Cutting Loose (Sisterhood Diaries #1) by Susan Andersen
3 stars
Jane has always had a cool head until she met Dev who happens to be the contractor restoring the Wolcott mansion. Jane and her two best friends had recently inherited the mansion. To Dev’s defense, he was jet lagged and had two stiff welcome home drinks prior to meeting Jane. Dev could easily renovate the house in the dark, but he wants to see discuss issues with Jane. By all appearances, Jane is a very conservative woman until she meets Dev.
The plot was well devised with Jane and Dev each coming from opposite backgrounds. Jane’s parents were drunks, which scared Jane into thinking that she may eventually turn out like her parents. Although she wore conservative clothes, she always had wild shoes. Dev’s family was very devoted but at some level almost too much. For instance, Dev’s brothers tended to flirt some with Jane and she right back at them – no concern from Dev. How many men will allow their brothers (or buddies) to flirt with their woman?!
This reader saw some passion between the two characters but not enough wild passion to be believable. This reader also didn’t care for the narrator attempting to impersonate a male voice. Overall, an enjoyable read but not sure if this series will remain on my radar.
Thanks to Tantor Media for giving me this book in exchange for a honest review.
The Widower’s Wife by Cate Holahan
3 stars
By all appearances, Tom and Ana Bacon have it all – lavish lifestyle, extravagant trips, mansion, and money to burn. However, all of this is the furthest from the truth. Creditors are repossessing their belongings and foreclosure is imminent. Ana is attempting to keep her small family afloat since Tom has lost his job.
Tom’s financial woes may be solved when Ana drowned after falling off the deck of a cruise ship. Ana’s life insurance policy was ten million dollars. Ryan Monahan, a private investigator for ISIS Insurance Company, the carrier for Ana’s policy, has been assigned to determine if Ana’s untimely death could have either been from foul play or a suicide. Ryan immediately suspects Tom, but Tom has an ironclad alibi. Could Ana have possibly committed suicide since the financial ruin was too much for her to handle?
The story took on several twists and turns and was always a page turner. However, this reader found several points of Tom and Ana’s marriage to be unreal. The ending was also rather unbelievable as well. The cover for the audio book in this reader’s humble opinion was very poor. The cover appeared to be a 1970’s retro rather than a current picture. This could prove costly for the author when many readers do get sucked in from just the cover alone. The narrator was new to me and did help to keep the storyline going. Thanks to Tantor Media for supplying me with this book in exchange for a honest review.
Guilty as Cinnamon (Spice Shop Mystery #2) by Leslie Budewitz)
What a page turner and an excellent read from narrator Dara Rosenburg!
Although Guilty as Cinnamon is book 2 in the Spice Shop Mystery series, this book can stand alone. Pepper has yet another dead body in her shop and vows to solve the mystery. I like how the author puts a twist in her books. read! Pepper Reece owns and runs a spice shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market.
This story is fast paced unlike book 2, and Pepper gives the reader some really good recipes. I love to cook, and I found the story interesting. I was able to learn a great deal about spices.
When a customer is murdered and yet again, leaves evidence from Pepper’s spice shop, she feels guilty and the need to solve the murder is evident. This book contains it all for me: murder, mystery, twists and turns, hidden identity, and decisions to be made between her ex. boyfriend and her ex-husband. Pepper (I love her name) is in need of a couple of employees, and I could easily see myself working in her shop!
Thanks to Tantor Media for giving me this audio in exchange for an honest review.
Promise Canyon (Virgin River #11) by Robyn Carr
4 stars
Navajo vet tech Clay Tahoma comes to the aid of his friend in Virgin River. Clay is certainly not looking for a relationship, but begins to flirt with Hopi Lilly Yahzi who works at her grandfather’s feed store. Lilly is not interested, especially in a Native American. As fate would have it, both become bonded over an abandoned horse. These two are the main characters in this installment. There were a couple of other secondary stories that were relevant.
Hope McCrea was a tough broad, but everyone in Virgin River loved her in their own way. Unfortunately, Jack is left to make some decisions and realizes that his neighbors are not as neighborly as he once thought. Colin Riordan has decisions of his own to make. Other secondary characters will surely make future installments.
This was not one of my favorite books of VR, but I found it enjoyable. I do like how the characters plan on staying in VR and not in outlying towns. A couple of visiting ladies may decide to move to VR, which only adds to the colorful section of the small town. The narrator makes this read even more enjoyable.
Heartbreak (Hawaiian Heartbreak #1)
By Libby Cole
3.75 Stars
I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I am always hesitant to read a book from an author that I have never heard of. However, I liked this book as well as the writing. At times, the book did appear to be a bit choppy. Although the characters ages were never disclosed, they appeared to be extremely young. I would not classify this book as a young adult due to the hot and steamy sex scenes. I would have liked to have known more about Jay and Kayla before reading the next segment. This book is a novella, but the author is going to release all three books as one in February. I am definitely looking forward to book 2.
