceship, watching his world being destroyed by water from one of the viewports of the ship. He got an A. Joshua has never stopped writing since, mainly focusing on novels.

Website

My Review

4 star

The Nexus has fallen and the ley magic is causing trouble. Sections of Erenthrall are stuck in different times, creatures and humans are fighting and scraping by to survive, and a new cult has risen to power. Kara Tremain is trying to keep her little group alive but is also trying to come up with a plan to restore the Nexus. But this is not an easy task with so much violence around her.

I did not realize that this was the second book in a series. It did take a few minutes for me to catch up but from there I easily followed along. The story revolves around Kara and Allan as they try and gather supplies for them and others in the Hollow. Kara is trying to figure out some way to restore the Nexus but she runs into the White Cloaks. They don’t want the Nexus fixed and have created an unstable version for themselves.

This is a pretty good story. There is a lot of action as people are trying to survive in the collapse of the ley magic. Since this is part of a series, the story is not finished at the end of the book. I am curious to see how this all started and what happens in the next book.

I received Threading the Needle from the publisher free of charge. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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The People of Broken Neck by Silas Dent Zobal

From the woods where he hides with his nearly grown son Clarke and his young daughter King, ex-Army Ranger Dominick Sawyer watches Agent Charlie Basin’s flashlight beam bounce on the walls inside his cabin. Dom’s wife is missing. His post-trauma hallucinations rip at him explosively and bring him to his knees. And a local deputy sheriff is dead. When the FBI agents recede into the night, the Sawyers begin to run, across the country in stolen trucks, leaving a trail of blood behind them. Together with a young girl they pick up on the road, they hope to run until they find a peaceable place in the American Northwest.

But Agent Basin sees his own troubled family reflected in Dom’s haunted existence, and his pursuit is relentless.

All any of them want is to spirit King away to someplace safe.

All she wants is not to be afraid of her father and to find out why her mother disappeared.

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Author’s Bio

Silas Dent Zobal was born in Bellingham, Washington in 1973.  He was raised in Rockford, Illinois. He earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University, an MFA from the University of Washington, and a PhD from Binghamton University. He has been published in the Missouri Review, Glimmer Train, New Orleans Review, North American Review, Green Mountain Review, Shenandoah, and elsewhere.  He has been awarded a NEA fiction fellowship, won the Glimmer Train Fiction Open, and been a scholar at the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.

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My Review

5 stars

Dominick Sawyer is a former US Army Ranger that has seen his share of war. But his experiences haunt him with a severe case of PTSD leading to arguments with his wife eventually leaving. Dom loves his kids and will do anything for them. After a sheriff is found dead FBI agent Charlie Basin is called in to investigate and learns that Dom has taken his kids on the run. What follows is a game of cat and mouse from Pennsylvania to Maine to Washington. Charlie is determined to catch Dom but at the same times finds himself relating to the father protecting his children.

This is a touching story. Dom is a soldier and suffers horribly from his time in duty. He is trying his best but that doesn’t keep his whole family together. It does mean that he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his kids safe. Charlie can relates to Dom since he has a daughter of his own. He is having a hard time relating to her but he still would do whatever it takes to protect her too.

It is easy to get drawn into this story with the rich writing and the beautiful imagery throughout the country. Both Dom and Charlie are great characters and the opposite points add depth to the story.

If you are looking for a great thriller, look no further. This is one book that you need to add to your shelves.

I received The People of Broken Neck from Wildbound Literary PR for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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