Thursday, December 26, 2024

Reading and Reviews (Gallant, Grafton, Anderson)

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. From time to time, I'll share my reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day. 

I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. Besides Romantic Suspense and mystery, I read crime and law novels, once in a while a true story, WWII historicals, romance, and mainstream character driven books.

Here are some of the books I've read recently or in the not-too-distant past. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author.
 

Perilous Quest (Truth and Lies, book 3) by Jannine Gallant 

On a quest to find a lost treasure, will they fall victim to love . . . or murder?

As a genealogist and historical researcher, Brielle Quintrell often uncovers secrets families would prefer to keep buried. Hired by the elderly scion of the Cape Cod Bishops, a dynasty stretching back to the founding fathers, she can’t wait to delve into their ancestry—despite her client’s skeptical grandson.

Weston Bishop has his hands full running his family’s cranberry farm, seeing to his grandparents’ needs, avoiding his ex, and keeping his cousin out of trouble. The last thing he wants is a genealogist digging into his family’s past and creating problems. Especially one as pretty and distracting as Brielle.

When old letters and diaries lead to more questions than answers, hinting at a dangerous legacy, Weston is hooked. The idea of recovering a stolen treasure is almost as tempting as his new partner. But after word of their search leaks, the two discover they aren’t the only ones determined to solve the centuries-old crime. Someone will go to any lengths to find the prize—even murder.
 

My Review 

How fun to mix genealogy, history, and a treasure hunt in a suspenseful romantic adventure. Brielle and Weston are appealing characters…a genealogist and a cranberry farmer. There are enough suspicious characters to keep you guessing until the end as to who the villain is. A read you’ll enjoy. 

Q is for Quarry: A Kinsey Millhone Novel by Sue Grafton 

She was a "Jane Doe," an unidentified white female whose decomposed body was discovered near a quarry off California's Highway 1. The case fell to the Santa Teresa County Sheriff's Department, but the detectives had little to go on. The woman was young, her hands were bound with a length of wire, there were multiple stab wounds, and her throat had been slashed. After months of investigation, the murder remained unsolved...

That was eighteen years ago. Now the two men who found the body are nearing the end of their careers in law enforcement—and they want one last shot at the case. Old and ill, they need someone to help with their legwork and they turn to Kinsey Millhone.

Kinsey is intrigued by the cold case and agrees to take the job. But revisiting the past can be a dangerous business, and what begins with the pursuit of Jane Doe's real identity ends in a high-risk hunt for her killer.
 

My Review 

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book. The two old detectives jump off the pages, they are so well written. The cold case research has lots of twists and turns. The suspense is tense. 

When Oceans Rage: A Rivals to Lovers Sea Adventure (Woman at the Helm Mystery Book 2) by Rolynn Anderson 

To save her father, she must shut down corporate espionage and unearth a murderer before the killer finds her.

A shocking inheritance of a shrimp boat from her estranged father entices MIT-trained Jill Morrell to resign from her cushy Seattle job. Her lack of experience boating or fishing soon makes her a pariah on the Port McNeill dock. Worse: While she invests time and energy into a successful prawn season, her father languishes in prison for a murder he may not have committed.

Ray Stewart, stepson of the murdered man, has a stealth agenda of his own. Ray aims to sue Jill for ownership of the million-dollar vessel. In fact, he’ll join Jill’s crew for the season to protect his family’s asset while keeping an eye on the ever-fascinating, unpredictable Ms Morrell.

The raging ocean pales in comparison to the violent and greedy folks out to destroy Jill’s livelihood. Though Ray and Jill are sworn adversaries, they must join forces to find a murderer and identify traitors in their British Columbia community.
 

My Review 

First off, Ms. Anderson gives us just enough information about the prawning business to entertain us while telling the story and not sound like an instruction manual. That’s not easy to do. The title tells you Rivals to Lovers which is an interesting trope. Not only is there tension and suspense involving murder and espionage, but the tension between the rivals keeps you turning the pages too. A great read.

Monday, December 16, 2024

DEEP WITHIN ME BOOK TWO – THE PROPHECY by Tina Donahue

Let's welcome back Tina Donahue to Discover... with her latest release. Good luck, Tina! Enjoy, readers!

Blurb: 

Unrestrained desire…and danger without end. 

The Prophecy, Book 2 

In the relentless war between their clans, they’ll risk all for their forbidden love.

 With Zeke Neekoma, Liz found shameless passion. She indulged in her most wanton needs, drowning in his male heat and exquisite strength. A traitorous act. Zeke is her clan’s most hated enemy, a seer whose prophecies they wish to exploit. Enraged by her betrayal, the leader of her clan murdered Liz. 

Reanimated by her father—her clan’s most powerful healer—she’s determined to fight on Zeke’s side, using her healing gift to help his people. Liz aches for a future with Zeke, to always know the ecstasy of his touch, the thrill of his body imprisoning and pleasuring her. 

Zeke desires the same. However, the reanimation changed something within her. Now when Liz heals, she grows weak. Fearful he may lose her forever, Zeke forbids Liz to use her gift. 

There’s no other choice. Her clan’s leader launches his next assault, a merciless plan that will test Zeke’s humanity, risk Liz’s life and threaten their timeless bond.

EXCERPT: 

Zeke eased his foot from the accelerator to slow the vehicle. “You okay?” he asked Liz.

“Yeah.”

Her voice didn’t rasp from her previous injuries…her murder. It was as though it had never occurred, the same as Zeke’s brush with death. After another deep breath, she stopped gripping his leg and rested her palm on his thigh.

Her hand’s weight sent a flood of warmth through Zeke that comforted and aroused him. He recalled her willing submission and longing for his kisses, the hunger of his caress.

Without her, he’d die, no longer caring what happened. With her, he had hope for the future, the first in years. All he had to do to make certain it lasted was to find and kill Carreon. Not quickly, though. He needed the monster to suffer for what he’d done in the past to Zeke’s clan and family. To his little girl Gabrielle.

A surge of outrage, quick and hot, tore through Zeke.

“You all right?” Liz asked, squeezing his thigh.

He fought to control his anger and finally managed a nod. He’d deal with Carreon later. Right now, he had to see to Liz’s safety and her father’s. They were more than ten miles from his clan’s stronghold with few places to hide in this desolate area. A precarious position. The only thing that might possibly save them was this route. Here, they shouldn’t run into Carreon’s three lieutenants who’d escaped tonight’s battle with Zeke’s men.

Liz twisted slightly, trying to see in the back. Her father sat behind her. “Papa, you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

His words bounced in concert with the Jeep’s rough movements.

Liz blew out a breath.

Zeke welcomed the sound as much as he did her laughter.

Losing her once was all he could bear.

The corners of his eyes were still sticky from tears, shed when he’d believed she was gone from him forever. He’d thought, as Liz had, that she and her father were only able to heal the injured, a gift bestowed on them by their mixture of Aztec and extraterrestrial blood.

Because of Carreon and men like him, Liz’s father hadn’t told her the most important secret regarding their gift.

Not only could they undo damage from an accident or the bullets that had torn into Zeke’s chest, they could reanimate.

Earlier, Liz had been beyond simple healing, the delicate bones in her throat crushed from the pressure of Carreon’s hands. When her father finally convinced Zeke there was nothing he could do, that his love alone wouldn’t bring Liz back, he’d finally released her. Through his tears, Zeke watched Munez cradle his daughter’s face. He expected the older man to offer a farewell.

Instead, Munez poured his healing gift, his life force into her. With astonishing speed, the lividity drained from Liz’s face, her complexion returning to its rich olive coloring. She’d stirred as though awakening from a sound sleep, rather than having come back to life.

Carreon didn’t know the full extent of the healing gift. If he learned Liz and her father could reanimate the dead rather than merely healing the injured, he’d do whatever he could to imprison them both. This time, he’d make certain they brought back his lieutenants who were killed in battle with Zeke’s men.

The blood feud had already spanned thousands of years, all to gain power over each other’s gifts or to hold on to so-called sacred territory. Many on both sides claimed it was a tribute to or preparation for the return of their ancient ancestors. Beings who’d crossed deep space and had come to Earth millennia before.

While the Unknowns had bred with Liz’s Aztec ancestors, the Others had done the same with the Comanche clan from which Zeke had descended, leaving generations like him with the gift of prophecy.

Zeke grasped the steering wheel so hard his fingers hurt. He loathed his gift as much as Carreon coveted it. Until that monster was beyond reanimation, he’d keep trying to capture and imprison Zeke so he could exploit the visions for his own ends.

If it took Zeke’s last breath, he’d find Carreon and would destroy him. There was simply no other—

Damn. The ashy light showed a sudden turn in the trail, interrupting his thoughts. As carefully as he could, Zeke veered to the right.

Liz’s hand slid off his thigh.

He jockeyed the vehicle past rocks and furrows, missing each. The ride was now relatively smooth, considering. It should have calmed him but didn’t. Why?

A quick check of the gauges told him the Jeep was operating properly. He scanned the moon-washed landscape, not seeing anyone coming their way. A good thing. Except something still wasn’t quite right.

What?

Her hand slid off my thigh.

Liz hadn’t taken it back. It had dropped away from him.

Uneasy at what that might mean, Zeke slowed the Jeep and glanced over. His next breath froze in his throat.

Liz’s chin rested on her chest. Her thick chestnut hair had swung forward, hiding her face. The ends shifted with the Jeep’s movements, as did her arms and legs. She looked asleep…unconscious.

Dead.

“Liz!” Zeke shouted.

About Tina: 

Tina’s an Amazon and international bestselling novelist who writes passionate romance for every taste – ‘heat with heart’ – for traditional publishers and indie. Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times and numerous online sites have praised her work. She’s won Readers’ Choice Awards, was named a finalist in the EPIC competition, received a Book of the Year award, The Golden Nib Award, awards of merit in the RWA Holt Medallion competitions, and second place in the NEC RWA contests. She’s featured in the Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market. Before penning romances, she worked at a major Hollywood production company in Story Direction.

 On a less serious note: she’s an admitted and unrepentant chocoholic, brakes for Mexican restaurants, and has been known to moan like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally while wolfing down tostadas. She’s flown a single-engine airplane (freaking scary), rewired an old house using an ‘electricity for dummies’ book, and is horribly shy despite the hot romances she writes. 

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