Book Review: A Jayne Ann Krentz Forced Proximity/Enemies to Lovers Mystery

 The Shop On Hidden Lane

By Jayne Ann Krentz

Book Review by Ariella Moon

Readers will be hooked by page one of The Shop On Hidden Lane. Jayne Ann Krentz spins an engaging mystery centered around a generations-long feud and secret pact between the Harper and Wells families.

 

Sophy Harper’s paranormal talents have freaked out more than one potential boyfriend.  But her psychic talent is exactly what rival Luke Wells needs to find his uncle and Sophy’s aunt when Deke Wells and Bea Harper go missing. Their disappearance may be connected to the two families’ agreement to safeguard certain dangerous information.

 

The banter between Sophy and Luke, and their amusing inner dialogues, kept me smiling and enjoying every charged page. Krentz seamlessly weaves beloved tropes— forced proximity and enemies to lovers—into Sophy and Luke’s investigation.

 

One murder has already occurred. Not knowing if Deke and Bea are still alive, Luke and Sophy follow the psychic and physical evidence into a little-known vortex. A suspicious art colony within the vortex may be hiding a dangerous secret related to the pact—and the missing couple.

 

 AMAZON   THE POISONED PEN BOOKSTORE

Random in Death Book Review

 

Random in Death

By J.D. Robb

 

My writing breaks from revising my next book in the Two Realms Trilogy have been spent reading thrillers. My latest from the library's "Hot Off the Press" table:

Random In Deathby J.D. Robb is a thrilling futuristic crime mystery. Robb expertly builds suspense and increases the stakes as Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD pursues a serial murderer with a vendetta against women, especially sex workers.

 

Dallas, her wealthy husband Roarke, and her police team use the limited evidence, particularly the unusual murder weapon, to build a profile of the killer. As they race the clock chasing down leads, each new discovery reveals a more horrifying picture of the killer and increases the desperate need to find him before he strikes again.

 

Robb gives us a chilling, slowly revealed, and expertly fleshed out villain. The skillful plot, likable victims, and lightning pace will keep readers rooting for Lt. Dallas, Roarke, and the rest of the NYPSD. 

Don't miss my 99 cents kindle deal for The Beltane Escape May 1-May 7, 2024!

 

Or read The Beltane Escape and its sequel, The Viking Mist, for free with Kindle Unlimited. Both books are also available in paperback.

Both Books on Kindle

The Beltane Escape on Amazon

The Viking Mist on Amazon

Holly Black's First Book For Adults

 Book of Night by Holly Black

 

Holly Black takes a dark turn in Book of Night, her first novel for adults. Black plunges readers into a sordid world populated by con artists, thieves, and occult figures, where shadows can be altered and manipulated.

 

Usually, I abandon novels where the main character appears caught in an unending loop of bad decisions. Black’s latest protagonist, Charlie Hall, a life-long con artist and thief, checks all the boxes. But I stuck with Charlie’s story because of my tremendous appreciation for Holly Black’s Young Adult and Middle Grade novels and my faith in her story telling. Sure enough, Black drew me in with her deft world building and illuminating back-stories. I even began rooting for Charlie. Stick with Book of Night and you, too, will hope Holly Black’s memorable characters find their happy endings. 

Happy reading!

AMAZON

Review: The Fourth Wing (Empyrean Book 1)

I loved this Coming of Age, Fish Out of Water, and Redemption story set in Rebecca Yarros's magical Fourth Wing. Every page, sometimes every paragraph, is filled with internal or external conflict as Violet Sorrengail, whose mother is the commanding general of the Basgiath War College, forces her bookish daughter into the brutal Dragon Riders Quadrant. Violet faces daily life or death situations - because of her mother, because of her small size and fragile condition, and because of Xaden Riorson and other marked separatists cadets whose parents were executed as traitors during the rebellion.

Violet must draw upon the knowledge she acquired in the Archives to outsmart and outwit her deadly opponents and be chosen by a dragon. But her greatest threat - her wingleader, Xander Riorson - may not be exactly what Violet first thought.

Normally, I shy away from books littered with F-bombs. The word often appears gratuitous and indicating a lack of imagination. But in Fourth Wing, the expletives felt organic and appropriate.

I look forward to reading the next book in the Empyrean series!

If you would like to delve into The Two Realms fantasy series, 

The Beltane Escape, The Viking Mist, and the Lady of the Lake companion novella, 

The Amber Elixir, are now available to read for free with Kindle Unlimited. Also available in paperback.

Happy summer reading!

~Ariella

A Great New Mystery Novel by Lucy Foley

My September Recommended Read

AMAZON 

Book, television, and movie protagonists are a lot like real people—if I don’t initially like them, I will walk away, no matter how highly acclaimed they may be. Just such acclaim drew me to New York Times Bestseller Lucy Foley’s newest novel, THE PARIS APARTMENT. But I doubted I would warm up to the main character, Jess.

 

Two things kept me reading.

 

Firstly, I remembered how some reviewers of my book, SPELL FIRE, said they were glad they stuck with the book despite their initial misgivings about the heroine, a teen desperately trying to hide her obsessive compulsive disorder and depression from her warring parents.

 

Secondly, I was raised on Agatha Christie novels and I can’t resist a challenge. (I was delighted to discover Foley had employed a subtle homage to one of Christie’s most controversial books!)

 

THE PARIS APARTMENT is not for readers who eschew stories told from multiple points of view. Though I felt the author did an excellent job creating distinct characters, an intriguing mystery, and delicious plot twists. Agatha Christie would have been proud.

 

“Mental illness has a stigma attached to it and having such a character was risky. I fell in love with her the first time she washed her hands, and the 100th. Because, like may young adult books, it was written from our Ainslie's point of view it was like peaking into someone’s diary, almost. I am all smushy inside I liked this book so much!” 

                                                                                                        ~Amazon Reviewer

AMAZON          BARNES AND NOBLE        RAKUTEN KOBO

I Love Mystical Portals!

Elfhame by Anthea Sharp
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Elfhame is the first book I have read by Anthea Sharp, but it won't be the last! Wonderful world-building, believable and sympathetic characters, and strong goals propel this magical story. Elfhame is a fast read - almost too fast. I wish more time had been spent building the bond between Mara and Bran. Many secondary characters beg to have their stories written as well. I look forward to reading Hawthorne, the next book in this series.


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Do You Love Dragons?

Talon by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am so excited to have discovered this series! Julie Kagawa's fresh take on dragons and shape-shifters, and her seamless writing, drew me into the story. Great premise. Terrific conflict. You will root for Ember, Riley, and Garret, three very sympathetic and likeable young adult characters.

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