Beyond the Higher Ground

THOMAS A. BRIGGER

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Page Publishing, Inc., 2019.

How acquired: Cozy Mystery Review Crew

First line: She’s gone, Tuck.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: When we meet Mason, he’s on his way to Bright’s Mountain, where he will be in charge of overseeing the construction of a new prison. He’s still mourning the death of his wife, and while other members of the construction crew are renting apartments or duplexes in a nearby town, Mason chooses to rent a house that, while closer to the building site, is in a remote area of Appalachia, with few neighbors.

The book is a bit meandering, with plenty of stuff happening but at the same time not a lot of action. It’s wordy. It’s not a light read, but rather requires some concentration. The writing is a little grandiose, and yet eloquent and captivating. The fact that I did not have to set the book down to look up a word, not once, made me a bit proud of myself. The narration occasionally switches to the past, giving us glimpses of Mason’s previous life when he and his wife were happy together. The narration is very descriptive, and certainly relays the desolation and hardship of life in the Appalachian mountains, with some colorful characters.

Mason makes friends among his co-workers and, almost in spite of himself, among the locals. But not everyone is friendly, and it quickly becomes evident that somebody wants him to leave. Eventually Mason finds himself embroiled in an investigation into the possibility of drugs being run through the construction site. As the danger escalates, he is determined to not be run out of town, and becomes a self-appointed protector of one of the locals, a single mother. I loved the relationship that developed between them, and between Mason and her young daughter.

Towards the end of the book, there is a real action scene, but it almost felt out of place. The author’s writing style just doesn’t seem to lend itself to pure action, and despite what was happening on the page there wasn’t a feeling of danger or suspense. But the rest of the book more than made up for that, and I was sorry to reach the last page and have to leave Mason behind.

Goodreads synopsis: Tasked with an assignment to manage the construction of a prison on a remote Appalachian mountaintop, Tucker Mason sees an opportunity to restart his life past the death of his wife and the recurring demons of his childhood. But strange occurrences at the house that he rented on Bright’s Mountain and the suspicion of drugs being smuggled through the prison construction site create distractions that lead to violence, intrigue, and his own imperilment. Struggling under the weight of loss and guilt, he encounters a world that he never knew existed in the shadow of the emerging prison. With a unique perspective on the human condition, Beyond the Higher Ground takes its reader through a historical glimpse of Southwestern Virginia to a powerful exposition of the drug crisis that has devastated the region and the abject brutality of those who deliver it.

Down in Texas

 

DELILAH DEVLIN

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Aphrodisia Books, 2008.

How acquired: Book Mooch

First line: Her daddy had always told her a man's worth wasn't measured by the size of his bank account or the square footage of his house.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: Three separate stories with Ms. Devlin's trademark heroes. The first story, “Wearing His Brand”, is the best by far. Lyssa has been in love with her brother's best friend for years. Brand has lusted after Lyssa, but being his best friend's sister makes her off limits, especially since Mac entrusted Brand to look after his sister when he was deployed. The story opens on a scene that seemed a bit ludicrous to me – Lyssa was repairing a barbed wire fence and a strand broke and snapped around her, leaving her helpless to move or do anything other than wait for someone to come along and find her. Maybe it's not ludicrous, I've never worked a ranch or dealt with barbed wire, so what do I know. Anyway, Lyssa decides it's time to push Brand until he loses control, and when he finally does, boy howdy. Hawt!

The second story, Slow Ride, is about Brand's brother, Danny. In high school he worked on a ranch and lusted after the owner's wife. Now she's a widow, and her foreman has put up a notice at the local bar, looking for someone to work with her horses. Danny gets the job and realizes he's still crazy about Maggie and sets out to convince her that age is just a number. I'm not a fan of older woman/younger man stories in general, but I liked Danny and Maggie and enjoyed their story. Just not as much as the first story.

The third story, Straight Up Soldier, is about Lyssa's brother, Mac. After being injured, he's back in the states and trying to adjust to the non-soldier life. His friend, Tara, asks him to provide protection to her friend, Suki, whose Mexican mafia connected ex is stalking her. When he leaves a note on the door of the safe house where officers have hidden Suki, she flees police protection to stay in her remote cabin. She's not happy when Mac shows up, and doesn't want his company or protection, but of course once he's met her Mac is determined to stay regardless.

This was my least favorite of the stories. The first two stories feature couples who already have some kind of history with each other. It gives them a foundation to build a relationship on. Mac is described as being desperately in need of a woman – he tried to get Tara to sleep with him but she declined. Of course Mac is still a gentleman and isn't going to push Suki into sex, so Suki pushes him instead. I guess this story of insta lust leading to love in a short period of time was a little jarring for me on the heels of the first two stories. I prefer some buildup, some getting to know each other first. And I just didn't connect with Mac or Suki as well as I did with the first two couples. Especially Lyssa and Brand. The book is worth reading for their story alone, and for that reason I'm giving the book four stars.

Goodreads synopsis: Down in Texas, there's a little town called Honkeytonk, where the women get exactly what they want... and the men know just how to give it to them.

Wearing His Brand Lyssa McDonough just got tangled up in a coil of barbed wire, and her clothes are ripped to shreds. Rancher Brandon Tynan to the rescue--but why is she so ornery? Could it be that the whole state of Texas isn't big enough for the two of them? Hell, they'll still have to share one horse to get home. Lyssa better hang on tight--she's in for the wildest ride of her life...

Slow Ride Maggie Dermott doesn't know the first thing about horses and Daniel Tynan is more than willing to show her the ropes. His gentle ways melt her heart and his sensual passion burns away her inhibitions. Daniel takes the time to love her right.

Straight Up Soldier Suki Reece needs protection and she can see that Mac McDonough has the muscle. Too bad he can't stand taking orders from a woman. The rugged ex-Marine won't listen to a word she says until Suki distracts him with a sexy striptease. That gets his attention. Suki may have gotten the upper hand but Mac is going to be on top...

A Sweet Mess

JAYCI LEE

Stats for my copy: Mass market paperback, St. Martin's Griffin, 2020.

How acquired: Fresh Fiction Box Not to Miss subscription box.

First line: “What do you mean you gave away the Frankencake?”

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: This was a fun romp! Aubrey is a pastry chef with a successful bakery. She creates a special cake for a six year old, who requests gummy worms inside the cake. But Aubrey's part time employee accidentally sells the cake to another customer. Landon is a successful food critic who finds himself stuck overnight in Weldon when he blows a tire on the highway and the only garage is closed until morning. Exploring the little town on foot, he discovers the bakery, where he is the unwitting recipient of that gummy worm cake. When his editor insists he must come up with a review for the magazine, despite not making it to the restaurant he was supposed to be reviewing, he writes a scathing review of that gummy worm cake and the unknown baker who created it, and kills the bakery's business in the process. As if that's not bad enough, Aubrey and Landon met at her friend Tara's bar that evening, and indulged in a one night stand, not knowing who the other person was other than their first names. Until that review came out.

This is my first time reading Jayci Lee, and I'm happy to have discovered her and this rom-com of a book. There is lots of humor embedded in the story and the situations, but also a lot of feeling as Aubrey and Landon get to know each other while trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid each other. While Landon refuses to retract his review or revisit the baker to sample other more delectable creations and write a second review, he does knock himself out to find a way to help Aubrey save her business.

I loved both Aubrey and Landon, and Landon's best friend Aria, who agrees to have Aubrey guest star on her new cooking show, and quickly develops a wonderful friendship with Aubrey. And did I mention the humor? Landon takes Aubrey on a day of wine tasting as she needs to finds a wine for the new dessert she is creating, and despite swishing and spitting she becomes pretty tipsy, and I laughed out loud while reading.

Not to give away any more of the story, but I did get very angry with Landon and his stubbornness, but in the end he groveled and groveled hard, and I do love good hero grovel.

I love this book and I can't wait for the next book, about Landon's brother and Aubrey's best friend.

Goodreads synopsis: Aubrey Choi loves living in her small town nestled in the foothills of California, running her highly successful bakery away from the watch of her strict Korean parents. When a cake mix-up and a harsh review threaten all of her hard work and her livelihood, she never thought the jaded food critic would turn out to be her one-night stand. And she sure as hell never thought she’d see her gorgeous Korean unicorn again. But when Landon Kim waltzes into her bakery trying to clean up the mess he had a huge hand in making, Aubrey is torn between throwing and hearing him out.

When she hears his plan to help save her business, Aubrey knows that spending three weeks in California wine country working with Landon is a sure recipe for disaster. Her head is telling her to take the chance to save her bakery while her heart—and her hormones—are at war on whether to give him a second chance. And it just so happens that Landon’s meddling friends want them to spend those three weeks as close as possible...by sharing a villa.

When things start heating up, both in and out of the kitchen, Aubrey will have to make a choice—to stick it out or risk her heart.

Point of Danger

 

IRENE HANNON

Stats for my copy: Trade paperback, Revell, 2020.

How acquired: Revell Reads Blogger Program

First line: The package was ticking.

(For Goodreads synopsis, scroll down.)

My thoughts: That first sentence plunges us right into the plot, as Eve Reilly calls 911, and police officers and the bomb unit descend on her cul de sac. Eve is a radio host, a very controversial radio host, so detective Brent Lange begins looking into her listening audience for suspects. Which means he and Eve are thrown into each other's company, and sparks fly. I'm not a fan of insta love, I want to watch characters get to know each other, and I l loved how the attraction between Eve and Brent grew as their romance slowly played out. Revell is a Christian publisher, so it was tame, and sweet, and endearing and very satisfying. I'm also a fan of character driven stories, and the author did a wonderful job with both Eve's and Brent's characterization, as well as the supporting characters. I loved the interactions between Eve and her two sisters, and the suspects were all sufficiently creepy in their own ways. 

The mystery was well crafted, with some red herrings thrown in. I kept thinking I had an idea of who the culprit was, but in the end I was completely unprepared for the twist that led to the true culprit. Looking back, I realize that despite the fast pacing there was not necessarily a lot of action, and yet there was always something going on. I'd previously only read a couple of Ms. Hannon's books, both of which were Love Inspired romances, and both of which were enjoyable but (to me) fairly standard for the genre. With POINT OF DANGER, I'm much more interested now in reading more from her. This book is tag lined “A Triple Threat Novel”, so I hope another one will be coming soon.

Goodreads synopsis: Radio talk show host Eve Reilly is used to backlash from her pot-stirring on-air commentary and interviews, but now it seems a disgruntled listener is resorting to more than angry words to express their displeasure. When a suspicious package arrives on her doorstep, Eve turns to law enforcement for help.

Police detective Brent Lange can't find any evidence to link the string of unsettling incidents that follows, but he's convinced they're connected. As the harassment grows more menacing, it becomes clear someone wants Eve's voice silenced--permanently. 

But unless he can track down her foe, fast, the gutsy woman who is willing to take risks for what she believes--and who is swiftly winning his heart--may not survive. 

Bestselling author and three-time RITA Award winner Irene Hannon is back with a heart-stopping new series that will have you turning pages well into the night.